《Spark of War - Chapters begin Jan 13, 2025》


 Spark of War - Chapter 1 – Need to Know

If you¡¯re reading this, there¡¯s something you need to know. To understand. I¡¯m here to destroy everything you love. To bring your civilization to ruin.


    And there¡¯s nothing you can do to stop it.


    Stolen story; please report.

 Spark of War - Chapter 2 – Sibling Rivalry

    El hit the ground hard. So hard her butt bounced, twice, and she slid three feet back coming to a stop.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Anella, you can do better than that,¡± Nexin said. Her brother only used her full name when he wanted to get a rise out of her. It was working.


    She stood with a grunt¡ªor was it a snarl?¡ªand snapped her wrist out to the side. Three feet of flaming blade erupted to life from the electrum hilt in her hand. El didn¡¯t bother with the shield on her left wrist; Nexin had gone around it like it wasn¡¯t even there in their last exchange.


    Crouching into Flames over Water, blade held at a low angle behind her, she glared daggers at her arrogant brother. The nearby crowd had grown to over twenty strong, but she ignored them. Any distraction against her brother would end the bout in a heartbeat. His arrogance was well-earned.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a new one for you,¡± he said playfully, his empty hands spinning as liquid flame rolled out and took the shape of a long halberd. Bastard didn¡¯t need to use the electrum foci she did. ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready,¡± he taunted, dropping low and extending the halberd in Fire Rising to the Sky.


    ¡°You¡¯re going down this time,¡± El growled and flared the electrum nubs on her shoulders, gouts of flame in the briefest shape of wings billowing out for a heartbeat, and she hurtled forward like a streaking comet. Boots skimmed a hair¡¯s breadth above the floor, stomach muscles strained, and she twisted at her core mid-air. Her sword sparked along the ground as she brought it up in a lightning-quick arc to catch the halberd and slam it aside.


    Except Nexin stepped out of the way like he knew it was coming, and El flashed past him. Her hard-soled boots skidded as she landed and spun, flaring her wings again to halt her momentum, then whipped her sword up to block Nexin¡¯s overhand chop.


    He moved in impossibly fast, not even using his wings, and flame struck flame in a shower of embers. It was everything El could do to keep that halberd¡¯s edge at bay, strike after strike coming faster and faster. Her blade whirled as she parried; one above, two on her left, above again, three on the right, two below. Sparks rained down around them, filling her vision like a swarm of lazy fireflies as she tracked his weapon. But the blade itself was a feint, and he snapped his hips around in a powerful low roundhouse kick.


    Barely in time, her leg came up reflexively to block his kick, shin to shin. Even through the magic of her usually invisible flame armor, barely more than a shimmer as it converted the kinetic energy to radiant heat, agony lanced up her leg like he¡¯d split the bone down the middle. El clenched her teeth to stop from crying out. Her armor was strong enough to stop a horse¡¯s kick without even tickling. Pain like that¡­ just how strong was her brother?


    El had no choice but to retreat, to double-step back, and again, her leg barely supporting her weight. By the Pyre that hurt! Her blade scarcely kept up with Nexin¡¯s attacks, but she was keeping up, and she met her brother¡¯s eyes with defiance. She would beat him this time!


    Nexin smirked.


    His halberd split down the middle, suddenly two sinuous swords that lashed out in a blur.


    El ducked the first, parried the second, rolled out of the way of the third, and ignited her shield to parry the fourth aimed straight for her wide eyes. It still hit her with the force of a battering ram and threw her back fifteen feet. What absurd strength! No sooner had she landed than Nexin was almost on top of her again, the twin swords replaced by a maul with a head the size of large dog.


    She was too off-balance to try to dodge it, and with her leg practically numb beneath her, she¡¯d never be able to completely block the blow. The best she could hope for was a simultaneous hit. El planted her feet and raised her shield over her head, bracing for the impact.


    ¡°Come on!¡± she shouted and snapped her sword around under her shield to take Nexin at the knees.


    But he¡¯d expected that too, and leapt into the air. Instead of the maul¡¯s titanic impact, his foot landed almost gently on her flaming shield, before he kicked off and flipped over backward. El watched, wide-eyed and awed as her brother¡¯s weapon once again shifted forms. Even without his wings activated, he seemed to hang in the air, like he was meant to be there. His right arm pulled back on the string of the fiery bow, a ballista-bolt-like-arrow drawn and ready, and he smiled.


    ¡°Burn it all,¡± El cursed, half respect, half frustration, and poured all her power into her shield.


    It wasn¡¯t nearly enough.


    The arrow hit with a blinding flash and an explosion that threw everybody back, El and the watching crowd included. Her shield disintegrated like paper, and her body finally stopped rolling on the other side of the room. Like a stone baked in the sun, small trails of smoke rose from her flame armor, the only thing between her and oblivion, as she pushed herself up to hands and knees. Now it wasn¡¯t just her leg that hurt. In fact, it hurt the least.


    ¡°Better.¡± Nexin offered his hand.


    She grudgingly took it and let him pull her to his feet. ¡°You cheat,¡± she groaned, then flipped her hair out of her face. Burn it, even her hair hurt. And was it smoldering?


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Being able to use whatever weapons you want without a focus, I¡¯m sure that¡¯s cheating.¡±


    ¡°Just means you need to practice more,¡± he said, throwing one arm over her shoulders and patting her head with the other. Putting out the flames?Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll ever be as good as you,¡± a silky-sweet voice said from behind them.


    El turned to Laze with a scowl. Her best friend didn¡¯t even blink, round eyes only seeing Nexin.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± El said flatly.


    ¡°Aw, don¡¯t be like that, Laze,¡± Nexin said, and mussed the girl¡¯s short hair. ¡°You¡¯ve both come a long way.¡±


    Laze blushed from the tips of her toes to the tops of her ears.


    ¡°Sir, thank you for taking the time to give our squad such an educational demonstration,¡± Faled said with a formal salute. Always so stiff.


    ¡°At ease soldier,¡± Nexin said. ¡°Happy to help.¡±


    ¡°Happy to trounce your little sister in front of her whole squad, more like,¡± El added and elbowed him in the ribs. That was more than she¡¯d been able to do in their bout. Would she ever score a hit? Eighteen years of challenging her big brother, only two years her senior, and she¡¯d never once even landed a genuine hit. Not with a stick in their youth, not with swords in their adulthood.


    ¡°Little of both,¡± he conceded. ¡°So, what did you learn?¡± Nexin turned to the others in the room, the teacher in him coming out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bet on El?¡± one offered.


    Surprisingly, Nexin shook his head. ¡°In that final exchange, did any of you see what El did? How she used her wings without using her wings?¡±


    ¡°You mean that burst of speed?¡± Faled asked.


    ¡°Exactly! Flaring your wings gives you thirty to fifty percent more thrust than when you have them active, but that power increase only lasts a few seconds, and it¡¯s hard to pull off. If you¡¯re new to it, it¡¯s a lot like sprinting, so you need to practice, but it¡¯s worth the effort. Plus, by flaring her wings like she did, she kept a card hidden up her sleeve for the surprise attack.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t look surprised,¡± Laze pointed out.


    ¡°Where do you think I learned it?¡± El confessed. ¡°Saw him do it a few weeks back, been trying to copy it ever since.¡±


    Nexin spun El around so that her back faced the group, and pointed at the small electrum nubs on her shoulder blades. ¡°Most soldiers need to concentrate to bring their wings out, to ignite them. Once they do, it¡¯s effortless to keep them out, or to use them to fly. But that ignition time is a weakness, even if it¡¯s only a few seconds. An opening that our enemies have learned to look for. What El did, flaring them, that eliminates that weakness.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the different between igniting and flaring?¡± Faled asked, others in the unit nodding at the question.


    ¡°When El flared her wings, did you see them take shape?¡± Nexin asked. There were a few puzzled looks, and then people shook their heads. ¡°So, when we talk about igniting, we¡¯re talking about giving shape to our flames. Whether it¡¯s weapons...¡± Nexin ignited a sword in his hand, then let it vanish. ¡°Or our wings. It¡¯s the constant use of our magic.


    ¡°Now, with flaring, we sacrifice form for power. It¡¯s just a raw torrent of energy. No concrete shape, and we can¡¯t make it last. But, before you get to using flares in combat, you need to be able to instantly ignite your wings.


    ¡°El, bring ¡¯em out,¡± he instructed, and moved his hands away.


    She did as she was told, her fiery wings bursting to life as easily as opening her hand. She didn¡¯t need to look to know they extended to their full eight-foot length in a heartbeat, small flaming feathers falling away and fizzling out as she stretched.


    ¡°Now put them away,¡± Nexin said, and they vanished in a blink. ¡°Now back out,¡± he said.


    El gave him a small scowl¡ªshe wasn¡¯t a circus act¡ªbut ignited them out again.


    ¡°If I kept asking, could you keep doing that?¡± Nexin asked.


    ¡°If you keep asking, I¡¯ll punch you,¡± she replied.


    Nexin raised an eyebrow at her.


    El sighed. ¡°Yes, I could keep doing that.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s exactly how quickly you all should aim for. That, more than anything, will save your lives out there on the battlefield. And for the record, El is faster at igniting and flaring her wings than I am. Yes, I expected the attack, but even I didn¡¯t expect how quickly she¡¯d execute it,¡± Nexin finished.


    El¡¯s cheeks heated at the compliment. And even that hurt. But less.


    Faled nodded and saluted Nexin a second time. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Now, if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯m going to treat my little sister to some cake before she scowls the skin right off my bones.¡±


    ¡°Cake?¡± Laze asked hopefully.


    ¡°Yes, you can come too,¡± El said flatly. Not like her friend would take no for an answer where Nexin was involved.


    Laze bounced up and down and gave a small clap. In her form-fitting military uniform, gold buttons on the black jacket, red belt around her waist, and knee-high boots that clacked on the floor every time she hopped, it wasn¡¯t the standard military image. And that was exactly why El loved her best friend.


    ¡°That new place on the corner across from Kit¡¯s?¡± Laze asked, referring to a popular soldier¡¯s bar. ¡°Did you see the chocolate cake they had in the window? I almost died just looking at it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± Nexin said and threw his arms over the two girls¡¯ shoulders. Like little sisters, both of them. ¡°C¡¯mon, I think Faled is going to keep saluting until I¡¯m out of the room,¡± he said and gave a sidelong look at El¡¯s unit-lead. Sure enough, rigid with a sharp salute; left arm at his side, elbow perfectly ninety degrees, and his right arm across in front of him to cross his wrists. He¡¯d hold the position all night long if Nexin stood there watching him.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to regret offering to treat,¡± El said as the three exited.


    ¡°I always do,¡± Nexin smiled. ¡°How you stay slim and still fit into your uniform I¡¯ll never¡ª¡± he cut off with a choke as El¡¯s elbow found his gut.


    ¡°Those words should never be spoken to a woman,¡± she threatened.


