Playing With Fire (15 page)

“
In
nomine Medicum malum puerum istum in vinculis teneantur et flamma atque hanc
iterum vacare puer
.” Her words were gibberish to me, but as she removed her
hand from my stomach, light began to envelope my body. I looked to Kyra in
fear, and she smiled reassuringly. The light faded, leaving a new imprint on my
body. Chains snaked across the unfinished imprint and my stomach and back. They
also snaked across my right shoulder and a little bit down my hips. Madam Gale
looked tired, but tried her best not to show it.

“Try
using your power now,” She said. I concentrated hesitantly on the spoon she
held. Sure enough, the top of the spoon caught on fire and I felt no pain. The
little woman hit me with the spoon and I smiled in spite of the crabby
priestess. The flames receded from her spoon and I hugged the small woman.

“Thank
you!” I said almost in tears.

“It’s
what I do, no need to thank me,” She said while patting my back. I released her
and beamed at Kyra. She smiled in return.

“What
is this?” Madam Gale asked while examining the pouch that held the mysterious
stone. I had forgotten I still had it. I took it off.

“I’m
not sure,” I replied. “I just kind of found it I guess.”

“May
I see it?” she asked. I nodded and handed it to her. She examined the pouch
intently with her fingers.

“Do
you know what it is?” I asked. She didn’t respond right away.

“It’s
just junk, you should leave it here, it would just weigh you down,” she replied
finally. I agreed, and soon Kyra and I were leaving.

“Kyra,
bring Scarlet back here again soon, so I can teach her some manners!” the small
woman said as we were leaving.

“Alright,”
Kyra said even though she saw my silent pleading and begging for her not to.
The second we walked outside, the cottage disappeared. I was the only one who
was staring in disbelief.

“Where
did it go?” I asked Kyra after running to catch up.

“You
can only find Madam Gale’s home if you’re lost,” she said plainly. “That’s how
she’s avoided Velkire finding her for a hundred years.” My mouth dropped open.

“She’s
that old?” I asked in disbelief.

“No,”
Kyra said. “She’s a lot older. She’s an Eternal.”

“A
what?” I replied.

“An
Eternal,” she began to explain. “They are humans with special powers, like the
Sight, but amplified. They can live for almost ten thousand years, and they age
about a fiftieth the rate regular humans do.”

“Are
there a lot of them?” I asked.

“Not
anymore,” she replied. “But there are a few left.”

“What
kind of powers does Madam Gale have?” I asked curiously.

“Besides
being a priestess, she has amplified Sight, which is why she is blind. Having
vision and the Sight is the norm, but amplified Sight takes away normal vision,
and make people an Eternal.”

The
walk back to camp was much shorter than going to the priestess’s home; it took
about half an hour. 

I
was rejoined with my brothers shortly, and I told them what had happened. After
seeing the part of the seal I was comfortable showing (which was the part on my
shoulder) they all quickly accepted it. My brothers and I were getting
comfortable around a fire in the tent they stayed in. I still shared a tent
with Kyra, but I chose to spend most of my time with my brothers. Occasionally
Vaze would come and hang out with us too, sometimes to teach my brothers how to
fight a little better or just to talk. I started to feel like he was becoming
more like a friend to me than some annoying boy who dragged me into the biggest
mess of my life. I was also starting to like the camp and make actual
friends
.
I even began talking to Ed a little bit, or at least as much as he could. I
found out he wasn’t just a shy kid. He could be really funny sometimes.

As
days turned into weeks, I also got acquainted with the non-human part of the
camp. Eventually, the only people who didn’t like me were Cain and the old
senile people that were crabby about everything, and I didn’t necessarily like
them either.

Kyra
began training Vaze again, and I usually watched simply because I was bored.
She taught him how to use strange weapons that I’d never heard of before, or
even imagined in my wildest dreams. Every lesson Kyra gave him Vaze excelled
at, although most of them he nearly took my head off by mistake. However, one
day I wished that I didn’t watch him train, because Kyra dragged me into training
with her too.

Everyone
in the camp was required to know how to fight, so my brothers and I were no
exception. They were each chosen by different trainers that saw talent in them.
Seth was taught by the captain of the archers, Jake and Darren were chosen by a
knight, and Al was chosen by a mysterious man who no one would tell me about.
We all had to train most of the day, but Kyra made me train at night as well.
The only one who looked as tired as I was every day was Al, which made me
wonder what he was being taught. Days that Kyra didn’t train me harshly were
the days she brought me back to Madam Gale. Every time I went I got another
bruise from her spoon, and sometimes a bite from a strange little golden
squirrel that was with her all the time. The little thing punished me more than
the little woman did.

