The Death Match

Chapter 1

My feet dragged behind me as my fatigued body hunched forward. My eyes dropped slightly as I forced my head up. I was sure I looked like a troll still gowned in my torn night clothes, hair knotted, and a day’s worth of grease slicking several strands. Dirt spots covered portions of my exposed skin, and I had to hobble for fear of my wound getting infected.

“Don’t worry about them.” He assured me but the fist in my gut told me otherwise. They were cunning and wicked at the same time. Not to mention their blood was purely liquid fire that they could use to malign anyone who got in their way. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t ever the one to get in their way.

I nodded my head as my heavy tongue moved to roll across my teeth. I clicked my tongue before asking: “Do you think we could pause and have a drink?”

The Reaper stood up from his bent stance. I hadn’t even noticed that he had moved to place his eyes level with mine until he did so. The man had honor and pride, but he also had kindness. My day has been full of surprises, I thought as the Reaper whistled up to the Firebirds.

“What?” They shouted down from where they drifted ten feet up in the air. Both of them flared, fire shooting from their helmets in twisting flames of bright light and steady warmth. The trees swayed and the shadows scurried.

“Let’s take a break and start a fire. Delaney isn’t looking well, I need to treat her wound.” The Reaper called up to the Firebirds.

The two women looked at one another. “No,” they said together and the Reaper huffed. “The wound will be healed when she reaches the gate.”

The Reaper stepped away from me to be standing directly underneath the Firebirds. His neck stretched as far as it could go. “She’ll die before she reaches the gate. She needs rest and water.”

A Firebird pinched her nose. “And a bath.” It commented and the other Firebird, the one with the soothing voice, slapped her on the arm in a warning, but couldn’t help to chuckle as her stern look dissipated.

The Reaper’s furrowed brows twitched in anger. “Then we’ll give her a bath.”

“There’s no water near enough to throw her in.” The first Firebird said.

“Gael!” The Firebird with the soothing voice called out and I raised my head to see her taking a hold of the other Firebird’s arm. “Sister, don’t talk like that. If he reports it back to the King, we’ll never—”

Gael waved a dismissing hand. “Fine.” She said as she broke away from her sister.

“You two are sisters?” I asked, my voice carrying around the forest in an eerie way. My hair rose on the back of my neck.

Gael sighed, frustrated. “See what you did, Olive!” She stomped a foot in the air as if she was pounding it against the floor. It was our turn to share a look as the Reaper raised his eyebrows in my direction.

Olive’s face prickled as her cheeks inflamed. “I’m trying to follow orders.” She hissed at her sister.

“You’ve given the child too much information!” Gael exclaimed.

Olive pointed a thin finger at her sister. “You know I’m right. You just never think when you’re tired.”

“Who says I’m tired?” Gael huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

The Reaper back stepped over to me. “Ladies,” he cheered and the Firebirds snapped their heads in our direction. “We’re all tired so I think now would be a good time to rest.” His words were slow and thoughtful as he released them.

Olive nodded her head and lowered herself to the ground. “I’ll get the fire started.” She turned her head to look up at Gael. “There’s a stream we passed a while back, be careful and get a bowl of water.”

“I don’t have a bowl.” Gael retorted and Olive’s head burst in flames.

“Just do it!” She screeched into the night and in a twirl of flickering, frightened flame, Gael zipped off through the tree trunks.

“Thank you,” the Reaper said as his back brushed my side. Olive gave him a look through her eyelashes as she lowered closer to the ground. I was shocked to find that the Firebird was gorgeous. Her small petite face was smooth and slightly freckled around the nose. Her eyes were like honey, rich in color and shimmered in just the right lighting, and surrounded by long, thick ebony eyelashes that brushed her high cheekbones when she blinked. Her thin, curvy body was one to envy as she moved. I noticed the Reaper following her every move as she danced in place as she dug a small hole in the ground with her feet.

“Yes,” I said absent minded. “Thank you.”

The Firebird tilted her head up as she stepped out of the small hole. Her hands stretched before her and with a flick of her wrists, a roaring fire brushed the earth. The rush of heat hit me like heavens breath and I sighed.

Olive bent gracefully at the knees, almost as if she was a professional dancer, and sat down among the earth. She stared at the fire as her bottom lip puffed out, making a pouty face.

The Reaper’s hands brushed my arm in an attempt to get my attention and I looked up at him. “Do you have a change of clothes in your bag?” He looked at the pack that was strapped across my body.

“Oh—yes!” I cheered and the Firebird looked at me annoyed. My cheeks flushed at my action. I’d been over dramatic and my own voice pained me to hear.

The Reaper waved his fingers towards himself as he looked at the pack. Stripping it from my body, I slid it off and handed it to him. “What’s that?” He asked as he pointed to the pendent on my neck.

“What?” I asked as I looked down at the silver dollar shaped pendent. I’d nearly forgotten about my mother’s necklace. My fingers gingerly went up to the pendent and smoothened over the rough surface of the raised design.

“Your pendent looks familiar.” The Reaper said curiously as he narrowed his eyes as he stared between my fingers.

Protectively, I turned my shoulder to face him; caging my mother’s necklace from his view. “It’s my mother’s.” I said and he leaned back on his heels.

He stuck his hands in his pockets and opened his mouth as if to apologize, but closed it tight after catching air.

Olive peeked her head up and around the flames as she, too, tried to get a good look at the pendent. “Can I see it?” She asked and my mouth fell open.

“I don’t see what’s the big deal about my pendent!” I cried incredulously.

The Reaper shrugged and Olive narrowed her eyes. “Fine. You don’t have to show us.”

“No,” I said as a matter-of-factly towards them. “I do not.”

The Reaper’s earthy eyes glanced at me for a fraction more before he bent down and picked up the biggest stick that was nearest to him. “You’ll want to change after I heal your wound.” He told me and Olive looked away from us. Bending her knees, she rested her chin on the tops of them as she wrapped her arms around her legs.

“How are you going to heal my wound?” I asked the Reaper. He tossed the stick in his hand once before jutting it in the fire. Once the wood popped and accepted the fire, he pulled the piece back to reveal a torch.

“Because I have this,” I watched as he reached back into his pocket to pull out a vivid blue crystal with a shimmering gold center.

My mouth parted in awe as I admired the stone. “You have a healing stone?” I hissed quietly as I leaned in closer to him. A scent of musky patchouli teased my nose as my neck stretched to look him in the face. “I thought you were just going to grind up some herbs or something.”

The Reaper’s mouth twitched into a smile. “No. Herbs get too messy to carry around.”

“Oh,” I said as I raised my eyebrows. He didn’t say anything else as he looked behind himself and over to Olive. She sat looking at the fire gravely and that’s when I realized her sister was still gone from getting water. “Is the stream really that far back?” I asked the Reaper and he shook his head, still looking at Olive.