Taven and the Forge of Faer: Chapter 1

Seriously. The Fire-eaters? Dad couldn’t come up with a better name for you than that?” Taven asked. The six creatures that surrounded him seemed to stop if only for a second, momentarily confused. The first who had moved forward a minute ago to announce their presence did so once more.

“There is no questions! We are the fire-eaters and we will dine on your flesh! We are the children of f-”

“Children of Faer yeah yeah I heard you the first time. My issue is why couldn’t he have come up with something like, flame-bellies, or cinder-swallowers.”

“I think it was a matter of convenience.” One of the fire-eaters offered.

“Silence!” The first fire-eater retorted.

“He seeks to sow dissent between our numbers with his foolish questions! Do not fall for such trickery!”

“Okay!” Taven yelled, lifting his hands in a sign of resignation.

“Look, my far removed siblings. You’ve already got me. I’ve no weapon, and I am but a weak and puny demigod. Before you eat me though, I’ve read up on my mythology. I know that your kind are especially ruthless, but also extremely polite. Surely you’d be willing to answer my question before you incinerate me.” This speech elicited some nods and grunts of approval from some of the fire-eaters, but the first seemed only partially swayed.

“You seek the answer of our namesake before we devour you?” He asked, cocking his head to the side. Or at least what Taven thought was his head. The giant floating balls of fire didn’t seem to follow any traditional understanding of anatomy.

“No, that question isn’t important anymore. I want to know, how exactly do you plan on devouring me?” This caused the fire-eaters to all turn towards one another, a low mumbling rising from each as they deliberated who would answer. The fire-eater who had suggested the origins of their namesake earlier stepped, or floated, forward.

“We devour our prey by blessing them with our fiery bodies, turning them to a crisp before draining their essence.” The fire-eater said matter-of-factly.

“Huh.” Taven muttered, shaking his head. “But there are six of you, how will you decide who eats me?” This seemed to send the fire-eaters into another moment of deliberation. Each cried out with a lengthy explanation as to why they should devour the demigod, until the first hushed them with a cloud of smoke that escaped what Taven hoped was his belly.

“Silence! I am the first of the fire-eaters, so I will devour the demigod!” Some of the others floated backwards, accepting the statement. A few stayed in place, as Taven hoped.

“That doesn’t seem fair.” He told them. Taven could tell the fire-eaters had probably not spoken this much in centuries, and the task of holding conversation was clearly hurting their...did they have heads? He couldn’t tell. Their voices seemed to come from the upper portions of their spherical flaming forms.

“It is not a matter of fairness! I am the first, now prepare for devouring!” The fire-eater told Taven.

“Wait!” He screamed out, extending his hands once more.

“Oh for Thair’s sake!” The fire-eater yelled. “What now?” Taven took a daring step towards one of the fire-eaters at his side. Just as he expected, it floated away nervously.

“I remember the myths of the fire eaters. The first, they said, has been the only to dine on demigods in a millenia. That means none of you have..ever tasted a demigod?” He turned to announce the crowd of them, but the one to his side nodded.

“But, my far removed sibling, don’t you want to taste demigod too?” He asked. The fire-eater nodded more fervently now.

“Yes! The first has always eaten the demigods! We have never tasted essence, it is true!” He told Taven. The first fire-eater attempted to speak, but Taven raised his voice to fill the abandoned, burned down village.

“My fellow fire-eaters! I must tell you this! I, too, am a fire-eater!”

“Impossible!” The first yelled.

“You can not be!” Taven dared another step to the fire-eater at his side, and shot a hand outwards to grab its bulbous form. His hand slipped into the flames which felt strangely like a gelatin. He held back a gag as he pulled the crying fire-eater closer.

“Look! He is unharmed! Maybe he is a fire-eater!” One of them yelled. They all began to watch intently as Taven pulled the fire-eater closer to him. It whimpered under the strength of his grip, and he pulled the creature just to his face.

“You see, I am a fire-eater too, and yet you are fire. So now I will eat you!”

The creature screamed in protest.

“No! Please!” It struggled to escape his grip, as all the others watched intently. Even the first had given up his retort to see how it would end.

“Think about this.” Taven told him.

“If I can eat you, what would stop any of the fire-eaters from devouring one another? If you so seek to taste essence, why not take it from the one who has deprived you all these centuries?”

The fire-eater stopped moving for a moment, as if pondering a great life mystery. Taven loosened his grip as the fire-eater stood straighter, his spherical form stretching. He seemed to understand Taven’s quandary, and slipped fully from his grip.

“Eat the first!” the fire-eater war-cried.

“Eat the first!” The rest began, joining in the war cry and flying towards the largest of the fire-eaters.

“No!” The first attempted to scream, but the pack was already on him. Taven didn’t take the time to watch them, quickly slipping through the ruined village and to the surface of the volcano.

The hike was no longer than an hour, and by the time he had arrived the sounds of screaming fire-eaters had dulled. Now with the map in hand, he stood at the mouth of the mighty volcano. It was as wide as a lake, bubbling and steaming with rivers of red. Taven’s map had brought him straight to this point. Where he was to go next, he didn’t know.

And then Taven realized where the forge was.

And he dunked his head straight into the lava.