Born In Flames (11 page)

His sons looked at each other, disappointment seeming to wash over their sunken faces. I almost felt sorry for them.
“Father,” interrupted the older brother, Zane. “Don’t you think a more worthy Mage should be given this task? A Seer’s prophecy is not an easy riddle to decipher.” His eyes shot to the ground, ending his sentence much like I did when giving an oral report in school.
“If I thought Myrdinn incapable,” Zordon began softly, “do you THINK I WOULD HAVE APPOINTED HIM?” Zordon yelled harshly, anger brewing as he hastily stood, hands slapping flat against the marbled surface of the table.
The marble table shuddered as his voice boomed. “Do you doubt your Liege?” he spat, almost nose to nose with Zane, veins bulging all the way up his arms and neck. His eyes had gone completely black, as dark as the fathomless pit of hell grasping onto innocent souls.
He reached out and grabbed Zane by the throat. Defensively, Zane’s hands wrapped around Zordon’s in an attempt to ease the grip as the blood quickly drained from his face. Black crackles of energy popped around Zordon.
Eve flinched next to me.
“Afflictum!” Zordon shouted, his eyes blazing.
“AGGGHHHHH,” came a scream ripping from Zane’s throat. His lower body was twisting as if in agony while his face continued to redden from lack of oxygen. No one moved.
Impulsively, I went to move forward to stop what was happening, but Eve held tight onto my arm.
“Careful, little dragon, now is not the time for your temper,” she warned. Her head nodded in the direction of a mirror that was close by.
My eyes widened. They were ruby red, and a trail of smoke wafted from my nostrils.
“Little dragon,” I repeated, the reality suddenly slapping me in the face. But before I could demand answers, the situation at hand kept unraveling.
“No…sir…I'm…I’m sorry…my…Liege,” Zane squeezed out through his blue-tinged lips as he twisted and writhed. His voice was distressed and cracking.
“My Liege,” said Myrdinn, standing to regain focus, his voice as smooth as silk. “I will gladly take this task. Anyone would be honored. That is what Zane meant. He is a youngling who hungers for knowledge the same way we did when we were his age.” He laid his hand on Zordon’s arm, guiding down the rising temper.
My tensed breath began to ease as Zordon’s grip lessened. Zane’s breathing became quick as he gasped unmercifully for air.
Myrdinn continued. “I ask that I have leave to find a place of serenity. I need to have a clear mind in order to clarify this riddle. Do you mind picking a place for me? You know this forest better than anyone, my Liege.” Good, keep his mind occupied elsewhere, I thought.
Zordon dropped his son. I gasped, thinking that he was unconscious as he lay unmoving on the cold white floor. Zhax moved for him, helping him up and walking him towards the back where their mother sat. Eve’s ghastly face was filled with horror. I reached out and touched her shoulder.
“Do you know their mother?” I prodded. Eve nodded in acknowledgement. I wanted to ask her how, but I didn’t feel it was the best time.
And then everything began to fade away.

Chapter 12
Some Clarity in a Dragon Sort of Way
I WOKE TO FIND FENN and Eve leaning over me. Fenn’s face was painted in worry. “Are you okay?” he asked almost painfully as soon as he

saw my eyes open.

Of course I am
, I thought with heavy sarcasm. It’s not like I just passed out or anything. Or even like a crazy lady invaded my dreams and proceeded to fill my head with even more confusing things.

I looked over at Eve and then immediately looked at the palm of my hand. There trailed a line of clotted blood, still stinging from the jagged cut.

“You were there,” I gasped.

