Fall from Fire (Kveta fantasy au)

The faint scent of incense wafted between members of the crowd, tendrils of smoke branching outwards from the glowing embers of a dancing flame. Persons of the inner ring, adorned in their ornate robes and shinning jewels, knelt towards the figure at the center, eyes intent and mouths pressed closed in thin, concentrated lines. This was a serious matter for their tribe; it couldn't be taken lightly, as some of their people tended to. To the others, the ritual was seen as a social event, as casual as if they were selling wares at a market during the celebrations of the gods. The council knew otherwise.

Eyes focused on the girl at the center. She wore robes of a rich crimson, lined with golden embroidery, and accented by the various gems they had gifted to her for her readings. The colors accented her tan skin and dark, unruly hair well, but her eyes... Her eyes stood out even more so than the precious metal of her bangles and necklaces. Normally hazel with a calm yet intelligent gaze, the girl's irises held the glow of the fire with a clear ring of gold. It was as if she was a personification of the very element she faced. Those who assumed so wouldn't be far off; this girl was an Elemental, a Fire Oracle. 

"Give us your reading, girl," a man spoke out, mildly impatient. Her eyes flickered out in his direction, silencing him immediately. Pulling her hood back, she revealed her face entirely and shook her bangs from her vision. The many jewels on her person jingled for a moment before settling. 

"Patience," she muttered. "I've given your people readings ever since I became of age. I won't suddenly change my ways."

"Of course not, Miss," another elder spoke up, bowing his head. "Our Brother is merely anxious; there have been signs of turmoil in the lands around this desert."

"I am aware of such conflict; I've felt it," the young woman replied, her hands reaching to the fire before her. "The Sun is no more blind to the wars of this world than the people themselves." 

There was silence again as her fingertips felt the flames lick against her skin. It was this moment that perplexed and sometimes disturbed the council members the most, for even though they witnessed the fire caressing her hands, she never burned. There wasn't even the slightest sign of blistering on her skin. She was completely calm, unaffected, allowing the flickering light and heat to climb over her hands and up her arms as if welcoming a dear companion. Her eyes seemed to drift not quite out of focus, but as if she were seeing things in another plane of existence. No one could wake her from this self-induced trance.

For the first few moments, everything seemed as calm as all of the previous readings. The young woman's face remained impassive, her eyes aglow yet distant, and her arms wrapped in wafts of fire. Yet, this didn't last. Council members leaned in out of curiosity and concern as her brow furrowed. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and her body shook as her breathing became labored. The fire crackled and roared with an almost ominous sound, and with a sudden gasp from their oracle, her hands clawed the flames as if trying to rake them into her chest. The flames were snuffed out, her body hunched over the hissing embers as her arms hugged her chest; she heaved and shivered, as if waking from a nightmare.

"Oracle!"

"What was it? Tell us what you saw!"

It took the girl several moments to speak, her voice still weak as she gasped for breath.

"The rains...will come," she answered at last. There was an odd, sickening pause, and she opened her eyes to reveal a weary and frightened gaze. "But your tribe will not live to see the wet season." 

The uproar that followed was enough to stir even the farthest reaches of the small tribe, all members becoming concerned and nervous. Such anxiety had never been seen among the people, but then again, they had never received such a dark prediction. The council member that had spoken out impatiently before, now rose to his feet in clear fear and outrage.

"Arrogant vixen! You dare spit out words of our own demise?! After we have shared our food and shelter?!" 

"I do not say it because I wish it!" she spat back, eyes blazing. "The death of this tribe would mean my death as well! Do you think I'm happy to see such things?!" 

"Was there nothing else you saw?" another man questioned, his face pale. "Surely there was more to it than that!"

"I--There isn't any point."

"There was something! Say it!"

"Even if I say it, there is no changing it," the girl cried. "It is happening as we speak!"

"What is?"

"You are turning against me, all for my words and visions which I cannot control. I see it in your eyes; you think I'm some sort of demon, come to kill you off. My prophecies are not of my own choosing, but do you see it that way? No! You think I'm going to drag you all to the underworld!"

Not another word was uttered before the angered councilman was before her, striking her across the face and throwing her to the ground. Her eyes widened, despite having seen this event moments before. The blade drawn from the sheath at his waist, the other members rising to their feet in a mass of confusion, a cluster divided over whether to kill her now or settle this some other way. It all came before...

A scream echoed from the farthest western edge of the nomad tribe's camp, followed shortly by the distinct sound of hoofbeats, clashing metal, and chaos. It was a symphony of terror, the song of demise. Cries of raid and death rang throughout, the council dispersing in panic. The young woman rose up from the ground, her skin prickling with adrenaline as her eyes caught sight of the rapidly spreading glow at the far end of the tribe. She knew that glow, so destructive and passionate in the spread of it's blaze: fire. 

Her body grew cold and, despite the eruption of panic around her, she froze. She, a Fire Elemental, feeling completely empty and chilled? It was unheard of. It was happening too quickly, the fruition of her vision. How could she have known it would take place so soon? Her predictions were not so specific as that. Had she known sooner, would it have changed anything? Would she be witnessing such death and devastation as she was now? 

