The walls pulsed once with yellow light. That was the signal. Kiri ran up the tunnel full out, her feet flying across the uneven rocky floor. The light of the Sceptre’s open chamber flared up in front of her. This was her first time to enter the chamber, but she didn’t stop to look around. She had a job to do. She took in the form of Useph, straight across from her, and between them the Sceptre, not hanging in the air like in the story Neal had given her, but on the ground, clasped in the hand of an Eldan man who lay with the still and glassy-eyed stare of the dead. Kiri skidded to a stop and dropped to her knees. She slammed her open palm onto the ground, sending her power surging out. A circle of flames sprang up around the Eldan dead and the Sceptre, closing both off not only from Useph, but also Kiri, Garon, and the other Eldan, who all came surging into the chamber behind her.

Useph spun aside as the Eldan woman unleashed an arrow. Its feathers caught fire as it flew through the flames. It clinked harmlessly against the chamber wall. Kiri went one direction, and Garon and the Eldan man the other, all of them circling around the flames toward Useph. The woman fitted another arrow in her bow.

The heat of her own fire threatened to singe Kiri’s hair. She ran dangerously near it on the fastest possible path to Useph. He turned away from her, apparently deciding the two men were more dangerous than one woman. Did he not realize she was the Firebrand? She saw a flash; Useph had thrown something. Garon ducked, but it struck the Eldan man. Trails of ice spread out along his skin from the place the object hit, and he fell to his knees.

Kiri rounded the wall of fire and raised her hand when she gained a clear line to Useph. His head whipped towards her, and his eyes widened in recognition. He threw himself to the ground right at the moment Kiri unleashed her lightning. It struck the wall, blasting off a spray of rock.

Garon ducked the spray, still advancing even while he squinted his eyes in the rock dust. Useph wasn’t getting back to his feet yet and Garon and Kiri surged forward, seeing their opening. Just before they reached him he disappeared, flashing out of existence. He’d used a traveling stone.

Kiri regretted not having caught him, but was relieved at least that they had defended the Sceptre with success. He’d been forced to flee. Her relief didn’t last long.

The Eldan woman screamed out and Kiri, looking toward her, saw that Useph was now standing inside the circle of flame, pulling the Sceptre away from the body of its dead Eldan guardian. Kiri laid her hand on the ground, preparing to extinguish the flame, but before she could act the Eldan woman leaped through the fire.

With the edges of her clothes flickering into flame, the Eldan woman and Useph grappled. She swiped with an arrow in one fist at Useph’s face. He ducked away. She dropped her bow and grabbed the elbow of his arm that was clasping the Sceptre. Useph tried to pull away, but she hung on.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Kiri sucked the flames back with her hand pressed against the cold ground. She and Garon both surged forward again. Useph eyes met Kiri’s-and he was gone, the Eldan woman and the Sceptre with him.

The Sceptre’s last guardian flung himself into the now-empty space, crying out with frustration and pain as the floor.

~

The oppressive knowledge of failure kept Kiri down. Her palm was still pressed against the floor. The room was so still she could hear the sounds of the forest drifting in. The chirping of a bird and the rustling of leaves in wind felt out of place in the chamber. A metallic crash sounded behind her and Kiri jumped and whirled, gathering heat to her hand as fast she could. Garon was standing there. His hatchet was spinning on the ground by the wall where he had clearly just thrown it. Seeing that there was no danger, Kiri could’ve pulled the energy from her hand back into her own body; she knew how to do that safely now. Instead, she shot it at the ceiling. The white lightning splattered against the stone over their heads, scattering tendrils all down the walls. The air crackled as the charge dissipated.

“I know how you feel,” she said, coming over to stand by Garon.

He picked up his axe and slung it on his belt. He gestured at the Eldan guardian, who had crawled over to his fallen companion. His hood was pulled over his head as he knelt by the body.

“I don’t think either of us knows how he feels,” Garon said.

“What do we do now?” Kiri asked.

Garon just shook his head.

“Lot of help you are.” Kiri nudged him with her elbow, and he squeezed her shoulder, not quite tightly enough to hurt. He followed her to the Eldan guardian. They both waited, silent, until finally he spoke.

“We can burn him now, at least,” he said. “He deserved it all along, the highest honors for his sacrifice, but we did not dare. After he took all the danger on himself it would have robbed his gift of meaning if we had become corrupted too.” He got to his feet and added quietly. “If there is any meaning left, now.”

Garon scratched his neck and looked away, uncomfortable.

“You said burn him?” Kiri asked.

“It is how we honor our dead,” the Eldan said. “Now that the evil is gone from here, at least he can have that.”

“How should it be done?” Kiri said. “We will help you.”

“Thank you,” the Eldan said.

“What is his name?” Kiri asked.

“Riulin,” the Eldan man said. “I am Riular.” And he looked away, up at empty space. “And hers is Riulessa.”

“We’ll find her,” Kiri said.

Riular frowned at her. “She will be dead soon,” he said. “He would have used the Sceptre on her. The most we can hope for is that she took him with her, like the High King long ago.”

“We still have to get the Sceptre back,” Garon said.

“That can wait until...after.” Kiri said quickly. “Tell us what you need, Riular.”