Embracing the Flames

by Candace Knoebel

  “Just as I suspected,” I whispered to Zane. “He will save the best for last.”

  “Do you feel him?” Zhax asked me over his shoulder.

  I closed my eyes and reached out for his presence. I could feel him, but barely. “Yeah, but he’s nowhere near here.”

  “Which way should we go?” Zane asked me encouragingly.

  “Forward?” I replied, unsure. I felt a bit of panic because Fenn and Gwen were nowhere in sight. My breathing picked up. I stopped for a second, trying to steady my rapidly beating heart. Don’t panic, not here, I thought to myself. I tried to reach out to Fenn in my mind, hoping that our connecting would give me some sort of clue, but there was nothing there. It was like he couldn’t hear me calling him.

  Zane’s hand rested on my shoulder. “They will be okay. I promise,” he whispered to me.

  Zhax turned back and Zane let me go, resuming his walk forward.

  “We’re looking for a piece of the sun,” Zane said. “That’s one of the ingredients. How exactly is he going to accomplish that?” He sounded lost.

  Zhax chuckled. “You have to think outside the box, brother. Remember when we were little? The songs Mother used to sing to us?”

  “Vaguely,” Zane replied.

  “Do you remember the Song of the Sun?”

  “Honestly, brother, the two things of my childhood that stands out is father’s beatings and mother’s tears.” I looked over at Zane with pity. How sad to have never known happiness. I may not have had my parents growing up, but Mily had made sure we had everything we needed and that we always went to bed with a smile.

  “Let me refresh your memory,” Zhax said as we neared the top of a sand dune. I hoped that we would find something on the other side. Something that would give us an inkling as to where Fenn and Gwen might be. But those thoughts were instantly brushed aside when Zhax opened his mouth and began to belt out notes. His velvet voice was even sweeter when he sang.

  Come play with me in the land of tan

  Where the wings of time reflect the sand.

  You’ll find me in an oasis of jade

  Swimming in a pond to evade a serenade.

  My wings they glow as bright as the sun

  And carry me from bud to bud.

  But trust in me, I can’t be had

  Or you will forever be damned.

  I hold the power of all our hope

  And keep it until it is one day broke.

  “That was beautiful,” I commented, thinking of Fenn and his love of music. “Fenn can sing and play the guitar.”

  “They have our mother’s talent,” Zane said painfully. “So you think he’s after the Stella?”

  “I don’t think, I know,” Zhax replied with a wry smile. “There must be an oasis around here. It was mentioned in the song. In that oasis, we will find the Stella — the star used for the creation of both our realms. That’s what he will try to take.”

  “Why hasn’t he done this before?” Zane asked. “Wouldn’t they sell this kind of thing in the Undermarket? I never paid much attention to Mother’s stories.”

  “No,” Zhax laughed again. “You are eternally damned if you take the Stella from the garden. Didn’t you hear the warning in the song?”

  “So how is he going to get around that?” I asked, perturbed.

  Zhax looked at me as if I were dumb. “He isn’t mortal right now,” he explained in a huff. “His soul is already damned. What does he have to lose? If he can pull this spell off in time, he will have the ability to restore his soul as well as fight against The Fates.”

  The need to become a Dark Saar. It all made sense now. This spell was his purpose all along — to create something when he obtains the Stone. He couldn’t have taken the Stella if he wasn’t a Saar first. He was risking it all, but for what besides overthrowing The Fates and destroying both realms. What did he want to create?

  Zane and I both eyed Zhax suspiciously. No one could have pieced that together so quickly without already knowing.

  He stuttered as he added, “At least that’s what I believe.”

  Zane ignored him and turned to face me. “Look. Let’s find the oasis and camp for the night. We need our rest if we’re going to stop him.”

  “Alright,” I agreed as we continued forward. We walked up two more dunes before we saw the shadowy green oasis in the distance. I switched to my dragon senses, focusing on the green before me. There was movement and music around the edges of the swaying palm trees, but I couldn’t see where it was coming from. Zane tugged on my arm to pull me back down the dune.