    ¡°Yes, well,¡± Nexin laughed, ¡°it¡¯s the least I can do before my sister gets sent out on her first patrol after graduating the academy.¡±


    ¡°Finally,¡± El sighed. ¡°All this training. I¡¯ll finally get to use it for something real. Too bad they¡¯re not sending us to the front where the action is.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so eager to fight, El,¡± Nexin said seriously. ¡°Don¡¯t be so eager to kill. It¡¯s not all glory and adrenaline like the stories tell. War isn¡¯t pretty, and I¡¯d keep you as far from it as possible if I could.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t get much further than where we¡¯re going. Salid,¡± El sighed, yet again. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know people still lived so far from the capital.¡± Resignation didn¡¯t even begin to describe how not excited El was about the mission. Hadn¡¯t she proven herself enough? The only one she couldn¡¯t beat, at least half the time, was her brother. But he was a flaming prodigy. Was it because she wasn¡¯t as good as him?


    ¡°Hey guys, what¡¯s going on over there?¡± Laze asked, interrupting before Nexin could respond.


    A growing crowd crawled along the street, soldiers at the center escorting a small group hidden by the press of flesh.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Nexin called to a soldier running past. The man looked over, ready to dismiss the call, but did a double take when he saw the stripes of Nexin¡¯s rank. He skidded to a stop and snapped a salute.


    ¡°Sir!¡± he said smartly.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Nexin asked, returning the salute.


    ¡°Refugees from the south,¡± the man said.


    ¡°The south? Where?¡±


    ¡°Salid, if the story is true. I¡¯ve just been sent with the others,¡± he nodded to three soldiers running ahead and pushing their way through the throng, ¡°to escort them. Something about the town being attacked. Wiped out.¡±


    ¡°Salid?¡± Nexin asked, but directed his question to his sister.


    A new emotion smothered the resignation in her gut, but it wasn¡¯t excitement. It wasn¡¯t the rush of getting to prove herself. It was heavy, and cold. It made her fingers tremble, and she quickly clenched her hands together to hide it.


    Dread uncoiled and made itself nice and comfortable as she looked into her brother¡¯s eyes.

 Spark of War - Chapter 3 – One Soldier to Another

    Clothes ragged, skin filthy, shoes worn through, and feet bloody, the three refugees shuffled though the crowd as the soldiers parted it. Two men half guided, half carried an older woman between them. The man on the left was angry, his angular jaw clenched so tight his neck corded from the effort. A man with nothing but violence on his mind. Revenge? Almost his polar opposite, the man on the right stared blankly ahead. Numb. From the trip or from what he¡¯d seen? The woman¡¯s bushy white hair gave her a wild look, but her eyes were just as empty as the man¡¯s. Exhaustion oozed off her.


    El studied them more carefully as the soldier who¡¯d spoken to Nexin finally reached them and gestured toward a wagon just now pulling up. Their faces looked nothing alike. Different eye colors. Different builds. No resemblance at all. Not family? So how did they end up together?


    But she had no time to ask. With specific orders to return the refugees to headquarters, the four soldiers bustled their charges into a military wagon and waved the crowd back. The horses, jumpy from the crowd around them and the nervous energy in the air, pawed at the cobblestones and shifted in their bridles.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to headquarters,¡± Nexin said, eyes never leaving the wagon as it pulled away.


    ¡°The cake?¡± Laze asked hopefully.


    ¡°Sorry, no time today.¡± He stepped forward and ignited his wings to life.


    The crowd, surprised by the sudden appearance of flaming wings in their midst, wisely took a step back. Not that the flames could hurt them, for they each held the Spark, but when a ranking officer of the Firestorm suddenly appeared, getting out of the way was usually the best plan.


    ¡°Come on, Laze, we can get cake later,¡± El said, and ignited her wings while Nexin leapt into the sky.


    ¡°Right,¡± Laze answered with a nod and turned her focus inward. One second stretched to two, to three¡­four, before her wings burst from her back.


    Nexin hovered above them, wings spread and unmoving. El used to think it was weird they didn¡¯t need to flap their wings like birds did. It¡¯s magic, her brother had told her, like that explained everything. Now it was just normal. Barely even felt like magic.


    But leaping into the sky, defying gravity as the curved buildings shrank below her and faces blurred, that took her breath away every time. The city spread out like a wildfire below her, buildings of oranges, yellows, and reds in honor of the Pyre at the center of the city. At the center of their lives.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t slowing,¡± Nexin said, watching the wagon speed toward HQ. ¡°The brass must think this is important.¡±


    ¡°Then what are we waiting for?¡± El asked as Laze joined them in the air.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Laze said with a blush.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± El offered, and gave her friend a quick reassuring pat. ¡°You¡¯re getting faster every day.¡±


    ¡°We can talk on the way,¡± Nexin instructed, then bolted off, small fiery feathers trailing behind before consuming themselves with a fizzle.


    Despite his words, Nexin didn¡¯t slow enough to talk, and El and Laze chased him the entire way. They landed in the wide courtyard just as the three refugees vanished into the large main building.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Nexin had barely landed before he was striding after them. The guards at the doors were obviously keeping curious soldiers out, but Nexin¡¯s rank got him a pass. El stuck close to him, and while the guards eyed her, they didn¡¯t try to stop her.


    Ahead, the refugees turned into one of the large briefing rooms. The same one she¡¯d received her inaugural mission in. Coincidence? The weight in her gut didn¡¯t seem to think so.


    ¡°Sir¡­¡± said the guard caught midway closing the door as Nexin approached, his gaze moving to El and Laze. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir, strict orders about rank and entry. I can¡¯t let them in with you.¡±


    Nexin eyed the man, then turned to El.


    ¡°We¡¯ll wait out here.¡± El pointed to a nearby bench. She wouldn¡¯t be able to relax until she knew what was going on.


    Her brother gave her a reassuring smile and nodded, then turned and went into the room. The door clicked shut behind him, and the guard took up position beside it.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± the man said, and gave a small shrug. There weren¡¯t many people who didn¡¯t know, and like, her brother.


    El waved away the concern and took a seat, Laze sitting down beside her. ¡°What do you think this is all about?¡± her friend asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± El answered honestly. ¡°Has to be something big if they¡¯ve got guards posted at the doors and are limiting entry by rank.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Laze called to the guard. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Lhogan,¡± he answered.


    ¡°Do you know what¡¯s going on in there?¡±


    ¡°Even if he did,¡± El answered before Lhogan could reply, ¡°he¡¯d be under orders not to tell us.¡±


    ¡°That true, Lhogan?¡± Laze asked, never turning away from the man.


    ¡°Partly,¡± Lhogan answered. ¡°If I knew, I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell you. But since I don¡¯t know¡­¡± he trailed off.


    Laze leaned forward eagerly.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t tell you,¡± the man chuckled good-naturedly.


    Laze sighed and sat back. ¡°Why¡¯d you have to say we¡¯d sit here? We could¡¯ve gone for that cake.¡±


    El ignored her friend, and to Lhogan said, ¡°So, one gossipy soldier to another, who¡¯d you see in there?¡±


    Lhogan looked up and down the hall before answering. ¡°Lot of brass. Just saw Brigadier General Cannon and Lieutenant General Vulon go in a minute before your brother did.¡±


    Cannon and Vulon? What an odd combination. Cannon was a mountain of a man whose name was just as much a well-earned nickname as anything else. He¡¯d risen the ranks by blowing things up and winning most battles through sheer brute force. Vulon, on the other hand, was the polar opposite. Probably the most boring-looking woman in the history of history, without a single memorable physical feature, her shrewd mind more than made up for any perceived deficiency. There wasn¡¯t a better tactician. Period.


    And the two rarely worked together.


    ¡°Why do a trio of refugees from down south warrant the attention of two generals? Shouldn¡¯t they be more concerned with the front line?¡± El mused aloud.


    ¡°Did you hear the rumor?¡± Lhogan asked, his lips curling in conspiracy.


    This time it was El who leaned in. ¡°Do tell.¡±


    ¡°Agree to let me buy you dinner, and it¡¯s a deal,¡± Lhogan winked.


    Laze whistled and leaned back. ¡°Not a good deal. You have no idea how much she eats.¡±


    El turned a withering glare on her friend. Why did everybody have a problem with her healthy appetite? Training burned a lot of calories.


    ¡°No problem with me,¡± Lhogan answered, but his eyes were on El. She hadn¡¯t answered yet.


    Not even trying to hide it, she looked him up and down. In good shape, for a soldier, which meant in great shape for most men. Hair was a little longer than she liked, and his face was all hard angles, but not unpleasantly so. An infectious grin, and sharp eyes rounded out his features. One dinner couldn¡¯t hurt.


    And if he laid an unwanted hand on her, well, she¡¯d break every bone in his arm.


    ¡°One dinner,¡± she agreed.


    ¡°You¡¯ll want a second,¡± he promised.


    ¡°She always wants seconds,¡± Laze chuckled.


    El punched her in the shoulder hard enough her friend almost toppled off the bench. ¡°The rumor?¡± she asked, turning back to Lhogan.


    ¡°Lizard army up north. Ran through the front line at Aldrana.¡±


    ¡°Aldrana? As in Guld¡¯s fort town guarding the only real path through the Icicle Mountains?¡±


    ¡°One in the same.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s that got to do with Salid? Literally the opposite direction.¡±


    ¡°A second lizard army,¡± Lhogan whispered.

 Spark of War - Chapter 4 – New Orders

    ¡°A second¡­¡± El was interrupted by the door swinging open and her brother sticking his head out.


    ¡°Good, you¡¯re still here,¡± he said. ¡°Come with me.¡±


    ¡°Sir,¡± Lhogan started, ¡°I¡¯ve got orders.¡±


    ¡°And now you¡¯ve got new orders. The generals have asked for these two,¡± Nexin answered, but softened the bluntness of his words with a pat on the other man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let me buy you a drink later to make up for it.¡±


    Lhogan looked from Nexin to El. ¡°Thanks, but I¡¯ve already got dinner plans.¡±


    Nexin raised an eyebrow and glanced at El. ¡°Choose a buffet,¡± he said quietly, then patted Lhogan on the shoulder again.


    ¡°Why you¡­¡± El threatened, but didn¡¯t finish.


    ¡°Come on. Can¡¯t keep the generals waiting,¡± Nexin said.


    ¡°Oh yeah, hiding behind the generals,¡± El hissed to mask the butterflies storming about in her stomach. Why would they want her and Laze? What could they possibly offer?


    ¡°You¡¯re not in trouble,¡± Nexin whispered, knowing her tells. ¡°New orders.¡±


    ¡°Why us?¡±


    ¡°Somebody is running to get Faled now, and you¡¯re his number two,¡± Nexin said, and reentered the auditorium. El and Laze followed without a word, though Lhogan tossed her another wink for good measure.


    A dozen levels, each a step higher than the one after it, separated El from where the refugees sat in the center of the room. Shaped like a giant bowl, the entire room was built to draw attention to the large map table. As big as any of the tables in the mess hall, the detailed map was an accurate representation of El¡¯s home, the nation of Pycrin.


    She¡¯d only been in this room the one time before, and like then, the map took her breath away.


    Dominating the center of the meticulous map, and the nation, was the capital city of Balacin. Easily as big as any of the countries conquered by Pycrin during its continuing expansion, Balacin was the only real city left on this side of the Icicle Mountains. The other cities and towns, barely ruins of their former glory, had mostly been removed from the map. Only the occasional farming or mining town remained, with a handful of fishing villages along the coast.


