Seared by Desire

by Jennifer T. Alli

“Yes,” the newcomer answered. “He didn’t even put up a fight but what do you expect from a water elemental?” He turned to look at the corpse at his feet, disgust evident on his face. “We’re doing the world a favour by removing people like this from it. The weakness of some people is repulsive.”

  Abigail nodded in understanding, her eyes moving to meet Sara’s captor. “Bring her here.”

  Sara’s feet didn’t touch the ground as she was moved to her former friend’s side. She watched in disgust as Abigail placed her hand into the man’s bleeding wound before wiping the blood down her front. “What are you doing?” she screamed, revulsion filling her. She was on the verge of being sick, her churning stomach moving bile up her throat as blood filled her senses.

  Unmoved, Abigail and the others continued to cover her in blood, their hands moving relentlessly over her body. With no choice but to endure the strange form of torture her people were intent on, Sara’s eyes wandered away from the body, trying to pretend the situation wasn’t happening. She watched as a woman spoke hurriedly into her fiery palm, clearly conversing with someone from the village until the hands coating her in blood stopped moving and the bodies attached to them took a step back.

  Closing her open palm and extinguishing the flames that had resided in the centre, the woman moved to the larger group, touching Abigail lightly on her shoulder. “They’re coming.”

  A bloody dagger was forced into Sara’s already bleeding palm before she was dropped unceremoniously to the floor. On her hands and knees, she looked up to see a group of drunken revellers making their way towards them. Panicked, Sara stared up at the newcomers, knowing that no good could come of this meeting. She was covered in blood and a body lay dead at her feet, the evidence against her was compelling. The drunken smiles that had been plastered on their faces as they strolled uncaringly towards her died a swift death when the smell of blood reached their noses and their eyes witnessed the horrid scene that had been prepared for them.

  “Murderer!!!” The word tore through the air so loudly that Sara’s ears rang. “Murderer!!!!” The cry came again. She threw the blade aside but it was too late, more people were gathering, drawn by the desperate screams. Horrified gasps spilled from the lips of those around them, the horrid crime in their midst filling them with disgust.

  “Treachery,” someone hissed, the word gaining momentum and spreading among the crowd to fill the air until it rose into a loud, pulsing chant.

  A water elemental strode through the crowd to reach the body of his fallen comrade. His fingers wandered over the man’s wrist, trying to find a pulse, some sign of life. Long, tapered fingers spread out over the victim’s chest, trying to heal the wound but it was too late, not even a water elemental could resurrect the dead. He stood, towering over Sara, turquoise eyes filled with hate as they bored into her as though trying to see into her soul. “Treachery,” he repeated angrily.

  “Gabriel, please, calm down. Let’s talk about this reasonably,” one of his companions pleaded, clutching at his arm.

  Gabriel shrugged off the offending limb, moving closer to Sara, murder written in his eyes. “No, I will not calm down. Can’t you see the treachery before your eyes?! The fire elementals invited us here under the pretence of peace but as soon as our defences are lowered they kill one of our people. They don’t want to talk about peace, they never have done.”

  “I, I, I,” Sara stuttered uncertainly, pain making her feel weak and lightheaded. Her fogged mind and the cotton that felt as though it had settled in her mouth were combining to make it increasingly difficult to form sentences, even in her defence.

  “Silence!” Gabriel bellowed. “I don’t want to hear you speak murderer.”

  Geoffrey pushed his way through the crowd, feigning shock when he saw the mangled corpse in front of a blood stained Sara. “What is going on here?”

  “Your treachery has been revealed Geoffrey. All your grand talk of peace and reconciliation were lies. Look,” Gabriel commanded. “They’ve killed one of my people but we discovered them before they managed to kill anyone else. “Turning to the crowd, fists clenched in anger, he called loudly, “We have to leave this place because I assure you, you’re next.”

  “Gabriel,” Geoffrey began, hating that he had to act deferentially to the man before him. “This attack wasn’t planned. I didn’t approve of it. We want peace, don’t let the actions of a single rogue convince you otherwise.” Murmurs filled the air, the delegates clearly confused as to who to believe. “If we must prove ourselves then so be it. We want the talks to continue Gabriel.”

