Seared by Desire
Page 3
The leather clothing rested neatly on racks, breeches on one side and shirts on the other. Reaching out to touch the material, she reluctantly admitted that the dark brown material would blend in more easily with the night than the gleaming silver of true armour and so though it pained her, she reached for the smallest shirt and breeches available. Alone as she was, she didn’t even hesitate as she began stripping of her long skirt and flowing shirt. Not only would they make her easier to spot, they might make it harder for her to run.
Sara quickly stripped out of her clothes and donned the pilfered uniform. The leather was rough against her skin, the unusual feel of breeches instead of a skirt making her distinctly uncomfortable. Shrugging off her discomfort, Sara moved forward, unable to resist the draw of the swords hanging from the walls. It would be unusual for a guard not to have a sword, she reasoned, reaching for one of the hanging scabbards. Pulling the blade free from its sheath, she quickly gained the measure of the sword, her practised eyes seeing its every flaw and strength.
The balance of the blade wasn’t perfect, an element she would have to compensate for in combat. Twirling the sword deftly in her palm made the light glint off the steel, bringing the dull sword edge to her attention. She frowned at the discovery, running the tip of her finger very lightly against it. The sword wouldn’t cut as well as she’d hoped. Placing it back in its sheath, she realised that all the swords would likely be in a similar state of disrepair. Fire elementals rarely used weapons like swords, bows or clubs, preferring instead to char their enemies to a crisp from a distance. The sword was only used as a last resort when their energy levels were low. The sword’s moderate use was just one of the reason’s she’d become a blacksmith, placing her faith in the sturdy reliability of steel rather than her own non-existent powers.
“It’ll have to do,” she grumbled, slinging the blade over her back within easy reach of her fingers.
Her attire now completely different to what she’d started with, Sara began the final stage in her transformation, reaching for a sturdy helmet. The soft ringlets that her hair naturally curled into, easily gave her away, softening any hardness on her face. With an entire castle that knew what she looked like, the flaming curls would give her away in mere seconds. She tucked the strands beneath the solid flat helmet, cursing throughout the entire process as stray strands continually escaped her grasp. Finally satisfied, she strode from the armoury towards her next destination, the kitchen.
Sara quickly discovered the wisdom in her disguise as the once empty halls began to fill with merry guests. She kept her head down, avoiding the gazes of all the true guards. The last thing she needed was for someone to recognise that she wasn’t one of them. The kitchen was manic, shouts filling the air as the cook ordered his crew around to meet the needs of the feasting castle inhabitants. A small smile curved her lips as she slipped, unnoticed, into the chaos. Her hands were light and nimble as she began pilfering the essentials for her journey, slipping them into her waiting satchel. She noted, with satisfaction, that other guards were doing the same without a care for being seen.
Even better, I don’t need to hide what I’m doing.
With the need of secrecy removed, she quickly stuffed her satchel to capacity. Envisioning the unknown length of her journey, she cursed her short sightedness for taking such a small bag.
It’ll do for now, she decided, resolutely making her way out of the kitchen. I can always get more along the way. I need to leave enough room for money. I won’t get far without that.
She was so centred on her internal thoughts that the outside world slipped away, coming back with a resounding crash as her body collided with another’s, sending her sprawling to the ground.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured, taking care to deepen her voice. “It won’t happen again.” She stood, turning away from the young guard.
“Wait!” he called. “You dropped your helmet when you fell.”
Her hand rose to her head, patting lightly against her exposed hair. She barely resisted the urge to groan aloud. I’ll be okay if I get away now. He hasn’t seen my face and my hair is messy enough after being under the helmet for him to still think me a man. “It doesn’t matter,” she grunted, continuing on her way.
“You can’t just leave your helmet,” he whipped in response. “You’ll be punished.”
“I don’t care.” She quickened her steps, hoping he would simply leave her alone.
She should have known she wouldn’t be that lucky. The eager young man ran after her, his long legs easily eating up the distance she was trying so hard to put between them. He stopped only when he stood directly in front of her, pressing the twice-cursed helmet into her palm. Sara knew the exact moment recognition set in, his eyes widened, his lips parted in shock and his body temperature spiked.
“You,” he gasped, stepping back, his wide brown eyes flickering over her clothes. “What are you doing?”
Sara was silent, mentally debating her options.
The guard’s eyes continued wandering over her, taking in the stuffed satchel, the large sword at her back, her clever attempt to disguise herself, before reaching a conclusion. “You’re running away.” Sara’s eyes snapped to meet his. “Why?”
“Because I want to live,” she answered simply.
“It’s an honour to die for our people. You’ll defeat our enemies.”
“If it’s such an honour, then you do it,” she hissed.
“There’s only one child of flame. I won’t let you leave.”
“Then we have a problem because I won’t let you stop me from leaving.” Her hand was already at her sword, her fingers easily wrapping around the hilt. If I’m quick enough, he’ll be unconscious in seconds.
“You may be the child of flame but I doubt you can defeat us all without wearing yourself out.” Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, her hand pulling the sword loose from its sheath. “HELP!” he bellowed, his voice surprisingly loud for a man so thin. “The child of flame is escaping! HELP! HELP!”
