IGNITE (The Heir Chronicles Book 1)

by Shretima Bahadur

  "Remove the hand or you lose the hand," I say and he loosens his grip on my hands behind my back but does not removes it.

  Before I can utter another word, I see over his shoulder a glowing ball coming straight towards us.

  I immediately step in front of him and try to create a shield, just like the one I did when I was in the forest some months ago. I don't know if it was real or just my imagination, but it's the best shot of both of us surviving.

  I can feel the energy draining from me and close my eyes to increase my concentration on only one thing. Fire.

  I open my eyes and see a shield of fire formed around us and a sudden flash of light when the glowing ball meets it.

  I let go of my concentration and the shield vanishes.

  I turn around to find Adrian staring at me, mouth open and shock on his eyes.

  "Okay, you have a lot of explaining to do," he says and we both settle down on my bed. I have absolutely no idea how I m going to explain all of this to him, even though he is one of me. I myself can't make sense of what just happened and this absolutely isn't how I wanted to reveal myself to him.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of a familiar fabric. I pick it up from the ashes of the glowing ball.

  The fur of the Red Marmadox.

  CHAPTER 20

  "I really don't know where to start......" I say but stop when I relive the words Leo said.

  Don't tell anyone.

  "I . . . uh . . . I'm sorry, Adrian, I can't. I can't tell you." I can see the frustration in his eyes. "I know, I'm sorry. I just can't. Not here. Not now. Please trust me when I say that this is not the place. Especially after what happened right now. I promise I'll tell you. Just . . . not now." I notice now that I have been fidgeting with the bedspread.

  He remains silent. After what feels like an eternity, he says, "okay."

  "Can we talk about something else?" I ask. I have started to feel uncomfortable in my room so I star towards the balcony and sit down on the floor.

  Adrian also comes out here and sits opposite to me with one of his leg stretched in front of him and other bent with his hand rested on it.

  "Whoa there pretty boy? Isn't it below your dignity or something to sit on the floor?" I ask.

  "Yeah, it is. But the truth is, I really don't care. Plus, there's the fact that I don't want you to get a neck-ache. After all, you have to survive the Succession Tour," he says with a grin.

  "Well, tell me about your day. How was the party?" I ask.

  "It was a good day. Then I woke up. It was going alright, then I went to my birthday party," as he says this, his grin never falters. "Then I went to talk to my best friend. Then she won't tell me what she is hiding. Then I got attacked. Then I sat in front of her and told her about my day."

  My face is contorted by the end of his reply and I can tear him to bits, but I control myself.

  "Okay. But you too are hiding something from me."

  He raises his eyebrows.

  "Oh, don't you remember that freaky mind-reading thingy right now?"

  "Okay, I didn't really read your mind. I couldn't. I tried to. But I couldn't. I only guessed with the emotions on your face."

  "What do you mean 'tried to'?" I ask him.

  "I tried to find out about what you were hiding right now. But I couldn't. It's like . . . you have a kind of barrier around your mind." He shakes his head. "I know it sounds crazy-"

  "No it doesn't. At least not to me." I shrug and say, "You have no idea the things happening around me nowadays."

  "As a matter of fact, I can." He looks at me with his dark eyes as if they are harbouring a dangerous secret.

  "Let's change the topic. Please," I say and look at him with pleading eyes.

  __

  I take a walk round the gardens before we leave for the Succession tour.

  "Hey," A perky voice says from behind me.

  "Hi," I say, turning around to see the stranger. It is a girl. About my age. Blonde hair, pale-white skin and about an inch shorter than me. She is wearing a horse-riding suit and brown leather boots like I am.

  "Wait, I know who you are. You're . . . Lady Camille Mayner. Right?" I look at her for confirmation.

  "Yes, I am."

  I extend my hand to her and she shakes it. "I'm Fena."

  "I know." She giggles as if it were common news. "You are the one who defeated Drake and Prince Adrian. Is it true?"

  "Um, yeah. Guilty as charged." I sheepishly rub the back of my neck.