    A cluster of mountains to the east, the God¡¯s Claw Mountains, named so for their unique shape, was the only other notable settlement. The electrum found within those ancient mines was the key to Pycrin¡¯s military might.


    Rolling grasslands, tall forests, arid plains, and most importantly, troop movements filled the rest of the space like some kind of gigantic game board. With one player clearly winning. Ninety percent of those troop movements were focused on one key area.


    To the northwest, through the towering Icicle Mountains, lay her country¡¯s last true enemy, the country of Guld. Aldrana, the fort town, guarded the only pass through the treacherous mountains, and even from this distance, El could clearly make out the models representing Guld¡¯s golem forces.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Golems. Powerful machines of war, three times the height of a man, and twenty times as strong. With stone bodies resistant to the Spark¡¯s flames, they were the only reason Guld had been able to hold out so long. A war waged over twenty years. A war slowly grinding both sides down, with Pycrin forcing the Guldish forces to hunker behind the solid walls of Aldrana.


    But Pycrin could go no further. The walls, and the golems, prevented the final push through the tunnels of the Icicle Mountains and straight into the heart of Guld. El had trained for that fight. In her dreams, she¡¯d lead the charge over the mountains, a plan thought impossible, but ultimately successful because of her skill and leadership. After that, she¡¯d return home, a hero to her people. To her brother.


    Reality was a far cry from her dreams. Her first mission lay at the opposite end of the map. The small fishing village of Salid barely warranted a single model building to mark its presence. Home to only a few hundred people, it was an insult to send her there. And who named a town after a food that had no meat?


    But a lizard army? A second lizard army? Did that change things? She¡¯d been disappointed about her initial assignment, but if she was being honest with herself, was that just a luxury because she knew it was safe? An enemy force, even if it was only lizards, meant combat. Despite all her training, all her skill, she was still untested. Could she really keep her head in a life-or-death situation? Would she live up to her brother¡¯s name? His expectations?


    ¡°Here,¡± Nexin¡¯s voice interrupted her thoughts as he led her and Laze to the ground level beside the map. Without a thought, she fell into line beside her brother and snapped to attention, a bead of sweat rolling down the small of her back. It wasn¡¯t just the two generals, Cannon and Vulon, in the room.


    There were six generals standing in front of her. And none of them looked happy. Their eyes shimmered with the internal fire of the Spark; it¡¯s long use manifesting like a flaming halo around the iris.


    To her right were the three refugees, seated on hard, wooden chairs, and looking exhausted.


    The older woman, Wild-Hair, still between the two men, shifted nervously. Hands wrung while her eyes darted between the guards and the high-ranking soldiers gathered on the other side of the map.


    Numb-Eyes sat unmoving, while Angry-Jaw tapped his foot eagerly, his eyes raking across El and Laze. Whatever he saw in them, he didn¡¯t like.


    The door opened at the top of the auditorium and Faled bounded in, rushed down the stairs, and snapped to a perfect salute next to Nexin.


    ¡°Sergeant Ikkers reporting for duty.¡± His voice only cracked a touch when he realized just who was standing in front of him.


    ¡°At ease,¡± Vulon said. ¡°I¡¯ll get right to the point. Your timeline has been moved up. You leave tomorrow.¡±


    Tomorrow?! More than a week early?


    ¡°Further, you¡¯ll be accompanying Sergeant¡­¡± she paused and looked at Cannon.


    ¡°Sergeant Esis,¡± Cannon supplied.


    ¡°Sergeant Esis¡¯s wing. She will take point, and you¡¯ll follow her lead. Her orders, if it comes to it. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± Faled replied crisply.


    ¡°Enemy activity has been reported in the south. Your mission is to remove the threat and report back. One last thing,¡± Vulon said, and turned her eyes to Angry-Jaw. ¡°Corporal Mance will be accompanying your wings as a guide.¡±


    Corporal? So, he¡¯s military? Or ex-military? But what was he doing so far south?


    ¡°Yes sir.¡±


    ¡°Good. Esis will give further orders en route. You know what you have to do. Dismissed.¡±


    ¡°Permission to accompany,¡± Nexin said, surprisingly, as all four saluted.


    ¡°Denied,¡± Vulon said without even considering the request. ¡°You¡¯re needed elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Understood, sir,¡± Nexin said, his tone formal and perfectly polite. His body language though, the right fist just a little too tight, the clenched jaw, and the extra-stiff back, spoke volumes if one knew to look for them. El did, and she did not envy his next sparring partner.


    The four turned in unison, Faled leading, and left the room the same way they¡¯d come in.


    Lhogan stepped aside as they exited and opened his mouth to say something, but stopped at the looks on their faces.


    ¡°Going to need a rain check,¡± El said with a small shrug.

 Spark of War - Chapter 5 – An Issue of Trust

    ¡°By the Pyre¡¯s flaming nutsack, what just happened?¡± El asked when she was alone with her brother and Laze back in her room. Faled had gone off to gather and inform the rest of the wing, and Lhogan had stoically taken the bad news.


    Nexin raised that burning eyebrow again, but didn¡¯t comment on her choice of language. Burn it, she was an adult now! She could talk how she wanted. But her cheeks still heated at her big brother¡¯s look.


    ¡°Does the Pyre actually have a flaming nutsack?¡± Laze, on the other hand, asked thoughtfully. ¡°And I mean, I¡¯ve never seen one in any of the depictions¡­¡± she trailed off at the disbelieving looks of the other two. ¡°Never mind,¡± she said quietly.


    ¡°Oril,¡± Nexin began, coming to Laze¡¯s rescue. ¡°Sorry, Corporal Mance was in the academy with me. Same class. One of the most promising cadets.¡±


    ¡°As good as you?¡± Laze asked.


    Nexin battled with his humility for a moment, then shook his head. ¡°Not quite. He¡­ reacted¡­ too much. Everything was a provocation to him. Sparring, I could beat him nine times out of ten, but he was the only one who ever beat me. It was his leadership skills, well, the lack of them, that held him back. He would¡¯ve never been anything other than a soldier. And an uncontrollable one at that.¡±


    ¡°He washed out?¡± El asked. That could explain how he ended up so far south.


    ¡°Quit,¡± Nexin said flatly. ¡°Took his wings and his weapons, and left. Rumor had it he got married down south.¡±


    ¡°They let him go with his wings?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they planned to go after him at some point, but things escalated with Guld around the same time. He was a very minor concern in comparison.¡±


    ¡°So, why¡¯s he back here now? Is the rumor about newts true?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Nexin said, not even bothering to ask how she knew. ¡°Two separate forces of lizards¡ªnewts¡ªat opposite ends of Pycrin. Each large enough to raise concerns.¡±


    ¡°But if the force in the south is so big, why just send two wings? Shouldn¡¯t they send a dozen? Or more?¡± Laze asked and sat on the edge of El¡¯s perfectly made bed. If she wrinkled the covers¡­


    ¡°Sergeant Esis and her unit are¡­ underrated,¡± Nexin said cryptically. ¡°They call themselves The Boomers. They¡¯re one of Cannon¡¯s go-to squads, but none of them want promotions. They like the down-and-dirty action of being a single wing. Get in, blow stuff up, get out. They¡¯re skilled veterans with hundreds of combined sorties. I¡¯d be hard-pressed to think of a better wing to go with yours.¡±


    ¡°But is it enough?¡± Laze asked.


    ¡°If it isn¡¯t, Esis is no fool.  She won¡¯t sacrifice her people, or yours,¡± Nexin said reassuringly, ¡°if the fight is a losing one.¡±


    ¡°Do you think we can¡­ lose?¡± El said, furious at herself for the way her voice caught on that last word. Firestorm didn¡¯t lose. They were Pycrin¡¯s elite force. The hammer that¡¯d smashed a dozen rival nations off the map.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Nexin said and shook his head. ¡°We beat the lizards decades ago. Shattered their armies and scattered the survivors to the farthest corners of the known world. With the Pyre burning so strong in Balacin, and the Spark in our chests, they simply can¡¯t fight us. They¡¯re no threat.¡±


    ¡°But?¡± El prodded. There was something else.


    ¡°But¡­¡± Nexin let the word hang. ¡°Why are they back now? Why two armies at opposite ends of the country. Thousands of miles apart. Are they connected? Is it coincidence? Those questions bother me, so I want you to be very careful.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you wanted to come?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ and no. I don¡¯t trust Oril. Not with my little sister¡¯s life on the line. He¡¯s a hothead, and from what I saw in the meeting before you came in, time hasn¡¯t cooled him at all. If anything, he¡¯s gotten worse.¡±


    ¡°But if Esis and her wing are as good as you say, they will keep us safe. Right?¡± Laze asked, leaning forward and spreading a wide wrinkle along the precisely placed blanket.


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep ourselves safe,¡± El growled, pushing down her frustration. Laze knew how much she hated things being out of place.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You will,¡± Nexin said surprisingly. ¡°This may be your first mission, but you¡¯ve each earned your place in the Firestorm. Remember your training. Expect to be surprised by the chaos of combat. And never doubt yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Look at you, trying to be all big-brotherly,¡± El joked, but the coiled dread in her stomach was gone. He was right, they could do this. They would do this.


    ¡°Every once in a while,¡± he shrugged. ¡°But there are a few things I need to check on¡­¡±


    ¡°Like the elsewhere that you¡¯re needed?¡±


    ¡°Exactly like that. I haven¡¯t received any new orders, and last I¡¯d heard, I was in the city for a few more weeks.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they want to deal with the northern lizard force at the same time? Stop from them meeting up?¡±


    ¡°Could be. But I¡¯m not going to get that answer in here with you two,¡± Nexin said and opened the door. ¡°By the way, El, you missed a spot on the desk.¡±


    El¡¯s head snapped around so fast she almost pulled a muscle in her neck. Then Nexin started chuckling, and the door closed softly behind him.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill him,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°You need to lighten up a bit, El. A little dust never killed anybody,¡± Laze said with a small wave of her hand.


    A little dust? Like Laze was one to talk. An entire wing could hide in the bedlam of her room.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just it, El, I do. You feel like you need to be perfect, because you think your brother is. You look at him and think how easy it is for him. But for you, everything¡¯s a struggle. I saw how many late nights you spent studying for exams to be at the top of the class. The extra hours you put in practicing with your wings and sword, so you could beat anybody in the academy.


    ¡°Nexin¡¯s a lot of things. A lot of wonderful things,¡± Laze said dreamily. ¡°But perfect isn¡¯t one of them. It literally hurts for me to say that, but it¡¯s true.¡± Laze stood and smoothed out the blankets where she¡¯d been sitting, then turned back to El, a soft smile on her face. ¡°And you don¡¯t need to be him. Just be you. That¡¯s enough.¡±


    El just stood there, stunned. Of course Laze would have seen all that. They¡¯d been friends their entire lives. But for her to say it all so directly¡­


    ¡°Since the mission has been moved up, I should go talk to my parents. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow morning at muster?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ sure¡­¡± El said, words still too difficult for her flabbergasted brain.


    Laze came over and wrapped her arms around El in a tight hug. ¡°Make sure you get something to eat,¡± she whispered, then gave another squeeze. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± She opened the door, and left.


