From the Embers (The Born in Flames Trilogy) (13 page)

“How so?” Lexi asked, leaning towards him.

“He asked how he trained his men, what weapons he used in battle, who commanded the armies and how did he choose them. It’s like he doesn’t know himself.”

“He did say he has never fought before,” I reminded, feeling a tingle of dread along my spine. “He’s in over his head.”

Fenn peered over his shoulder down to the Lagoon below where drinks were being poured in abundance and the music played loudly into the night.

“That’s putting it mildly. He’s going to get us killed,” he finished, crossing his arms. “Either Dagan doesn’t know what he is about to walk into or he doesn’t plan on walking into it.”

“He gave his word,” I reminded him.

“That doesn’t mean anything when it comes to these people.”

I shivered at the thought of what Zane told me about his previous experience on the island. What if Fenn was right? What if they weren’t to be trusted? What if they backed out on us?

“So what do we do?” Lexi asked, sounding dispirited.

“What about my grandparents?” They both looked at me. “They would have some idea of what to expect. They’ve been here all this time.”

“Do you know where they are?” Fenn asked.

“They were hunting.” I shifted, watching yet another outfit fall into shreds. My armor was back in the castle. Unfortunately. “Stay here while I look for them,” I said, leaping into the air.

I stretched my wings out, basking in the feel of the cool air. I felt like I could touch the stars, if there were any, as the ground below me moved farther and farther away.

I scanned the skyline in search of my grandparents, hoping that I would easily spot them, but they were nowhere to be seen so I flew forward, taking my time to enjoy the quiet of the night.

I shut everything out and honed into my senses, sending signals out for any dragons nearby. The echo bounced off of one and back towards me. They weren’t far off.

When I finally spotted them, I spiraled down, swiftly and quietly. Darian looked up first, pulling his head away from the carcass of a large buck.

“Aurora,” he said, licking the blood from his mouth. Naveena finished taking another bite from her mangled catch and then sat back, resting on her hind legs.

“We need to talk,” I said, looking at him to avoid the buck. The sight of them eating turned my stomach a little.

“Certainly. What about?” he asked. He dug back into his dinner, finishing off what was left in one, very large bite. In that moment I was glad I was a shifter and not a full dragon.

“I…umm…” I said, trying to remember what it was I was going to talk about. “Oh! About Dagan and his intentions. Can we go somewhere where we can speak freely?”

“No one will be in the castle tonight,” Darian replied. “Is everything okay?”

“I think so. Meet in the cavern?”

He nodded.

“Great, see you there.” I opened a portal back to Fenn and Lexi. They both looked up at me. “We are meeting them in the cavern.”

“Should we tell Dagan we’re leaving?” Lexi asked.

Fenn laughed, but the sound wasn’t his usual bright laugh. It was tainted with sadness. “Nah. He’s distracted right now.” He stepped aside so I could see what was so amusing.

Dagan certainly was distracted. He was surrounded by two Nymphs, giggling and splashing water while coyly sneaking kisses. Naidia was on the other side of the Lagoon with more Nymphs, dancing wildly to the music.

I looked away, hating the sick feeling inside of me, and we stepped through Lexi’s portal back to the cavern.

“I thought you said we were meeting them,” Lexi said, surveying the cave. It was desolate.

“They were finishing up dinner,” I answered shortly. I didn’t really want to think about that.

“Oh,” she said, turning from us to walk around the cave. “And we left the party to wait here?” She had a broad grin across her face.

“Yeah, ‘cause the party was so up our alley,” I said sarcastically.

“Their parties are the talk of this realm,” Darian said from behind us. We spun around. He chuckled heartily, his wise eyes shining with love. He came in through the same entrance Dagan had brought us through and made his way to the back of the cave where he and Naveena had nestled up.

I followed them over to their resting place. “So Dagan and his people are trustworthy?”

“Why wouldn’t they be?” Naveena asked, muddled as she turned in a semi-circle until she was perfectly comfortable before plopping down. It was customary for dragons to sleep right after their meal.

Fenn took a step forward to take the lead. He quickly did a half bow and then said, “I tried to speak with Dagan earlier, to form a plan, but he wanted nothing to do with it.”

