Touch of Flame

Punish him?

Oh, she had wanted to do that. She had wanted to punish them all and then herself, her last punishment being to disappear from this world.

Disappear. That was still a dream. One she had been close to achieving and that she would have probably achieved if not for a bigger dream. To see her sister.

Malachi looked at her bruised ankle while Nako came back with a bowl of cold water with ice. Ravina was sure he didn’t give her instructions on how to prepare it but he took the bowl and then lifted her feet, placing it under.

“Endure a b…”

She just sat her feet in the cold water without flinching. She needed it. The pain or whatever else it was. The sense of punishing oneself. Painful yet soothing. She just had to fight the soft sigh that threatened to escape her lips.

Malachi looked up at her, disturbingly so from being on his knees. She didn’t know why this always bothered her.

“You are careless.”

“I know.”

“Then…” he pressed his lips together into a thin line to stop himself and then took a deep breath.

“It is fine. You can scold me if you want. You sound like my fath…unc..le?” She frowned, remembering all the times her uncle scolded her. It was so similar to her father. Her uncle was not the type to scold.

She shook her head. What was she trying to say? Of course, her uncle was not the same man and she did many things worth scolding for.

He lifted her feet off the water and then wrapped his warm hand around her toes.

Holding her toes warm he dipped her feet back into the water again. The rest of her froze except for the toes. He knew how circulation worked.

“Why were you crying?” he asked.

Because of your bastard brother, she thought but she couldn’t say it of course. The last thing she needed was to be seen as someone eager to cause a fight between brothers. She was already the enemy.

Her head throbbed in worse pain. Malachi looked up for an answer.

“Is it me?” He asked.

“No.”

“Is it Aaron then?”

“No! You should not ask a lady too many questions about something she does not wish to share. Don’t you know simple courtesy?”

He blinked at her sudden outburst. She could hear the eerie silence that followed.

“My apologies. A savage like myself is still learning proper behavior. I did not mean to be intrusive, My Lady.” He spoke eloquently.

Ravina snorted, placing a hand over her mouth. She tried to hold back her laughter but wasn’t successful.

“Oh, please.” She laughed and he looked at her confused. “Never talk like that again.”

She threw her head back, laughing. The language did not suit him. He sounded so funny. She even imagined him wearing their clothes and bowing which made her laugh even more.

Malachi wore a confused smile on his face.

“Oh, that was funny.” She breathed, rubbing her eyes as her headache worsened.

“You laugh at odd things,” he said shaking his head. Then he pulled her leg out before it turned numb. He tried to gently massage the bruise.

“Does it hurt?”

“No.”

“I can’t trust you with pain,” he sighed.

“Not all pain feels bad,” she admitted.

He looked at her warily. “I would agree if we weren’t talking about a bruised ankle. Not even that. I don’t know what this is turning into.” His eyes became deadly serious. “You have to stop Ravina. I mean it.”

Or what? She wanted to ask. She so badly needed somewhere to release her anger but she bit her lip instead. Leaning back she closed her eyes, her heart beating in rhythm with the pain in her head. Her mind went briefly back to her sister, to the last time she saw her.

They were running from dragons, just after witnessing their parent’s death. Ravina hadn’t known her feet managed to carry her but for Corinna, she had to do it. Soldiers protected them from behind as they tried to make it back to the carriage.

Corinna gave up, tears streaming down her face. Ravina knows what happened at that moment. What was the point of running? They were better off dead.

“What are you doing?!” Ravina grabbed her arm and pulled her away with force. Now was not the time to cry.

She dragged her sister who couldn’t see the way anymore. The carriage was no longer where she had expected it to be and the road was blocked by houses that burned to the ground. They took a turn but the road was almost blocked there as well.

Ravina was not going to give up. She pulled her sister. “You have to climb.” She told her to get to the other side.

Corinna shook her head, tears falling.

Ravina grabbed both her arms. “Listen to me! We need to leave. Do you want me to die here?”

She shook her head.

“Then focus. Here step on my hand.”

Corinna stepped on her hand, grabbing the large stones she climbed over the broken house to get to the other side.

“Ravina?” Her voice trembled as she looked back. The screams came closer. “Don’t wait for me. Run! I will be right behind you.”

Corinna hesitated. “Run!” Ravina yelled.

****

Darcy was running for her life. She knew the beastly creatures were close. She slowed down,. Why was she not catching up?

She stopped and looked behind. Suddenly everything caught fire.

“Ravina!” A scream erupted from her throat and she shot her eyes open.

Heart pounding the room seems to sway around her. Ravina? Her sister? Sweat and tears ran down her temples. She left her sister behind? How could she? She sat up, having difficulty breathing, and then she remembered, her sister, the coldhearted princess was alive.

She let out a breath of relief. She didn’t die that day although she wasn’t sure how she suddenly remembered it. What day was it? They seemed to still be young.

But… she looked over at where Russell lay. If Ravina was indeed her sister then… her father was dead.

He was dead!