From the Embers (The Born in Flames Trilogy) (9 page)

I put my hand on his chest, bringing his eyes down to meet mine. “It’s not like that. I was one of the first people to ever give him a chance, Fenn. I believed in his goodness. I think he is confusing that appreciation with love.”

“No, Rory. He has genuine feelings for you. And as much as I hate to admit it, he is a good guy and does understand things about you that I never could. Things like your connection with Zordon and the darkness you feel. He knew our father. I didn’t. I never felt that darkness.”

“I should talk to him,” I reiterated. “Clear the air.”

His heavy sigh pushed the hair back from around my face. “Fine.”

We walked over to where Zane and Lexi sat. “Can I have a minute?” I asked Zane. Confusion flashed in his eyes. “I just want to talk,” I added.

“Oh boy,” Lexi muttered under her breath.

“Maybe you should do the same thing…with Brohm,” I heard Fenn say to her as Zane and I walked over near the stairs of the Lyceum. He sat two steps below me, waiting for me to go first.

I suddenly felt silly. What could I say? What if I was reading it all wrong? He watched me expectantly, furthering my sudden doubt.

“I, umm…I don’t really know how to say this… You see…” I started waving my hands around, trying to find the right words as my face deepened a few shades. “Do you have feelings for me?” I blurted out. What an idiot, I thought to myself.

A smirk spread across his face, brightening the color of his eyes. He laughed, and I awkwardly joined in, praying that I didn’t sound as stupid as I thought I did.

“That was blunt,” he remarked, still smirking. “I would never have expected that from you.”

“Me either,” I said as I rolled my eyes.

“Why do you ask?” He sounded serious. I was a little scared to look at him so I fixed my eyes on the step below him.

“Because I want the air cleared, between us I mean.” My eyes deceived me and found his. Longing was in his eyes again, something that I was afraid of seeing. Although I loved Fenn and couldn’t picture myself with anyone else, I had a soft spot for Zane. One that I couldn’t explain. One that I knew could lead somewhere dangerous if I didn’t put a stop to it.

“I think you should ask yourself that same question…about me, I mean,” he said softly, searching my eyes.

I held his gaze, trying to ignore the tingly feeling in my stomach. “I love Fenn.” The words sounded like an excuse. Even I knew that.

He looked away, cursing under his breath. “That’s not an answer, that is a given.” His hand plunged through his thick hair.

“That is
my
answer.” I heard my voice shaking. It bothered me that he affected me so much.

He looked back up at me with fierceness in his eyes. “No, that is a safety net, Aurora. The answer is simple. Yes or no. Do you or don’t you have feelings for me? Fenn has nothing to do with it.”

I felt caught. How was I supposed to answer that? I wanted to clear the air. Clearing the air would mean being honest. I had to be honest with him and with myself if we were ever going to get past this.

“I do, Zane, but not like how I think you have feelings for me.” The small sliver of hope in his eyes darkened. “Maybe if things were different, but my fate was chosen for me the day I was born. My soul mate, Fenn, was chosen. When I close my eyes, I can’t see a future that doesn’t involve him.”

He shot daggers with his eyes. “Then why bother me? So you can inflate your ego?” he asked, his tone cutting as he looked away from me again.

“No,” I said heatedly. “Because I care, and because I don’t want to see that—” I reached down and turned his face towards me, ensuring he understood, “I don’t want to see that look in your eyes anymore. That look of longing and of betrayal.”

“You can’t get everything you want, Aurora.”

I rolled my eyes, letting his face go. “Don’t be immature about this. I am really trying here.”

“Why!?” he shouted, bracing himself to stand.

“Because I care! Didn’t you just hear me?” I shouted back. Fenn and Lexi stood up, watching us.

He stood in front of me, quietly fuming. For a moment, I thought that would be it. I thought he would just walk away. But then he casted a quick glance over his shoulder in Fenn’s direction, and then stepped closer to me.

“You want the air cleared? This is what I feel, Aurora. You are pretty, smart, funny, strong…everything any man would want in a woman. But that’s not what pulled me to you. That isn’t even the tip of the iceberg.” His eyes pressed in a hard line, his hand reaching for my arm. “You showed me that there is always something to fight for. That there is always time for a second chance. The spirit in you, the ability to see past everyone’s flaws and to find the good in them, that is priceless, Aurora. You never gave up on me.”

He leaned closer, his words growing softer, his eyes growing darker.

“But you are my brother’s girl. A brother I never knew I had until I met you. Until I let you in. And because I love my newfound family, I am willing to set my feelings aside. I know where your heart lies so stop trying to prove that to yourself. Your fate was dealt, like you said.”

