From the Embers (The Born in Flames Trilogy)

by Candace Knoebel

  Dagan walked up behind me. “My castle gates have been destroyed, blown to smithereens. This was not a part of the deal. We were ambushed at the portal entrance,” he said loudly to Kaede before he gave a slight bow of his head in greeting. He wiped a trembling hand across his angered, wet face, smearing dirt and blood.

  Kaede hurriedly bowed, removed his helmet, and then said, “Ambushed? How?”

  “There’s a snitch somewhere,” Fenn guessed, putting his sword back into its hilt on his side. Blood covered his hands. His hair was soaked and stuck to the sides of his stubble-covered face.

  Dagan fixed a glare on Fenn. “No one leaves my island without my knowing,” he said. He turned his gaze to on the rest of us, blinking away the rain from his eyes. “The only way word leaves my island is through my Seer.”

  My mouth went dry. “Roan?” I asked, feeling the blood drain from my face. An unsettling chill pricked its way up my spin.

  Fenn looked over at me, just as pale, and just as heated. “He wouldn’t.”

  “No,” Dagan confirmed, “he wouldn’t.”

  I sighed in relief, but my legs still felt a bit wobbly at the thought of Iliana’s information leaking out.

  Dagan darted his gaze between us, continuing, “He has been not only my personal Seer, but a very close friend for as long as I have been a Liege. It had to have been one of the other Seers. We have four that stay on our island, Roan included.”

  “Where are the others?” Kaede asked, already scanning the crowd.

  Dagan turned to Naidia. Her eyes were two round sockets full of fury. “Find me the other Seers,” he said. She nodded and vanished into the swarm of injured people.

  “We need to hit hard and fast,” Astral said as soon as she was gone. “If we don’t, Zordon will send his men out to scavenge your lands.”

  “I know,” Dagan said, his mouth going slack. “What do you have in mind?”

  Astral tugged on his beard, taking a moment to think it through. His eyes glowed, catching the droplets of water as they fell. “You and your men wait here,” he said to Dagan. He looked at Kaede. “Whoever Zordon left in charge will want to end this as quickly as possible, sparing as little men as possible. Most of our men have been told to focus their efforts on bringing down the Lyceum. Damage to his Lyceum will not be easily overlooked. But when they realize our numbers are small but our damage is great, I believe they will send everything they have out.”

  He turned to Dagan. “That is where you will come in. They have Necromancers at their side. I believe they will save them for last. As you know, they are unaffected by Mage magic, but not when it comes to Nymphs. That is your army’s job. Ensure they focus on bringing the Necromancers down.”

  Dagan’s eyes widened at the word Necromancer. I don’t think he had realized just how real this was. Just how hard this was going to be.

  Astral waited for Dagan to nod in acknowledgment. When he finally did, Astral said, “I will send a blast of magic into the air when we are ready for you. Come around the way you entered the island. They will not see you coming.”

  “Okay,” Dagan said, avoiding Astral’s eyes. His expression was a mixture of concern and fear, not something we wanted to see on the brink of battle. But what other options did we have?

  Astral turned to me, looking me square in the eye. “I need you to wait with them.” My jaw stiffed. “Don’t fight me on this,” he said firmly.

  “Not like I have a choice,” I muttered and then turned away from him.

  Fenn blocked me from walking away. “Why can’t we fight?”

  Astral glared down at him, seeming to grow a few inches. “I want to be sure that it’s safe before we send her in. If they knew we were coming, who knows what has been planned. Or even if Zordon has been informed.”

  Fenn seemed at odds. His response fell short as he took a step back, surrendering.

  Astral walked past us to where Kaede stood, waiting with his sword by his side. “We go now, before it’s too late.”

  Without another word, Kaede turned to his army and shoved his fist into the air, quietly gaining their attention. They all stood, hands by their sides. A bolt of lightning struck not too far off.

