7 Questions

Brightise stared at Paula in shock.

"That's not... That's impossible!" she stuttered.

"No, it's not. Didn't you ever wonder why you and Clober are the only redheads in Paldagor?"

Brightise looked at her long copper braid in confusion. Red hair was just rare. The fact that no one else in town had it didn't mean anything.

Suddenly, another thought struck her.

"But if that's true... Why did they take Morral? She doesn't have red hair!" she pointed out.

Paula smiled bitterly. "Fire Demons have other ways of recognizing their own kind. Morral must have done something that betrayed her heritage."

"The demon tried to burn her alive and she..." Brightise paused. "The fire didn't affect her. He touched her hair with his hands, but it didn't catch fire."

She was remembering the scene as vividly as if she was reliving it. That wretched creature had tried to kill her sister, only to realize that his powers were useless against her.

"That's why he decided to take her and find some other method to kill her," Brightise concluded.

Paula stood up and walked up to her. She stroked her red hair softly. "Honey, that demon is not planning on killing your sister. He has other plans for her. Perhaps they are worse than death," she said sorrowfully.

Brightise swallowed with difficulty. Then she uttered the question that troubled her the most, "What is he planning on doing to her? What's the point of taking her?"

Paula sat back down and looked at the flames dancing in the fireplace. "Fire Demons are becoming extinct. The Elves are fighting them with water, and they are losing. They can't reproduce fast enough to keep up, so they are looking for children like you. Children with Fire Demon blood. There is a way for them to turn you into real Fire Demons. I've been hearing rumors about this for the past few months. They are doing the exact opposite of what your father did. They have taken Morral to Mount Krasta."

Brightise tried to remember why that name ringed a bell. She had never paid enough attention at school during geography class. The Land of Oasis was huge and full of forests, lakes and mountains one needed to memorize. Brightise was much better at running through forests, swimming in lakes and climbing mountains.

"The volcano?" she suddenly asked in shock.

"Yes," Paula said, pausing for a second. "They have to throw her into liquid lava."