“What was your plan?” Darian asked seriously.

“I thought it would be best if we attacked tonight rather than waiting until the morning. Catch them off guard in case someone slips up. But he wouldn’t hear it. He said they already planned the party and that was that.”

Darian exchanged looks with Naveena.

Fenn ran a hand through his hair, his eyes falling to the floor as he began to pace in front of Darian. “Everything I have studied on war has suggested that we strike sporadically and we strike hard. And with Zordon being in the other realm, their defenses are weakest at night. That is when they pillage. Now is the time.” He stopped his pacing and looked up at Darian, his face tightening. “And quite frankly, I’m not so sure he is going to pull through. He doesn’t know the first thing about war.”

“And to think he is a Liege,” Naveena said, shaking her snout.

Darian was silent for a moment, contemplating. He laid the rest of his scaled body on the ground, dust flying up around him. “The whole time we have been here, we have been given nothing but hospitality. They have showed us every kindness imaginable. They took us in without hesitation, helped us mend our wounds.” He lifted his head, his eyes meeting mine. “I must believe that they will not turn their back on us now in this time of need. Our realm is at stake, and although they are a peaceful bunch, they will be affected by the outcome of this war. Of your ending journey.”

My stomach lurched at his last sentence. Ending. I knew that every ending was also a new beginning, but was my beginning going to be here, in a safe realm, or in the Hall of Knowledge, locked away by Zordon’s immortal hands?

“So you think they will pull through?” Fenn quietly asked.

“Without a doubt,” my grandfather conceded, resting his head against Naveena’s. A low contented growl came from her as she nuzzled into him, her eyes growing heavy.

All of us abruptly turned at the sound of small stones tumbling down the stairs. “I’m sorry,” someone from around the corner said, “but I need to borrow Aurora from you.” The body of the voice stepped out from the shadows at the bottom of the stairs revealing a tall, slender young man.

He continued forward, the light from the rainbows illuminating the rigid features of his face. Sharp planes made up cheekbones that accented his narrow pale green eyes. His thin mouth moved. “I am Roan, Dagan’s Seer. He has already mentioned me.” His eyes roamed around the room, landing directly on me. I felt an instant connection to him from somewhere deep behind his piercing gaze, like I could trust him. Like he had something I needed.

“It’s about time you showed up,” Lexi said from the corner of the cave where she stood impatiently. She shoved off the rock wall and marched over to stand next to me, crossing her arms in front of her.

“What exactly do you need her for?” Fenn questioned, slightly shielding me with his body.

I side-stepped around him. “Soothe said that I would need to speak with you. I am Aurora,” I said, extending a hand.

“The Progeny,” Roan said with a bow. “Do you always stay in that form?” Roan asked, changing subjects.

I looked down at my dragon form, wishing that I had my armor on. “No. Only when the occasion arises.”

He took my hand in his and flipped it over, then brought it to his lips. He looked up at me through thick lashes with a playful smirk on his face.

Fenn pulled me backwards and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, tucking me safely into his side. I didn’t bother to push him off.

“I have some information for you,” Roan said, standing tall. He looked at Fenn’s arm and then back at me, his smirk growing wider.

“Yeah? And what’s that?” Fenn asked.

Roan smiled curiously at Fenn. “The protector,” he stated, extending his hand to Fenn.

Fenn looked like he didn’t know what to do with himself. He hesitantly shook his hand, eyeing him carefully.

“I don’t mean any offense to you,” he said to Fenn, his hand regally resting against his stomach. He turned to where my grandparents lay. “Or to you, King Darian,” he added with polished grace, “but I have heard some things.” He pointed to his head. “Things that I must deliver to the Progeny.”

“I hope it’s something helpful because I’m not sure I can take any more bad news,” I admitted to him.

He cocked his head to the side, studying my face. “You should be happy to hear that you’re in luck,” he said with a grand smile. “So no worrying, dear Progeny. But first, I need you to come with me where we can discuss this in private.” Fenn moved to protest, but Roan was a step ahead. “I’ll need your protector as well. It affects you both.”

