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Chapter 29: A Fiery Revenge

“Flamenca!”

This rage, this anger, it was a new kind of heat Keahi hadn’t experience before. It was so intense, so painful. He didn’t like it; his body trembled, his heart thundered in his chest and his head was spinning.

And those emotions increased tenfold when he spied his arrogant cousin, standing in the middle of a sacred chamber, looking calm and collected. Utterly conceited.

“There you are, cousin,” Flamenca said smoothly, glancing to look at him over her shoulder, a gut-wrenching smile on her lips.

Keahi felt his face burn with fury.

“You’ve gone too far!” he yelled at her from across the room. “How dare you attack Bharath in order to get to me?” His body trembling, he lowered his head, his hair covering his eyes as he spoke through gritted teeth. “I’ll never forgive you.”

“It’s your fault, dearest cousin,” Flamenca replied in a matter-of-fact and superior tone. She flicked her hair over her shoulder as she finally turned to face him fully, her sash hanging casually over her arms. “When you tried to turn the fire against me.”

Keahi snapped his head up, his anger momentarily subduing from confusion. “Turn the fire against you?” he repeated. “What are you talking about?”

Flamenca’s calm facade faltered, her eyes flashing in anger, a sneer on her lips. “Don’t play innocent!” she snapped, before suddenly calming herself, clearing her throat and folding her arms under her bust.

Then, she smiled a smile that brought a shiver to Keahi’s spine.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said as she slowly pulled her sash from around her, holding it in one hand as the other rested on her hip. “Prepare for pain.”

A sense of undeniable dread washed over Keahi and he found himself nearly choking on a gasp. There was no mistaken what emotion was in her eyes, eyes that were darker than he had seen them before. The air around him suddenly felt heavy, cold and very, very dark. Ominous was probably a better word. It was thick and daunting.

He had felt this once before, at the village, the huts on fire…

She was going to fight him. She was going to attack him.

“Nup!” Masou’s voice unexpectedly cut through the tension, the ominous feeling as though he wasn’t feeling the pressure at all. Almost like he was immune to it, or something. His voice caused Keahi to literally reel his head back in shock, blinking dazedly as he turned toward the sound of the voice.

Then, just as sudden as the menacing aura had fallen over him, a sense of calm soothed him.

Placing himself directly in front of Keahi, Masou stood tall; his shoulders back, his head held high. “Enough of that, I think.”

Flamenca was equally startled by Masou’s presence, and soon her haughty expression disappeared, utter seething hatred taking it’s place. “You...” she literally snarled.

“Masou,” Keahi said, his voice a whisper as he reached out with his hand, his fingers gripping at the back of his shirt. “What are you doing?”

He knew Masou was a powerful FireBrand, but so was Bharath, and he had never seen Bharath in such a state before. It scared him. No, it terrified him. He didn’t want Masou to suffer the same fate…all because of him.

He wouldn’t be able to stand it.

“You know,” Masou started to speak, his voice seemingly light and carefree, yet Keahi was able to sense something within his tone. He couldn’t quite put his finger on the right word, but Masou seemed…frustrated? Annoyed? Livid?

“All I can hear from you is whine, whine, whine, bitch, bitch, bitch,” Masou said as he flapped his hand as his eyes rolled up to look at the ceiling. Clearly, he wasn’t even remotely impressed with the woman before him. He then shook his head and folded his arms across his chest. “Is that all you can do?”

For a short moment, Flamenca said nothing as she openly gaped at Masou, kinda like a fish out of water expression. Then, her eye gave a very telling twitch and her jaw clenched, an obvious sign that she was gritting her teeth and about to get very, very angry.

Keahi unconsciously moved forward, both of his hands now grasping at Masou’s back.

“You don’t know who the hell you are dealing with so back off!” Flamenca actually shrilled, her lithe body tensing in such a way that it appeared as if it was painful. “This battle is none of your business!”

