Excerpt: The Last Ignithian

As he dithered, the light flickered and went out. It wasn’t until then he noticed how pale she was. Calling himself all kinds of unobservant fool, he scrambled down into the small hollow and grabbed hold of her wrist. There was a thready pulse there, barely detectable and she wasn’t breathing. Knowing her body was in shock and her organs were likely in the process of shutting down, he chose the only option left to him.

Undoing the buttons of her blouse, he laid bare the center of her chest and set to work, ever conscious of the outside presence moving continuously closer. Reaching out his index finger, he placed it against the skin of her chest and began tracing a symbol there. As his finger moved, green light burned like a miniature fire until a symbol the size of a small parchment and glowing faintly green, was charred into the flesh. Ignoring the smell, he placed both hands palm down, one on top of the other on her chest and pressed down in a sharp movement. The smell disappeared and when he removed his hands the skin was once again smooth and unmarred by anything more than dirt.