The Feral Flames

I followed Ignitus back into the creepy statue room. He was saying, "The style you use with your fire is crude, archaic and obvious," – Gee, nice – "yet you get the job done."

Was that a compliment or not? I had no idea.

"Not bad, considering you haven't been taught anything about what it means to be a dragon."

I sincerely hoped being a dragon was not dependant on being a constant pessimist, because I absolutely refuse to think that way.

"Thanks," I said uncertainly, "I think..."

"But if you're going to have a chance against the General and his army, you are going to have to learn a whole lot more."

"Oh good, school," Sparx quipped sarcastically.

I had never attended school, for the obvious reasons: I couldn't fit in the tree stump it was held in or fly with the class in the flying lessons. That was what they did – they learned how to fly, basics indoors and practicing outside. Sparx had assured me I wasn't missing anything.

Ignitus leaned towards Sparx. "Unlike any school you've ever known, young friend."

Sparx had absolutely despised school, so it was either very good that this was different, or very bad. I wasn't sure which.

Ignitus looked at me. "Now it's time to unleash the true dragon within you."

Well, it sounded like this would be interesting, if nothing else.

Ignitus continued. "Each of the remaining guardians is master of an element."

I stared in both shock and slight relief as the creepy statue began to sink into the floor, rumbling ominously and shaking the entire room. How was that even possible?

"I am, as you may have surmised, the master of fire," he said. "Pay attention and someday you may be as well."

The statue was now completely under and the floor closed up over its head, leaving a very empty, very large room.

"You seem to have learned the ability to breathe fire on your own; that's very impressive." He nodded and two fully mobile dummies seemed to pop out of the ground. They looked like just apes, only made of straw and fabric.

"Allow me to observe what you have learned thus far," he finished.

I knew immediately what was required of me. I toasted the dummies, grateful they did not have fur to burn. I hated the scent of singed fur. I had to admit, I was thoroughly enjoying this. They were defeated all too easily, though they left some of those strange gems behind, which I used to revitalize myself.

"Very good, young dragon," Ignitus said when I'd finished with them. "This time, see if you can chase them down with your fire breath."

This was easy enough, and fun too.

Once I had deep-fried the last of them, Ignitus smiled. "You awaken my hopes once more."

For the next task he had me do, I had to knock them into the air, which was nearly impossible due to the placing of my horns. I had to tip my head down as far as possible before flipping it up and catching the thing on my horns, then throwing my head back.

Then I had to do it again, but then jump after them and kill them in mid air. That took a bit of practice. I wasn't used to staying in the air for so long. After that, I was asked to horn dive.

"How?" I asked irritably.

"Jump," Ignitus explained. "Then, as you come down, simply hit them with your–"

"Forehead?" I asked irritably, then sighed. "I'm sorry, Ignitus, but I can't." I pointed my chin down so he had a good view of my silver-marked forehead. "My horns are too small and they point backwards."

"You are correct," Ignitus agreed, looking a little abashed. "I apologize, young dragon. I am accustomed to teaching fire dragons, whose horns are nearly always upright."

So he skipped any tasks that involved head-butting and continued instead with more of knocking the enemy up into the air – again and again and again – only with a slightly different style each time. It was getting a little aggravating, until finally he gave me a new task. This time, it was throwing balls of fire.

Now, that was fun – at least, after I figured out how to direct it correctly. I had to make the smallest possible opening with my mouth in order to make the ball of fire, and then envision exactly where I wanted it to land. I had to do several slightly different forms of that before proceeding.

After those were done, I heard Ignitus say, "Now for the real challenge."

Uh oh.

At Ignitus' request, I went out to the middle of the room, right where the statue usually was.

"You have demonstrated the ability to control and manipulate fire," he told me. "It is clear you have a strong kinship with the flame, but now it is time to unleash its full fury."

I wondered if that was what he had done when he had unleashed that huge wall of fire. I grinned; that was what I had looked forward to learning most.

"Feel the fire consume you, flow through you and, when you need it the most, you must allow it to release itself."

I had to kill more dummies, but, unlike before, they released a new purple gem and when I absorbed them I had a strange sense that something was growing inside me. More and more power was gained from the purple gems, until I felt like I was ready.

I removed the block inside me that was holding that power back; the very force of it was lifting me off the ground.

I was suddenly enveloped in an orange light.

Though what happened next was over in a few seconds, it felt like an eternity to me. My whole body heated up, fire burned my veins, and I thought I heard a harsh, feral voice inside me say, 'Release it.'

'Who...?'

'I am fire. You called me, didn't you?'

'But fire isn't alive...'

'Fire is born, it grows and it dies, not unlike any plant or animal. Nothing can control it. It can be caged and it can die, but it is alive. No one can control it. Ask for its aid, yes, but if you take fire too lightly, you will get burned,' the voice warned. 'Now, release it.'

'Yes,' I said weakly and suddenly I was the fire. I took in the oxygen around me and expanded. I was so hungry; fire was always hungry. And it was free.

I felt the fire that was me, and yet wasn't me, expand, eagerly devouring the straw dummies. It almost had Sparx, too, who had flown closer, perhaps worried about me when I had risen off the ground. But I was the fire, somehow.

'No,' I said, 'not him.' Even as the fire washed over him, my confused brother hovered, and the untamed fire reluctantly left him untouched. The entity that was me and yet wasn't me accepted this.

But though the feral ravenous power wanted more, it finally conceded and returned to within me. I threw up every barrier I could, so that it would not escape again without my leave, and collapsed, breathing hard against the floor. Somehow I managed to drag myself to the edge of the room.

The creepy statue rose once more from the floor, and I barely stayed awake long enough to hear Ignitus say I may at last sleep for the night.