Flame Touched

Chapter One - Camila

She smelled the smoke before she heard the shouting. At first, she thought it was one of the buildings on her property that had caught fire. The barn, or the stables, or maybe the shed. When she realized that the screaming was coming from down the drive, and that the smoke was pungent but not overwhelming, she relaxed...some. I'm safe. But someone else was not.

Clad in her pajama pants and a loose t-shirt, she hurried out of bed to see what the commotion was all about. She passed her mother as she clambered down the stairs.

"Camila, you should stay in—" her mother called after her, but Camila was out the door before she could hear the end of that request.

There was no way she was staying in. When she heard the next scream, she knew who it belonged to—Mrs. Kendrix, their neighbor across the road. As soon as she stepped outside, she saw Mrs. Kendrix sobbing in her husband's arms. They were talking to Camila's father. Camila couldn't watch them for long. The sight of their home going up in flames was far too mesmerizing.

For a long moment, all she did was stare, and for that moment she was almost positive she wasn't breathing. She was too afraid to. The dragons did this, and the dragons are watching.

Her neighbors begot their misery because they had done something to make the holy creatures angry. Though, Camila wasn't sure just how holy they were if they destroyed everything they touched. She'd never heard a good story about the Inero dragons. Why can't I live in the land where they are good and kind and helpful, like the other nations?

"We tried. We tried to meet their demands, but growing that much food is near impossible. It's been too dry," Mrs. Kendrix wailed.

Camila's father held a stiff, expressionless gaze. "It's a challenge we've all been struggling to meet." And that was putting it lightly. Complaining outright would only get him in trouble too, and then Camila's home would be the next one to burn to the ground. The entire town was having a hard time making ends meet. They had to make a choice: please the dragons, or be full. There wasn't much of an in-between.

"Did they give you further instructions?" he asked Mr. Kendrix.

The man shook his head. "All the priest said was that we were no longer deemed worthy of the responsibility we'd been trusted with, and that if our property was not producing fruit, it was considered an unholy place. I'm not sure what we will do now without a home and without our land."

"You'll stay with us until you find your footing again," her father said. "I will employ you. Everything will be okay." There was a slight tremble in his voice that suggested otherwise. Camila wasn't sure if her neighbors noticed it or not.

Mrs. Kendrix broke down into sobs. "Bless you! Bless your whole family. We'll find a way to repay you for your kindness."

"Go inside, and we'll help you clean up," he said. He glanced over at Camila then, finally acknowledging her. Something in his expression seemed so sad, and it wasn't out of pity for their neighbors. Camila knew it had everything to do with her and she couldn't possibly imagine why he'd even be thinking about her. She came to this realization because of the way her father's whole body changed as he gazed her way. Observation had always been her strongest skill.

Camila gazed back at the house across the street going up in flames. Dark figures began to line up in front of the fire.

"Dragons," she whispered.

Slightly taller than the average man, from a distance they might have appeared to be human. There was no mistaking them, however. Scales reflected the orange glow of the fire, making their red muddy coloring look like melting magma. Piercing, yellow lizard eyes gazed at her causing a shiver to run down her spine. Where the Inero dragons lacked wings and size like some of the other species in the other nations, they made up for in agility and sharp claws. No creature stood a chance against the two long, powerful legs the beasts walked on. If they wanted their prey, they would catch it and rip it to shreds. She'd never seen so many of them at once.

Among the dragons was one young man. He stood in front of the group of great lizards before facing her. By the light of the fire, she made out a slight smirk. Then he did the last thing she expected—he approached her.

Camila swallowed, lowering her head and gaze in a bow. She respected him only because he had the power to decimate her family too.

"You should be inside," he said. He seemed so young now that he was closer to her. Perhaps a few years younger than she. It didn't sit well with her if only because she knew he'd been taken by the priesthood at an even younger age. Those with the gift to speak with the dragons were sought out to be brainwashed as early as possible by the government.

Slowly, Camila dared to look at him head on. "I had to be sure my friends were safe, your holiness."

The young man tilted his head to the side as if he were considering this. "Your heart is kind. I hope whatever plague has befallen your neighbors doesn't come to your family as well. They're good, loyal, people, so be assured that His Lordship of the Inero will do everything he can to make this right."

Camila nodded, though she didn't believe a word he said. There was absolutely no reason for the farm to be demolished. The plague the young man spoke of didn't exist. Her neighbors were having a difficult time meeting their crop goals, but they still had a perfectly functioning farm. A farm that was now gone. No, the dragons were sending some kind of a message to the rest of the families in town: the Inero Empire is more important than anything else—including the lives of its subjects.

"You should go back inside and go to bed," the young man advised.

"Yes," she whispered, though she knew sleep would not be coming any time soon.