Embracing the Flames

by Candace Knoebel

  I sucked in a deep breath, trying to compose myself. I had to be strong, for Astral. “Like Astral has been saying. There is corruption. But why?”

  Fenn’s fingers continued to weave through my hair, helping to ease the edge of my hysteria as we all awkwardly glanced around. No one knew what to say. No one knew how to fix this.

  I looked to the breeze, tossing around what happened and thinking of Fenn’s encouraging words. “That’s right. They can do whatever they want,” I declared, a light bulb going off. “They could have taken me, but instead they chose Astral. Why? I thought all this time they were after me to keep me under their wing.”

  “He ignored their summons, Little Flame. He was to return your Oraculus. Nothing goes unseen when it comes to the Hall of Knowledge. He knew this day was coming. I don’t think it was ever about you. Astral said that there was only one Fate that he didn’t trust, but he never spoke his name for fear that it would summon him.” He grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “All that matters is that you’re safe. That’s what Astral would have wanted,” admitted Myrdinn.

  My face went dull, and I stared at him. All this time I had thought that they were after me. That I had done something wrong. But it was Astral. He had to have known this day would come.

  Myrdinn shifted uncomfortably. “Astral did what needed to be done, Little Flame. Shift the focus off of you and onto him. It was always the plan. If he was the one to break the rules, then they wouldn’t have a reason to bring you in. You haven’t committed any crimes. He knew what he was doing and what’s done is done.”

  I moved to say something, but stumbled. Fenn steadied me as I tried to keep from fainting.

  “That’s the end of this conversation,” my dad said. “You need to come inside and rest before you spark the connection again.” He turned from us and headed back inside.

  “We have to fix this,” I said under my breath. Feeling faint wasn’t a reason enough to give up. I looked up at their retreating forms. Only Fenn and Lexi stopped. “We are all pawns in their game of chess. They are probably just waiting for someone to make a move. They had freaking dark magic in there. Something is wrong, just like Astral said and now he’s stuck there.”

  “I have an idea on what we can do.” We both looked at Lexi. “Astral once told me that something like this would happen, though at the time I had no idea he was referring to actually being abducted, but anyway, he gave me something.” A glimmer of hope exuded from her words.

  “Well?” Fenn and I both spoke in unison.

  “Follow me.” And with that she turned on her heels and went back into the house. Fenn grabbed my hand, lacing his fingers through mine, and squeezed.

  Myrdinn instantly knew what was up as soon as we crossed the threshold. “You have remembered what Astral left for you, Alexis?”

  She stopped, her eyes shooting up to the ceiling in aggravation. “It appears so, Myrdinn.”

  “After you,” he said dryly, extending his hand out so we could all walk by.

  Inside her room, we all gathered around while Logan scooted as far back on the bed as possible, trying to disappear behind the plethora of pillows. His Morbit was on the very top of his head, picking at his hair and making squeaking noises. “She’s an alien again,” he said, gawking at me like I was a science experiment.

  My earlier insecurities about how I looked in my dragon form resurfaced. Myrdinn glowered at him and then shook his head in dismay. “We really should be returning him to his realm.”

  “We already know this, Myrdinn,” Lexi said with a very long sigh.

  He perked his eyebrows up at her, clearly challenging her to continue. I felt caught between the awkward banter that always arose when they were in the same room.

  “He,” Myrdinn said, pointing at Logan like he was picking out a criminal in a line-up, “is a constant reminder of that plaguing problem.”

  Lexi huffed again and threw her hands up. “It’s always a fight with you,” she said as she turned to a shelf that hung on the far wall. She grabbed a small box from it and then handed it to me. “He said if something were to happen, if someone of importance was taken, that this would take Rory to the answers she is seeking.”

  A knot formed in my throat. This was the same box I had seen him working on when he had taught me how to conserve my energy. “There’s an inscription on the outside of it,” I mumbled, remembering his glowing eyes as I twirled the box in my hand.

