“Now, I want you to focus on your Oraculus and the energy that streams from it,” she instructed while looking at me. “You should be able to use the connection to locate him since you are tied together. I want you to focus on Zordon. Let the pull you feel to him, take over your senses.” Then she turned to everyone else. “Join hands in a circle, please.” We all joined hands in Alister’s tree house.
“I want you to let your energy stream into each of us so we are connected,” she told me while holding my hand. “I want everyone to chant ‘Ligardi Unum,’ a binding spell that will link our energies with Aurora’s. We must do this every time we are to travel using her Oraculus or you will remain behind, understand?” She eyed us all as we nodded in unison. “Okay, let’s begin.”
I closed my eyes and connected with my Oraculus, feeling the ominous pull that was always there, the tainted string that tied me to Zordon. I focused on my energy, letting it flow out of my fingertips and into Fenn and Gwen who stood on either side of me. I felt a surge of power when their energy connected with mine. Then they pushed it along to Zane. A jolt of recognition hit me, and his eyes met mine.
“Ligardi Unum,” Gwen began to chant.
“Ligardi Unum,” we all chanted together as I focused on the Oraculus and the pull to Zordon. It felt like a weighted chain between us. I pushed away the sound of our chanting and only thought of him.
The chain went tight.
I felt the darkness seep in as everything else faded around me. I squeezed Gwen and Fenn’s hands to reassure myself that I wasn’t alone. Slowly, I opened my eyes. It worked, but I had no idea where we were.
“Get down!” Gwen hissed. We all dropped right before four hooded men strode by with staffs in their hands, mumbling to each other.
We were on the edge of a forest, hiding behind a bush that had prickly thorns. I was carefully pulling a few out of my shirt when Gwen poked my side, motioning for me to stop moving.
“Where are we?” Fenn whispered from the other side of me, picking at the thorns in his arm. Fog emerged with his breath. The end of fall was near.
“See that temple over there?” Gwen whispered. I strained to see through the clumps of leaves. I switched my eyes to my dragon sight and zoomed in.
The structure was made out of a sparkling, violet-colored stone. It was magnificent. “That is where the Pool of Virtue is,” she explained. “It is the Temple of Priests — men who have devoted their lives to worshipping and practicing the law of The Fates. It is said that the Pool was made from the tears of The Fates when their brother sacrificed himself, imbibing the grounds with a holy cleanliness that can purify the soul.”
“I never thought I’d see this place,” Zane marveled.
“You shouldn’t have. No one but the Priests sworn in should ever see the Temple. The hooded men that we saw guard the outskirts of this sacred land are the Priests in apprenticeship. Their magic differs from our magic. We were born with the ability to use the elements to conjure, whereas they use the power of the Pool of Virtue.”
I already knew this from what I had read at Astral’s. “I’ve only heard rumors of how they are able to harness this power since it is not a natural ability. It comes from a ritual they perform when sworn into Priesthood.” She slowly picked her head up and peeked over the bush.
“Do you think he’s here?” Fenn asked me. I looked away so I could focus on the pull. I definitely felt something nefarious and dark.
“Yes,” I acknowledged. I pointed to his ring. “Can’t you tell?”
He looked down at it. It was glowing blue again. “How are we going to get around without being spotted?” he asked his mother.
“We need to figure out exactly where he is first,” she suggested. “He could be anywhere. He could even be waiting, as we are, to find a way in. Especially if he came alone.” She peeked once more over the bush and then crawled to the other side. “Fenn, I want you and Aurora to go that way,” she gestured to the right, “and loop around the Temple. Meet back here. If you see something, turn back and meet here. Zane and I will go the other way. Whatever you do, do not get spotted. It is treason to be anywhere near the Temple. The law of The Fates differs from ours. You won’t be tried fairly. You will be executed.”
I felt the knot in my stomach coil tighter as I nodded. “See you soon,” Fenn said to Gwen as he grabbed my hand and pulled me away from them. “Don’t let go of my hand, okay? Obscuro,” he chanted. “If you let go, the connection will cease.”
“Okay,” I whispered as we tiptoed around the edge of the forest, trying our best not to disturb the foliage on the ground. Fenn shivered slightly from the chilled night air.
Now that I was standing, I could see the temple was made of pure amethyst. It was something out of a whimsical fairy-tale. The stone peaked in varying angles, like it had grown up and out the earth. It sparkled under the moonlight like a storm cloud full of stars.
“Can you feel him?”
“Like a plague,” I replied sarcastically. “We’re heading in the right direction. Do you have a game plan?”
“Not really. Just winging it, I guess. This place is beautiful,” he admired. “Almost wish I had my guitar so I could play for you.”
“Me too,” I muttered as I scanned the area for Priests. “What do you think about these Priests? You got your wish about seeing them,” I teased, stepping over a fallen tree.
“Yeah, guess I should’ve paid a little more attention when we were training with Astral. Can you believe we’re here?”
For a moment, I stopped paying attention to what was around me and thought about Astral and how much I missed him. How I had failed him so far. The only thing that brought me back from the thought was my Foresight. A flash of two men with weapons coming after Fenn and me. A second later, a panicked look corrupted Fenn’s beautiful smile.
