Born of Fire: The Dawn of Legend (27 page)

“I like to think that all EeNarins would have an instinctive aversion to defiling the dead,” said FyNasia.

“She’s right,” added NyRo. “War and battle is for the living and should only be waged by them.”

“I can’t believe this,” said DiNiya, still very much in shock by this sudden revelation. Never before had she ever heard of such a terrible power anywhere in her world. “I thought the powers of all the flames were common knowledge to all.”

“Every flame possesses its own secrets that are known only by those who have achieved a complete mastery of them,” explained VoRenna. “The blue flame, however, holds with it some of the darkest. All except one, that is.” She looked back and forth from Rex and DiNiya, regarding them with a slightly unnerved expression.

LyCora, who had been more outspoken at the start of the conversation, now chose to remain silent despite her desire to know more. She had always been patient by nature, something that had usually always yielded the answers she sought. Calculating and cunning was the methodology she lived by, and now she felt it would pay off greater than ever in light of the situation she found herself in. DiNiya had always been a splinter in her mind, for she possessed a power that she knew could rival her own and yet she knew almost nothing about it. Now was the time for her to get closer to this strange new young man named Rex, who seemed to be somehow at the center of this nagging mystery that had been vexing her ever since that terrible day when she witnessed a glimpse of the true power of the red flame.

To her great disappointment, though, BaRone changed the topic, which was too close to what he and many of his tribe had deemed almost a taboo subject. “I think you young ones have been through enough for today,” he said, dropping his arms at his sides. “You four should focus on getting some rest.”

“But aren’t we going to look for who’s behind all of this?” DiNiya asked anxiously.

“We are, yes; but the four of you are going to stay here in town and are not to go out beyond the fields.”

“Father,” DiNiya protested before being silenced by his raised hand.

“I’m sorry, DiNiya, but that’s the way it must to be. Whoever is out there has not yet mustered the courage to face someone like VayRonx, but you four would no doubt be easy pickings.”

DiNiya felt extremely disappointed, which no doubt showed on her face. She had wanted so badly to hunt down the culprit and make them pay for what they had done, not just to her, but all the other innocent lives they claimed. Hunting for survival was one thing, but whoever was out there was throwing off the land’s entire ecosystem and apparently perverting the power of the flame in a way that defied the balance of nature itself. She looked over at Rex, who had been silent for some time now. She wondered what he was thinking. Was he losing his trust in this new world he had discovered? Did he ever have any in it to begin with? It was so hard to tell with him, for he was always so guarded and rarely seemed to let out any sign of what he was feeling inside.

Her gaze then shifted to LyCora, who had also been oddly quiet during most of the conversation. DiNiya knew her well enough to know that, as irritating as the sound of her voice was, it was better than silence, as it usually meant she was plotting something—something that was always cause for concern.

LyCora was busy with her own thoughts. She had been eyeing Rex, trying to decipher the mystery that he seemed to be. So different was he from DiNiya, but at the same time she found it just as hard to read him as she did her. She was both curious and nervous of what could transpire by having two people of the red flame together.
Rex clearly can ignite his flame but lacks control. Still, he’s ahead of DiNiya, who is completely unable to use hers. I wonder if he’ll be able to draw hers out?
He hardly strikes me as the teacher type, but then again, just being around him may trigger something within her. This could be bad
.

Rex had been letting all the new information slowly make its way in so that he was not overwhelmed. Things were starting to get complicated, but then again, as fantastic as this world was, it was still a world, so why should it be perfect? That meant that it had its own share of dangers, but unlike the ones back in the world he had known, these were far more surreal in nature. He was surprised to find himself getting angry at the thought of someone ruining his newfound utopia.
After fifteen years of feeling like I don’t belong, I come to a place where most of my differences are similarities. I’m actually starting to feel like I’m someone of someplace, but of course something has to come along and ruin that for me, too…DiNiya seems really scared…

Rex felt the same old feeling of anger and disdain rising up in him. He knew it was selfish to be so bent out of shape over something that affected more people than just him, but he could not help but feel that bad things happened wherever he went. He regarded the days of people trying to hurt him with a type of fondness when compared with people around him dying.
Dying
, he thought before a searing pain ripped through the back of his head, causing him to drive his fist through the table.

“Rex, what is it?” DiNiya asked as she turned to him. “Is it your head again?”

