From the Embers (The Born in Flames Trilogy) (8 page)

“If we succeed, you will be returned to the Hall as a Fate. As you have wished. I will continue to question my sister in the meantime. I know she knows the way. In due time, she will reach out to the Progeny. That will be our moment.”

He paused for a second, fiddling with his fingers. His eyes fell to his hands.

“I know that you have felt I abandoned you, but you must understand, my son, this was all a part of your lesson. When you successfully kill Searamin and obtain the Stone, only then will you be a rightful Fate. Only then will you bring Gidius’ magic back to me.”

His demeanor suddenly shifted. He dropped his hands to his sides and stared back into the spectol.

“As to your question about the Progeny’s appearances, it is happening because she has her Oraculus. Once you obtain yours, she will no longer be able to do so. If I could give it to you, I would, but my brothers are watching me. Stay strong, my son.”

The spectol closed. Astral refused to look at me. Without hesitation, he grabbed the other spectol, and turned the dial. Saeth appeared before me again.

“My attempts at breaking down Iliana have yet again failed. She refuses to speak.” His words were rushed this time, distraught. His head turned to the left and then back towards the spectol. “Arcadia believes the only way to break the bond tying you to Aurora is for one of you to spill your own blood. But if that were to happen, you would both die.” His fists clenched at his sides. “He believes this is what Iliana intended all along—for you both to die at the same time,” he spat.

He stopped talking, his body seeming to vibrate in rage. He shook his head and paced a couple of steps, and then stopped, looking back at the spectol. “Whatever you do, do not let what I just said leak. I fear the Progeny will attempt it should she ever hear that this is the way.”  

And then he disappeared.

Even though the spectol was now closed and we were back in the safe haven of the Orient Lyceum, the world was shifting uncontrollably beneath me. It broke away, piece by piece, leaving me falling without a hope to latch on to.

It all made sense now. Like Fenn, I didn’t want to think about Zordon, about being bound to him. But there was nowhere else to hide. No more time for me to waste avoiding the inevitable truth. Not when it was thrown in my face.

I vacantly glanced around at everyone who sat in silence, trying to absorb the information that had just been delivered. My eyes caught Astral’s.

“He had his father on his side the whole time, helping him, telling him things, pushing him in the right direction while I was shielded from it all. You wanted me to remain ignorant. For what?”
My thoughts were bitter and directed towards Astral.

“Aurora—”

“We are physically bound, Astral. That much he already knew from his father and I learned when Eve stabbed me in the back. And you knew this whole time, didn’t you? You knew it would come to this. That night in the Hall, I was told there was another way by both you and Iliana, but there isn’t, is there? Only an act of suicide. Of sacrifice?”

I was so upset, I didn’t know if my words were still in my mind or spilling from my mouth. “It would be so easy to end this. A simple slit of my wrists. A knife to the heart. This could all be over. Everyone could pick up the pieces, try and have a normal life. No more suffering, no more talk of war. Everyone would be safe from Zordon’s wrath.”

My chest was heaving up and down, my thoughts reaching for the worst. Astral stood up and sent his pillow flying through the paper window. Harsh light spilled into the room, dust flittering around us.

“I refuse to believe that this is the only way. I refuse to believe you must die. That is why I haven’t told you everything, because I don’t want you to give in so easily. To give up.” His head hung, his words growing quiet. “That’s why I sent you to the other side. Why I prayed you wouldn’t return.” 

The room grew silent.

I was a boiling mess of conflicted emotions. I wanted to hide myself away and cry until there was nothing left of me. Until this was all over. But I knew that wasn’t possible. That wasn’t the answer.

I tried to swallow, but couldn’t because of the lump in my throat. It grew in size with every new emotion passing through me. Bitterness bubbled up from the darkness in my soul, pulling and tugging on my sanity. It gave me just enough strength to shut out all of the rest.

I settled my gaze on Astral and said, “Even if I chose to take my own life, it has never been for you to decide. It has never been for anyone but myself to decide, Fates be damned.”

His large chest heaved up and down under his robe, his eyes brightly glowing.

