Seared by Desire (3 page)

“
What am I going to do?” she sighed.

The figures began to speak again, quickly drawing her
attention away from her own chaotic thoughts. “So we are all agreed
that this Sara is the child of flame.” All those present nodded.
“The question now is what do we do with her.”

“
That is obvious,” another voice inserted. “We use her as any
true fire elemental would. Listen to the prophecy again.
The fire will burn within them briefly but
brightly, allowing for the annihilation of the enemies of the fire
elementals. But a cost must be paid and the child of flame shall be
the one to pay it, with their life as the fire consumes even them,
unless they find the one. The one with the power to cool the
flame.
This woman will either die or
become useless to us again, it isn’t possible for a single body to
house the spirit of fire and survive. All that we can do is as the
prophecy asks, use her to destroy our enemies before she is gone
from the world.”

“
All in favour of using Sara’s flame before it is extinguished
say aye.” Geoffrey’s cold words were like daggers to her heart, the
blades sinking deeper as each figure responded with an unequivocal
‘aye’ of agreement.

“
What should we tell her?”

“
Nothing,” Geoffrey instructed. “The less she knows the
better.”

“
Come, we have much to plan for and not much time to do it in.
The prophecy says her time is short but it gives us no warning of
just how short that time is, we must act swiftly.”

The flames spluttered before sinking back into the
fireplace.

I’m dying.
Sara’s mind was
reeling.

Hungry,
Seraphina whined.

Be quiet,
she snapped.
This is all your fault, I’m going to die.
Unless…unless I find the one to cool the flame.
Her eyes widened in realisation. The prophecy had spoken of a
way to save her life. The figures in the flames had discarded the
option, as it would take away the power they were so desperate to
have, but there was a chance she could survive this thing. Power
was all well and good but there was no point in having it if she
wasn’t going to be alive to enjoy it.
I’ve
got to find them. Whoever this person is I have to find
them.

“
Sara,” Abigail’s voice was finally able to penetrate the fog
of her mind, her brown eyes were watering with unshed tears.
“You’re going to die.”

“
No I’m not. Weren’t you listening? If we find the one to cool
the flame, I’ll live.”

“
Sara, the elders have spoken, you can’t go against their
will.”

“
I have to Abigail otherwise I’ll die.”

“
It will be for the good of the fire elementals Sara, you
heard the prophecy, before you die, you’ll destroy our enemies.
That’s a sacrifice any fire elemental would be willing to make.
You’ll be a hero.”

No, I’ll be dead.
She smiled warmly
at Abigail, the wheels in her mind working frantically. While
Abigail was her friend she was first and foremost a fire elemental
and she was good at what she did. One didn’t become known as the
red terror without a reason. Abigail’s loyalty to their people was
paramount and Sara’s heart sunk as she realised that nothing she
did or said was going to change that fact. From the cradle strong
fire elementals were raised to believe that they were better than
anyone else because they were stronger than anyone else and that to
put their own selfish wishes before those of their people was
tantamount to treason. With her vast reserves of strength Abigail
had been groomed very well to believe that sacrifices made for
their people were worthwhile. Having suffered nothing but cruelty
and injustice at the hands of her people Sara couldn’t say the same
especially when the sacrifice they wanted was her life. She forced
a smile to her lips while Abigail rambled on about what they should
do during her last days on earth.
Apparently I’m in this alone.

Hungry,
Seraphina
grumbled.

Rolling her eyes, Sara brought the flames in the fireplace to
life again, letting the fire burn through the wood, Seraphina
purred in response.
Well as alone as I can
be considering I have a vengeful elemental spirit wandering around
my head endangering my life. I’ve got to get out of here, no matter
the consequences.

Chapter Three – Fight for
Flight

To Sara’s immense surprise, she was able to leave the
confines of her room and explore the walls of New Kennington
castle, which she did as soon as Abigail left her alone. The elders
were right; her time was short. The prophecy said her flame would
burn briefly but had given no specific timeline, briefly could mean
anything from a day to a week to a month. With her future, her
life, in such doubt she had to move quickly. She had to leave
tonight, any longer and she could implode on herself.

She traversed the many halls of the castle, mentally noting
the positions of various important places. She found the kitchen,
the treasury and the armoury, all crucial places for her to stop at
before she left tonight. Her walk was followed by the silent stares
of the castle’s inhabitants. Angry, disgusted stares she was used
to. But these stares were filled with, dare she say it, admiration.
Apparently she was the only one who was to be kept in the dark
regarding the prophecy and its contents.

Damn straight they want to keep it quiet. If I knew, I’d run.
Oh wait, I do know and I’m not just running…I’m fleeing as fast as
I can in the other direction.
Oh well, at
least I won’t have to worry about Abi telling them what I heard,
she’ll keep quiet if they don’t want me to know.
The obedience to authority that was bred into
fire children was at last proving its worth.

She continued her walk; moving outside and heading towards
what she hoped were the stables. No one dared to stop her, likely
afraid of incurring the wrath of the child of fire. Her eyes moved
quickly, cataloguing everything in sight. She needed to be
intimately acquainted with the castle before nightfall and dusk was
quickly approaching. There was only one way out of the castle, and
the large, heavy doors were well guarded, another obstacle that she
would need to overcome. She sighed heavily before walking
onwards.

As the distinct smell of hay filled her nose, she knew
without a shadow of a doubt she was in the right place. Horses of
various colours and sizes flanked her on both sides from their
respective stalls, moving restlessly as she walked down the long
path. A loud whinny, grabbed Sara’s attention and she moved towards
the sound. The call was quickly followed by the agitated stomping
of hooves and she picked up her pace, anxious to see what was going
on. When a large white stallion came into view she could have wept
for joy.

