by SALSAlys » Tue May 21, 2002 8:02 pm
Kali automatically crouched, not sure if this was friend or foe. She crept backwards slowly, trying her best not to rustle the grass. The pounding of her heart was hardly reassuring, beating like a wild, erratic drum in her ears...
"Girl, I know you're there," said the thing, walking akwardly to Kali, as though it wasn't used to legs. "My lord Fireblaze wishes to speak with you." The words were also strange, stilted slightly, with peculiar hisses or tongue rolls at times, and the lips getting in the way.
"What does he want to talk about?" asked Kali, standing up. She decided that since it already knew she was there, trying to hide would be futile.
And I think I could outrun it, if I threw away the baskets...
"He would like to talk about how long you have been seeing our kind."
"Why?"
"Because it could be important." Even if it wasn't used to a humanoid body, its voice was showing its impatience and annoyance.
"What if I don't want to come?"
"I must take you anyways." The thing continued walking to Kali.
She flung her baskets at it, but the two wooden constructs burst into flame, turned into a pile of drifting ashes before they even touched the ground.
Dear gods no! Kali ran away, cursing every stumble and rock in her path. The thing followed her doggedly, gaining speed as its walk turned into a jog, then a run, the movements becoming more natural with each step it took.
What do I do? What do I do what do I do what do I DO?! She stole a glance behind her... in a few more minutes, the thing could catch her, and she'd end up like those baskets, or imprisoned in some prison of fire...
Kali searched her brain frantically, trying to think of anything that could help her. She could remember a spell... a spell from a story Mrs. Thatcher told her once... What was it? It couldn't be a real spell, or only wizards would know it, but maybe just maybe if it was possible for the child of a whore to see shapes in the fire and be pursued by a creature of the flame then maybe just maybe it was possible that a story could have a true spell in it—
Her desperate train of thought was broken as she tripped again, over a loose pebble. She was sent sprawling onto her belly, trying to land in a roll and gain momentum again.
But those few, precious seconds was enough for it to catch up with her.
Finally, Kali remembered the words.
"I conjure thee,
By wind and wave,
By stormy skies
With heart so brave
To tame the flame
Fight the fire
And reach home safely
By my heart's desire!"
she cried, painfully aware of every forced rhyme and broken cadence, with her fear making her trip over words, stumbling and stuttering so much that it sounded like somebody clapping or snapping their fingers.
The thing stared at her, then broke into laughter. "Oh child, child... you'll amuse Fireblaze greatly. Did you really think I was going to harm you? Or that your nursery rhyme would stop me?" The laughter was surprisingly clear and bright, with none of the clumsiness of the other actions.
It held out a hand, and Kali nodded slowly, reaching for it as it helped her to her feet.
"We'll go to Fireblaze now, and I can be rid of this shell. Here we go..." Spirals of multi-colored flame— gold, amber, turquoise, emerald, orange, and some that Kali couldn't name—
surrounded them, twirling around the two until they cleared away.
"Not as good as a dimensional door, but the fire works just as well," came her escort's comment, but Kali was too busy staring about the new surroundings they were in.
Edited by: [url=http://pub30.ezboard.com/usalsalys.showPublicProfile?language=EN>SALSAlys</A] at: 5/24/02 12:11:46 am