The Black Flame

Upon the evening waves, Connla dozed as Enbarr sailed in her way. As he slept, he dreamed of the past, as he often did: he'd dream about the townsfolk, mingling and working together; he'd dream about the animals in the woods, how he'd lead them on adventures; he'd dream about his mother, everything she had taught him through work, training, and stories. There was, however, another thing he dreamed about. It was a dream he'd had often, though he couldn't recall a time he'd had it since he left home. Like many of his dreams, he remembered the day well, though when he'd told others about it, no one seemed to recognize the girl he saw that day.

Connla had been training with a boar-spear, fashioned with instruction from his mother. Venturing through the woods, he heard a cry for help. Following the prick of his ears, he came upon a strange sight. In a part of the woods he didn't recognize, there stood a lone willow tree in a clearing. Between the willow tree and the woods from which Connla emerged stood a ring of briar bushes, a thicket through which he would have to venture if he were to reach the girl trapped in the tree.

"Help!" she called, the tendrils of her dark hair tangled within the willow's branches, "A bully of a boar chased me up here, and now I can't get down!"

Without a second thought, Connla trudged through the thorns. They scratched and stung at him, flames of pain erupting wherever they touched his skin. Emerging on the other side, Connla came face to face with the purported beast. The boar was the size of a bear--massive tusks like great curved swords, hide as thick as a stone wall, and the rage in its eyes was like a black flame. Fearless, Connla engaged the beast, and their battle lasted into the night. As the sun began to set, both were bloodied and beaten. The boar jerked its head, disarming Connla of his spear, then trampled the weapon beneath its hooves. The shaft snapped and splintered, and the iron head was dented and bent beyond repair. Now armed only with his hands, Connla's heart began to race. The demon boar charged him and then...

Connla's eyes opened. He never could remember what happened next. He remembered the bloodied body of the boar, defeated at his hand. He remembered cutting the girl free from the willow's branches, her bright blue eyes smiling at him in gratitude. No matter how hard he tried to recall, however, he could not remember how he had defeated the wild beast.

Whilst Connla was lost in thought, Enbarr arrived on a new island, transforming into her four-legged form and trotting up the beach. Atop a hill overlooking the shore blazed a great wall of flame surrounding a tower that reached high into the heavens. The heat could be felt from several yards away, so Connla dismounted and carried on on his own. From his growing arsenal, he chose a spear not too dissimilar to the one from his dream of that memory.

Shielding his eyes from the bright light of the fire, Connla gazed up at the tower. Upon the spire he thought he spied a wave of shimmering black hair, tossed about by the heat of the rising flames. A pale arm waved down at him, confirming his suspicions, and Connla dropped his gaze once more to the flames. He wiped the sweat from his brow, steeled himself, and leapt into the inferno. The fire bit at him like so many thorns, but he pressed on through until he reached the doorway of the tower.

Heaving the heavy doors open, Connla entered a hall entirely insulated from the burning flames without. He had precious little time to catch his breath, however; on the far end of the room, seated upon a gaudy throne, was a tyrant of bread and haughty stature, bedecked in gilded armor. Upon his head he wore a helm that gave him the appearance of a long-tusked boar, and upon the top of the helm sat a crown that matched his pride.

How very fitting for a tyrant, thought Connla, I'll stick this pig just the way he deserves.

Brandishing his spear, Connla approached the tyrant king. The Boar King stood, wielding a trident much larger and longer than Connla's own weapon. The fight commenced, and the massive Boar King fought as gallantly and gaudily as his golden armor. Connla was on the back-foot against the much larger man, his boar-spear's thrust unable to penetrate the tyrant's thick armor.

The Boar King's trident flew frantic through the air with ease, catching Connla's spear at every opportunity. Eventually, the barbs of the trident snatched the wooden shaft of the spear, trapping it and snapping it into frayed splinters. Connla leapt back, leaving the shattered remnants of his weapon beneath the Boar King's feet. He was completely disarmed; all of his remaining weapons were with Enbarr, across the wall of flames. He was a sitting duck. His heart began to race, accelerating his mind in turn.

As the Boar King thrust his trident toward Connla's belly, he found himself remembering that dream once more. He never could recall how he defeated the monstrous boar, but he remembered how he had felt. The fear, the doubt, the panic--all that in spades, but also something more...something darker.

Connla remembered the villagers of his home. They had grown more friendly with him over the years, but he never forgot how they had spurned him, and how they had come to rely on him to work in their stead. He remembered the animals of the woods, how cowardly and timid they were as they pushed Connla to face the fears that they could not. He remembered his mother, the harsh training she had put him through to master the many weapons he now brandished, the terrible weight of responsibility she had left on his shoulders as she disappeared.

Why? Why would you do this to me? Why would you abandon me to such a dangerous quest? Why did you bring me into this world in the first place? Haven't I done enough? Haven't I struggled enough? I don't deserve this! I deserve so much more than this! I...deserve...a...

The flames surrounding the tower began to burn black. They blasted the heavy doors inward, and Connla felt their power flooding into him. In a flash, his sharpened claws gripped the barbs of the tyrant's trident with a strength he had never known. He folded the steel spikes like blades of grass, then snapped the steel shaft between his fangs. Ripping and tearing at his enemy, Connla howled as he slew the giant boar. It's gilded hide tore open like paper, and the blood of the tyrant slaked the thirst of the beast.

As the dark form faded, Connla stood no longer within the throne room of a great tower. Instead, he found himself before a familiar willow tree. He recognized the woman from atop the tower as the girl he had saved all those years ago, her crystal-blue eyes and raven-dark hair unmistakable as they were unforgettable. The body of the tyrant--or was it the boar?--shimmered away as if beneath the sea. Glittering reflections blinded Connla as the girl presented to him a silver chain, fastening it upon his hip.

As he watched, the chain began to transform. Small silver charms began to form, resembling so many crowns which Connla recognized from the heads of tyrants he had felled. He touched the charm shaped like the crown of the Boar King, and in his hand it transformed into a tall gilded trident--the exact weapon the tyrant had almost slain him with. Before he could say a word to the woman, his head grew heavy and his vision blurry. As he fell beneath the waves, he heard a gentle voice inside his head.

Ashen Wolf, the woman's voice said, the power within you is yet incomplete. Learn to control it, and you may yet break your chains. Until then, you have my blessing.

Connla opened his eyes and sat up. The sea was calm as Enbarr sailed along. He shielded his eyes against the sun, but saw no island yet on the horizon. He took a deep, refreshing breath. He sat himself on the edge of the boat, the silver chain clinking just above the water, and washed his dry face with the cool seawater. From that day on, he wondered no more about the death of the bully boar.