Page 57 of Hearts on Fire
“What? How are you going to help him fight an army of dragons?” I gestured at the fiery chaos churning up above. “Trust me, you don’t want to be up there.”
A dragon plummeted from the sky. His massive body hit the ground just a few feet down the mountain from us. His glossy, chocolate-brown scales cracked. Blood sprayed the rocks, misting the red robes of the women closest to the edge of the platform where we all stood.
One of them jumped aside with a gasp. It was Iolena. Despite the lace of her hood, I could see how pale she’d turned.
“See? Even they can’t survive it!” I wildly gestured at the dead dragon, whose body already started to shrink, turning into a man. “You being here is useless. It’s suicide, plain and simple.”
Mother tilted her head, looking uncharacteristically serene.
“Don’t underestimate the power of women when we come together,” she said softly, then added, leaning closer, “Pray that we win. And pray to every god you know, Amber, that the king will be in a benevolent mood after his victory.”
She turned her face up to the sky where the clouds of smoke and fire had thinned somewhat. The dragons appeared to regroup. The Rebel Lords’ army that came from the direction of the valley pulled back. The king’s dragons from the mountains were holding their line slightly behind us.
“Our turn,salamandras.” Mother’s voice shook slightly, but she steadied it. “Form the crescent.”
I retreated to the mountain, giving them space on the platform. Holding hands, the women shifted to form a semi-circle, their backs to the mountain, their faces turned to the enemy army that went into a new attack. The rebel dragons were fast approaching again. But this time, the king’s army held back.
“Our Great MotherSalamandra…” Mother started. Her voice changed completely. Any shakiness was gone. Her words flowed smoothly, filled with strength. “Take our healing power. Combine our strength. Together, we are unstoppable…”
Others joined her in the chant that appeared to be some strange mix of pep-talk and prayer, peppered in with words that sounded so ancient, I didn’t understand their meaning.
The women raised their hands to shoulder height. Their palms open, they placed each hand flush against the hand of the person standing next to them, palm to palm, forming an uninterrupted connection from one end of the semi-circle to another.
The air shimmered around their interconnected hands. The view of the mountains around them distorted as waves of heat rolled from the group. It concentrated inside the crescent. The shimmering streams rushed from their joined hands, churning into a twister in the middle.
The twister grew taller as the dragons approached. Heat scorched my face. I pressed my back to the mountain, trying to get away from the women and whatever they had brewing in their midst.
Thesalamandras’power was not fire but warmth. The magic that Zenada had so generously shared with me was meant to comfort and heal, not kill. When combined, however, the warmth turned to heat, scorching the air above the mountain.
The twister of the shimmering energy thickened over the women’s heads. It grew into a sphere, larger than the platform they stood on.
With a loud cry, the women thrust their hands forward, launching the churning heat orb toward the approaching dragons. It floated through the air, almost invisible against the clouds. The moment it connected with the first dragon, the ball of energy exploded.
There was no fire and no smoke. The sphere just expanded momentarily, eerily quiet and lethally devastating. The dragons were scattered all over the sky. Some managed to stay airborne, but many were hurled against the rocks. Hundreds of them hit the ground, both above and below us.
I gaped in shock and horror as the air erupted with cheers. The king’s army roared triumphantly. Now, they surged ahead, launching the attack at the rebels still in the air.
The effort to create the heat explosion took its toll on the women. They staggered and swayed on their feet. Some sank to their knees, propping their hands on the ground for support. I rushed to them.
“Hey, guys, are you okay?” I grabbed Iolena around her middle, before she would’ve collapsed to the ground. “You really need to get out of here. Now.”
The battle above us no longer had a front line. The fighting was everywhere. The king’s dragons chased the rebels. The rebels fought back. I had no idea how they could even tell who was who.
One fight broke up especially close to us for my liking.
“Let’s go. Quickly.” I tried to help Iolena move.
She shook her head, sinking to the ground. “Please… I just need a minute.”
Their power was warmth, not heat. It was meant to nurture, not to kill. What thesalamandrashad done for their king went against their nature. And it cost them. None of them could walk. Most could hardly move at all. Mother stood on one knee, her head bowed, her breathing shallow.
I couldn’t leave them here on their own. Weak, their powers depleted, thesalamandraswere sitting ducks, a perfect target with their red robes standing out against the surrounding black rocks.
And there was not a single king’s man anywhere around to protect them.
“Well…” I frantically scanned the sky. The danger appeared to come from every direction now. Blasts of fire scorched the rocks all around us. The rebels clearly thirsted for retaliation against the women. I yanked the bow off my shoulder. “Get better soon, ladies. I’ll do what I can.”
I plucked an arrow out of my quiver and nocked it.