Caged In

Chapter 13

"How do I join?" Harbin inquired.

Fintan showed a small smile. "To prove your loyalty, you must gain your crest."

"I don't have anything to pin it to. Oh, do I get one of those?" wondered Harbin, pointing to their cloaks.

"You won't be needing one," Fintan informed him, smirking at the boy's puzzled expression.

"It doesn't require clothing to be pinned on."

"But that makes no sense. Does it come with a band of cloth?"

Coach Arland shook his head.

The hooded figure to Arland's left pulled something out of his pocket, which appeared to be the fire symbol, but it looked off.

"You must show that you can withstand your ability capabilities. Both to know just what your power is, and to know that you can face pain if necessary for the aid of your brethren."

"Pain?" Harbin repeated.

The coach took the symbol from the man, tossing it lightly from one hand to the next. "Use your pyrokinesis to heat up the metal. Then, place it on the side of your shoulder. This will create the symbol of protection you have with us."

"You want me to brand myself?!" Harbin exclaimed, backing away from him.

The hooded man who had given Arland the symbol chuckled. "You know, my inspiration for that was from the humans. They use this ink and stick needles through their skin in the shapes of words and drawings, called a tattoo. They don't come off very easily. A perfect symbol of a group that won't fall apart, don't you think?" He gave Harbin a look, as if daring the teenager to protest. Harbin remained in a silent shock. "The idea was rather interesting, so, naturally, I had to copy it, adding my own twist to it, of course."

"You willingly choose to have this happen to you?" Harbin queried.

"The Council banned pyrokinesis due to fatalities from the ability. We are simply showing them that we thrive in our suffering," Coach Arland replied calmly.

Thriving in pain wasn't the particular message Harbin had in mind when it came to the revival of pyrokinesis, but these were the people who were actually doing something about it, so he supposed it wasn't that bad. Still... it was like being branded as an animal, exactly what they did in the Lost Cities to poor, helpless cattle that could do nothing except cry out in the agony they were enduring.

"This is the only way to join?" Harbin speculated.

"If you want to get pyrokinesis back, this is the first step," Arland confirmed.

Harbin bit his lip. The only way...

Fintan rolled his eyes. "Stop taking so long. Either you want to join, or you're fine living a meaningless life always below others."

Sighing, Harbin reached for the symbol. "How do I do this?"

Its creator smiled, one side of his mouth raising higher than the other. "Channel your fire into the center of it." He waited for Harbin to shakily obey. "Then, press it to your skin, making sure to align it correctly."

Arland walked over to Harbin, pulling up his left sleeve and keeping it from going down. "Do it now."

The color was gone from his face and his hands felt clammy. He readjusted his grip on the symbol, wiping his hand on his shirt. "O-okay," he stuttered, trying to muster up the strength not to scream.

"We haven't got all night," Fintan reminded him, rolling his eyes. His arms were crossed and his foot began a steady tap, tap, tap, on the floor.