Cast in Fire Read online

  “You ran into things walking back here, didn’t you?”

  “Y... yeah,” the pup conceded.

  She couldn’t help but snuggle him to her chest when she scooped him up. She breathed in the musky smell of his coat and rubbed her cheek against his soft fuzzy fur as she walked. She loved the gentle warmth that radiated from him and the steady thud of his heart.

  “I wish you could stay.” She shook her head, shifting her thoughts to the reality of her existence. “No. No one should stay here. Especially not a fine future leader as handsome and kind as you.”

  She gave him a little squeeze and set him down.

  “Zelia, why don’t you leave? Why have I never seen you in the woods?”

  “I can’t leave, but don’t worry about me. Where’s this hatchling of yours?”

  He sniffed the air, and the vines rustled as he pushed through them. A startled screech came from the little bird, and Dain dropped it at her feet. She knelt and picked it up before it could run off again.

  “Thank you, Dain.” She scratched him right behind the ear and he leaned into it. “You should get back to your mother, she’s probably worried about you.”

  Dain sighed and shook out his coat. “You’re right, but I’ll be back.”

  “No, it’s not safe for you to come here again. Maybe one day I’ll be able to visit you.”

  “Alright, I’ll keep a watch out for you.”

  The soft glow of morning light shimmered through the vines as Dain passed through them.

  She sat back against the cave wall and sighed. “Now what am I going to do with you?”

  She stroked the little bird’s head.

  “Do you have a name?”

  “Flyx.”

  “Really? Well… alright.”

  “Zelia?” Connan’s voice called from just outside the mouth of the cave.

  Her first instinct was to hide, but Flyx screeched and she settled back again. Have to take care of you first, then I’ll deal with Asenten.

  “Here?” another voice asked. “But there’s no cave here!”

  “What’s that? James, wrong for once?” Connan spoke again.

  “He’s not lying, there is a cave here,” Zelia replied.

  “An elf?”

  “No, a girl.”

  The vines parted and Connan and James ducked inside, holding a torch out in front of him so he could see.

  “Awe, there you are. You weren’t waiting on me, were ya?” Connan asked.

  “No. I have something for you,” the dwarven language felt strange and clunky on her tongue after so long. She rocked to her feet and put Flyx in his hand. “Will you take care of her for me? Her name is Flyx. The ogres knocked down her tree.”

  “Where did you learn our language?”

  James reached to brush her hair behind her ear. Her heart jumped in her throat and she backed away.

  “I’m not an elf if that’s what you’re asking. I’ve known your language for many years, though it’s been a while since I’ve used it.”

  “Your grandfather will want to meet her.”

  “Please no.” Zelia backed further into the cave and her jaw quivered as she fought to think of some way to convince them to go. “Please just go. I wasn’t going to let you find me again, but Flyx needs someone else. Please, just take care of her.”

  Zelia turned and darted into the cave, lighting a flame in her palm so she could see enough to run.

  “Zelia!”

  She could hear his footsteps as he followed, but she smothered her flame as she ducked behind a stalagmite and hoped he wouldn’t see.

  “Connan. I don’t think she wants to be found.”

  “Did you even take a good look at her?”

  “Of course, I did.” James took a deep breath. “I know she needs help, but you can’t help someone who doesn’t want help.”

  I do want help, but I’m tired of killing. Her eyes watered, but she refused to let a tear fall. If Asenten saw she’d been crying, he’d punish her.

  “Well, I’m not giving up. Zelia, I know you can hear me. Please come out, I only want to help.”

  Zelia struggled to steady her breath as she waited, hoping Connan would give up before Asenten returned. Her back ached from sitting still in the awkward position by the time Connan sighed.

  “I’ll be back.”

  The footsteps receded, and she waited a while before moving from her hiding place. She found a larger leather bag waiting for her this time. She was about to throw it through the vines when Asenten pushed his way through. She stepped back and dropped the bag behind her.

  “What are you doing this far up?”

  He scowled at her and then noticed the bag. He shoved her to the side and snatched it up.