“Damn thing,” he said through gritted teeth. “Why the hell does this keep happening?” The pain continued to throb, and for a brief moment he thought he could hear a distant voice, like that of a distant memory. Was it someone he knew; someone he had forgotten? The harder he tried to remember, the worse the pain grew. Finally, he stood up, clenched his fists, and growled as his flame ignited, startling everyone and making them jump. The elation and high that came from the release drove the voice back down into his subconscious and subdued the pain until it was gone. His flame subsided, diminishing in intensity until it vanished altogether. He let out a heavy sigh, as if he was reeling from some tremendous burden falling off his shoulders.

Angling his gaze over to DiNiya, he noticed she looked more than a little concerned. “I’m starting to get used to that look from you,” he said, wiping sweat from his brow. “I’m sorry to keep putting you through this,” he added in a tone that revealed pain he had not intended to show. Without saying another word, he quietly walked out of the room and went upstairs.

DiNiya watched him disappear around the corner and immediately felt like a fool. Try as she did, she was no help to him. She had made a great effort to make him feel at home with her, but Rex continuously pushed himself away. The thing that truly got to her was the fact that she did not know what it was that was bothering him most. She understood that he had left behind all that he knew but she could tell it was more than that. There was something else, something buried deep in his mind that was trying to make its way to the surface. That was probably the best thing for him in the end, she surmised, but feared it would drive him mad in the process.

Upstairs, Rex walked heavily down the hallway before stopping abruptly and driving his fist through the wall, leaving a hole bigger than his head. The result of his newfound strength no longer took him by surprise, but it seemed to now give him a sense of pleasure. He enjoyed the feeling of being able to create destruction when he felt angry, enjoyed being able to create chaos in the world around him when the world created it within him. All of which scared him more than any monster lurking in the forest or assassin made of ash. He looked down at his fist.
Not even a scratch
.

He stood there for a moment, contemplating if he wanted to go to his room or reduce the rest of the wall to rubble. In his heightened state of anger, he found himself seriously considering the latter, but then noticed the doors leading up to the roof where he and DiNiya had already spent some nights stargazing and engaging in reflective contemplation. He had enjoyed those times. Never before had he been able to speak with someone for hours on all that fascinated, intrigued, and just generally interested him. Furthermore, he had never before felt comfortable enough with anyone to do so.
Perhaps this world really has begun to change me…but into what?
He looked back at the hole he had put in the wall before turning away and heading up to the roof.

From the end of the hall, around the corner, DiNiya stepped out. She had come upstairs to try to talk to Rex but had stopped when she heard the sound of stone being smashed. She had waited fearfully for what she felt was an imminent breakdown, but instead was relieved to hear silence followed by the sound of his footsteps disappearing upstairs.

She walked to where he had put his fist through the wall, staring at the small yet symbolic act of destruction of their peaceful home. She no longer knew what to think. Here was someone who had the power to make her smile on a whim, something that would not seem special to anyone else, but for a girl who put on a happy face every day mainly for show, it was like a miracle. Still, that same individual had the power to do this, she thought as she placed her hand on the edge of the damaged part of the wall. Staring at it, she started to understand what Rex was to her: the potential for hope or destruction wrapped into one. She turned her attention on the door that led to the roof.
Should I go up there?
she wondered as she took a hesitant step forward.
No, he’ll just get angry with me for bothering him
. She turned and took three steps towards her room before stopping once again. “Oh, the hell with it,” she said as she turned back around and pushed open the two doors leading up to the roof.

She marched up the stairs, riding the wave of confidence she was mining from a sense of determination she was trying hard to hold on to. She reached the top set of doors, which were slightly open, and stepped through. She immediately saw Rex standing at the edge with his back to her.

All her courage vanished and she felt her legs begin to tremble.
Why am I so scared
? By now she should be comfortable enough to walk right up to him and ask flat out what was bothering him, but for some reason approaching him felt like taking a risk. He seemed so distant that crossing the space between them felt like traversing a vast ocean. She was desperately trying to decide what she was going to do next when a voice cut through her thoughts.

“Was I too subtle?” asked Rex.

DiNiya blinked and stared on in silence before responding, “What?”

“I asked,” he repeated, this time putting more emphasis on his words, “was I too subtle?”

“You mean…back down there…with all of us?” she asked before replying, “Definitely not.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Why would you ask me something like that?” she asked, hurt by the question.

“Because I would have figured that anyone down there would have picked up on the hint that I want to be left alone,” he said, turning his head slightly to the side to steal a glance out of the corner of his burning red eye.

“I’m sorry, Rex, but up here…you’re all alone.”

“I am always alone,” he said, turning his head back to the great expanse below.

“Yes, but—”

“It’s what I want,” he said in an icy tone.

“But it’s not what you need,” she shouted with even more emotion than she had intended.