My lips trembled. “Don’t you get it? As much as you want to, you can’t prevent this. None of you can,” I added, looking around the room.

“Bull shit,” Fenn yelled, yanking his hand from mine. “Rory, you promised me we would be in this together. Killing yourself? What kind of a choice is that? How selfish can you be?” The hurt in his voice sent a guilty pang through my gut.

I desperately reached for his hand. “And I still mean it, Fenn. We will try everything. I swear. Saeth said that Iliana knows more about it. We just have to wait for her to tell me.” I took a deep breath, shutting my eyes, and finished, “But if it comes down to it…and she was lying about there being another way…then I will do whatever I have to do to end Zordon. Selfish or not, it will be my choice, and I will make it if it means protecting the ones I love.”

“She may never be able to reach you, Aurora,” Lexi said evenly from the other end of the room. Everyone turned to look at her. “She is locked up with the other brothers, including Saeth. She may not be able to contact you from her prison.”

Astral slammed his fists onto the table, sending a clean break through the middle. “We will not discuss this anymore. There is another way. We will find it.”

“These are facts we have to consider,” Lexi said diplomatically. “Iliana is the only one who knows the other way. If she can’t contact Aurora—”

“I don’t want to hear another word!” Astral shouted, spittle forming at the sides of his mouth.

“If you would only just liste—”

I stood up, ignoring Fenn’s attempts to pull me back down to his side, ready to end this. “This is my destiny, Astral,” I said as firm as I could muster. “It’s time for you to back off.”

If words could slap, then he was struck hard.

“If you aren’t going to share what you know, then you cannot be a part of this. There is no time for secrets. There is no time for trying to protect me. Too many people are dying and I will not hide behind your skirts any longer. I am the Progeny. It’s time you start seeing me as that.”

I had to say it, to get it off my chest. Someone was going to die; no amount of denial would change that. I just hoped I could find a way to undo the bond so it didn’t have to be the both of us.

Astral stormed out of the room. After snatching up the enchanted spectol, I excused myself and ran after him.

“Astral!” I called down the hall, shoving the spectol into my pocket. Fenn came up behind me, resting a supportive hand on my back. At least he was trying to understand. “Astral!” I called again, this time my voice full of anger.

He finally stopped but did not turn around or come towards me. I ran to him and stood facing his back. “You cannot die,” he said, more as a plea than a statement. “You are under my protection.” He slowly turned around to face me, a giant glowing tear now falling down his face. “You are like a daughter to me.”

I took his large hand in mine and said, “I will try to find a way.”

“What do you think I have spent all this time doing? Why do you think I sent you to Alister after I was put into the Inferno? To help guide you in the right direction. It’s impossible. Without Iliana’s guidance, you cannot break the bond.” The defeat in his voice sliced through me.

“We must have missed something. We will go back…tomorrow…maybe you missed something,” Fenn said fiercely, his grip holding tightly around the hem of my shirt.

Astral snorted. “Go ahead and try. Zordon has Iliana and Na’shir. If he convinces Na’shir to join him…well…”

My eyes dropped to my feet. “I don’t understand. If Iliana knows how we can undo this, then why hasn’t she told us? Why would she let us go through this?” I asked, feeling sick.

Astral leveled his gaze. “There are rules, Aurora. Rules that even The Fates cannot escape. Why do you think they sit back and let such things happen?”

“What do you mean?” Fenn asked.

“Every time they meddle, they lose a little of their power. They cannot interfere in the decisions of mortals. Every time Iliana helped Aurora, she grew weaker.”

But Saeth and Zordon?
It took me a second to put it together. “Zordon isn’t a mortal. Saeth did what Gidius did not. He created an immortal, someone he
could
interfere with. Someone he could use to end the age of The Fates, leaving him as the only god. Zordon was intended to be a pawn…just like me…only he figured it out and took out his revenge on his father instead.”

Astral slouched over even further.

“Just give us a day. If we don’t find a solution, we’ll work on another plan. Okay?” Fenn used his most persuasive voice.

Astral nodded blindly, slumping off toward his room. He didn’t try to fight us or help us.

