Surrounding each of Salem’s hands was a nimbus of blue flame. As if impaling her wouldn’t be torture enough, they’d set her on fire. Salem screamed and wildly flailed her hands, expecting to feel excruciating pain, to see flesh seared from the bone. She stared with horror as the flame burnt on her hands, but pain didn’t come. The fire didn’t consume. Instead it pulsated with the thudding of her heart.
The strain on her arms suddenly relaxed. Both Lowlanders backed away from the winches, dumbly staring and pointing at the eldritch fireballs. She held her hands in front of her. The blue flames sputtered and flared. Salem made fists and the fire clarified, intensified. She could sense the power in her hands. Her entire body hummed with energy.
Taking hold of the confining ropes, she squeezed. The bindings disintegrated in an explosion. Concussion blasted Bianca off the platform and knocked Alger face-first onto the stones. Salem’s hands were free and continued to display their new attribute. When she moved them closer together, the light grew in intensity, making the Lowlanders’ torches seem feeble and filling the grove with radiance.
The strain on her arms suddenly relaxed. Both Lowlanders backed away from the winches, dumbly staring and pointing at the eldritch fireballs. She held her hands in front of her. The blue flames sputtered and flared. Salem made fists and the fire clarified, intensified. She could sense the power in her hands. Her entire body hummed with energy.
Taking hold of the confining ropes, she squeezed. The bindings disintegrated in an explosion. Concussion blasted Bianca off the platform and knocked Alger face-first onto the stones. Salem’s hands were free and continued to display their new attribute. When she moved them closer together, the light grew in intensity, making the Lowlanders’ torches seem feeble and filling the grove with radiance.