Touch of Flame

Nazneen searched the whole Area with the help of Ravina, Malachi, and his brothers. Some shifted and flew away to search the woods and mountains while the rest of them searched through the crowd at the festival and asked people around.

Nazneen’s heart was erratic in her chest the whole time while many ideas went through her head. Did he perhaps go for a swim without telling her? Then she would kill him with her own hands once he came back. But if he was getting hurt somewhere then…. she swallowed the large lump of fear down her throat.

“Where did you lose him?” Aaron asked who was searching with her.

“We were sleeping on the other side of the river.”

“Let’s look there one more time,” he suggested. “Perhaps he went back there and is waiting for you.”

She didn’t think of that. Following Aaron, then crossed the bridge to the other side and then went back to where she had stayed with Ares. She hoped to see him but was disappointed to find the place empty.

Aaron walked around, probably trying to use his senses to detect anything but she had higher senses and no one was nearby. The only thing she heard was the sound of paper among the leaves. She looked near the tree where she slept and found a piece of paper in the grass. Walking closer, she went to pick it up.

Something was written on it. Her heart skipped. This was a note for her. Someone managed to come by so close and she hadn’t sensed them. How? She quickly tried to read what was on the paper as Aaron came to see what she was doing.

Ares! He was kidnapped.

Her heart stilled as she skimmed through the rest of the words. Aaron loomed over her to read the words as well and her hands began to shake as the words sank in. Whoever left the message was telling her to meet him or her at a place very well known to her. The cave where she had been locked.

Her hands trembled even more. Was a witch involved in this? She really did not want to get entangled with any of them again. But Ares? Her hold on the paper tightened, and she stood up quickly.

“I need to go,” she said and as she turned, she found the rest of them there.

“What did you find?” Malachi asked.

“I know where he is. I need to leave.” She told him.

“I am coming with you.”

“No!” The message told her to come alone or they would hurt Ares.

“Whoever it is could be the ones who hurt us as well. I am coming with you.” He said.

“You can’t. I need to go there alone or they will hurt him.” Nazneen explained.

“They want you to go there alone because it is a trap.”

She knew that but what was she supposed to do? “I know.” She said.

“Then we need to strategize. You can’t go running there.”

She took a deep breath to calm herself. “I don’t have time,” She tried to hurry past him, but he grasped her arm.

“I know how you feel. Just take a moment to think.” He told her. “They won’t kill him. They want you.”

Despite the fact that she was trembling, both because it triggered her to go back to the cave and because she was afraid for Ares she took another deep breath to think. “Alright. What should we do?”

Releasing her arm, he turned to her. “You will go there ahead of us and give us signals of how close we can come…”

“No, no.” She shook her head. “They know I am here and as soon as they suspect that I have help with me they will harm him.”

“We will be cautious, but going there alone will do you no good.”

“Forget it.” She said. “I will go alone.” She pushed past him. She was not going to risk Ares’s life.

“You are worried for him but getting yourself killed won’t save him,” he called after her as she walked away.

With the rage going through her veins she felt as if she had all the strength in the world and that no one would be able to touch her, but she knew that wouldn’t be the case if they set a trap.

“Unless you have something to use against them, we can’t go there to fight. I need to go alone,” she insisted.

She would have to do things differently this time. Shifting to her dragon form, she flew away to find the cave.

*****

Although he was already dying and he had been on the brink of death many times, he wasn’t ready to die yet. His survival instinct was too high, that he wondered why he was so adamant about living when he enjoyed the danger and put his life at risk one too many times. It was contradicting.

He lifted his arm instinctively as if that would shield him from the fire traveling across the distance, but all he felt was a strong wind that made him stumble back on his numbed and crushed leg. The pain woke him up and his eyes shot open. A large, winged beast hovered over him and he thought he recognized it.

“Naz… neen.”

The beast whirled around and flew up to fight the other dragon. Yes, it was her. Unlike the others, she was quick to finish the fight and then descended to attack the silent dragon.

“Don’t kill that one!” He called, wondering if she would understand in her dragon form. He had ordered that one to stay still, anyway.

Nazneen shifted to her human form and her amber eyes were fiery as she looked his way. He just allowed himself to fall back unable to hold himself on one leg now that the adrenalin wore off. His head spun and the pain came sharper than before.

Nazneen glanced at the white dragon one more time to ensure it wasn’t a danger before hurrying to his side to help him.

He had been fighting with the chains but she took the thick shackles around his wrist and broke them with ease, only using her hands. When she went to the ones around his ankles, she looked at his leg with horror. He was also horrified at how he could have done that to himself without fainting from the pain.

“What happened to your leg? And…” she looked around at the dead dragons. “What happened?”

“Long story,” He groaned, trying to focus on staying awake as her face began to fade away.

“I forgot you could do the strange commanding thing…” she mumbled. Her voice sounded slightly afraid. He tried to see why, but there was a fog over her face.

“Ares?” Her voice became distant. “Stay with me.” He felt her hands on his face. “Oh god, you are bleeding from your head too.”

“Nazneen.” Was that Malachi’s voice he heard?

“Malachi? You followed me.” She said.

Ares saw a glint of him. “You killed them all already?” He sounded suspicious.

Oh no, she didn’t. They continued to talk, but it all became a distant mumbling. Then she was moving him or them… he wasn’t sure. Everything was dark, but the pain in his leg kept him semiconscious for a while before the scent of salt and waves called him and he left everything else behind.