Chapter 432: Flames of Salvation
"...I’ll rescue Lady Ashlynn..."
Ignatious’s promise gave Heila the strength she needed to keep her eyes open, even as she clung to the vampire for warmth. Her body felt as cold as the mountain winds after giving him most of her magic energy and more of her blood than someone her size had any business offering. But nestled in the fallen Inquisitor’s strong embrace, Heila didn’t feel the slightest trace of regret.
Rescuing Ashlynn was more important than anything but after touching his heart and helping to wash away the years of guilt and self-loathing that smothered his flames, she found herself almost as happy to have helped him heal as she was certain she’d feel when her closest friend escaped the icy prison that held her captive.
Walking with a gentle, flowing grace that no ordinary human could match on the rough, icy terrain, Ignatious took several steps away from the tomb of ice before kneeling in the snow where the Holy Flame Blade had fallen.
"Sir Ignatious, no!" Kurtz called, rushing over to block the vampire before he could lay a hand on the weapon that had nearly consumed him with it’s flames. Already, the veteran gladiator could tell that Heila had pushed herself far too close to the brink of death to snatch the vampire back from the wounds he’d suffered for trying to control the weapon.
If anything happened now, it was impossible for Heila to save him again. Worse, the way the vampire held her close to his chest, if the sword unleashed its flames again, it was likely to burn Heila along with the foolish, stubborn vampire.
"It’s fine," Ignatious said, raising a hand to block the horned guardian before he could come close enough to touch the blade. "I know why I failed, thanks to Lady Heila," he said with a soft smile as he looked at the diminutive beauty in his arms. "I won’t waste her gift and I won’t put her in any danger, I swear it."
The vampire didn’t wait for Kurtz to respond before shifting Heila in his arms, holding her tightly with his left arm while his right hand reached out for the ruby and gold hilt of the Holy Flame Blade.
"There’s no time for foolishness," he told his companion of many decades. "I don’t need your flames to punish anyone, but a good woman might die if we can’t burn through her prison. Just this once, even if it’s the last time you ever submit to me, help me to help her."