  "Hey! Fena!" Altin shouts and I turn around and see him beckoning us towards the stables.

  We are going to travel on horse-backs for today and will camp before continuing towards the Imeen Demesne.

  The Succession Court is going to visit the demesne of every noble. The first stop will be Imeen. It is famous for its handicrafts and clothing. The candidate from the house Imeen is Yashid Imeen. I haven't met him individually yet, but he seems like a nice and modest person from what I have heard.

  We both walk together to the stables while talking about our Lives. Turns out, she is also a normal girl with a label.

  "I guess I should go," she says, nudging her chin towards a man in a black suit, who I am assuming to be her secretary. He is standing next to a black stallion. Not lying, he really looks as if he can just crush you to pieces by using just his little finger.

  "Okay. Wouldn't want to keep you from your duties," I say and she walks away to her Secretary.

  I turn and make way towards my horse. It too, is a stallion, but a brown one. Its fur is softer than any other horse I have ever ridden. I reach out to stroke his fur.

  "Nice coat," a male voice comes from behind me.

  I turn to see Yashid standing there. And boy, is he tall and handsome. His dark hair falls in layers across his forehead. He has blue eyes. No, purple. Yes, definitely purple.

  "Whose?" I ask.

  "Yours, of course." He replies.

  "Oh, I thought you were referring to Brody's coat. It's very nice too, if you hadn't noticed," I say.

  "Oh, I know. But yours is a lot more beautiful." He smirks.

  "Okay, now you're wrong. My coat is the most plain of all." I roll my eyes.

  "Uh, yeah. That's why I like it." He winks at me before climbing on his horse. I too, don't waste any time and climb my own.

  "Let's go," I say and nudge my horse on his neck to move him forward.

  __

  "Okay, is everyone here?" Adrian asks and is answered by a chorus of "yes"s.

  He climbs his horse and we finally leave the royal palace.

  Adrian leads us with Altin right beside him. I, on the other hand, and riding beside Drake. We are somewhere near the rear of the group and till now, he hasn't spoken a word to me.

  "Hey," I finally say.

  "Hey," he says, without even glancing in my direction. I knew that he is not a "people" person when I first met him. I had even grown used to it, but after the other night, I thought this I would have made a small crack in the walls that he has built around himself, but I was wrong. In fact, it seems that I am even further away from cracking open his tough outer layer than ever.

  "You know, you staring won't make me talk to you," he says, his eyes still on the trail instead of the person he is taking to.

  "It's working for now." I shrug and he glares at me.

  "Okay, no, seriously boy, what is your problem?" I ask, my frustration clear in my voice.

  "My problem is you."

  "Me, I am your problem?" I ask, confused, frustrated and feeling a hundred other emotions which would take about a hundred more pages to write.

  "Yes, you. You are my problem," he says and moves forward, leaving me without an answer.

  I stare after him, my mouth wide-open.

  "What was that all about?" Camille appears beside me.

  "It was, uh, nothing," I say.

  "Didn't look like 'nothing' to me," she says.

  "Well, I said something and he flipped out. A
nd he also won't tell me what I said that made him flip out like that. Typical Drake, you know," I shrug.

  After about five minutes, she too moves forward and is replaced by Yashid.

  "Hey!" He says.

  "Hey," I say.

  He stares at me while I keep my eyes on the trail.

  "You know, you staring at me just seems creepy. And it sure as hell won't make me talk to you when I don't want to," I snap while he grins at me.

  "Well, it's working for now." He shrugs.

  I just roll my eyes.

  "Hey! Watch out!" He says and takes my horse's reins and pulls it towards himself. I am about to say something but stop when a huge rock drops down from a cliff just above us.

  "Thanks," I say breathlessly.

  "The pleasure's all mine. It's not everyday you get to save a beautiful girl." He shoots me the same wicked grin which causes me to laugh.

  "Fena? Fena? Are you okay?" Adrian arrives and inspects me from head to toe.