I felt Fenn relax a little. I walked over to my grandparents and lovingly touched both of their snouts. Their eyes grew even heavier as their small groans shook the cave.

“Will you be there tomorrow?”

Darian’s kind eyes softened. “No, Little Flame. We must remain here in hiding if we are to keep our species alive. You are our only hope.”

Even though I knew this, the sadness that snuck up on me took me by surprise. With only a handful left and the Saar on the loose, there was no way it was worth risking the remaining Draconta.

“I love you both.”

“We love you with all our hearts,” Naveena said. “Now go, you are needed.”

Her encouragement filled me with strength as I turned from them, realizing that it might be one of the last times I would get to see them alone before all of this was over.

“I’ll wait here for a while,” Lexi called out, looking a little lost.

I turned around. I wanted her to come, but Roan only said it involved Fenn and me. She gave a half-smile and then turned towards my grandparents.

“See you in the morning,” I muttered. She looked back at me and nodded, and then I took Fenn’s hand and followed Roan up the stairs and out of the cave toward a truth that was just waiting to be heard.

Chapter 11

Third Of Three

ROAN LED US OUT OF the castle and down the fire-lit cobblestone streets of the small town. I looked up to the moon, only to remember it was gone, hidden by Zordon’s taint. It was everywhere inside the realm, reminding us that he was in charge and on the loose.

My mood darkened with the thought. The hours seemed to be slipping through my fingers with every step I took. Come morning, Zordon would learn that he is not as untouchable as he thought. I would make sure of that.

Against my will, my mouth stretched into a yawn. Fenn must have noticed because he yawned right when I looked over at him, and then he mustered a grin.

“Where are we going?” I asked when we turned off the main street and walked into the mouth of a very dark alley. Wooden crates filled with garbage lined the small path, giving off an unpleasant stench.

“To my place,” Roan’s voice carried over his shoulder. A dim fog rolled down the alleyway, drifting around our feet. “It is the safest.” We approached the end of the alley. He poked his head around the corner, and then looked left to right.

“Safest?” Fenn asked, yawning again. He rubbed his hand along the back of his head, rustling his hair.

Roan gestured us to follow him across the street. “That’s right,” he said to Fenn. “From prying ears. The magic I have strewn around my house will keep us protected.”

“Protected from whom? Everyone is out partying. None of the lights are on in any of these houses,” I said.

Roan laughed and flicked a glance over the shoulder of his leather vest. “You’ll see what I mean soon enough.”

I looked at Fenn who quirked a brow at me.

He stepped up to a small cottage and pressed his glowing hand against the handle. A lock sounded on the other side of the door. He turned the handle, stepping aside for us to enter first.

“Please, make yourself at home,” he said as he lit a sconce on the wall. Shadows emerged all around us, making it hard to see past our outstretched hands.

Roan disappeared through a doorway to the right and returned a second later with a few candles. He tilted them in my direction with his brows lifted, waiting for me. I snapped the flame onto my finger and pressed it to each wick, watching as the flames grew before me.

“Nice,” he mumbled and then walked around me to set them down. “Can’t ever see anything around here with these damn clouds clogging the light from the moon and sun. I hear it’s intentional.”

“Figures,” I replied vacantly. With the dim light from the candles, I discovered a lot of charm to Roan’s small home. A hand-carved table with four leather chairs sat in the middle of the living room with a bench along the wall near the door. The other wall held a set of stairs that I assumed led to his bedroom. The room he retrieved the candles from housed an old piano and a long sofa.

“Please, sit,” he instructed, setting the candles on the small table. I turned from the entryway and followed after him. “I promise I won’t bite,” he added with a smile.

We sat in the chairs across from him, and for a brief moment, I felt like I was back in the other realm on the night I first met Eve.

“So what did you need to tell us?” I asked.

“In a rush, are we?” Roan teased as he fiddled with the placement of the candles.

Fenn wasn’t entertained. “It’s late, and we have a battle tomorrow.”

“Right,” Roan said, resuming a serious face. I could still see his hidden smile though. “I have a message for you, one that was delivered to me a few hours ago.”