  “Let’s camp here. If we go any closer, we’ll be spotted and in danger. Sirens guard the garden. They are savage and will feast on you before you take your last breath.”

  “Okay,” I agreed, “but how exactly are we going to camp?”

  “By magic, of course,” Zhax interrupted with a hint of laughter. They managed to fashion a fully erected tent, promising a comfortable night’s rest. The tent wasn’t very big, but it fit the three of us and allowed us to bundle up and sleep.

  Zane decided to keep watch for the first few hours that night. He refrained from lighting a fire since there was no way to conceal the flames. In light of that fact, I kept from using my power over fire to keep me warm.

  We kept the tent open so Zane could keep an eye on Zhax. Neither of us fully trusted that he wasn’t out to hurt me. Even with Zane’s protective glances, I still couldn’t fall asleep. Instead, I lay there thinking about Fenn and wondering if he was okay. The loud music from the Sirens didn’t help. Their voices were intoxicating. Thankfully, we were far enough away to be unaffected by their pull.

  I tossed and turned, trying to find a position that would allow me to clear my mind and rest, but it was of no use. I quietly sat up and stepped over Zhax’s snoring body.

  “Can’t sleep, huh?” I found Zane whittling a piece of wood.

  “I didn’t know you carved wood.”

  “I didn’t either. I picked it up during our stay with the Draconta. A guy I trained with did it. He said it helped relieve stress. It helped him turn his constant anger into something positive.” He threw a glance over his shoulder in Zhax’s direction, and then looked back at me. “I figured now would be a good time to start.”

  I smiled at him, pleasantly surprised by the change I was seeing in him. “I’m worried about Fenn and your mom,” I said through a yawn. “This place kind of reminds me of home. Back in the other realm, I mean. I miss the sandy beaches.”

  “I figured it would,” he said quietly as he looked over at me. His eyes were soft under the moon’s light. He looked away. “You really do need your rest though. The more confident Zordon gets, the harder it will be to stop him. And now he knows we are on to him. I wouldn’t doubt it if he strings the Sirens against us.”

  I shivered as I looked to the stars for guidance. I had read a little about Sirens in Astral’s books, and I had learned a bit in the other realm. I always thought they were women who sang to lure men away from their ships, but that was not the case here. Here, Sirens were a band of women that inhabited forests, similar to the Amazons of Greek mythology. They liked to hide in trees and attack men and women who couldn’t see them. They sang with their glorious voices to lull their victims into a state of vegetation, and then they feasted on them while they were still alive.

  “How are we going to get by the Sirens?” I asked, praying that Zane had an idea. I certainly did not.

  “That’s what I’ve been thinking about. It definitely won’t be easy. When you are in close range of their voices, you are basically dead already. I think if we can magically plug our ears somehow, then we can get in and out without being lulled.” The shavings of his stick were creating a pile as the wood began to take shape. Zane was carving my dragon form.


  “That’s a good idea to start with. But then what? I’m sure Zordon has already thought of that. How do we keep him from taking the Stella?” I picked up a handful of the shavings, letting them fall back to the ground like snow.

  “The only way is to defeat him. We will need a lot of luck on our side,” he added grimly as he carved intricate scales into the figurine.

  “Humph. Like that’s going to happen,” I said sarcastically. “So far we’ve accomplished nothing. Lexi’s dead. Fenn’s missing. The realms are falling apart as we speak, and my family is more at risk than ever. The Fates made a huge mistake in thinking I could save them.” I slumped over, pinching my eyes in agitation.

  He stopped carving and looked up at me. “Aurora, listen, I know it seems out of reach right now, even hopeless, but you have to believe in yourself. You’re only dwelling on the negative. What about the fact that you made it back to our realm despite Zordon’s efforts to keep you away? You are still alive, and he’s tried to kill you on multiple occasions. You saved my mother and both of my brothers. You didn’t even know anything about any of this until very recently, and you are taking these huge responsibilities by the reins and trying your hardest.” He paused, letting the words soak in. “You’re not giving yourself enough credit. If only you could see yourself through my eyes.” He looked away and went back to carving the scales.