Rex turned to look at her. There she was, standing red faced, breathing hard, tears welling up in her eyes. He wondered what in the world was going on in that head of hers. “Why?” he asked.

“Why what?” she asked, frustrated both with him and herself for getting so emotional.

“Why does it bother you so much that I’m unhappy? It’s not like you owe me anything.”

“It bothers me because I care about you!”

“Oh, well, in that case,” he said with a sarcastic laugh, turning away from her once more.

DiNiya did not know what it was about his choice of words that set her off, but before she knew what she was doing, she was closing the gap between them, and before he had a chance to even turn completely around to face her, she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and lifted him off his feet.

“Something I said?” Rex asked dryly, cocking his head to the right.

“Shut up you…ASSHOLE!” DiNiya fired back, causing Rex to shut his mouth and look down at her with a startled expression. “From the moment you got here, I have tried my very best to make you feel at home! Even when EeNox was telling me to keep my distance, that you might be dangerous, I still tried to be your friend!”

“Why?” he asked in a more subdued tone.

“Why? Because…because…when my father came bursting through the front door and told me VayRonx had found a boy in the forest…a boy with red eyes…I felt for the first time ever in my life like a part of myself awakened that I never knew was there. Then when you awoke, and I finally looked into your eyes…I felt a little less alone in the world, which made me happier than I think I’ve ever felt.”

Gently she lowered him back down and turned away, a single tear falling down her face as she gazed out at the world below.

Rex just watched her, transfixed by this girl who could be so strong one moment and so vulnerable the next. Then he wondered,
Am I so different?
Quietly, he turned to look out at the world with her in silence.

Not far behind, standing just out of sight behind the doors, LyCora stood silently. She had stealthily followed DiNiya up and had been listening. She regarded them both for another moment before leaving the two alone, and headed back downstairs.

Rex and DiNiya continued to stare out at the now setting sun, the weight of the day slowly sliding off them. They had both been through a great deal in such a short time, and yet none of that seemed to matter right now, for the pains they felt were from the scars of days past.

The next seven days blurred together as everyone seemed to move at a slower pace, locked in a daze born of an internal desire to remain numb to all that had befallen their peaceful mountain community. Still, the pain of loss and fear of the unknown danger that lurked just outside their city gates kept them from fully succumbing to the tranquilizing effect of depression.

Rex was beginning to feel a restless sensation growing within him during the waking hours, and he was violently ripped from sleep in the night by merciless panic attacks, which then induced bouts of anger. He had wanted to keep them a secret, but during the third night, he had experienced one so terrible, that DiNiya had rushed to him in the late hour after hearing him furiously crying out. While he had been embarrassed to find himself firmly cradled in her warm embrace after the attack had subsided, he could not deny that he did feel comforted by her presence; and knowing that she was always right there, close enough to come running every time he was robbed of a peaceful night’s rest by latent fears, did aid in keeping the worst of it at bay.

“I can stay with you in the night,” she had offered, but Rex was quick to dismiss such a notion. While his fear was absolute, his pride was just as strong in its conviction. Furthermore, he worried that becoming dependent on the care and comfort of another might do him further harm in that it would condition him to weakness—something he worried would happen if he grew comfortable enough to have someone close at all times. Perhaps his greatest hurdle was just that—forming bonds and connections with others. It was something that many would no doubt find trivial, but for him, it was no different than asking him to jump out of the bedroom window and fly.

Now the morning had come just as it always did, and he found himself wide-awake, staring blankly at the ceiling, his thoughts filled with a random montage of images that made sense only to him. Rex had always viewed life in this way, sight and sound. If one could read his thoughts, they would make little to no sense for he interpreted everything around him into literal form, something he became aware as setting him apart from any others at an early age.

He could remember being three and hearing orchestral scores and picturing scenic landscapes of valleys and mountains, or dark ambient musical movements written in the diminished third, which conjured up dark savage forests and jungles at dusk. Indeed, he perceived life in and of itself in its naturalistic state. Ironically, he now saw these same images every time he looked out a window or stepped outside, as if he had literally turned inward and walked into a world fabricated by his own mind. However, he knew this not to be true, for he understood better than anyone what it truly looked like within his head. It was a frightening, uncertain place, devoid of pristine landscapes or lush forests. Rather, it was filled with darkness and a monster just as alien and unknown as the one that stalked the forest beyond the field that lay outside his window.

He wondered if it knew he was here, if at night it ventured close to the edge of the forest, just out of sight but close enough to see where he slept—waiting, watching, plotting, and running a slithering tongue over long serrated curved teeth that craved the warm sensation of blood flowing over them as they sank effortlessly into the flesh of the unfortunate flame who happened to have those murderous eyes set upon them. It was those very same eyes that he was concerned had cast their gaze onto him, and were slowly and methodically creeping ever closer. “I have got to stop doing this to myself,” he said as he sat up and shook himself out of the nightmarish daze he had allowed himself to yet again slip into.

