Untamable Flames

The morning sun began to rise slowly over the war-torn lands of Kingsleigh. Smoke lingered gingerly after a night of heavy shellings. Sergeant Thomas Evans peeked through the scope across the no-mans-land, scouting for any signs of enemy activity. He can barely spot the enemy troops in the trench across the field, only by their helmets.

As he continued his routine, something caught his eye; a glowing orange light. He veered the scope to the left to identify the source, hoping it wasn't the flamethrower units again. He let out a soft gasp upon what he spotted. In the center of the land, a woman was strolling across the field unfazed by her surroundings.

Thomas noticed something strange about her; the woman wore a silky dress yet was engulfed in flames. Her skin gave out a bright glow as her hair, orange in flames, flowed behind her as if a wind blew. Despite all the horrors he has witnessed in this war, Thomas has never seen something so beautiful. His heart thudded as he focused his gaze on her.

But then he noticed where she was and immediately he turned back to the enemy trenches. Strangely enough, some of the enemy soldiers were peeking over the sandbags looking in his direction but none of them seemed to notice the woman. She stopped in the middle of the field.

As if she were preparing for a ritual, the woman folded her arms across her chest into an embrace and lowered her head as she gave a sad smile. Then a bright light flashed, blinding Thomas's eyes briefly. When the light faded, the woman was gone. He couldn't find her anywhere. Was this all a delusion? He wouldn't know.

When he got back to his outfit, one of his friends Mike, also a sergeant, took notice of his expression. "Something on your mind?" he asked. Thomas explained his strange discovery. When he finished, Mike pondered. "Sounds like you encountered a Sapphire." Thomas raised an eyebrow. "A Sapphire?" Mike gave a nod.

"Something I heard tales of back when I was a lad. A Sapphire is an angel sent down to bless the day. For the soldiers, it's a sign of good fortune to come if you were to spot one. But it's a rarity, for the Sapphire do not openly reveal themselves to everyone. Of course, that's what I was told because no one knows the truth about the Sapphire. They are very mysterious."

"Well, this one... I felt something. It's hard to explain, Mike." Thomas said. Mike shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised, Thomas. After all we've been through, I would give anything to see something that beautiful."

Around noon, the whistles sounded and the troops formed lines along the trench. The commanding officers walked down, inspecting them before they gave the order to fix bayonets. Moments later, the officers blew their whistles and everyone climbed out of the trenches and charged across the field, screaming.

Shots echoed across the air as thunder rumbled from thousands of feet stomping the muddy grounds. Suddenly, Thomas and the other slowed briefly; the enemy was charging as well. They picked back up the pace and it wasn't long before the two armies clashed.

Thomas was tackled by a Falon soldier into a crater during the ongoing chaos. The Falon, an elf of the high lands, rolled off Thomas and whipped out a trench knife. He went for Thomas but Thomas managed to grab his arms and they wrestled about, exchanging blows while Thomas desperately held the Falon's knife away for his dear life.

Finally, Thomas won the struggle by tripping the Falon with his foot and wrestling the knife free. He raised the knife to finish off the elven soldier, but he stopped. He thought of the woman, or the Sapphire as Mike said it was, and he let go of the knife. The Falon stared in confusion but made no move for the knife. Thomas let him go and the two backed away from each other, staring at each other in total silence. The fighting died down as opposing sides retreated to their trenches.

Thomas climbed out of the crater, as well as the Falon soldier, and the two went to rejoin their units. Thomas was given a hearty welcome back upon his return. Mike slapped his back with a laugh. "We thought you were gone, lad! What's the idea of scaring us like that?" Thomas did not answer.

Night fell and fireflies began to appear, giving the lands an eerie feature. The Falon soldier, Erisen, walked his nightly patrol down the trench. He was troubled with the thought of earlier during battle. The human soldier he fought had the upper hand yet he was spared. He stopped and climbed onto the trench board to peek across the field.

Despite the hellish wasteland littered with bodies and wreckage, the night felt peaceful. A bit of fog rolled in but he could still see the silhouettes. Before he could resume patrol, Erisen noticed an orange light glowing in the field. Thinking it was a flare, he slung his rifle off his shoulder and aimed.

As the fog began to fade, he lowered his rifle as he spotted the woman in flames. She faced his direction with a sad smile. Her beauty stunned him. To him, it felt like she could see right through him. Erisen dropped his rifle and climbed out of the trench.

Across the field, Thomas stepped out of the dug-out to take a breath of fresh air as Mike was sitting on a box nearby cleaning his gun. "No shelling tonight," Mike said, "must be our lucky day." Thomas gave a small chuckle. "I'm not sure about luck. It's safe to assume they're taking a break after today's fight."

He stepped onto the trench board to peek out. Mike resumed, "After all that's happened today, I wouldn't put it past me. I remembered about a month ago, I was stationed over in Tearas. Those Falons bombarded us day and night non-stop. Why they even charge our trenches during the bombardment in an attempt to cap-- wait? Thomas... what are you doing?"

Thomas climbed out of the trench as he spotted the Sapphire. It was as if he was mesmerized by her beauty. Mike quickly picked up his rifle and rushed up. "Thomas, get back here! They will shoot you!" Thomas paid no attention to Mike but continued his way to the Sapphire.

Upon Mike's shouts, one of the commanding officers, Lucas, rushed over as additional troops came out of the dug-outs. They saw Thomas walking across the wasteland and began hollering for him, beckoning him to come back. Their shouts and hollers alerted the Falons, who came up to see what all the commotion was. They spotted Thomas walking across the field and a couple of them went to aim at him, only to notice Erisen also on the field walking. Then it was their turn to shout for Erisen to come back.

Thomas and Erisen ignored their cries as they came to the Sapphire, who gazed upon both of them with her smile. Concerned for the other, the Falons and the humans fired scattered shots at Thomas and Erisen, hoping to scare them back into their trenches. But the two ignored the shots, even some of the ricochets.

The Sapphire frowned slightly and held her hands out. A golden bubble formed around not just herself but also Thomas and Erisen. Upon hitting the bubble, the bullets disintegrated. Then she let out a bright flash of light, blinding almost everyone.

When the light cleared, the soldiers looked to see their companions stop at the center of the field. They too saw the Sapphire herself. Thomas and Erisen dropped to their knees, not daring to look away. The Sapphire lowered to her knees and reached out to Thomas and Erisen. Gently, she pulled them both to her and held them in a warm embrace like a mother to her children.

It was a touching moment to see. When she released Thomas and Erisen, the Sapphire rose to her feet, closed her eyes with a smile, then disappeared. The two returned to the trenches. Upon descending, Mike punched Thomas in the arm. "You crazy sod off, don't ever do that to us! What did she say to you?"

Rubbing his arm, Thomas spoke, "She said that all will be well soon." Mike scratched his head. "What does that mean?" he asked. Thomas looked back to the field. He could see the Falon soldiers talking with Erisen. They looked just as confused. He turned back to Mike. "I don't know... but I have a good feeling."

Patrols resumed for several days, for the orders came in from headquarters; An arrangement between officials has been made and until further notice, all units are to remain where they are.

By the end of the week, the final message came in; a ceasefire came into effect.