Ten minutes later I was at the front door, leaving with my father. “Where are we going?” I asked anxiously, tucking my hair back behind my ear. The cool night breeze had swept in with the fog that always seemed to settle around the cottage at this time of night.
“It’s a surprise,” he said, his voice heightened with elation. His energy flowed out of his palms, opening a portal for us underneath the dark gray sky. His hand ushered me forward. “Ladies first.”
I stepped into the tugging force and found myself standing on the other side of the portal, still underneath the same shaded moon.
I looked around curiously, shivering from the draft that seemed to have followed me through the portal. “Where are we?” Without thought, I snapped my fingers, igniting a flame and setting it on my shoulder, revelling in the feeling as the flame rushed down my arms and warmed me through.
Wherever we were, we had to be close to the ocean. The sound of waves crashing played through the soft, swaying grass dancing along the top of a hill.
“This was where your mother and I used to come just to get away and think before everything changed.” His lavender eyes sparkled with love underneath the moon’s light.
That made me think of something I had been meaning to ask him. “I saw you before...back when I was in the other realm. You were in a vision I had where Zordon was given the prophecy.”
He turned to look at me, his face shaded with regret. “Things were different back then.”
“Different how?”
He tucked his hands behind his back as he started to lightly pace in front of me. “Before Zordon, Lev was Liege and he was the greatest Liege this realm has ever known. There was peace between all races. When he disappeared, the Pyre Magium was left with nothing but devastation. That’s when Zordon stepped in.
“Zordon was his chosen apprentice and succeeded Lev as the next Liege in line. I knew shortly after Zordon had taken over something was wrong when his cruelty started to show. Shortly after, I took the assignment to decipher the prophecy — the vision you saw me in — and that’s how I came to meet your mother.”
He stopped pacing and looked back at me. “She is the reason why I left Zordon’s leadership. She showed me the error in my judgement. With the decision being made, we met Astral and things progressed to where we are now.” His face brightened. “To having my daughter back where she belongs.”
I hugged him tightly, smiling into the fabric of his shirt. It felt good to have a better understanding of who my father was as a person.
“But that is not why I brought you here,” he continued after he let me go.
I felt my face crinkle. He tilted his head back, his silvery hair catching glints of light. I eagerly followed his gaze and gasped.
“I brought you here to meet Eralise...your mother,” he said, an edge of laughter staining his words.
I felt a quick burst of wind as my mother flew towards us, shimmering through the night sky. She was pale blue, but underneath the moon’s light, her enchanted scales gave the illusion of thousands of tiny clouds. I felt my knees tremble with nervous excitement.
She landed with a loud thud a few feet away from us, tucking her claw-tipped wings and her spiked tail underneath her. She knelt down as a horse would, her large oval-shaped eyes level with mine.
She was more beautiful than I had ever imagined. I felt the warmth of a tear against my cheek. I wanted to thank my dad, but I couldn’t bring myself to take my eyes off her. This moment I had so longed for; to finally be in the presence of her. I didn’t want her to vanish.
I stepped forward, reaching into the air in disbelief.
Her eyes were light blue, speckled with the color of snow. Black slits centered vertically in her eyes, the same way mine were when I was shifted. “Aurora,” she crooned, her majestic voice choking with emotion.
I didn’t think twice as I ran to embrace her. It was an awkward hug, trying to decide where would be the best place to grab. I chose her leg. The scales were cold and as smooth as glass — the same as mine. Her laughter at my actions was contagious. “It wasn’t quite the hug I had imagined,” I said delicately, trying to ease the moment.
She snuffled, a plume of chilled air leaving her snout. I looked up, shivering from the sudden chill of her breath.
“I’ve missed you, my Little Flame,” she confessed, softly rubbing her snout against my side. “I’m so very sorry that we weren’t always there for you. I’m sorry that even now, I can’t be what you need.” She broke off and swung her snout away underneath the blurred starry sky.
“Don’t,” I said, reaching up to touch her again. Her eyes were filled with pain and sorrow. “Don’t blame yourself. I’m okay, really. I’m surrounded by love. It’s almost overwhelming,” I admitted, sliding my hands over her scales in a nurturing manner. I gave my best happy face, but her features didn’t change. She didn’t smile back at me.
“I’m just glad you’re alright,” I breathed. “I thought that maybe something had happened to you since dad couldn’t get in touch with you.”
Her face fell. “It’s hard for anyone who is not of Draconta blood to get in touch with us. We have been very selective with our communication, and your grandfather can be quite a pain when it comes to things he doesn’t agree with.” She sounded resentful. “He is, after all, the King, and we must abide by him.” It sounded like something she had told herself many times over.
“Things grow more dangerous as the days pass, Aurora,” she continued. “That is why we are meeting here tonight. I wanted to see you safe. To see you before —” She broke off again, this time exhaling a deeper, chilled breath that extinguished the flames smoldering along my skin.
“How did you do that?” I asked.
She laughed a little. “I am a frost dragon. Dragons are born possessing one of the four elements. Didn’t you know?” she asked, tilting her head at me.
