I set my fire blades out neatly and rolled my shoulders back, slowly stretching, relaxing my shoulders, closing my eyes and proceeding to call to the fire from the blades and let the blade ignite in flames, bright red fire, blue catching onto the tips.
"Sure," I said. Let him believe what he wants.
Without warning, I threw the first blade, making Ezra jerk back in surprise. Watching it land directly on its bullseye, I furiously hurled the remaining fire blades at each target, breathing softly as I visualised my target and acted fast—just like I would need to in the arena. This arena was known for its unique talents. If anyone else tried to summon a blade of fire, they would drop it at once, suffering a harsh burn, that is assuming they could even call to the fire spirit within the blade. Fala had told me only fire blessed beings could call to the fire spirit and have it answer. It was a gift from her to me, but how Fala actually came to own them was another mystery. The only hard part of using the blade was controlling the flames; telling them to vanquish because the fire itself is seductive to those whom wield it. It calls out to me, begs me to let it continue toburn, to set everything alight in its path. It clearly was made with the intention to destroy. I've grown used to its voices and have learned to ignore it...sometimes, thus with each time it lands on the bullseye, I call the fire out of the blade to not have it spread and give it the satisfaction it wants. I can't bear to take much more guilt upon myself if an innocent were to get killed by it.
Fala had been proud of me the first time I had wielded this blade and fire had come alight, as if she knew from her very heart that I could manipulate the blade, and I've been making her proud by using the blades on other deadly creatures that no other warrior could handle, including Ezra.
I hold the last fire blade in my hand and feel its comforting warmth.
"I get your point, you never miss." Ezra chuckles softly, folding his arms tightly.
"The blade of fire never misses," I correct him in a steady voice as I draw my arm back to throw.
"Your words are true..." Ezra trailed off as he slowly leaned against the pillar beside him. "I've missed you,Mor. We haven't spent time together since we set camp," Ezra said softly, eyeing the last blade I had in my hand. I tightened my hold on the blade while I listened to his words. His words warmed my heart, a warmth that spread to my cheeks in a blush, and yet I ignored the feelings that came with it.
Mor... the nickname he had bestowed upon me that had everyone calling me by it the next day. It had been the only part of my name he could remember when we found him. I softly smiled at the memory and responded. "I missed you too, but only a tiny bit, because you were stationed with Rosetta to help set up the east side of camp," I teasingly said, and I didn’t have to look to know his face cringed at the thought.
"I did all the work myself, while I had to listen to how she always got splinters from the wood, and that helping wouldmean injury," Ezra admitted, groaning in annoyance, trying not to relive the memory.
"Well, that's what happens when you volunteer to take on the extra work." I teased.
Ezra rolled his eyes. "Enough talk of that disaster. After your last shot, we’re going on a run. I won't take no for an answer. We both need to train harder for the performance, from what Fala said, this is going to be a big one," Ezra declares, walking near the tent exit.
"Where will fun be if I simply agreed?" I laughed and then proceeded to straighten up. I swung the blade with force and let go of it.
Thud.
I was satisfied with the sound. I analysed the small middle red circle it was embedded in.
Right on its mark.
Ezra turned to make his way to the exit, but Dezimus and Elijah stepped in, catching our attention instantly.
"We heard you're going to fight three cliftolights at once for the arena's show. Please tell me you’re joking?" Dezimus said, almost outraged. Ezra whipped to my direction in shock.
"Show me to them," I said, ignoring his question, turning around to make the fire from my last throw vanquish with a swift gesture of my hand.
Chapter 4
Looking at death
The Faith of Terran
Creideamh na Terran dio al tot in Riaan. Rìgh nan neamh agus an Underworld. Vot han do soul tal de votende vot tat infini on daar dior laat erebus vater voen. Gu'n dìteadh anamanan siorruidh na Rioghachd gu Riaan.
TRANSLATION:The faith of Terran has always been in Riaan. The King of the Heavens and Underworld. To him is where souls shall all be condemned to for eternity once they have seen death's alluring face. May the everlasting souls of the Duvessan Kingdom be condemned to Riaan.
The following Korovian text has been transcribed by Nebula Earthglow of the Earthglow Witch Coven.
"You can't possibly be serious." Ezra rasped, looking at me as if I had grown two sets of heads. The incredulous look he gave was the same look he had given me during my first encounter with a cliftolight.
Dezimus chuckled softly, leaning against one of the wooden pillars that supported this big tent. "Oh but she is. To our shock, we had found three in the border we scouted when looking for new game to use in the arena. They seemed to have a purpose coming this close to human territory, but one wouldn't question this because they're most likely hungry." Dezimus pointed out, looking at me with stone cold eyes. His dark ebony skin was covered in brown leather, clad with hunting gear and knives. Elijah pressed a palm onto his arm, which seemingly calmed him down. He stepped forward and offered me a kind but strained smile.
"Come on, Morana, isn't one enough?" Elijah jokingly tried to ask. I gave him a small smirk and finally answered everyone.
"If those creatures are in need to be killed and wiped from this world, they shall at least die with dignity. I've killed its kind before. And I can do it again. Especially in the arena," I said, trying to reason with them while positioning the fire blades along my body, keeping them in place.
It was Ezra who responded this time. "Those creatures do not deserve to die with dignity, they hunt and kill for sport. And from what I remember, theonlyone you had killed wasn't the easiest fight. After killing the savage thing, you went into yourtent, and only came out five days later. The experience had left a scar within you," he said sternly, and he wasn't wrong. Ezra and the other performance warriors would never challenge a cliftolight, but on the day it had come during one of the arena's most extravagant shows. It was either kill or be killed.