  “What is this? Where did you get this?” he demanded.

  “I… It was left in the cave. The storm, someone took shelter here.”

  “Who? Did they see you?”

  “No.” She shook her head and edged closer to the back of the cave.

  Asenten flipped the bag open and dumped its contents.

  “No? Then what’s all this?”

  “I… I don’t…”

  Asenten mumbled in an ancient tongue and she stumbled back.

  “Please no. I didn’t say anything. They didn’t see me.”

  Asenten strode towards her and slammed her against the wall, knocking her senseless.

  >

  She blacked out to find Rog asleep, and they were caught in a black void between minds but could both feel each other’s presence.

  “Who’s there?” Rog’s voice echoed through their heads.

  “Y... you hear me?” her internal voice caught as her head throbbed.

  “Who are you and why are you in my head?”

  “Zelia and if I find out, you’ll be the second to know.”

  “Are you okay? You don’t feel like you usually do.”

  “Wait… how do you know anything about me?”

  “The same as how you know so much about me. So, where are you?”

  “Then why did you never say that you saw through my eyes while you sleep?”

  “I didn’t want to make things harder for you, but now… where are you?”

  “The Forgotten Lands.”

  “Where?” Rog asked, downright puzzled.

  “South of the Mountains of The Old Ones, a home of Dwarves on Mineria.”

  “So, I was right!”

  At that moment, if Zelia had possessed a physical form, she would have rolled her eyes.

  “So, now that we can talk, why are you being held in a cave?”

  “Can we talk about something else, please?” she begged. “Anything else, horses, wolves, birds, the stars…” An overwhelming sense of longing washed over them.

  “You really miss seeing the stars, don’t you? Wait, no, don’t hide your feelings. I’m sorry, it’s just…”

  “It’s okay Rog, I… I just can’t.”

  “Can’t what?” Rog prodded through her feelings. “Wait… you weren’t always held by Asenten were you? He took something from you, more than just your life and innocence. You had a family before…”

  “Stop!” she demanded and locked her emotions away from him, just as he sometimes did to her.

  “Zelia, I could ask fath… Yargo… he could save you.”

  “No. He’ll make me hurt him. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt because of me…”

  “You know he’ll make you kill Connan as soon as he finds out.”

  “I… I know.” Another spike of pain hit her as someone was trying to nudge her awake.

  “Just hold on a little longer, alright.” There was a sweet and concerned tone to Rog’s voice that she had never heard before as their connection severed.


  5

  “Get up! We’re going somewhere,” Asenten demanded with a jab from the butt of his staff.

  “Where?”

  “You forced our hand. This is Prince Connan’s bag. We can’t just let him and everyone he has told live.”

  What? He doesn’t mean… She shrank back at the sight of his twisted grin. He does!

  “No, I won’t kill all of those people!” She pushed back against the cave wall and wedged herself in place. “Rog, if you’re there, please hurry.”

  “Would you rather die, again?” He asked.

  “Why does it matter? I’d die doing what you want, anyway. You know I can’t do that big a blast.”

  He ignored her words and bashed the end of his staff into her gut. She pulled away from the cave wall as she clutched her stomach.

  “Disobedience again?” He threw her around so her back faced him.

  Her fingers dug into the wall. Just take it, you can’t go back there, not again. Another lashing across her back ripped open old and new scars. The taste of iron nipped at the tip of her tongue as she bit her lip, she knew what punishment would ensue if she let out so much as a pained gasp.

  “Now, are you going to come?” he asked.

  She still faced away from him when she shook her head. She couldn’t make out his chant, but she knew him well enough and braced herself. With the tap of his staff beside her, she went hurtling towards the far cave wall. Ribs cracked with the force driven into her chest by Asenten’s staff. She gasped in pain and hugged her chest.

  “I’ll be back, and you better be ready to be obedient when I get here!”

  >

  “Father! Father!” Rog yelled as he ran across the massive throne room, ignoring the magnificence of Yargo’s throne, having seen it so many times before.

  “Yes Rog?”

