Party Crasher

The car smoked from the hood and a slim figure crawled out of the drivers side window before anyone could react. When the figure collapsed to their knees and hands as if their legs could no longer hold them up the clan began to move. Two men in their thirties grasped the strangers arms to lift them to their feet. Since outsiders were forbidden on this night or to even know about the Sword and this clan hall everyone knew that this strangers fate would be to die.

Alexander flashed his eyes back to the sword and the mist that had seemed to come alive. His eyes opened in shock as he was one of the first to witness a change. The blue mist turned to living flames that grew by the moment enveloping the sword. and rising upwards. As the trespasser was drawn closer the blue flames soared upwards as if someone had added gasoline to the flame. Everyone gasped and the trespasser who had been struggling in vain to escape those dragging them broke free from the startled clansmen. The trespasser dressed in tattered jeans and a black leather jacket and a black helmet that hid their face took the opportunity to flee. But they didn't get far.

The blue flames surged directly towards the trespasser and everyone thought that the outsider would be burned by the flames of the Clan. Only those with Clan blood could stand before the alter after all. But instead the flames encircled the stranger who froze in shock or fear as from their toes to the tip of their head the flames seemed to caress the stranger. It lasted less then a minute but when the blue flames died there was one difference with the stranger in their hand rested the Sword of the clans. It had Chosen its Master and no one had been prepared for such an occurrence.

Alexander watched the slim figure before him standing still staring at the sword that was suddenly in their hands and he felt bitter. The flames had moved for him if that stranger hadn't crashed their way in here then he could have been chosen. In his anger he grabbed the helmet from the strangers head intending to look at the face of the one who dared to take away what he had worked for. But as he looked again he could only draw in a breath at the beauty before him. The stranger was a slender woman with long whiskey colored hair that had been braided and tucked into the helmet and her eyes were something he had never seen before. They were Amber eyes without a hint of the blues or greens that hazel eyes had. The coppery gold pair of eyes looked at him with a wild energy that radiated stubborn defiance. All in all he felt as though he looked into the face of a wild wolf.

*****

Effie stared into the face of the handsome young man who had ripped her helmet off. He stared at her in shock as if he had somehow seen a ghost. The sword in her hand felt like lead and her arm tremble but she couldn't seem to let go. What was going on here? Had she hit her head in the crash and this was all just some sort of dream caused by head trauma? Well what else could it be but a dream? Otherwise how could she have been surrounded by that weird blue flame that hadn't actually burned but rather tickled and what were the chances that she would now be holding a sword. This was all just some sort of trick her banged up brain was playing on her. When she told her brothers she could almost imagine them laughing at her and it made her smile sweetly at the thought. Her brothers as goofy as they were always made her feel safe and warm and accepted.

She groaned as she realized what was going to happen. Her brothers would be coming for her when she didn't show up at the end of the race. And they were going to find her in some wreck with her banged up brain and strange dreams. Her groan seemed to cause the people around her to move again. "Who are you?" The man beside her demanded.

"Not that it matters to you Mr. Dream man, but my name is Effie. And if its all the same I'd like to wake up now." She voice sounded tired even to her own ears. She looked up at the man who was at least five inches taller then her own 5'5" stature.

Alexander looked at the tired face of the girl called Effie as she was looking up at him. He swallowed and his anger was replaced with a feeling that he needed to protect this girl. He blinked away the thought and started to process what she said. "What do you mean wake up?" The girl blinked at him her face dazed.

"This is just some sort of weird hallucination caused by head trauma from my racing accident. Soon my brothers will come to peel me out of the wreckage and bring me and my banged up brain to the hospital." She spoke with such certainty that Alexander couldn't help but reach up to check her head for a bump of some kind. When she spoke of brothers he felt a strange jealousy in his heart.

"Did you hit your head?" The man asked as others began to gather around them. The man touched her gently as of searching for the head injury that had created him. For a hallucination he was sure concerned about her. just like her brothers would be when they found her. "Yeah. Must have." She said shrugging and stepping back from the mans hand. The sword in her arm suddenly burst into blue flame and she jerked away from the man as well as tried to drop the sword. But instead the blue flames seemed to consume the sword and it became part of the blue flames. The flames crept up her hand to her arm and she screamed as a cold steel like weight settled on the skin of her forearm. It stung and itched and was a pain she had never felt before. Without knowing she she ripped of her leather jacket trying to find to source of the pain.

Suddenly there on her inner forearm was a tattoo of the sword with the strange blue flames that even as she stared seemed to dance lightly across her skin. It felt real and unlike any of the other tattoos she had on her body. She trembled and looked up at the people around her and focused on an older man who had stepped up beside the man she had been speaking to. Somehow she knew that he was in charge here. "What's going on?" This no longer felt like a dream to her and her breath started to come quickly as the pain of cold metal and flame seemed to crawl u see her skin. She trembled in pain her eyes watering and sweat broke over her forehead. Seeing as no one answered her she lunged towards the old man grabbing his shirt front. "What did you people do to me?" She growled an intense anger bubbling from her stomach.

"Effie, you need to let him go." The young man warned her with a serious voice. He stepped up beside her cautiously. "It is complicated. Give us a minute to explain." She looked into the young mans pleading brown eyes that still seemed to be filled with concern and she felt the anger start to melt away. She released the old man and suddenly slumped down to the floor all her energy eaten up between the shock of the crash and the pain that still crawled under her skin.

"It hurts," she whispered as her head swam and her eyes felt incredibly heavy. She couldn't keep them open anymore. All she could feel was the cold steel and stinging flames as it seemed to crawl through Hebert vein of her body. She passed out with a single whimper to show her suffering.

Alexander felt helpless as the girl collapsed at his feet. He turned to Elder Allen a question clearly written on his face. How could an outsider be chosen by the sword? Only those with clan blood would be recognized. Did that mean that somehow this girl who had stumbled in was clan?

"We have to go. The crash will bring people here to investigate. We need to clear the scene and avoid detection. Disguise the alter and keep its existence hidden." Elder Allen wasn't even done with his orders before people began to move into action. He turned to Alexander and looked at the girl. "Put her near the car. Hopefully those who come will be more interested in her and not investigate this place further."

"You're going to let her go?" Alexander asked in surprise and a bit of fury. "She is injures and your going to leave her here. Don't forget shes been chosen which mean she's part of the clan. Are you really going to send her away?" He knelt beside Effie whose body still trembled lightly even though she seemed to be unconscious. As someone who believed all clan deserved to be treated as family he didn't feel right leaving her behind.

"Don't be silly. You stay here pretend to be the one who found her. She said her brothers would come for her. Find out who she is and keep an eye on her. Report back to us. We have much to discuss among the Elders on what has happened." Elder Allen rubbed his chin in a tired expression. "None of this has ever occurred before."

Alexander nodded feeling an odd relief that he wouldn't have to say goodbye to the girl. He picked her up in his arms carefully afraid the light girl in his arms would feel more pain. For some reason he couldn't stand the thought of her being hurt.