The Blaze Ignites Read online

  The Blaze Ignites

  The Blaze Ignites

  Chapter One

  Midpoint

  The Blaze Ignites

  By Nichelle Rae

  © 2013 Nichelle Rae

  The Blaze Ignites

  by Nichelle Rae

  Smashwords Edition | Copyright 2013 Nichelle Rae

  Chapter One

  Azrel

  They would need to rest for the night. Not me. I wasn’t stopping until I reached Rocksheloc Mountain. Forfirith was doing very well under my abusive driving. Though we’d rarely stopped over the past two days, and then only for water, he was still in a good mood. Still, it didn’t make me any less angry at him.

  I glared down at his head, staring between his pointed ears. “I know you spoke, you overgrown ass! I may be a little thick sometimes, but I’m not mad! You spoke!” He snorted and shook his mane. “Yeah, if you say so. I know what I heard.”

  After nearly two weeks straight, the heavy rains finally seemed to be over. Though I was glad for it, the storms had left behind a ghostly mist that hovered just above the ground of the already ominous forest we rode though.

  “This place gives me the creeps,” I said to myself. I looked down at Forfirith. “Feel up for a run, buddy?” He neighed and stomped his front hooves. “Alright then,” I said, gripping the reins tighter. “Let’s get out of here.”

  He immediately bolted forward, despite the rough woodland terrain and the thick mist hiding the forest floor from view. With the ground not visible and no path laid out, I feared he might trip on something and break a leg. He maneuvered the woods though, as if it were a grassy plain.

  I was really impressed by the way he was flying at a remarkable speed without missing a stride. Suddenly, I sensed it. I hadn’t felt that dark shadow deep in my soul for nearly two weeks, but now it grew inside me quickly. Something was wrong.

  I panned my eyes over to the right, but I saw nothing but a blur of trees as we sped by. I looked to my left where a single shadow caught my attention. I narrowed my eyes. It looked like the shadow of a person, a person running. But it was keeping pace with Forfirith’s speed. No human could do that!

  My face burned with apprehension and my mouth went completely dry. The shadow in my soul deepened. I tried to lick my lips, but my tongue felt thick and heavy On my right, just inside the thick of trees, another shadow was running. Its arms were pumping and its head kept turning and looking in my direction. I held back a cry, unable to admit to myself what they were. It couldn’t be! It just couldn’t be!

  In a flash, the shadow on the left jumped out from a thicket of bushes and thrust its arm upward in an arc. I screamed as the knife ripped through my left side. I lurched back and nearly fell off Forfirith, blinded by the sizzling pain. I scrambled for the reins and pulled myself upright again. I couldn’t think or breathe. This wasn’t happening! I covered the gash with my hand, biting back a scream. Thick, warm blood gushed out between through my fingers and onto my pants.

  I looked over my shoulder. Four shadows now ran behind me! As I watched in horror, lumps of shadow material developed between their legs. The lumps grew and grew and soon took the form of shadow horses.

  Legan’dirs!

  Legan’dirs were after me! No one ever had survived an attack from one of these things, let alone four!

  “Run, Forfirith! Get us out of here!” I cried, clutching my wound. Somehow he went even faster. I glanced back at the Legan’dirs. They were catching up!

  I faced forward and was suddenly hit by a wave of nausea. I’d lost a lot of blood already, and I was losing more. But I would not allow myself to throw up. I looked back at them again. One was riding on the far right, heading straight for a tree. It looked solid enough to make an untrained eye think it was about to crash, but I knew better. It passed through the tree as if it wasn’t there at all. It watched me as it drew out its weapon, the only solid part of a Legan’dir.

  I held the reins with my free hand, my other clutching painfully at my wound. The creature rode up to my right side, its arm raised ready for a strike. I screamed and yanked Forfirith’s reins to the left as its arm came down. The blade missed me but cut a shallow gash in Forfirith’s side. He cried in pain and stumbled, but he quickly regained his footing and galloped even faster. I couldn’t believe this was normal speed for a normal horse. No way.

