Enflamed (Book 2) by R.M. Prioleau Page A

release his spell, flashing bright light in the
troll’s eyes; it reeled in pain.
    While the troll was
momentarily disoriented, Aidan rushed forward and grappled the creature,
digging his claws into its skin. The troll howled in pain and attempted to hurl
its attacker off, but Aidan didn’t budge. The troll spat corrosive saliva into
Aidan’s eyes.
    He let go, holding his face. “Gah! It burns!”
    “Aidan!” Nester pushed past
him, glaring at the troll. Using both daggers, Nester simultaneously sliced
through the troll’s leg and across its midsection. Globs of greenish, curdled
blood poured out of the wounds—but only briefly. The wounds immediately began
to mend. Nester widened his eyes. “This ain’t good, mate—not good at all!”
    Three more trolls emerged from
the shadows and encircled the group, snarling and drooling on the muddy ground.
    Kaijin glanced at each of the
towering monsters. “ Flamm annul! ” A ring of white fire appeared,
encircling Kaijin, Nester, and Aidan. “Keep back!” he yelled at the monsters.
    The trolls cringed and kept
their distance from the flames, but showed no signs of leaving. The intense
bright flames slowly transitioned to a steady, flickering, amber hue.
    “What is happening?” Aidan
exclaimed, rubbing some of the liquid substance from his eyes. He spotted the
roaring flames and winced. “Kaijin! Nester!” He reached out, feeling for his comrades.
    Kaijin rushed over, grabbed
Aidan’s hand, and tugged him toward the center of the fiery circle. “Stay right
here.”
    “We can’t keep this up,
Kaijin!” Nester called over his shoulder. “We need to get rid of these soddin’
things fast before even more come!”
    Kaijin glared at Nester. “Do
you have any suggestions?”
    Nester twirled his blades,
eyeing each creature. “I remember Grandpa Nepp encountered a troll once. Nasty bugger,
it was. Wasn’t nearly as big as these things, though. Said he managed to kill th ’ thing, but I forgot ’ow.”
    Kaijin rolled his eyes. “Well
that doesn’t help, now does it?”
    “Let Aidan handle it,” Aidan
said.
    Both Kaijin and Nester looked
at him.
    Aidan rubbed his eyes again
and tried to open them further. He advanced slowly toward the snarling
creatures.
    “Aidan! Wait!” Kaijin called.
He grabbed Aidan’s burly arm, but Aidan broke his grip with a quick flex.
    The trolls eagerly awaited
Aidan on the other side of the fire ring. Their claws extended, the monsters
appeared ready to pounce on him like a pack of hungry wolves.
    Aidan stopped at the edge of
the ring before the creatures. After a moment, he closed his eyes again, took a
deep breath, and barreled through the scorching heat, parts of his leathery
skin catching fire. He collided with the cluster of trolls, who also caught
some of the blaze.
    Kaijin watched in awe as Aidan
blindly fought each of the creatures with his bare hands, clawing at them,
ripping through rubbery flesh and hurling them into the ring of fire. The
monsters howled in pain. Panic resounded in the creatures’ guttural voices as
they frantically searched for a means of escape.
    The creatures scrambled about,
seemingly oblivious to everything but Aidan. Nester smirked at Kaijin as he
twirled his blades. “Looks like Aidan’s made it easy
for us, now, eh? Look at them! They’re runnin’ around like they just seen a
ghost!”
    Kaijin observed the monsters
more closely. The scorch wounds on their skin didn’t appear to be healing.
Moreover, the monsters seemed terrified of the flames around them. The
phenomenon sparked a memory of his own childhood, during those endless days and
nights of study under his master’s watchful eye. He had learned about many
types of creatures—both the very strange and not so strange, the rare and
common—and how the concept of magic affected and influenced them. Yes, of
course. How could I possibly forget?
    His lips curled into a smile
as he realized what he needed to do. “No, they don’t like