His eyes dropped to my mouth. My breath caught, but he pulled back. “Don’t worry about me, Progeny. You have enough on your plate. Consider the air cleared.”

And then he disappeared inside a portal.

I felt like a truck had just rammed into my heart. Fenn was already by my side. “See?” he scolded, pulling me into a hug.

“I didn’t know it was like that,” I admitted. I had feared, but I didn’t know.

Lexi took her time making her way up the stairs. “Always stirring something up,” she said as she looked down at me. “I’m going to go check on our brother,” she said to Fenn.

“Alexis?” someone said from the top of the stairs.

We all looked up. It was Brohm. He descended the steps slowly, a cautious look on his face.

“Do you remember me…at all?”

Lexi tucked her hair behind her ear, glancing down to the ground. “Yes, Brohm. What do you want?” She was trying to sound hard, but it wasn’t working. Her nerves were evident in the way her face flushed.

“Can we talk?” he asked, now standing in front of her. He reached out for her hand.

She jerked away before he could touch her, startling him. “There is nothing to discuss, Brohm. I am a Celestian and more importantly, Zordon’s daughter.” Disgust filled her words.

“Alexis—”

“I’m serious, Brohm. Right now, there is no room for love in my life.” She looked away regretfully and then ported away, leaving Brohm staring after her.

He gave us a flustered frown and then turned back to head up the stairs, his head hanging low. I felt bad for him as I watched him walk away.

“Did I just screw everything up?” I asked. It was a general statement.

Fenn took it literally. “No. He knew he would get to you, Rory. He did that on purpose. To mess with your mind.”

“He wouldn’t do that,” I said, turning to look at Fenn.

“No?” One simple, honest, one-word question.

I chose to ignore his question. “Well, the air is cleared now,” I said lightheartedly.

“Do you have feelings for him?”

My thoughts halted.
Be honest
, I told myself.

“In a way, yes, but nothing that I am interested in pursuing. It’s more of an infatuation. Something that would never have been predetermined. You know? Like a rebellious decision…and I’ve made enough of those to learn that nothing good ever comes from being rebellious.”

Fenn kissed my forehead, but the kiss was hard. His grip on my arms was painfully tight. I was grateful that he was trying to keep his anger in check. For once, I was grateful that he held back his emotions from me. I didn’t need any more guilt added to my plate.

“Ah, Rory, what am I going to do with you?”

“Love me.”

He sighed heavily, letting up on his grip. “With all my heart.”

Chapter 7

A Journey to Nymph Island

I DECIDED TO KEEP LEV to myself for now. After seeing the way my father reacted, I didn’t want to instill false hope into anyone else. Not unless it was necessary.

We met back in the advisory room just before dusk. Astral was nowhere to be found, which unsettled my nerves. “I can’t leave without Astral,” I said to Kaede.

He sighed. “Astral left.”

I felt verbally slapped. “What?”

He looked at me uneasily. “He said there was somewhere he needed to go and to tell you that he will meet you on Nymph Island.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Everything will be fine, Aurora,” Kaede assured.

I sucked in a deep breath, steadying my growing temper. “What message would you like for me to give the Liege there?” I asked, changing the subject. I kept my fists by my side .

He straightened his shoulders. “Just that we will be attacking Pyre Island in two days time. If he is on board, send word and have them meet us on the dawn of the second day.”

“Fine,” I said a little too hastily. I turned to Fenn, Lexi, and Zane who waited behind me. “Ready?”

Zane nodded but kept his eyes on the window.

“Great,” I said, turning back to Kaede. Soothe remained in the corner, watching me intently. I gave him my best evil squint, waiting for what it was that he knew but wouldn’t share. His tiny smirk proved my assumption. He knew something, and he wasn’t going to share.

Kaede’s right hand found a place on my shoulder. I looked down at it and then up at him. “It has been an honor to meet you. I know that you will deliver us into a New Dawn.”

A small half-smile curved my lips as I breathed out my frustrations. So Astral was gone. So he left without saying anything. Worse has happened.

“Thank you,” I replied, trying to sound grateful. It wasn’t Kaede’s fault, after all.

“I’ve opened the portal,” Lexi said. She still seemed upset from what happened earlier with Brohm. I made a mental note to talk to her about it as soon as we had a moment alone. If she would talk to me.

“I guess this is it for now,” Kaede said, walking me over to the portal. Lexi jumped through and then Zane. Fenn stepped up and held his hand out for me.

“See you soon,” I said and then jumped through with Fenn.

On the other side, I found myself surrounded by a rainbow of colors in the land where the earth element was in every living being. The air was warm and thick, unlike the crisp fall back on Orient Island.