  Kaede pulled his sword from his sheath and pointed forward, sending off the many men, women, and other races who had come to his island to fight for our cause. The hush of their movement was eerie. It was a stealthy ambush that we all hoped would work to our advantage.

  Astral didn’t look back as he and the rest of the Ancients followed Kaede, running deep into the forest towards Zordon’s Lyceum.

  Chapter 14

  Burn it Down

  MY EYEBROWS DREW TOGETHER. “I sure hope this works,” I said to Fenn, feeling sick to my stomach.

  He grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to look at him. “You have to swear that we will stick together, Rory. No suicide missions.”

  I latched on to his slippery hand, moving closer into him. “The only thing I am focusing on is getting that crystal ball and burning Zordon’s Lyceum to the ground.” I ran a hand along his face. “None of which I can do alone.”

  “Good,” he said, kissing my forehead. He looked past me. I tracked his gaze to where Soothe stood chatting with Lexi near the cave.

  “Are you two ready?” Dagan asked us, looking a little green.

  “Of course we are,” Fenn said. His lips pressed together in a flat line, matching his tone. I felt waves of irritation rolling off of him, onto me. He was trying to bite back his true thoughts about the fact that this all could have been prevented had we attacked the night before. Had Dagan listened to Fenn.

  Dagan must have sensed the tension because he fiddled with the handle of a sword that one of Kaede’s men had given him. “Thank you for giving us a fighting chance. Without your help, I doubt I would have been able to close the portal.”

  “Without my help, you would have died,” Fenn said harshly.

  Dagan winced. “You’re right,” he said, sincerity in his eyes. “I would have died.”

  I rubbed Fenn’s arm and looked to Dagan. “We’re all on edge. Battle does that to you. The important thing to remember is that we are here and safe and that is all that matters,” I said, trying to send calming vibes into Fenn. He side-eyed me, his shoulders going a little slack.

  “Do you think they have anything else planned?” Dagan asked. Despite his size, it was the look in his eyes that made him look young and childlike. It was the fear of the unknown, the fear of death. My stomach turned sour.

  “Time will tell,” I said with a forced encouraging smile. “Will you excuse us for a moment?” I grabbed Fenn by the forearm.

  When I was sure that I was far enough away from Dagan’s ears, I stopped and spun around to face Fenn. “He is by no means ready for this.”

  “And you’re just now figuring this out?” He crossed his arms, widening his stance. He looked like his brother when he did that. I pushed the thought from my mind, feeling guilt for comparing him to Zane.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” I replied, placing my hands on my hips.

  He laughed incredulously. “Seriously, Rory. What did you think I was trying to do last night? Trying to get bronzing tips from a drunk adulterer? No, I was trying to put a plan together because I knew he had never been to war. He has never even trained. He’s in no way prepared for this.” He started to pace, pulling at his hair.

  “Naidia can lead. She seems ready for it.”

  He looked at me seriously. “I sure hope so.”

  We walked back over to Dagan, waiting to find out who had snitched. Naidia returned with three of the four Seers. Roan, apparently, had stayed behind under Dagan’s orders.

  They were shoved to their knees in front of Dagan with blades placed at their throats. “Which one of you did it?” D
agan asked angrily, spit flying off his lips.

  “Not me,” said the first man through a swarm of tears.

  “It wasn’t me,” said the second, smaller man.

  “I didn’t,” the last one said, his eyes remaining on the ground.

  Dagan nodded his head to the three Nymphs holding the men down. They pressed the blades deeper into their flesh. The one crying broke out into sickening sobs.

  Dagan paced before them, hands folded behind his back. “I am only in need of one Seer, and Roan would not betray me. So either one of you tells me the truth or you will all die. There is no time for anything else.”

  I had to grit my teeth to refrain from stopping this. This was warfare. Innocent lives had been lost because of one of them. We had to know who. The innocent had to be avenged.

  “He did!” the first one shouted, pointing to the last in the row. The third man looked up at Dagan, shaking his head in denial. The Nymph behind him ripped off his cloak. Zordon’s crest had been carved into the flesh of his chest.

