Ezra brought up her tattooed hand and took a deep breath. She would need to keep control of the flames as she couldn’t afford to pass out like she had in the mountains. Green fire danced excitedly along her skin and with a stoic nod of her head she unleashed the power inside of her.
The flame erupted from her and immediately began to consume everything in its path. Her fire was green but as the inferno took on a life of its own the colour flickered into a more natural orange red. The force of her flames nearly knocked her to the ground as she struggled to keep her mind as she set all of the neighboring tents aflame. Shouts of alarm caught her attention and movement flickered in the corner of her eye. She decided then that she had done more than enough and fought to restrain the flame once again.
It was easier this time. The power seemed temporarily sated and allowed her to pull it back into the depths of her mind without too much effort. She still felt thoroughly drained and fell to her knees once the task was completed. A bead of sweat trailed down the side of her head but had nothing to do with the raging fire all around her.
Her distraction appeared successful and, after taking a breath, she stood and moved through the flames and heat. She felt nothing, even as she passed through hungry flames and was surprised when she made it to the tree line unscathed. The fire did not burn her skin and the heat felt pleasant. She smiled at the realization that she could not be burned, even by flame that wasn’t hers.
The campground was a flurry of activity as people ran towards the burning tents. Ezra’s eyes flicked towards Ralis’s cage. Only Raigh stood guard now. Ralis had sat up to curiously watch the flames while Raigh looked around suspiciously.
Miri, Browen and Amri were still at the tree line where she left them, all watching the flames with horrified awe.
“You didn’t need to wait for me.” Ezra frowned at them, then looked back to her caged friend.
“They only just left.” Browen pointed towards the chaos Ezra had created.
“Raigh is still there though.” Miri worried.
“There are four of us, we can handle her.” Ezra stood and led the charge towards Ralis.
Raigh glared at Ezra the second she noticed her and reached towards the dwindling central campfire. At her call, a small ball of fire was drawn from it and obediently collected in her opened palm. She held it in a menacing stance, that almost made Ezra laugh.
“I had a feeling that fire was you.” Raigh held her hand up, ready to throw the ball of flame. “Don’t take another step.”
Ezra sneered as she reached out her hand towards Raigh’s fire. She easily overpowered Raigh’s influence and the orange and red flames came to Ezra. It coiled around Ezra’s body in an intimidating display. Then it was joined by flickers of her inner green flame.
“You don’t scare me.” She glared menacingly at Raigh. The fire inside was hungry to burst away from her fingertips and burn Raigh where she stood.
Ralis grasped the bars of his cage. “Don’t hurt her.”
“Why not? She’s keeping you prisoner.” Ezra challenged.
“Please Ezra, I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” Ralis pleaded.
Amri had hurried towards the door of Ralis’s cage and was already hard at work picking the lock. Browen and Miri stood on either side of Ezra, ready should things escalate. Ezra looked back at Ralis and sighed. She forced her flames to retreat within her and crossed her arms at Raigh.
“We’re taking him and you’re not going to stop us.”
“You’re right.” A hint of a smile twitched onto Raigh’s lips and she turned towards the commotion of the fire. “Ringmaster Vergo! Ralis is escaping!”
Ezra looked between the crowd that had gathered by the flames and Amri. “How much longer Amri?”
“Give me a minute, I almost have this.”
“We don’t have a minute.” Ezra said as she walked to the cage’s door.
She grabbed hold of the lock and unleashed her hungry flames upon it. In seconds the metal was liquid in her hands and the door swung open. Ralis hurried towards the door and gave the two of them a thankful smile, before turning his attention to Raigh.
“We have to go!” Miri squeaked as she pointed towards the fire.
The flames were nearly under control and some of the carnival troupe had turned towards Raigh’s call. Instead of disappearing into the woods however Ralis ran towards Raigh and took her hands in his.
“Come with us, you don’t have to stay here.”
She frowned and her eyes grew misty. “I can’t leave Ralis…”
“We can protect you from whatever the Ringmaster has on you.” Ralis insisted.
Ezra turned towards the burning tents. The Ringmaster was coming towards them and was followed by several of the burlier carnival members, all wielding weapons.
“Ralis we need to go now.” Ezra insisted.
Determined to give Ralis more time, she reached out with her flames and created a wall of fire between them and the approaching Ringmaster.
“What are you?” Raigh gasped at the action, releasing Ralis’s hands.
Ezra glared at the question, then decided to answer truthfully. “I don’t know.”
“Raigh please.” Ralis continued, even as Ezra moved to pull him away. “I can’t leave you.”
Raigh frowned at him for a moment, a conflict clear on her face. Then a tear escaped down her cheek as she cursed at him. “You’re so gullible Ralis, did you really think that I cared about you.”
“What?” Ralis took a step back from the blow of her words. “You don’t really mean that do you?”
“I do.” She hissed even as another tear slid down her other cheek. “All I cared about was the money that the carnival could make off you. How did you not see that?”
