19 Chapter 18: Embers

Shortly after morning practice, I arranged to meet Kellen at the edge of the Western forest. He was waiting for me by the trail, a smile graced his lips when he saw me approach. I saw that he carried a silver sword belted to the waist of his guards uniform, and beneath his uniform he wore light chain mail.

"Expecting an attack?" I quipped, gesturing his weapon. His mouth was in a grim line and he adjusted the sword on his belt.

"These forests aren't safe. You never know what to expect." He murmured. We turned toward the path and began slowly making our way into the dense wood. As we progressed the foliage became denser, but I could feel the sickening in the land. The poison called out to me, it made me feel queasy, nauseated. It was difficult to breathe. I placed my hand on Kellen's arm to steady myself. He looked at me with concern.

"What's going on? Are you alright?" He wrapped an arm around my waist and allowed me to lean on him. My other arm went over his shoulder. I nodded and took another tentative step forward. Finally, the poison was becoming visible, tree roots rotted, plants were browning. A sickly-sweet smell hung in the air. When I leaned down to examine the decaying tree roots, I could see an aura of black shadow emanating from the plant.

"Set me down here" I asked him, his brows furrowed but he did as I asked and set me on my knees in the dirt before the rotting area. I struggled to contain my bile as it rose in my throat. This felt so dark, it felt so wrong. I reached out and placed my hands against the stump of one of the trees that were emanating the shadows. I searched within myself, looking for that spark of connection. I felt the dried bark between my fingers, the soft dirt of the ground. My knees rested on padded dirt. I felt the grass in the surrounding area, heard the whispers of the trees that were still alive. A breeze rose up around me and caught my hair.

I felt the flicker, latching onto it, I let Earth fill my body. The essence of the land, calling to me for help. I felt the soil soothing me. I held that energy, expanded it. Sweat marred my brow, the vine tattoos on my arms glowed and expanded, wrapping themselves around my body, down my legs to my ankles. My fingertips began to glow, my body buzzed, I felt like I was going to explode. Suddenly, I snapped my eyes open.

Release. I exhaled and the energy burst from my body, expanding outwards. Trees shot up from the ground, vines ran their way up the trees, flowers exploded out of soil. The shadows dispelled. Kellen was knocked to the ground from the blast of energy.

I knelt in the grass, panting, sweat dripping down my body. My fingers shook with energy, I sat back on my heels and placed my hand over my heart. Kellen rolled over and began to lift himself from the ground, grunting in pain. His breaths came in rapid pants. Kellen slowly limped over to me and stared at me with wide eyes, almost afraid. Slowly, he held out his hand to me.

"Holy shit." He grunted. I nodded, a smile playing at the edges of my lips as I reached up to grasp his hand.

"Holy shit, indeed." I replied. We looked around us, everything in a fifty meter radius was bursting with greenery and life. A small brook babbled nearby. His arm wrapped around my waist and he gazed around us in awe.

"That is amazing power." He stated. "You haven't even awakened to a court yet." I sighed in relief, he didn't suspect I would not be sorted. I shrugged, bashful of my power, yet proud. I stood tall, and set my shoulders back. I leaned into the heat from his body. His solid heartbeat soothed my rapidly beating one. He looked down at me, and he placed his hand on my cheek.

"You could do amazing things for our people, Wren." His yellow cat's eyes gazed into my wide eyes. I swallowed and nodded.

"I'm trying to do everything I can." I said honestly.

He smiled and his gaze drifted down to my lips, my face heated under his gaze. I could see the length of his eyelashes, sweeping against his cheeks. His full lips, straight angular nose. He leaned in closer. Our lips were a mere hairs breadth apart.

A demonic growl sounded from the woods behind us. Further than we'd ventured. Kellen broke away and pushed me behind him, drawing his sword. The cacophonous snarling grew louder, the trees around us began to rumble. I saw large jaws project from the treeline, black shadows, with fangs. Canines elongated and dripped saliva and blood. Tendril-like arms slithered forth, Kellen slashed at one of the tendrils, and onyx blood poured onto the ground. It steamed like acid, burning the grass.

"Don't touch the blood!" He called. I nodded and froze, thinking about what to do. I palmed my dagger and slashed at a tendril that snaked out near my ankle. I severed the tendril and blood seeped into the ground. More slithery arms emerged from the darkness, surrounding us. A large muscled body emerged behind the gaping jaws. I gasped at the grotesque monster that stood before us, it appeared similar to a demonic boar, with tendrils emerging.

Next to me, Kellen planted the tip of his sword into the ground. He threw back his head and cried out. His yellow eyes glowed bright as stars, I heard a rumbling from above. Clouds covered the sun; rain ran in rivulets from the sky. My hair stuck to my forehead as my gown and body were quickly drenched in the torrential downpour. His eyes glowed brighter, and a growl emanated from his chest. Strikes of lighting pounded into the Earth, striking out tendrils in crispy flames. The demon roared, and snarled louder, the arms attacking more aggressively. Kellen's hair battered about his face in the wind and the wind tore at his uniform. Lighting continued to rain down.

I spun with my dagger, sweeping between the tendrils to sever and strike whatever I could reach. Blood sprayed through the air, I dodged with preternatural grace. I few drops of black blood splashed my arm, I screamed as it burned my flesh. Kellen's head snapped toward me and he growled. A bolt of lightning struck the tendril closest to me. As he was focused on me a few arms snuck up behind him, sharpened edges like javelins they plunged toward his back, he twisted at the last second, and one pierced his shoulder. He cried out in agony.

I bit my lip and quickly analyzed the field around me. The demon was pressing closer, looking to exploit Kellen's injury. My mere dagger wasn't enough to take out all of these demonic tendrils. There were only two things that harmed demons' silver...

"Fire" I whispered. I closed my eyes, breathed deep to calm my racing heart. I thought of Kellen, crying out in pain. The glow of his eyes as he unleashed his power. The feel of his heartbeat against mine. The eyes of the demon, the grotesque arms and black blood. I reached within myself, I saw tendrils snaking towards Kellen, he dodged and attacked with his sword, the Fae's top General in true action. Javelins barreled toward his back. I screamed.

I exploded. My skin burst into flames, the heat surrounded me like a warm and welcoming cocoon. The flames shot from me and covered the ground, absorbing and incinerating all of the tendrils. The flames crept forth, I raised my arms in a snarl and they engulfed the demon. I heard it scream. Its body shriveled and burned away, it's cry echoing in the night. I released the flames, I dropped to my knees on the ground, everything extinguished. The area around us was slightly charred, but most of the trees stood fine, I'd controlled the flame. I ran over to Kellen and dropped to my knees beside him. He was on his knees, breathing hard. His eyes no longer glowing. The rain had slowed. He clutched the bleeding wound on his shoulder, his eyes looked up to find mine. He swayed.

"Argyris..." He whispered. And collapsed on to the ground.