He climbed out of bed, got dressed, and proceeded downstairs, hoping that filling his stomach might alleviate some of his concerns. When he reached the kitchen, he was slightly irritated to find EeNox sitting by himself, sipping KonChoo, EeNara’s equivalent to coffee.

EeNox gazed up from his mug and spotted Rex descending the steps. Slowly he set his mug down and regarded him with a wary look, but also one that seemed to scream of not being in any mood to fight for any reason. Rex felt the small knot of tension that had tightened in his gut loosen the moment he saw the other boy.

The two nodded silently to one another as Rex walked past him to the counter where there were several baskets of freshly baked bread from the night before. He fixed a plate and brought it back to the table, sitting across from EeNox, who continued to slowly sip the dark liquid in his clay mug.

The two sat in silence for a time, both focusing on eating and drinking in an effort to not be forced to actually speak with one another. At last, though, EeNox found the last of the KonChoo sliding down his throat while Rex swallowed the last piece of bread. The two glanced up to each other, inadvertently locking eyes, with neither one of them wanting to be the first to look away.

At last, EeNox spoke, taking Rex by surprise. “Thank you,” he said in a monotone voice that seemed to be filled with neither kindness nor malice. “I meant to say it sooner…after what happened in the forest…”

“Thank me for what?” Rex replied, not sure of what he meant.

“For saving my sister’s life. FyNasia told me what you did for her back there…after she was…” EeNox could not finish the thought. He looked down and saw that his hands had clenched into fists and were now trembling.

“Don’t bother thanking me if you have to strain yourself to do it,” Rex replied coolly. “Trust me, I know how it feels,” he added with a brief sarcastic smile.

“It’s not that,” EeNox grumbled. “It’s just that…I’ve tried so hard to keep DiNiya safe ever since her accident. At least I thought I was, but now I see that I’ve been fooling myself. Pretending to be her protector when all I’ve actually been doing is emotionally checking out when what she needed was a friend.”

“I wouldn’t say that. I mean you’ve been acting like an asshole towards me ever since I’ve arrived like I’m assuming any good brother should when some strange guy comes along and starts hanging around his sister.”

“And I thought I was being subtle.”

“Trust me, you were. Had it been me, I would have hung him upside down from the roof and told them to stay away or learn how to fly real quick.” EeNox laughed out loud much to both their surprise, and Rex found himself chuckling along with him. “Hell, who am I kidding? I would just drop him.” The two laughed some more before they returned to staring down at the table.

After an awkward pause, EeNox ventured, “I guess that doesn’t say much about me.” Rex cocked his head inquiringly. “I mean, listen, making threats for something that for you is just hypothetical. The worst part of it is that I actually believe you. Then you have me, who is actually faced with the real thing, and all I do is act like a jealous child instead of a protective brother.”

“Maybe that’s because you are,” Rex said, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms.

EeNox shot him an angry look. “Well, what do you expect? You’re not exactly an ordinary scenario, Rex!”

Rex nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose so. Still, you think it’s hard having to watch your sister get close to an alien? Have you ever stopped to wonder what it must feel like to
be
the alien? At least everything else besides me is normal to you. For me, everything that you take for granted is like some impossible dream made real. Every little thing that you think is commonplace is like seeing the impossible made real for me.”

“Trust me, Rex, nothing has been normal since you’ve arrived.”

“Oh? So we’re back to that being my fault, are we?”

EeNox sighed. “It would be so much easier if I could say it is.” He looked down at his empty mug. “But…I would only be fooling myself if I believed that. The truth is you are one of several signs that things have been, well, changing.”

“What does that mean?” Rex asked, leaning forward over the table.

“I wish I knew. We all do. I suppose it really started with DiNiya, the first record of a sentient being born of the red flame in ten thousand years. If that wasn’t strange enough, she was a SaVarian. Prior to her it was only ever found in DyVorians, and even then only in one species.”

“The TyRanx.”

EeNox nodded gloomily.

“But what about Fire Roses? They carry with them the same flame, don’t they?”

“Sure, but the difference is they are not cognitive like animals. They rely exclusively on biologically programmed responses triggered by exterior forces in the environment. Because of that, they are predictable. Plus, the level of flame they possess is miniscule compared to that of an animal like you or me.”

“But why is it such a big deal that a species of DyVorian or one of any other would evolve to have it?”