Ezra reached for her friend as her flame wall was smothered and the Ringmaster resumed his approach. Ralis continued to resist her however and looked at Raigh with a pained expression.
“Raigh… I…” He stammered but Raigh cursed at him again cutting him off.
“Idiot, you’re going to miss your chance.”
“Ralis, she’s telling you to leave.” Ezra whispered in realization.
“Raighlae don’t let him get away!” The voice of the Ringmaster sounded around them like the cracking of a whip.
Raigh’s whole body stiffened at the command and she lunged for Ralis. Ezra pulled him back inches from Raigh’s hands. Ralis’s face was drenched in tears and he looked between Ezra and Raigh, clearly torn.
Ezra’s shoulders fell, she understood all too well the feeling of being torn away from someone special. “Ralis if you stay you will die. Miri had a vision about it.” The words came out more bitter than she intended but it did the job. “Raigh will be fine Ralis.”
Ralis blinked, unsure how to respond to the news, and he looked back one last time towards Raigh. “I’ll come back for you…”
“If you come back, you’ll be a prisoner!” Raigh snapped as she made another attempt to restrain him. “This was a meaningless fling Ralis, just forget about me.”
They were out of time. Ezra sent another blast of fire to the ground around which created another small wall of fire between them and their pursuers. She pulled Ralis away from Raigh and, despite the tears fogging his eyes, he followed obediently. Together they followed Miri, Amri and Browen into the depths of the woods.
Chapter Fifteen
Browen
Despite Miri’s confirmation that they were not being pursued, the group continued at a hard pace over the next couple of days. Each of them was determined to put a significant distance between themselves and the Carnival of Dream. Ralis was clearly shaken by the events and hardly spoke during the few moments when the group rested. His sadness was infectious and was such a stark difference to the smiles and laughter that Ralis usually shared with the group. At n
ight Browen thought that he had heard Ralis crying but Ralis was always careful to hide his tears in the light of day.
After several days they had put a significant distance between themselves and the carnival. They would soon be approaching the Endarin River, which marked the border between Madaria and Esper. Browen had been marking their progress as best he could on the map that Amri had acquired for him, but without significant landmarks it was a challenge to be sure where they were. Miri kept them secluded to the depths of the forest, determined not only to avoid roads and towns but other encounters with outsiders who camped in the deep woods.
Browen woke one morning feeling stiffer than usual and attempted to stretch as best he could in the small tent that he shared with Ralis. He rolled to his side and accidentally locked eyes with his tent mate and smiled. Ralis smiled back but Browen could tell that his heart was not in it.
“Ralis?”
“Browen?”
“How are you feeling?”
Ralis put more emphasis on his smile. “I’m a little tired this morning, but otherwise I’m alright.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked pointedly. He knew Ralis too well at this point for him to successfully hide his sorrow.
Ralis hesitated, then sighed and rested his head heavily on his arm. “I don’t know. I hate the way things were left back there.”
Browen nodded in understanding. “When all of this is done, we’ll go back and help her.”
“You’d come with me?” He looked hopeful.
“Of course.”
“He better not hurt her.” Ralis closed his eyes in a pained expression. “Browen, do you remember before… when we were talking about love?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe I had it right before… that I’m just not meant to love or be loved. These last few months have been filled with so much pain and death. I… I don’t think my heart can take much more of it.”
Browen frowned and rested his hand comfortingly on Ralis’s shoulder. “That’s what we’re working towards isn’t it? A world where you can be yourself and be loved without fear. If anyone deserves to be loved, it’s you Ralis.”
Ralis had moved his hand to rest atop of Browen’s and he gave him a genuine smile as he listened. Browen was suddenly aware of how close their bodies were laying together and of how their breath tangled together in the narrow space between them. His heart started to race, and he felt his cheeks flush. Shyly he redirected the conversation as he gently pulled his hand back.
“We haven’t had a chance to train since the carnival. We should get back into it.”
Ralis frowned. “I’d rather not. I’m not that good at it anyway.”
“Come on, it’ll take your mind off of things. And you won’t get better if you don’t practice.”
Ralis looked down pensively, then after a moment replied. “Alright.”
Outside of the tent Ezra was keeping watch, although her attention seemed completely fixated on the small stones she was mentally juggling with her magic. She hardly noticed them exit the tent and Browen wondered if it was a good idea for her to keep watch. She either seemed entirely distracted by the flame or was busy focusing her mind with her natural magic. Not for the first time, Browen worried how he was going to handle whatever power bonded with him.
He pushed aside his fear for the time being and grabbed a pair of long sticks for them to train with. He lamented that they didn’t have proper training blades and hoped that the change in weight wouldn’t throw Ralis off too much when they finally switched to the real thing. He handed Ralis one of the sticks and took his stance, ready to begin. Ralis held his stick loosely as he mirrored Browen’s form.
“Keep your grip firm and pull your shoulders back.” Browen parroted Forrens’s instructions from so long ago. “Bend your knees a little more, you want to be ready to move at any moment. Now, come at me, give me everything you have.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.” Ralis replied almost timidly.
