The Throne of Bones.

9. Those Damned Dragons.

"I will first show it to you, then I will teach you its makeup and science." Astrá smiled at Minto, but her smile turned to a focused frown when she saw the determined look on his face. "Stand back and pay close attention dear Savior." She instructed him.

Astrá unhooked the binds to her cloak and let it fall to the ground behind her revealing a black cropped blouse that stopped above her navel and dark maroon coloured pants that were bound at the waist and ankles with golden wrapping. Her body was for a lack of better words ripped, her muscles were all well-toned and trained to do the bidding of a warrior's mind.

She took a steady breath before opening her eyes and pointing a single finger out toward the clearing in front of them, for a few seconds sparks flashed at the tips of her finger before red flames suddenly shot from the sparks with the tip of an arrow traveling several metres before exploding to the size of a horse then fizzing away in the wind. 

After the crimson fire died, she turned to Minto but was surprised to see a disappointed look etched on his face. "Was I not impressive enough?" Astrá asked worriedly.

"The technique as far as I can tell, was fine, but why did you hold back?" Minto asked staring at her hand as she picked up her cloak.

"My fire-bolt is dangerous, I do not wish to demolish my training ground for the purpose of a demonstration, I will leave such a trial to you as you learn, now please come closer." Sha sat where she was standing and waved him over, surprised as he lightly jogged to her while still wearing the Kilokloth, he seemed to notice this as well when he reached as he tugged at one of the ends as though thinking it was defective as they sat face to face with the blue star shining above their heads. "You come as well." Astrá called to Miriá who was minding her own business.

"I cannot learn such a complicated spell." Miriá waved back at her, then turned to Wolfsword who had stayed to see why the halfling Minto was so treasured by the Crimson-Dragon's strongest member.

Astrá didn't try to convince Miriá any further and simply turned to Minto before taking on a serious demeanor.

"Wether you are able to use it as a low-class or high-class enchantment is ultimately going to be determined by your affinity to the element of fire itself." She paused, expecting him to ask what that was, but he only nodded for her to continue. "My affinity is only fire, so all my offensive and defensive spells are likewise."

"First there is the concept of magic itself, the soul, exerts a special aura invisible to the naked eye that the mind can utilize through the manipulation of the body, this is the base understanding, it is going to be your foundation, are you following?" 

"I am, please continue." Minto nodded, his focus and concentration seemed unmovable.

"Ok, the land and atmosphere are constantly producing an infinite and inexhaustible form of raw power we call magicule that is invisible to the naked eye, Flame magic is the ability to seize control of the magicule properties in the atmosphere, combining them with microscopic dust particles and condensing them to the point where heat and friction is created which then causes combustion." As she said this, she held up one of her hands between them and a spark appeared which turned into a small red fire that burned above her palm. "This gives the illusion that the wielder has summoned fire from noting."

"So then, what my affinity is will determine how much fire I can create and manipulate?" Minto asked holding up his hand and looking at his palm with dead focus.

"Hold on, you first need to understand the properties further before you can create fire dear savior." Astrá chuckled but recoiled her hand and jumped back as a sudden spark appeared that turned into a shroom of blue fire that exploded in Minto's face blasting him backward.

Wolfsword and Miriá both wore shock for different reasons, for Wolfsword, it was the fact that this boy had caused an explosion on his first try, one powerful enough that the wave of shock rocked his entire body.

For Miriá, it was the fact that Minto's hands had been wrapped thrice in the magic-binding Kilokloth. 

Minto jumped up from his place on the ground, his eyes wide with shock before suddenly falling on his knees and clutching the hand that caused the explosion sweating and screaming in agony.

Astrá ran over to him and raised him to his feet witnessing blue flames continuously gush from the creases of his wrapping. "It's on fire, my hand, inside of my hand is on fire!" Minto almost began to thrash but hearing what he said Astrá pulled a dagger and sliced his palm open then quickly grabbed it shut with both hands and held it toward the sky. "Wh-"

"Miriá, Okorak, come here!" Astrá cut his coming question at the root calling to the other two. "Quickly come and restrict his movement!"

They came rushing over to her call as she kept Minto in place preventing him from lowering his hand back to his torso.

"Has he gone wild again?" Wolfsword asked as he arrived and knelt, using his massive hands to hold Minto's torso. "His body is a furnace!"

Miriá went to his side and turned her back to him before taking his flailing arm beneath her armpit and lacing her fingers with his.

