81 Touched with Fire (2/2)

”T-they wanted me…” I repeated. Of course, they would. I caused an upset in last night's battle. They'd want my head for that. ”You're saying they thought I was you?”

That was a stretch. Apart from our flaming red hair, Luca and I didn't really look alike. Me and my fair skin resembled mom too much. Luca with his tanned skin looked more like dad. But I guess our enemies wouldn't know the difference. After all, Luca was in-charge when Aura and I left for Mudgard.

Luca shook his head, easily destroying the theory I'd made in my head.

”They knew I wasn't you…” he insisted. ”But they knew who I was too. The brother of the boy touched by fire.”

”Touched by fire?” Ashley and I repeated at almost exactly the same time.

”That's what he called you… the boy touched with fire,” Luca continued. ”He said he wanted to meet you.”

The boy touched by fire—it was an interesting nickname, but what did it mean exactly? Was it because of my flaming red hair or my closeness with Aura who used fire magic? Or was there an entirely different reason? These questions floated at the top of my mind until Ashley's question disrupted my thoughts.

”He, who?” Ashley asked, to which I added, ”Who is he?”

Luca shut his eyes as if he were trying to remember something just out of reach from his mind's eye.

”A thin elf with long, braided silver hair and a silver mask covering the top part of his face like Aura's,” Luca explained.

Luca grasped my tightly onto my arm with his free hand. ”Dean, this guy… there was something different about him… it made him really intimidating.”

”Was he more like Azuma or Darah?” I asked while pointing out the two people in the Fayne who intimidated me more than any other.

Luca shook his head again. ”N-no… It wasn't about martial skill or anything like that…” Luca's eyes darted between me and the mud below him. ”He made me think of you. That's how he felt… like you.”

The sound of lapping water and the soft grunting of swiftharts were all the sound you could hear after Luca's confession. And it was a while before anyone spoke. Thankfully, Pike was more worried about getting Luca to Berrian as quickly as possible rather than stress over a new enemy who Luca claimed felt like me. Whatever that meant.

”Shouldn't you provide them with some first-aid?” I asked.

Ashley shook her head. ”I used up all my supplies earlier when I was helping Berrian tend to our wounded.”

”Does he even have enough spells to heal these two?” I pushed.

She shrugged. ”He's rested enough. Should have regained enough mana for one or two healing spells.” Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

Ashley was the first to move. She gently helped Pike to her feet and half-carried her through the shallow pool and up to her swifthart. Then, after climbing in after her, she ordered her squad to get ready to move out.

Luca and I spent a few more seconds longer on the mud bar before I helped him to his feet and half-dragged him to my swifthart.

Luca looked up at my mount's face. ”I-is Jade Shadow okay?”

He was referring to his own swifthart which he'd already given that cool name to, reminding me once more that he, like dad, was a Star Wars fanatic. I was more of a Marvel guy myself.

”He's fine. Saw him back at the fallback location with our other herd,” Ashley answered from atop her mount, one hand on the reins and the other wrapped around Pike who sat in front of her. ”You can see him as soon as Berrian heals you.”

I helped Luca up to my swifthart and then followed after him. As he was taller than me—and no I didn't say that out loud—he was in the back seat.

”Oh, yeah,” I pulled out his broken broadsword's hilt from my pack and passed it to him. ”Found this lying around.”

”Damn… you think Zarz can fix this?” he asked.

”Sure. A bit of glue and duct tape should fix it right up,” I said jokingly.

Luca sighed. ”I don't suppose you can give me an advance on my salary so I can buy a new one?”

I laughed lightheartedly. ”Dream on, little brother.”

The last thing I did before ordering our search party out of that cavern was to take one last look at the pool in the back, thanking it in my mind for helping my brother out. My next thoughts strayed back to Luca's story—to the words the enemy used to describe me, ”The boy touched by fire.”