SOREN
I was still holding her when the fire finally died.
It wasn't sudden, not like flames snuffed by water. It was slower, like watching a storm pull away after tearing a village apart.
Her heat pressed into me until the very last moment, and then it was gone, leaving her skin warm but not burning.
My own breath misted in the frozen air, and I realized I'd gone too far. My hair grew longer than before, strands of pale frost sticking to my cheek. My hands trembled, streaked with veins that glowed faintly blue beneath the skin. My eyes… I could feel it in them too. Colder. Brighter. Mine.
The crowd had gathered, whispering, some clutching children, others hiding their faces.
"Oh fire god, what did we ever do to deserve monsters as rulers?"
"First her father now her."
"Maybe she's been taken by the fire god at last."
"Her own flames turned on her."
"She deserves it."
"Have our prayers finally been answered?"