  “Are you okay?” I called to him over the howling wind. He merely gave me a grunt and continued on. He was a lot braver than I. I found myself struggling to keep from passing out. My entire left thigh was covered in my blood. Every foot of terrain we covered seemed to rip my gash open another quarter of an inch, and soon my eyes were going to start rolling back. I managed to get a foggy glimpse to my left and saw another Legan’dir next to me with its arm raised high. I couldn’t even attempt to move.

  Helplessly, I watched its arm come down. Suddenly, I was blinded by a red explosion of light and nearly deafened by a BOOM. I recoiled, closing my eyes in horror and shock. When I opened them again, the Legan’dir was gone. I was still alive!

  I looked behind me and couldn’t believe what I saw in the distance. Addredoc, remnants of red light on his palm, was riding behind me. So were Meddyn, Thrawyn, the Tan Stranger, Ortheldo and my brother, Rabryn. They’d come after me. They’d caught up with me? Their horses looked to be on their last legs, foaming, panting and sweating profusely. I was surprised they were on their hooves at all.

  Addredoc moved his hand to the side, and a current of liquid red fire shot like an arrow from his palm. The flash nearly blinded me again as another Legan’dir that had gotten too close to me was hit by his magic.

  When I opened my eyes again, I saw the misty woods ahead of me were about to open up into a narrow clearing. Two more Legan’dirs were waiting on each side of the opening. With no strength left to scream, I ducked my head until my forehead was touching Forfirith’s back and covered my head with my arms. My heart pounded. I waited for the pain of sharp metal to rip through my back.

  The grey light of day fell on me and I knew we were out of the trees, yet there was no stabbing pain. All I heard were the battle growls from two men, then the clang of metal on metal. Shocked, I sat up. Ortheldo and Rabryn were riding beside me now, blocking the Legan’dirs’ knives with their swords and allowing me to ride through unharmed. Ortheldo’s eyes met mine for a moment, they were soft but determined.

  Unable to hold his gaze, I quickly looked behind me at the other four, who were riding hard as the Legan’dirs surrounded them on all sides. They tried to fight, but the creatures were nearly invincible. One of the shadows broke free from the throng and sped after me. The Tan Stranger was quickly in pursuit. But why?

  The Tan Stranger’s warhorse was large, powerful and extremely muscular, allowing it to easily catch up with the shadow. As the creature raised its weapon above its head, a tan gloved hand reached out. With a high-pitched cry of effort, the Tan Stranger took hold of the very blade of the weapon and yanked it backwards, flipping the Legan’dir off the rear end of its shadow horse.

  That cry—it had been a feminine sound. I couldn’t believe it, t it was a woman under those bulky tan garments.

  All of them injured, the three Salynns abandoned the vain battle, but the Legan’dirs followed.

  Even Addredoc, as powerful as he was, couldn’t completely destroy Legan’dirs. He could just temporarily dismember them, forcing them to reform. Only one thing could kill them. My magic.

  Rabryn and Ortheldo had gashes in their shoulders and upper arms. The Tan Stranger held her arm against herself, not daring to touch the leather reins with her sliced-open palm. Her blood-soaked the front of her tan tunic, a garment so thick that there was no evidence she had breasts at all.

&n
bsp; I fought another wave of nausea, this one stronger than the first, and the edges of my vision began to darken. I squeezed my legs against Forfirith to stay on. Much as I hated the idea, I knew what had to be done.

  Still holding my wound with my left hand, I released the reins in my right and reached across my body to my left side for my sword hilt. I braced myself, squeezing my eyes shut and anticipating the pain, then yanked out my sword. The gash opened further. I screamed and clutched my blood soaked left hand tighter to it.

  Rabryn was suddenly at my side. His eyes went wide. “Azrel is bleeding badly!” All heads turned to me. I held back another scream of anguish as I pressed my hand tighter to the wound. Ortheldo pulled his horse, Urylia, back, then moved behind Forfirith to ride up to Rabryn’s far side. His eyes went wide at the amount of blood I’d lost. It was now dripping off Forfirith’s side to the ground.

  “I’m fine! Just ride!” I cried. I didn’t want to, but I had to do it. I released my wound and took up Forfirith’s reins with my blood-soaked hand. I slowed Forfirith down so the others would go ahead of me. All of them pulled on their reins, too, slowing their horses down. “No! Just go!” I cried. They hesitated, stared back at me, but continued on.