“Aside from what I have learned in the books Astral has given me, I haven’t learned much about my dragon side.”
My father put his hand on my shoulder. “The time will come soon enough. You will have your chance to fill your mind with as much knowledge as you can stand, Little Flame.”
My mother smiled reassuringly and then said, “As you know, we are on the brink of war. Gabe’s reporting tells us that Zordon’s army is steadily growing stronger and that he is meeting with the Dark Saar again. If whispers are true, if they agree to aid him, then our Chasm is in grave danger. I fear that he will successfully split us apart.”
I felt my dad stiffen behind me. “Other than his soul, what could Zordon possibly have that would convince them to fight with him?” I asked.
“There is more to the Dark Saar than you know. We will discuss that another time,” he quickly said.
“Maybe I should come stay—” I began, but she cut me off with a shake of her head.
“I don’t want to upset you, but your father is right. You need to be focusing on completing your training before you worry about anything else. You are my daughter, and you are of Draconta blood but, as a Mage, you must be prepared for what is to come. Training with the Draconta will come shortly after.”
Myrdinn shifted behind me. Was he in on this? Was this a way of reiterating that the Council was important? By tag-teaming me? I eyed him over my shoulder suspiciously.
My mother’s voice was the only thing that saved him from what I was about to say to him.
“If the Dark Saar agrees to aid him, I fear he will succeed in obtaining the Stone and become immortal,” she said. “If that happens, everything will change. Our world as we know it will no longer exist.” An icy breeze circled around us, and the hair on my arms rose to meet it.
I refused to believe that Zordon would win. “But how can he obtain the Stone? It thought it is protected.”
“It is protected.” She turned away again, her head hanging lower than before, skimming the tall grass. “But we have to plan for all outcomes.” She sighed heavily, her head shaking a bit as if trying to shake away her pessimism. “If he does obtain the Stone, he will be ported to the Hall of Knowledge. The Fates help us then.”
I was taken aback.
“Did you just say that he would be ported to the Hall of Knowledge?” I asked, stunned.
She nodded.
I almost didn’t want to ask. “What do you think will happen then?”
“A future that hasn’t been written can’t be read. It will all fall in Fate’s hands.”
What she really meant was, it was up to me. I felt a burning heat building within me. There was a pressure gathering in the very depth of my soul, just waiting to blow.
“Aurora?” Myrdinn said softly, resting his hand against my back. I jumped from his touch, clearly not thinking straight. “Aurora, whatever it is you are thinking, you can say it. I know you must be upset. It’s a lot to hear. Your mother just wants you to—”
“I just want you to know the truth,” she finished for him, her eyes meeting mine. “You deserve to know the truth. You deserve for me to be honest and to tell you what you need to hear versus what you want to hear. I love you, Little Flame,” she said as a tear fell.
“I appreciate your honesty, Mother,” I said, my own tears falling quietly into the midnight breeze. “The truth is hard to come by these days.” I turned slightly to ensure the last sentence made its way over my shoulder and into my father’s ears.
“When you complete your training, I have arranged for you to be moved to our home. You must learn the ways of your kind. You are royalty; there are certain things that will be expected of you. Things that will aid you in your fight that you cannot accomplish as a Mage.”
My heart quickened at the prospect. To be with my kind. To learn how to control my dragon side. “Can’t I just finish my training there and go with you now? I’m having trouble with my shifting, and the sooner I learn the ways of a dragon, the better off I’ll be.”
Her smile grew as she leaned down and nudged me softly. “Such an undeniable fire in you. You’ve given me the hope I have been missing for so long.” Her voice was filled with the motherly warmth I had missed all my life. “Finish your training, and then we will be together again. It’s important that you learn what Astral has to teach you.”
I sighed heavily.
She stood back up on all fours. “I must be going now. We have preparation to do before the sun rises.” I hugged her snout and then stepped back and waited as my dad opened another portal back to our house.
“You go on through,” he motioned with his hand. “I have some things I need to discuss with your mother.”
“I love you, Aurora,” called my mother’s lovely voice.
“I love you too,” I replied eagerly, and then stepped away from my only link to the other side of me.
I face planted straight into my bed. The suffocating silence of smooshing my face into my blankets felt comforting and safe. “Fenn,” I said into the blanket, my voice stifled and altered.
Within seconds, he was by my side. As I rolled over, he asked, “What’s wrong?” He must have noticed my tears.
“Just hold me tonight, please? I don’t want to talk about it. I might ask you to leave then.” He instantly wrapped me in his comforting, loving embrace. His face burrowed deep into my hair. I pulled my blanket up to my chin and snuggled into him, trying my hardest to hold the hurt in.
It didn’t take long to fall asleep in his arms. His heartbeat synced with mine as the lullaby I hadn’t heard in so long softly played in my mind. I hadn’t realized how much I had missed the music. It was the most beautiful song. As a smile overtook my fear for what the next day would bring, I drifted off into my sleeping paradise.
