Building

Building

                The water lapped softly on the shore. Eleez shuffled against the rock to find a more comfortable position, and sighed. Patience was something she had learnt over the years; waiting for her father to return, and later Danwis. It was never truly part of her, and it had been burnt away when the Ever Growing Inferno had given her his fire.

                It is not the nature of fire to be patient. Fire is a glutton, seeking to devour all within its reach, seeking to burn and grow and burn until nothing remains, and it is extinguished. But neither Eleez, nor the Inferno, were fools. Worship of the Inferno would take time to spread, catching here and there, slowly burning.

Eleez could have gone forth, showing her great power. Yet doing so would leave the Inferno guarded only by men, and not magic. The Inferno’s emergence had already gained them powerful enemies; and even in the port town the Inferno had been taken to there were those who refused to worship. Though this had worried Eleez, the Inferno had said, so long as they will serve.

The days immediately following her transformation had been hectic. First, she had shown the might of the Inferno, sending fire spiralling into the sky. Then she had asked the townspeople to follow her, so that they would witness the creation of a temple of the Inferno. Placing the Inferno’s prison on a large wagon (hired for a favour) she had driven it along the shore for three hours to the west. Perhaps a third of the village had followed her on her journey, curious or enthralled.

Upon stopping, she hopped out from the wagon. She bade the townspeople to stay where they were, and climbed to the peak of a hill that overlooked the shoreline. Once there, she summoned a huge wave of fire that she sent down into the sand below. Massive clouds of black smoke billowed up, hiding the sand. Then the cloud moved – and at the forefront of the cloud, the sand could be seen. It flowed around the hill, coming together on the slope opposite the shore.

Smoke hid all from sight for several minutes, but it then began to rise from the ground. Revealed were black glass steps; twenty-five metres wide. As the smoke continued to rise, the rest of the temple was revealed – a great open entrance, pillars lining the walls. A platform stood at the far end of the hall, with a square plinth atop it; a place for the Inferno’s prison to be placed. The platform had a pit in front of the plinth. In the far distance, behind the platform, open doorways led to what would be quarters and store rooms.

Eleez had smiled at her handiwork, and come down the hill to stand before the awestruck crowd. “Will you worship him?” she had asked. Some had professed faith then and there; others in the days that followed. Each was given the ‘Touch of Flame’; a drop of the Inferno’s power that marked them, but gave them nothing beyond a simple message – the sound of his name, and an image of his unleashed form. Those most fervent who could (or would) leave their former lives were taken on as missionaries or initiates, and given the first ‘Gift of Flame’. Though the first gift merely allowed them to summon a tiny flame, it was enough to prove the truth of the Inferno’s power.

But then came the waiting. The Inferno had placed his power in black glass bottles that were given to the missionaries, which they carried with them. As such, although worship of the Inferno was spreading, few came to the temple for rituals Eleez had to preside over – new initiates were welcomed once a week, and important visitors were rare. Though she organised the temple – almost entirely – she still had much idle time (and, in truth, found running the temple to be boring).

Eleez sent a burst of fire into the water before her. Instantly boiling, a huge cloud of steam burst up from beneath the water, though it quickly evaporated into the air. Boredom is a terrible reason to play with my power, she thought to herself. With a sly grin, she stood and waded out into the water until she was immersed to her waist. Closing her eyes, she began to bring the flame forth. The water warmed, then starting boiling within seconds. Steam flowed up to the sky around her, and the hissing and spitting of the boiling water created a cacophony.

In short order the area immediately surrounding her was empty of water; the sand beneath her feet fused into glass. Water poured in from all sides, only to boil away into steam before it could touch her. In the centre, Eleez played with the heat – sometimes as flame, but usually unseeable. She would heat one side more, causing it to produce a great cloud of steam. Or she would make the edges into a whirlpool, drawing the water in faster and faster; so much that it began to encroach on where she stood. With a wicked grin she pushed it back again, and pushed it further.

The gap surrounding her grew, and grew, until it was twenty metres in diameter; reaching all the way to the shore. She took a step towards the shore, but stopped. Smiling at her new idea, she focused the heat below her. Glass was created from sand, and she used the heat to force it up, and up, above the level of the water. She rose up on a pillar of glass, which she then extended back towards the shore, forming a pier. Turning back to the sea, she set to work.

Before her, she raised solid black glass from the sea. Quickly, it formed a series of piers – soon, an entire dock made of black glass, sitting in the sea. Behind her, she created a path leading from the beach up and around the hill, to the rear entrance used by the temple to take in goods and supplies. Grinning broadly, she added several structures to the dock – watchtowers, a building for the harbourmaster, and some lodgings.

Staring at her handiwork, she heard someone calling out from behind her. Turning around, she noticed that the initiates – as well as most of those promoted to priesthood – were standing on the hill, staring down at her. She made her way up to them with an idea forming in her mind. “Doing this,” she said, indicating the dock with her hand, “has given me a wonderful idea.”

                Curiosity arose on the gathered faces, and Eleez said, “I am going to build a great city, so that all who come will know his power.”