  “Yeah, I know. I never could quite figure out what it meant,” Lexi said indifferently. She walked around me and went to sit with Logan who was petting the Morbit that now sat in his lap.

  “Read it out loud,” Myrdinn advised. Fenn rested his chin on my shoulder, waiting for me to read what his eyes were skimming over.

  “A hidden gem of knowledge awaits…” I paused, turning the box with unsteady fingers, “in the trees of wisdom where He mandates…” I turned it again, “the right to read the tomes of our people…” And one more turn, “to find your answers on defeating the evil.”

  I looked up at Myrdinn.

  “In the trees of wisdom…why does that ring a bell?” he pondered while rubbing his chin in thought. “So familiar…give me some time to think about it. I’ve heard something like that, but it can’t possibly be—” He turned away from us, continuing to talk to himself as he left Lexi’s room.

  “At least Astral was a step ahead. He must’ve seen this coming,” Lexi said as she jumped off the bed. She took the box from my hands before plopping back down again.

  Logan poked his head up and peeked over her shoulder at the box. “I don’t see what’s so interesting about it.”

  She opened the box and flipped it upside down. Nothing was inside of it. “There’s nothing in it?”

  I felt cheated.

  Fenn reached around me and took the box from Lexi. “Why would he go through the trouble of inscribing this with a message and not put anything inside? It doesn’t make any sense. He could have written that on a scroll. Why did it have to go on a box? Something’s not adding up.” He scratched his head.

  I turned and grabbed his face, planting a big kiss on his lips.

  “Eww,” Lexi teased.

  “What’s that for?” he asked, smiling.

  “Because you’re a genius. He would have written it on a scroll if it were simply a message he wanted me to have. He put it on the box for a reason. Maybe what we need is in the box, we just can’t see it!” Both Lexi and Fenn’s smiles doubled in size.

  “You think he used the Obscuro spell?” Lexi asked, sitting up on her knees. She looked like a child waiting to open presents.

  “Let’s find out,” I said. “But let’s do it in Astral’s office, away from Logan and my dad. No offense,” I added when Logan sucked his teeth.

  Lexi turned to him and kissed his cheek. What he didn’t see was her palm lighting up in its green hue as she whispered, “Insomnus,” into his ear. He fell back like a stiff board. The Morbit whimpered as it tucked itself in between his shoulder and his head. Lexi brushed a stray hair from his face and then slid her blanket over Logan’s sleeping body. “Just in case we’re gone for a while.”

  “What if we’re gone longer than a while?” Fenn asked warily.

  “Then I hope he stays put because, if not, he’ll have Myrdinn to deal with.” She didn’t sound apologetic as she turned and headed out her door.

  Fenn and I both looked at each other. “We really do need to get him back to his realm,” Fenn proceeded. “I think Brohm is swaying her affection. He doesn’t belong here.”

  As we tiptoed down the hallway, Lexi poked her head around the side of Astral’s door. She was waving her hand, silently hurrying us along.

  Once the door was shut and the objects had whizzed by us to their shelves, the earlier feelings of loss flooded my hear
t. I bit my trembling lip, trying to keep it all in.

  Fenn reached for my hand and squeezed it lightly. Lexi’s eyes filled with sympathy. “Since he left it for you, you should be the one to unlock it.” She handed me the box.

  I took it and turned to face them both so we formed a triad. I closed my eyes, praying that this would work.

  “Obscuro,” I chanted into the box, letting my energy wrap around it. The box lifted out of my hand and floated in front of me, wrapped in a bubble of sizzling energy.

  “It’s working!” Fenn said spiritedly. I couldn’t help but smile as he took my hand.

  The box rapidly spun before us, growing in size.

  “It’s a portal!” Lexi said in delight.

  “Yeah, but to where?” Fenn asked, staring at the box eagerly.