Although the sky remained grim and dark, no matter where we were, the leaves seemed to have been unaffected by the elemental uproar. They gave off a shimmering golden light through the lush treetops, highlighting the tips of Fenn’s messy hair.

Pink and yellow flower petals fell all around us, filling the air with a sweet scent that made me want to run free without any regrets. Sparkling butterflies fluttered all around us, dodging the petals as they fell.

“It has been so long since I’ve seen this place,” Lexi said, spinning around to take it all in. Even her mood seemed to have been boosted by the hidden paradise.

“You’ve been here before?” Fenn asked enviously.

“When I was little. Mother had to converse with the Liege for King Darian.”

“Where’s the Lyceum?” Fenn asked.

“It will show itself when it’s ready. This island works in mysterious ways,” Lexi explained.

“It’s like a fairytale,” I said. I had read that the air on this island gave off a feeling of euphoria, something I was trying to shake off. It had attached itself to me, wiggling into the small cracks and crevices of my heart that waited earnestly for some happiness.

“It is a fairytale,” Fenn declared, throwing his arm over my shoulder. His musky scent mixed deliciously with the air.

“Whatever you say,” Zane grunted, throwing the hood of his robe over his head. He shouldered past us and swatted at the low-hanging trees and bushes that tickled our legs, mumbling to himself.

Something ahead of us flittered from tree to tree in a blur. “What was that?” I asked, only mildly alarmed.

“I don’t know,” Fenn said, peering to the left where I pointed.

“It was a Nymph,” Zane called back to us, sounding disinterested.

“Really?” I asked, halting my steps. I had read about the mystical race but never thought I would see one, especially not when we were on the brink of war.

The blur continued to zoom past us between the trees, followed by a trail of haunting girly giggles.

“We must be getting close to the Lyceum,” Lexi mentioned. Her thoughts and her eyes were focused in the distance, on a tree that seemed to be talking.

“What are they doing?” Fenn asked, stepping away from me to investigate. His nose was turned up in the air, sniffing for magic.

“Taunting us,” I answered, feeling a rush of excitement overcome my train of thought. “I read that most Nymphs are playful creatures who spend their time playing tricks on one another. They love to lure visitors of the islands into their hollows where they have pools of water that cause you to forget everything else, leaving you as their prisoner forever.”

“I see it,” Zane said, pointing up ahead to something that I couldn’t quite see yet. We quickened our pace and then stopped right next to Zane, mouths hanging to the floor. It was the Lyceum of Nymph Island and unlike anything I had ever seen.

A huge white castle wrapped in thick ivy was perched on a hilltop. It was surrounded by colorful trees and water that trickled down the hill and ran into a gushing stream.

A wooden fence the height of old trees wrapped around the base of the hill, preventing any intruder from walking right in. A small village made of cottages with steam rising from various chimneys collected inside the fence.

“The Nymph Lyceum,” Lexi declared, catching up with Zane and then taking the lead. Squirrels raced up the trees, away from the sound of crunching leaves. She hopped across a few large stones in the middle of the stream that led to the opening of the bridge and then stepped onto it.

That’s when a Nymph appeared. “Found you,” said a small woman. Her hair was in disarray and filled with twigs and flowers. Her round face was dusted white, and her heart-shaped lips were the color of cherries. Blue eyes sparkled mischievously as she batted her thick, dark lashes at Zane. She couldn’t have been more than 18, but I knew better. Nymphs were older than the race of dragons.

“Hello,” Zane said, oddly uninterested.

“Whom do you wish to see?” the Nymph said with a quiet giggle. “Me, I hope.” She twirled a piece of hair around her finger.

“The Liege,” Zane corrected hastily, looking past her and up at the castle.

She lifted her finger and wiggled it towards herself. “Follow me,” she said smiling, her off-white tattered gown twirling with her every movement. “You can’t port across this bridge. It is spelled to keep unwanted guests out. You may only be taken by a Nymph.” She seemed weightless as she skipped and hopped across the bridge, never looking back to ensure that we were following.

Lexi followed after her, effortlessly gliding across the bridge. Fenn tugged on my hand, looking back at me with the biggest, loveliest grin. I couldn’t help but smile back, on the verge of laughing from the overload of enchanting emotion that made my heart feel as if it would burst.

I couldn’t explain it, but as I trailed behind Fenn, I felt so happy watching the small Nymph skipping ahead of us, leading us to the castle. Every step she took was like watching kittens playing. All my cares seemed to vanish.

“Don’t study her movements like that,” Zane said from behind me. It was the first time he had spoken to me since we had “cleared the air,” and it caught me off guard.

