I smiled awkwardly at him, picking at my half-eaten chicken.
Fenn pushed his plate away from him, leaning forward onto his elbows. “Do we have enough people to fight against Zordon?”
“In my opinion, no,” Gabe answered honestly. “We’ve had to send a lot of men out to aid the villages that surround the Chasm. The Magiums in alliance with us are being attacked by the Outlaws under Zordon’s orders. As long as Zordon is in alliance with the Dark Saar, we have little chance of surviving an attack.” His eyes turned grim.
The food I ate suddenly felt as heavy as a brick. How could little old me stop any of this? But Fenn was not to be discouraged.
“Then we need to attack Zordon first. Why are we even waiting?” he protested.
Gabe sighed. “The Draconta believe in peace, Fenn. They will not make the first move; it stands against what they believe. Anyway, with the Dark Saar by Zordon’s side, honestly, they would be slaughtered.”
There had to be another way. I bit my lip, trying to think of options when a thought popped into my head. I sat straight up. “Maybe we could persuade my grandfather to do otherwise. Especially if he believes they are about to attack,” I suggested.
Gabe shook his head. “He won’t budge on this. I’ve been working for him since I was a boy. As Draconta, you must respect the King’s wishes.”
“I think he’s right,” Zane added reluctantly. “We should just let it go. Do what the King wants.”
I sucked my teeth at Zane, squinting angrily as I stood. They all stood right after me in a gentlemanly gesture.
“We have to prepare to go before the War Council tonight,” Gabe reminded me, his tone suggesting that I sit back down.
I crossed my arms. “I need to think first, okay? You all expect so much from me but never want to hear what I have to say. At least give me some time to gather my thoughts.”
Gabe sighed once more. “Don’t fight it, Aurora. You really are that important to us.” Then he walked away.
“Really?” I turned and yelled at Zane. “You really agree with all of this? We need to do something.”
Zane was on the other side of me, smiling as I yelled at him. “Actually,” he cut in, “no, I don’t agree. I just wanted Gabe to think I did. I have an idea.”
Fenn slid his hand in mine, and we started walking towards the courtyard where the meeting would take place.
After hearing the reports of what was going on in the outside world, the King decided that it would be a good idea to make us a part of the War Council. Darian and his Queen sat upon their thrones while the Imperials guarded all entrances, preventing any intruding ears.
Their reflective scales glistened from the light of the lava like blades of fury. Zane, Soothe, Gabe, Myrdinn, Fenn, and I stood in a horizontal line in front of them.
“Have you heard anything new from Zordon?” Darian asked, his tone heavy with authority.
Gabe cleared his throat, slightly bowing his head. “Step forward,” Darian advised.
“He’s disappeared, my King. I overheard Sayer telling Kaede that he needed time to gather. I don’t know what that means.” He bowed his head once more and then stepped back in line.
Myrdinn bowed his head next, and Darian motioned him forward. “Maybe he is gathering more allies? Although he has the Dark Saar, he cannot defeat all who support the Draconta without manpower. He has yet to conquer our allied Magiums.”
Darian contemplated this while Gabe bowed his head again and then stepped forward.
“Perhaps…,” he hesitated, and then said, “perhaps he’s encircling us by attacking the lands surrounding the Chasm. We will be trapped when the Dark Saar are unleashed. We will have no way of escape. I still believe we should take action now,” he finished with a slight bow of his head as he stepped back in line.
“We cannot stand against the Dark Saar. They will wipe out our entire race,” Darian said.
“It is also against everything we stand for, Gabe,” Naveena gently spoke. “We refuse to bring more chaos to this realm. That is not our purpose. Our sole purpose is to protect the Stone.”
“Forgive me for saying this,” Soothe interrupted boldly, without bowing for consent, “but you can’t protect the Stone if you are all dead.” He held my grandparents’ gaze brazenly, his posture calm and confident. “It will happen whether you want it to or not. I have seen it. Aurora needs to be out there, fighting against this now. She is the only one who will keep your race from going extinct. She is the only one who can put an end to it.”
My grandparents and parents both went rigid, and Gabe shook his head in defeat. The atmosphere in the room suddenly changed. “It’s something I am not willing to risk,” the King warned, a low growl emitting from his snout. “She is not ready to fight this war. We will stand our ground as a united force. We will not make the first move. That is my final order,” he finished angrily as he stepped off the ledge and stomped towards the tunnel that led to the Great Hall. His footsteps shook the ground, and the flowers wilted around him.
“Our daughter needs time, Soothe. You must understand,” Eralise forced out, her voice shaky.
He snickered. “Time. That’s all you keep talking about. When are you going to realize time is running out? The war will happen whether you like it or not. It is written,” he shot back as he turned away from us.
My mother looked to the rest of us, standing there with eyes wide. “Get some rest,” she said softly. “We will discuss this another time.” She took Myrdinn’s hand and walked away.
As the Council dispersed, I pulled Fenn and Zane aside. “You heard Soothe. He said I should be out there. The plan is solid. We will leave tonight.”
“Are you sure, Rory?” Fenn asked, worry filling his cerulean eyes.