    El¡¯s stomach growled at the thought of food, but she didn¡¯t immediately move. Her eyes went to the bed, to the tiny crease still evident in the blanket, and she purposely kept her hands at her side. Was Laze right? Was she trying too hard?


    Maybe. She should just go get something quick to eat, check on the rest of the wing to make sure Faled talked to them, and then get some sleep. Four thousand miles wasn¡¯t a quick journey, and who knew the next time she¡¯d see a bed.


    El straightened her uniform, gave herself a nod, and headed for the door.


    She didn¡¯t even get her hand to the doorknob before she turned around and fixed the wrinkle on the bed.

 Spark of War - Chapter 6 – The Importance of Balance

    The noise and smell of the mess hall hit El like a slap to the face as she crossed the threshold. Dozens of large tables, each with seating for twenty or more, sat in rigid efficiency down the length of the room. The perfect line of the tables, of how precisely they were spaced, always brought a measure of calm to El in the chaos of the room. It helped they were nailed down.


    The entire eastern wall was a collection of self-sufficient cafeterias, individual queues stretching anywhere from empty to jam-packed. A thousand voices mingled together to create a dull roar, and it took El several steps to tune it out while searching for her wing.


    If they held true to form, El would find them at table ¡°BA¡±, for ¡°Burning Awesome¡± they said. A smidge of pride flared in El¡¯s chest, near the place the Spark made its home, at her wing. They may have been a bit full of themselves, and overly vocal about it, but it was well-earned. When it came to rookies, there wasn¡¯t a group better.


    But before she got to them, she needed something to eat. Laze was, like everything else it seemed, right about that.


    A brief stint in line later, El had a hefty sandwich under her arm. Burn it, why had it taken so long to get the sandwich artist to understand that she wanted exactly six tomato slices on each half? Was that so hard to understand? It wouldn¡¯t be balanced if one side had five while the other¡­


    ¡°Corporal, my dear, over here,¡± a lanky solider interrupted her thoughts from the bench he stood on. Even without the bench, Teth was tall. With the extra lift, he towered over an already petite El.


    ¡°Get down from there,¡± El said with a frown. ¡°We¡¯d be the laughingstock of the Firestorm if one of our flyers broke his neck from a fall so close to the ground.¡±


    ¡°Teth¡¯s neck is never anywhere near the ground,¡± the woman beside him volunteered. Nidina, Teth¡¯s twin sister. Only the length of their hair told them apart. ¡°Unless you count in his ass as ¡®close to the ground.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Oh sister-mine, your words they sting. Like a bumbling-bee, newly taken wing,¡± Teth said eloquently, one hand on his chest, the other held delicately in the air. Bad poetry was his hobby, but at least it was good for a laugh.


    ¡°You¡¯re not down yet,¡± El pointed out. Then pointed at the ground. Twice.


    ¡°Corporal maternal, to your words I hop, this show I¡¯ll stop.¡±


    El shook her head, but at least Teth got down.


    ¡°Faled already told us, if you¡¯re here about the deployment change,¡± Nidina said, her eyes never leaving the soup in front of her.


    El settled down across the table from the twins, Dayne on her right. Baby-faced, but almost as beefy as Cannon, he was the wing¡¯s frontline muscle.


    ¡°Hey, Dayne,¡± El greeted before addressing Nidina¡¯s statement. Dayne just nodded and mechanically pushed another biscuit into his mouth. Quiet guy. Dependable though. ¡°I figured he would have,¡± El told Nidina, and unwrapped her sandwich. One of the tomatoes had fallen off. She almost got up and went back to throttle the sandwich artist. Almost.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who¡¯s supposed to do all the running around while he sits down and eats a sammich?¡± Nidina asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m no match for his eagerness,¡± El said truthfully, carefully placing the tomato exactly back where it needed to be. Six slices on each side; she could breathe again. ¡°Besides, he loves it. Who am I to take that away from him?¡±


    ¡°In glory¡¯s task does that one bask,¡± Teth agreed.


    El looked at Nidina, then back to Teth. ¡°Right,¡± she said, and took a bite from her sandwich. Tomato issue aside, it was burning good.


    ¡°Esis¡¯s unit is coming with us? And something about a guide?¡± Nidina pried.


    El looked at the people all around. How confidential were the orders? Or the existence of the two lizard armies? Probably best not to talk about it there. ¡°I can¡¯t get into details here,¡± El said, her eyes pointing out the people all around while her hands brought the sandwich back to her mouth.


    It stopped halfway, her mouth open wide, as her eyes landed on a soldier that looked familiar. But she didn¡¯t recognize him. Shaved head, the dark stubble barely visible, angular cheekbones, and a uniform that looked two sizes too big. Maybe he lost weight recently?


    When an older woman with wild, white hair sat down beside him, the answer clicked in El¡¯s mind. The refugee soldier from the map room. He¡¯d obviously gotten a haircut and borrowed a uniform.


    ¡°Something the matter?¡± Dayne asked beside her. ¡°Never seen you stop eating. Ever.¡± His words came out slowly, deliberately. Dayne¡¯s size had taught him to be careful and sure before he acted. Or spoke.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    El lowered the sandwich down and placed it back on the wrapper.


    ¡°Burn it, we in for a fight?¡± Nidina said and stood, eyes scanning the crowd for a threat.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Nidina, sit down,¡± El said quietly, her brain still assessing the refugee two tables over.


    ¡°Fine? The last time you put food down we got jumped by two other wings who didn¡¯t like one of my brother¡¯s rhymes,¡± Nidina said, but her shoulders relaxed.


    ¡°I speak no lies, and about that lass, when it comes to size, I crown her ass.¡±


    ¡°We deserved to get jumped.¡± Nidina sighed, but sat back down. ¡°But if it¡¯s not that, what¡¯s got you on edge?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s our guide over there,¡± El said, and nodded at Oril. He met her eyes, then scowled and went back to his meal.


    ¡°Seems the friendly type,¡± Dayne commented.


    Her lunch would have to wait, and El stood. ¡°I¡¯ve got some questions for him.¡±


    ¡°Need backup?¡± Dayne asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got this. Keep my sandwich safe.¡±


    Dayne saluted, then slid the sandwich over in front of him, his eyes scanning the crowd for threats. ¡°I¡¯ll guard it with my life.¡±


    Her dinner secure, El crossed the mess hall to where Oril and Wild-Hair sat mostly alone. That would make it easier for El; she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about anyone overhearing her questions.


    ¡°Corporal Mance.¡± El gave a small salute.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked without looking up. Not an appropriate way to address a soldier of equal rank, but he¡¯d been away. She could ignore it. For now.


    ¡°I have questions about our assignment.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Oril. The young lady is trying to be nice,¡± Wild-Hair said, putting her hand on Oril¡¯s forearm.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need young, and we most certainly don¡¯t need nice,¡± he snapped, and turned his glare on El. ¡°Have you ever even been in a fight? A real one? Have you ever killed? Felt the hot blood of your opponent gush over your sword and onto your hands? Spent the day wading through the enemy, leaving corpses in your wake?


    ¡°Well, have you?¡± he barked.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± she admitted, her attention focusing on a piece of spinach in his teeth. Every time he spat out another question, the greenery waved like a flag in the wind. ¡°But my wing is at the top of the academy for the year. We¡¯re not¡­¡±


    ¡°Not what?¡± he interrupted. ¡°Not green rookies? Not a liability? Not a burning waste of my time when I need real soldiers to take my home back? My family?!¡± Every word increased in volume until he was yelling loud enough for the nearby tables to fall silent. The spinach-flag waved its absolute surrender the entire time.


    He¡¯d drawn too much attention. El wouldn¡¯t be able to ask her questions without risking the confidentiality of the assignment. ¡°You¡¯re obviously upset¡­¡± El began.


    ¡°Upset? You think this is upset?¡± Oril yelled and stood. Then he stepped in so close the spinach-leaf would slap her across the face if he yelled again. Instead, however, his voice was low and threatening. ¡°You burning, useless bitch. You have no idea what upset is. But you will if your incompetence hurts my family.¡±


    Before El could open her mouth to respond, Oril spun on his heel and grabbed the half-eaten loaf of bread from the table, then stormed off without another word.


    El and Wild-Hair watched him go, but neither moved to stop him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Wild-Hair said calmly. ¡°He¡¯s always been like that. Janith calmed him down a bit, but with her in trouble, I¡¯m afraid his worst side is coming out again.¡±


    ¡°Not your fault,¡± El said when Oril disappeared into the crowd. ¡°May I sit?¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course,¡± Wild-Hair said and pointed to where Oril had sat. ¡°You said you have questions? Can I help with those?¡±


    ¡°I hope so,¡± El admitted. ¡°Before that, my name is Anella, but everybody calls me El.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you El, I¡¯m Lilin.¡±


    ¡°Lilin, that¡¯s a nice name. Not common¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, it used to be,¡± Lilin beamed. ¡°But that was years ago, and not so much in the capital. People think it¡¯s a bit of a hick name.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s beautiful,¡± El said.


    ¡°Are your questions so difficult you feel the need to butter an old lady up?¡± Lilin asked, her lips quirking playfully.


    El hesitated, then nodded. ¡°They may be. Can you tell me what happened?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Lilin said, the smile vanishing. ¡°I should have guessed. I¡­ saw you in that¡­ that room with the big map, didn¡¯t I? I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t recognize you sooner. It was all a bit overwhelming¡­¡±


    ¡°No offense taken,¡± El said, shifting the leftover dishes in front of her. Plate in the middle, fork one inch to the right, knife one inch to the left. Water glass three hundred and fifteen degrees, exactly, two inches from the knife, forty-five degrees and two inches from the fork. Perfect. She took a relaxed breath and turned her attention back to Lilin. ¡°But if my wing and I are going there, I¡¯d like to know as much as I can.¡±


    ¡°What did you want to know? I¡¯ll answer what I can.¡±


    ¡°When did it happen?¡± El asked. It had to be recent. A few days? Maybe a week?


    ¡°About four months ago,¡± Lilin said. ¡°That¡¯s part of the reason Oril is so angry.¡±


    ¡°Four¡­ months?¡± El asked, trying to wrap her brain around it.


    ¡°It takes a long time to walk four thousand miles, and you can understand why I¡¯m so tired, even with my Spark. We got the occasional wagon ride, but the lands outside the capital are almost empty. We didn¡¯t see a single member of the Firestorm until we reached the city itself.¡±


    ¡°Oril was military though. I thought he took his wings with him when he left.¡±


    ¡°Maybe?¡± Lilin shrugged. ¡°But he didn¡¯t have them when we found him. And by the time he woke up, we were too far away to go back for them. Even if we did¡­ there were too many lizards¡­¡± she trailed off.


    ¡°When you found him?¡± El asked. She had several questions, but she needed to start somewhere.


    ¡°Yes, Sol and I found him unconscious on the road outside of town. Took a bad blow to the head from the looks of things. Sol patched him up pretty good though and carried him on his back until Oril woke up. That was¡­ maybe¡­ three days later?


    ¡°Oril wanted to go back. For his wife and son? For his wings and his sword? I¡¯m not sure, but he wouldn¡¯t leave me alone with Sol. So, he came with us to Balacin to warn the army. Or maybe to get the army?¡±


    ¡°Sol?¡± El asked. Numb-Eyes?