“Damn you,” she cursed, her plan to escape unnoticed going up in flames with the pounding of feet against the stone floor. “Damn you to hell.”
Her time was short, her powers untested, she couldn’t afford to waste time fighting every single person in the castle and it was inevitable that it would be all against one. Sheathing her blade, Sara fled, running as fast as she could in the opposite direction. Her heart thundered in her chest as the heavy sound of boots drew closer.
What am I doing? she cursed. Her legs were taking her to the treasury instead of the exit, the last stop on her planned escape route. I can always earn money once I’m free of this place. My swords are well known. I’ll make more and sell them. Any good merchant will know the high quality of the work means they’re Quicksilvers. Even as the thought formed, another, more important one made its presence known. Her time was too short to craft swords, especially to the high quality Quicksilvers were known for. Gold was all-important on this journey. She only had the vaguest idea of where she was meant to go and no idea of either how to get there or how much the journey would cost. She had to get to the treasury.
She continued running though her heart almost stopped with each corner she had to take. Around any corner people could be waiting and everyone here was an enemy prepared to stop her and by doing so seal her fate. As her anger mounted so did the temperature within her.
Seraphina woke, purring contentedly at the thought of the violence that was about to occur. See, she grumbled and the power within Sara grew exponentially. See them. Feel their heat.
Her eyes felt as though they were melting from the extreme heat but as quick as the pain had come, it was gone and then she understood the meaning behind Seraphina’s cryptic words. She was seeing everything differently, no longer in various shades of colour but heat. She could see body heat, walls vanished beneath her new sight, the threat of being caught unawares vanishing until she saw them. It was too late for her body to stop and she skidded arou
nd the corner into what, to her eyes, was an inferno but in reality was a crowded hall filled with fire elementals. She turned; ready to flee back the way she’d come, but a second approaching inferno warned her of the futility of that act. She was trapped.
Blinking, her eyesight returned to normal, allowing her to finally make out Geoffrey's furious face. His dark eyes burned, flames alight in the grey strands of his hair. His wrinkled face was creased into the familiar expression of disgust he so often directed at her.
“What do you think you are doing Sara?”
“I’m trying to escape so if you would be so kind as to move aside so I can be on my way?”
His skin flushed an angry red. “Insolence!” he crowed. “I should have you whipped.”
“No, you’re trying to have me killed instead. I heard you Elder Geoffrey. I know all about the prophecy of flame and I know there’s a way for me escape it and I will do all in my power to live.”
“You are selfish.”
“It’s my life, I have a right to be. Besides, what have the fire elementals done for me to warrant me giving up my life for them?”
“We fed you. Sheltered you. Protected you.”
“Shunned me. Loathed me. Trapped me,” Sara corrected.
“There is no reasoning with you.”
“I won’t move on this point. I’m going to live.”
“So be it.”
The first ball of fire thrown at her caught Sara by surprise and she automatically lifted her hands in defence, hiding her face from the worst of the damage. While normal fire couldn’t hurt a fire elemental, fire from another of their kind could be deadly. As more fire rained down on her, Sara waited for the pain to come, the burning of her flesh to begin, but it never came. Their flames were only making her stronger. Her hands fell to her sides and she stood tall, increasingly confident in her own strength. They wanted the child of flame? Then she would give it to them. Fire prickled along her skin, spreading until she was covered from head to toe in a searing flame.
“Will you let me pass?” she asked, her tone cordial and all the more menacing for it.
“You know we won’t,” Geoffrey responded, fire falling from his fingertips to form a line between her and them.
“Then you brought this upon yourself.”
Geoffrey’s line of flame exploded to create a wall of fire but Sara was unmoved by his demonstration of power. Walking right up to the fiery wall, she ran her hand over its surface, feeling her strength multiply. From behind the flame, she could see Geoffrey’s awe struck expression, the look only deepening when she walked straight through the fire. His flame stuck to her skin, providing her with another layer of protection.
She walked straight through the crowd, parting it easily as their inner flames jumped to join her leaving them weak and powerless in her wake. Those whose fire didn’t succumb to the lure she was subconsciously emitting were easily dealt with, the fire on her skin, causing them to flinch back against the heat. Satisfied with her display of power now that the way was cleared, Sara ran again, letting the flames on her skin die down as she fled.
The treasury quickly came into sight, the solid metal door the only obstacle to her entry. She let the fire rise within her again, her pace never slowing as she threw fire hot enough to melt the metal at the doors. The flames spread from her palms, easily creating a hole large enough for her to enter in the thick steel. The treasury was piled high with gold, silver and rare jewels and for a moment Sara was stunned by what she saw. Her swords were sold for a high price to outsiders but she saw only a fraction of the profit, she had never seen so much money in her entire life. Shaking off her shock, she reached for the riches with her now cool palms, throwing as much as she could into her already bulging satchel. When the bag was full, she resorted to filling her pockets until she was weighed down by the wealth she carried.