“I suppose if you look at it objectively, nothing really,” he replied honestly. “It’s just that the red flame is so primal in nature, fueled by instinctive drive, and when coupled with the will of a living thing, it becomes a dangerous weapon.”

Rex leaned back in his chair, taking in his words. “Weapon,” he repeated aloud. “I’ve seen other flames used as weapons. TyRoas used his to try to kill me, and his was green like yours. Are you going to sit there and tell me that’s not the same thing?”

“That’s exactly what I’m going to say,” EeNox replied resolutely.

Rex glared. “Do you people know the meaning of the word hypocrite?”

“I know it sounds like I’m insulting you, but I’m actually being more courteous than anyone else here has been.”

“That’s stretching it, even for you, EeNox.”

“Listen, I could spend my time trying to smooth over what is otherwise a hard reality, but what good would that do you when you find out the hard way that the truth is much different?”

“I think I already have.”

“If you did, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“So what is the truth? Tell me, since you seem to be the only one ‘courteous’ enough to be so open and honest with me.”

“A person’s flame is like any other biological function in that it is governed by their biology.” Rex stared at him blankly. EeNox rolled his eyes and shook his head. “It’s like the Fire Roses. They use their flame on reflex. Well, for us it’s the same way at first. Our flames don’t ignite just because we want them to. We have to induce a sense of need to trigger them.”

“How is that useful? What do you do if you’re a baby and someone’s trying to hurt you? What good is your flame as a defense if you can’t even ignite it when you need it most?”

“Well, that’s just it,” EeNox explained. “It would ignite, but on its own, because of a biological imperative to survive. The same baby couldn’t then turn around once it was completely safe and do it again.”

“Why?”

“Because instinct would be telling them that they were safe and so they would have no need of it.”

“That still doesn’t explain how you can just ‘trigger’ yours right here and now if you choose to.”

“That’s because I trained and learned how to induce the same triggers on the mind that would occur naturally when in danger. It’s all in the mind, after all: chemical signals telling it to do what it has evolved to do. So it doesn’t matter if those same signals are sent by reflex or on purpose. The mind and body react the same way, and the flame ignites.”

“And you can just do this on command?”

“It’s not even a matter of commanding myself to do it. By now it’s so natural that I can do it without even thinking about it.” EeNox was suddenly enveloped in his green flame, which burned harmlessly over him and his section of the table. Rex just stared, unfazed by the sudden burst of fire no more than two meters in front of him. “You see?” EeNox continued. “Takes no thought at all. I can even control its intensity so it doesn’t harm anyone.” His flame grew and reached across the table, where it lapped harmlessly against Rex’s arm. He winced reflexively at its touch. Satisfied, EeNox allowed his flame to fade until it vanished entirely.

“Okay,” Rex said, placing his hands on the table. “It’s impressive, I’ll give you that, but I still don’t see how it’s any different than mine.”

With an uncomfortable look, EeNox explained. “The red flame, as best we can understand it, is not controlled by mere instinct or triggered by just reflex. Well…in a way it is, I guess.”

“You’re talking in circles, EeNox. Which usually happens when people start talking out of their ass.”

EeNox frowned. “Well, to put it bluntly, the red flame is controlled by sheer will, or rather, raw emotion. So you could say it’s instinctive in that if you react by getting angry by someone say…attacking you…your flame would come out not as a result of the attack itself, but your desire to hurt them because of it.”

“But you see, that’s still no different from any of you. Being angry is a natural response to something like that.”

“Fear is the natural response to something like that,” EeNox corrected. “And so is the desire to want to protect yourself that follows. The urge to want to punish that person out of revenge is an act of will. Therein lies the difference.”

“You know, for such an off-limit subject, you seem to know a lot about it.”

EeNox looked off to the side, as if averting his gaze on purpose.

“Not to mention no one alive has ever seen someone with a red flame in action.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” EeNox spoke softly, still avoiding eye contact.

Sensing his aversion, Rex knew he was hiding something. His first instinct was to circle the issue, slowly closing in until he drove the truth out of him. Then again, there was the direct approach.
Still, I doubt very much that DiNiya would take kindly to me torturing information out of her brother,
he thought as his lips spread into a sly smile.
There I go allowing her to dictate what I do and don’t do again. Then again, she has been through a lot recently, and I suppose I do owe her a favor or two
. Refocusing his attention on the other boy across the table, he spoke in a more neutral tone. “So you’re saying I fought TyRoas with my flame because I hated him rather than being afraid of him?”

“In a manner of speaking…”

“Bullshit! I was scared shitless when I saw that huge fucking cat leap out of the forest at me!”