Trial By Fire

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Warnings: AU. 3x4, 2x5, 1x???? (shhhh! is a secret for now! ^^) Angst, sap, fluff, drama, action.... lots of everything. Oh, and fantasy and magic, too! Rating is T for the present moment, but I have a feeling it will go up to M later on, if you know what I mean! : ) But I will let you know when it does, so no worries!

Extra notes: I will be using alot of Elven language in this fic. There are no elves, nor do I have plans to add them, but I think the languages are beautiful, and I will be using a mixture of real languages, the multiple dialects of the language from LOTR, and the ancient language from Eragon... and maybe even others! So, just be warned. I will provide notes on name meanings if I find it useful or interesting.

Basic Summary: Atara is a world of multiple kingdoms, where people are sometimes born with gifts. In Ellesmera, these gifts are exalted. In Ki-lin, they are accepted, used just like any other talent. In Sanq... they are abhorred. In Sanq... anyone with these abilities is burned at the stake. We enter this world right at the brink of all out war between Ellesmera and Sanq.

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Trial By Fire

Chapter One

Duo Is Burned At The Stake

Fire.

It was excruciating.

Painful.

It *burned*. Into flesh, across fabric. Through the wood that would be piled at his feet. Duo closed his eyes and prayed. Prayed that somehow, his breath would stop, his heart stop beating. Praying that he died by any manner before they lit that fire beneath him.

Anything would be preferable to death by fire. But it was the way. It was the way it had been done for years. Trial by Fire. Anyone branded a witch, or to possess magick was put to that test. There was no question for the people of Sanq of light or dark magick... magick was magick, and thus it was unnatural and therefore dark in it it's basic nature.

They would burn them at the stake. The people beleived that if they survived, it proved that God held that person in his hands. If they died, that God had condemned them for use of the devil's magic. But... of course... no one lived, and therefore the people's record for accuracy was as yet untarnished.

Quick minded people, like Duo, could see the gaping hole in their logic... and atheists could as well. But then... most atheists were branded witches and... well, it was easy to guess. Duo was not an atheist, though. Merely logical. His fault had been in letting one to many people learn of his unique gift. With enough concentration, he could move objects using only the power of his mind. Of course, such a talent was un-natural, and so... here he was.

He sighed. Ever since he'd escaped the monastary, it seemed back luck had followed him. Like death was a shadow looming over him. And he would have gladly welcomed death... but death by fire? It was horrific, and even someone with a death-wish would not wish for an end like that.

Despite the rope binding his wrists, Duo rubbed his hands together. In the three days he'd been down in this dark, dank and moldy dirt-walled cell, he'd had nothing to occupy himself with except levitating a piece of straw. Very boring, but at least it had been an outlet for his restlessness... and a way to keep his mind off of the fate that awaited him.

But no more. Outside, the sun was about to fall beyond the horizon, and now... he could hear the guards coming down to get him.

"Alright, demon." The door was thrown open, the burly man who'd first thrown him in the cell grabbed his arms, dragging him up, out along with assistance from two others. Duo struggled, rather futilely. He even used his talent to toss small stones and twigs at his captors, but to little avail. After so long with no food or water, he was much too weak at the moment to summon any great torrent or storm of stones and sticks... and there wasn't any larger pieces he could use.

He slumped from exhaustion as they tied him to the stake and piled more and more wood, up around him. He simply gave up and accepted that today... he would die.

And he would die by fire.

It was only minutes before the roaring of the gathered crowd was echoed by a new sound, a sound that had Duo gasping back a sob. The sound of cracking, of spitting... the sound of dry, alcohol doused wood igniting. The sound of flames licking up the fodder it was presented with. It was the sound of his death beginning.

He closed his eyes as waves of heat washed over him. The flames grew higher, and Duo could feel the heat across his skin, and waited. Only moments and he would feel the fire and not just the heat. It would spread across his clothes, it would eat at his skin. Only moments....

One... two.... three....

Duo opened his eyes slowly to the orange and red brightness. The fire grew steadily around him, but did not touch him. He could feel the heat... but not the flames. He stared wondrously around him, then down. Yes, the wood beneath his feat burned... yes the flames licked around his toes... yet, the fire lapped around his arms, his legs... but it still didn't burn; moreover, it tickled a little, tingling as if his muscles had fallen asleep. Now, above the fire, he could hear the crowd again. But it was not the cheering he'd expected... instead it was screams of horror, surprise, fear. He focused, trying to make out voices.

"Witches!"

"Magistrate!?!?!"

"They're demons!"

"The magistrate is dead!"

Duo heard screams, the thunderous sound of people running. Some sort of battle? The magistrate was dead? And then new voices, closer to him, just on the other side of the flames.

"... get him out, 'Fei. You can't control the fire much longer."

"I'm on it, Barton. Just shut up."

Silence... and then Duo saw it. A shadow, closer and closer, as if someone were running towards him... through the fire...

The screaming of more guards, the gasp of someone, sounding right next to him... within the wall of fire...

and then all he could feel was pain... pain as the flames finally burned at his skin... and then nothing as his world went black.

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AN: Atara, the name of this world, is the Elvish word for 'mother'. And the Ellesmera of the summary is not the same one from Eragon. I just really love that name! ^_^

This chapter was short, but hopefully they get longer further into the story. ^^ please review if you read this. Good and bad comments are welcome... as long as it's a review!