Uncanny Flames






As Kyllen led the last squad fleeing the Duke's burning town, he had a single moment of clarity amid the screams and roaring flames.

A man in black robes was walking calmly within the chaos as unconcerned as a shopper strolling through the market looking for plums. He carried a glowing wand, and uncanny flames spread around him. Wooden structures, baskets, anything remotely flammable exploded into bright orange fire.

The man was not even singed by the pulsing heat Kyllen could easily feel from a bow shot away.

Kyllen grabbed an archer by the shoulder, spinning her around.

"Can you hit that man in black?" He pointed into the town.

She automatically raised her arm to reach for an arrow, but her quiver was empty.

"Shit. I'm out." She started looking frantically for loose arrows on the ground.

The heat increased, and Kyllen's squad instinctively stepped back.

"The gods be damned heat is too much," the archer cried. "We cannot stay here."

Kyllen nodded, and they continued the retreat.

That night, five miles away, Kyllen sat against a tree as the sky glowed orange from the ruined town. When he fell into an exhausted sleep, he dreamed of a black demon dancing in a bonfire, laughing as he whipped the the flames like a net around his squad.





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