  “And how do you expect me to believe you?”

  Geoffrey gritted his teeth in frustration, Gabriel was beginning to annoy him. He hadn’t expected to have to deal with the water elementals directly, they were usually so calm, so submissive that he’d thought someone else would defend them but Gabriel was proving to be a surprise. Nevertheless, the plan was going well. “We’ll execute this murderer.” Gasps of surprise ran through the crowd. Fire elementals never killed their own.

  Gabriel’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “And how are we to be sure that she’s dealt with properly?”

  “We’ll put her in the ever fire tonight. No elemental can withstand the power of their spirit’s physical form as you should all know. She won’t survive and we can continue with the talks.”

  Geoffrey’s words jolted Sara out of the pain induced stupor she’d fallen into, the pieces of his plan falling neatly into place. They had kept her weakened for this end specifically. The delegates might believe she couldn’t withstand Seraphina’s flames but they were wrong. If they put me in the ever fire, Seraphina will rise again. She’ll be unstoppable. She’ll kill everyone here…me included. Arms lifted her from the ground and she began to struggle, ignoring the pain in her shoulder and hands. “Stop! You can’t do this! Please, don’t listen to him, he plans to kill you all. You have to listen to me.”

  Geoffrey’s eyes darkened in anger. “Gag her,” he instructed calmly.

  “No,” she screamed desperately but the material was already being readied, Abigail moving ever closer with the cloth to prevent word of their schemes from being heard. Sara turned her head, watching Lance prance agitated on the sidelines and an idea came to her. “Lance!” she bellowed, instantly garnering the horse’s attention. “Lance, run. Run home and get Lucian.” Her frantic please were silenced as a rough piece of fabric was forced into her mouth but the horse had gone, following her frantic command, he galloped away into the night leaving Sara alone with her captors. Hurry Lucian, before I do something that can never be undone. I don’t want to kill all these people and I don’t want to die. I want to live with you forever.

  Chapter Twenty Four – Flames of Desire

  Time passed slowly for Lucian as he paced the length of the room he shared with Sara. He couldn’t sleep and couldn’t rest because she consumed his every thought. The instant he closed his eyes, she was there, his mind conjuring images of her being tortured in the hands of the fire elementals. There was no peace for him for if he wasn’t thinking about the fire elementals, he was thinking about Seraphina, worrying constantly that the spirit had taken control again, that she was draining Sara’s life and taking his bride away from him. He growled angrily, cursing his inability to go to her simply because of sunlight. Hitting the wall with his fist made him no calmer, serving only to create shallow gashes on his hand that healed almost instantly due to Sara’s blood. The reminder that he was only alive and well because of her made a string of curses fall from his lips.

  “I’ve had enough,” he snarled, moving to the window. He pulled the thick blinds back allowing the waning sun to enter the room through the small crack. His eyes watered slightly when he looked through the crack into the twilight. Night was fast approaching and the sun’s presence on the horizon was fading from sight quickly. His skin prickled slightly but the burn wasn’t as extreme as it had been when he’d last seen the sun. “I can cope with the pain,” he de
cided, the words leaving through gritted teeth.

  Picking up his helmet, he patted his waist ensuring his blade was in the right place, satisfied that he was prepared to retrieve his bride and run through all who stood in his path. Striding away from the window, he walked across the room unsurprised to find Gareth and Russell waiting for him in the corridor. He glanced at them briefly, noting the grim looks on their faces. They knew him too well, they knew what he planned to do and clearly weren’t happy with his plan.

  “You can’t stop me,” he told them authoritatively when they opened their mouths to speak. “I’m going to get her and I’m leaving now.”

  “We know,” Gareth sighed, resigned to his King’s decision. “We know that there’s nothing we can do to stop you…and we wouldn’t want to stop you. She’s not just your Queen, to us she’s the Lady of Light and always will be.”