“You
two have really gotten better,” Kyra said as Vaze and I were training one day.
I collapsed from exhaustion in the torched half of a field that Kyra had me
train in. Vaze fell to his knees beside me breathing hard as sweat plastered
his shirt to his skin. His wings disappeared into the tattoos on his back. Our
training had been to practice fighting together. I had to set dummies on fire
while on Vaze’s back in the air. It was difficult, but eventually we figured it
out without me falling off. The many times I did fall off before we achieved
this were quite traumatizing to me. Whether it was Kyra, Ed or Vaze who caught
me, it took about five minutes for them to pry my arms off.

“You’re
evil, you know that?” I said breathlessly. Kyra laughed and patted me on my
back.

“You’re
not the first to tell me that,” she said. “As I was saying, you two have really
gotten better at working together. I think you might be ready to start missions
like my other students.” Vaze bolted to his feet with excited eyes.

“You
mean missions like looking for Moraj?” he asked hurriedly. Kyra shook her head,
and Vaze’s face filled with disappointment.

“I
don’t let my students who are still young be wasted on that,” she said. “I was
talking more along the lines of a rescue mission. A surveillance team came back
with reports of a bandit camp nearby with a number of hostages. Most of them
are children. I’ve been assigned to rescue them with a team of my choice. You
two are a great team together, and I could really use both of your help on this
mission. So, are you guys up for it?”

“Will
we have to kill the bandits?” I asked remembering my previous killing spree.

“If
we have to we will, but we usually don’t need to,” she replied. “Ed has a
special gift, and can take care of the bandits quickly, but without killing
them.”

“I’ll
do it,” Vaze said.

“I’ve
got nothing else to do,” was my response. The mission sounded easy enough,
especially if Ed was going to take care of the bandits. The next day we left
camp to find the bandits. The weather was nice and the trip was easy. The light
leather armor that Kyra gave us was extremely comfortable and durable, but I
couldn’t shake the feeling that that mission was a very bad idea. The mission
was going to be easy—just escort hostages back to the camp—but it felt like it would
be much more difficult than that. I should start listening to that feeling
every once in a while. It could save a lot of energy from being spent on
trauma.

We
found the bandits that night. Under the cover of the trees, we observed the
camp while coming up with a plan. A roaring fire was set in the middle of the
bandit’s hideout, casting long shadows from bandits that sat around it. They
were all still, but we could distinctively see there were humans there. The
shadows were also cast over the cage at the edge of the camp where I made out
silhouettes inside. The one thing we could see clearly was a girl with
yellowish tan skin and raven black hair tied up by the fire. She looked skinny
and beaten, but from the shallow rise and fall of her shoulders we knew she was
alive.

“Scarlet,
do you remember what I want you to do?” Kyra whispered. I nodded, and she made
a signal to Ed. He understood and began to set the plan in motion. Ed took hold
of me around my waist and slowed his breathing. We began to shrink to the
ground and turned as black as the shadows. With only a thought, we dashed
through the undergrowth towards the camp, avoiding the light and sticking to the
other shadows. I took an offensive stance as we began to take physical form
again, in the shadow of one of the bandits. I hardly waited for my body to
completely change from a shadow to my normal self before I struck the first
bandit across the head.

He
fell to the ground and made a dull thud. I waited for a reaction from the other
bandits. But there was none. I looked to the bandit on the ground turning his
face around, and cursed. He was a dummy, and so were the rest of the bandits.

“You
idiots!” a strong but tired voice said from behind us. Ed and I turned to see
the girl, fully awake with a face full of fear. “This is a trap! Get out of
here now!” But it was too late.

From
the forest we heard Kyra scream. Kyra never screamed—she was the only one who
didn’t scream in a bad situation. Flashes of glinting silver dashed around the
camp, along with occasional snarls. I cut the girl’s binds and tossed her one
of my daggers.

“You
will fight with us,” I demanded while drawing two more daggers from the hilts
on my thighs. The girl jumped to her feet and held the dagger in a defensive
way. She looked like she knew how to fight, but she would need more than looks.

Ed
pulled his enchanted dagger from its hilt, and he melded with the shadows.

A
flash of silver darted towards us, but as soon as it touched a shadow Ed came partway
out and slit the attacker’s throat. A lumbering beast with silver fur crashed
to the ground as Ed disappeared again. The beast resembled a wolf, but had long
limbs like a human. Its arms were as long as it’s legs. The creature was larger
than a grizzly bear. Its long muzzle was stained with blood, and had long
pointy white teeth poking out of its snarling mouth. Before I could examine
more, another one of the strange creatures lunged from the shadows towards me.
One flash inferno later and it turned into a well done barbequed dog.

The
girl was attacked, but she quickly dispatched the wolfish creature. With one
hate filled stab, the creature was dead. I was impressed. The girl really did
know how to fight, and had a harsh intensity behind each blow. But I saw hate
swimming in her dark brown eyes. There was no trace of fear, but in a way where
you have nothing left to lose.

