Fire in Their Eyes [M]

[DragonSong]

“Shit.” Aya squeezed her eyes shut and took a breath, trying to clear her mind enough to think. Her senses were still too heightened— it was worlds better than the day before, but still just a bit too much, making it hard to focus.

“Where does he even get off?” she growled, her voice suddenly low and dangerous and...almost echoing, as though three of her spoke instead of one. “We’ve never been isolationist, never tried to—to purge our numbers or whatever that bastard Cecil was saying. How can he even— this country has literally never barred women from the military or the throne, it’s practically what we’re founded on! How can he— it doesn’t make sense! How dare he?!”

The anger was hot in her chest, burning fire behind the amethyst of her eyes when she snapped them open. Her lips curled in a snarl, her whole body trembling with rage and power that she didn’t yet know how to control.

Silver white flames burst into existence around her, creating a halo of bright light. Her eyes suddenly widened and she yelped in surprise, jumping backward and patting frantically at the silvery fire in an effort to smother it.

[Lowen Thorn]

Foggy watched in disbelief as the girl created fire right before his eyes.

What are you? was his initial thought.

"Aya, get back!" he said, snapping back into reality as he began assisting her to extinguish the flames.



In the middle of her patrol route was a lone member of the Black Brigade. Laying in the dirt with the appearance of someone in grave pain. He moaned, groaned, and pleaded for help while the eyes of his commander and fellow soldiers watched from the shadows.

[DragonSong]

"No, no it's fine, keep back, you'll get hurt--!"

Aya skittered back from him. Already the fire was fading away, though the faintest hint of that silvery white glow seemed to linger on her skin a few moments longer. While the fire hadn't burned her, she somehow instinctively knew that Foggy would not have been so lucky.

Breathing short and almost jagged, she glanced back the way she'd come, then in the direction Cain had left. "Which...which way is quickest? We have to find my mother, Foggy, we have to warn her before--"

Her voice cut off and she swallowed, clenching her eyes shut for a moment while her fingers curled into fists at her sides.

[Lowen Thorn]

Well that certainly didn't go as planned.

Cain and his men were on the brink of capturing Commander Almarin, and all was going well until that damned dragon of hers showed up. Still, his team managed to injure her well-enough to send a message, just not the message he wanted to send.

If only he were able to make an example out of her.

Oh well, he thought. That time would come one way or another, if he had anything to do with it.

Luckily enough for him, he was not visible during the ambush, and his men were not in uniform - aside from the bait - so that would buy him some time while the Commander recovered.

Now, that dragon may be a problem.

[DragonSong]

"Foggy, come on." Aya shook the young captain's shoulder, panic creeping into the edges of her tone. "What's the quickest route to military headquarters from here? We have to move."

She glanced over her shoulder, tension in every line of her body. She was terrified Cain or one of his underlings would come back at any moment.

[Lowen Thorn]

"R-Right," Foggy nodded. He was having a hard time wrapping his head around the girl's powers, the situation, and their limited timeline. It was almost too much. "I know the way," he assured her. "Follow me."

He turned heel and ran, hoping they could make it in time.

Time to confront Cain.

[DragonSong]

Aya took off after him, feeling her breath already beginning to come in sharp pants-- not from exertion, in fact she suddenly felt as though she could run miles and barely be tired, but rather from fear. Fear approaching panic.

Panic that quickly spiked in her chest when she heard the massive, keening roar, screeching to a halt and spinning on her heel as she watched a familiar shadow ascend to the sky from somewhere in the eastern quarters of the city. The dragon circled, then banked toward military headquarters... No. No, to the hospital.

Her eyes widened. "Vitala... Mother!"

[Lowen Thorn]

Shit.

Foggy was pretty much in an all-out sprint, his heart pounding out of his chest as anxiety, adrenaline, and fear are pitted against each other, circling around like a toxin in his head.

He planted his foot into the dirt with a heavy thud to slow his pace, spinning around to see the dragon and then to Aya. "What is it, Aya?" he asked in between panting breaths.

[DragonSong]

"Vitala," Aya repeated, gasping though she was in no way short of breath. "That's-- he's my mother's dragon. He-- he wouldn't-- he was making for the hospital..."

That could only mean one thing. They were too late. Something had already happened to her mother.

Aya swayed on her feet, pressing one hand to her mouth as the world tilted sickeningly sideways. Oh gods, what have they done?