Rekindle

Chapter 14 (Ridley)

Dread.

That was the first thing to flood through my veins.

Pitch black mist rolls off Alister's body, as if he were creating pure shadow from nothing. Glossy black orbs replace the gray of his eyes.

Instinctively, flames lick up to my wrist, poising to defend myself if the situation were to require it. One foot steps before the other, both knees bent, hips turned sideways. All my weight is tilted onto the ball of my back foot, steadying my upper body. With a sickening jolt, I realize that I am preparing to fight the Bane. I will not survive this.

"Extinguish, Ridley," Elijah commands, his voice on alert. The gap between him and me closes as I reluctantly lower my hands to my side. The fire dwindles for a moment, then dissipates.

"Take Barrick and find somewhere--" his sentence is cut short by a flaming knife piercing through his collarbone. Attached to the hilt is Alister's misting hand. Before I can react, the brothers are clashing lethally, the only thing keeping them alive is their energy scores. If they were at Barrick's or my level, even though we both are nearly top ranked, they would have been obliterated at the first impact.

Instead, knives enter and exit bodies and the smell of burning flesh overwhelms my nose. Every flame that transfers from Elijah's fingertips to Alister's skin turns to sparks and disappears, no trace of a burn visible. Elijah, though, is burning rapidly, smoke curling from open wounds.

Then I notice it. A small circle glows the color of burning embers beneath the scar on Alister's throat.

The heirloom.

Alister has been linked with the heirloom my grandmother had been in pursuit of her entire life.

The link is connected to his very soul. With it, any attack is amplified tenfold. Without it, not even God knows what will become of Alister. A soul, once linked, is dependent on the heirloom's energy. Breaking the link could obliterate the soul, or deal unfathomable power to it.

My grandmother had always been hunting it down to prevent anyone from ever using it for this exact reason. Such power will surely be drastic for the entire world if not kept under control. I can only imagine what hell will come of this situation.

Do something, Ridley!

But what can I do? I don't stand a chance against either of them. I'll die before I can even get close enough to come in contact.

Do something! 

Fumbling with my flame, I try to fill the room with smoke to no avail. As it gets within inches of Alister's misting body, it curls into nothing. 

"Don't just stand there, get the hell out of here!" My flame flickers out as I realize Elijah has finally contained his brother. Alister lays on the floor, his arms tucked behind his back, pinned by smouldering ground and his brother's grilled hands. Blood trickles from his seared knuckles, steaming as it reaches the outside of his flesh.

Mortified, I nod and turn to Barrick. He's still asleep, likely from the exhaustion of his wound. My hands move to under his arms, and I drag him from the bed to the balcony door. He's surprisingly light for all the muscle he has. 

As I'm about to jump from the railing, something knocks me backward. Barrick falls to the ground with a loud and pitying yelp.