  I glanced behind me. Four of the shadows were gone, but I knew they weren’t far off. I scanned the patches of woods that ran along the sides of the narrow clearing. When I saw one of the creatures in the trees to my left, I looked away, pretending I hadn’t seen it at all. As subtly as I could, I switched sword and rein hands, putting my sword in my left hand and held the reins with my right.

  It was getting closer. Closer. Almost.

  It burst out of the trees. In an instant, my sword was ablaze with white fire. With an agonizing slash backwards, my flaming sword cut right across the shadow’s throat. The shadow exploded in a white burst of light and an eerie scream of agony. I screamed in pain, more blood spilling from my wound. I didn’t have time to think about it. Clenching my teeth, I quickly switched hands again as another Legan’dir approached my right. I swung my sword up. When it ducked like I knew it would, I switched the direction of my swing and sliced forward, cutting through its back and out its chest. It exploded like the first.

  I screamed again in pain and had to hold my wound. I’d lost too much blood. I was dizzy and my sword felt heavy. The arm holding my sword dropped to my side and my entire upper body slumped forward over Forfirith’s back. How I hadn’t fallen off yet I couldn’t imagine.

  Death. Finally death was coming. The thought made me happy. Peace was waiting for me now. But the Legan’dirs were still out there, going after them. I couldn’t die now! Not until I killed all the creatures and my brother and the others were safe.

  I tried hard to sit up, but my weakness was like an anvil on my back. I could barely even breathe. I was going to die now, when I didn’t want to? I couldn’t yet. I had to save them! But slowly the edges on my vision darkened. I felt myself relaxing, seeping into silence.

  “Help! Someone help her! She’s dying! Fix her!” a vaguely familiar voice screamed. I fought off my impending death just slightly to try and see who it was. “Help her!”

  It was Forfirith. I knew he had spoken in Narcatertus. But still I couldn’t help wondering if being so near death was making me hear things.

  Fight! I screamed at myself. Fight it, Azrel! Get up and kill the Legan’dirs. Then you may have your peace! But I just couldn’t do it. My sword slipped from my grip. I didn’t even hear it clatter to the ground.

  I felt a small warm tingle in my palm and shifted my eyes down to look. A thread of white magic was suspended from my hand to my sword, keeping it from falling. Though I supposed that was good, what help was it when I couldn’t move?

  A set of running hooves suddenly filled my clouded vision. I forced my eyes upward to see the rider. It was my brother, wearing the fiercest look of determination I could ever imagine. He rode so close to me that it was a marvel the two horses didn’t trip over each other. He kicked my foot out of Forfirith’s stirrup so my leg hung limp in the wind. He swung both legs over Eleclya’s back so he was riding sidesaddle, and then put his own foot in Forfirith’s stirrup. He took the reins from my limp, blood-soaked hand and heaved himself into my saddle behind me.

  “What . . . do you think . . . you’re doing?” I managed in a few small breaths.

  He gripped my shoulders and yanked my body up, putting my back against him, and resting my head against his shoulder. “Shut up, Azrel. For once in your life, just shut up!”

  If I’d had the energy or strength, I would have screamed at him for talking to me like that. Suddenly, a Legan’dir appeared next to Forfirith. I gasped, but before I could scream it exploded in a flash of blinding red light. Addredoc came back into view and gathered up Eleclya’s reins to lead her on.

  “Lie back! I can’t reach the wound!” Rabryn cried over the pounding hooves.

  I arched my back and pushed my torso out as best I could. I felt him peel up my torn and blood-soaked shirt and rest his hand on my wound. I gasped from the hot sting of his touch, but then sighed as a gentle tingling sensation crawled over my skin. I felt my gash pinch together. Strength came back into my body. I sat up in my saddle, feeling fully alert. There was still a pool of blood on my shirt, leg, saddle that dripped down Forfirith’s coat, but when I lifted my shirt I found not even a bruise left where I’d been savagely cut open. I spun my head around and looked over my shoulder at my brother, who smiled sheepishly. He looked so innocent yet so devious to me at that moment.