  “I... Zelia needs your help…”

  “That girl you dreamt of all those years ago? Not this again, Rog,” Yargo said.

  “But she’s real! She lives on Mineria, and he’s going to kill her! Please Father,” Rog reached his father. His eyes were frantic and he was breathless as he grabbed the foot of the throne. “I’m begging you, at least ask Lumid if she’s real.”

  “Why are you so interested in this human girl?” Yargo sat forward to look down on his son, not understanding why Rog was so insistent on helping this girl.

  “She’s not human… she’s… well, the wizards claim she’s my sister… she’s the same age as Terik and me.” He pulled back from Yargo to watch his reaction.

  “Very well Rog, I will ask Lumid.” He sat back in his throne.

  “Now,” Rog demanded when he saw Yargo was in no hurry to see to his request.

  “This isn’t another one of your games is it?” Yargo asked, an eyebrow raised.

  Rog’s shoulders rolled back as he spun around. “If it was, it would be my worst one yet.” He turned back to his Father and continued, “Please, go ask Lumid, now.”

  Yargo heaved a sigh, stood, and swung his staff with each step. “Very well, Rogath.”

  >

  Lumid, the God of Passage, was in his home, the sacred place of passage to Mineria, when Yargo found him.

  “Why do you ask?” he demanded, but he was already turning the magnifying lenses towards Mineria.

  Yargo sat on a nearby chair and waited for Lumid to finish fine-tuning the lenses. “Rog says he is connected to this girl and sees her in his dreams. He claims that a wizard that holds her is about to kill her… and that this wizard claims that she is Terik and Rogath’s sister.”

  “Could she be from the line of Kings?”

  “Perhaps, but that wouldn’t explain her connection to Rog.”

  Lumid stiffened as the lenses stopped moving. “Well, I do not know whose daughter she is, but she is real. It appears the wizard has bound her using his life force.” Lumid winced as he studied her and continued, “And she undeniably needs saving from him before he kills her.”

  “So at least part of Rog’s story is true, there’s only one way to find the truth behind the rest of his story.” He sighed and turned towards the bridge entrance. “Barg, Gaeru!”

  “Yargo?” They both turned from where they stood guard.

  “We’re going to Mineria.”

  “Look for the thick vines and tree roots, the cave is well concealed.”

  Lumid gave Yargo a nod and sank his sword into the initiation switch centered in the room. All the colors of the rainbow exploded around the trio. When the light faded Yargo and his warriors had disappeared.

  “May I watch through your eyes, please?” Rogath asked.

  Lumid studied him for a moment before nodding. Rogath drew a symbol in the air that glowed and pulsed once before they were watching through Lumid’s eyes.

  On Mineria, Yargo appeared outside a cave veiled in vines. The entrance didn’t look like much, but the draft that drifted through as they moved told otherwise. They found a young girl near the entrance, her ripped and tattered clothing soaked in blood. Cautious not to startle her, Yargo laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

  She flinched at the touch, her connection to Rogath snapping away. She raised her teary eyed gaze. “Yargo?” She rocked to her knees and buried her face in the crook of his shoulder. “Thank you, Rog,” she whispered.

  “Shh, I have you now,” Yargo assured her with a stroke of her tangled mess of curly hair.

  “You are not welcome here! Leave now or face your deaths!” an old man’s voice boomed through the cave.

  Zelia shook her head and shrank back from the voice.

  Yargo turned to face the aged wizard but was sure to keep himself between her and the threatening stranger. “Zelia is coming with us, release her now.”

  “Never,” Asenten spat as he raised his staff and chanted in the Wizard Tongue, “Fe father en dais lath en thesinos.”

  “No!” Zelia screamed and jumped from behind Yargo, throwing a wall of ice between Asenten and the others.

  Asenten’s staff slammed on the ground and a blast of fire, metal, and rock shook the cave. It caught Zelia in its path, the shockwave hitting her like a stone wall, throwing her through the air. She landed with a sickening crunch like ice shattering against the far wall, her chest caving in on itself. The pain was so great she nearly screamed, but she couldn’t. She could never express her pain. Her heart thudded against the freezing stone of the cave floor as she slipped back to Rogath’s mind, the echoes of the blast still rattling her teeth.

