Touch of Flame

Ravina and Bram walked through the long dark tunnel that led to the caves where the different prisoners were chained. The new prisoner got a small cave of his own. As they neared she could hear the clinging of metal chains which meant that he was trying to break them. He stopped when they stepped inside and they caught sight of him. He was barechested in the cold cave but Ravina knew the cold didn't affect dragons.

The prisoner remained still, his dark eyes turning to the entrance and glaring at them with resentment. Ravina had always tried to avoid being near these creatures. She always watched them from a far distance but now she was closer than she had ever been except for that one time. The one time that haunted her. The one time when she lost her parents in front of her eyes. She quickly discarded the memory as it caused her to turn cold and sick. To grow fearful. She didn't want to fear those being. She would bring an end to them. But first, she would bring her sister back.

"What is your name?" Bram asked him.

Ravina flinched when the prisoner took a step forward, the chains allowing him to take a few more if he wished. But they stood out of reach so she didn't have to be fearful.

Bram on the other hand remained unfazed. He had done this many times before.

"Since you made me your pet perhaps you could name me too." The prisoner replied.

Ravina shivered. His voice was as rough as the rest of him. His face was all harsh lines, his body hard muscle, taut at the moment from defying the magnetic force of the graviton. The magnetic metal was attached to his arms and legs and a large one was attached to the wall behind him. The size of the metal told her the force of the pull he was defying was great. He was strong.

"I would prefer to have your name," Bram told him.

"If you insist." The prisoner said. She could hear the sarcasm in his voice. "My name is Malachi."

Bram was about to write something when he paused. Why? Did he know of him?

He looked up from the notebook in his hand. "That is a good name." He said. "Messenger of God."

"It is and I have a message for you. You will die soon."

"And I am guessing you will kill me."

"Good guess." The prisoner said.

Bram ignored the prisoner and turned to her. He gave her a nod to ask her questions. The prisoner shifted his gaze, his dark coffee eyes settling on her blue ones. Ravina froze in place. She could suddenly not bring herself to speak. Her mind went back to the terrors she had witnessed caused by his kind.

"I see…" He began taking a step forward, those intense eyes not leaving hers.

Ravina choked on the scream that rose to her throat but she remained still. Clearly, her anger wasn't enough to help her overcome her fear yet. She couldn't be like this in front of the creature she hated. She couldn't show weakness.

"I like the smell of fear." He said. "It brings me joy."

The smell of fear? What about the screams of fear? The screams his kind had caused.

"I don't doubt it." She said but that was all she managed to say for a while. Time seemed to stand still and then finally she managed to open her mouth again. "Do you recognize me?" She asked.

He tilted his head to one side and seemed mockingly thoughtful while watching her. Ravina's face already twitched with disgust.

"I am not sure." He said but she could tell he was only saying that to annoy her.

"Why did you look at me earlier?"

"I was just being fair. You watched me and I watched you back."

He was still standing straight, counteracting the force of the graviton. At this point, his muscles would grow twice the size.

"Are your kind using human females to breed?" She asked straightforwardly.

"Why?" he raised a brow. "Do you want to become a breed mate?"

Breed mate?

"I hate to compare you to such. Breed mates are honored and respected and you… well, I don't find you fit to carry our offspring." He looked her up and down, his eyes displaying revulsion. "Your hips are too narrow."

She just glared at him.

"All of you. Too fragile. Too scared. I would rather be flogged to death than to have my blood mixed with yours." He said it with disgust.

"You didn't answer my question." She told him.

"I know." He replied making sure she understood he would only reply when he wanted to and how he wanted.

"You hate our kind and don't want our blood mixed with yours, yet you will breed with our females." She tried to get answers in some other way.

"Well, it sounds terrible to breed with the ones who kill us but it also sounds like the greatest revenge. Will the mothers kill their children? Will humans kill half-humans? I understand why some would do it."

"You disgust me." She spat. She was sick to her stomach, her rage almost causing her to shake.

"The feeling is mutual." He said looking her in the eyes.

"I will kill all of you." She promised him.

"No, you won't," he said calmly but his eyes stormed with vengeance. "While you are busy with your experiments, I will kill all of you. You will go to bed every night thinking if that will be your last night and when the night of your death comes, you will ask yourself why you didn't kill me earlier before I burn you to ashes." His voice was low and threatening. "And then the wind will blow your ashes away. There will be nothing left of you. Nothing!"

Ravina felt the cold spread from her fingertips to her whole body.

"Except for perhaps the one you are looking for?"

She stiffened. "You know where she is?"

He sighed. "I am tired of the questions." He let himself get pulled back by the graviton.

"Wait!" She stepped forward but Bram stopped her before she could go any further.

"He is doing it on purpose. Let's go." Bram said.

Ravina knew he was taunting her. He was going to use that information against her but she didn't care at this moment. She wanted to know where her sister was.

Bram took her by the arm and began to lead her away but Ravina resisted.

"Listen to the old man. You don't want to know where she is."

Ravina pulled her arm away. "Where is she?"

"Perhaps in the arms of some dragon or several." He said his smile of the evil ones. "Producing some dragon…"

"Shut up, you monster!" She yelled and before she knew her rage led her closer to him.

He quickly raced threw the distance meeting her halfway but even that didn't scare her. She wanted to kill him! She was so close. If Bram had not caught her and pulled her away the beast would have taken her.

Bram had his arms wrapped around her and almost carried her away while she yelled. "I will kill! I will torture you to death! I will show you what pain is, you monster."

The prisoner was angry she got out of his hands first but as he watched her get dragged away while she yelled threats his expression changed. He looked at her almost surprised but Ravina was too angry to wonder why.

Bram carried her all the way through the tunnel and only released her once they were far away and she had run out of threats. The old man was stronger than she thought.

He put her down and shook her slightly. "What is wrong with you? You almost got yourself killed?"

Tears streamed down her face. "Did you hear him? My sister…"

"Nothing is sure. He just wanted to hurt you."

"I don't know. But if she is not a breeding stock then she is dead." She wiped her tears away returning to her composed self. "Tell me, which one is better? Which one should I wish for my sister?"

Bram wore a sad frown.

"We shared everything. Even our mother's womb and then one day she was just gone. If she was alright, she would look for me. She wouldn't just leave me. She would feel the emptiness that I feel."

Bram put his arm around her to lead her back to the Zenith. He was quiet. He was not a man to offer empty consolations that could turn out wrong. He knew this world they lived in had more bad things in store than good ones.