“I was there.” She smiled politely, but her eyes were mocking my earlier disbelief.
“It was real, but how?” I asked, muddled. I pushed up off the ground with my good hand and scooted back. I needed fresh air.
“That wasn’t a dream, my dear. That was the magic of The Fates. They wanted you to hear the prophecy that was made many years ago before your creation.”
And that brought me to the most important question of all. “So…who am I?” I asked, bracing myself for what I already knew.
“Why, you are a Mage…with blood of the dragon running through you,” she replied, as if I should have known.
“Wait, what?” Fenn interjected, puzzlement creasing his brow.
“I’m a dragon?” I asked, ignoring Fenn.
“Yes, born of a dragon, fathered by a Mage.”
“But how is that even possible?” I asked, mystified.
Of dragon born a conqueror prevails
replayed through my mind. The beginning of the prophecy. So it really is about me then. I am “of dragon born.”
“By a shape-shifting spell,” she huffed impatiently. “Do you really think the how of why you are who you are is really important to the matter at hand? You are in danger, child, sought after by the most relentless, bloodthirsty Mage. What is important is that you find the keys that have been hidden,” she scolded.
“Who’s after me?” I asked cautiously.
“Zordon, of course.” She shook her head as if annoyed.
I made a face at the memory of him. “Well, that’s just frickin’ great. A crazy, delusional man is after me while I have no memories of before or any idea about myself in general,” I ranted, standing just to get away from her.
“Do you ever think anything through before you throw your tantrums? Have you not thought that maybe there’s a reason that you both have no memories?” she retaliated as she stood to meet my glare.
I paused a moment, letting her insult sink in, and then bit my quivering lip. She was right, I hadn’t thought anything through.
“No,” I conceded quietly.
“I think that’s beside the point,” Fenn added, scowling. “How can she think anything through when she doesn’t have much to go off of? I mean, besides being here today, we have only had each other.” He wrapped his arm tightly around my shoulder, once again coming to my rescue.
Instead of arguing back, Eve sat at the table, her piercing gaze commanding us to sit. She closed her eyes and lowered her face, holding her hands above the table. A faint green glow lit up the underside of her palms.
I jumped back, grabbing Fenn and immediately regretted it as I winced from disturbing the cut. I swallowed the pain and tried to remain brave as Fenn pulled my hand close to his mouth, his cool breath bringing some relief to the wound.
“What are you doing?” I scoffed, thinking that maybe we had pushed her too far.
She ignored me as she chanted, “Appareo.” The green glow of her hands grew brighter as something began to materialize underneath them. A book of some sort.
When the book had fully materialized, she slowly opened her eyes as the glow diminished, and looked back at us.
We were huddled together with shock written on our faces, the cut long forgotten. “She’s like us,” I whispered to Fenn.
“We are from the same realm, Aurora. Come, sit.” She beckoned with her hand. “We are running out of time.”
Fenn grabbed my arm and dragged me back over to the table. “Can you show us how to do that?” he mused, looking back at me with enthusiastic eyebrows.
A smirk appeared on her solemn face, lighting the flecks of green in her eyes. She was quite beautiful when she smiled, almost intoxicating. She must have felt my probing gaze because her lip quivered and, regretfully, her smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
“This Oraculus was created on the day of your birth,” she said, resuming her cool demeanor. “You see, in our realm, everyone’s fate is written the day they are born. It’s written into an Oraculus. All Oraculus’ remain in the Hall of Knowledge-which to you would be considered Heaven. But as I have said before, you are special.” She pushed it towards me.
It was a leather-bound book, tethered by a stringy cord. The leather was worn and faded in some spots, like it had been around forever. I ran my fingers over the buttery softness, inhaling the fresh scent.
On the front of it were three symbols that were somehow vaguely familiar. They took up almost the entire front of the book and when I touched them, they lit up as if recognizing my touch.
Fenn was the first to recognize them as he said, “Hey! Those are the same symbols on the ring. Didn’t you say they would be on the keys as well? Is this a key?”
Eve smiled again, her eyes gentle as she shrugged.
“What does that mean?” I couldn’t help asking, envious of the connection she had with Fenn.
“You will soon see,” she foreboded. “I can’t just give you all the answers. You have to earn the right to be the Progeny.”
I flipped the Oraculus over in my hands, giving up on weaseling information from her about the keys.
