Born Of Fire

Born Of Fire Chapter 31

 Born Of Fire Chapter 31 is now posted for your reading enjoyment. I have decided to institute another challenge for you guys, and hope that you can meet it. I will update when this chapter receives 40 votes, or in one week, whichever happens first. If this thing hits 40 by morning, I will post again. Remember to comment!!!!

The man fell, clutching the hole in his chest. Phoenix sent his whips in each direction, taking out enemy after enemy. Within minutes, the four were forced into the center, backs to one another as they stood on a pile of bodies. More soldiers had broken off from the main force, and stood in the circle around them. A cry went up, and the circle of men surged forward, blades hungry for the blood of the elementals who had attacked them. Phoenix nodded to Spedro, who caused seven large boulders to rise from the ground. With the boulders hovering in mid air, Phoenix clapped his hands and sent a wave of fire at each boulder in quick succession, melting them. Spedro smiled, then pushed his arms away from himself, causing the molten rock to fly outward, coating the first line of soldiers around them, and a monstrous cry of agony rose into the air. Fifty seven men fell, clawing at their own skin, in an effort to make the pain stop.

The smoke from the burning flesh cleared a few moments later, and the screams of dying men died down. Forty men now stood in the circle around them, eyes wide in fear.

Lindani laid a hand on Phoenix’s shoulder, and came forward. “My turn.”

Phoenix nodded and crossed his arms, waiting to see what the woman would do. Lindani laid her hands at her sides and closed her eyes, and Phoenix could tell she was deep in concentration. A still moment passed, and the soldiers fidgeted nervously, unsure of whether they should attack. Just then, Lindani’s eyes snapped open and her hands came up to her chest. Extending her arms as far in front of her as she could, she slowly started pulling them back to herself. Phoenix felt a surge of power as she laid hold to a large amount of water, and found himself wondering what exactly she was doing. Forty men hit their knees, and another agonizing cry went up. Perplexed, Phoenix stared at the ever growing pools of water beneath each man, and realized what was happening. Lindani was pulling the water within each man from their bodies forcefully, and Phoenix shuddered.

Finally, the field in which they fought fell silent once again, and Phoenix stepped from the mound of bodies. To the closest one Lindani had killed he strode, and knelt beside the lifeless shell. Reaching his hand out, Phoenix grabbed its hand to feel for a pulse, and was not surprised when no heartbeat resonated within the man’s wrist. He was surprised however, when the man’s hand came away from its body with a slight crack, and then the hand disintegrated like ash. Eyebrow raised, he turned to the green eyed woman.

“Remove all the moisture from a body, and it is nothing but a husk,” she said with a smile.

Phoenix rose from his kneeling position, and cast his eyes down the wall of Boxor, to spy only thirty men left. The thirty said men were running away from the four Zuhdahlay as fast as they could, for the eastern wall. With no word to the others, Phoenix took off at a sprint, giving chase. The three fell into step beside him, and they chased the men around, then along the eastern wall. Finally, the men turned around the southern wall, with Phoenix and the others hot on their tails. Skidding to a stop, Phoenix drew in a sharp breath as he quickly realized what had happened.

 There was entire regiment of soldiers along the southern wall, numbering close to a thousand. They had planned on attacking Boxor from two directions to minimize casualties. The soldiers they had been chasing screamed for the Captains attention, and Phoenix watched as the Captain turned his horse to his men, and barked a few orders. With practiced efficiency, close to three hundred men snapped toward them, and raised their arms in a peculiar fashion.

Phoenix eyes widened, and Lindani’s voice broke through his stupor. “Archers!”

The soldiers released their bow strings, and almost three hundred arrows flew toward the four, the sheer number of them blotting out the sun.

Phoenix barked a command, and stepped back. “Spedro! Deal with this!”

Spedro jumped forward, and brought his hands up quickly, causing a thick, curved wall of rock to rise from the ground and cover the four. Not a second later, the arrows struck the wall, and  the sound of them bouncing off reverberated through. Phoenix smiled as the last arrow bounced off, and readied himself to attack the main force. The wall of stone suddenly exploded with a deafening roar, and pieces of rock flew inward, threatening to impale them. Ember jumped in front of them, conjuring a maelstrom to blow any pieces back before they caused any damage. The smoke cleared, and Phoenix launched himself around Ember and Spedro, looking for their attacker. A Yaagalo stood not a hundred feet away, blowing on a small stone. He raised his head, and lazily lobbed it for Phoenix’s feet. Phoenix looked down at the rock at his feet, head cocked to the side.

Spedro’s voice rang out loudly then, urgency in his tone. “Phoenix, move! I cannot control it!”

Phoenix understood, and stepped back, never taking his eyes from the stone. A crack appeared in its surface, glowing bright red. Urgently now, Phoenix backed up, and the rock exploded. The force of the blast pushed him backward, tossing him into the air. Trying to right himself, Phoenix set HellFire to erupt from his palms, using the force of the flame to orient himself. Ember guided him with her wind, dropping him softly onto the grass.