  With his magic spent, Asenten pulled a sword. Caught in a rage, he slashed at the warriors but they stepped clear of his swing. His rage out of control in a way she had never seen, he launched himself at Yargo.

  Yargo knocked Asenten to the side and Barg, unfazed by the attack, cut off Asenten’s head with one clean swipe of his sword.

  The weight of power that hung in the cave seemed to shift as Asenten’s death released Zelia from his spells. Yargo knew the magic of wizards well, Rogath’s mother had gifted them the power. The dead wizard’s powers were tainted, they couldn’t be allowed to pass on to another, so Yargo trapped them in his own staff.

  “My lord Yargo…” Gaeru stared at Zelia’s motionless body as she lay face down on the cave floor, surrounded by rubble and scorch marks.

  When Yargo turned her over, the color drained from his face. Her half-frozen beating heart showed through the gaping hole in her ribcage. There was little blood as the flames of Asenten’s spell had cauterized most of the wound.

  Yargo scooped her limp body from the ground and cradled her close. She slipped back into her own mind, the pain of being moved ripping her back and a sense of terror coursed through her at the thought that he could leave her in this place for the others to find.

  “Plea... please, don’t leave me,” she begged, through ragged and choked breaths. With one l
ast flutter of her eyes, she fell unconscious and her mind slipped back to Rogath’s.

  “Lumid!” Yargo called as he strode from the cave. He didn’t even slow his pace as Lumid pulled them back to Hyperia.

  Lumid snatched Rog when he ran across the threshold of the chamber.

  “Let me go! Let me see her!” Rog yelled and struggled to break free.

  “No,” Lumid said as he struggled to hold him. But Lumid’s attempt to keep Rog from her ended in vain as he wriggled free.

  Rog leapt into Yargo’s path and stared right at Zelia’s mangled chest. “Is— is she going to be okay? Pl... please tell me we can save her,” Rog begged. His shaking hand brushing against her hair.

  “I don’t know Rog, but please stay with Lumid for now.”

  Rog didn’t move a muscle when Yargo hurried down the bridge. Once they were gone, he just stood there, staring at the drop of blood he had brushed from her cheek. He clenched his fist then ran after his father. He feared Yargo would turn him away, so he wrapped himself in mist, using it to refract light to hide himself.

  “Yalif!” Yargo called as he neared the infirmary, her body still draped in his arms.

  “Yes sir? How is she still alive?” Yalif gasped when Yargo laid Zelia on his table.

  “I don’t know but do what you can.”

  Yalif caught the concern on Yargo’s face and gave a reserved nod, then set to work. He pulled the first few hunks of shrapnel from her chest and stopped as he neared her heart.

  “How is her heart frozen yet still beating?” He asked, astonished at the sight.

  “I’m not sure but learn what you may once you save her.”

  With a glance at Yargo, Yalif brushed his fingers over the exposed ends of her bare ribs.

  “I will need a metal plate to replace the ribs that are missing.” Yalif didn’t even have to look to know that Yargo had left the room.

  “Why does he care so much about you? What is it that interests him?” Yalif asked himself as he pulled metal, rock, and fragments of bone from her chest. “Rogath, if you are going to hide you need to learn to hide your concern. Well, do not just stand there, hold this.” He held out the bowl he was putting the pieces of shrapnel in.

  Rogath took the bowl without looking away from Zelia’s face. She could feel more than hear his thoughts as he stared at her. He had never seen her face before, now he had one to go with the sorrowful presence in his mind. She was pretty, even with the hint of a faded scar on her temple. How Terik would tease him once he saw her, even if she felt like a sibling to him as much as Terik did. He glanced at her chest and blanched, forcing himself to turn away. He couldn’t stand the thought of losing her, not when he should have pushed father to save her sooner. Asenten had said her soul was bound to the cave. What if he meant she would always reappear there when she died?