Seared by Desire Read online

  Seared by Desire

  Jennifer T. Alli

  Copyright 2011 by Jennifer T. Alli

  Smashwords Edition

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty One

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Chapter One – Awakening

  The autumn sun shone brightly against the azure sky giving a luminescent glow to all it touched. The sound of birds chirping as they flew overhead was all that could be heard in the practically empty meadow, the only other sound that of the gentle breathing of its sole occupant. There was a cool breeze that flitted aimlessly through the air, stirring the damp blades of grass beneath Sara's fingertips and shifting the curled strands of her hair playfully. She sat alone, her legs tucked neatly beneath the voluminous wealth of her skirt. Being alone in a vast meadow might have filled others with a sense of fear and isolation but Sara had spent most of her life alone, even when surrounded by others. Loneliness was an emotion she’d lost early on in life. Staring forlornly at the image reflected back at her by the deep blue waters of the pond she sat beside, she had to admit it was a beautiful day for a wedding. On a day that should have been a happy one, filled with joy and laughter, the emotions were distinctly absent within her. Bright blue eyes stared back at her from within the depths of the pond, the only part of her reflection that was even vaguely familiar. The woman in the water was a stranger.

  Flaming red hair curled down to her shoulders, blending in with the deep red of the bodice she wore. The skirt she wore was long and intricately woven with fine threads of gold and orange into beautifully ornate patterns and hidden beneath it were fine slippers of equally delicate make. The rich colour of the clothes she wore made her feel even more the imposter, so different were they to the muted colours she normally wore. The freckles that normally covered her face were hidden beneath a light coat of powder, making her tanned skin seem unusually pale, the colour of those of power and influence among her people. Her tanned skin, the calluses on her palms, all gave her away for what she was…a poor, unskilled member of the fire elementals and she, and the few others like her, were left to fend for themselves.

  A soft sigh escaped her lips before she slapped her hand against the water destroying the reflection as the water rippled away from her. The woman in the water wasn’t her and she never would be. The only reason she wasn’t being flogged for her insolence in dressing above her station was that Abigail had demanded it and what Abigail, one of the strongest fire elementals in their small village wanted, she got. Abigail, her only friend and defender, was getting married and things would never be the same again. Abigail had always stood by her side despite her weakness. While others had shunned her for her inability to do more with fire than even a child, Abigail had stood by her. Amongst the fire elementals where power and strength were prized above all, Sara was an anomaly. Fire elementals married and bred for strength. A woman of her practically non-existent power levels was looked upon as a plague, an illness to be avoided at all costs. It had been that way since she was a child.

  When other children had been learning to manipulate flames, making inventive images out of fire, she had barely been able to create a spark let alone summon a flame. Her power had barely improved since those horrid times and neither had the way she was treated. She was avoided as though simply being in her presence would cause ones own power to decrease and stared at by all with disgust in their eyes. Despite the many wishes she’d made that she could simply leave, experience the outside world where she could have a second chance at life, she knew it was impossible. She was trapped in her own personal hell. The fire elementals were known far and wide as the strongest warriors and the most vicious of the elementals, a reputation they defended above all else. Weaklings, like herself, were forbidden from ever leaving the confines of their village. No one else could ever know about her and she knew nothing about them. The village was all she had ever known.

  It was only Abigail that made living in her forced confinement bearable. Abigail had never shunned her but Sara doubted the tradition could continue now that she was to marry. Abigail’s future husband had made no attempt to his hide his dislike of her and as soon as they were married would do his utmost to prevent them from seeing each other. Abigail was strong-minded but she would soon have more important things to concern herself with. The thoughts ran round her head, her mind chaotic. She leaned back on her arms, turning her head up to sky, taking a deep breath before forcing herself to stand. Abigail had gone against everyone’s wishes to include her in this wedding, even though she wasn’t happy about the prospect of losing her friend, she had to stand by her side.

  The meadow was on the very outskirts of the village, near where she lived with the other outcasts but Sara moved quickly, determined to provide her friend with moral support. She drew hateful stares as soon as she entered the village bumanaged to keep her head held high as she walked onwards, edging closer to the centre where the more powerful lived. Her feet became heavier, her steps increasingly hesitant as she spotted the giant fountain of ever-fire was the centre of town. Each village of fire elementals had the bright blue flame at its centre. The flame supposedly came from the spirit of fire itself, a symbol of the strength, power and the immortality of fire. The truly strong could even draw power from it, absorbing part of the flame into themselves and temporarily using its power as their own. As a weak member of her people, Sara rarely had the opportunity to see it and even now that she could, her eyes were focused on something all together different. Standing in front of the fire, dressed in robes of the deepest red, Abigail stood wringing her hands nervously. Her brown eyes scanned the large crowd that had gathered around her expectantly as though she were waiting for something or someone. Judging from the swift change in her demeanour as soon as her eyes landed on Sara, it had been her. Her shoulders relaxed and a smile appeared on her face.