  I stepped forward, curiosity ruling out all fear. “Don’t know, but we should at least find out. He obviously wanted us to go somewhere. Maybe the Hall of Knowledge?”

  I was thrilled at the prospect.

  “I doubt it will take us there, Rory,” Lexi said. “You need to have the port key to get there, and I don’t see this being a port key. Besides the one planted inside the cave in the other realm, there’s only one other that I know of, and it’s being protected by the Draconta,” she explained.

  “The Stone of Immortality,” I stated. The same Stone that I must find a way to protect from Zordon now that he has spilled Zane’s blood.

  “Exactly,” she answered, stepping towards the portal. “Ready?”

  Fenn pulled me back as I stepped forward. “Rory, you really should rest before we do this. Your energy must be close to depletion. You can’t risk it anymore.”

  I knew he was right, but finding out what Astral wanted me to know felt more important at the moment. “I’m fine,” I lied, putting on my best smile.

  He looked at me, pursing his lips.

  “I swear,” I said. “I feel great. Besides, what if we can’t get this to work again. We can’t pass this chance up.”

  He hesitated, contemplating my words, and then his eyes narrowed on me. “I can feel how tired you are. The perks, remember?”

  Lexi huffed loudly. “And I can feel how annoying you are, Fenn. Now, can we go please?” She grabbed him by the shoulders, pushing him towards the portal as she winked at me. He started to pull away from her.

  “Of course we can,” I said, not giving Fenn the chance to debate. I pulled him the rest of the way to the portal, and then we jumped.

  For a weightless moment, I drifted inside the void, unsure of what I would find on the other side. It took a few moments of free-falling for me to realize that I actually was falling. The port had been successful, only the other side opened in mid-air.

  I flapped my wings as hard as I could, the force halting my rapid descent into nothingness, but Fenn had accidentally let go of my hand. Terror snaked around my heart as I nose dived towards him. I was plunging through a tunnel of air from the force of my speed.

  “Volitium!” he shouted. I heard Lexi shout the same a second later. Their free-fall halted, and they seemed to float, suspended on a puffy white cloud.

  I hung back and hovered near them, my tense shoulders falling back into place from next to my ears. “What spell is that?”

  He looked up as I flew down to meet him. “A floating spell from the air element. I read it the other day. Glad I got it right the first try,” he tried to joke. His ghostly white face gave away his momentary fear.

  “Me too,” I said, shaking. The adrenaline that had coursed through my body left me feeling jittery and even more rundown. “Can we get to the ground, please?” Twinkling stars surrounded us, pulsing with life.

  “If there is one,” Lexi said from the left of us. “I don’t see anything around. It’s strange.”

  My sight was keener then theirs. I could make out tiny lights not too far below us.

  “I see lights down there,” I pointed. “Follow me.”

  I flew a few strides up and then nose-dived, my wings and arms lying flat against my body. Another surge of adrenaline quickened my pulse, my lips curving into a smile as the breeze from my descent billowed around me.

  I was free.

  But then my vision faltered. Fatigue was setting in.

  The lights drew close as I spread my wings out once again, flapping them to slow my high-speed fall.

  Lexi and Fenn were still high above me, floating as slow as a feather in the wind. I turned and took a few seconds to inspect our location.

  Flimsy, wooden huts skillfully wrapped around every tree as far as the eye could see, still high in the sky. The walls, made from branches tethered by straw, enclosed the tree. The roofs were made from clay and straw and were a shade darker than lavender.

  Wooden bridges connected tree to tree, each end holding a hollowed-out stone that had my very essence, fire, burning brightly. I felt like I had dropped in on the Swiss Family Robinson.

  The trees were as wide as Sequoias and were so tall, it was impossible to see where they met the earth. The enshrouding darkness of night rose up, hiding the forest floor from me.

  It was the most peculiar thing I’d ever seen... until I noticed a man-sized owl walking out from one of the huts. The owl clutched a book to his silver-feathered chest, his crooked black beak babbling on.