  Russell smiled, confirming Gareth’s sentiments. “The army is ready to march Lucian. As soon as the sun sets we’ll be right behind you. Any minute now we’ll be able to go but if you can’t bear to stay here, to wait for night to fall, we understand.”

  Lucian smiled, clapping both men on the shoulder in a friendly gesture. “I’m glad you understand and no, I can’t wait. Sara needs me now, I have to go to her.”

  “We understand,” Russell began. “Just like Gareth said, the army is ready and waiting to be of use to the King and Queen of Light.”

  Lucian's brow furrowed in confusion at the new title. Sara had earned her name but there was nothing about him remotely linked to light. From his appearance to his demeanour he was darkness personified. “What are you talking about?” he asked, curiosity getting the better of him. “The King of Light?”

  A secret smile passed between Gareth and Russell before the latter began to chuckle gently. “Didn’t you know?”

  “Know what?” he pressed.

  “Your name Lucian.”

  “What about it?”

  Placing a set of guiding hands on Lucian's shoulders, Russell led him to the window, hiding behind the blinds when he pulled it open to give Lucian an exit. “It means light, Lucian stands for light. You and Sara are destined.” He patted him firmly on the back before pushing him out of the window. “Now go and get her. We’ll be right behind you.”

  The ground disappeared beneath his feet but Lucian didn’t stumble, taking off instantly and flying purposefully towards Sara. He placed his helmet over his head to protect himself from the dying rays of sun and ignored any other discomfort he experienced, dismissing the pain as a necessary evil to reach Sara. The earth passed quickly beneath him and as time passed, he touched the chain around his neck, fingering the rings that were there waiting for Sara and him to wear, a symbol of their union. She wasn’t just his bride, she was going to be his wife and as soon as he saw her he’d slip the ring on to her finger and make it official. There was so much he wanted to give her and for a second he worried that he wouldn’t have the chance to give it to her but he shook his head decisively, dislodging any self-defeating thoughts.

  Instead he turned his mind to the fire elementals and the vengeance he would bring down on them if they’d hurt Sara in any way. His grip on his blade tightened as his fangs lengthened in anger. The fire elementals would suffer and he wouldn’t even need to release the monster within him to do it. The presence he’d come to associate with the dangerous being that lurked within him over the years had faded since he’d taken Sara’s blood, disappearing into nothingness. Vampires like Gareth might abhor the thought of finding and claiming their bride but a time would come when they’d realise just how important she was. With your bride’s blood in your veins, the monster within would never again surface. The world was like a different place when your bride was around to make it seem so much brighter and in a world with sunlight there was no need for the monster within to exist.

  Lucian was pulled from his thoughts by a white streak of colour beneath him, racing in the direction he’d just come from. His sharp eyes recognised the blur as a horse and as he stared he began to recognise distinguishing features of the animal, his eyes widening when he realised just who it was. “Lance,” he cried, speeding towards the ground in a frantic attempt to catch him. Sara would never willingly be separated from the devil horse, she treated him like he was part of her family; for her to have sent him away didn’t bode well.

  Lucian landed on the ground directly in front of him, surprising Lance who reared back defensively. “Hey, it’s okay,” Lucian murmured, trying to sooth him. The lack of reins was frustrating as Lance continually pranced around agitated. “Calm down Lance, it’s okay now.” Lucian managed to run a gentle hand along his flank, the touch soothing the horse.

  Calmer now, Lance began to move back towards the fire elemental village, trying to get Lucian to follow him.

  “Is that where Sara is? Is she back that way?” Lance nayed in agreement, continuing to move towards Sara. “Take me to her,” Lucian commanded, leaping atop Lance’s back. He was momentarily surprised when the horse didn’t try to force him to dismount but Sara’s face swam before his vision and he no longer cared about why the horse was acting so out of character.

  Lucian allowed Lance to guide him, unable to change direction without the use of reins and confident that the horse would lead him directly to his bride. As the terrain passed easily beneath Lance’s hooves Lucian forced himself to focus, trying to train himself, in the brief time he had, to control his emotions. Before Sara his control had been impeccable, nothing could shake his calm but things had changed drastically since then. When it came to Sara he could barely think straight let alone fathom a plan for her retrieval. Sweat began to bead on his brow and he snarled angrily in frustration.