“That’s
the last of them here,” the girl growled.

“How
can you tell?” I asked, refusing to drop my guard.

“Do
you hear any more growling?” she pointed out. I strained my ears, but I heard
nothing. I shook my head.

“Then
those were all that were sent to kill us,” she replied.

“She’s
telling the truth, Scarlet,” Ed said, solidifying as he stepped out from the
shadows. Ed’s power still freaked me out a little. His dagger, Sombra Piloto,
allowed him to become a shadow and made it impossible for him to be attacked
long as he was in shadow form. He could also travel at speeds no human should
be able, but it was a technique Kyra had taught him. “I checked the entire
perimeter. There are none left around here.”

“Look,
thanks for helping me out,” the girl said. “But you should really get out of
here. I’ve got some unfinished business with those things and it could get ugly.
You should leave while you still can.” My fighting instincts took over. I
wasn’t used to being the one told to leave.

“We’re
not leaving until we complete this mission,” I said. “And until my whole team
is safe.”

“You
mean that woman who was screaming?” the girl asked, with seemingly the same
instincts of not backing down. “She’s probably dead now. And if you’re mission
was to save the hostages, they’re all dead now too. The things that attacked us
killed them and the bandits about a week ago, and put me here to draw in more
victims, like you two. If either of you two had any brains at all you’d get the
hell out of here and leave this to me.”

“And
what makes you think you can kill more of those by yourself?” I argued.

“Because
I have the strength to do it.” Her hate filled eyes bore into mine. “And I have
a reason to.” I had had enough. I grabbed her by the shoulders in a death grip.
It surprised her but she still stood her ground.

“Look
kid,” I started, but calling her ‘kid’ was strange to me, because we seemed to
be the same age. “I don’t know why you want to kill them, and honestly, I don’t
care! But my friends are in trouble, and I’m not going to let them die here!
Like it or not, we’re going to have to work together. Tell me what you know
about these things.” We exchanged a hate filled stare, both daring the other to
crack. Finally, she talked.

“They’re
called Blood Wolves,” she said. “They used to be peaceful until a new She-wolf
joined their ranks. She corrupted their minds and turned them into her puppets.
She’s only half Blood Wolf, like the people of my tribe, but while my tribe
cooperated with the Blood Wolves, she took control of them. Not wanting
opposition, she slaughtered everyone in my tribe. I am the last one, and swore
an oath to kill her. She makes the Blood Wolves bring her live offerings. If
your friends were captured, there is a small chance they are still alive, but
you would have to hurry.”

“Do
you know where this She-wolf is?” I asked hurriedly. She nodded.

“If
you let go of me I can take you there.” I released my grip and the girl began
to shake. Her eyes changed from dark brown to a dazzling gold. Her arms and
legs grew, and her body began to change. Her ears grew long and slanted and her
mouth and nose began to morph in to a muzzle. The girl’s feet grew longer until
they were paws, and her fingers lengthened until sharp white claws jutted out
of the tips. Black fur sprouted everywhere on her body until she had a nice
glossy black coat. There was no sign at the end of the transformation that she
had ever been a girl that I was actually eye level with.

“Get
on my back,” she growled. Ed and I did as she said and mounted the furry
beast/girl. I didn’t know what to hold on by so I latched my arms around her
neck like I did when I rode on Vaze’s back when we were going too fast. Ed latched
on around my waist and held on for dear life as the girl/beast raced into the
forest. If she had been a horse girl, she would have been one that was fast
enough for Kyra’s driving. Trees and bushes were a blur as she maneuvered
through the dense undergrowth. She seemed to know where she was going.

Flashes
of silver fur darted in and out of sight beside us, but with no intent to
attack. One of them made a low and eerie howl that was responded by another,
and another and another. Distant cackling could be heard above it, but just
barely.

“They
know we’re here,” the girl said in her scruffy wolf voice. She didn’t sound
scared. We broke through the forest and into a clearing with a bed made from
twisted roots at one end. As the silver white light of the full moon grew
brighter, I saw a beautiful woman sitting on the bed smiling at us. She had
black hair like the beast girl, but it was long braided. Her ruby red lips
parted in a smile, revealing sparkling white teeth. The girl transformed back
into a human when we dismounted, and stared up at the woman with her hate
filled eyes burning bright with the intent to kill.

“It’s
been a long time, Yuki,” the woman said in a sweet voice. “How is the family?”

“They’re
dead,” Yuki replied flatly.

“Oh,
how tragic!” the woman said holding back giggles. “Even your dear little
brother Elijah?”

“You
should know,” she said slowly. “You killed him.” The woman burst into laughter.

“I
always found him to be annoying,” she said. Yuki shook with anger.

“How
can you sit there smiling like that, you monster?!” she screamed. “Have you no
shame of killing your own sibling!?”