  “Did you . . .?” I didn’t get to finish my question because I realized that two of the six Legan’dirs were no longer behind us. I faced forward, searching for them.

  Suddenly, I felt them. They were hiding in the patch of trees just ahead, where the clearing through which we rode now bent to the left. They were going to attack us from the side when we made that turn . . .

  But we weren’t going to make that turn.

  I clenched my teeth and yanked up my right arm, making my dangling sword jump. I snatched the hilt out of the air. I took the reins from my brother and bent over Forfirith’s neck. “Ya!” I said and sped him up. I fixed my gaze straight ahead. “All of you fall back! Stay behind me!” I called to the others as we passed them. They obeyed without question. An odd feeling came over me for a moment, but I hardly had time to ponder what it might be. I began to pull my legs up. I grabbed Rabryn’s shoulder as I got to my knees in the saddle.

  “What are you doing?” he cried.

  “Listen to me,” I said, as I looked down at him and handed him back the reins. “When I jump, I want you to pull Forfirith’s reins hard to the left. He can turn on a coin, so pull as hard as you can. He won’t lose his balance.”

  “Why?”

  “Just do it!” I yelled. I looked down at Forfirith. “You hear that, boy? Help him out with the turn. Use whatever hidden capabilities you might have to make that maneuver.” He grunted in understanding.

  I pushed myself up so I was standing in a low crouch in the saddle. I kept one hand on Rabryn’s shoulder with my sword out behind him and reached with my other into the sheath on my thigh, pulling my Salynn blade free. I concentrated on feeling for the evil these things radiated. I watched for them as we approached the trees.

  As I’d predicted, the two Legan’dirs rushed from the shadows, knives raised in their fists. I set both of my blades aflame with white fire and leapt off my horse’s back, while Rabryn pulled hard on the reins to get Forfirith out from underneath me and away from the creatures’ falling blades. I twisted my body to avoid their weapons, flipping my legs over my head in an airborne backwards summersault. In midair, I back slashed both of my weapons across the throats of the shadows.

  I tucked myself again before I hit the ground and did another backwards summersault snapping myself up on one knee, ready to leap up if I was suddenly attacked. My sword and Salynn blade were up, ready for anything, but nothing came. The echoes of the Legan’dirs’ death
screams faded away.

  Rabryn finished the tight circle he’d put Forfirith in and came back towards me at full speed. My eyes widened. What was he doing? I had to get back on! As Rabryn flew past me, he bent to the side, reached down, and pulled me up by the arm, throwing me behind him in the saddle.

  I stared at him. “How did you do that?”

  “No time to explain. In case you forgot, we’re still riding for our lives.” I looked behind. Ortheldo and the Tan Stranger were riding together in front, then Addredoc and Meddyn, and then Thrawyn in the rear. “I don’t know about Forfirith,” Rabryn said, “but the other horses are on their last leg.” Indeed everyone, especially the horses, looked to be in bad shape. The remaining Legan’dirs were still in pursuit and gaining fast.

  “I’ve had enough of this,” I said, and turned to face backwards in the saddle. I held my palms out. My comrades glanced at each other, seeing my eyes turn white from my magic in use and the white flames suddenly surround my hands, then pulled their horses to opposite sides making a clear path down the middle. I released my magic, the blasts of fire hitting the Legan’dirs square in the chest. They exploded in a white flash and a collective scream.

  Everyone slowed down their horses to a brisk trot. Rabryn looked over his shoulder. “Ortheldo, where is the nearest water source? These horses need to rest.”

  Ortheldo nodded his chin outward. “About two miles ahead.”

  I sat forward in the saddle and my arms slipped under Rabryn’s. He gently patted my hands, and I rested my cheek against his back. I suddenly felt very tired, which was odd because thanks to Rabryn’s healing I’d felt perfectly fine a moment ago.

  I closed my eyes, deciding to catch a wink of rest until we reached the water source. I suppose it had been a long enough day, or two days rather, since leaving Narcatertus. I hadn’t slept or rested. Apparently these six hadn’t either, if they’d managed to keep up with me as well as they had.