“This is getting worse by the second,” I said as soon as he was gone. “What do we need a day for when there really isn’t anything to plan? There is no way we can go to the Hall, not with Zordon in charge. The only answer lies with Iliana…and she can’t be summoned.”

“We have to stay positive, Rory. I’m sure Iliana will help. I know she will.”

“Aurora,” Kaede called from the door of the advisory room. Had he been listening that whole time? As we walked back down the hall to him, he stepped aside to let us through. “I may have a solution for you in the meantime…if you are up for it,” he said as we quietly found a seat near Zane and Lexi.

“At this point, I’m up for anything that will send us in the right direction.” I decided not to mention how lost I felt.

“In two days time, we are going ahead with the attack on Pyre Island. The only thing is,” he paused, “we need more allies. We need you to go to your grandparents at the Nymph Lyceum and ensure that the Nymphs will join us. The more we have in this battle, the better our chances, and I believe that if they see you, you will instill the same hope we now feel.”

He watched me closely, waiting for my reaction.

“Of course,” I agreed, wondering if he really meant what he said after everything I heard him say this morning.

“I have something to add,” Soothe said from his lazy perch against the wall. He leaned in and set his tea down, then flashed a fake grin in Kaede’s direction.

Kaede rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Enlighten me,” I said sarcastically.

His face turned serious. “While you are there, you will need to speak with their Seer.”

“Why?” I asked.

He shook his head and made a clicking noise with his tongue, advising me to go no further. I huffed.

“Then it is settled. You will leave at dusk,” Kaede informed, standing to signal the end of the meeting.

“At dusk,” I said with a nod, and then walked past him and out of the room. There was one person I needed to see before dusk came.

Chapter 6

Clearing the Air

I WAS HALFWAY DOWN THE steps of the Lyceum when Fenn called out, “Rory, wait up.” We stood underneath rolling dark gray clouds because there was no sun—just a constant reminder that Zordon was still out there and in charge.

I stopped and waited for him amidst the Mages who were in the sand gardens, weaving and raking circular patterns that symbolized the elements. They were having trouble keeping the patterns with the hounding winds.

“Where you headed?”

“I have to speak to my father,” I said when he caught up. I continued through the garden, pulling my hair up into a ponytail to keep it from blowing in my face. “I need to know that he will be okay before I leave here.”

“You want me to go with you?”

I smiled, fully aware of how lucky I was to have him. “No.”

He stopped walking. “I’ll wait inside then,” he said, kissing my forehead. He turned and headed back up the stairs.

I made my way past the fountain and statues to where Myrdinn was staying in the Pavilion on the other side of the island. Secluded from everyone.

My hands started to sweat as I entered the Pavilion and knocked against his door. I took in a huge breath, trying to steady my heartbeat.

There was a long moment of silence. My stomach quivered slightly.
What if he doesn’t want to see me?
He has done everything to avoid me since my return. Unwanted mist formed in my eyes.
What if he blamed me for my mother’s death?

“Aurora?” Myrdinn said from behind me.

I spun around.

“Is everything okay?” His head was tilted to the side.

Traitorous tears slid down my cheeks. There was so much I had been holding back, so many emotions just waiting for the one tick that would send me over the edge. “Do you hate me?” I choked out. It wasn’t what I had planned on saying.

He held his arms open, and I fell into them, hugging him tightly. “Fates, no. You are my little girl,” he said into my hair, rubbing the back of my head soothingly.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” I stated, trying to stop myself from crying, but the flood gates had opened. There was so much guilt and pain and fear that I had been avoiding. He was a safe place to release it all. A place where there was no judgment, just love and understanding.

“No, I haven’t. I just didn’t want you to see me like this. I’ve needed time to collect myself. I lost your mother and I…I thought I had lost you too.”

My heart clenched tight. “I’m so sorry, dad. It’s all my fault.” I felt like I could break in half right there. This was the first time I had really let myself feel the loss of my mother.

He stopped me just before a sob broke loose, his hands bracing my shoulders. “It’s not your fault, Aurora. You have to stop blaming yourself. Your mother knew there would be risks involved when we decided to have you. We knew there would be a price.”