“Not
really, no,” the woman replied still grinning. “I’m about to do it again. And
let me personally thank you for bringing me what I need to present to my
master.”

“What
are you talking about?” Yuki fumed.

“You
brought me what Velkire wanted,” the woman said while pointing at me. “I only
need to dispose of you and the others my Blood Wolves caught.” Yuki couldn’t
take it anymore. She transformed again, much faster than before, and lunged at
the woman. Immediately two silver Blood Wolves burst from the forest and bit
both Yuki’s arms to the ground.

“So,
little girl
,” The woman said to me, ignoring the screaming and snarling
Yuki wolf desperately trying to free herself. “You came for these, am I right?”
She lifted two bodies from beside her throne and I gasped. In her hands were
Vaze and Kyra, both covered head to toe in cuts and bruises.

“What
did you do to them?!” I yelled, afraid that I was too late.

“Same
thing I am going to do to you,” she said smiling. Flames began to grow around
me as my anger grew. Kyra began to stir a little, and relief flooded in me. If
she was able to move a little then that meant they were both still alive, but
just barely. The woman looked at her with little interest. She tossed them both
back onto to the ground, but Vaze still didn’t move.

“I’m
starting to get bored,” the woman sighed. “Entertain me, pests.” Immediately
Blood Wolves began to emerge from the shadows of the forests snarling and
growling. Some had big creepy grins on their faces.

“Ed,
are you ready?” I asked while drawing my daggers again.

“Unfortunately,”
was his shaky reply. I nodded and made my flames blindingly light the night. As
the Blood Wolves covered their eyes, long shadows were cast behind their huge
bodies. Half of them fell to the ground either dead or mortally wounded as Ed
attacked from their shadows. A few Blood Wolves caught on and attacked me,
forcing me to stop my inferno as I slashed and jabbed at the oncoming wolves.
Ed didn’t miss a beat. With less shadows to work with he started using a direct
assault. He switched out his dagger for a strange weapon with two blades that
were connected by a long chain. He thrust one end at a Blood Wolf and it embedded
itself in the beast’s chest.

I
barbequed the wolves who were restraining Yuki. Automatically she went for the
She-wolf who sat on the bed. She smiled playfully and didn’t move. I didn’t see
what happened, but I did see the end result. Yuki flew back, skidding when she
hit the ground, human again. The woman was no longer a human. In her place was
a giant black Blood Wolf that made all the others look like puppies. The
lumbering She-Wolf stalked over to the unconscious Yuki on two legs. She
examined her before picking Yuki up with one massive arm. I ignited the ground
to separate me from the remaining Blood Wolves.

“Good
bye, little sister,” the She-wolf said in a scruffy voice. It raised a giant
clawed hand, and brought it down on the helpless girl. Reacting by pure
instinct, I set the She-wolf’s massive paw aflame. The black wolf howled in
pain. The she-wolf shot her enraged eyes to mine, and I completely froze in my
place. With one swift flick of her hand, the She-wolf tossed Yuki aside, and began
to walk towards me, making the earth shake with each step. I could have ran. I
could have fought back. But I couldn’t. I was so paralyzed with fear that it
felt like my heart had stopped beating. Her eyes were the same red eyes Enzio
had.

“Foolish
little girl,” The black Blood Wolf growled. “I’m going to teach you not to
meddle in family affairs!” Using blinding speed, the She-wolf dashed at me. In
the blink of an eye, the massive wolf towered over me, blocking out the light
of the moon. The only thing I could do was stare blankly.

“Scarlet,
run!” Ed yelled at me from across the clearing, busy handling all the Blood
Wolves I didn’t take care of. His voice sounded more distant than it was, as if
he was at the end of a far tunnel. A black furry fist was brought down on me,
catching me in the shoulder, making me fly to my side. My ears rang and pain
stung my shoulder, but still I couldn’t react. The she-wolf attacked me again
and again, creating more and more pain, but my body just wouldn’t listen. It
was those eyes, those horrible red eyes. The fight was a blur, but it ended up
with me on the ground struggling to breath. Wait, I’m sorry, did I just call it
a fight? It was a cruel bloody beating.

“You’re
nothing special after all,” the She-wolf said in boredom. “I’ll be doing
Velkire a favor by killing you.” She raised one huge hand/paw over her head and
flexed her claws. “At least don’t die right away; it would be a shame if I
didn’t get to enjoy your suffering.” My entire body was shaking. I wanted
desperately to move, to run away. But I couldn’t. And now I was going to die
here, because I was a coward. I couldn’t stand up to those eyes. The She-wolf
brought her claws down in an arch towards me, and I shut my eyes, waiting for
the pain. Five seconds…Ten seconds…Fifteen seconds. I opened my eyes again in
confusion, for there was no pain. I knew death couldn’t be that quick. As I
opened my eyes, they grew to the size of apples.