The Blaze Ignites (22 page)

No. They weren’t about to do what I thought
they were going to do.

“We don’t like evil sorcerers in our land. Do
you know what we do with them?” Cluna asked. When Azrel didn’t
answer, Cluna smirked as she began lighting a fire under her.

I wanted to kill this girl for doing this to
my Azrel! How could someone be so evil? I screamed when Azrel’s
toes caught on fire. I couldn’t stand it! I couldn’t! I ran to her
and tried to beat the fire out, but my hands passed right through
it! I couldn’t help her! My hands were going through the fire that
was burning her skin!

Suddenly a pail of water went through me and
extinguished the fire. I spun around to see Rabryn drop the bucket
and then dart behind the pole. He began untying Azrel, who hadn’t
even twitched a brow. The woman, Priweth, was in tears, kneeling at
my side. She looked so different now. She was much thinner and her
hair hung limp and dead. She looked like a shriveling flower. She
must have been ill by this point.

Azrel finally slid off the pole. As soon as
her blistered and bleeding feet touched the ground, she fell
forward into her mother’s arms that, surprisingly, were able to
catch her. I bawled as I watched a dying Priweth hold her injured
daughter so tenderly. Azrel’s face was blank as she stared off into
nothing with her cheek pressed into her mother’s shoulder. Rabryn
was behind Azrel, pressing his face into her back, as he held both
women and cried.

Priweth looked up at the scowling group of
women. “I’ve already lost my husband! Would you have me suffer more
and take my daughter from me as well?”

“We had good reasons for this burning at the
stake! Your daughter doesn’t age, Priweth! How do you explain
that?”

Rabryn was suddenly on his feet, storming
towards her. He brought his fist back and . . .
Yes! Do it!
My mind screamed.
Break her damn face!

“Rabryn, stop!” Azrel’s commanding voice
echoed into the night so forcefully it made both me and Rabryn
jump. He stopped and turned to face her. With her chin pressed into
her mother’s shoulder, she scowled at Rabryn. “I know you better
than that,” she said firmly. “My brother doesn’t hit women. You’re
above that, Rabryn!”

Rabryn’s temper seemed to cool significantly.
He slowly unclenched his fist and let his arm fall to his side. As
he turned back to Cluna to say something, the stick she used to
light the fire came up and smashed him across the face. His head
snapped to the side and he staggered away from her, holding his
hand over his cheek.

“That’s for threatening me!” she
screamed.

I turned to Azrel, already knowing what I was
going to see. Sure enough that stare, the one that signaled no
return, was on her face as she looked at Cluna.

Finally!
I wanted to yell.

Azrel pushed away from her mother and stood,
despite her injured feet. She staggered towards Cluna, who looked
terrified at last as she backed up into a short arthol tree.

“What are you looking at?” Cluna asked. She
was trying to sound brave, but her shaking was apparent.

Azrel brought her wide eyes and bared teeth
directly in front of the quivering girl. “What did I tell you about
touching my brother?” she hissed through clenched teeth.

Cluna took in a few rapid breaths and then in
a last attempt of bravado she shoved Azrel hard away from her. “Get
out of my face!”

Azrel fist shot out as fast as lightning
would strike, then the thunder of Cluna’s jaw and cheekbone getting
smashed into dust followed immediately after. A shower of blood
rained out of her mouth and nose. Cluna lay on her side on the
ground looking up at Azrel, stunned, while blood soaked the front
of her dress. Azrel drew her sword and moved behind Cluna, taking
up a fistful of her hair. She pulled the girl up and jerked her
head back forcing her to look up into Azrel’s eyes as she placed
the edge of her blade against Cluna’s throat.

“I told you, you do what you want to me, but
don’t
ever touch my brother!
” She slashed her sword across
Cluna’s skin as if she were slitting her throat, but left only a
shallow gash that bled like a small razor cut. Only Azrel was that
skilled with a blade. “If you or any of your group ever comes near
me or my family again, I
will
kill you.” She jerked Cluna’s
hair for emphasis. “Do you understand me?” Without waiting for an
answer, she released Cluna. All the girls took off running, Cluna
clutching her throat.

