His Hand In The Shadows

Chapter 3: Black

Two students had entered the room. Fists of fire came at Ayla without time for her to react. The anti-magic armor kept her body from burning up but she had no time to recover from the scorching heat surrounding her.

A wall of flames blocked Zayd's path. Despite the heat, Zayd charged into the flames after Ayla. "Lady Phina!" he shouted but she could not hear him. Or she did not want to hear him. Zayd tried to run deeper into the flames but was met by the unbearable heat. Phina was quickly closing the distance between her and Ayla.

Left with no choice, Zayd drew his sword. The room was instantly overtaken by immense light. He lunged forward slicing through the flames with his pure light sword. Blinded by the light, Phina stopped in her tracks instinctively. She knew who was approaching her. She stood in place listening to his footsteps running towards her. Her flames slowly dissolved into the air leaving behind a smoky stench.

Zayd ran past Phina and stopped before Ayla. The flames around the armor had also disappeared. Ayla fell to her knees, struggling to take the helmet off being that it was full of smoke. The light finally started to vanish, as did Zayd's sword. He knelt down beside Ayla and lifted the helmet off her head.

Finally seeing his face before her, she collapsed on the ground. She rolled over on her side pressing her face against the grass. She lay coughing as she choked on the smoke. "I never got to see the sword... I was... distracted."

"Are you okay?" a spectator soon ran over, kneeling beside Ayla.

Zayd looked up at him and nodded towards Ayla.

"What... was that?" Ayla asked.

Reyes nodded. He helped Ayla to her feet, throwing her arm around his shoulder as he held her waist and led her to a bench.

Zayd stood. "Phina!" he shouted.

She ran over. "I am immensely sorry! I apologize a thousand times over."

A base was evident in his voice. "What reason?" It was not the first time she had taken things too far. "What reason did you have for attacking her?" he asked again, turning to look her in the eyes.

Phina's eyes welled with tears. She spoke softly, "I seem to have thought she was attacking you..."

"In the training room? You could have killed her."

She stared at him with wet eyes.

Zayd left her side to tend to Ayla. Phina followed close behind him. "Do you need the nurse?" Zayd asked Ayla as she gulped down some water.

"No... good," she choked. Ayla looked up at Phina who stood behind Zayd. Her height nearly matched his, making her stand out more behind him.

Zayd spun around to face Phina. He glared at her.

She stepped to the side revealing herself to Ayla. "I apologize. I seem to have misread the situation. I apologize sincerely."

''It's fine," Ayla replied. "You are friend to Sir Zayd?"

"I am Phina of the House of Euleus, third daughter of Sir Fon Euleus." Her tangerine hair was pressed down with a golden forehead chain and her strawberry lips matched her eyes. She was small boned with milky unblemished skin that never knew real suffering. The sword at her hip and the white gloves on her hands allowed her to manipulate fire while the silver ring she wore on her middle finger bore the carving of a snake.

"And I am Reyes, of the House of Fretes, second son of Sir Arthur Fretes." Reyes' ring was pure gold with the carving of the sun at the top. The top of his head was tied into a braid which fell against the looseness of his brown hair. His hair surpassed the length of Phina's curls, reaching flawlessly down his waste against his fit frame.