  My stomach fluttered at that last statement. “Thanks, Zane,” I said awkwardly as I stood. “That’s really helpful. I think I’m going to try and sleep now.” He was so sweet, and it pained me that I couldn’t give him what he wanted. I lay back down and closed my eyes, letting the Sirens’ voices carry me away into sleep.

  Nightmares of blood-stained women eating flesh filled my dreams, and I woke in a pool of sweat. Zane slept next to me, and Zhax sat outside the tent. I was shocked that Zane didn’t wake me to keep an eye on Zhax. I sat up and then lay back down the minute I heard it—Zordon’s voice. Zhax was talking into something. I nudged Zane with my foot trying to wake him, but he was out like a light.

  “Yes, Father, I know. I’ve done everything you’ve asked,” Zhax whined. His back was to me so I couldn’t see what he was using. I knew Zordon wasn’t here because his presence wasn’t that strong, but his voice slithered around me.

  “Why are you camped out by the gardens? I won’t have that girl stopping me from obtaining this. If you fail me on this, I will gut your mother,” Zordon threatened.

  “No, please,” Zhax pleaded. “I’ll make sure the Sirens get both of them as long as you keep Mother alive.”

  Zordon began laughing, his cruel voice adding, “And you don’t care what happens to your new-found brother?”

  “No,” Zhax seethed. “He’s no brother of mine, protecting that mutation of a girl. Are you sure I can’t just kill her and be done with it?”

  “And run the risk of you failing at that too? Absolutely not!”

  I squeezed my blankets as tightly as I could, trying to refrain from killing him that instant. The scales were itching to emerge. Zane stirred next to me so I nudged him again. When his eyes flared open, I silenced him with my eyes, pointing to Zhax’s back and then to my ear, indicating that he should listen.

  “Well then, it is settled. I will enter the gardens when the sun reaches mid-day once you have given me the signal. I want you to lure them in at the same time. I want to see her face as the Sirens devour her and my traitor son.”

  “And what about you? How will you manage to get past the Sirens?” Zhax whispered. He quickly looked back over his shoulder, his eyes squinting to see through the veiled darkness of the tent. My eyes instantly sealed shut. Did he notice?

  “They will be too busy indulging gluttony with their hearty feast to notice me. The rest you need not worry about, my son.” With that his voice was gone, and Zhax peered once again over his shoulder. My eyes were half-cracked. I rolled over with a fake yawn and pulled the blanket up over my face. I heard him shuffle around inside the tent and then leave again, sloshing through the sand.

  Carefully, I peeked over the edge of my covers, the heat from my breath beginning to suffocate me. I could see Zhax hunched over the fire, his back to us. My eyes darted to Zane, my mouth hanging open in shock.

  “Told you,” he mouthed firmly while lightly shaking his head. Fumes of anger radiated around him. He was right all along. He stared at me for an uncomfortably long time and then raised his eyebrows as if to ask what next.

  I rolled my eyes and glared back at him, then pursed my lips with a slight shrug, exhaling heavily. I didn’t know if we should go along with Zhax’s plan or just attack him now. Attacking him now might alert Zordon and jeopardize our safety. I wished I knew what the “signal” was.

  “We wait,” I mouthed back at him. He nodded in agreement.

  There was no more sleeping for either of us as we waited impatiently for dawn to rise. We both pretended to be asleep so Zhax wouldn’t think we knew what was going on.

  I knew I’d have to find a way to speak to Zane alone before we headed to the oasis. We had to agree on a plan. I already felt defeated.

  When the sun finally began to rise, I sat up and stretched, pretending to rub sleep from my eyes. The temperature was steadily climbing. Winter didn’t touch this area.

  Zane sat up shortly after and left the tent first. “Aurora and I are going to grab something to eat. Wait here?” Zane asked.