“Quick…hide!” he mouthed while pulling me down, shaking away the lull I was in. Two guards stood only a few feet away and must have heard us talking because within seconds they were at the tree line, picking through the prickly bushes to find us, holding their staves at the ready. A slight buzzing hummed around the sharp amethyst tips.
“Who goes there,” one of them said with a slight English accent. He used his staff to push aside the bushes so he could move forward. They were dressed in beige, burlap robes with leather pants underneath.
Great protection from the thorny mess we were in.
I prayed the shadows from the trees were enough for us to blend in as we silently crawled backwards, seeking a place to hide.
“Aye heard somefin’, didn’t you?” the other man said with the same Scottish accent, their pronunciation rolling up and down like hills. They continued forward with their staves pointed in our general direction, their eyes using the strained moonlight that trickled down through the leaves. Where their pupils should have been, light in the shape of teardrops formed.
“Trench…behind us…” Fenn breathed out, his breath warming my earlobe. I nodded and then took his hand so he could guide me down towards the trench next to a large tree. There was a sudden drop where the earth had trenched open, the roots becoming a wall to keep the dirt from caving in. My knees hit the dirt with a light thud as I slid underneath the root, confirming to the men that something was there. They came around the tree just as my head cleared the edge of the root.
They stood right above us now. I could no longer see them so I closed my eyes to heighten my sense of hearing and waited. If they took one step forward, they would step on our heads, and we would certainly be caught.
Side by side, with our knees to our chest, Fenn and I held our breath, hoping that the guards would pass by. Fenn’s eyes caught the moonlight as they bore into mine, bringing images of our last night together to the surface. I felt the heat building within me, and the pendant began to glow. My hand quickl
y covered it as I gently let my breath out to calm myself. Even in the most absurd situations, he could still bring out the dragon in me.
One of the men stepped forward, causing dirt to rain down on us. I looked up at the roots straining from the man’s weight, trying to blink through the falling bits of dirt. Please don’t break, please don’t break, I repeated to myself. More dirt cascaded down, tickling my nose. I was frighteningly close to sneezing when Fenn reached up and plugged my nose. His other finger came up to his mouth, as if I needed a reminder to keep quiet.
“Let’s go back,” one of them said. “Was prolly an animal.” The air whooshed out of me as their footsteps grew faint.
“Coast is clear,” I whispered, trembling as I stepped out into the fresh air. “Let’s hurry.”
“You don’t have to rush off,” he said with a chuckle. “I felt awfully cozy crammed next to you.”
I shook my head and said, “Come on. Let’s finish this before we are caught. I doubt we will have such luck the next time.” The enjoyment of being close to him had disappeared with the thought of an early execution.
We finished our loop around the outskirts of the Temple, stopping two more times to hide from the Priests. They were everywhere, every last one of them with a shaved head and a half-moon marking the top, like a tattoo.
When we finally approached our starting point, something felt off. Heightened voices carried on the cool night breeze. Fenn’s ring hadn’t stopped glowing since we arrived here. Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I mentally prepared myself for the worst.
“Get down for a second while I check it out,” ordered Fenn as he crept ahead, using the leaves as a cover. The muscles in his back bowed out as he readied himself for whatever may be on the other side of the bush.
I didn’t want to make any unnecessary noise so I didn’t fight with him, but I definitely felt I should have been alongside him. My ears strained against the hooting owls and chirping crickets to listen, waiting for any sign that Fenn might need assistance.
The voices were muffled and faint so it was hard to tell what was going on. I did know that one second they were talking and the next second, they went quiet. Eerily quiet. My heart slammed against my chest, panic spreading throughout my limbs. I froze at the sound of rustling in the bushes ahead. Maybe Zordon had found Gwen and Zane, and now Fenn.
My panic continued as the scales surfaced along my skin. I wouldn’t go down without a fight. I waited…quietly, patiently, as the rustling grew closer, my fear boiling into rage. Zordon was almost here, and I was ready to pounce.
I leapt into the air, flames rushing from my mouth and fingertips. “Rory!” Fenn shouted. He ducked, but my flames caught his shoulder as he dropped and rolled.
It took me a second to register what I had done. It wasn’t Zordon I had seen, but the fear in my imagination.
“Oh, Fenn, I’m so sorry!” I apologized profusely as I dropped to the ground and rushed over to him. Gwenevere was already by his side, picking at him.
“I’m fine, Mother…see?” He showed her his shoulder, already healing. “Scared ya, huh?” He chuckled as he looked over at me. Everyone else turned their eyes to me as well.
With burning cheeks, I tucked my wings under and waited as the armor shrank back to fit my human skin. Thank god for that. “Where’s Zane?” I asked, diverting the attention away from me.
“Over here,” he said angrily. What is he mad about? I wondered. Then it registered as he stepped aside.
“Zhax?” I asked in shock.
Chapter 24
The First Encounter
“AURORA, GET BACK. YOU DON’T know him,” Zane urged as I strode over to where he and his brother stood. “He’s a traitor,” he spat out, standing defensively in between us, his arms crossed in anger.
