59 Hallucinations

For a long time, all Morral could do was stare at the fire or touch it discreetly when her captors were not paying attention to her.

She wished she had more time and privacy so she could experiment more, because she really had no idea what she was doing or what she was supposed to be doing.

People from Paldagor knew very little about Elemental Powers. To be honest, all they were ever taught about Elemental Powers at school was to stay away from anyone who possessed any. The Slorigans and the Amazons could use the weather against their enemies, and Fire Demons could burn anyone to death. The Elves were usually peaceful, but even they could drown you if you really pissed them off. There were even rumors that the Doyas possessed some kind of powers, but the residents of Selgonfield were in no position to know if they were true.

Morral had often thought that Simple People had drawn the short straw when it came to physical power and living conditions. Little had she known that she hadn't been one of them after all.

Morral gazed longingly at the fire as she remembered her friends and neighbors back in Paldagor. Her closest friend had always been Brightise, but she had been friendly with most of the villagers.

She suddenly smiled softly as she thought of Gren. He had had a crush on her for years, and although Morral had pretended that she had not been aware of it, she had actually known all along.

Why break his heart and embarrass him though?

Morral had never liked hurting other people's feelings.

Paula had always told her that she should be less nice to people who didn't deserve it, but Morral believed Gren was one of the people who did.

Morral really missed Paula. She might have practically raised Brightise and Clober herself, but for all intents and purposes, ever since their parents' deaths, Paula had been like a mother to her. She was the only person she had trusted with all her secrets and concerns and asked for advice when she was at a loss.

She wished Paula was there to help her this time too. She could really use some advice about what to do about the two Fire Demons sitting right next to her.

What would Paula have done if she was in her place? What would she have done to get back to her five children? What had Morral not thought of? What...

What the hell?

Morral blinked twice in shock. Then she blinked a third time to make sure she wasn't imagining things.

She was not. Right there, in the very flames in front of her, was a living, moving picture of Paula inside her own house.

Morral stared at her friend in shock. The whole visual was red, just like the fire around it, but there was no doubt about it. That was Paula washing dishes by the sink in her modest cottage. If Morral squinted a little, she could even make out her baby daughter Lucia in the background.

Paula did not seem to be aware that someone was watching her.

Morral was not sure if this was really her, or if she was just hallucinating, but she didn't care. The image of Paula in the flames was so familiar and comforting that she tried not to blink anymore, for fear that it would disappear if she took her eyes off of it for a second.

Sheeda eventually ruined the whole thing by elbowing her in the ribs.

"Hey! Are you sleeping with your eyes open now?"

"Yes!" Morral snapped at her. "Does that bother you too? Would you like me to stop breathing as well?"

Sheeda almost growled at her, but she didn't say anything. Bremig's warning about Morral's possible position in the Fire Demon hierarchy in the future had made her start acting more cautious around her.

This didn't make any difference though.

By the time Morral turned back to the fire, Paula had already disappeared.