Book of Magic

[Short Story] The Girl on Fire

The crackling of the lightning grew stronger, striking a jolt of fear into Farista's heart with every bolt, but the fire priests remained unfazed. Their chanting grew louder still. Farista looked heavenward along with the rest of them and saw the storm clouds beginning to swirl and gather around them. She began to feel an icy chill drip through her veins, despite the fact that they were standing quite near the center of the volcano. When the priests began closing the circle, drawing them ever closer to the rim of the crater, Farista's body kicked into overdrive.

Her foot lashed out at the golden-eyed man who seemed to be the leader of the group with a speed that bespoke of years of training. Surprised at herself, Farista faltered and the elder woman's staff came flying toward her outstretched leg. She drew it back in time to avoid a collision and again locked eyes with the tall woman who had helped her earlier. The woman's intense mocha eyes stared longingly at hers, soft and asking. The tension in Farista's muscles eased temporarily and she let the group lead her toward the edge.

The circle opened up into a "U" formation, giving the young woman the feeling of being trapped between the line of fire priests and the volcano's edge. She leaned over the rim of the crater and could see the pulsating yellow-orange liquified rock below her feet, hear the bubbles of magma seeping up through the earth's core, feel the intense heat radiating from the tranquil pit of fire. She turned to face the group in question, all sense of black dread returning through her nerves. The fire priests' chanting had increased in speed and volume, the winds ever-threatening to knock her off her feet and into a fiery pit of certain death. Something inside Farista whispered ever more terrifying thoughts as her rich brown eyes swept the line, looking for a chance to escape the edge and get some answers.

There. An opening between a shorter, stocky woman and a slender man standing beside her. Farista let her body relax, hiding her intentions until she was ready.

Three, two, one...

Her strong legs dug into the rocky earth as she bolted toward the gap. Ten feet, five feet, two feet... Her head passed the shoulders of the two priests and she grinned. Then she was falling.

Smack!

Her body hit the unforgiving stone first. The stocky woman she had ran at grabbed her by the waist, wrapped her thick arms around Farista and lifting her up before she could injure her head. Farista squirmed and yelled, but the woman held fast and others were joining her, restraining her legs. She managed to scratch a couple of them across the cheeks—then they pinned her arms, too.

"Let go of me! What in kautunga are you doing? Hey! Somebody, listen to me—" She whipped her head around and found the coffee-colored eyes of the woman before, staring intently. The woman held her gaze and murmured something softly.

"This is for your own good."

Farista's eyes widened. She was alone. No one was coming to help her.

~~ * ~~

The fire priests dragged her back toward the steaming hot edge of the crater, the woman screaming and fighting them every step of the way despite recognizing the futility of it. "She warned us this might happen," an authoritative male voice muttered. Farista saw the man with the hazel-golden eyes staring intently at her, sending her brain whirling anew trying to decipher this potential clue, but nowhere did it fit into her splotchy memory. Every step she took toward freedom only resulted in her being pushed two steps closer toward her fiery doom.

The blazing heat emanating from the angry hole in the mountain was almost unbearable now. Amid the wild scramble, Farista suddenly felt her feet leave the ground as her head was tipped sideways. Many hands gripped her weary limbs and suddenly the woman felt the world sway, back and forth, back and forth. Her head was dizzy and white spots appeared in her vision as her body went limp. Back and forth, back and forth... until suddenly she felt nothing at all.