Page 71 of Bound in Flames

Her hands shall mend where the darkness has spread,

Her touch will raise what the shadows left dead.

She’ll stand with the earth, between life and decay,

And lead the lost home, to the break of day.

The balance she brings will shatter the chains,

Of exile and fear, of sorrow and pains.

Through mountains and rivers to forests untamed,The shaman shall guide and the world reclaimed.

Hair of fire, eyes of the earth,

She will rise from roots of birth,

With hands that mend and flames that guide,

She will stand where fate divides.

She will stand against the dark,

With the earth as her spark.

Through her blood, through her pain,

She will bring us home again.

As our voices rose, something stirred in the air around us. I felt it in my center, a vibration that pulsed through the ground, through the very heart of the stronghold. The fire that Cleo hadunleashed outside—searing with its raw heat—began to change, to shift, as if it were listening to us.

The stone beneath my feet hummed, responding to the energy we poured into our words. And in what felt like an eternity, the weight of the dark magic began to lift, the oppressive darkness that had pressed against my mind easing just a little. A spark of hope flared in my chest.

“The earth hears us! It answers our call!” I shouted, raising my hands as I felt the energy thrumming through my fingertips. “Again! Show her what it means to be Blackfoot Clan!”

We wouldn’t stop, not when our shaman needed us. Not when we could still fight for her, as she fought and sacrificed for us.

Perhaps I should have said more, pushed harder to protect her from our desperation. Now, I could only hope she would see through our failings to the truth of her place among us. Even through the fire and the fury, I saw her strength. Cleo was more than we deserved and I prayed that we would be enough to save her from fate.

Chapter 40

Cleo

The firestorm raged around me, a maelstrom of heat and fury. I stood at its center, my body trembling with exhaustion. I could feel the fire licking hungrily at the edges of my control, searing the earth beneath my feet, devouring the darkness that slithered toward me, their whispered promises of despair and ruin coiling around my mind with icy, insidious fingers.

Through the roaring flames, past the shrieks of dying creatures, a whisper of sound caught on the wind, growing louder, clearer, wrapping around me like the comforting embrace of something familiar and steady.

The warriors were chanting, voices rough rising above the fire, a steady cadence that throbbed with ancient power like a war drum. The prophecy—my prophecy—resounded in my ears, echoing in my chest and forcing back the gnawing dread. They believed in me, and despite everything, despite the betrayal, I felt their faith pulse through me.

Closing my eyes, I let their voices seep into my bones, letting their strength bleed into mine. My hands trembled, the fire dancing at my fingertips, but beneath it all, something ancient stirred—the earth itself, alive and pulsing beneath my bare feet,whispering to me, calling me home. The stones on my bracelet cooled against my skin with a borrowed strength.

I wasn’t alone.

The earth wrapped around me and I felt the weight of my clan’s sorrow, their fear and their regret. It pulled me back, reminding me that I was more than fire and destruction—I was their hope.

The flames around me responded, no longer wild and hungry, but obedient, bending to my will, moving with purpose. I opened my eyes, and the silver light that pulsed within them seemed to reflect a newfound clarity. The dragon before me was still struggling against the thick, ancient roots that held it in place. Its scales pulsed with malevolent shadows, writhing against the earthen grip, but cracks had begun to form, tiny fractures spiderwebbing across its monstrous form.

The dragon let out a deafening roar, causing the very stones beneath me to shuddered, but I didn’t flinch. My heart pounded with a fierce, primal determination. The fire coiled tighter around my arms licking toward the sky like serpents. Silver light gleamed against the dark as power surged through me, swelling in my chest until I thought I might shatter beneath it.

---