    Lilin pointed to the absolute corner of the room where the third refugee sat alone. ¡°That¡¯s Sol,¡± Lilin said. ¡°Oril hates him, even though he saved his life. Maybe because he saved his life, so I guess he didn¡¯t want to sit with us. It¡¯s a shame. Sol¡¯s a good man, despite his limitations.¡±


    ¡°Why does Oril hate him? Limitations?¡±


    Lilin leaned in close, her voice barely a whisper. ¡°The answer¡¯s the same to both those questions. Sol is Sparkless.¡±

 Spark of War - Chapter 7 – Is That…?

    The rolling green hills lazily scrolled by below El as she flew in formation. Fifteen pairs of flaming wings carried her unit along at almost one hundred fifty miles per hour. Without the flame armor that protected her, she¡¯d never be able to keep her eyes open at that speed. Though, she¡¯d never really agreed with the name. Maybe it should be called heat armor? It wasn¡¯t like she was engulfed in flames. It was barely more than a shimmer of heat. A shimmer stronger than any steel.


    To their left, Esis¡¯s unit held tight formation. Oril, alone, flew ahead of both groups, his eagerness to be home pushing him farther and faster.


    Barely underway on their third straight day of travel, El could hardly fathom how Lilin had walked the same distance. Outside the city it was all so¡­ empty. Nature had reclaimed many of the abandoned cities, leaving them little more than oddly shaped forests, and she could count the number of still-active homes on her fingers.


    At least finding food wouldn¡¯t have been a problem. Where people had deserted, wildlife flourished. Small game scurried under cover as her shadow passed over, and greats herds of some kind of brawny, horned animal dominated the landscape. Thousands of them. Tens of thousands.


    And Lilin, Oril, and Sol had walked through it all.


    Sol. Sparkless. Sparkless?! People without the Spark were so rare. Rare to the point of extinct. And yet, she¡¯d seen Sol with her own eyes. Felt the absence of the Spark that was¡­ everything. Life. Hope. Power. How could he live like that? Did he even know what he was missing?


    ¡°Ruins of a small town, two o¡¯clock,¡± Esis¡¯s voice echoed through the magic of El¡¯s flame armor. ¡°We¡¯ll set down there to check for evidence of the lizard army.¡±


    ¡°Salid is another two hundred miles past that, at least,¡± Oril responded, his voice so clear he might have been right beside her. ¡°We should keep going.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re landing,¡± Esis repeated, her tone brooking no room for argument, and her wing angled toward the edge of town.


    A signal from Faled, and El¡¯s wing followed suit.


    ¡°Teth. Nidina,¡± El spoke quietly, though the two would clearly hear her. ¡°You¡¯re our eyes.¡±


    The two aforementioned soldiers slowed and then gently circled above the rest of the unit as it landed.


    Esis and her second-in-command broke off their quiet discussion as Faled and El jogged over. ¡°We¡¯ll give the town a quick check and then move on. Report anything you find to me or Nite,¡± she nodded at the man beside her.


    El always had to suppress a chuckle when she looked at Nite. The albino did not match his name. But then again, she¡¯d never been this close to him. Never seen how his pale skin barely contained the power of his Spark. Like a roaring flame just beneath a sheet of paper¡­


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Esis asked, and El snapped her attention back to the matter at hand. Faled was standing in salute beside her, and she mimicked the gesture.


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am,¡± El answered. ¡°Just considering how best to deploy.¡±


    ¡°Suggestions?¡± Esis asked.


    ¡°This town, Helibak was its name, is pear-shaped, with us at the fat end. We¡¯ll spread out here along the edge and converge toward the narrow end. Four in the air, ten on the ground checking the buildings,¡± El stated. The unevenness irked her, but it was close enough, and they¡¯d need more people going door to door than scouting from above.


    ¡°Convey those orders,¡± Esis said to Nite, nodded to El and Faled, then turned to confer with her second-in-command, leaving Faled and El to themselves.


    ¡°I¡¯ll lead the ground search,¡± Faled said, relaxing his salute. ¡°Take Dayne and join Teth and Nidina in the air. I doubt we¡¯ll find a lizard army hiding in the buildings here, but keep an eye out for any sign they passed.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± El said with a quick salute, and leapt into the air. ¡°Dayne, with me,¡± she spoke into her armor, and the big soldier followed her into the sky a moment later. Teth and Nidina joined them as they hovered two hundred feet up, five times as high as the tallest building.


    ¡°Orders?¡± Nidina asked.


    ¡°Four of us are keeping an eye out up here while they knock on a few doors. Teth, you¡¯ve got the north side, Dayne the south. Nidina and I will bring up the middle, and we¡¯ll go west to east. Speak up if you see anything, anything, out of the ordinary. We¡¯re only an hour or two away from Salid; who knows which direction the lizards went.¡±


    The other three gave a quick salute, then sped off to their assigned areas, a small trail of flaming feathers fizzling out behind them.


    If the lizards were nearby, they had to know the Firestorm was too.


    El scanned the city below her, trying to spot anything that stood out, while her brain ransacked itself for knowledge on the enemy. It¡¯d been decades since the last encounter, long before El was even born¡ªwas the information still good? She¡¯d have to trust it was.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Humanoid, six to eight feet tall on average, with the bigger ones weighing in at almost a thousand pounds, and covered head to toe in red, steel-like scales, the lizards were creatures of brute strength. They favored weapons that capitalized on that raw power, hammers and axes, and the like. There was something else¡­ right, they breathed fire.


    Could they still do that without the Spark? What had they lost when the Firestorm had captured their Ember and taken it back to join the Pyre? And would it even matter? El had never felt any discomfort even from the largest flame, thanks to the Spark in her chest.


    El shook her head. Not the time for questions. She needed to be¡­


    ¡°¡­ignoring me, El?¡± Dayne¡¯s voice popped and snapped into clarity in her ear.


    ¡°What¡¯s that, Dayne?¡± she asked and turned south to find Dayne speeding in her direction.


    ¡°Never mind. You need to see this,¡± he said, then stopped and hovered in place.


    ¡°Teth, Nidina, I¡¯m going to check something out with Dayne, spread out to cover for me,¡± El ordered, then closed the distance to join Dayne. ¡°What¡¯ve you got?¡±


    ¡°Easier to show you,¡± the big man said, and glided backward until he was sure El was following, then turned and raced to the south, El hot on his heels.


    El followed in silence, though the question itched at the back of her skull. Dayne wasn¡¯t much of a talker, sure, but this was odd even for him. They flew for thirty seconds, El¡¯s eye¡¯s scanning the ground and the horizon for something out of the ordinary, but there wasn¡¯t anything. No lizards. No tracks. No refugee camps. Nothing.


    She was just about to ask the question, when the answer appeared literally right in front of her, so suddenly she almost didn¡¯t react in time to stop before she hit it. But, what was it?


    A wall of white stretched high into the sky, much higher than she was, and east to west as far as the eye could see. And the wall was moving. No, moving wasn¡¯t specific enough. It was falling.


    ¡°Is that¡­ snow?¡± El asked. She¡¯d never seen snow before, just read about it in history books, old history books, but this fit the description. El turned to Dayne when he didn¡¯t respond to her question, and he looked at her then pointed at his ear, shaking his head. ¡°You can¡¯t hear me?¡± she asked. No response, so she glided closer.


    ¡°Guess you weren¡¯t ignoring me on purpose,¡± Dayne¡¯s words barely reached El¡¯s ears without the aid of the magic.


    Something was interfering with their communications?


    ¡°Teth, can you hear me?¡± El tested. No response. ¡°That¡¯s odd,¡± she said to Dayne. The big man just nodded, and they both pivoted to take in the massive snowstorm.


    ¡°No wind,¡± Dayne said.


    He was right. The huge snowflakes, each at least an inch across, were falling straight down.


    ¡°When you were coming back to get me, were you trying the communicators the whole time?¡± she asked Dayne.


    ¡°I was,¡± he answered.


    ¡°Is the storm causing interference? Can a storm even do that?¡±


    Dayne shrugged, but stayed quiet.


    ¡°Only one way to find out. Head back toward where you found me until your communicator works again. Let Faled know what¡¯s going on. Bring him, probably Esis too, back here. Also, keep track of how far you have to go for it to work again. Any questions?¡±


    Dayne shook his head, then took off when El gave him the nod to go.


    Turning back to the storm, El tentatively reached out her hand to the falling snow, then stopped herself. Looking at the two-hundred-foot drop to the ground below, she shook her head with a chuckle. If it actually was the snow blocking their communications, could it suppress any of their other magic? Like, say, oh, her wings?


    El hovered down to the ground while she watched the snow fall with her. The dark clouds above were monstrous things, and would need to be inspected later, but first she needed to know more about the snow itself.


    With her feet firmly, and safely, on the old overgrown cobblestones, El opened and closed her right hand, then stuck it into the storm.


    Fluffy white flakes hit her flame armor, settling there and slowly accumulating. They weren¡¯t melting, or if they were, it was a slow process, but her armor didn¡¯t fail.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not the snow?¡± El asked herself rhetorically. But there was definitely something strange about it. She hadn¡¯t seen the storm until it was right in front of her. And the way it fell¡­


    El crouched down and peered into the white curtain. Three feet, maybe four, was as far as she could see, before it was like looking at a solid object. But the ground wasn¡¯t piled high with snow. No, it was¡­


    A tap on her shoulder, and El turned to find Faled and Dayne standing behind her, with Esis and Nite landing a few steps further back. All eyes were on the storm, understandably so.


    ¡°By the Pyre,¡± Faled said with a shake of his head. ¡°What¡¯ve you got?¡± he asked El.


    ¡°I think we can all agree this isn¡¯t natural,¡± El said, then had to repeat herself louder when Esis and Nite got closer. ¡°Something, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the storm or not, is blocking our communications, but I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ve already figured that out.


    ¡°How far, Dayne?¡± she asked.


    ¡°About two miles,¡± he answered.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to test if it¡¯s the storm, or something else,¡± Faled said. ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°The snow doesn¡¯t seem to interfere with the flame armor, so we might be able to fly through it if we need to,¡± El said.


    Faled nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll have to. Salid is straight through there. That it?¡±


    El shook her head. ¡°No. The storm is moving steadily north.¡±


    Faled shared a glance with Esis, and it was the senior officer who spoke up. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s moving,¡± she said.


    El waved for the others to join her closer to the storm, then crouched back down and pointed at the ground just inside the boundary of falling snow. ¡°Look at the snow piled on the ground. There¡¯s no wind, but do you see the incline? That¡¯s got to be because the edge of the storm is moving north. Not quickly, but it¡¯s definitely moving.¡±


    ¡°Did Oril or the others mention anything about a storm?¡± Faled asked Esis.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Nite answered for her, and stuck his hand up to his elbow into the curtain of falling snow. Like with El, the snow gradually accumulated on his arm, but didn¡¯t melt.


    ¡°Orders?¡± Faled asked.


