Raging Fire

Four

" I'm related to Queen Adonia?" Calla repeated. " B-but how?"

" She is your mothers aunt's daughter." Celia calculated. Calla sat in silence for a moment. 

" I'm going outside." She announced, and stomped through the darkness, away from the warmth of the fire, through the door, up the staircase, and through the hidden door. She picked up a few sticks and twigs, and formed them into a pile near the rock. She closed her eyes, and focused on her breathing. She held out her palm face up, and felt warmth. She opened her eyes. She was holding a small flame in her hand. She had practiced this many times, just small flames nothing larger than half a foot tall. She set the little flame on the sticks, and it bounced on one before setting it aflame. The fire soon became warm, the heat soaking into Calla. Was she truly related to Queen Adonia? The evil queen who killed her family, and killed Calla's parents? Maybe Celia was lying. But, then again, Calla's parents never really talked about their relatives. They always became silent whenever Calla or Briony asked about them, dark looks passing over their faces. 

Calla gulped, remembering her mother's gentle, sweet face, framed by dark auburn hair, the way she stroked Calla and Briony's faces when she kissed them goodnight, her sensible way of talking, her organization. She remembered her father's gruff voice, his curly black hair with streaks of copper, the hard but gentle hugs he gave them, the twinkle in his eyes whenever he laughed, his protectiveness and chaoticness, his lack of organization made up by Calla's mother. Calla stared into the depths of the fire, watching the hot black coals speckled with red burn and waver in the heat. An ember plopped into Calla's lap, and burned a hole through her dress before she could put it out. Goosebumps erupted on her open arms and legs, and she shivered involuntarily. She tried to concentrate, but she couldn't. She scooched closer to the fire, determined to warm up. She sat in the dark for a while, watching the stars move slowly across the sky.

Some time later, the boulder's hidden door screeched as it shifted open. Footsteps approached the forward, but Calla kept her eyes trained into the flames, her brow furrowed. 

" I brought you a shawl." Callum's deep voice said.

" I'm not cold." Calla answered a bit colder than she was expecting. She was surprised when Callum sat down a couple feet away. 

" I know that wasn't what you were expecting." Callum said, his wavy hair fluttering in the light breeze, his face shadowed by the fire. 

" What? That I'm related to the evilest person in the Realm of Suthria?" Calla snorted. " No, I was totally expecting that." Callum was silent for a minute, and then he said,

" I know you're cold."

" I am not!" Calla snapped. 

" You have goosebumps." Callum stated. Calla hastily covered her arms. " Just take the shawl." He rolled his eyes. She glared at him, and grabbed the shawl quickly, draping it around her shoulders. She stayed silent, staring into the fire again. She was aware of Callum's eyes studying her, roving around her face. The warmth on her cheeks was not because of the fire. 

Calla ground her teeth together, her jaw tightening. Callum was still staring at her, completely unnerved by her uncomfortableness. She wrapped the shawl tighter around herself, and closed her eyes. She grew warm as she used up less energy. She heard shuffling in the dirt across the fire, but still closed her eyes. The heat from the fire became greater, warming Calla's eyelids. She became too hot, and opened her eyes. She leaned against the rock, pleasantly cool behind her. After a few seconds, the rock became hot. Calla stared at the embers of the fire again, a bead of sweat dripping down her forehead. Her eyes flitted to Callum, who was staring at her still. Not the same, silent stare as before, but his eyes were wide, his mouth open a bit.

" What?" Calla asked, wiping away the trickle of sweat dripping down. Callum made a strangled noise. Calla looked behind her, expecting to see a creature stalking them. Instead, she saw the glow of the fire. Instead of seeing herself outlined by the fire, her shadow in front of her, she only saw light. And then she realized. She looked down at herself, and her body was glowing the soft gold. She panicked a bit, her gasp making the fire roar. She calmed herself down, she didn't want to start a forest fire, of course. She grasped her sweaty palms, the world swimming in front of her. She licked her dry lips, and concentrated to cool herself down. Instead, her concentration made her hotter, and she felt herself getting dizzy. The last thing she saw was Callum, rushing towards her. Then, the world went black. 

Sorry, this is a pretty short chapter, I'm hoping to make the next one longer, but school starts in two days, and I will probably be bombed with schoolwork, so it'll take longer for me to update. Thanks for the reads everyone! Almost 20 views! New record! MWAHAHAHAHAH! No, thanks for asking, I'm not evil. Maybe. :p

— chaoselephant