Wave of Fires

Chapter Five

"You killed him! You! Not me!" Her voice was piercing, ringing in my ears. It was the noise of shattered glass and grief. It was torture. Torture to listen to. Clearly torture to produce. "I loved him and it's your fault he's dead!"

Her eyes burned through fire itself, void of tears, void of grief, almost void of pain. But brimming, spilling, overflowing with rage, with hate.

I couldn't guess what I'd done to warrant such aggression, such accusations. Yes, Lady Lotus's anger was to be expected. I'd certainly never experienced her in any other state, but the claim that I'd killed someone? I'd never killed anyone before. The sheer fact that she loved anyone was a shock.

But somewhere within me, I felt some shred of pity for the witch. Somewhere distantly, we shared blood. Her agony ran through it, echoing inside me. Besides, I was reminded of my own fury when Cyprian was lost, when I flew at Gabriel with mindless blame. How much further would I have gone if Death hadn't offered me hope? If I hadn't been able to ignore Lady Lotus's orders?

Did Lady Lotus contend with a witch of her own?

At one time, maybe. At one time, she was probably just like me: a girl thrust into the wicked world of Arcana before her darker impulses got their way. Before she became just another game piece of the gods.

Lady Lotus raked her purple claws through her hair, scratching at her scalp in such a frenzy she was surely drawing blood, just as I did when Tybira tempted her. "I trusted you!" The grasses at her feet jutted into the air, writhing around her legs like snakes. She'd definitely drawn blood.

She turned away from me, staring at something in the distance. I couldn't see past the fire. With her back to me, nothing showing but her tangled mane of red, she blended into the flames, all but disappearing.

Whatever she was looking at didn't hold her interest for long. She whirled around, plunging her hand directly into the fire. Sparks streamed into the sky, Lady Lotus's wails shooting higher. It was probably my imagination, but I could almost smell her burning flesh, hear the sizzle. I shuddered at the gruesomeness, at her disregard for the obvious pain she inflicted on herself.

With a final yell, she yanked a still flaming log from the fire. Though her face was downcast, still hardly visible, she held her arm at length. I was forced to endure the full horrificness of her skin, blistered and bleeding.

Despite the pain it caused, I strained against my restrictive vines enough to muster a wail. Her skin, pink and pussing, still sizzling and smoking... I could only see Lalita's face, melted beyond recognition by Shiva's acid.

I clenched my eyes shut until the vines shifted. One of the green vipers wrapped around the three slithered towards its floral mistress, climbing up her body. She stabbed a mangled, purple nail into the plant. Lady Lotus's arm healed rapidly, smooth, new skin forming and stitching itself together as the vine shriveled and died, its vitality sacrificed, claimed by the witch. I got a glimpse of numerous Icons, many of which I couldn't identify. Symbolic reminders of the lives she'd taken.

The vine transformed from a vibrant green to a deathly brown, the decay moving from Lady Lotus's claw along the vine, to the tree. Soon all the green had disappeared, replaced only by death.

Although my link to the plant life was seemingly severed and the death brought me no pain, I loosed a miserable sob as the majestic tree brittled against my back. It had been so beautiful, so ancient, but it dried up and died so quickly.

I strained against the vines encircling me. Though they were lifeless and brown, they remained strong. I was held fast.

The witch emerged from the flames, moving towards me. She raised her head, jutting her chin and looking me dead in the eyes. Finally, I saw her face clearly, not distorted by smoke or fire. Her lips curled into a smile... or rather, my lips. It was my lips, my nose. While her eyes were green, they too were mine. My face.

My stomach turned over. In a panic I scanned her body. My body. My face. My body. I'd seen Lady Lotus before, and while her hair and glyphs were the same, the claws and green eyes the same, her body was unique. Her face unique. But this woman... me.

She, or maybe it was I, sauntered closer, a feline smirk dancing across our lips.

I whimpered as she neared. How could she not see what she was doing? Who I was? That we were one in the same.

"No one betrays the Empress," she whispered, voice hardly audible against the roaring flames. It was Lady Lotus's voice, lower and gravelier than mine. But no longer yelling, I could hear the familiarity to my voice.

She looked at me with something that could be likened to pity, to remorse. I saw a genuine flicker of myself in her gaze. For a moment I genuinely believed she might reconsider, free me. But she blinked and it was gone, I was gone. Whatever of myself remained within her died. She thrust her burning log into the tree, so dry and brittle it was consumed in heartbeats, lapping at my legs.

Smoke poured into my lungs, choking me as pain erupted in my skin, so acute, my mind went utterly blank. There was nothing else. Nothing but pain and smoke and my screaming.

And then there was the horrible laughing.

((Told you this one would be shorter. Did anything seem familiar about this scene?

I don't know when I'll have the next chapter for you—I've been really busy lately. Although, I would like to announce another high fantasy tale coming soon! If you're interested in elves, dragons, romance, and adventure I hope you'll get excited for it!

Anyway, hopefully you enjoyed this smaller chapter. Thank you so much for reading!))