The Broken Flame

Celina’s gray eyes moved up to watch a few bubbles pop from her brewing stand, Irona’s red eyes doing the same. The golem stood with a hand on her hip, watching the stands as she stood next to her queen.

After coming in from mining, Celina had shown her crystal to Irona and then invited her to help her with some potion brewing. The tiny queen was well renowned for her potion brewing. She went beyond simple healing, regeneration, and strength potions. She knew all the recipes off the back of her hand and she even knew how to combine them to make them more potent or give other effects.

Celina took one bottle and gently sniffed its contents. “Hmm… doesn’t smell right. Irona, can you hand me another Ghast Tear, and… another bottle of liquid Lapis?”

The golem nodded, reaching into a nearby chest and pulling out the ingredients. The Ghast Tear was unmodified, but the Lapis was a little concoction from the queen. It was something added to her Regen-Healing combo potions. The potion itself hurt a lot in its healing process, but the liquefied and enchanted Lapis was made to give some anesthetic effects to the mix. Once the pain was over, the Lapis would kick in.

Celina poured the Lapis in and dropped in the tear. A few moments of bubbling later, a puff of white smoke flew from the top. The other two potions in the stand soon followed and there they were, ready for healing.

Celina smiled and pulled the bottles into her hands. “Alright! Three Regen-Healing potions!” She heard Irona clap her hands and giggled. “Irona, you wanna help me with--”

“EEEERRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!”

The queen and the iron golem both jumped out of their skin at the sound of a loud wail in agony. Celina put a hand to her chest in shock, her heart pounding. “What in the End was that?!”

Irona squeaked and made several metal screeching and clicking noises. She knew Celina could understand her, the girl had known her long enough to know what she was saying.

Celina quirked a brow. “A scream? But… but who in the world would be out there at this time of night? It sounds like it came from the forest, and Steve’s village is over a mile away.”

Irona blinked, before putting a hand to her chin in thought. Wait, Steve had been with Celina only a few short hours ago. Did he make it home safe? She squeaked again.

“What do you mean,” asked the queen.

Another series of clicks and clacks.

“Well, I offered to walk him home, and even some torches and a compass. But… he… didn’t… take them…” That was when it hit Celina, like a pile of falling gravel.

*****

“Look, Celina, I’ve been face-to-face with him before.”

*****

“Oh dear Gods. Steve,” she whispered. Irona raised a brow and Celina’s face fell. “Irona, I had that dream last night. The one about Him. And there was… that torch on the steps.” She felt her mind going into a frenzy. “Oh, Gods. Irona, if those were all signs that he’s here… that scream could’ve been Steve. He… he could’ve been attacked by him!”

Irona let out a gasp as the human tangled her hands into her hair. “Oh, no, no, no, no! Irona, I need to get out into that forest! Steve could be in trouble!” She looked up at the golem. “Irona, get my horse, I have to get out there!”

The two took off out the wooden doors of the Grand Room, Celina turning to look out into the forest as Irona ran to the stables. She could see no movement from the woods, but if she was right, the miner was somewhere in there. And Jeb knows what happened to him. “Hold on, Stevie,” the queen whispered. “I’m coming to help you.” 

A small snort came from behind her and she turned on her heels. Irona had brought Celina’s white steed, Maximus, wearing his saddle and golden armor. The queen smiled and walked to pet her horse’s snout. “Hey, Maxy! You wanna go for a ride, boy?”

The horse licked her face like in the manner of a dog. She chuckled, before climbing up and onto the saddle. She took a hold of the reins and looked down to Irona. The iron being had her brows furrowed and a deep frown on her face. 

Celina sighed. “Irona… I know this is dangerous, especially if he’s out there. But… Steve means a lot to me. He’s like a brother to me, I love him. I’m gonna go out there and find him.” She tilted her head. “There’s some fish in the food chests in the storage room. Feel free to grab some if you get hungry.” She took a deep breath and straightened up. “If I don’t come back within the hour… wait until morning to come find us. For now, please take care.”

Irona nodded and took Celina’s hand, giving it a soft kiss. The queen smiled and waved to her friend. If this was the last time she’d see the golem, she wanted a happy picture of her.

“Alright. Maximus, let’s go, boy!” She snapped the reins, and with that, the queen was off, the horse’s steps clopping on the grass. She kept a determined look on her face as the horse made his way into the woods. One way or another, she was going to find her friend.

Celina didn’t even notice the white eyes looking at her from a tall oak near her castle.