“You knew?” I asked in a whisper.

He reached around me and opened the door to his room. “Come inside,” he said, extending his arm for me to go first.

I walked past him and sat down on a pillow that rested near the front window.

He shut the door behind him and walked into the kitchen that was off to the right. He was wearing leather pants and a large white shirt, something I had never seen him in before. He always wore robes. Stubble shadowed the sides of his thinned face and dark circles rested under his eyes.

“Are you thirsty?” he asked from the sink. He set a pot on the stove and turned it on for tea.

“No,” I replied, inspecting the room. There wasn’t much to it. A small mat sat in the middle where disheveled sheets lay next to another sitting pillow. Books littered the floor. I picked one up near the lantern next to me.

“Necromancy: A Beginner’s Guide to Learning Dark Magic,” I read to myself. Why would he have this?

“I haven’t taken time to make myself at home,” he said, catching me off guard.

I dropped the book as quickly as I had picked it up.

He looked at me and then at the book. “It’s not what you think,” he said, his eyes wide.

“I wasn’t thinking anything,” I lied.

He sat down on the pillow across from me and placed his cup of tea down next to him, carefully folding his hands across his lap. “I just wanted to know,” he said softly.

“Know what?”

“If there was a way.” He kept his eyes off to the side instead of on me.

I waited to see if he would finish what he was saying, but nothing came. “A way for what?” I probed, careful not to sound too pushy.

His eyes met mine. “To bring your mother back.”

“Dad—”

His hand shot up. “Before you say anything, you need to know that I wouldn’t have gone through with it. Your mother would have killed me. But I had to see. I had to know if it was possible.”

“And…”

His head hung, shoulders slouched. “It’s not. At least not for a dragon.”

I couldn’t help the sigh of relief that whooshed out of me.

“I feel so lost,” he admitted, plunging a hand through his frazzled hair.

“Me too.” Truth was, I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t have any words of wisdom to take away the hurt that he was feeling. I had nothing to give that would soothe his constant ache.

He looked away from me, past anything that was in front of us. “This place will never be my home. I don’t have a home anymore.” His words were distant and tore at my heart.

“Dad,” I said, but he looked back at me and smiled sadly, stopping me from saying anything.

“You are leaving?” He changed subjects, still smiling.

I nodded.

“Then I suppose now would be the best time to explain everything. That is the one regret your mother always had, never being able to tell you everything.” He scooted forward on his pillow. “There have been so many secrets, so many things held back from you, all because we wanted to protect you. But after losing you and your mother, I have come to realize that secrets don’t always help, no matter how white they are.”

I scooted forward.

“Before all of this, before your mother and before Zordon’s reign, this land was peaceful. The world was ours for the taking. I was a young Mage with much potential, training alongside Zordon under Liege Lev’s command. He was a great man.”

My heart nearly stopped at the mention of Lev, and the memories of Zordon’s crystal ball came crashing back down on me. The crystal ball he had trapped Lev in. The one he kept on the mantle in his room.

“Dad—”

He held his hand up to stop me. “Those were the most peaceful years in the realm. All four Lieges were in allegiance and on the path of discovery. That is, until Lev abandoned us.”

“Dad, he—”

“Shortly after the rise of Zordon, we all fell under a dark cloud, allowing him to twist our thoughts into thinking that our race was the only race worth fighting for. Of course this drew a rift in between the Magium, separating the races as they are now. And one fateful day, I was given the task to decipher a prophecy about a Progeny who would change the times as we knew them. I didn’t know then that I would be deciphering the prophecy about my own daughter.

“Meeting your mother was no accident. As you may have guessed, we were pushed together by the hand of a Fate. By Iliana. We knew, even then, what we were getting ourselves into, but it didn’t matter. I loved your mother and she loved me, no matter how different and incompatible we were.”

“So Iliana helped bring you two together?” I was beginning to see just how far her hand played in my fate. She was responsible for it all.