I huffed at him. “Fenn, we have to do something. Gabe said Zordon is gathering. We need to find out what he is gathering because it sure as hell isn’t people.”
“Tonight then,” he replied hastily.
“See you soon,” Zane mused as he walked away.
I headed back to my room, intent on following through with my plan. I was almost there when I bumped into someone. “Sorry,” I said as I looked up. It was Brohm. I hadn’t seen him since before we left with Lexi.
“No, forgive me,” he said sadly. He looked horrible. There were bags under his eyes and wrinkles that marked the pain he felt. He looked like he lost weight.
“Brohm,” I started, reaching for his arm, “I’m so sorry about Alexis.” I felt the heat behind my eyes.
He didn’t look at me when he said, “Everything happens for a reason. I must be going now.” He turned and headed out of the quarters, though to where I wasn’t sure.
After tying my hair back and putting on my armor, Fenn came into my room.
“Human form,” Fenn stated, caressing my cheek.
I leaned into his caress. “I ran into Brohm earlier.”
“He looks horrible, doesn’t he?”
“You knew?”
Fenn nodded as Zane came into the room. “I saw him shortly after we got here. I try to avoid him. It only makes what I feel worse.” He looked off to the side, his eyes slick with fresh tears.
“Do you know where you want to go?” Zane interrupted. I finished putting the things I would need in the backpack Lexi had bought me. It was enchanted to shrink and meld into my armor so that my Oraculus would always be on me.
“The Biblium,” I said matter-of-factly, holding out the box that I had used to port to Zu’therin. “Obscuro,” I chanted as the box lifted from my hands and floated to the center of the room. Like before, it spun until a portal appeared. “Alister told me to come back if I had questions. Now I have a question. What is Zordon gathering? So let’s go.”
I stepped forward.
But then
Gwenevere burst through my door, her face filling with dread as she looked from me, and then to the portal.
“I knew it. I knew you wouldn’t stay put. You just can’t seem to follow orders, can you?” she scolded, shaking her head in dismay.
“Mother,” Zane and Fenn said in unison. They looked at each other awkwardly, and then Zane motioned for Fenn to continue.
“Mother,” Fenn started over, a little more calmly this time, “we are going whether you like it or not.” He took a stern step forward so he stood directly in front of her. “We have to stop Zordon. Deep down you know the King is wrong in keeping Aurora locked away. It’s not what she was destined for, and as scary as it is to risk her, we have to trust her instincts.”
I looked over at him, shocked at his words. A sliver of a smile spread on my lips.
Gwen sighed, and I caught her rolling her eyes. After what seemed like a decade’s worth of bated silence, she grudgingly said, “I have to protect what children I have left.” Her stare pierced right through me.
“They don’t have to go,” I mumbled as the pang of losing Lexi stabbed through my heart.
She ignored my comment. “Which is why I’m coming with you,” she added, her tone remiss. Before we could object, she jumped through the portal.
The three of us looked at each other. “Great…a babysitter, just what we need,” Fenn said sarcastically, shaking his head as we jumped in after her.
For a brief moment inside the portal, I felt a rush of excitement. I was going to see Alister again. But that feeling disappeared as soon as we safely landed on the other side.
Chaos replaced the serenity of the Biblium. Pages floated towards us, some burning, others torn. Multitudes of owls lay dead, covered by the destroyed books.
“No!” I cried out as I began to fumble through the murdered bodies. Blood coated the floor of the tree, and the smell of burning feathers tainted the air. It was everything I could do not to purge. The vast shelves that once lined the hollow tree were now either burned or broken and scattered about. Where was Alister?
“This was done by the hand of your father,” Gwen said barrenly. She stood, frozen. “This is a sacred place,” she whispered, on the verge of tears. “It should never have been touched by his violence. He was after something,” she finished blindly, her pale face reflecting the trails of fire that remained from his destruction.
We split off, checking each owl for signs of life. All of their eyes were glazed over, remnants of fear marking their lifeless features. I prayed that each body I came across wouldn’t be Alister’s. Tears rimmed my eyes.
I was just here.
“Rory, over here,” Fenn shouted. I bolted over to him. Alister lay beneath a table, a book clutched in his trembling hands.
“Young Progeny…” he hooted through a constrained cough. He was definitely alive, though rather shaken. I sighed in relief when I didn’t see any real damage to his robed body.
“Alister, what happened?” I charged, dropping to my knees to hold the tips of his feathers.
“Zordon. He…came for something…for…for this,” he forced out, holding up the book he was clutching. His words were jumbled and pitchy, the fear inside him spilling out. He wouldn’t stop shaking his head, as if he were trying to deny what had happened.
“The book of the Dark Saar?” Zane asked curiously. “When was he here? Just now?”
“And secrets. He was after secrets…today…fire…He is searching for a spell,” Alister stammered out. Realization seemed to register in his eyes as he looked up at me for the first time. “He’s a murderer, hatchling.” I patted his hand, letting a tear fall as I helped him from under the table.
“What spell did he come for?” Gwen faltered, her tone full of dread.