  "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. But I probably wouldn't be if it hadn't been Mr. Smiley Face right here who pulled me aside in the nick of time," I say and Yashid bursts out laughing.

  "Okay then, let's continue," he says and we resume out journey.

  This time, I spend most of my time conversing with Yashid.

  __

  We have finally reached our campsite and have set up our tents.

  Right now, most of the female nobles are fussing over mosquito repellents while I am here, sitting alone in front of the campfire.

  "Mind if I join?" Adrian pats me on my shoulder.

  "No, no," I say and pat the space beside me.

  "So, long day, huh?" I ask, noticing the tired look on his face.

  "You don't even have an idea." He rolls his eyes.

  Soon, every one of the noble is sitting around the fire and there is a chatter of noises around me.

  We all return back to our tents and I lie down on my sleeping bag.

  I toss and turn for hours, but sleep doesn't reach my eyes.

  Finally, I give up on sleeping and decide to take a short walk outside.

  When I go outside, I notice Adrian's tent wide open. Maybe he too had trouble sleeping. I hear a faint snoring sound from Altin's tent and laugh silently and make a mental note to tell him about it. Or maybe tease him.

  I take a step towards my east and start walking. I don't know where I am going, but I know that something important awaits me at my destination.

  I walk for about fifteen minutes before I reach the mouth of a cave. I don't know why, I enter it. Immediately, I feel as if I have some kind of connection to it. As if something that belongs to me is present here.

  As soon as I enter it, I am reminded of my vision. Then it all clicks in my mind. This cave has the golden prophecy.

  I keep on walking. A narrow stream of water runs beside me and I bend down to touch the water when I notice something on the wall.

  The sign. I move towards it. It is exactly as it was in my vision. I trace the sign and immediately the scenery around me changes and I am in the woods which I saw in my vision.

  I feel something in my hand. A sword.

  I take it out of its scabbard. It has a symbol similar to the one on my shoulder.

  It's the Sword of Fire.

  I move forward to pick up the Golden Prophecy lying in front of me. I reach out and pick it up.

  "I knew you would come." A female voice comes from behind me. I turn and see a woman standing. She looks about forty something.

  "Fena," a desperate sound comes from behind me.

  I turn and see my twin. Mirella.

  She looks pale and starved. Her face is covered in bruises. She tries to walk to me but immediately a ring of black flames forms around her.

  "Take it. Help me. Fena. You have to protect me. You have to protect your parents. Your world. Please. Don't listen to her. Save me." She is starting to choke on the smoke.

  I try to reach her but the same ring of fire surrounds me too.

  It feels horrible. I feel myself starting to choke on the smoke almost immediately.

  The flames have disappeared from around Mirella.

  The woman reaches Mirella and grips her hair. She puts a blade to her throat.

  "What are you going to do? Huh? Stop me?" She presses the tip of the knife on her throat and blood gushes out.

  "No!" I shout through all my choking.

  "You can stop it. Give it to me. Hand me the prophecy and you can take her. She'll be free." She says. I am tempted to give her the prophecy. It all would have been a lot more easier if I hadn't remembered who Mirella was. But I know. She is my sister. My best friend. I have to save her.

  "Don't give it to her. I'll be fine. Don't think about me. Go. Open your eyes. Go. Now"

  With that last word. She is gone and I am in the cave. Adrian is sitting beside me.

  I sit up and see that I have the Sword of Fire and the Golden Prophecy in my hands.

  Adrian is holding a shield in his hand. The Shield of The Heir of Time.

  I get up and so does Adrian without saying a word.

  "What are you going to do?" He asks.

  I am going to assume he knows all about me and everything going on as he has the shield and also by the way he says this.

  "Save my sister," I say and walk out the cave with a newfound determination and a mission to succeed.

  CHAPTER-21

  I walk out into the forest and a sudden gust of cold air hits me. I immediately shiver and a hand closes around my wrist.

  Adrian.

  I had completely forgotten about him through the adrenaline rush. The face of my sister still swirls in front of my eyes.

