First Flame
726 Words
They made camp in the ruins of an old watchtower, its walls crumbling but still offering shelter from the wind that howled through the mountain passes. Thorne built a small fire from gathered wood and struck flint to steel with
practiced hands.
"Your turn," he said, nodding at the struggling flames. Kaelen stared at the campfire. "I don't know how."
"You blew up a cliff three days ago. You can't light a fire?"
"That was… different. That was fear. Anger." Kaelen held his hands over the small flames. "This is just fire. Normal fire."
"There is no such thing as normal fire. Not for you." Thorne took a swig from his flask. "Try."
Kaelen focused. He reached inside himself for the golden warmth he had felt in the trial chamber. It was there, banked low but present. He coaxed it forward, imagined it flowing through his arms and into his palms.
Nothing happened. "It's not working."
"Because you're trying too hard." Thorne leaned back against the stone wall. "In the old stories, the greatest wizards didn't command magic. They asked it.
They bargained with it. Treated it like a partner, not a tool." "You know a lot about magic for a mercenary."
Thorne's jaw tightened. "I told you. I wasn't always… this." He gestured at
his worn armor and scarred face. "Once, I served in the Phoenix Guard. The Fire King's elite. We were trained to recognize and fight magical threats. We were supposed to protect people like you."
"Supposed to?"
"I failed." Thorne's voice went flat. "My unit was assigned to escort a caravan of refugees during the Shadow Incursions. I got drunk the night before. Passed out on watch. They died. Every single one of them." He took another long drink. "The Guard stripped me of my rank, my honor, my name. I've been Thorne Blackwood ever since. A dead man walking."
Kaelen sat in silence, absorbing the mercenary's confession. The fire between them crackled, sending sparks spiraling into the dark.
"The shadow wolves," Kaelen said slowly. "The ones that attacked the monastery. They knew I was there. They came for me specifically."
"They're drawn to the flame. It's like a beacon to them. The brighter you burn, the easier you are to find."
"Then I need to learn to burn without being seen." Thorne raised an eyebrow. "That's actually smart."
Kaelen closed his eyes again. This time, he did not try to force the flame. He simply acknowledged it. He pictured it as a living thing, curled in the center of his chest like a sleeping cat. He did not demand. He invited.
The golden warmth stirred. It stretched, yawned, and flowed gently into his hands. When Kaelen opened his eyes, golden fire danced between his fingers, casting warm light across the ruined tower.
It did not hurt. It felt like coming home.
"Well, damn," Thorne breathed. "You're a natural."
Kaelen moved his hand, and the flame followed, tracing patterns in the air. He formed a bird of fire, then a star, then something that looked like a phoenix with outstretched wings. The shapes held their form for a moment before dissolving into sparks.
"That's not normal," Thorne said. "Even trained Keepers couldn't do that in the stories."
"It feels… right." Kaelen let the flame shrink back into his palm, then extinguish. "Like remembering a language I spoke in a dream."
They sat in silence for a while, watching the normal fire burn down to embers. Finally, Thorne spoke. "When we reach the Fire Kingdom, there are people who can help you. People who still believe in the old ways."
"Can we trust them?"
"In my experience, you can't trust anyone." Thorne met Kaelen's eyes. "But some people earn the right to be trusted. That's the best you can hope for."
Kaelen pulled his blanket around his shoulders and stared at the dying fire. He thought of Eldrin. Of the monastery brothers who had raised him. Of the woman with white hair who had saved his life before he knew what life was.
"I'm going to kill Vexara," he said quietly. "And the Hollow King. I'm going to burn them both to ash."
Thorne was quiet for a long moment. Then: "That's a tall order for a kid who couldn't light a campfire five minutes ago."
"I'm learning."
"Yes," Thorne agreed. "You are."
- Writer
