Page 47 of Crown of Flame

I know I should sprint forward at even greater speeds, but I’m again tempted by that foul imp called curiosity.

Their voices hit my mind, and my mind translates them into raw thoughts.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a real threat,” one of them says, his intonations naturally lacking the melody I ascribe to Serena. “We’ve taken care of the issue. Containing the elemental shouldn’t be a real problem.”

“It’s cleared three of our towers,” another says. “Tell the dozens of dark elves it’s not a real threat. Big, sentient, roaming fire chokes the life out of them, incinerates their flesh, and steals their magic, and you think it’s not a threat?”

There’s a pause, and two questions reverberate through my mind.

Why are they standing outside our home, not even bothering to threaten Serena? The moment they raise their arms, I’d be dashing to her side, but they seem somehow indifferent to her.

And why are they stopping here specifically? Why, if I’m such a threat to them, are they not doing more to fight back?

“The towers aren’t what matters,” the first dark elf says. “The elemental’s not what matters, nor are those dark elves. In the big picture, they knew what they signed on for. There’s a bigger mission at play. We got what we wanted from the girl. Now we can relax. Aldris has what he needs to retake the continent.”

They look into the stone house, peeking in on Serena, and they laugh.

My flames burn brighter than ever, and as they increase, they begin to spread.

Several trees burn behind me.

I rush up to the dark elves.

I want them to be afraid, or to run away, but even as they lay eyes upon me, their laughter continues.

I snap both of their necks.

17

CINIS

Two days after seeing, and killing, those dark elves outside the hovel, I still don’t understand what’s happening. I thought I had accepted that Serena could not be trusted, but giving her up and walking away still doesn’t sit right with me.

I have too many questions, too many things I need to ask before I can understand why we’re in the position we’re in now, not even speaking to each other. I’ve got to make sense of this.

I leave the cavern, ready to confront Serena now that I’ve calmed myself. I need to understand how she’s associated with the dark elves and what she isn’t telling me.

I don’t understand this bond. But I know that I hunger in a way that souls can’t feed me.

And I know that I can’t say goodbye until I make sense of this.

The vast expanse seems far larger, my jets of flame only vaguely punctuating the silence.

I miss talking with her on these long travels. It’s been so long since we’ve been close.

In the distance, I can see our stony abode. I vaguely wonder why I wasn’t able to touch her when we last met. It’s been heavy on my mind since I left her.

That’s when a familiar feeling of dread overtakes me.

We’ve been found. There’s someone here.

I don’t try to hide or run away from the source of that noise. I remain motionless, staring off into the distance where I can only discern trees and snow. Nothing attracts my attention at first, but then I see them.

It’s not like before, when they were only vaguely passing by, stopping outside our hovel. This time, there are legions of them.

They’re coming my way, clad in a strange blue armor that reflects light brilliantly. That’s what catches my gaze immediately. Then, I notice their hardened faces, their dark eyes that stare directly at me.

“Who sent you here?”