Flame & Kate

Chapter Three

Flame glanced around at the men standing with him in the darkness of the thick forest outside his home. Pride filled him at his brothers. They were willing to sacrifice so much and risk it all for their people.

“How do we know this will even work?” Razor, his youngest brother asked, eyeing the strange tear shaped capsule wearily.

“We don’t,” Flame said, placing a hand on his brother’s solid shoulders, “but there is nothing else we can do. We have tried everything. All Almorian’s across the universe have tried to get the Goddess to forgive us but have failed. I read about this in the ancient texts. It is all I can think of that hasn’t been done.”

Raven stepped closer to the capsule, reaching out a hand to touch its dark, smooth metal surface, “father will not be happy with us.”

Flame grinned. “I know. But he will understand why we did it. He too is not immune to the danger of extinction our people face. Even if this fails, it will not make a difference. Our race will die out in the next few generations if we do not try everything we can. Our people deserve nothing less of us.”

“I agree with you, Flame,” Hunter said, pulling out a short, thin blade from his arm strap. The shining silver glint of the metal glowing in the moonlight of the twin moons above.

Viper stood silent, watching the men around him with an emotionless mask.

“What say you, Viper? It must be all of us, or it will not work.”

Without a word, Viper pulled his own blade out, and pressed it to the crook of his elbow. With one quick, sharp move, he cut a long, deep gash into his arm from elbow to wrist. Blood dripped from the wound as Viper stepped closer to the capsule, mumbling the words that would bring forth his essence.

Flame let out a small sigh as he nodded, watching the bright, glowing blue essence of his brother flow from his body to the capsule. As the stream of the smoke-like substance touched the capsule, one side of its six-leaf lid glowed.

Viper finished reciting the call, then pressed his hand to his arm and stepped back.

“I hope this works, brother,” Viper said in a low, deep voice. He gave Flame a nod, then turned and walked away.

Flame shook his head after his brother. He hated that he always had the weight of the universe on his shoulders. Viper blamed himself for what was happening to all their people, even though the curse from the Goddess happened over a thousand years ago. He could understand why his brother held onto all that pain and anger.

As the Serpent King, Viper’s house was the one that had poisoned the others all that time ago, filling them with dark thoughts and desires, that led to the devastation of their people.

But Viper was nothing like their ancestor. He was a good, loyal and honorable male that loved his family and his people with a ferocious depth that made Flame proud to be his kin.

As Viper vanished into the darkness, he sent out a silent prayer to the Goddess, Enigma, to please grant his brother peace from the deeds done by others. To give him a life that made him happy, and to give him the one thing ever Almorian male dreamed of. A true bond.

He turned back to the others when he heard the hiss of Hunter as he sliced his arm next.

He watched all his brothers repeat the ritual, until it was his turn.

He pulled the small knife from the leather sheath on his forearm and pressed it to his skin. He stepped towards the now glowing blue capsule and cut his arm deep.

“Evocant ert Esalant.” He whispered, calling forth is essence. He felt his body grow weak as the blue glow flowed out of him, bringing a dizzy and lightheaded feeling to his head.

A cold, empty chill ran over his body as the last of his essence flowed from his body, and he stepped back.

There was no turning back now.

Once the last of the blue smoke entered the capsule, the lips of the lid closed, and in the blink of an eye, it shot into the dark night sky.

He smiled sadly as he closed his eyes.

Forgive us, Goddess, he thought, praying that this ultimate sacrifice they had given to her would be enough for her to undo her curse and bring back the life that once thrived in the Empire.

I beg of you, Enigma...We are dying.