Azrel’s strength gave out and her knees
buckled under her. Rabryn caught her before she hit the ground. He
held her in his arms as he slowly lowered her. In tears, he asked
Azrel if she was okay. Priweth crawled over to her two children and
embraced them both, rocking them slowly back and forth. Tears were
running down my face for her, for all three of them. I started
sobbing like newborn when I heard what Azrel said next.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“For what, darling? This wasn’t your fault.”
Priweth said.

“I’m sorry for what I am. I’m sorry for this
pain it has caused you both.” Priweth only held her daughter closer
and cried in Azrel’s hair. Rabryn looked a little confused and I
realized that he didn’t know what Azrel’s sword was—the sword that
caused this irrational hatred The Pitt had for her, the sword that
Azrel blamed for everything. I understood now why she blamed it for
every misfortune in her life.

I sensed the syrupy thickness of Rabryn’s
magic being pulled from my eyes. It felt for a moment like I might
lose my very eyeballs, but the sensation faded and Rabryn’s
tear-stained, angry face was before me again.

“And that wasn’t even
half
of what she
went through,” he said.

He released my shirt and I collapsed to my
knees, glad to finally be able to throw up. My breakfast emptied
out onto the grass in violent heaves. When I finally couldn’t throw
up anymore, I looked up at Rabryn, who was still in tears. “Tell me
that her past was petty again, and I’ll gut you, Ortheldo. I swear
to the Light Gods I will.”

I clutched my stomach and cried like an
infant, seeing in my mind over and over what she’d been through. My
own past was much like that, and the notion that the woman I loved
had had to live it was more than I could bear. I looked towards
Rocksheloc through my blurry vision, recalling the last thing I
said to her. I’d just left her there, curled up and all alone on
the hallway floor. I had to apologize to her, but I couldn’t stand
up yet. I just needed a minute. Then I could go back to her and
hold her and tell her I loved her and that I’d never let harm like
that come to her again.

When I blinked, though, the Deralilya was
suddenly squatting down at my eye level, staring at me with those
terrifying green eyes. “You can’t go to her.”

I wondered if I had I heard her correctly.
“What?”

“You were right to say to her what you did.
Believe it or not, it’s helped her. You were also correct in saying
that this was something she had to deal with on her own. You can’t
help her with this.”

Some of my sense came back. “I can tell her
I’m here for her! It’s the
least
I can do after what she’s
been through!”

“Ortheldo, I won’t let you go to her. I will
club and sack you if you try to move towards Rocksheloc. You don’t
understand the damage you’ll be causing!”

“Enlighten me and I might think about
listening to you.” I didn’t understand what could be more damaging
than what had already been done, but I wasn’t about to defy the
orders of the Deralilya, even if she didn’t have a steel
weapon.

“What happened to her is in the past and
can’t be changed. Right now, we need to concern ourselves with the
future—Azrel’s future and the future of Casdanarus. If you go in
there begging for forgiveness, you will destroy both futures. Can
you understand that?”

“By apologizing?” I said in disbelief.

“Yes, by apologizing!” She said, clearly
reining in her patience. “What you said to her struck a nerve in
Azrel, a very vital nerve which opened her mind to listen to what
Addredoc had to say. If you want the Azrel back that you fell in
love with, you will continue on your way and not go back to
Rocksheloc. You and Addredoc have set into motion the process of
Azrel digging her old self up. Do you really want to destroy that?
Another opportunity to strike such a nerve may
never
come
again. What Addredoc said had to
mean
something to Azrel,
and
you
made that happen.”

How could I argue with that? I sniffed,
trying to calm myself down. “Will she ever forgive me?”

Acalith placed a hand on my shoulder. “She
will.”

I looked at Rabryn. He was on one knee now,
his left arm resting over his raised thigh and his right hand
pressed into his other one. He stared at the ground in a daze,
probably reliving those horrid memories he experienced with his
sister. “Thank you,” I said. He looked up at me silently for a
moment, then nodded and pushed himself to his feet to mount his
horse again.

No wonder he was too brave for his own good.
He’d had to watch someone he dearly loved endure such inhumane
abuse, and yet Azrel had done a fine job making sure he remained
gentle and kind, despite the evil he’d seen being done to her. That
was why Azrel stayed silent and hadn’t fought back in those
situations. She probably didn’t even gripe or complain about a
single event to him. She probably even had to constantly
defend
those monstrous girls to him. She had to have made it
seem like it was okay, or at the very least
natural
for them
to do those hateful things to her.