  “Sara!” Abigail cried, beckoning her over frantically.

  Sara forced a smile to her lips, it was Abigail’s big day she would not ruin it. “Sorry, I’m late,” she apologised as she moved closer.

  Abigail laughed, visibly relaxed now that everything was coming together as she’d planned. “Where were you? I was about to send out a search party to look for you.”

  “Sorry if I worried you. You look beautiful.” Sara smiled, this time it was genuine. Dressed in all the finery that befitted her station and her status as a bride, Abigail looked resplendent.

  “Thank you. Trust me, when you get married, you’re going to put me to shame. You’ll look fantastic. I can just imagine it now…” she trailed off, willing to let Sara’s mind fill in the gap she’d left.

  Sara’s smile turned melancholy. “One day,” she whispered, the two simply spoken words imbued with sadness.

  “Sara,” Abigail sighed, her voice low, softly spoken. “It will happen.”

  “Sure it will,” she scoffed in response.

  “It will.”

  “Abi, look at me. You’re the only one willing to even associate with me. Everyone else treats me like some sort of illness. Not even my own p
arents want anything to do with me. They made me leave their home as soon as they could and we’ve barely spoken a word to each other since that day. There isn’t a man here who would take me as their wife. I’ve made my peace with that fact. I think you should as well.”

  “I can’t Sara, I won’t. If anyone deserves happiness it’s you and I know you’ll find it one day.”

  “Maybe, but one day isn’t today. Today is your wedding and it’s almost time. Come on you don’t want to be late to your own wedding. What would James say?”

  Abigail laughed thinking of the lengthy lecture her future husband would likely give her on the importance of time keeping. She had grown used to his rants and learned to tune them out to an extent. It was amazing how he didn’t notice the glazed look in her eyes as he continued talking but she was marrying him because his strength as an elemental was on par with her own, she could only hope that over the years he would mellow. “Right, let’s get me married then.”

  The walk to the alter was short and Sara thanked the powers above that it was so; she wasn’t sure how much longer she could maintain this charade. She wanted to be happy for Abigail but her own feelings were getting in the way. Her eyes prickled with unshed tears and her throat felt constricted, sobs desperately seeking to escape. Her face was however the epitome of serenity, a happy smile plastered painfully onto her lips. Her eyes were on the minister who would join Abigail and James in matrimony as she stood at her friend’s side but she saw nothing. Her thoughts were elsewhere as the vows were spoken, her surroundings becoming increasingly distant as her thoughts became muddled.

  The sharp sound of a scream snapped her out of the reverie she had fallen into and as the number of screams multiplied, she came back to her body with a resounding crash. Her heart began to thud wildly in her chest at the sight of demons marching onwards towards the congregation. Horrid, deformed creatures from nightmare they were. No two were the same, some with more legs than arms, some with skin as black as night others with skin an red as blood but the look in their eyes was all the same. Hunger. There was no pattern to their attacks, they came and went as they pleased, attacking rarely but when they did the outcome was devastating. Attracted to the natural heat that fire elementals gave off, they came to feast on their flesh, absorbing the fire into themselves. For an elemental as weak as she, meeting the demons would mean certain death.

  “Sara!” Abigail's command was swift and authoritative instantly garnering her attention. Her friend stood, her spine erect, thoughts of her failed wedding pushed to the back of her mind as she prepared to fight the enemy just like a true fire elemental. “Run. Hide. I’ll come and find you as soon as we’ve dealt with this scum.”

  Sara nodded dumbly, lifting the long length of her skirt and fleeing into the distance. As adrenaline rushed through her body, she felt something shift and move within her mind, stretching as it woke. A strange voice within her mind startled her, stopping her abrupt flight.

  Demons, the voice hissed.

  The single word grated on her ears. The voice sounded cruel, heartless and eager for blood, destruction and mayhem.

  Burn.

  Sara shivered, as heat like she had never felt raced through her veins. Her skin felt as though it were on fire. Heat thrummed through her, spreading like a raging inferno, pulsing through her body until it broke free of the confines of her skin. Her body was aflame, from the tips of her hair to the ends of her toes she was covered in fire.

  Burn the demons, the strange voice hissed, sounding as though nothing would give it greater satisfaction than to do just that. Burn the demons! The fire on her skin seemed to explode from her body, burning even the air that it came into contact with. The fire spread, extending past the limits of her skin a few inches acting as though it were a shield. Her thoughts became clouded, her control over her body slipping as the strange voice became clearer.

  “Come to me demons.” The words left her lips but it wasn’t her voice that spoke.

  Seemingly helpless to resist her call, the demons turned from their intended victims and walked, as though in a trance towards her. Sara’s eyes connected with a horrified Abigail, the sight of her friend made her struggle against the stranglehold the voice in her head had over her body. She didn’t know what it wanted but from the malevolence in its voice it wouldn’t be good. She had to get away from the village. Wresting control over her limbs from the unwanted presence, Sara turned from the village. The demons, still in a trance from her earlier command, followed helplessly as she strode further and further away. The fire on her skin grew hotter, burning away at the earth beneath her feet as she walked. Her head was in agony, a blinding pressure building within her until she felt as though she would explode, but she kept walking, drawing the enemy’s wrath away from her home.

