I stride forward, the smoke catching in the wind but my eyes lock on toher. Even though she is charging at me, I never stop. The screams from the brothers have now faded. The roars of the crowd, some chanting my name, some begging for my death, have now disappeared.
Nothing matters besides me and this horse.
The damn horse of fire.
With each step, I come closer, feeling no heat radiating off of the beast but catching ash starting to fall against my suit.
I pick up speed, almost daring the horse to come at me. Her head kicks up, and she snorts loudly before letting out a steaming exhale.
She sprints faster, as do I. A loud, raging scream rips from my throat. Pain shoots through my arm and despite it, I run.
I slide under her broad belly as her hooves lift up to stomp me. The leather of my gloves begins to melt against the blazing fire of her body, so I rip them off, throwing them to the side before I roll across the ground.
Ash and dirt kick up in the air, mixing in with my midnight-black hair, and I feel the grit on the tiny shards of gravel sticking to the sweat against my arms.
The horse’s hooves slam into the dirt, picking up small particles of rocks and ash, almost blinding me. But I stand, the back of my hand wipes away the filthy air that burns my eyes.
The Fireninze circles around, her head bobbing up and down, before taking a stance almost directly in front of me. Almost waiting, daring for me to make a move.
My hand grips my broken shoulder, heaving as I stare back towards the horse.
“It’s just me and you,” I hiss.
In an instant, the horse charges, embers sparking behind her as she sprints, and I stay still. Frozen in place.
I drop my hands to my side, standing tall as I watch her hooves beat against the dirt. Fire catches on the dried, wooden branches around us.
One. Two. Three. Four.
When I go to count five, the mare is right in front of me and instead of charging through me to kill me, the Fireninze slams its hooves into the ground, eyes beaming a crimson red as she exhales a steaming breath.
My eyes stay wide, never blinking. I will not back down.
The crowd knows it. The brothers know it. Everyone is silent.
The flames around its mane and tail ignite, brightening the arena as the crowd shields their faces from the light. Then, it dims. The fire, flickering softly. The embers, gone.
My hand reaches out, gradually and carefully.
Just as I did when I passed the dragons chained up.
As if I can feel their emotions, each one of them, inside me as well.
“I feel that rage you feel,”I whisper out.
The crimson eyes of the horse dim, the light flickering out until nothing is left but a dark, ruby red. The mare closes its eyes, dropping its head, and my palm makes contact with its scorching body.
But I don’t burn.
We don’t burn.
It's just her and I. Standing face to face.
In a silent arena.
Until the Queen screams. “We have our first bond of the Fireninze!”
Chapter 39
