Chapter 4-Empowerment

Luareth gapped at Tingit's uncaring explanation when another more sinister and less compassionate voice interrupted them. "Imagine my luck," the voice echoed through the tunnel and sent shivers up and down Luareth's voice, "I find the one right here, protected by two weaklings. Surrender her now, and I might let you live."

Tingit laughed, "Show yourself, you coward, and burn in my fire."

"Brave words coming from an infant," a booted foot stepped into the clearing. As the rest of the body came into view, Luareth caught her breath. This new person's outfit was identical to Nessi's, except this person's outfit was blood red.

"I know you," Tingit gasped, "you're the Embermage."

"Give this man a prize," the figure hissed, "now give me mine."

Elah stood up, "Leave us alone. Nessi is around here somewhere and if you harm us you'll have to answer to her."

"Perhaps," the figure concluded, "but she's not here now. Give the One to me or feel my wrath."

Another one of Tingit's Firebeasts answered the question nicely. The Embermage pointed to it and the air cracked as lightning engulfed the beast. A small hydra appeared, a dragon on most accounts, it made up for not being able to fly with its many heads that writhed in fury. The Embermage pointed to the ground below the hydra. The ground cracked and split, sending the hydra falling out of sight. Suddenly the fissure erupted with light and as the light dimmed, the hydra rose again. It was now bigger, nearly filling up the space, and had two pumping golden feathered wings. The fissure disappeared.

Tingit smiled at Elah, "We make a good team, you and I." Elah just shook her head. A flash brought their attention back to the hydra, now a vapor trail, and the Embermage's smoking hands. He showed some exertion, panting lightly through his smile.

A new energy surged within Luareth; hate mixed with disgust encompassed with a burning wrath. She was tired; tired of being fought over, tired of being helpless, but now felt certain that none of that would happen any more. She threw her hands upwards and green light flooded the passage. When the light subsided, Luareth smiled at the Embermage, who stepped back uncertainly.

Tingit and Elah glanced at each other, but their amazement was cut short by a rumbling from the darkness of the tunnel. Behind the three youths, a large green lizard, its head alone the size of a man's torso, charged forward. Its face structure was that of a chimpanzee but twisted with reptilian rage. Its teeth gnashed as it charged forward.

The Embermage laughed silently at the sheer incompetence of the upstarts as the air popped and a surge of lightning engulfed the lizard. The Embermage's grin melted away as the attack bounced off the thick hide and fizzled into the tunnel's walls. He launched a torrent of flame and lightning attacks, all of which rebounded harmlessly into the dirt walls of the tunnel. Sapping his own strength, the Embermage summoned the fissure again. To his relief, the lizard sunk into the abyss.

As he sighed and fell to one knee, the ground below him exploded. The shower of dirt and blood subsided within moments, leaving no trace of the attacking creature or the Embermage. A red sprite flittered through the air. It bumbled through the air to look into Tingit's eyes. After a moment, it erratically spun to Elah, who tried to crawl away from it. Not satisfied, the sprite flew straight into Luareth's stomach.

Luareth stood for a moment, gasping for air against the burning sensation that saturated her soul. Then the burning was gone, and Luareth felt alive like she had never felt before. Her senses expanded, her breathing was easier, and her mind was focused; it was like she had woken up, awakened more somehow.

"Well, I couldn't find him," Nessi came up and stood where the Embermage had stood, "Oh, I guess he found you first."

Tingit was strangely cool, given Elah's terrified mindset, "That's Luareth's fault, she got the ability to summon creatures and then that fire thing. . . "

"Then it has begun," Nessi said, as if that would mean something to the rest of them, "We must find the fifth so a decision can be made."

"No," Luareth stepped backward against the tunnel wall and looked straight into Nessi's eyes, "I'm tired of being dragged around. Tell me what is going on."

"I sense now that you have power, so you can make a hefty threat," Nessi replied methodically, "but you lack the will to back up that threat. You're becoming hard to transport so you should know why this is happening. You are the one of this generation who can steal powers. By killing you, a mage takes your power, as you took the Embermage's, and stops you from taking away their power in the first place. Gather round, we have one more stop we must make."

"How do I know I can trust you?" Luareth asked with a sizable edge in her voice, "Why aren't you trying to kill me like the rest of them?"

"You don't," Nessi hissed, "but you have no other way out of here. Your creatures can't dig you out of here and you have to stick around to find out why I'm not trying to kill you, but maybe I am. You don't know."

Luareth sighed. Nessi was right, she didn't know. Her newfound power was not a quick solution. She had to submit to Nessi's power again. Nessi worked another spell to teleport the three of them to another place, Luareth knew, but she didn't know where. As she felt the energy surround her, she fell into a fevered dream.

Luareth strolled a forest path of her youth, stress oozed out of her pores and she could feel the tension melting away. She waded through rich green puddles of light that studded the earthen path. Birds and animals chattered, Luareth knew that it was congratulations for her. Her vision and senses flowed throughout the forest and throughout the animals of the forest. She was a part of the forest. No, the forest was a part of her. She governed the creatures, as savior and server, and plants of the forest. In return, the forest saturated her soul with life.

A gray wolf leapt by her side and she smiled. This animal was unlike any other, Luareth knew that and she felt the connection of power between the wolf and the forest. As she continued walking, she came to a clearing. In the short grass, rabbits and birds stopped jumping and paused to identify her. All of their senses on her, and a strange power welled up in her and they hurriedly scampered away.

A red figure stepped out the clearing. Luareth had felt he was there, knew the corruption was there but still she was surprised. The red figure materialized into an ancient skeleton, ghostly white yet animated. Its jaw quivered and a voice reverberated around the forest, "See the power you have gained and the power you will lose."

Luareth quivered with fury at the insult to the living. Anger welled up within her and she grasped it, "You have made a mockery of life for too long." Luareth listed, a might tremor that started in her legs and vibrated up as orange flame gathering and condensing in her own hands. Luareth shrieked with fury as the flame dispersed and bathed the forest.

The figure disappeared and she raced after it. She rushed headlong a path she had never seen before, knowing that the black figure was around the next curve. In her wake and along side her, animals, danced with flame, withered and writhed. Suddenly the wolf was by her side, "Why did you bring this on us? You should protect us."

"Show me how," Luareth pleaded, "I don't know how to control this."

"Then you are the enemy and you must fall." The wolf's teeth lodged into Luareth's thigh, sending Luareth sprawling to the ground. Luareth could only weep as she felt claws and flames graze her back.

Luareth writhed in her sleep for a moment and went into a black sleep. She remembered a flame and forest, a wolf and danger.