Alister’s eyes suddenly became clear. “The spell of creation,” he said sorrowfully.
“The spell of creation?” Gwen tapped her chin as her eyes scrunched in thought. “I’ve heard of that. It was a spell created by the Priests.” She stopped pacing. “Did you give it to him?” Fear laced her words.
Alister’s eyes widened as if he were staring at a ghost. I could almost hear the screams of the fallen. “We tried to hide it. We did everything we could. We even set fire to our precious books. He had Warlocks with him. We couldn’t protect it. Oh —” he broke off, sobbing uncontrollably as he clutched the book.
I gasped, feeling the future slipping right through my fingers.
Fenn stepped forward. “Do you know what ingredients the spell calls for? Maybe we can head him off or find him before any more destruction happens,” he asked quickly, trying to console Alister.
Alister sniveled, picking his head up again to look at Fenn. “I know he’s after something a little different…let me think.” He moved away from us. “The blood of a Fate,” he began, his feathered wing trembling as he tried to step around his fallen friends, “a drop from the Pool of Virtue.” He looked back at Eve and said, “Are you writing this down? The blood of a dragon, and a piece of the Sun. The spell can only be cast on the rising of the full moon. In three days time. So much to do,” he said under his breath as he began picking up the torn papers.
“Blood of a dragon?,” Gwen said, confused.
“The third ingredient is what you use to create. If you want land, you use soil. If you want a creature, you use a part of that creature,” Alister advised.
“What is he trying to create with dragon’s blood?” I asked, feeling a little dizzy. “We, uh, we need to bring reinforcements here to help him,” I stammered to Gwen. “I can’t go back.”
She knowingly looked at me. “No, you cannot. I will give word to Gabe and see that Alister gets what he needs.”
“Why do you think he wants this spell?” Fenn asked.
“The Stone,” I confirmed. “If he gets the Stone, he will become a Fate. He will have the power of Gidius. But it doesn’t explain the dragon part. He wants to end the Draconta, so why use them in a creation spell?”
The room fell silent. “He took pages from my book,” Alister said, handing the book of the Dark Saar over to me. I handed it to Zane. He flipped through it, stopping where the missing pages used to be.
“The spell to undo being a Dark Saar. We really need to find him before he follows through with whatever he’s planning.”
“Agreed,” Fenn said.
“That’s all well and good, but how do we find him?” Gwen asked.
“I know how,” I said, already feeling the heat of my Oraculus searing through my hidden bookbag.
Chapter 23
The Beginning of the End
“RORY, NO!” FENN SAID, GRIPPING my arm. “You can’t keep doing that. You disappear, and there’s no way for us to help you.”
“Fenn,” I said, pulling my arm from him, “stop jumping to conclusions. Who said anything about going alone?” He stepped back, his brow furrowing. “What better way to reach him than to use my Oraculus? We can head him off. He won’t see it coming! You know a way?” I asked Gwen. She nodded.
“Wow,” Zane said in awe, “good thinking, Aurora. Mother?”
“I have to say…it’s a perfect idea,” she replied, tossing the idea around in her head.
A breath of relief whooshed out.
Alister cleared his throat. We all turned to look at him. He seemed a little more composed. “He shouted something when he tore my home apart. I was lucky enough to hide under this table before the Warlock set their imps on my kind. But I heard him clear as day when he left. Someone was with him. He was hooded, I couldn’t see his face, but he shouted overtop of the screams to someone.”
“Well, what did he say?” Zane said impatiently.
“I already have my father’s blood. Find them and meet me at the Pool,” he recalled in a trance of remembrance.
&nb
sp; “So then he may be going to the Pool of Virtue next,” Zane stated.
“He has been after his father for as long as I can remember,” Gwen said quietly. She was stuck on the mention of Zordon’s father. “Since we were kids. It doesn’t make sense.”
“You knew him that long?” Zane asked.
He didn’t know the history of his family?
“Unfortunately, yes. He came from a powerful bloodline though he never spoke of his parents. They were never around. He was always strange, always powerful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him hurt. That’s how he became Liege actually. He never lost a fight.”
She stepped away as if stepping into a dream, staring vacantly at the walls as she continued. “I remember one time a man came to our Magium. I had never seen him before,” she paused to turn back. “As a Seer, I could basically read anyone who I touched, and when I took his hand to guide him to Zordon’s study, there was nothing, just a white light. It was like a wall had been built around his fate, a wall that kept me from reading him. I believe he was Zordon’s father. A Fate.”
I could see the worried looks on their faces. “I have a Fate on my side too. Whatever’s going on up there in the Hall will eventually come to light. But for now, Zordon and I are even,” I said.
Later, we helped Alister back to his home outside of the Biblium and waited for Gwen to return with Gabe. She was able to get in and out without being spotted because no one suspected her to be with us. Gabe was upset with the whole idea at first, but Gwen talked him down from turning us in to the King.
Once we knew Alister was settled, Gwen told us it was time. My stomach was in knots as I pulled out my Oraculus. What if something went wrong? This was my idea, and although it felt like the right thing to do, it still wasn’t easy taking the reins.
Embracing the Flames Page 26