  “Fine! If I can’t think of a plan then I’ll just have to go for the direct route. Walk straight to her and kill anything that’s unfortunate enough to walk into my path.”

  With his plan decided he expected his body to calm but sweat continued to build on his brow and his armour was becoming stifling. The air around him crackled and he realised that the temperature was steadily rising. Lance was breathing heavily, trying to pull the thinning air into his lungs and maintain his speed but he was struggling. Air was being sucked away to fuel an enormous fire. Lucian's eyes widened when he saw what should have been Sara’s village. Fire was everywhere, rising upward from the ground to engulf the village in a dome of fiery orange flames. The air crackled again and the blaze grew brighter, the colour rising in intensity. Lucian knew without a shadow of a doubt that Sara was inside the dome and judging by the desperate screams that filled the air she wasn’t alone. His eyes darkened in anger when he saw a ring of people surrounding the village, satisfied expressions on all of their faces.

  “Fire elementals,” he spat, a cruel smile gracing his lips. “So they knew I was coming? As though I would let anything else happen. If they think they’re going to stop me they’re in for a surprise.” He dismounted Lance, patting his shuddering side in thanks. “Stay here,” he commanded. “Seeing as I’m expected I shouldn’t disappoint.”

  Unsheathing his blade, he strode forward, confident of his success. The weight of the sword in his hand and the armour on his shoulder were comforting, reminders that Sara was with him even now. A cry rang out when the fire elementals saw him approach and soon fire was raining down upon him. Lucian's stride never faltered, he walked towards them deliberately, his sharp eyes noting the looks of confusion that appeared on their faces when their flames were absorbed by his armour.

  His cruel smile widened. “Now it’s my turn.”

  He ran forward, wielding his sword with an easy grace as he cut a swath of violence through the crowd. Necks broke easily beneath his strong hands and bloody wounds were created by the sharp edge of his blade. Lucian was in his element, the sight and smell of blood filling the air and his senses encouraging him to wreak more havoc to get Sara back. The monster within him might be gone but that only meant Lucian could be more vicious, the cons
tant fear he’d once had about surrendering to the monster a thing of the past. Through the blood splatter he saw a familiar face, rage filling him at the mere sight of Abigail. The woman had claimed to be Sara’s friend and yet she’d brought her to this place, brought his queen here to die.

  Leaping through the air Lucian came to stand directly in front of Abigail, smiling widely to display his elongated fangs. “You took my queen from me,” he said simply. “I want her back.”

  “Impossible,” she quipped. “Sara is gone. She’s fulfilling the prophecy as we speak. You can’t save her.”

  He moved, his speed astonishing and impossible for Abigail’s eyes to keep up with. The cold edge of a blade pressed firmly against her neck as Lucian's solid weight materialised against her back. She inhaled sharply instantly cursing the instinctive action because when she exhaled his sword cut her skin.

  “I should kill you,” he whispered darkly. “I should take Sara’s blade and cut your head off.” His eyes wandered to the horizon where his army could be seen quickly approaching. The sound of hooves pounding against the earth filled his ears before Gareth and Russell stopped in front of him, assessing the damage he’d caused. “I should kill you but I think I’ll leave that pleasure to Sara for when I bring her back.” He thrust her body away from him causing her to stumble and fall in the dirt.

  “Why did we even bother coming?” Gareth scowled. “You’ve done almost everything alone.”

  Ignoring Gareth’s words, Lucian turned back to the wall of fire in front of him. Sara was in there and she needed him. “I’m going to get Sara, watch this scum. I’ll be right back.”

  His ears rang as screams of horror echoed all around him when he walked straight into the fire.

  “King Lucian!” Russell screamed from the other side of the wall, frustration clear in his voice. “King Lucian are you alright?”

  “I’m fine.” At least I will be once I have Sara back. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Don’t worry and don’t do anything stupid. Watch the fire elementals, they’re sneaky.”