“Why is the back burnt?” I asked as I trailed my finger over the burn marks. It seemed like someone had thrown it into a fire or something. Strangely, the deepest burn ran along the edge of the spine.
“Because of who you are tied to,” she answered.
I glanced at her quizzically and then opened the book, bracing myself for what it could possibly say. Everything was in a language I didn’t understand.
“Well, this is of no use if I can’t read it,” I said, my words coated with irritation.
“The magic isn’t in the words written, Aurora. No one is supposed to ever see their own Oraculus until they have died and crossed over to the Hall of Knowledge. But in your case, well…” She broke off.
I continued flipping through, noticing that only half of the pages had words. The rest were blank.
“It’s not finished,” I pointed out.
“Like I said, you’re special. Your history is different because it is tied to Zordon’s. It’s-” A shuffling noise sounded from outside before she could finish. She got up and went out of the room and then came back in a rush.
“Take it and keep it safe, at all costs. You must understand that this is your lifeline,” she said, emphasizing the last words.
“Well leaving it with me is not going to keep it safe. I am the worst with keeping track of things.” I pushed it back towards her hoping she would understand.
“Oh, really? Well I guess I’ll just keep it then,” she replied, pulling it back towards her.
I stopped her mid-pull, gripping the edge of the book tightly and preventing her from pulling it any further.
“Wait just a second,” I said, a strong sense of possession rising deep within me. “You said lifeline? What does that mean?”
A coy smile crossed her lips. “Oh, but you said you couldn’t take care of it,” she mimicked, still smiling. “In our realm, a Mage cannot exist without an Oraculus. If your Oraculus falls into the wrong hands, you are dead. To burn an Oraculus is to fatally wound a Mage.”
She let go of the book.
I sense of dread and responsibility swelled within me. “So what you’re saying is that if this book is ruined, my life is basically over?” Her eyes filled with recognition as she nodded. “You feel it, don’t you?” she asked. “You feel that deep need to protect this…at any cost.”
I grimly nodded. “Good,” she said as she stood from her chair. “You’ll be surprised with just how safe you’ll be able to keep this,” she finished with a wink, her scold long gone.
“What should she do with it?” Fenn asked.
She didn’t acknowledge his question as she said, “You must go now. Our time is up.”
“But wait…aren’t you going to help me find the keys? This map isn’t the most readable,” I said as she started directing us towards the door.
“Even if I wanted to help you, I wouldn’t be able to. This is not my journey to take, Aurora,” she hedged.
“But I can’t read it,” I admitted in defeat.
“You can. You’re just not reading it in the right place. Try saying
Apparatio
the next time you’re alone with your Oraculus. It might help you figure some things out. And go to the historian in town. He will unintentionally lead you to the next key. I am not to influence your decision anymore so.”
“What’s the right decision?” I asked, more confused than ever.
She answered with a smile and patted my arms. “Keep your eye on that,” she said, pointing to the Oraculus. “Remember, it is a matter of life and death. It will have the answers. Your choice affects the lives of many so please make the right one. Okay then, buh-bye, stop by sometime.” And she practically shoved us out the door.
We both stood on her porch, blank expressions on our faces.
“Aurora?” Fenn asked. “What just happened?”
I looked at him, bewildered. “I was going to ask you that. She didn’t even ask for payment.” I was thoroughly perturbed by her behavior.
“Should I go in and pay?” And as if she was listening to us, all the lights flicked off and we heard a click of a lock on the door. “I guess not then.” Fenn grabbed my hand and tugged me down the stairs back towards our motel room.
“She was in my dream, well, she said it wasn’t a dream, but she was there in my head, I guess. Apparently there are two realms, anchored together by a cave on this island. There was an evil crazy man named Zordon—my fated enemy.” I paused as something hit me. “I felt tied to him. Like it could really be true. I’m not sure what to think or make of it.”
Fenn laughed as if questioning my sanity, putting me in instant defense mode. “I’m not lying or crazy, Fenn Aiden.” His eyes flashed over to me and then his lips twitched, as if fighting the urge to smile.
“Besides the fact that I love it when you say my name like that, I wasn’t laughing at you,” he said sincerely. “And we both know that you are crazy, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think of you as credible. With everything that’s happened lately to the both of us, I’m not going to doubt anything. I’ve seen and felt the magic myself. She wouldn’t know what she knew if it wasn’t real.” He nudged into me, chuckling as I stumbled to catch my balance.