“Why?” I asked, finding it hard to pull my eyes away from her. 

“Because,” he dragged out, waiting for me to look at him. I forced my eyes to his face. Underneath his shadowed hood, I could hardly make out his piercing brown eyes. “She is as enthralling as the ponds you spoke of. The magic of a Nymph is in the scent they throw off. It’s in the grace of their steps and the whimsy of their voice. It’s highly intoxicating and lethally unforgiving.”

I bit my lip, sighing, and then let go of Fenn’s hand. He didn’t seem to notice as he continued ahead, following after the Nymph.

“Why aren’t you enthralled then?” I asked, leaning closer to him.

“Because,” he clipped, tilting his face away from me. His eyes darted past me to Fenn who was almost off the bridge, totally oblivious to what was happening behind him.

I knew deep down that I needed to get off the bridge and away from Zane, but I felt so carefree and curious. I wanted to play with him. I wanted to see what would happen if I stopped caring about what was right for once.

“Because why?” I taunted on a giggle, biting my lip again.

I heard a faint huff come from him. “Just drop it, okay?” He grunted. His hands found my leaning shoulders and stopped me from coming any closer. His fingers dug into my skin as turmoil raged behind his eyes.

“Fine then,” I said carelessly and turned to continue the brisk hike along the unstable rope bridge. As we neared the end of the bridge, light and lively music carried on the breeze, awaking something inside of me. A feeling of pure brazenness.

I hastened my last steps, trying to find my way to the captivating sound that bewitched my thoughts. My pulse soared as I neared the edge of the bridge.

Fenn grabbed my hand, pulling me off, and planted a large, all-consuming kiss on my lips. I didn’t know what it was for, but I wasn’t about to ask questions. I melted into him, everything disappearing around me.

Zane groaned and mumbled, “Get a room.”

It was hard to pry my lips from his, but Lexi insisted that we stop before we were left behind, and there was no way I was going to miss whatever was making that beautiful sound.

The Nymph made her way to the gate, skipping along the rich moss and stone-laden earth. She did a strange series of knocks on the large wooden gate that contained all of the secrets of the Lyceum, and then stood back as the door swung inward.

A large, stout, burly-looking man in full armor appeared. “Whom do you seek?”

“Liege Dagan,” the Nymph announced on the verge of giggling.

The guard peered around her. “Names?”

Lexi ambitiously stepped into his line of vision. “The Progeny has come to speak with the Liege.” She moved aside just enough for him to see me. I was hopping off of one of the stones on the ground and fumbled, using Fenn’s offered hand to stabilize myself.

The guard snickered and started to pull the gate shut. “Wait,” Lexi said desperately, stopping the door from shutting with her glowing palm. “Look again.”

She flashed me a glance, suggesting I shift, so I did. I leapt into the air, releasing my wings and breathed with relief. The eyes beneath his armored helmet grew wide. He floundered backwards, leaving the door to swing wide open. When I landed, I shifted back into my human form, my armor forming around me.

Lexi smirked. We wandered through the gates, following the small Nymph into the heavenly music. Behind the gates was a small town that surrounded the castle. Vendors with carts full of elixirs and fruits crowded the streets wearing smiles and colorful clothing. Flowers and vines wrapped around the houses.

“Where is that music coming from?” Fenn asked, perking his ear up.

“The castle,” Lexi said, smiling larger than I’d seen her smile in a long time. She spun in a slow circle with her arms out to her sides.

Zane shook his head. I thought I caught a glimmer of a smile, but then he looked over at me and his scowl returned. “Same thing applies here,” he said to me in a low voice. “It’s all a part of the seduction into keeping you here.”

“Why would they want to keep you here?” I asked, trying to stay focused on his voice and not the music.

He looked over at me. “For slaves, why else?”

WHEN WE MADE IT TO the grand entryway, two towering trees looped around each other to create the arched entry into the ivy-covered castle.

Strangely, there were no guards. Instead, the branches of the tree formed a barricade, preventing us from walking right on through. The Nymph stopped right before the entry and flicked a daring gaze back at us as she reached her petite hand out towards one of the trees. I blinked a few times as her fingers transformed into tiny branches that melded into the tree.

“She is communicating,” Lexi said, answering the question that must have been written on my face.

Suddenly, the old tree made a loud groaning sound as the Nymph’s branch-like fingers retracted. The branches hanging above us swayed back and forth, leaves falling down around us, and then slowly lifted out and away from the entrance.

Zane took a step forward only to be stopped by the Nymph’s wooden arm pressed sturdily against his chest. “They will let you pass only if you let them read your energy.”