  "What were you doing out there?" Adrian says.

  "I think you know exactly what I was doing out there. And don't lie. For my sake," I spit my words, wanting to hear truth from the one person I trust now.

  My question is answered by silence, confirming my suspicions.

  "You knew, didn't you?" I ask, my words reflecting my anger.

  He avoids looking me in the eye.

  "That's what I thought." I stomp my foot and head out towards my tent.

  I have walked only about three steps when Adrian grips me by my elbow and whips me back. He catches my other hand and holds our crossed hands in between us.

  I struggle and try to get out of his grip, but to no avail.

  "Fena, stop," he says gently, angering me even more. How can this boy be so calm when I am in hysterics?

  I huff and stop struggling and look at him, unwavering.

  "I . . . I had to. I had to hide it from you," he says.

  "Why?"

  "Because that was my only option. I had to do it to protect you. Me. All others."

  "How were you protecting me by lying to me?"

  "Because I wasn't even supposed to know about it. Do you think if knowing would have been helpful for us, then why would they have erased your memories? If I would have even told you would you have even believed me?" I can feel his voice rising as the anger forms his way out of his words.

  "No," I admit and he drops my hands.

  He turns to leave but I stop him. "I'm sorry," I say, my voice barely audible, and he turns and replies, "Don't be." and heads off to his tent.

  After standing there for about ten minutes I too, move back to my tent and this time, I fall asleep just as my head falls on the pillow.

  ___

  I am woken up by some strange noises coming from outside. It's still dark outside, so I am assuming that it might be one or two in the morning.

  I get up to take a look around and find the source of the sound. I take my sword and the prophecy with me, just in case.

  I step out and walk towards the lake.

  As I approach the lake, the sounds become clearer and louder. It's like a group of people is chanting something.

  "Sanctus quod tenebris regina. Suscipe quod sacrificum quod meruimus heredis clansh."

  The same statem
ent is repeated over and over again. I decide to hide in the bushes just behind the lake to see what is happening. Just as I take the next step, someone pulls me towards them and puts their hand over my mouth.

  I squirm to get out of the person's grip. "Shh . . . It’s me, Drake. Stop moving or they'll hear you." I stop and he removes his hand from my mouth.

  "What is happening?" I mouth. I look behind myself and see that the people chanting are the nobles themselves. I recognize a few of them. Although, Yashid, Altin and Adrian are nowhere to be seen.

  He looks around himself and leads us away from there and into the cave where I found the Golden Prophecy.

  "They are under coercive persuasion."

  "Coercive what?" I ask and he slaps himself on his forehead. "Why do I forget that you haven't been trained?" He mutters to himself.

  "You do know that I can hear you, right."

  "Oh, yeah. See, coercive persuasion is a method used by the dark queen to control mortal minds and manipulate them into doing things they would never agree to do in a thousand lifetimes."

  "So, you're saying that the nobles out there," I point my finger towards the mouth of the cave. "Are actually being controlled by the psycho freak witch who wants to kill me."

  "Yes. That is exactly what I am saying."

  "What are they doing?" I ask.

  Suddenly, his expression becomes dark and he sits down on a rock. He closes his eyes for a minute and I become silent.

  As soon as he opens his eyes, he stands up and walks towards the mouth of the cave.

  "Drake, Drake," I shout from behind him and catch hold of his wrist.

  He stops and turns around. "What is happening?" I ask.

  "They are going to perform a sacrifice," he says, a light shudder going through his body.

  "What?" I ask, not sure if what I am hearing is true.

  He turns and walks out of the cave. I am still processing what I have heard just now and when my mind finally returns to the present, I hear Drake mutter, "I'm sorry." and he waves his finger in the air as if making a pattern.

  I cannot understand why he is apologizing until I try to step out of the cave. My foot gets stuck in mid-air as if there is an invisible barrier preventing me from leaving the cave. I try to put, my hand out of the cave, but it too, gets stuck in mid-air, just like my foot. I try to push against the barrier and get out, all in vain.