"Dear Savior, Minto look at me!" Astrá shouted above his own voice causing him to look at her and go silent with his teeth grit. "The magic within your body is going to combust, unless you release it you will burn inside out, so focus, focus on all the heat you can feel, on all the points of pain and will it out of your body, release it through your palm on my count!" She urgently instructed him. "This is rushed, but you have to cause an outward combustion!"

"One!"

Both Miriá and Wolfsword braced themselves as they physically felt the heat raging beneath his skin begin to move. "Two, Three!" She yelled closing her eyes and looking away.

Minto's screams only grew louder and louder before a large blue spark exploded above them, the spark lasted for several seconds before the surrounding atmosphere became overbearingly hot then suddenly cooled, before anyone could tell what was happening a sudden force of scorching wind and fire blasted from his hand like a star raging toward the sky before exploding a hundred feet above them.

Several seconds later the resulting shockwave slammed all four of them into the ground like a gravity spell gone wrong, kicking up and blowing away small pieces of dust and earth in an instant before all went silent.

What felt like a minute had passed in that silence between the four before Wolfsword turned his eyes from the sky and looked at Minto. "What ridiculous power you possess, I cannot imagine myself accomplishing such a feat without years of study and practice, and here you do it by accident, unbelievable." The Orc blankly stared at Minto who was sitting with his right hand still clutched by his left.

"I thought I was gonna die." Minto whispered, staring at the burnt Kilokloth that loosely hanged from his shaking hand. "This is why he only taught me small skills that caused no harm." He mumbled to himself.

"Worry not, this was your first try-"

"I don't think it's safe to try and manipulate fire, Minto." Miriá cut Astrá's words short. "If you hadn't been wearing the Kilokloth we might have all died without knowing what had happened."

"I agree." Minto looked at her depressed. "That was reckless, even for me." 

"Explain your reasoning." Astrá sat up with a small frown. "From what I saw, your aptitude for the element is outstanding, why would you not use it?" She asked.

"I too wish to know." Wolfsword added.

"The Kilokloth is suppressing my magic, every inch of it is laden with runes that should completely suppress any magical output whatsoever, I was only mentally practicing the little I had learnt, but somehow this happened."

Wolfsword's eyes bulged and Astrá held her hands to her mouth. "Such... such..." Astrá fell short of words to express her racing thoughts.

"Maybe the runes were poorly drawn?" Wolfsword asked, unable to believe the truth he was presented.

"Lady-Shaél is a Dark elf, every skill she has in her arsenal has been honed to perfection through thousands of years of practice, for him to overpower something that she has created is... Well, it should have been impossible." Astrá stared at Minto flabbergasted.

They became silent again, with even Wolfsword at a loss for words when Kēéla came running toward them at full speed. 

While Astrá, Miriá and Wolfsword stood in urgency from the look on the maid's face, Minto didn't even notice her.

"Lady-Astrá, Lord-Wolfsword!" She came to a breathless halt. "Dragon, there has been another Dragon attack in Idgiá, there is a summons for all the guilds here in Eliós to congregate in the Royal courtyard!" She finished before gasping for air and taking a moment.

"Where was the attack?" Asked Wolfsword with a worried look to the elf.

"The Troll kingdom of Draxin was completely desolated three days ago sir, it is said that the Dragons Ashrótt and Kavák together laid waste to the entire kingdom in a single night, not even a small town was spared."

"This, this will lead to a war against Néthark, first our sacred forest, and our beast kingdom's capital, and now the kingdom ruled by the troll Queen, the King will have no choice but to strike back, and then..." Wolfsword sighed with his hand on his sword. "Come Lady-Astrá, the meeting will not wait on our respected selves."

"Lady-Astrá." Came a dark rasp from behind them, and they all turned to see Minto standing and clutching his hand still. "Is it possible for you to take me along?" 

"Alas lad, you are hurt, you should first seek treatment and rest before you think of becoming active again." Wolfsword responded in Astrá's stead. 

Astrá reached inside of the bag hanging from her golden belt and pulled out a soft eye that looked just like hers, then filled it with her magic.

"Take this, it is used for spying, go back to the house and rest, eat it and you will be able to see and hear all that I do, you are not an adventurer, so this is all I can do." Astrá sighed before turning and leaving with Wolfsword. "Heal up my dearest Savior." 

"Those damned Dragons."Minto hissed, dropping his gaze and shaking from anger.

"Minto, keep calm." Miriá placed an arm on his injured shoulder, causing him to wince. "Come on, let's go clean up and see lady Shaél."

"Yes." He agreed heavily. "Let's."