    ¡°Gather the others,¡± Esis said quickly. ¡°We¡¯ll stage from¡­ the roof of that old building there,¡± she pointed at a nearby three-story structure. ¡°First we figure out the communication range, then learn everything about this storm.¡±


    ¡°Salid? The lizards?¡± Faled asked.


    ¡°Both will have to wait until we¡¯re sure this is safe to pass through. Besides, without the Spark, I suspect a storm like that would be lethal to the lizards.¡±


    ¡°Dayne and I will get the others,¡± El volunteered. ¡°We can run a few quick tests on the communication interference while we go and give you a preliminary report when we get back.¡±


    ¡°Good. Don¡¯t dally though,¡± Esis instructed. ¡°I don¡¯t want anybody surprised by the storm and cut off.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± El saluted, jumped into the air, and with Dayne close behind, they raced back to gather the two wings.

 Spark of War - Chapter 8 – Fly Like That

    ¡°That¡¯s almost everything we know so far,¡± Esis finished after El brought the others back. ¡°Corporal, do you have anything to add?¡±


    El saluted, then turned to face the two wings, her heart fluttering at public speaking. Why was talking in front of thirty people scarier than sparring in front of three hundred? Probably because she already had a sword in her hand if somebody made a comment.


    Her eyes scanned the group, her own wing properly spaced and in order; they knew how she got about that. The Boomers, on the other hand, stood or sat wherever they burning well pleased. No rhyme or reason to it. El almost threw out what she needed to talk about in favor of lining them up.


    It¡¯d only take a minute, then she could¡­no, El, let it go.


    She took a deep breath, then jumped right into what she and Dayne had figured out before the haphazard spacing could distract her further. ¡°As you all probably noticed when we brought you here, the storm itself seems to be invisible unless you¡¯re close to it. We¡¯ve measured it out, and it¡¯s about one hundred and fifty feet. Any further than that and you can¡¯t even see the storm wall.


    ¡°Additionally, within about two miles of the storm wall, our communications,¡± El pointed at the side of her head to indicate the flame armor, ¡°are completely blocked. Dayne and I stood ten feet apart, and his communication couldn¡¯t reach me until he moved farther from the storm.¡±


    ¡°Could he hear you?¡± an older member of Esis¡¯s wing asked. What was his name? Rodrick. A thirty-year veteran, and one of the most experienced Firestorm present.


    ¡°No,¡± El answered. ¡°Nothing in or out. Completely cut off.¡±


    ¡°So, the storm is causing the interference?¡± Rodrick asked.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t sure yet,¡± Esis retook control of the conversation. ¡°It could be something in or about the town itself. We¡¯re going to investigate by sending groups of scouts in opposite directions along the storm wall to see if¡­¡±


    ¡°This is bullshit!¡± Oril shouted from where he paced along the edge of the building closest to the storm. ¡°Salid is straight through there, with an army of lizards somewhere in between. Investigating along the storm is just fear of going in. Cowardice.¡±


    ¡°You should watch your words,¡± Nite said evenly, his voice somehow more chilling than the impossible snowstorm a stone¡¯s throw away.


    ¡°Or what?¡± Oril asked. ¡°Every second we delay because of fear is a second longer Salid, and my family, is in the claws of those filthy newts. We need to save them, and we need to do it now.¡±


    ¡°Saving your family isn¡¯t our mission,¡± Esis said.


    Oril stopped his pacing mid-stride, then slowly turned so he was facing straight toward Esis. ¡°What did you just say?¡± he asked her, his fingers drumming on his electrum hilt.


    He wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to actually attack her in front of her whole wing, would he?


    ¡°You heard me. You¡¯re here as a guide, nothing more,¡± Esis stated. ¡°Our mission is, and always has been, the safety of Pycrin. The lizard army was seen as a potential threat, so we were sent here. Now, I see this storm as a potential threat, one possibly larger than the lizard army. As such, we¡¯re going to get to the bottom of it.


    ¡°Once I¡¯m convinced it isn¡¯t a danger, then, and only then, will we continue our journey to Salid.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Oril said and ignited his wings. ¡°I don¡¯t accept your decision.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing about the command structure,¡± Esis said, checking her fingernails like they were more important than Oril was, then raising her eyes to meet his. ¡°You don¡¯t have to accept my decisions, just follow them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, you can follow this,¡± Oril snapped, gave her a one-finger salute, then spun and launched off the roof. Feather-shaped embers trailed behind until he hit the storm a heartbeat later. After that¡­ he was simply gone, swallowed whole by the storm.


    ¡°Laxiv,¡± Nite said and nodded toward the storm.


    Wings flared and a woman from Esis¡¯s squad rocketed into the storm after Oril.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°And this is why I didn¡¯t want to bring him,¡± Esis sighed. ¡°Faled, while Laxiv brings the deserter back, the rest of us are going to¡­¡±


    A flash of movement from the storm, then the building they were on bucked like a wild stallion. El ignited her wings on instinct, leaping into the air and grabbing the hands of the two people closest to her, Laze and Faled, while others shouted their surprise.


    Half a dozen sets of wings also ignited to life, while the other members of the Firestorm simply leapt from the building, trusting in their flame armor to protect them.


    Teetering, the building buckled down the middle, the two sides leaning in like drunken friends until they supported one another at odd angles. Debris lazily rattled out and rolled along the ground, and El spotted a line of dust extending out the other side of the building and into the next one across the street.


    ¡°Get out of the air,¡± Esis commanded from the ground. ¡°This might be an attack!¡±


    ¡°Burn me,¡± El scolded herself. Why hadn¡¯t she thought of that? And there she was not only making herself a target, but her two teammates as well. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said quietly to Laze and Faled as she deposited them on the ground a second later.


    ¡°Thanks for grabbing me,¡± Laze said with a nod.


    ¡°Anybody see what hit us?¡± Esis asked while everybody took up defensive positions.


    ¡°Whatever it was, it went straight through our building and into the one across the street,¡± El reported.


    ¡°Go,¡± Esis said to El, who already had her wings out.


    El saluted and burst forward at full speed, her feet no more than an inch off the ground. If they were under attack, staying out of the sky would make her less of a target.


    Two seconds later she doused her wings, letting her momentum carry her forward while she twisted her body midair, the flame armor reinforcing her muscles and bones. Extending her lead foot out and dropping into a crouch, El¡¯s boots and gloved fingertips skidded along the pavement until she rounded the corner of the building a split-second later and flared her wings back to life.


    Body and physics screaming against the sudden force of her wings, El rocketed off at a ninety-degree angle to her original trajectory, flames trailing behind like a comet¡¯s trail. Just as the added thrust of flaring her wings faded, El spun in the air until she was hurtling backward an inch above the ground.


    Ducking low to compact her body and brace herself, one last flare of her wings brought her to a sudden stop between the two damaged buildings. To her left, the three-story building she¡¯d been standing on, with a hole torn straight through the center of it. To her right, what looked like a modest two-story home with whatever had gone through the larger building sitting in its living room.


    From where she stood, it was impossible to tell what it was, and despite pieces of the building still dangling and falling to the ground, El jogged up the front steps and climbed through the hole in the wall.


    ¡°What the Blaze?¡± El asked nobody in particular and stopped short, a massive, block of ice sitting in the center of the room. She took step to get a closer look, but the unmistakable sound of flaming wings turned her around.


    ¡°Never seen anybody fly like that,¡± Nite said, landing nimbly outside the hole. ¡°Without your flame armor, maneuvers like that would tear you apart.¡±


    ¡°Good thing I have the flame armor then,¡± El said, quickly, then moved on to more important things. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here. I wouldn¡¯t want to have to explain this.¡±


    ¡°Explain what?¡± Nite asked, then stepped into the building and got a good look at the cause of the destruction. ¡°Is that¡­ an ice cube? A giant ice cube?¡±


    ¡°Sure seems that way. And, is it just me, or does it look like there¡¯s something inside it?¡± El asked.


    ¡°Hard to tell with the lighting in here, but¡­¡± Nite said, then drew his electrum hilt and ignited his sword to life.


    Three feet of liquid flame illuminated the top of the huge block of ice, and both El and Nite leaned in to get a closer look.


    ¡°Is that a boot in there?¡± El pointed toward a black, foot-shaped something inside the cloudy ice. No, cloudy wasn¡¯t the right word. It was more like a giant snow globe, with individual snowflakes frozen mid-fall. What the Blaze?


    ¡°Not just a boot,¡± Nite said and shoved a large timber aside. ¡°There¡¯s a leg in there¡­ and¡­ burn it, I think that¡¯s one of our uniforms. Help me clear it off,¡± he ordered.


    With both her hands free, El quickly cleared off the top of the ice, as well as a space around the side and back. Nite was right; that was definitely one of their uniforms inside.


    ¡°Oril or Laxiv?¡± she asked. It had to be one of those two. There weren¡¯t any other patrols that far from the capital, were there?


    ¡°Laxiv,¡± Nite said. ¡°Blonde hair. Let¡¯s get her out of there,¡± he said, and carefully lowered his blade to shear through the ice.


    Except nothing happened.


    ¡°Uh¡­ shouldn¡¯t the ice be¡­ melting?¡± El asked and squinted at where the flaming sword pressed against the ice. There wasn¡¯t even a layer of water on the ice from the heat of the blade.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t just be melting; the sword should be cutting straight through it. I¡¯m pushing as hard as I can here,¡± Nite answered.


    ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Nite said, took a step back, and raised the sword above his head. ¡°Let¡¯s see if this works,¡± he said, then slashed down at the ice. Impossibly, the blade stopped the moment it hit the frozen surface.


    El¡¯s eyes widened. Had she ever seen anything non-magical stop one of their weapons? No. No, she hadn¡¯t.


    ¡°Very strange,¡± El restated.


    ¡°We need to report this to the sergeant,¡± Nite said, and doused his sword.


    ¡°What about Laxiv?¡± El asked.


    ¡°The sergeant will figure something out. Come on,¡± Nite said, jogged out of the building, and ignited his wings.


    El put her hand on the ice, somehow cold even through the flame armor. Or was that her imagination? ¡°Be back soon,¡± she told the woman frozen inside. Could Laxiv hear her? Was the woman even still alive?


    More importantly, what in the Pyre¡¯s name was going on? El didn¡¯t have an answer to that question, so she stepped out of the building, dread settling comfortably in her gut again, ignited her wings, and followed Nite back to the others.

 Spark of War - Chapter 9 – The Purge

    ¡°And you¡¯re sure it was Laxiv in there?¡± Sergeant Esis asked Nite as El landed beside them.


    Faled and Laze gave El questioning looks, but she only had time to quickly nod in response before Nite answered.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    ¡°So, this big hunk of ice, with Laxiv inside, is what punched straight through this building,¡± Esis thumbed over her shoulder, ¡°and into the next?¡±


    ¡°Seems that way.¡±


    ¡°What could do this?¡± Esis asked, and Nite could only shrug in return.


    ¡°Sergeant,¡± Rodrick called down from where he perched on the edge of the building above. A lookout? ¡°There¡¯s something or somebody inside the storm. Might be Oril. Might not be.¡±


    Sergeant Esis looked up at Rodrick, then down at the ground, her mind obviously running through their options.


    ¡°Faled,¡± she said. ¡°Your wing has two duties. First, you¡¯re on artillery duty. I want you backing us up, no matter what comes out of that storm.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± Faled said with a salute.