“By whom?” I asked.

“Someone I never thought I would have the pleasure of hearing,” he said in awe. “Here, take my hands.” He extended them out to Fenn and me. We each took one, both of our minds heading right back to that night in the other realm.

The minute our skin touched, my eyes rolled back into my head, and I felt reality slip away from me like it had too many times before.

“Wake up,” a heavenly, familiar voice called softly.

My eyelids fluttered open. I was surrounded by nothing but an airy cloud of white. I felt weightless and full of pure joy. I rubbed my eyes, trying to adjust to the purity of the light. When I opened them again, I noticed Fenn next to me, stirring as well. Roan was nowhere to be found.

“Aurora,” the forgotten voice called again. This time she was clear. It was Iliana. I exploded upright.

“Iliana! You’re here?” I asked, trying to make sense of it all.

“I told you I would be there when you needed me most. I asked that Roan offer himself as a channel for us to communicate safely from my brother’s prying ears. Saeth is an easy target for Zordon, and I fear he wouldn’t be able to hold up against him should Zordon question him.”

“Why now?” I asked as I rolled onto my knees and shook Fenn awake.

“This island is a safe zone. He has no eyes on this island for fear of them being lured away by the Nymphs. But that is of no importance. We have little time to speak, and I have plenty to tell you.”

Fenn finally sat up, looking around in confusion.

“As you may have guessed by now, it was my idea to bind you to Zordon,” she stated kindly, warm golden light billowing around her figure. I didn’t know what to make of that statement so I remained silent, waiting for her explanation.

I noticed Fenn’s hands clenched by his sides, and I prayed that he would hold his emotions in. Iliana noticed and laughed gently, running her smooth hand over Fenn’s rough face.

“Ever the protector,” she cooed, smiling. “A card my brother didn’t foresee. A card that I kept to myself until it was time to lay it down. Now is that time.”

My head flinched back slightly. She turned to me, cupping my face with her other hand. We were connected in a holy triangle, both Fenn and I on our knees.

“I’m confused,” Fenn said blankly, succumbing to her cleansing presence.

Her smile deepened. “Third of three. It is written in the prophecy yet not fully understood. You are deemed Aurora’s protector.” She leaned into us like she was about to tell us a secret, “And you are Zordon’s son,” she finished, her voice dropping with surety. Her sapphire eyes sparkled against her pale skin as she stood upright once again, breaking the connection with another encouraging smile.

“But everyone knows that now,” I said, still trying to understand. “What does it have to do with the bond and finding a way to kill Zordon?”

She waited for it to dawn on us, but nothing came from either of our mouths.

She giggled. “The bond cannot be broken, but it can be transferred. I couldn’t tell you before because I couldn’t risk Saeth overhearing. Not when he was still in contact with Zordon.”

Fenn grabbed my hands, shaking me as a hopeful smile spread across his face. I was still trying to catch up, replaying her words again in my mind. “You hear that, Rory? We can transfer your bond with Zordon…to me! We can be bound instead. You don’t have to die!” He picked me up, spinning me along the top of the cloud as laughter poured out from deep inside his soul. My heart swelled to the point of bursting.

I looked over at Iliana, who smiled in confirmation, and I joined in the laughter as well, suddenly feeling like luck was finally on my side.

When he set me back down, I turned to Iliana, a renewed sense of hope filling my words. “So that’s it then? I can defeat him, can’t I? I can do it without hurting myself in the process.”

Her alluring smile slowly faded. “In the end, during the final battle, you will be the only one who can get close enough to him. He will come after you and only you, especially if he suspects the bond is broken. As long as he thinks you are bonded, he will not kill you. That is ultimately how you can defeat him.”

Though the burden was still there, I couldn’t help but smile. I could prove myself this time. I could go against him, best him even. “So how do we do it?”

“To break this bond will not an easy feat. It is one that requires secrecy amongst those you trust most because you will not be able to do this alone. You must once again search for ingredients to work the spell I created.”

I swallowed and said, “I’m up for it. Anything to undo this.” The need to rid myself of Zordon’s taint grew by the second now that I knew it was possible.

