Page 20 of He Who Ignites The Flame
I tried to listen to my instincts, tried to get free, but it was no use. No matter how much I kicked and fought, his grip on me only tightened.
The air was unsettling, laced with something sickeningly acrid and slimy. The feeling intensified as we grew closer and closer to something… it was something invisible and so alive, it breathed with energy, with power, its presence leaving the hairs on the back of my neck on end, my heart pounding.
A strange sensation washed over me, instinct shuddering and recoiling—as if the beast within me was cowering—as we slipped through whatever it was. The sensation was weighted, icy, and I flinched as it clung to me, as if the intangible presence was feeling out every inch of my body, down to the furthest depths until I could have sworn it brushed against my very soul.
And then, it vanished.
“Welcome to your new home,” Rhyas whispered, and I opened my eyes, the air halting in my lungs. We emerged from the mouth of the cave, the expanse of the world before me almost too much to process. A soft blue glow emanated from the woods surrounding us. I couldn’t quite pinpoint the source of it, as if the forest itself was alive with the glowing haze. The colors were brighter, more intense than they were back home. The air was warm against my skin, soft, humming with something I couldn’t place. Life? Energy?
Magic?
Most of the little orbs of light scattered from us, fanning out across the forest. My eyes widened as I found orbs of purple light floating down from the bows of the towering trees, and the tiny lights that had traveled with us shifted in color, dancing around one another, as if being welcomed home.
Mama had told me stories of little spirits living in the forests of the Godsrealm.
Fates spare me. The Godsrealm. We were in the Godsrealm.
No. I couldn’t be here. My heart quickened, fear winding around me. I needed to get back. If I was here, Mama and Papa couldn’t find me.
My captor’s hold tightened on me before he grumbled, “Better stop fighting me, little beasty. We’ve still got another day before we reach Tenebria, and if you keep making this difficult, you won’t have a good time of it.”
I ground my teeth together, and the beast in my soul—though unable to emerge until mysettling—bristled, its anger slipping deep into my chest.
The male carrying me halted without warning, his heartbeat leaping into an intense pace as he sucked in a breath and dipped his head. I twisted in his arms, and my heart launched into my throat as a hoof, large enough to crush us, settled into the cushiony moss before our group. Rhyas eased me down cautiously, his free hand held out to the beast.
“Silvash,” the green-eyed fae male with horns said in acknowledgment, dipping his head as well. “I see you as guardian of your domain and respect it. We only wish for safe passage.”
The creature’s eyes passed over him in quiet assessment before it lowered its head, moss and vines hanging from its enormous antlers swaying with each movement. Its fur—which was no single color but a rainbow of greens, blues, browns, and oranges—was coveredin moss. Its nostrils flared as it drew in a powerful breath, the strands of my cornsilk hair fluttering toward it as it scented us.
“Stay still,” Rhyas whispered, his head held low as he pulled his hood down, baring himself to the beast. I caught sight of his pointed fae ears. “Don’t panic. You’re safe.”
Don’t panic? How could I not panic? I ignored the thoughts and stilled, stifling the fear drowning out my own thoughts, and I swallowed at the feel of Rhyas’ trembling hands. The beast remained standing for a moment, but finally, it gave a light bow of its head and rose before continuing its path through the forest.
Rhyas let out a breath, his body relaxing. “If you would have screamed, he might have seen us as a threat and thrashed us with his antlers.”
“Or crushed us with his hooves,” said a female with blue and green dragonfly-like wings that looked as if they had been battered and broken. She huffed a laugh and continued along the path.
I didn’t respond as I watched the creature, admiring its beauty and power.
“Santor! Rhyas! Get a move on!” another male captor called out. “No more delays. It took us long enough to collect them. He’ll be impatiently waiting.”
“Aye, sir,” the fae male with horns, Santor, said, and nodded his head to Rhyas before following him, his own captured child tucked over his shoulder, still unconscious.
The light was fading, the sun dipping behind mountains in the distance.
“We’ll be making camp soon; don’t want to travel through these woods at night,” Rhyas muttered as he scanned the forest around us. “If you behave yourself, I’ll let you walk. I’m sure you’d like to stretch your legs, and I’d rather not have to carry you all the way. We can make this a bit more pleasant for both of us.”
I glanced back to the cave not far behind us. If I could remember how to get back to it, maybe I could escape and make it home. I only needed to pretend I would obey and stay with him. It wouldn’t be long before dark; maybe I could slip away as soon as he fell asleep.
His amber eyes fell to me, and he arched a dark brow. “Well, little beasty? Will you behave?”
I nodded.
“I know you can talk,” he said and turned before releasing me. I looked down in awe at the moss beneath my feet, so moist and soft that I couldn’t help but stretch my toes out and curl them in to feel it squish against my skin.
Rhyas cleared his throat, and my eyes shot to him. I parted my lips but hesitated to speak, my hand rising to my sore throat.
“Did you do something to your throat?” he asked, and I nodded, my mind revisiting the sight of the fires, of our home burning around us as Mama shoved me out of the building before it collapsed.