  “I would gladly die fo—”

  “Kill him,” Dagan said, cutting the traitor Seer off as he turned away. The Nymph didn’t hesitate as she slid the blade across his neck, letting him fall face first into the dirt.

  “Now that that is settl—” Dagan was cut off by a blast of blue light shot up into the sky. Astral was signaling us.

  “It’s time,” I stated, feeling a little nervous. I looked back at Lexi who was watching the blue spark fall back to the earth. Her eyes found mine, and within a second she was in front of me.

  “Ready to kick some butt?” she asked, her mouth cracked into a half smile. I contagiously smiled back, glad that in that moment she was the old Lexi.

  Soothe appeared next to her. “Not really. I just had lunch,” he said, picking at his nails. “You know what they say about dabbling in warfare right after you eat. Cramps,” he cringed.

  “They say that about swimming,” Fenn corrected, laughing.

  Soothe looked up from his nails and shrugged. “Tomayto tamahto.” I couldn’t help but smirk when he looked at me and winked.

  The Nymphs were on their feet, taking directions from Naidia. They headed out in precise lines towards the battle with renewed fervor. They were out for blood and it showed in their rigid postures.

  Dagan looked to us, his hands shaking against his sword.

  “I’m going to find Astral,” Lexi said, and then disappeared.

  I looked at Soothe. He raised a brow. I huffed, briskly walking away from him and past Dagan who still looked unsure about fighting. Time was running out.

  “Aurora,” Dagan called.

  I stormed back over to him, stopping right in his face. He cowered back, his eyes wide. Every fiber of my being rattled with intolerance. I could not hold my tongue for another second. “Your people are fighting and dying for a cause bigger than any of us. If you are any kind of leader, you will unsheathe your sword and march out onto that battlefield with the pride of the Liege that you are.” I paused and corrected, “Well, at least with the pride of the Liege you should be. Music and laughter will not solve this.”

  I didn’t wait for his stunned mouth to shut. I ported away from him, wanting my words to sink in. Wanting him to man up for the sake of our realm. The portal opened on the other side of the tree line, right in front of the Lyceum.

  Head first into battle.

  My mind on high alert, I sensed the sword before it could pierce my skin and ducked to the right as the Polar Mage swung. Heart pounding and thoughts focused on survival, I rebounded quickly by punching him in the stomach. Doubled over from my strike, I took the opportunity and kneed him in the face, sending him flying backwards.

  Someone was behind me.

  Dropping to my knees, I spun around in the slick mud as a Necromancer extended his glowing green hand towards me. His skin was rotting with the death touch. I shot a flame from my mouth and turned back to the Polar Mage. He lunged and I struck, dagger in hand. It pierced through his chest.

  I tried not to think of the warm blood covering my hands and leapt into the air, scanning through the sheeting rain for my loved ones. I found Lexi fighting nimbly, sending Mages to their death with a simple touch of her glowing white palm.

  I almost halted in mid-air when my eyes fell on someone familiar. Someone that looked a lot like Zane fighting off two Necromancers. I started for him but stopped when he disappeared into a portal.

  A weight sunk inside my chest. I turned my attention to the green plumes of magic swirling up into the air. A row of Necromancers faced the graveyard near the edge of the floating island, sending their energy into the ground. I gave my wings a hard flap and flew over to them, swooping down with the claws of my feet extended.

  I spread my flame, ending their magic as one by one they rolled off the edge of the island and into the sea below. I took to the air again, dodging a bolt of lightning, and found Astral near the entrance to the Lyceum. He was in his natural state, towering over all the other races. Beams of blue magic struck hoards of Zordon’s army, pushing them back into the Lyceum.

  The Nymphs continued to rush from the side where the Necromancers were and countered their dark magic beautifully with the power of the earth. Roots rushed up around the feet of Zordon’s men nearest to them, pulling them into a crack in the ground that opened bit by bit. The crack continued to spread, heading towards the Lyceum.

