Enflamed (Book 2) (29 page)

Omari raised an eyebrow at
Kaijin’s rambling. “Either you are very serious or very stupid.”

“Or perhaps I am both.” Kaijin
chuckled softly and then motioned to the rest of the group.
“To
the Pyre.”

XXV

Kaijin and his friends trekked
through the Wilds for two days. While the rest of his group talked amongst
themselves to pass the time, Kaijin lagged a short distance behind. He feared and
anticipated what he expected to find at the Pyre.

Nester stopped just short of a
rocky path that ascended, leading into a mountainous landscape. The others
nearly tripped over him.

Zarya frowned. “Nester, will
you please not stop so abruptly like that?”

Nester smirked. “Sorry,
beautiful. Look over there!” He pointed toward a massive golden structure far
in the distance that sat high in the mountains and was encircled by a thick
blanket of smoke.

Kaijin gaped.
What a
magnificent sight.
He beamed at Miele, who screeched happily as she soared
above him. Kaijin could smell charcoal in the breeze and hear a faint crackle
of flames that nobody else noted. A soothing, welcoming heat bedazzled his
mind, calling out to him.

“Come closer,”
the fiery voice beckoned.

Kaijin slid his foot forward.
Rocks scattered under his boot.
“Is this why you harassed my mind for so
long?
Is this why you’ve made me do such terrible things?”

When he received no response,
he brushed past his companions and continued along the path. His heart pounded
in anticipation. His necklace pulsed with an urgent intensity.

“Kaijin?
Are you all right?” Zarya approached and placed her
hand on his shoulder.

Kaijin shivered at her touch,
and then shrugged her hand off. “I ... I’m fine, Zarya.
Really.
I’m just ... curious as to what I might find there.”

Zarya smiled. “We all are.”

“I did not come all this way
with you for you to hesitate now,” Omari grumbled.

Kaijin glared at Omari. “I may
adore the Firelord, but I am still a mage. I might not even get past the front
door.” He continued climbing the path, a little more confident than before.

Omari snorted. “Let us hope
not.”

“Oy!
Those fiery warders are
a buncha
strange blokes,” Nester added. “They shooed me off last time I came ’ere.’

“Why? Were you annoying them?”

“Omari,
enough!”
Zarya snapped, the first
one to react to Omari picking on Nester yet again.

“If they are true believers of
Ignis, then they should accept you no matter who or what you are, Kaijin,”
Aidan said.

Kaijin glanced over his
shoulder at the giant.

Zarya nodded. “Aidan is right,
you know.
Besides.
The Mistress called you a
Firebrand. The words of a Dragon should be reason enough for them to accept
you. Dare I ask, Kaijin, if you have ever considered becoming an Ignan priest?”

Kaijin stared at the plumes of
distant smoke that rose gently into the sky.
“Maybe once.
But I don’t hold the same interest in the divine arts as I do magic.”
At
least, I don’t think I do.

After some time of hiking, the
smoke began to hinder Kaijin’s visibility, and he could barely see the rest of
his group.
The smell of burning wood bit at his senses.
The temperature increased, and the air became drier the higher they ascended.

Suddenly, the smoke parted for
Kaijin, revealing the golden structure not far away.

He heard a faint rumble and
halted. He tried to pinpoint the sound. “Did you hear that?” he asked.

Zarya, Omari, and Nester
looked around curiously.

“Was that thunder?” Zarya
asked.

“Ugh! I ’ope not!” Nester put
his hands over his head, anticipating rain.

Omari narrowed his eyes
suspiciously and slowly turned his head, looking behind him. “No ... that
sounds like a—”

“Sorry, Aidan is hungry.”
Smiling sheepishly, Aidan patted his stomach. It rumbled again.

Omari rolled his eyes; Zarya
twisted her lips, trying to hide her smile; Kaijin and Nester simultaneously
sighed in relief.