“Zane, calm yourself,” Gwen reprimanded. “He’s injured because he came to help us. Surely you must remember how it feels to be viewed as a traitor when all you want to do is help?” She laid a soft hand on Zane’s arm.
“I do remember, Mother. But I also know the difference between my brother and me, and I find his story hard to believe.” He peered back over his shoulder to where Zhax lay keeled over on the ground. His gaze seethed as he finished through clenched teeth, “Zordon had to have sent him here.” His menacing eyes were full of disgust as they roamed over his brother.
Zhax shuffled uncomfortably as he clutched his right arm closely to his chest underneath his tattered and torn clothes. His face was bruised and bloodied, and his left eye was swollen shut. He stared at Gwen for a long moment, probably trying to distinguish who she really was. Although I could see her in her true form, everyone else still saw the dragon glamour. To him she would appear as Eve.
She seemed to notice this and picked at her hair, unsure of how to explain the situation. She chanted a few words and then his expression seemed to register who was before him.
“Mother?”
She nodded, smiling now.
His face changed into horror. He must feel what Zane felt the day he found out his mother had left him behind. “Brother,” Zhax desperately appealed in pain, looking away from Gwen. “I swear I am not here to harm any of you. I’ve barely made it past the guards with my life! I came to find you because I am finally free of our father’s darkness, and I want to help you stop him.”
Though his golden hair was disheveled and full of leaves and twigs, one thing remained unscathed — his voice was as smooth and light as cream.
“Oh yeah? And how is that possible? If you are caught on these grounds, the punishment is death. How is one Mage capable of getting away from a multitude of Priests that reside here?” Zane shoved Zhax farther down onto the wooded earth with his foot, hovering over him, his veins pulsing wildly. He dug his heel into his brother’s right side, and Zhax’s jaw went tight in pain.
“I swear,” Zhax pushed out in panic. “After you disappeared, our father left our home in search of certain items…items for a spell that he plans on using to overtake The Fates. The distance between us must have purged his hold on me, because as soon as I realized what he was after, I began to follow his trail in hopes of stopping him. Which has led me here,” he rushed out, his eyes full of sincerity. “I was only able to get to you because the Priests are in meditation right now. I ran into two guards but managed to immobilize one and stun the other. But the other guards will notice and will be on the hunt soon enough. We must work together. Please, listen to my plan.”
Gwen rushed over, dropping to her knees and covering Zhax in a protective nature, which made Zane remove his foot from Zhax’s chest. “Zane, please,” she begged, “I believe him. He has come home to us.”
“I should kill him right now. He’s going to hurt Aurora. Don’t you know that?” He shouted at her as his red energy pulsed around his balled-up fists. I was stuck, unsure of what was true.
I yelled “Stop!” at the same time that Zhax shouted “I can help you find him!” while shielding his face from Zane’s wrath. My gut was telling me to give him a chance, especially if he knew how to get us to Zordon.
“We should at least hear him out,” I said, cautiously eyeing Zane.
Fenn walked up behind Zane and gripped his shoulder in assurance. “She’s right, and you really need to calm down before a guard hears you. Then you will be the one who kills Aurora.” At that, Zane’s tightened shoulders slouched.
He hesitated and then said, “Just know that I’m watching you.” He turned from us and plopped onto the ground.
I turned to Zhax. “So…exactly how can you help us?”
“I know what Zordon is after. I can take you to him,” Zhax replied as he stood and dusted the leaves from his pants. Zane laughed sarcastically. Zhax looked over at him, rolled his eyes, and then looked back at me. “Do you want me to?” he asked earnestly.
; “Yes, I do.” He began to smile smugly. “But,” I quickly added to kill his confidence, “I will be watching you as well. It’s strange that you show up here, of all places, and coincidentally run into us. I’m not sure it’s such a coincidence. And I’m not sure you could have escaped multiple guards on your own.”
“Yeah,” Fenn added from behind me, “how exactly did you manage that?”
“Luck and wit,” he brazenly bragged. “Liege Zordon is heading for the Temple as we speak. I managed to follow his port trail the other day when he returned to converse with Kaede. I followed him from the Swamp of Outlaws and up through the mountains until we made it here.”
“And all the while, he never once detected you following him. Convenient story,” Zane said derisively.
“I was shielded by the essence of a Wisp,” he countered.
“A Wisp?” I asked, confused.
“It’s an extremely rare magical entity,” Zane explained, “it’s a ball of floating energy that goes in and out of visibility. You can only find them near water, from which they pull their power. And you can only find them if they choose for you to see them. The only way he could have gotten the essence is either from our father or from someone in the Swamp who deals dirty.”
“I stole it from our father,” Zhax said defensively, “only because it was necessary. Look, we are wasting time here. Zordon could be inside, possibly getting the drop of Virtue he’s after. Why don’t you let me prove my allegiance to you by taking you to him?”
He had a point. I looked at Fenn. He slowly nodded and shrugged his shoulders. I didn’t trust Zhax, but I did know that he was telling the truth about Zordon being close. I could feel him. I was willing to take the chance. “Okay,” I said, “but on one condition. You stay with Zane. He will keep you from trying anything funny.”
Embracing the Flames Page 27