Chapter 5a

                                    

                                          
I grabbed a handful of his shirt and nearly lifted him off the ground. He yelped and writhed in pain as the material stretched across his burned back.
                          
"You little sneak," I seethed. "Pretending to be just another commoner when all along you have a filthy gift!" 
                          
"It burns! Sember, it really hurts," he whined, only irritating me more. 
                          
"I ought to do the same to your manhood!" I looked pointedly at his crotch. My hands shook as my anger spun out of control. This boy had taken advantage of me. Humiliated me. I felt like the biggest fool in the entire forest. I wanted to teach him a lesson. Hurt him. The desire to inflict pain on him was so intense that my vision actually clouded with a red haze. 
                          
"Sember, please! I'm sorry! My shirt!" 
                          
Smoke rose from my fists where they clutched his shirt. A few more seconds and it would burst into flames. Then he would get what he deserved. I glared pure hatred into his gaping face, ignoring the thickening smoke between us. 
                          
Something niggled in the far reaches of my mind. A trace of humanity. It was a lone wisp of reason amid a firestorm of fury. It said he was as scared as a child. That he was utterly terrified. Of me. 
                          
I abruptly pushed him away, and he stumbled backwards to the ground. My hands clenched and unclenched while I struggled to control my breathing. I will not explode. I will not explode.
                          
I paced around as I fought to control the monster that lurked inside me. This rage didn't just frighten Dozan, it frightened me as well. I had wanted to kill him. I had wanted to literally turn his bones into ash. No sane person would think such thoughts. People got angry and they yelled. They didn't start thinking about murder.
                          
Dozan clambered to his feet, and my attention snapped back to him. He raised his hands, expecting another attack from me. His face twisted with fear and pain. I stepped toward him and swatted his hands aside, grabbing his shirt again with one hand. He flinched, but I merely dragged him forward as I walked. His steps were halting and clumsy as I stomped back down the path, dragging him behind me. 
                          
When we reached Zelly's garden, both women gawked at me stamping furiously toward them, a cowering lad with a scorched shirt in tow behind me. 
                          
I yanked him forward and shoved him toward the confused Icelings, not caring that he nearly fell to the ground again. "Tell them what you did," I hissed. "Exactly what you did. And they'll fix you. Tell them everything you know. Leave anything out, and I'll destroy you where you stand." I took a step back, my limbs trembling as I struggled to repress the fire inside. "I need to go."
                          
My head throbbed with the effort it took not to hurl a fireball at his face. I didn't look at Siena or Zelly. I couldn't. They were witnessing a monster in action, and I couldn't bear it. I just spun around and launched into a full sprint toward the lake. 
                          
I ran with blinding speed. I needed to get to safe ground. The energy inside me pressed outward in chaotic bursts, and I wasn't sure how long I could keep it in. 
                          
I couldn't remember the last time I had this much rage coursing through me. The nerve of that lecherous animal! I'd had no control over myself, and I hated it.What irked me even more was the fact that, while I was under his influence . .. I had actually enjoyed it. My jaw clenched over the admission, and I gasped with relief when I finally broke into the clearing. 
                          


                          
Yikes. Don't mess with Sember. Maybe a vote will make her feel better.