Incineration [I]

The Prophecy

The sound of fire crackling awakes me.

Fire... I think sleepily. Fire!

I snap out of my trance, and look around to see that the whole camp is on fire.

"Trevor! Trevor! Wake up!" I shake his arm as he lies asleep next to me. He blinks a few times, then sits up with an alert look on his face.

"Fire." He mutters.

We rush out of our tent and through the camp, yelling.

"Fire! The camp is on fire!"

Soon everyone is up and evacuating the place.

"Everyone out!" King Darius bellows.

We scramble to retrieve undamaged weapons and food. When we have salvaged everything we can, we head to the valley where the army has gathered, about a mile outside the camp.

"Where did that come from?" Trevor asks, wiping sweat from his brow.

"The fire?" King Darius scowls and points across the valley. "I'm assuming it had something to do with that."

Across the way lies an army of Taylor's possessed guards. They stand stone-silent and still- all except one, slightly taller than the others, who appears to be smirking.

"Are we all nice and toasty over there?" He laughs.

None of the other soldiers move. I realize that they are like robots...dormant until there is a new command to be given. The head guard's smile fades. He reaches into a sack attached to his belt and pulls out something small, round and dark.

"Seize them." He speaks into it, and immediately the thing he's holding begins to glow with green energy, as do all of the other soldier's bodies.

"No, it can't be." King Darius gasps.

"What? What is it?" I ask.

"The controlling stone..." Trevor whispers.

"Wasn't that supposed to be destroyed?" I ask.

"Yes..." The head guard says. "Our ruler is powerful. She can enter the depths of Hades and return unscathed! She knows true power. And now you will see what true power is!"

He pulls out a second stone and points both stones at Robert. A wave of green and blue energy washes over him. His eyes, once aqua-blue, now glow with a sickly orange flame. He immediately turns and marches toward the rest of Taylor's army, joining ranks with them.

"Don't you see? Our Fire Queen is extremely powerful, and she has entrusted me with part of this power. Therefore, you should be honored to die at my-"

His sentence is cut off by a hard blow to the back. He falls over, wincing in pain, and drops both stones.

"Shut up."

All the guards immediately go slack, hunching over, the barrels of their guns touching the ground.

Butch stands over the head guard, his face twisted into a cruel smile.

The head guard starts to reach for the stones, but his grasping fingers are quickly crushed under Butch's boots. Butch picks up both the stones and points the right one at the now deactivated army. A wave of blue light washes over the army, and they begin to transform back into their original forms. Glowing orange eyes become normal colors: blue, brown, green, and hazel. Their blank expressions turn to confused ones.

"Soldiers, listen to me." King Darius addresses them. "A great power known as the Fire Queen has risen. She took over Pyrobia and the Jewel of Pyre. But she's not going to stop there. The Fire Queen won't rest until she takes all of Elementas...maybe even the whole world."

The soldiers take this in. One steps in front of the others.

"My King, we will do anything to ensure the safety of you and your kingdom."

"Excellent." Darius smiles.

"What are we going to do with this one?" Butch asks, pointing the barrel of his gun against the forehead of the former leader of Taylor's army. "I say we blow his brains out."

The guard's eyes widen in fear.

"No," Darius sighs. "We need him alive. I want him to convey a message to my daughter." He glares at the guard. "Tell Taylor, or the Fire Queen, as she so calls herself, that we have the stones, and that we're coming to take back the castle."

Butch smirks. "And I'll give you ten seconds to be over that hill and gone." He says to the guard, who in turn scrambles to his feet and takes off running.

"Ten...nine...eight..." Butch covers his eyes and counts in a childish voice.

"Seven...six...five..." Butch yells louder. He didn't really need to. The guard is definitely past the hill now.

Butch uncovers his eyes and smiles.

"Now we have the advantage."

†††

As usual, my dreams are anything but peaceful I see myself, dying. Blood spills over my lips and cheeks from the gashes across my eye. I hear a scraping voice whisper this:

Two, being born of the same blood,

Shall unite against the forces of darkness and cold,

And then return with fire's bane,

Bringing peace to the land of elements again...

The vision switches to an empty room with only a mirror. The sheet of reflective glass stands tall and cold, showing me myself when I step forward to look into it.

But then my reflection changes... into another girl, this one with golden hair instead of my black, and bright blue eyes that contrast my amber ones. This girl is dressed differently, too...she wears a sky blue shirt with no sleeves and ripped jean shorts.

"What is this? Who is she?" I ask the reflection, who mimics my words, but doesn't answer.

And then I'm in a forest, with a pale moon looking on. Trevor, the strange girl, and I seem to be in a battle. I'm vaguely aware of an explosion as Trevor shoves me and the other girl out of the line of fire, taking the full blast himself. I see myself screaming and the other girl crying. I see Trevor close his eyes for one last time, the light leaving his eyes. He whispers 'I love you...' and then he's gone.

Tears start pouring down my face, and I am both unable and unwilling to control them. I cradle his lifeless body in my arms, kissing his blood-streaked face again and again, hoping my love could breathe life into him.

†††

Then I wake up and realize it was all just a dream. Not real. I tell myself over and over again. Nevertheless, I embrace him tightly, pulling him close. We share a kiss, and it feels wonderful...knowing he's alive. I press my head against his chest and whisper,

"I'm never letting you go."