  The meadow was now in sight but the strength was draining quickly from her body. When she stumbled, her legs weak, she knew time was running out. There was something within her that wanted out and whatever it was, was dangerous. Lifting her skirt, she ran blindly, desperate to increase the distance between her and the village. She didn’t make it far. She had barely reached the meadow when the power washed over her, bringing her to her knees. Flames poured from her body in waves as she clutched her head in agony.

  “No!” she screamed. “Please stop.”

  Hungry, the voice hissed. Demons. Feast.

  Headless of the fire emanating from her, the demons continued onward. The dam burst, pulling Sara into unconsciousness as a pillar of fire exploded from her. The demons were sucked in, dead in mere seconds as the fire ravaged their bodies until it was satisfied.

  Minutes passed before people from the village came upon the scene, their eyes widening as they took in the devastation Sara had caused. A scorched path led them easily to where she lay, the grass on either side shockingly green in comparison to the blackened earth beneath their feet. Sara lay as though sleeping in the middle of the swath of destruction she’d made, a crater of scorched earth acting as her cradle. As soon as she saw her, Abigail ran towards her but an elder quickly stopped her placing a restraining hand on her arm.

  “Let me go,” she demanded, reaching for the fire within her to strike the man down.

  “Look,” he instructed, pointing to the earth near her feet.

  There were no bodies, no bones, no trace of the demons at all, only ash. The ash covered the ground but its placement was so strategic, so calculated, that all gathered knew it had been no accident. Spelt in the ashen bodies of the demons, one word was written over and over again, surrounding Sara’s unconscious body. ‘Seraphina’. Fire itself had spawned a child and now it was awake, awake and hungry.

  Chapter Two - Discovery

  Sara’s head was pounding, her limbs felt leaden and the light from the candles around the room felt like needles piercing her eyes. Her mind instantly edged away from waking as the uncomfortable sensations wracked her body. It was only when she became aware of the sheets that she was lying against that she fought to wake. The sheets beneath her were soft, gentle on the skin, a world away from the rough cotton of her own bed. There was something going on and she fully intended to find out what it was.

  Her eyes burned when she opened the lids so it took her a few moments to orientate herself with her surroundings and realise exactly where she was. Even then she wasn’t entirely sure she was awake. Her surroundings were entirely too opulent to belong to her. It wasn’t just the sheets that were luxurious, the entire room screamed wealth. She was lying in a large four-poster bed, draped in what appeared to be satin sheets of the deepest red. The red of power and wealth; the red of the elites. Now that she was awake, she could look at the lights that had so blinded her and the golden holders only served to reconfirm that wherever she was was a world away from her own modest home. Her parents were of reasonable power and so as a child she had not been as poor as she was currently but even the comfort of her childhood was nothing in comparison to her new rooms. A sense of fear filled her. />
  “What’s going on?” she mumbled to herself.

  “Sara? Sara, thank the heavens you’re alright.”

  The relieved voice came from beside her and Sara immediately turned towards it. Her apprehension lessened as soon as she saw Abigail sitting at her bedside. Abigail would explain exactly what was going on and no matter what it was she would help her.

  “Abi, what’s going on? Where are we? ”

  “New Kennington,” Abigail answered simply.

  “What in the world am I doing here?” Sara spluttered. New Kennington was the capital city of the fire elementals and only the strongest could enter its walls, all others were forbidden from even approaching it. She in particular shouldn’t even dream of ever seeing the city, she wasn’t even allowed to leave her village. What was going on?

  “Don’t you remember?” Abigail gasped shocked.

  “Remember what?”

  “My wedding,” she prompted. “The demons….”

  Memories of what had happened flashed before her eyes. The sight of so many demons making their way towards her, the look of hunger in their crazed eyes; the malicious voice echoing through her mind; the raw power that had filled her and finally the horrid stench of burnt flesh before she had fallen into unconsciousness.

  “What have I done?” she whispered horrified. Her head fell heavy into her waiting palms.

  “There’s no need to sound so ashamed, you did what any fire elemental would have done in your place. You should be proud. But that power Sara…why have you been hiding it all this time. You were amazing.”

  Remembering the pure menace in the voice’s words, Sara shivered though as a fire elemental she was never cold. “That wasn’t me Abi, whatever that was, it wasn’t me.”

  “So the power’s gone?”

  Sara delved within herself, reaching for the power that had been conspicuously absent her entire life. Where once there was nothing, now she was overflowing with strength, the reservoir of power strong and certain. She probed at her newfound powers, surprised at the familiarity she felt with powers she’d acquired so recently. “No, wherever the power came from, it hasn’t left me.”