    ¡°And,¡± Esis said, before Faled could issue orders to his wing. ¡°More importantly, second, it¡¯s up to you to make sure this information gets back to the capital.¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°You heard me. This storm is bigger than us. The capital needs to know, if it comes to that. This is the priority. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Faled said, with a second sharp salute.


    ¡°Boomers,¡± Esis called to her wing. ¡°Form up. Let¡¯s go introduce ourselves,¡± Esis shouted and leapt into the air, her wings igniting five feet up and carrying her over the edge of the building while her troops fell into tight formation behind her. So, they could line up properly!


    El breathed just a little easier.


    ¡°Find cover, bows only, we¡¯re supporting from the rear,¡± Faled ordered. ¡°El, stay back with me a second,¡± he said while the others shared a nervous look. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡±


    ¡°Faled, what Esis said¡­¡± Nidina started.


    ¡°Are our orders,¡± Faled interrupted. ¡°This is what we trained for. Now, go,¡± he said, his tone clearly stating the conversation was over.


    Nidina and the others saluted and rushed off to find cover.


    ¡°What did you want, Faled?¡± El asked, though the answer was obvious.


    ¡°You¡¯re the fastest, and you¡¯ve seen the most. It¡¯s up to you to get this intel back to the capital if things go poorly,¡± Faled said, and turned to go as if that was the end of it.


    ¡°I¡¯m also best fighter here,¡± El shot back. ¡°You can¡¯t just ask me to leave you all if I can save you.¡±


    ¡°El,¡± Faled said. ¡°You feel it, don¡¯t you? Like Esis said, this storm¡­ there¡¯s something bigger than us going on here. If you think you alone can make the difference, then I trust your judgement. But,¡± he said and met her eyes. ¡°If you don¡¯t really think that, then I need you to follow my orders.


    ¡°Until then, find a position you can see everything,¡± he said, and drew an electrum focus from his belt.


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± El said.


    Faled nodded, then turned and jogged off.


    One part of El was furious with Faled for giving her that order. Another part of her was relieved. The third and biggest part of her was ashamed of the relief. What was all training for if she abandoned her friends when they needed her most?


    Esis¡¯s words to Oril bounced around inside El¡¯s skull.


    ¡°Saving your family isn¡¯t our mission. Our mission is, and always has been, the safety of Pycrin.¡±


    It was the same thing. National security over the lives of her friends. Could she do it?


    El shook her head¡ªmaybe she wouldn¡¯t have to choose¡ªand jumped into the air, flaring her wings just enough to lift her over the edge of the three-story building beside her. She lifted the electrum focus from her belt and ignited her bow to life, then jogged over to the edge of the building closest to the storm, the same place Oril had been pacing.


    Arrayed in front of her, Esis¡¯s unit formed up, like some kind of eye facing the storm head-on. Seven curved in the air, six curved on the ground, with Esis, the iris, hovering right in the middle, her sword and wings burning as bright as the sun.


    So far, nothing had come out of the falling snow. Was Rodrick seeing things? Maybe the way the snow fell made him think he¡­ no¡­ what was that? A silhouette moved a few feet inside the storm wall, and it was coming closer.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    El¡¯s fingers tightened around the electrum focus in her left hand while she pulled back gently on the fiery bowstring, willing an arrow into existence. Whoever or whatever that was inside the storm, they were in for a world of hurt if they thought they could take on the Firestorm.


    Heartbeat by racing heartbeat, the silhouette resolved into two stocky legs, two thick arms, and a horned head atop spiked shoulders. Some kind of demon? No, another step, and the silhouette stepped out of the storm; a man in heavy, archaic plate armor of a blue so dark it was almost black. Snow dusted his shoulders and frost rimed his joints, the ice crystals cracking and reforming with every step he took.


    Over his right shoulder extended the two-foot hilt of a sword so large its twelve-inch-wide blade almost dragged on the ground behind him. The heavy helm hid his face, and even his eyes were lost to the darkness beyond his visor.


    ¡°Well, hello there,¡± Esis called out cheerfully. ¡°That¡¯s quite a storm you came out of. Care to tell us a bit about it?¡±


    In answer, the armored figure woodenly extended his left arm, fist clenched, until he held it horizontal to the ground. With a sound like long-frozen ice over a lake cracking, he opened his fingers, and a piece of black leather fell to the ground.


    Black leather, just like the material used to make the Firestorm uniforms.


    ¡°Mirel! Halling!¡± Esis shouted. ¡°Take him.¡±


    Two Boomers, top left and bottom right of the eye, lunged out of formation, wings and weapons burning bright, and closed on the slow-moving hunk of metal.


    No mercy, blades flashed as they arced in from opposite sides, one straight for the armored neck, the other for his waist. No suit of armor could stop those weapons.


    Then again, ice shouldn¡¯t have been able to either.


    In the time it took El to blink, the knight¡¯s hands snapped up, his left catching the blade aimed for his neck while his right snagged the other. He stood otherwise unmoving, flames roiling between his fingers and along the weapons held still in the air.


    Mirel and Halling, eyes wide in surprise their weapons had actually been stopped, strained to drive their blades forward. Blades that should have carved clean through armored gauntlets and the man beyond. Instead, it was like the three were all part of some elaborate statue, frozen while the others watched.


    ¡°Rrraaaaah,¡± Mirel grunted, his blade flaring as he poured power into it. Halling quickly followed suit, and suddenly both weapons raged like living things, snapping and whipping.


    And yet, the armored knight didn¡¯t even flinch.


    ¡°Sergeant¡­¡± Mirel gasped, and dropped to his knees, weapon still held by the knight.


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± Halling wheezed, and shifted like he was trying to pull his sword away.


    They weren¡¯t flaring their power; the knight was somehow pulling it out. Why didn¡¯t they let go?


    The knight flexed his fingers, and the roaring flames of the fiery weapons froze in an instant, like long, sinuous ice serpents. A twist of his wrists, and the knight snapped the blades in half, then one, two, in quick succession, drove the broken shards straight into the chests of Mirel and Halling.


    Their flame armor did nothing to stop the blows, and both fell back as ice crystals spread from the spikes and quickly wrapped around their bodies, growing and growing until each was encased in a large block of ice.


    Just like Laxiv.


    ¡°Archers!¡± Esis lifted her sword into the air, then swiped it down.


    Long hours of training pushed its way passed her shocked brain, and El drew her arm back and let loose her arrow. It bolted straight and true to strike the knight square in the center of his chest.


    The moment the flames touched his armor, the entire fiery arrow turned to ice. Its power and momentum stolen, the ice arrow fell to the ground and shattered. A dozen more arrows hit in quick succession, and the outcome for each was exactly the same.


    Their flames weren¡¯t working? That wasn¡¯t possible¡­


    ¡°Boomers, engage!¡± Esis shouted and rocketed forward, the remaining members of her unit only a breath behind. Not a single one had hesitated.


    Sergeant Esis reached the knight first, and once again, he moved suddenly and unbelievably fast. But Esis was ready as the armored fist swung for her, her shield perfectly in place to block the blow.


    The punch hit her like a fifty-ton battering ram, swatting her out of the air like a bug and sending her bouncing along the ground until she finally collided with, and went through, a building thirty feet away.


    ¡°Evasive maneuvers,¡± Nite shouted, flying wide and slashing at the knight¡¯s shoulder as he passed. His strike landed true, sparks flying at the impact, but didn¡¯t even leave a scratch. Unfortunately for Nite, he wasn¡¯t quite evasive enough, and an armored gauntlet caught his ankle as he tried to complete his flyby.


    The knight halted Nite¡¯s forward momentum so suddenly it was like the flaming wings kept trying to go forward while his body got yanked in the opposite direction. With a turn of his waist, the knight brought Nite up and over, slamming the man down into the ground hard enough to crater the pavement.


    Without the protection of his flame armor, Nite would have been pulped. As it was, the stone melted from the kinetic conversion of the armor, the physical force turned to heat, and Nite coughed blood into the air from where he lay on his back.


    ¡°Die!¡± Rodrick whipped his blade in a two-handed overhead chop down the back of the knight. The blade ran down the knight¡¯s helm and back, then into the ground between his feet.


    Without missing a beat, the knight spun, Nite still in his grasp, and swung the second-in-command like a mace. The two fleshy bodies shrouded in flame armor met with enough force the sound of breaking bones echoed through the city, too much even for the kinetic conversion to absorb. Rodrick hit the ground ten feet away, one hand on his ribs as he groaned in pain and struggled to his feet.


    Nite, on the other hand, hung limply from the knight¡¯s hand, and the cold, eyeless helm turned his way. Crystals of frost crawled from the gauntlet, down Nite¡¯s leg, and quickly across his body. Within seconds, Nite was fully encased in a thick block of ice.


    ¡°Fire at will!¡± Faled yelled at his unit, each and every one of them frozen by the blatant one-sided violence of the battle. El¡¯s arrow was the first streaking through the air. The first to slap into the knight¡¯s armored helm.


    The first to do absolutely nothing to him.


    Arrows of flame, each strong enough to level a building, rained down on the knight, but they might as well have been insects for how much attention he paid them.


    Instead, his right gauntlet reached up over his shoulder, fingers wrapping around the long, frost-covered hilt while arrow after arrow fell frozen to the ground.


    A sudden wave of cold burst from the knight as he pulled the weapon from his back. Arrows within thirty feet fell from the air, frozen long before they reached him. The unfortunate, nearby Firestorm found a layer of frost coating their flame armor and crackling on their wings, which struggled to hold them aloft.


    The massive sword, at least six feet long and a foot wide, was serrated along both sides, and looked to be made of some kind of dark metal, though the entire thing was sheathed in a thick coat of ice. It had to weigh hundreds of pounds, even without the ice, and the knight lifted it above his head with one hand like it was a thin reed.


    ¡°Purge them,¡± the knight said, his voice like the heart of a driving winter long banished from the land.


    He brought his massive weapon down horizontal to the ground, and the storm wall all around him burst outward, a rushing army of massive, bipedal lizards pouring forth.

 Spark of War - Chapter 10 – Overwhelming

    This can¡¯t be happening, the childish, terrified part of El¡¯s mind screamed at her. Something¡¯s wrong with the lizards, her disciplined mind screamed right back. Focus on that!


    Dozens, then hundreds of the scaled beasts charged out of the winter storm, their long legs devouring the distance as they rushed past the knight. Spears, more akin to ballista bolts than anything else, filled the sky as the rear line halted and threw.


    The front line, meanwhile, leapt into the air, massive axes and clubs swinging at the dodging Firestorm.


    ¡°Open fire!¡± Faled shouted, too late.


    El threw herself backward as two lizards landed on the roof, their huge weapons punching a hole through the stone right where she¡¯d been standing.


    She rolled to her feet, replacing her electrum bow focus with her sword hilt in one quick motion and dropped into The Fire Burns Low with her shield ignited in front of her.


    The two lizards pulled their weapons from the hole in the building and slowly spread around her, obviously thinking they had her at a disadvantage without her wings.


    But it wasn¡¯t a disadvantage that kept her from flashing into the sky and getting the burning Blaze out of there. No, it was the lizards¡¯ blue appearance.