Masou had the audacity to look indignant, unfolding his arms and resting his hands on his hips. “Well now, that’s no way for a Fire Princess to speak to one of her people,” he chided. “Nor is it to challenge a relative to a battle right after attacking one of his closest friends.” His expression suddenly turned distinctively darker, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “Inside of the sacred Fire Temple.”

“I don’t care what his wishes are,” Flamenca hissed as her arm, the one holding her battle sash, lashed out to the side, her eyes focusing solely on Masou. “And for my people, they are here to serve me for whatever I desire. It is what the Fire God wants.”

If at all possible, Masou’s usually light and carefree gaze turned hard and dark, and Keahi felt his body tense underneath his hands.

“...Really now?” His voice, it was so…stone-like. It sent a shiver down Keahi’s spine and he could have sworn he saw a flicker of unease flash in Flamenca’s eyes. “We’ll see about that. You will be battling me. If you can’t defeat me, then there’s no chance you can defeat Keahi.”

Keahi was immediately overcome with fear, his body tensing as he pushed him further against Masou’s back. “Masou!”

Masou, however, simply looked at him over his shoulder, a small and reassuring smile on his lips. “Sit tight, Beautiful, this won’t take long.”

Keahi felt his shoulders drop, the fear he felt before somehow not as strong as it was before. He then felt a sense of peace, as if everything was going to be ok. “Masou...” he whispered as he slowly took a step back, giving the talented FireBrand before him some room to battle.

Masou sent him another reassuring smile before he turned his full attention back to Flamenca, his posture taking on a domineering stance. “Fire in the Moonlight - Elusive Flame!”

The very second those words left his lips, a burst of flames erupted around Masou’s feet, the fires crackling and sparking in a manner that seemed to be reflecting Masou’s intense desire and need to win this battle.

And, again, Keahi felt reassured by that.

“Fine,” Flamenca spat, her face creased deeply in an expression of pure malice. “Once I’m done with you, Keahi will be next.”

Wrapping her sash around her shoulders, Flamenca did a pirouette before bowing forward lowly. “Deathly Ribbon Dance - Flame Shadows!”

As she stood up, an ominous, heated wind reared up suddenly, flames darker than Keahi had ever experienced circling Flamenca’s feet, licking at her bare legs and arms. And Keahi immediately felt fatigued and sick to his stomach. He literally doubled over as pain rushed through him. It was hard to breath.

“T-that’s a Dark Fire attack?” he said breathlessly, peering through his hair and over the Spell Binding Circle’s flames at his cousin. “You’re using Dark Fire?”

Then, it dawned on him and his hand flew up to cover his mouth, a dry heave getting stuck in his throat and he crumbled to his knees. “Oh my God, those villagers…”

She killed them. His own cousin, the Fire Princess, killed her own people.

“I see...” Masou’s voice was heard over the flames, a voice that held no shock or surprise. “No wonder you defeated Bharath so easily, he was caught off guard, I am sure.”

Through the darkened flames, Flamenca smirk so maliciously. “I’m not done yet,” she coolly stated, lifting her arm out to her side, slowly pulling her sash around her slender frame. “I call upon the Forbidden Flames of Lady Hellfire - Brazen Fire, Adar Askook!”

When Keahi saw two of the darkest eyes appear within the Spell Binding Circle’s flames, he scrambled to his feet. The need to run away was almost overwhelming. Almost. But, instead he moved forward, toward Masou.

“Masou!”

“Stay behind me!” Masou ordered sharply, throwing out his arm to literally push Keahi behind him, within the safety of his protective circle. He then took a half-step forward, his other hand hovering a few inches in front of his eyes. He waited for a mere second, watching as Flamenca’s Fire Beast manifested fully. Now in the shape of a dark and red cobra, the beast circled its master, its head towering high above the room. Keahi trembled and pressed himself closer to Masou.

And then, Masou called for his own Fire Beast.