Chapter 5
Interrogation is a Joke
THE NEXT DAY I FOUND Fenn and Lexi mid-conversation over breakfast. The air was thick with animosity. So thick that when I reached the end of the hall and realized what they were discussing, I tried to turn and tiptoe back to my room. But Fenn spotted me. He must have felt my presence because his eyes instantly locked with mine, and a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. He waved me over.
I sighed, internally kicking myself for not realizing sooner. I didn’t want to be brought into the middle of a sibling feud. “Good morning,” I said with a forced smile.
I got a happy good morning from Fenn and an aggravated, pissed-off good morning from Lexi.
“Brohm will be here soon,” she stated flatly.
Hence the tension.
“Lexi, be realistic. Logan is a douche,” Fenn huffed.
“It’s better than being in a loveless marriage,” she countered with her normal feisty attitude.
“Here we go,” I mumbled under my breath as I grabbed a plate and sat down on the next to Fenn. I shoved a sausage in my mouth.
“I agree with that, one hundred percent, Lex, but I think you are moving way too fast with this guy who won’t be staying here. Hell, I don’t even know why he’s still here.” Fenn took an angry bite out of his toast, crumbs falling onto his plate.
Lexi dropped her toast as if it were diseased. “I’ve lost my appetite. I’ll see you guys later.”
“That bad, huh?” I asked, trying to make idle conversation as Lexi stormed off.
“I’m not sure.” He shrugged. “I haven’t met the infamous Brohm yet.” He set a sausage down and turned to me, his expression turning serious. “I’ve tried to talk some sense into my mother, but she won’t listen. She never does,” he added bitterly. “She thinks it’s for the best. She uses her Seer ability as the excuse for knowing what’s best.”
I placed my hand on his arm.
“To be honest, it’s weird, you know? Especially knowing where we came from. You don’t marry someone you don’t love.” He shook his head, clearly flustered.
“That’s the same thing I thought when Lexi first told me about him,” I commented, taking another bite of sausage.
He sighed. “I know it doesn’t help that I don’t like Logan.”
I looked over at him and laughed, nearly choking on a piece of sausage. I swallowed a sip of water and said, “He’s annoying but harmless, Fenn. I want Lexi to be happy, and she seems to think she is happy with him.” I pointed my half-eaten sausage at him as I continued. “I honestly think it’s the fact that she chose to like him that makes him so appealing to her. But then again, who knows with her.” I shrugged. “I’m no love expert, that’s for sure.”
“That is for sure,” he said smugly under his breath.
I snatched up a piece of toast and launched it at him. “Hey now, no smack talk this early,” I teased with a smile. After a moment, I said absently, “What should we do to help her?”
“Don’t know,” he said, sounding as wayward as I felt. “But I think she needs to learn on her own.” He tilted his eyebrows at me.
“What?” I asked innocently.
“You can’t baby her. And this could be for the best. We both know Logan can’t stay here. He doesn’t belong. Maybe this will help her let go of that little fantasy.”
I sighed and rested my head against my propped up hand. He was right. “If you say so.”
“I do say so.”
I rolled my eyes. “Look, I’ve got to talk to Astral. I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”
He nodded as he took another bite of sausage.
But Astral wasn’t there. Everything floated silently around the room, as if searching for their master.
I smiled at all the neat objects, poking them as they danced through the air, lost in curiosity, and then I heard a shuffling noise. All the objects suddenly whizzed back to their spots
on the shelves.
I spun around, thinking Astral had walked in, but the door was still closed.
The shuffling noise came again. It sounded like someone in a chair, scooting back and forth. I turned my head towards the middle of the room, where the sound was coming from.
There wasn’t anything there. I felt the hair rise along my skin. “Astral?” I called out.
I was met by silence.
I took a few steps forward and paused again, waiting for any indication of where the sound had come from. Another shuffling. I glanced down at my feet.
Zane. The noise was coming from beneath me. They were keeping him in a cellar. I shoved the rug on the floor aside, revealing a trap door with a small lock. I knelt down beside it, energy pulsing in my hands.
“Aperium,” I commanded, waiting for the lock to open. It didn’t. Astral must have enchanted the lock against arcane spells. “Where do you hide your keys?” I said to myself. My gaze moved around the room.
I rushed over to the desk, ruffling through the drawers that were unlocked, hoping that Astral wouldn’t come bursting through the door. I found nothing.
I plopped into his chair and looked around again. Why did he have to use enchantments? I let my head fall, banging it against the desk in aggravation. A small compartment beneath his desk opened up. It must have been triggered by pressure. I reached under and felt inside it. A key.
Moving quickly, I grabbed the key and put it in the lock, not thinking rationally about what coming face to face with Zane would mean. I wanted to do this without permission, to rebel. So be it.
I found myself walking down a creaky flight of stairs into a dimly lit cellar. A musky, wet smell assaulted me, the dust unsettled by my footsteps tickling my nose. Huge wooden barrels lined the far wall, filled with god knows what. At the other end of the room sat a figure in a chair, head hung, barely visible beneath the poor lighting. “Hello,” I said a little shaky.
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