    The height was right, for they towered over her, at least eight feet tall, but what should¡¯ve been hulking, muscular, and red, was instead thin, wiry, and blue. Long, narrow scales, like sapphires, rippled over corded muscles, a sinuous tail weaved behind each for balance, and sharp teeth glinted in their long snouts. Eyes set on the side of their heads blinked as they shifted to keep her in the center of their view.


    ¡°Last chance to surrender,¡± El said, shifting into The Setting Sunrise to keep her shield toward one opponent and her sword toward the other.


    ¡°The Stormbearer has come. No surrender. No mercy,¡± the lizard on her right spoke with frightening clarity.


    Since when did the newts speak her language? Were these really the same lizards she¡¯d read about?


    El didn¡¯t have a chance to answer those questions, the lizard on her left charging in with a powerful downward smash of its hammer. She caught the blow with her shield, but it still hit hard enough to crack the roof under her feet from the force of it. El spun to the side, rolling out from under the hammer, flared her wings and leapt up into a tight roll, the second lizard¡¯s axe swiping across where she¡¯d been standing. A second¡¯s hesitation, or without the lift of her wings, and she would¡¯ve lost her legs at the knees.


    But when it came to combat, she didn¡¯t hesitate. If anything, it brought her the calm focus she¡¯d been struggling to find since the knight first appeared.


    The moment her feet touched down, El lunged at the two surprised lizards. The first brought his axe up defensively, but El scored a trio of thrusted hits with Sea of Snakes and Flames to his shoulder, chest and gut. As he staggered back, blue blood blossoming from the wounds, El stepped in and rolled to her right, flaring her wings as she went. Her body spun like a top as she suddenly bounded into the air like some kind of flaming cyclone. Her first rotation knocked the lizard¡¯s hammer aside with her shield while her second brought the blade of her flaming sword across its scaled throat.


    El let the momentum of her maneuver carry her out of reach of the lizards¡¯ long arms, and even longer weapons, and she touched down on the far end of the roof. Turning, she froze when she caught sight of her opponents.


    Gruesome as it was, that spinning attack of hers should¡¯ve decapitated the second lizard. Instead, it was still standing, one hand holding its throat as blood squirted through its fingers. And the other, at least one of the thrusts should¡¯ve been fatal. In practice, when she¡¯d stabbed things with her sword, it¡¯d left a hole big enough to shove her arm through, the magic of the weapon incinerating everything around it.


    Was something wrong with her sword? She glanced down at her blade. Yup, definitely something wrong.


    Thick ice coated the edge of the blade and a good foot of the tip. The same spots she¡¯d used to injure the lizards. To draw their blood.


    No, these were not the same lizards she¡¯d read about.


    El snapped her wrist, flicking her blade against the lip of the roof and shattering the ice coating it, and gave a silent thanks the flames beneath looked no weaker.


    The lizard on her right gave a gurgling growl and stepped forward, its hammer in one hand, the other on its throat, struggling to keep its life-blood in. The wound had to be lethal, but it was going to try to take her down first.


    The axe lizard was even less patient, springing forward, his large weapon swiping across as he hurtled toward her.


    El dropped into a crouch and flared her wings, launching herself forward and directly under the flying lizard. It sailed over her, and the edge of the roof, unable to alter its flight while El lashed out at other lizard¡¯s legs from the blind spot afforded by its companion.


    The lizard didn¡¯t even see her coming, but again, where her blade should have cleaved right through the lizard¡¯s legs, it barely parted the sapphire-blue scales and scored the bone. The unexpected resistance caught El¡¯s arm and sent her rolling and bouncing along the rooftop while the lizard toppled forward.


    A quick burst from El¡¯s wings brought her back under control, and saved her the same fate as the first lizard, and she hurtled back at her fallen opponent just as it rolled onto its back. Blood pooled on the roof around its neck and legs, and El kicked aside its hammer before straddling its narrow chest and bringing the tip of her blade down on the center of its forehead.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Since you speak my language, you¡¯re going to answer some questions for me,¡± El told it, and gently pressed her sword forward, the tip sizzling and smoking against the lizard¡¯s scales. If it felt any pain, it didn¡¯t show it.


    ¡°No answers. No surrender. No mercy,¡± the lizard said and swiped its clawed hand at El¡¯s face. Well, tried to swipe, the quick thrust of El¡¯s blade through its skull ending the attack before it even really started.


    When she pulled the blade free, ice clung to the flames and fell to the roof as she doused the weapon. Just to test, she reignited her blade, and it was thankfully free of the impossibly clinging ice.


    A shudder of post-combat nerves wracked El¡¯s body, and she wrapped the fingers of her left hand around her right. That was the first time she¡¯d killed anybody in combat. Sorties were one thing, more a game than actual combat, but the body literally at her feet was an entirely different matter. The dead inhuman eye on the side of the lizard¡¯s head stared at her with an otherworldly blame, the hole in its head still lightly smoking from where she¡¯d stabbed it. Blue blood pooled at her feet, sticking to her soles as she stepped to the side and vomited.


    At least the flame armor didn¡¯t keep that in, and she quickly stood up straight again. Getting stabbed in the back while she barfed was not how she wanted to go. With that thought, the sounds of combat filtered back to her ears, earlier lost to the focus of her own life-and-death struggle.


    Firestorm blazed through the air between the building she stood on and the winter wall fifty feet away. The ground crawled with lizards, shoulder to shoulder and so thick the flaming arrows raining down couldn¡¯t miss if they tried. Like her sword, however, the arrows weren¡¯t nearly as fatal as they should¡¯ve been.


    Where a single flaming arrow should¡¯ve punched through a scaled body and left a crater behind, they inflicted barely more than flesh wounds. The lizards¡¯ spears, on the other hand, looked to be tipped with jagged icicles, and the Firestorm were doing everything they could to avoid the projectiles. Why? What could a spear do against their flame armor?


    El¡¯s eyes raked across the battlefield for signs of the answer, and she found it with a pair of Firestorm pinned to a wall down the street. The hafts of the spears extended well past the thick block of ice completely encasing the men or women and firmly securing them to the high wall.


    ¡°El! What are you still doing here?¡± Faled yelled and landed beside her, red blood running freely down his left arm. The sleeve of his coat was completely missing, and four nasty, symmetrical gashes had torn up his bicep. Claw marks? Is that what would¡¯ve happened to her face if she hadn¡¯t been fast enough?


    The flame armor couldn¡¯t protect them. This was all too much. Too real. Was this really what she¡¯d been looking forward to?


    ¡°Corporal.¡± Faled¡¯s voice took on a hard edge.


    ¡°Sorry, sir,¡± El said, snapping a salute to get her body moving.


    ¡°Why are you still here?¡±


    ¡°Got attacked.¡± She pointed at the lizard¡¯s body.


    ¡°Yes, but why are you still here?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°You have orders. Now follow them before I¡­¡± Faled¡¯s eyes widened, then he reached out and shoved her to the side just before a cone of frost washed over him.


    Even through her flame armor, the chill nipped at El, and when it passed, Faled was covered head to toe, the ice crystals growing and spreading until he was entombed.


    ¡°NO!¡± El shouted uselessly, then spun toward the source of the attack. A lizard, one with holes in its shoulder, chest, and gut, pulled itself up and over the edge of the building, a misty liquid dripping from its teeth and lips. It was the same one she¡¯d fought. That she hadn¡¯t finished off. And Faled had paid the price.


    But, what had it done? The lizards were supposed to be able to breathe fire, but that was not fire. Were they breathing cold now?


    The lizard stood to its full height, blood still running down its chest from where she¡¯d stabbed it, and flexed its claws. Would it try the same thing it¡¯d done to Faled?


    Not if she had anything to say about it!


    El leaned forward and flared her wings to the maximum, the extreme jet of flame blowing the edge of the roof off behind her and hurling her up at an angle like a comet. Twenty feet up, fighting against the inertia of her leap, she twisted in the air and flared her wings again, abruptly shooting her back down at a sixty-degree angle.


    The lizard spun to follow her with its eyes, but she flared her wings a third time, just as she dipped below the level of the roof and flipped in the air. The flames of El¡¯s bursts carved a ¡°4¡± in the air as she gripped her sword in both hands and cut straight for the turning lizard.


    Bracing the sword instead of swinging it, the sheer force of El¡¯s flight tore the blade across and through the lizard¡¯s waist as she rocketed past. Blue blood trailed behind her, but El ignited her wings and not a drop of it touched her. She climbed and climbed, five hundred feet in the air, until she was well out of range of the lizards¡¯ spears, and took in the battle below.


    Faled was frozen to the roof she¡¯d just left, and there wasn¡¯t anything she could do for him. At least seven other Firestorm had been encased in blocks of ice, though it was impossible to tell who. Lizards continued to swarm out of the storm, there had to be thousands of them, and the remaining Firestorm El could see had taken up a defensive formation down one of the wide streets.


    Why weren¡¯t the trying to fly up, like she had?


    If any of the enemy army looked up, her wings would stand out against the clear sky, but so far none of them had.


    There! Lizards sprinted across rooftops, hurling spears at any flames that got too high, pinning the Firestorm down and keeping them contained. But, without Esis, Nite, or Faled, who was giving orders? El needed to get back down there to¡­ wait, who was that at the front.


    A trio of lizards charged at the front line of Firestorm and a single soldier flared their wings out to meet them. Sword in one hand, the other arm hanging loosely like a wet noodle, the soldier dodged, cut, spun, and killed the three lizards before they got another two steps. Like it was just another day at the office, the Firestorm solider jetted back to the safety of her comrades.


    Esis was still alive. Both sides were at a standoff, but as long as Esis was alive, there was a chance.


    ¡°Enough,¡± a voice echoed, a weight to it that nearly pulled El back down to the ground.


    The waves of endless lizards parted as the knight stepped forward, the massive sword grinding on the stone street as he dragged it behind him.


    ¡°Oh? Finally going to give up?¡± Esis shouted at him, the dozen Firestorm behind her drawing back their bows, but holding their fire.


    The knight didn¡¯t reply, again lifting his weapon in the air above his head.


    ¡°Get ready!¡± Esis shouted.


    Another order to charge?


    No, something this time was different. The knight brought his other hand up to grasp the sword¡¯s hilt, then slid his left foot forward.


    ¡°Begone,¡± the voice called, and the knight brought the sword down in the powerful swing.


    A thunderous crack echoed off the buildings as the ground shattered and razor-sharp spikes of ice burst forward like a raging bull.


    El¡¯s breath caught as the ice raced down the street, more and more spikes growing and reaching for the Firestorm as they tried to dodge. Icicles grew from each other at impossible angles, never ceasing, filling the wide street with an impassible thicket.


    Esis was the first to take a spear through the chest as she tried to weave around the main column, but she didn¡¯t even have time to scream before she was fully encased in an icy shell.


    The others tried to run. Some tried to fly up, to join El in the sky, but the lances of ice were just too fast, catching them before they got more than fifty feet. Still others thought to dodge inside or behind buildings, but the ever-growing battering ram of icy spikes tore through the stone buildings like paper.


    One by one, all were caught, and just like that, eighteen frozen Firestorm hung impaled on the frozen barbs.