I frowned. “I just wish I knew what to do with all of this information. I mean, if I pursue my past then I have to deal with all of this, but if I just let the moon phase come and go, well, she said that a lot of lives hang in the balance. I don’t want to be the cause of something bad happening,” I admitted as we turned into our parking lot.
His face went serious as he quickly looked at me and said, “I believe in you so I can see why you would be prophesied about. And I believe that you will do what’s right. If you gained anything from what just happened, gain that you were sent here for a reason, and apparently that reason was to keep you safe and to give you a choice. It is your choice, so don’t fret.” He rubbed my hair, leaving his hand to rest along the back of my neck.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I guess you’re right,” I surrendered, giving him a weak smile.
He laughed and said, “I’m always right…I’m a man, remember?”
I punched him in the arm as we headed up the stairs, and I felt a great weight lift as he turned the key in the door.
Chapter 13
A Kiss
FENN CAME UP BEHIND ME and rested his chin on top of my head after I took my shoes off by the door. I set my Oraculus down on Fenn’s couch. I smiled as a feeling of euphoria consumed me, and I spun around to face him. I don’t know what possessed me, but I didn’t even hesitate to kiss him with every beautiful emotion in my being.
Butterflies flew crazily in my stomach, making it hard to concentrate, and the lullaby kicked into gear, stealing all rationality. My heart seemed to sync in time with the harmonious song that had unleashed between us like an untamed fire. His lips were so soft and gentle. My knees melted into oblivion.
Time seemed to seize around us, and I wished that it would remain that way forever. Why had I denied myself this for so long?
I grabbed the back of his head and twisted my grip in his thick wavy hair, not wanting to lose this perfect moment. His hands roamed down my sides and up my back, finally resting in my hair and twisting it just as yearningly.
On my tiptoes, I leaned hard into him and found that I wanted to show him the part of me that was real, a part that I had rarely even shown myself.
But then Eve’s voice resounded in my ears: “Your choice will affect many.” And I remembered the reflection of my blood-red eyes.
I suddenly shoved Fenn off, taking a few steps back to put distance between us. He had a look of awe written across his face, eyes still shut tight.
“Rory, that was amaz-” I cut him off before he could finish.
“That was me not using my head. We can’t do this. This can’t happen right now.” I looked to the floor, desperate for the right words.
“You don’t mean that,” he said, and in two strides he was face-to-face with me, eyes drowning my resolve. My breath caught. His lips were the only thing I saw. Perfect upper lip that was just a bit bigger than the bottom, soft and loving.
He tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear as he leaned in for another round.
My hand met his chest. “No,” I forced out in a whisper, his lips just inches from my own.
“No?” he quizzed softly.
I closed my eyes, wanting so bad to say the hell with it, but I saw Zordon instead.
“No,” I answered firmly. “I need to figure this mess out before I can commit to this. I need you as my friend right now. Adding romance is only going to complicate things. And besides, what if it doesn’t work? I can’t lose you.”
He bitterly took a step back and without looking at me said, “As you wish,” then turned and headed to the kitchen, pulling out leftover chicken and lettuce to make a salad.
I wanted to make sure he wasn’t mad, but I knew that I had hurt his feelings. “Umm, can you look up the number to that historian Eve mentioned? I’d like to go first thing in the morning if you think it’s a good idea,” I said awkwardly.
I needed to change the subject and that was all that popped into my brain. He looked at me or more like right through me.
“Okay,” he said vaguely. This wasn’t going to get better soon enough.
“Listen,” I leveled, “I’m going to take the car back to Mily. I think we could both use a little space right now.” I uneasily edged away and snatched up my Oraculus before I walked out the door.
I took off in a hurry, hoping that the speed would beat the feelings I tried to leave behind. What was I thinking kissing him like that? I smacked my forehead with my palm and was instantly reminded about my bruise, regretting the smack.
Mily’s house was only ten minutes away, which was good because the bus wouldn’t be too far behind.
Eve popped into my mind as I drove. I remembered her saying that if I opened myself up, then maybe I would understand everything more. I glanced over and looked at the Oraculus on the seat next to me. “Ugh,” I moaned.