“
Lance,” she cried rushing to his side. The whinnies continued
until she was directly in front of his stall where they turned into
soft snorts as he pushed his nose against her clothes. “I can’t
believe you’re here,” she cooed, running her hands over his fine
hairs.

The horse had been the only thing her parents had let her
take when they had banished her from their presence, ashamed of her
weakness. In the years she had been alone, it was only Lance and
Abigail that had kept her going. The horse continued to push at
her, as though searching for something and Sara took a step back.
“Sorry Lance, I don’t have anything for you right now but I promise
when I come back I’ll have something extra special for you to eat.”
She glanced round, quickly noting that she had been followed by
some of the castle’s guards. She could say no more unless she
wanted to get caught. Moving quickly, she brushed and saddled the
horse, leaving him ready for her escape.

Her preparations complete, Sara made her way back to the
castle, always conscious of the guards at her back. She supposed
that they were trying to be inconspicuous but the heat their bodies
emitted gave them away easily. She could feel their heat, see their
bodies even when her eyes were closed. She rolled her eyes at their
ignorance. She was powerful beyond her wildest imaginings and
despite being so willing to sacrifice her life for power her
leaders were underestimating her.

“
Sara! There you are,” Abigail called, rushing along the stone
corridor to meet her. “I’ve been looking all over for
you.”

“
Why?”
Did you think I would have run
away?

“
We’re having a feast in your honour. Leaders from all over
have come to meet you.”

Sara frowned, leaning close to whisper in Abigail’s ear, “I’m
not even meant to know what I have inside me. Why would they throw
a feast for me?”

“
Officially they’re saying it’s a feast to celebrate the
strength and power of our people,” Abi whispered in response, “but
everyone here knows that it’s to celebrate the arrival of the child
of flame.”

“
Thanks but no thanks,” Sara replied, pulling her head away
from Abigail’s. “If they don’t even have the nerve to just come out
and be honest about it then there’s no way I’m going.”
Especially when they’ve just given me the perfect
distraction for my escape.
“I’m tired, I’m
going to sleep for the night.”

“
But Sara…”

“
Abi, I don’t want to go.” She turned away to leave before a
thought stopped her. This might be the last time she ever saw her
friend. If her plan failed then she would die, if it succeeded, she
would probably be banished from her village, forbidden from ever
returning on threat of death. “Abi,” she began, hoping to keep her
voice steady despite the torrent of emotion that was rising within
her, threatening to overwhelm her. “I just wanted to say
thanks.”

“
For what?”

“
For everything. For standing by me over the years, for being
my friend,” she chuckled, “for bringing Lance.”

“
What makes you think I brought that violent horse? I wouldn’t
dare go near him; he’d either kick or bite me. He’s only loyal to
you. We both know that. The stubborn mule followed you here so
there’s no need to thank me for that. As for everything else…that’s
what friends are for right? Now, go on. I’ll make your excuses for
you and I’ll see you in the morning.”

Sara nodded, unable to utter the false response. She wasn’t
going to be there in the morning, by then she hoped to be far, far
away from the fire elementals and in search of her salvation. As
she walked back to the room she’d woken in, her mind was racing,
tracing the path she would take to freedom. Though stares followed
her on her journey, no one seemed to follow her. The guards had
disappeared once it was obvious she was heading back inside. She
inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. While everyone was enjoying the
feast, she would slip unnoticed out into the night.

Once she was safely seconded in the relative safety of her
room, she could find no rest. A nervous energy filled her and she
paced the length of the room, certain that she would eventually
wear a hole in the rich carpet. Her eyes darted back and forth
between the four walls that kept her trapped and the window that
looked out onto the night sky.

By the time that darkness had well and truly fallen, she was
more than ready to leave; any more pacing and she was going to be
sick. Gathering her empty bag close to her chest, Sara eased the
door open slightly; peering out into the corridor and making sure
it was empty before she slipped out herself. She hurried along the
hall, anxiously turning back every few seconds to ensure that no
one was following her. The feast was working far better as a
distraction than eve she had imagined. Sara didn’t meet a soul as
she walked on silent feet down the halls. As the door to the
armoury came into sight, she rolled her eyes in annoyance. People
she had never even met were gathered to celebrate the fact she
would die. It was disgusting.

Discarding her feelings, Sara entered the armoury, letting
the familiar smell of leather and steel wash over her. She had no
doubt that while the upper levels of the castle were relatively
empty, things would change as she neared the exit and with everyone
knowing exactly what she looked like, disguise was the only way she
would reach Lance and ride out into the night. The room was dark
but the instant her eyes began to struggle, flames sprouted all
around her, candles lighting at the mere thought of light. Sara was
forced to concede that if the spirit within her weren’t stealing
her life, she would want to keep the power that came with
it.

“
Like I would ever be so lucky,” she scoffed.

She moved silently down the wide aisles of steel armour
towards the back where the lighter garments, made of leather, were
housed. The material was soft, durable and most importantly, quiet.
She ran her hands lovingly over the hard metal before moving on.
She could tell with a single glance that the armour here wasn’t as
good as the ones she herself made but beggars couldn’t be choosers.
Even though her village scorned her for her elemental weakness,
they had to admit that as a blacksmith she was second to none, her
work was highly sought after, a fact she was immeasurably proud of.
Of course what she was essentially stealing wasn’t going to be as
good. For now she had to take what was at hand and improve along
the way.