  “Why can’t we all go? Why do you two have to go together?”

  I stepped out of the tent. “I need some personal things, and Zane is excellent at catching breakfast. We’ll only be gone for a minute,” I said easily, playing a nonchalant role surprisingly well.

  “I don’t think we should split up. Zordon could be here any minute. We need Aurora to stay here in case she senses him,” Zhax said to Zane, irritated.

  Zane put his hands on Zhax’s shoulders. “That’s not for you to decide, now is it? Be a good brother and hang tight. We will be right back.” Zhax’s eyes flashed with suspicion as he looked between us. Then Zane turned to me and said, “Shall we?”

  I smiled uneasily as he opened a port and we stepped through. Back in the Biblium, things were coming along quickly. It was almost like it had never been torched by Zordon’s rage. Alister was right there behind us, spraying our port trail with his magical mist. “He’s going to suspect us,” I said at once.

  “Does it matter at this point? It’s crucial that we come up with a plan, and we need to be alone in order to do that.”

  “We need Zhax to at least signal Zordon so he doesn’t suspect anything,” I thought out loud.

  “Signal for what, young Progeny?” Alister asked me.

  “The oasis where the Stella is, that’s the piece of the sun Zordon is after,” I explained. “We just discovered that Zhax is supposed to lure us into the oasis to be devoured by Sirens. We are trying to formulate a plan to avoid being killed by the Sirens and to catch Zordon at the same time.”

  “Well, why didn’t you say something? I know everything there is to know about anything,” Alister squawked out.

  “We are fully aware of that. Do you happen to know how to not be devoured by Sirens?” Zane asked.

  “Actually, I do,” he said, gripping the monocle on his eye. Zane and I both looked at each other and smiled.

  Chapter 26

  Taking One for the Team

  WE HAD FORMULATED OUR PLAN. Although I wasn’t thrilled with it, I knew it had to be done. We would have to help Zordon in order for us to make it back to Fenn and Gwenevere. If we stopped him, kept him from getting what he wanted, then we wouldn’t have a way to figure out where he was keeping them.

  I knew this was wrong, that I shouldn’t put Fenn before the greater good, but I also knew that I couldn’t do any of this without him by my side. I couldn’t walk this road alone. I
had to save him.

  When we ported back, Zhax had gotten rid of the tent and was pacing back and forth at the foot of the dune. “What took you guys so long?” he asked angrily.

  “Huh?” I said, rubbing my ears to try and hear him better. The spell Alister had given us would help dim the sound of the Siren’s voices so we could focus on our plan, but it muted our hearing entirely.

  “I said, what took you so long?” he replied annoyed, giving me an odd look.

  “Alister needed help with something,” I answered quickly with a fake smile. Thank god for lip reading.

  “Whatever,” he brushed off, shaking his head. “It’s almost mid-day. Do you feel him?”

  I closed my eyes. It was the same distant tug. “No.”

  “Why are you shouting?” he asked me, staring at me as if I were diseased.

  “Here,” Zane said, shoving a loaf of bread and a couple of hard-boiled eggs into Zhax’s hands, “eat this and hush.” Zhax glared at Zane as he sat down and began to work on his wooden figurine.

  “This is your excellent catch?” he asked, unimpressed. Zane grimaced. “Do you even know how we’re going to do this?” Zhax asked with a mouthful of bread, still watching Zane whittle away at his figurine.

  So he’s playing dumb?

  “Do you?” Zane countered blankly, never looking up.

  “Actually,” he replied, then swallowed, “I was thinking about it last night. I do have a plan.”

  Here we go, I thought.

  “Humor me,” Zane said, mirroring my thoughts.

  “Well, as soon as Aurora feels Zordon, we can head towards the oasis under these.” He picked something up from the sand. One second it wasn’t there and the next it was. A piece of cloth that looked exactly like the sand. “They won’t see us under these. They’re enchanted with chameleon essence.”