Fenn and I moved closer to her, both on pins and needles with anxiety and excitement.

She fixed her gaze on us, intent on drilling her words deep into us. “First, you need the Stone of Immortality that I gave you.”

“Lexi has it right now,” I said.

“Then, you must obtain three things. One representing you, one representing him, and one representing Fenn.”

“What sort of things?” I asked, thinking to myself that this would be easy enough.

“Blood,” she said grimly.

“Blood?” I blurted out. “That’s impossible. He is immortal. How can you draw an immortal’s blood?”

She smiled. “There is a way. My brothers need you all to believe that we are impenetrable. That is what makes us gods. But that is not the truth. We have a weakness, and it is in that weakness our blood can be spilled.”

“How?” Fenn asked.

Her smile grew even more radiant. “The Priests. They have discovered a way to undo our immortality, though they don’t know for sure that it works. Let’s just say, they were helped.” She winked at me. “This is your destiny, Aurora. Go to them, make them believe that you are worth fighting for, and they will give you the elixir.”

I stared at her, unable to speak. This was exactly what Kaede was talking about, only it wasn’t a legend. This was a truth. The Priests have it. The same Priests who tried to murder us. The same Priests who are in some ways…evil.

“Aurora?” she said hesitantly, looking concerned.

I continued to stare at her, though I was really looking through her, lost in my thoughts.

“Rory,” Fenn snapped, nudging me out of it.

Finally, the words formed. “Even if I could talk the Priests into helping me with the elixir, how would I get that into Zordon and get his blood without him noticing? He is a Fate—all powerful. There is no way I could go head-to-head with him right now and win.”

Her smile widened. “A Fate’s job is to create and watch over, not to create and bend to their will. If we were to create you and bend you to our will, make you do things you didn’t want to do, then it would weaken our very essence. It would contradict everything we are.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” I asked, more confused than ever.

She stared at me for a moment, and then said, “Na’shir…Gwenevere…Gabe…Irisi…the list goes on.” She mentioned all the names of those who Zordon had taken and bent under his will.

“He’s growing weaker,” I stated, searching her eyes for confirmation.

She winked. “I can’t answer that for you, Aurora. This is as far as I will interfere. I will not do as my brother has done. It is part of your destiny to figure this out. But once you do, you must return to where you both were created in order for the spell to work.”

My eyebrows furrowed. “We were created in the same place?” She nodded. “But my parents…I thought he was a Fate…I’m so lost.”

“You were born unto your parents as a hybrid, but this conception wasn’t natural. It was selected…by me,” she said delicately. “Though your parents love for one another is real, the situation was pushed. You were created in the Hall of Knowledge. The same place where Zordon was created. The same place where your Oraculus was split in two. This is the only place that can contain the magic of this spell, and it is where you must move the bind over to Fenn. That is why I returned the Stone to you—so you could port back when you have the ingredients. Alexis can show you how.”

An overwhelming feeling surfaced, but I tucked it away. I would beat him. I had to.

“I must go now before they suspect my disappearance. Zordon has discovered our other weakness, thereby leaving us in a cell to rot.”

“You have another weakness?” Fenn asked.

“Thinking we were untouchable. Zordon gathered enough men and enough strength to overthrow us. After he crossed over into the Hall, he was given his full right as a Fate and took us by surprise. I tried to warn my brothers, but Saeth convinced them that he could keep Zordon under control. He was wrong, and now we are all in a prison that we can only be freed from.”

My head hung low. “This is a cluster—”

Fenn shot me a look, stopping me from cursing in a Fate’s presence.

“We are going to do everything we can to fix this, Iliana,” Fenn pledged, grabbing my hand. “I know we can do this.” I believed his words. I felt his confidence as he willed it into my being.

Her smile was sincere and full of sympathy. “I believe in you both. But that will not be enough. You must believe in yourself if you are to succeed.” Her eyes locked with mine.

“I can do this,” I said strongly. “Especially now that I know I can rid myself of him.”

She smiled. “Good. I really must go. Remember, I am always watching.” Her image slowly disappeared as we waved and darkness filled the cloudy whiteness.