The urge to run finally came, and she bolted to where the animals were kept. The tribe's horses and other beasts of burden were crying out in a blind panic. Heads tossed, hooves stomped, eyes were wide and wild all around. She spotted her own mount, a handsome black stallion, rearing and attempting to free himself from the rope that tied him to his post. 

"Sobek!" 

Her horse tossed his head to her call. In a moment she'd untied him and was upon his back, barely even needing to prod him for encouragement. The animal was as terrified as she was. What had been their home for nearly an entire year was being burnt to the ground right before their eyes. Giving a kick to Sobek's side, she urged him to run faster, his hooves kicking up swirling plumes of smoke and sand.

So much chaos and in such a short time... The young woman dared to look back as her horse bolted between tents and screaming crowds. Eyes widened to see that the raid was being carried out not by any sort of bandits, but ones she had seen in previous visions. She recognized one face from a time in which she'd predicted the abduction of a councilman's daughter. These were slave traders, smugglers of the cruelest kind. They took only those they saw fit, stole anything that could be sold for their gain, and destroyed the rest. From the gaze of the man she'd locked eyes with, it was obvious that they'd heard of the oracle's presence. Oracles, male or female, would sell for a high price. 

An arrow grazed Sobek's rear flank, and another just barely missed his broad chest. Rearing back and lashing wildly, the girl pulled sharply on the reins and urged him further towards the East. The desert lay just beyond here. A normal human wouldn't dare cross such terrain alone, but she was an Elemental. She could survive. She just had to make it to the open land first.

More arrows shot in her direction. All missing their target, but barely. They would not shoot to kill, but to slow her and her horse. Clenching her teeth, her fists gripping the leather reigns so hard her palms ached, the woman willed her steed to finish the final stretch...

Pain. Deep, searing pain. It sprouted from deep within her flesh, between her shoulder blade and spine on the left side. Her back arched, eyes wide as her entire being went rigid. An arrow had lodged itself within her body, piercing no vital organs but burdening her with instant agony. The girl couldn't even scream. She let out a strangled gasp, and collapsed, her body limp upon the galloping horse beneath her. Through some miracle, she remained on as the beast reached the desert sands, the bandits halting their pursuit. 

"Do we follow her, sir?" one asked, already toying with a necklace he had looted.

"And die out there with her? Are you mad? Let her go; we've got more than enough goods to make up for the loss."

---

A day passed. Then two. The small cask of water attached to her horse's saddle was nearly empty, and both of them were weak from the sun's unrelenting heat and their loss of blood. Between bouts of unconsciousness, the girl had managed to determine their route based upon the nighttime sky. Stars were the world's natural compass; she knew them well. If they continued on this path, there was a city somewhere on the other side of this ocean of sand. Rumors of a great healer from such a place gave her a glimmer of hope for her survival. Without even the strength to sit upright in her saddle anymore, the young woman would have to pray the rumors were true. 

Time passed slowly, with only the sun's crawling across the sky to dictate how long she and her horse traveled. Feeling her horse suddenly twitch beneath her, the girl groaned and lifted her head from his shoulder. It seemed to be a trick of the light, a mirage conjured by her weak and weary mind, but her eyes didn't lie to her. The edge of a civilization could be seen on the horizon; peaks of a city wall were seen glimmering in the late afternoon sun. Had she the energy, the oracle would have cried out of pure joy. But her elation was buried beneath her physical weakness, which increased constantly. The arrow lodged in her back was taking it's toll on her body.

"H-Hurry, Sobek," she muttered, letting her head sink back onto his body. "Please..."

It felt like days, but within the hour the city was no longer a mere dot upon the horizon, but a grand wall that towered above them. The gates opened, the guards seeing her condition and recognizing the trademark signs of one who survived a raid. Such instances were rare, but not unheard of. But what shocked them more was not that she had survived what was obviously a vicious attack, but that she had survived the vast desert as well. Her skin, being unprotected for the most part, as she was clearly unprepared for such a trek, was not burned or blistered in the slightest. After experiencing such sweltering heat, she should have been covered in severe injuries, if not dead altogether. How could she have managed such a feat, especially in her condition? 

"Young lady! Miss! Where did you come from?"

She barely made a sound, her eyes fluttering before falling shut. Her horse stumbled, his legs exhausted, and she slid from his back. Thankfully, one of the men caught her. He tried rousing her again.

"Miss! Where are you from? Who did this to you?"

"H-Healer," she whimpered. "Take me...to...a-a healer... Please... I beg you..."

She was limp in the guard's arm, her head lolled to the side and her chest heaving for each breath. No more time could be wasted; an interrogation could take place later. He turned to the others, ordering the gate closed again and that arrangements be made to have the woman taken to the shaman within the inner citadel.

"Take her, and quickly," he ordered. "Find the best healer we can offer; that's her best chance.

"Young lady," he tried again, taking advantage of the sight of her eyes--barely open--focused for a moment upon his face. "Who are you? Where are you from?"

"...'veta," she mumbled feebly. "My name...is Kveta...."

And with that, she passed out once more, completely unconscious as several other men arrived to transport her, and her injured animal, to those who could properly care for her. Behind closed eyes, her mind repeated her name as if in affirmation:

I am Kveta. Kveta, the Fire Elemental, the Flame Oracle, the Survivor. I am Kveta. Kveta.