The group resumed their trek
and soon reached the end of the smoke-lined path. The smoke lifted, and Kaijin
stood before a shallow staircase that led up to two massive, ornately carved
shining brass doors. A tall, burning brazier sat on each side of the doors and
lit up the entire entrance with dancing flames.

“It’s more amazin’ than when I
was ’ere last!” Nester rubbed his eyes and blinked several times. “It’s like
... everything’s even
more
shiny
!”

Kaijn called to Miele, and she
swooped down to land on his shoulder. He slowly ascended the stairs and
examined the doors. A pattern of flames was etched along the frame. Looking
closely, Kaijin could also make out what looked like runes engraved in the
door, but he was uncertain of what they said. He ran his fingers along the warm
etchings, admiring every intricate detail.

“Are you in there, Ignis?”

There was no answer.

Kaijin pressed his ear to the
door and listened. While he heard nothing on the other side, the door itself
felt very warm. A ripple of white fire trailed up the length of the doors and
disappeared. Kaijin pulled away and tilted his head back, staring up at the
massive doors in amazement.

Zarya approached Kaijin and
stood beside him. “This is truly a work of art, Kaijin,” she said, tone hushed.

Nester squeezed his way
between them and scrutinized the door. “This was as far as I got before some of
th
’ warders discovered me an’ shooed me off. I still
ain’t figured out ’ow to open this soddin’ door. No keyholes or even
a
’andle! There ain’t no easy way we’re gonna
get
this open.”

“Do not tell me we came all
this way for nothing,” Omari grumbled. He held Percival in his arms and stroked
his back.

While the rest of the group
chatted, Aidan approached the door. He gave three firm knocks. “Hello? Is
anyone home?”

Everyone immediately stopped
talking and gawked at the giant. Aidan looked back at them and smiled politely.

Omari slapped his forehead. “Great.
Just what we need: A bunch of Ignan priests angry at us for disturbing them!
Great going, Aidan!”

Aidan’s smile faded. “Well,
how else will they know we are here?”

Before anyone could answer, unlocking
sounds came from within. The chattering of two voices rose. Moments later, one
of the doors opened a crack, and a robed, middle-aged, bearded man peeked out.
The scent of burning charcoal wafted from inside.

“Yes?” the man asked gruffly.

Aidan tensed and expectantly
looked over his shoulder at Kaijin.

Kaijin swallowed and stepped
forward. He could feel the man’s gaze piercing him. “Ah ... m—my name is
Kaijin. Kaijin Sora. I am ... a follower of the Firelord, and have come here—at
His behest, I think.”

The man flinched. He opened
the door a little wider, and another man, shorter, but dressed similarly,
appeared beside him. The bright colors of the shorter man’s robe gave off the
illusion of fire. He scrutinized the group curiously.

“’E’s a
Firebrand,
your
majesties!” Nester blurted. “A Dragon said so!” He nodded sagely.

“Nester!”
Zarya elbowed him in his chest, glaring at him.

“Ow! What? It’s true, ain’t
it? An’ maybe they won’t shoo us off like they did me!”

The two robed men briefly
sneered at the brownie, evidently remembering him.

“If you would give me the
honor, sirs,” Kaijin said, lowering his head and revealing his necklace to them
from under his robes, “I simply seek answers. May my companions and I enter?”

The men’s eyes widened
slightly. The shorter man pulled the door all the way open.
“Yes,
brother.
You and your companions may. I bid you welcome. I am Canicus.
That is Brett.”

Beaming, Kaijin stepped across
the threshold. He beckoned his friends to follow.

Brett stopped Nester. “Not so
fast, brownie. Are you
really
with him?”

“I swear on my Pa’s grave that
I’m with Kaijin, aye! ’E’s my best mate! We’ve gone on adventures together,
’aven’t we, Kaijin?”