“Fire Along the Sky Set the Darkness Ablaze - Hail of Lava, Ashkenaz Oboth!”

A flash of blinding light filled the room, overtaking all senses. Then, heat; all consuming, fiery, totally domineering heat surrounded everyone, touching everything. And within all that fire and flames, a pair of eyes, as golden as the sun, peered out. The shape of a dragon’s face, like the ones Keahi had read about in books, began to form. The flames slowly shifting and forming an elongated face, wise and regal, but powerful and superior.

And yet, only the fire dragon’s head was seen within the flames, it’s body as one with the fires that burned so strongly.

It was then that Keahi realised that Adar Askook, Flamenca’s Fire Beast, was no longer visible. In fact, her Spell Binding Circle had weakened considerably.

Keahi had learnt through his studies that the Fire Dragon was the most powerful of Fire Beast, but he had no idea that it could suppress and defeat another beast with its presence alone.

Flamenca nearly collapsed to her knees, but was able to hold herself upright. Then, with a look of disbelief and fear, she lolled her head back to look straight up at the massively large Fire Beast. “What?” she gasped.

“Ashkenaz Oboth?” Keahi breathed, all fear leaving him. “The Fire Dragon?”

This power, the intensity of the flames; he felt all this before. After the battle he had against Flamenca in the Council chamber and then in the village when he tried to save that child.

This Fire Dragon was the one who…protected him, who saved him.

“Masou, you were…?”

Masou glanced over his shoulder at him once again, a smile adorning his lips. “Surprised, beautiful?” He jokingly asked before his gaze softened. “I told you I would protect you.”

Unable to find his voice, Keahi could only stare into Masou’s eyes as the intensity of his realisation settled upon him. No way…No way a mortal man could be this powerful!

“How could you, a mere peasant, possess a Fire Dragon?!” Flamenca suddenly demanded as she struggled to regain her composure and posture, but only succeeding in gaining Masou’s attention once more.

“You’re making me lose my temper,” Masou said with a terse voice. “You’ve lost your spirit due to your own petty greed. You seek power, power you will never possess. You are too selfish, too ignorant and much too arrogant! You do not deserve the right to be a FireBrand!”

Abruptly, Masou lashed out an arm toward Flamenca, the flames increasing in size and intensity as he did so. “Four Sorceries of Lava!”

Absolute fear was the only emotion on Flamenca’s face as the Fire Dragon began to descend, its mouth opening slowly. The way it moved was slow and deliberate, the room quaking from its forceful power.

“What are you-?” Flamenca murmured, paling considerably as the Fire Dragon’s head, its mouth open wide now, appeared directly above her.

“S-sorceries of Lava?” Keahi stuttered. “How-?”

With the Fire Dragon now above Flamenca, Masou closed his hand, signalling the end of this battle. “Flames of Exile!”

The Fire Dragon closed its mouth – around Flamenca! No longer seen, the scream Flamenca made was almost drowned out by the crackles and sparks of the flames that had engulfed the entire chamber.

Then, as Masou made a clicking motion with his hand, the fires disappeared. The room was clean and undamaged, as though a life threatening battle never occurred. And Keahi, though having lived through, wondered himself if it really happened. It was so surreal now. Like a dream.

But looking at Flamenca, lying face first on the floor, her hair matted and her skin covered in soot, told him that it wasn’t a dream. At first, he wondered if she was dead and a tiny part of him, although he knew it was wrong, was hoping that she was. Then, she started to move, moaning in pain.

“You are no longer a FireBrand nor a Fire Dancer,” Masou said with a level voice as he stepped forward, moving closer to Flamenca until he was standing over her. “You do not deserve the privilege.”

“Wha…?” Flamenca’s voice was gravelly and hoarse, the Fire Princess struggling to push herself to her knees. “What did you do to me?”

Masou levelled her with an intense look as he spoke. “I took away your ability to use Fire Magic.”

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