  I followed from above as his scurrying continued across the bridge onto the next hut. His foot caught in between one of the planks of wood, and the book went flying from the bird’s grip. I quickly dove after it, stopping short as I grabbed the book with the tips of my fingers.

  The owl squawked as he puffed his feathers out at me. “My work!” he shouted. “My work, my work,” he hooted, “my work!”

  Lexi and Fenn landed on either side of the owl, the clouds vanishing as quickly as they had appeared.

  The owl looked from left to right and then fervently began flapping his wings.

  “It’s okay,” I soothed, laughter bubbling up. The owl was parading back and forth, not acknowledging that I was holding the book out to him. “Excuse me,” I said as his feathers vibrated and shook. I barely got out the word, “Sir,” when the owl stopped dead in his tracks.

  “You dare address me as a mortal. I am no mortal, Hybrid. You would be wise to speak properly.” He yanked the book from my hands, then waited, all-knowing eyes glaring me down. A monocle rested on the left side of his beak, the silver chain trailing up behind his pointed ear.

  “Chill out,” Fenn warned. “She wasn’t trying to offend you.” The owl hissed as he sucked in an offended breath and then shook his head in disgust.

  “I’m sorry,” I stammered. “What he means is, we don’t know how we offended you, and we’re very sorry for that. But in all honesty, I’m not quite sure how to properly address you.”

  “You three are a long way from home, hatchling.” He hooted again. “Tell me, what is it you seek?”

  I flew up and over the rope, landing softly in front of him on the battered old bridge. “That’s the thing,” I replied in a soft tone, “I’m not sure what we’re looking for, or even why we’re here for that matter.”

  His head moved, as if not attached to his body, and then he grabbed his monocle, leaning in with a scholarly eye towards the family crest on my chest. Without moving, his eyes went from my chest to my face. “The Progeny child,” he whispered, his words laced with disbelief.

  My hand wrapped defensively around my pendant as I took a step back and bumped into Fenn’s arms. The owl straightened, and a new demeanor replaced his rigidity. “Well, lucky you, you’ve landed in the right nest. Come, come, follow me, young hatchling,” he finished with a happy hoot.

  He paused, once again gripping his monocle as he narrowed his eyes at Lexi and Fenn. “You two come as well,” he added matter-of-factly
. Then he turned his body, head still facing backward, like something out of The Exorcist. “Come, I say,” he finished, and his head followed the rest of him.

  We followed, mostly because we had no other option seeing as we had no idea where we even were. We walked around the tree and came to a half-door made from cut branches tied with string. Light peeked through all the cracks and crevices of the walls where the mismatched wood wasn’t sealed.

  “Umm…may I ask where we are?” I asked warily as we stepped through the door, still unsure of how to address him.

  “First of all, Progeny, you address me as Keeper of The Chronicles. Alister, for short.” He scurried over to a large slanted table and laid his book upon it, removing the quill used as a bookmark from inside it and placing it into a cup holder made from bark.

  “You have landed near the Biblium of Anything and Everything. Recorded history of everything that ever was and things that never were. And I, young Progeny,” he hooted and then coughed to cover it, “am here to assist you.”

  I felt lost. I guess my face was as readable as Fenn always said it was because Alister quickly squawked with a pointed finger. “Do not fret, hatchling. Astral advised me on what you would need to know. I am, after all, the highest ranked Keeper here in the land of Zu’therin. We dwell in between dusk and dawn, the perfect time for our nocturnal ways.”

  I looked over at Fenn who shrugged his shoulders. Alister scuttled about the hut, circling around the trunk of the tree. We followed behind, our eyes eagerly roaming over everything inside.

  Apparently, the hut was not intended for living quarters. Windows and small wooden chairs were scattered about. Paintings and maps of the lands hung all along the walls. End tables were overrun with vials of ink and scrolls of parchment. Alister stopped in front of a hidden door behind a woven tapestry hanging on the tree trunk.