He nodded and continued. “My magic alone could never have shifted your mother into a human. It was a gift from Iliana. She told us the strength of our love would enable us to conceive a child if we were willing to accept any sacrifices that came with it. She said the child we would conceive would be the beginning of a New Dawn. She would be the Progeny.”

He reached his hand out, waiting for mine. When I placed my hand in his, he squeezed it, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

“We’ve known all along that this would never be easy. We knew we would have to give you up the minute Saeth caught wind of it, we just didn’t know that that would not be the only sacrifice.”

I waited until I knew he was done speaking and said, “I don’t think Lev abandoned his people.” The air fell eerily quiet between us.

“Come again?”

“Before I came back to this realm, one of the times I crossed over through the Oraculus, I was in Zordon’s bedroom. He held what looked like a crystal ball and talked to it. He said the name Lev and that if anyone knew he hadn’t abandoned them, there would be uproar. I never thought to say anything about it before with everything else happening.”

He placed his hands on my forearms. “You mean to tell me that Lev is alive and held captive?”

“I think so.”

He jumped up, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “This is excellent news. If we could free him, everything could be restored. We could go back—”

“Dad,” I said, stopping him. “We can’t go back. I have to kill Zordon whether we return Lev to his throne or not. You know that.”

His face fell flat as he plopped back down on his mat, his hope now a fleeting memory.

“I am going to Nymph Island to see Darian and Naveena. You should come with me,” I said earnestly, hoping to bring back some happiness. “Maybe they could help us try to rescue him in the meantime?”

He released my hand, wiping the tears from his eyes. “I can’t.” He avoided my eyes, his lips turning south. “I just can’t right now.”

There was a short moment of silence before I said, “I understand.”

He smiled and then picked up his cup, finishing off his tea. “I love you, Little Flame. As did your mother. Always remember that, okay?” He stood and offered me his hand.

I nodded, afraid to speak.

I HUNG AROUND MYRDINN’S PLACE for a while, cherishing every last moment I had with him. We talked a little but mostly about nothing important.

He asked me about Fenn and the wedding and said that he was pleased that I was marrying him. I never really doubted it, but I felt happy to have his blessing. When I left his house, only hours away from dusk, I hugged him tighter than ever before, knowing that it would be a long while before I would see him again. This was my journey to walk. One that I had to walk without him.

I found Fenn with Lexi and Zane, training outside the Lyceum. Zane was the first to look my way, which in turn led him to being jabbed in the ribs with a staff by Fenn. Fenn laughed and then followed Zane’s gaze.

“Hey,” I said quietly.

Fenn dropped his staff and reached out for me. “Everything go okay?”

“We talked,” I answered honestly with a shrug.

“Talking is good,” Lexi said, getting up from the grass. I had to do a double take from the kind tone in her voice. Maybe the ice around her heart was finally thawing.

“He’s so lost,” I admitted, feeling almost numb. I knew I looked a mess in front of them. My eyes felt swollen and burned.

“It will get better, he just needs time to grieve,” Fenn consoled, pulling me into a hug.

“At least he cares,” Zane said bitterly. “Our father never did.” Zane placed his staff back on the wooden rack and then walked past us.

“What’s wrong with him?” I asked, my eyes following his steps from over Fenn’s shoulder.

“He’s just being moody,” Fenn muttered, watching his brother walk over to the fountain where he plopped down.

“You know why,” Lexi threw in, tilting her eyes in Fenn’s direction.

“Don’t,” he warned.

Her hands went up. “I’m just saying.” She picked Fenn’s staff up and put it on the rack, then walked over to where Zane sat, putting her arm around his shoulder.

“They’ve warmed up to each other,” I noted.

“Finally,” Fenn said in agreement. “We had a family meeting while you were with your dad. I figured it would be a good time to clear the air, especially considering the fact that we are about to leave. We all need to be on the same page.”

“You think I should talk to Zane?” I felt him tense up. “I know, Fenn, but really, I should be on the same page with him too. He needs to be able to let go.”

“I don’t understand it. He knows he doesn’t stand a chance with you.” He sounded possessive, and his knuckles clenched into knots.