  This was what Astral wanted. Make Zordon’s men retreat and swallow them whole. Disintegrate the island. Be rid of this tainted land.

  The blue glow of Fenn’s ring helped me spot him amidst the battle below. He was not far from Astral, using the air element to push Mages and Necromancers off the edge of the island into the sea below us.

  I dove for him but was stopped by a group of Harpys just released from cages within the Lyceum. They flew directly for me. I filled the air with flames until I was gasping for air. I faltered for a moment but caught myself, pulling strength from my necklace.

  The Harpys fell, spreading my flames onto the corrupt Mages below. I willed the flames to move from Mage to Mage, infecting those that didn’t stand by us.

  “Rory!” Fenn called from below. I landed next to him, taking a Warlock out with a swift punch and a blast of flames. Fenn turned and used his magic to push the Warlock away from us and into a huddle of Necromancers.

  “We’re pushing them into the Lyceum,” Fenn shouted over the sounds of battle.

  “I know,” I shouted back. “But we need to get in and get Lev first.”

  He looked at me long enough to smile and then bent down to pull out a dagger from his boot. In a flash, the dagger zoomed past me and landed in the heart of a Polar Mage.

  “Little Flame,” I heard in my head. It was Astral. “They’re leaving the island. We have to end this soon. Hurry.”

  “I’m going in,” I said to Fenn, not waiting for his answer. I ran past him and into the Lyceum, shoving Mages and Necromancers out of my way. Zordon's army was porting out. I knew there wasn’t enough time to try and stop them so I rushed past them all.

  Up the circular stairs and around the tapered corner, I finally found myself standing in Zordon’s desolate room.

  My earliest memories of Gwenevere rushed back to me as my eyes landed on the mantle. There it was, gleaming against the constant lightning that struck. The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks outside drowned out the distant echo of thunder.

  “Grab it,” Fenn said as he came up behind me, panting.

  I ran for the mantle, sliding along the marbled floors. I caught myself right before I slammed into one of Zordon’s men who suddenly appeared in front of me.

  I didn’t pause to think. Flames erupted off my fingertips aimed straight for his sly, crooked grin. He was a step ahead of me though. He leapt
into the air as I sent the flames flying and landed behind me, kicking me hard in my lower back.

  I screamed out in pain as my body flew forward. My head smacked against the hard marble of the mantle and I fell to the floor. Blood lined my vision as the warm, sticky mess streamed down my face and into my eyes. Pounding, sharp pain pulsed across my forehead.

  “You think you can beat us, Progeny? I am Liege Zordon’s commanding officer. I was chosen for my skill in warfare, a skill that—”

  I rolled on the floor to counter, but Fenn had already attacked, cutting off his words. There was grunting and shuffling, and then the faint sound of screaming as Fenn sent him barreling over the edge of the balcony into the frothy waves below.

  “Mendaro,” I heard Fenn chant as I feverishly wiped the blood from my eyes. I still couldn’t see and the pain in my head was enough to split me in two. A moment later, the wound was healed and Fenn was frantically cleaning up the last bit of blood.

  “Thanks,” I muttered, blinking rapidly. My vision was finally clearing. I grabbed on to his shoulder and used it to hoist myself up.

  “Grab it and go,” he said quickly, his voice faltering with anger and concern. His hands were on my waist, steadying me. His eyes were locked on mine, pulling me back from the edges of panic.

  I turned in his grip and yanked the crystal off of the mantle, my muscles feeling weak with relief. I had gotten it. I had secured the crystal with the answer to one of our problems locked inside.

  But most importantly, I had saved someone.

  By the time I turned back to Fenn, he had already pulled us through a portal to the entrance of the Lyceum. I immediately tossed the crystal to Astral.

  His thoughts brushed mine when he caught it. “Well done, Little Flame.”

  Before I could respond, something to the right caught my eye. I turned in time to catch the last of Sayer’s steps as he disappeared behind a door across the Lyceum.