Browen laughed. “You won’t. Come on, this is a great way to let out some tension.”
Ralis arched an eyebrow in doubt.
“Pretend that I’m the Ringmaster.” Browen challenged, raising his pretend sword.
Ralis was slightly taken aback, then smiled sadly. “I don’t want to hurt anyone Browen, not even that…” His expression soured, then he brought up his sword. “I’m sorry if I hit you.”
Browen smiled and Ralis charged ineffectually with his stick. Easily, Browen blocked each swing and moved to the side, forcing Ralis to adjust his footing. It felt good to train again, even if it was more for Ralis’s benefit than Browen’s. It was the one thing he was really good at, and his confidence showed on his face as he sparred.
Amri was stealthy and could get through any lock, Miri was a deadly shot with her bow and knew the forest better than anyone, Ezra had her magic and knowledge, and Ralis had his music and his charms. They all had something that contributed to their continued success, and Browen could not help but feel that he was not pulling his weight. He was a skilled fighter and an avid reader, but the opportunities for his skills to shine felt all too rare. At least training Ralis to defend himself was something he could offer, in addition to fighting off the Queen’s soldiers and magical snow golems.
Ralis swung his stick sword again and again, and each time Browen expertly blocked the fake blade with a parry. Even as Ralis continued to put Browen on the defensive, he could feel that Ralis was still holding back. He had the same problem when he started training and smiled as he remembered Forrens’s attempts to get him to let loose.
“Ralis you need to actually try to hit me, don’t aim for my sword.” Browen said, as Ralis’s latest attack was easily blocked without Browen having to move his wooden blade.
“But I don’t want to hurt you.” Ralis repeated and took a step back.
“If you only practice hitting my sword, this training will be useless. In a real fight you won’t have the leisure to think through every action, you’ll need to rely on muscle memory. If your muscle memory has trained to aim for the sword you won’t last long. You need to be ready for the next time we run into the Queen’s soldiers or whatever is guarding the next Shrine.”
“But you’ll be there to protect me, right Browen?” Ralis asked with a flirty smile.
Browen smiled back, glad to see his friend back to his old self, even if it was for only a moment. “I’ll try, but you never know in the chaos of combat. You should at least know how to defend yourself.”
Ralis gave Browen a yielding nod.
A thought then crossed his mind and Browen could not help but give Ralis a sheepish half-smile. “If you do hit me, I’ll at least have a good excuse to hear some of your music.”
Ralis returned the smile. “You don’t need an excuse; I love playing for my friends.”
“Now you’re just trying to distract me.” Browen laughed. “Come on, hit me.”
Ralis resumed a combat stance that Browen had taught him, then stepped forward while swinging his stick wide. Browen’s own stick hooked under it and he nearly twisted it free of Ralis’s grip. But Ralis refused to let go and recovered from the counter to strike from a different angle. Ralis tried again and again to land a hit, but each time Browen easily blocked his flurry of blows. Browen worked to test Ralis’s footwork as they sparred. Rather than attacking back, he moved to the sides or backwards forcing Ralis to pursue.
Ralis telegraphed an obvious heavy thrust and Browen stepped backwards, so that all Ralis would hit was air. Then he felt his foot hook against a protruding root of a nearby tree. Browen started to fall and the nearest thing to grab onto was Ralis. Without thinking he grabbed his friend’s arm as he fell hard into the dirt. Ralis followed and landed with a thud on top of Browen, which nearly knocked the wind out of the pair. Browen couldn’t hel
p himself as he started to laugh at the spectacle that they were. Ralis joined in on the laughter, glad that his friend wasn’t hurt, and rolled off Browen to instead lay beside him.
After a moment of laughter Ralis sighed content, as he looked up into the early morning sky. “That did help.”
“Good. I hate seeing you sad.” Browen confessed with a grin.
“I’m sorry.” Ralis rolled onto his side and gave Browen an apologetic look.
“Don’t apologize for that.” Browen laughed. “You’re allowed to feel sad.”
Ralis smiled and laid his head down on his arm. Browen starred up into the clouds lazily floating overhead. He was far away from home, but for some reason his thoughts moved to Verta, to his family. He hoped that they were safe.
“I wonder what day or even what month it is.” Browen laughed at the absurdity of his own question. “I’ve been trying to keep track of it, but it almost feels like time doesn’t exist out here in the forest.”
“Why keep track? Do you have somewhere to be?” Ralis teased.
“I think I missed my birthday.” Browen moved his arm under his head to act as a pillow. “It’s about the right time and I do feel older.”
“Your birthday!” Ralis sat up excitedly. “We should do something to celebrate, how old are you now?”
“If we did pass my birthday that means I’m twenty now.”
“I’m twenty one.” Ralis offered as he looked thoughtfully back towards the camp. “I wonder if I could make some sort of a sweet treat with the berries that Miri gathered yesterday.”
“Wait, that would mean that you were born before the Chaos Gate was opened?” Browen asked, also sitting up now.
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