The pounding of feet warned her that her time had expired and she ran from the room, determined to reach the exit now that she had everything she needed. She frowned when she found that her path was blocked again by more people and let the fire wash over her. The rear was quickly blocked with more people and her frown turned into a scowl.
They think to trap me again? Don’t they see that this won’t work?
“Sara?”
Abigail’s voice pulled her from the violent turn her thoughts were taking and her heart began to pump wildly in her chest when she saw her friend emerge from the crowd.
“Sara, what are you doing? I thought we’d agreed that you would stay and fulfil your duty as a fire elemental.”
“I won’t die for these people Abi.”
“You must.”
“Abi, please move aside, will you really fight me?”
“Yes Sara, I will and you know it.”
“Abigail,” she pleaded. “I won’t fight you.”
“Then surrender.”
“I won’t do that either.”
“Those are your only options Sara. Please, come back with me. Our time together is short, we should enjoy it as much as we can.”
“It doesn’t have to be Abi. I won’t let it end like this. Just let me go.”
Her words were falling on deaf ears and Abigail’s palms began to glow as she summoned the fire within her, prepared to fight her life long friend. Sara felt no inclination to do anything of the sort. Her eyes flickered back and forth, trying to find a way out. Trapped from the front and from behind. Her flames were wild, if she tried to attack anyone she could hurt Abi and after all she had done for her over the years, Sara wouldn’t repay that kindness with violence. The world was closing in on her and it was on a shuddery breath that she took the only option available to her. Running to the open window, she threw herself outside.
It was mere moments into her fall that she realised what a mistake she had made in the heat of the moment. She wasn’t an air elemental so she couldn’t fly. She wasn’t an earth elemental so she couldn’t simply make the earth rise to catch her and she wasn’t a water elemental so she couldn’t simply dissolve into rain and reform as she fell to the ground. She was a fire elemental and the fall would kill her.
We are flame, Seraphina hissed; displeased with the turn Sara’s thoughts had taken. Her eyes shifted, seeing the world in terms of heat and she saw it then. The burning ever-fire that rested in the middle of the courtyard. Her mind was quick to seize onto a solution for her new predicament.
“LANCE!” she bellowed, knowing without a shadow of a doubt the horse would make its way to her side. He always did.
Her hands were alight as she threw fire towards the heavy gates that would lock her in, the flame burning away at the material the instant they met. Her preparations complete, she let the fire wash over her from within. Her bones melted, her blood boiled and her skin sizzled. Her eyes never left the ever-fire as she burned away into nothing, her body never meeting the ground. She strode out of the blue flames, her skin merely warm rather than scorched. She stumbled, the transition from flesh to flame, disorientating her.
Lifting her head, Sara’s eyes met Abigail’s, shock written clearly on her friend’s face. Lance’s soft naying quickly brought her attention back to the escape at hand and she ran the short distance that separated them, mounting him in one smooth motion. She dug her heels into his side, urging him on. He ran, hooves thundering against the ground as he galloped towards the burning wood, never hesitating in his stride, the trust between the two deep and enduring. Tugging on Lance’s reins, Sara forced the horse to leap, his powerful legs easily clearing the flames that licked the wood around them.
He raced onward, until they were well clear of the castle before Sara allowed him to stop, lightly patting his neck in silent gratitude. It was then Sara saw them, guards from the castle were following her and she groaned loudly in frustration. They would never stop looking for her. Fire elementals were notoriously determined, it was one of the reasons human Kings sought them out to fight in their wars. Once a fire elemental was set on a path, the
y never gave up and Abigail was one of their best, she had no doubt her friend was already tracking her. If she caught up her escape would end quickly. Sara knew what she had to do.
Gathering her strength, she remembered the line of fire Geoffrey had created and sought to make one of her own. Simply thinking about it made the line emerge and another thought made it turn into a raging inferno, wild in its violent impulses as it spread to surround the castle, caging the inhabitants within. She could feel its heat, its desperate desire to rage free of the confines she had imposed on it and ravage the surrounding landscape, destroying all in its path. Her strength was waning but her mind was strong and she forced the flame to submit to her will, to surround the castle until she was far enough away that they wouldn’t be able to catch up to her immediately. Her body weak, Sara allowed herself to sag in the saddle, digging her heels in to Lance’s side and letting him carry her off into the unknown.
The one to cool the flame, her mind mused. It must mean the water elementals, so I’ve got to find them and convince them to help one of their hated enemies. It might not be so hard, she mused. Once they find out that I’ll probably destroy them without help, I’m sure they do all they can to get rid of Seraphina. So with only the vaguest idea where she was meant to be, Sara rode off into the night, determined to meet her destiny head on.
Chapter Four – A Chance Encounter
It didn’t take long for Sara to realise that her hastily put together plan was full of holes, holes she wasn’t quite sure how to fill. She had been so preoccupied with simply getting outside that she hadn’t given any thought to what would happen if she managed to succeed. She’d never been outside her village before tonight and she was quickly coming to realise that the world outside was a very big place and that finding the water elementals somewhere in it would be a lot more difficult than she had thought. Especially as she had no idea where the water elementals lived.