*****

The silence of the night and darkness of the forest were both broken by a white horse wearing golden armor with a small girl on his back. She carried a torch in one hand as she looked around, her gray eyes searching for any sign of life in the woods. 

Celina held her torch high and looked around. She hadn’t seen a single sign of life out here… and that was very strange. “Hmm… something about this isn’t… right. There’s no passive mobs, no hostile mobs. There isn’t anyone out here.” She knitted her brows together. “There should at least be some zombies or something. But… where did that cry come from? I don’t see--”

“Hello… is someone--some--one... there?”

Celina’s eyes went wide. That was a voice. It was very weak, weary, and sounded pained, but it was definitely there. “What the… Maxy, slow down, boy.”

The horse whinnied in response and slowed until he came to a stop. Celina climbed down from the saddle, her face full of worry. The woods were still and a light fog hung in the air, seeming to glow with an ethereal shine. She kept her torch close. Something about there being no mobs out tonight didn’t seem right.

Celina cleared her throat, before speaking out into the darkness. “He--Hello? Is… is someone there?”

“Celina… Celina, is… is that--that you?”

The queen felt her blood run cold at hearing her name. The voice was a little familiar, but she couldn’t place where. She dearly hoped it wasn’t Steve, and that he was safe at home, sleeping in his bed. She pursed her lips together, before pulling her sword from her belt and into her free hand. “Maximus, stay here. I need to find that voice’s source.”

The horse seemed to nod. Celina then took careful, quiet steps into the woods, soon out of sight among the trees.

****

Celina’s small steps barely made any noise as she made her way through the woods. She had been out for no more than a few minutes in the forest, holding her torch close and her sword closer. In her search, she hadn’t come across a single sign of life and it was really starting to worry her. The girl didn’t know where the voice she heard was coming from, but she found herself feeling compelled to keep going. She had a bad feeling about what might happen when she did, but she also had a feeling in her gut that she needed to keep going.

Celina stopped in her tracks as the voice spoke again. 

“Celina… ple--please… hurry, Your Highness. I… I don’t…”

She looked around for a moment, turning in circles. “Hello? If you can hear me… please, say something. I’m trying to find you!” She didn’t even know who she was talking to, but she needed to assure them that she was here to help them.

“Your Majesty… please, help me… please…”

It trailed off and Celina felt herself beginning to tremble. “That didn’t sound good,” she whispered. “I need to find whoever’s out here before it’s too late.” She began her walk again, not even seeing the white glow from behind a tree. She couldn’t hear a voice speak to her ever so softly.

“That’s right, little girl. Run to your miner. Run to him.”

*****

Celina slowed her steps as she came into a dark clearing, her torch having burned down. She decided to rely on her eyes to help her through should something be here and see her torch. She knew how some mobs were attracted to light, and though she could fight, a horde of zombies or a haunting of Endermen would have no trouble with her.

“Well,” she thought. “This sounds about where that voice was coming from. But, I don’t see--”

Crunch

Celina stopped as a small crunching noise came from under her foot. She looked down with raised brows. A patch of the grass under her foot was dark in color, black like charcoal. She got onto one knee to examine it, running two fingers along the spot and bringing it up to her face. “What the Nether? This grass is burnt.” That was odd. Very odd. “Did… did someone not surround their campfire?”

The queen looked around to see that the burnt grass ran in a large ring around her. She also spotted a few trees with some scorch marks on them. “What…” Celina mused. “Those look like… like marks from fireballs. But, that doesn’t make sense. Only Ghasts and Blazes can shoot fireballs. And they live in the Nether.” The queen frowned and scrunched her brows. “Something about this isn’t right,” she spoke to herself. “There’s fireball marks and burnt grass here. Someone must have been playing with fire. But… who would do that at this time of night? Everyone is asleep by now. It’s too dangerous to do that now.”

She stood from her place and huffed. “What in the Overworld happened here?” 

“Celina.”

A soft, pained voice made her stiffen and sent chills down her spine. Celina’s gray eyes went wide.

It was the voice again.

But it sounded like it was right behind her this time.

She gulped and slowly turned on her heels. It was then she saw something on the ground, something dark. It was a large pool of liquid at the base of a thick oak tree, and there was also some of it splattered in smaller spots. Celina squinted, before taking a step back in shock. “Is that… blood?”

“Celina…”

Celina could hear it again, and so her eyes slowly traveled up to the source. A sharp gasp escaped her lips and a hand flew to her mouth in shock. “Oh… my… Gods…”