“Yes, uh, of course,” Kaijin
said absently, his attention drawn to the brass-colored interior of the
building. The yellow and orange high-ceilinged chamber stretched upward for
several stories. Large red and gold tapestries embroidered with Ignis’s holy
symbol hung along the walls of the main hall. The tall arched stained-glass
windows tinted the light a bright orange. The polished black obsidian floor
reflected the dancing flames of the numerous braziers and torches lining the
walls and aisles.

At the center of the main hall
was a raised platform with twenty shallow stairs leading up on all four sides.
Atop the platform was a massive burning brazier—which, though not as ornate as
the rest of the interior, contained beautiful white flames that leapt from
within, and plumes of white smoke
rose
up the main
atrium. The brazier gave off the brightest light and a heat so soothing that
Kaijin didn’t want to leave. Robed priests stood around the brazier, appearing
to be in deep meditation.

“This way,” Brett called,
leading the group. Canicus brought up the rear, to ensure no one in the group
strayed.

Kaijin followed a few steps
behind Brett. As he took in his surroundings, too lost for words at the sheer
beauty of this place, he pulled out his necklace from beneath his robes and
prominently sported it. Robed men and women bustled throughout the main hall, whispering
amongst
themselves
while their hardened gazes focused
primarily on Kaijin.

The group was escorted to the
foot of one of the stairs leading to the platform. Kaijin gazed upward at a
group of priests who stood in a circle and realized they were praying. One of
the priests, an elderly man, paused, and looked toward him curiously.

“Stay here, Kaijin,” Brett
ordered, holding his arm out, barring him from continuing.

Kaijin obeyed, not taking his
gaze off the circle of priests. Brett gathered the skirts of his robes and
climbed the stairs to speak with one priest. They spoke in hushed tones for
several minutes before Brett gestured for Kaijin to come join them. Kaijin did
so without question, not even looking back at his companions. He now knew what
he needed to do—it was clear to him while he treaded these holy grounds. There
were no voices speaking in his mind, nor were there unknown presences
possessing his body. He was, once again, at peace with himself. He stood before
the two priests,
then
bowed his head. The other
priests in the circle
paused
their prayers for a
moment to acknowledge Kaijin.

“Kaijin, this is Vargas, high
cleric of the Vein,” Brett explained.

Kaijin furrowed his brow.
Vein?
He politely bowed, hoping to hide his
confusion.

“Greetings, Brother of the
Flame,” Vargas said with a nod. “You have piqued my interest. I sense you have
come a great distance.”

“Oh yes, sir, I have.” Kaijin
nodded firmly.

“Indeed, the Firelord has
deemed you worthy to be here.”

Kaijin glanced at the other priests,
then
looked behind him at his companions. Some of the
other robed clergy had stopped their daily chores and gathered around the
platform to listen.

He turned back around and
cleared his throat. “Honorable priest, I’ve come here seeking answers—about
myself, about the Firelord, and about my purpose. I don’t know what I can offer
you in exchange for this knowledge, but I will do my best to repay whatever
debt you deem worthy....” He sighed softly. “I must warn you that I am ... a
mage.”
They must know. And hopefully they will understand.

Vargas’s eyebrows rose.
Several clergymembers murmured to each other. “Are you, now? Well, you are not
the first mage who has walked in here, nor will you be the last. But you ...
There is something different about you than other mages.” He made a small
gesture with his head. “Come with me, Kaijin. Let us talk in private.” He
called forth Brett and a few of the clergymembers lingering nearby. “See to it
that Kaijin’s companions are given ample hospitality.”

“Yes, Honored One.” Brett gave
the elderly man a respectable bow, nodded to Kaijin, and then descended the
stairs. There was hesitation in their steps as he and the other clergymembers
quietly escorted Kaijin’s group to a corridor that branched off to a room to
the left of the main atrium.

Yes! Thank you, Ignis!
Kaijin smiled at them until the last person left,
then
followed Vargas. He was led to the rear of the main
hall, to a separate corridor that was lighted by rows of brightly burning
braziers and decorated by hanging tapestries and portraits.