Heir Of The Fallen Flame

Chapter 3 : The Curse Of The Unclaimed

Kael was falling.

The wind screamed past his ears and the cliff above him grew smaller. His body twisted helplessly in the air as his heart raced wildly against his chest.

He could see them. Ronan, Darius and Silas, looking down at him and watching him die.

Kael tried to breathe, but the air would not come. His chest burned. His limbs felt heavy and soon he could almost feel the rock behind him and then…

“You. Are. Mine.”

A deep ancient voice growled deep in his ear, its words vibrating through his entire body.

Kael jerked upright with a sharp gasp. Air flooded into his lungs as if he had been drowning. His chest rose and fell rapidly, his heart slamming hard against his ribs.

He stayed still for a moment as sweat needed down his face. What happened to him? One minute he was falling to his death and the next he was….here?

Kael blinked, his vision slowly clearing. He was lying on a bed.

Not the thin straw mat from the maid quarters back at the academy, a real bed with soft foam and bedding.

Something he's only ever seen real mages enjoy.

His gaze moved around the room, where is he? It didn't look like any of the rooms he was used to or seen back at the academy.

The walls were made of dark wood, carved with faint patterns that twisted like vines. A small fire burned quietly in a stone hearth, casting a warm glow across the space. Thick curtains hung over a narrow window, embroidered with silver thread that caught the light.

There were shelves along one wall, lined with old books, glass bottles, and small artifacts he did not recognize. Some faintly glowed.

A table stood near the bed, holding a bowl of water and folded clothes.

Everything was clean. Nothing like the cramped, worn maid quarters he was used to.

Kael’s breath slowed slightly, confusion settling in.

“Where am I?” he muttered.

Nothing made sense. He was sure he was falling to his death, he'd been angry and bitter and upset about..

His head snapped up suddenly, “Alia!” He said.

He'd been asking Ronana about her and he'd said something horrible and despicable. Kael felt the rage in him boil over afresh as he swung his legs off the bed and stood quickly. The room tilted for a moment, but he steadied himself.

He needed to find that bastard and deal with him! How? He had no clue but he won't stop until Alia is found!

Kael moved towards the door, turned the knob and stepped out of the room.

The corridor beyond was wide, built of the same dark wood, lit by torches that flickered softly along the walls. The air carried a faint scent of herbs and smoke.

He pulled to a stop, this wasn't the academy. The academy was glittering with gold and silver, wood was almost nonexistent.

If he wasn't at the academy for mages, where was he?

*********************************

“You brought him here?!” Lord Zen snapped in shock.

Lyra stood across from a man whose presence filled the room.

Lord Zen.

He stood near the window, hands clasped behind his back, his long robes brushing the floor. His hair was streaked with silver, tied loosely at the nape, and his sharp eyes were on her.

Lyra stood straight, though her fingers tightened slightly at her sides. “He would have died.”

Zen's eyes narrowed on her.

“And now he may destroy everything I have spent years protecting!”

Lyra met his gaze. “He had no control over his flame and the council was draining him.”

“That was not your concern!”

“It became my concern when they tried to kill him.” Lyra said. “Ronan and his friend shoved him down the cliff. He died and then…he came back with an Unclaimed Flame.”

Zen’s expression hardened slightly.

“You do not understand what you have brought into this place.”

Lyra didn’t respond. He was right, she didn't understand. All she knew was that he was strong enough to sweep Pelson, the most powerful mage in the kingdom, off his feet like it was nothing.

“I don't, Lord Zen.” She said, “But I know you've taught us to stand for what is right. I stood for what is right.”

Zen shuts his eyes, sometimes he wishes his students didn't take his advice seriously.

“Pelson will come,” he said. “And when he does, he will not come alone.”

“I am certain they didn't see me leave in the fog.”

Zen chuckled, “If nobody saw you, Pelson will.”

The greedy bastard was gifted with the Flame of Time, all he had to do was revisit the incident and he'd have all the answers.

“I have avoided the council for years,” Zen continued. “Stayed out of their games. Their politics. Their control.”

His eyes darkened.

“And now you bring me a boy they will hunt without hesitation.”

Lyra’s voice was steady. “He is not just a boy.”

“I know that!” He said, “From what you've told me, we might have invited the devil himself into our grounds!” Zen said nothing.

A shout echoed from outside drawing both their attention. Lyra exchanged looks with Lord Zen. Could Pelson and his men be here already.

Lyra pulled out her sword, welding it in its eternal flame. The old man exhaled and walked out of the room with Lyra behind him.

Kael was standing right in the center of terrified trainees who surrounded him. Some held swords, others had their hands raised, magic already forming.

Kael’s chest tightened.

“What is this?” he asked, his voice rough.

No one answered him, they only stared, eyes moving from his chest to his hands and then back to those ridiculously golden eyes.

Kael frowned slightly, confused. They all seemed to be staring at his chest. His gaze followed theirs and he froze.

Black and gold patterns stretched across his skin, starting at his collarbone and spreading downward like flames frozen in motion. They twisted along his arms, curling and branching, glowing faintly under the surface.

Kael lifted his hand slowly, staring at it.

“What…” he whispered.

He might not look after himself very often but he knew for a fact this just happened. He would know if he had a drawing done on his body wouldn't he?

A murmur spread through the trainees.

“Those markings…”

“It can’t be…”

Kael looked up sharply. “Someone explain what’s going on!” he pleaded, voice shaking.

First, he woke up in a strange place and now he had strange markings on his body? Is he lost in the world of the insane?

“You tell us.” A voice cut through the tension.

The trainees parted immediately and an older woman stepped forward.

Her hair was white, long and loosely braided down her back. Her robes were lilac, a colour he hasn't seen before. Her eyes, grey and tired, stared right at him. .

Madam Natalie.

She stopped a few steps from Kael, studying him carefully.

“Tell you what? Where…where am I?”

“So,” she said softly. “You are the boy.”

Kael frowned. “What boy?”

“The one who refused to die.”

A flicker of something crossed his face.

“I fell,” Kael said. “That’s all I remember.”

Natalie nodded slightly, as if that confirmed something.

“And yet, you stand.”

Kael’s patience thinned. “What happened to me?”

Natalie stepped closer, her gaze moving over the markings on his chest and arms.

“The better question,” she said, “is what has awakened within you.”

Kael shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I expected as much.” She looked up at him again. “Come with me.”

Kael didn’t move.

“I’m not going anywhere until someone tells me what’s going on.”

Footsteps approached quickly. Lyra and Zen arrived at the edge of the training ground. Lyra’s eyes went straight to Kael and relief flickered across her face.

He was awake.

Zen stopped beside her and his steps slowed on seeing the markings on Kael's body.

“Impossible.” He blurted out.

Kael looked between them, frustration rising again. “Can someone just…”

Zen stepped forward slowly, his eyes never leaving Kael.

“The Unclaimed Flame,” he said quietly.

Natalie nodded. “I knew I felt something powerful last night. When she brought the boy in, I knew it was him.”

“It's impossible.” Lord Zen said, “The last of them was killed centuries ago.”

His eyes landed on Kael's inhumane eyes, “How did you survive for so long?”

Kael frowned. “What do you mean?”

Zen stopped a few feet away.

“It means,” he said, his voice low, “you are in grave danger. You are a danger. Not just to us, but to the realm itself.”

His gaze finally met Kael's, “A lot of people will stop at nothing to see you dead.”