Azrel didn’t want him hating those
girls—granted he would anyway—but she hadn’t added fuel to the
fire. She’d stayed positive when she was with him. If she’d stayed
angry about it, Rabryn would have turned out very different. Azrel
had raised her baby brother well, and had smiled in her abusers’
faces so he wouldn’t be consumed with hatred for them. The Warrior
of Goodness.
No one
deserved that title more than Azrel
did.

I looked away from Rocksheloc towards
Acalith. She stood and held her hand out towards me. I took it and
she pulled me up. “We had better go then,” I said and looked up at
her. “Are you coming?”

“If it’s alright with you all.”

“Of course,” I replied. Both of us went to
our horses. Acalith had a gorgeous and powerful warhorse that I
couldn’t help admiring as I walked by. I’d seen her when we were
attacked by the Legan’dirs, but was too busy riding for my life to
really notice her. She was white with sliver-grey spots all over
her and a grey mane.

I stroked her thick muscular neck and
shoulders. “What’s her name?”

“Solaris.”

“She sure is a beauty.”

“Ortheldo?” A small voice said suddenly.

I looked up to see Cairikson mounted in front
of Addredoc. To my shock, every single one of our party was in
tears. “Hey, what’s wrong, buddy?” I asked and went over to
him.

“I know you’re sad. So am I. Can I ride with
you, and maybe we’ll both feel better?”

Curious, I reached up and took my boy down
from Addredoc’s saddle. He immediately curled up in my arms. I
looked at the Salynns in concern and curiosity. “Did all of you see
what Rabryn showed me?” All of them nodded and I looked at Rabryn
atop his horse, wondering why he would show a young boy those
horrifying visions.

Rabryn bowed his head looking down at his
saddle. “I’m still new at using my magic and I wasn’t able to fully
control where it went. It sort of escaped from me and went to
everyone.”

“I see.”

I took Cairikson over to Urylia and put him
on the saddle. I mounted behind him. I turned back to look up at
Rocksheloc Mountain and my heart clenched. “Goodbye for now Azrel,”
I said quietly, then faced forward again. I took a deep breath as I
prepared for the difficulties that would result from abandoning
Azrel like this. I blew out my breath and with a “Ya!” kicked my
horse forward into a full gallop before I could change my mind.

I kept glancing back at the mountain for the
first few miles, hoping I might see Azrel coming up behind us, but
she never came. I also kept my eyes on Rabryn, who rode beside me
with a grim look on his face. I couldn’t imagine how hard that must
have been for him, especially as a young boy, to watch Azrel be
abused so cruelly.

“What ever became of Cluna?” I asked.

Rabryn glanced at me, then looked out in
front of him again. “She had an unfortunate accident involving a
hike up the cliffs and a slippery rock.”

A corner of my mouth went up and I couldn’t
help the sense of satisfaction that came with that. “Did she
suffer?”

“Immensely.”

“I hope I can hear the details of this
‘accident’ someday.”

He nodded. “Someday.”

My smile melted and I looked at him more
somberly. “Was your mother ill in that last vision you showed
me?”

He cast his eyes down and nodded. “She died
the next day.”

Azrel

This was ridiculous! Addredoc was right,
Ortheldo was right and the White Warrior was right.
Yeah
,
she was talking to me now. That was the mysterious power I had felt
when I awoke. Apparently she discovered a way we could talk to each
other, as creepy as it was. As soon as she became able to talk to
me, she quickly took advantage of the opportunity to ream me up one
side and down the other. It was odd hearing my own voice in my head
yelling at me, and to have my voice
reply
to myself. I shook
my head in disbelief now as I recalled it. I really
was
mad.

But none of this mattered. All I knew now was
that I couldn’t stay laid up in this cursed mountain forever! I had
more important things to do. Besides, I was worried for Ortheldo’s
safety. Beldorn came to visit me during my little breakdown and
reminded me, in an offhanded manner, that all evil creatures are
drawn to the pure Good power of the necklace. He also made sure to
remind me how badly Evil would love to get their hands on the gem
of all healing.