Born In Flames (15 page)

Like the pyramids in Egypt, it was perfectly cut. And like the pyramids of Egypt, I couldn’t begin to imagine how it was built without technology.
Pictures were chiseled all around the foursided stone. On the right side was what looked like a large dragon standing before humans bent over in worship. It seemed to be harmonious.
“What do the pictures represent?” I whispered, curious to know more and even more curious as to why I was whispering.
“There are a few different interpretations, but for dragon lovers like us, I’ll tell you what I believe.” I could feel his excitement building once again as both his hands came out to sway to the sound of his voice. He liked to use his hands while telling stories, a trait I found intriguing.
“I believe this carving represents the savior. I believe the Natives carved this image as a reminder of the vision the man spoke of to the Shaman-a reminder to pray for the realms salvation.”
Now this was something I could work with. Maybe there’s a key inside this altar. My blood began to rush.
He flipped the page over. More carvings appeared. A human stood in the center with what looked like a stone in his hand. “I believe this is the stone the Fate poured his soul into. Many will covet, but one will attain this stone. An evil that will threaten the safety of our realms. The Shaman wrote that the savior would be the only one to prevent this from happening.”
I knew it. It was all coming together.
“Hmm…something I haven’t noticed before. Look here,” he said, pointing to the left of the human with stone. “A piece of the altar is missing.” It wasn’t a large enough gap to be distinct, but he was right. It looked like someone had chipped it out.
“Maybe it is just coincidence that the altar was chipped. I mean, it is after all, a ruin. Damage does occur,” Bob noted, “but you know what would be intriguing?” he said as he scooted forward. A strange looked crossed his face, like he wasn’t sure if he should continue or not.
“What?” I coaxed.
“Well, I was just thinking, it’d be marvelous if the stone in your ring was created from the piece of stone that was chipped. I doubt it though, you can buy Lapis anywhere,” he finished, brushing aside the thought.
But it was just what I needed to hear.
“Anyway,” he said shaking the thought, “that’s that as far as the history goes.” He shut the book and sat back in his chair, staring off into the distance. I glanced back down at the ring on the table, respecting it more than I had before.
This was a good idea
, I thought as I gave Fenn a reassuring smile. I knew where I needed to go to find at least one of the keys.
Thank you, Eve, wherever you are.
“I just received this yesterday, if you can believe it. To make things even more interesting, I have no real inkling as to who gave it to me,” I admitted.
“That is interesting indeed. Are you going to look into it?” he asked, distracted.
“You know, that’s part of why we’re here today, to help me decide. What would you do?”
“That’s a silly question. I’m a historian, Aurora. What do you think I would do?” My cheeks went red as his smile grew.
But of course
, I thought with a laugh.
Fenn slid forward and stretched his arm out, swiping the ring from off the table and sliding it onto his middle finger. It fit him perfectly. He sat there for a moment as stiff as wood before he moved again. Something was off. I don’t know how I knew, but something in me stirred at his stillness.
“Do you think this ring really came from that altar?” he asked with an odd look on his face. His hand was still outstretched, eyes darting between the ring and Bob.
“It was just a theory. It’s hard to say though. I’d like to think that the Natives would have left something for the savior to find. Something that would help them in their journey,” Bob answered, completely unaware of Fenn’s strange reaction.
Maybe something like a key to return home. Maybe this ring is one of the keys. I instinctually reached out to Fenn, placing my hand on his arm in hopes that I would magically know what was going on. He flinched at my touch, moving just enough to knock my hand off.
“Is it supposed to give a tingling, buzzing feeling?” He looked over at me with a glaze to his eyes. “Rory, when you put this on, did you feel funny, like your head was dizzy?” I shook my head no, alerted by the alarm in his tone.
“What do you mean? It’s only a ring,” Bob said curiously.
“Yeah, you're right, I…I’m just being silly. Where are your restrooms?” he asked as he jumped up. He paused long enough for Bob’s quick directions before hurrying away. I wanted to follow him, to make sure he was okay, but Bob turned back to me, interrupting my departure by asking if I wanted to see his personal gem collection.
“Sure,” I managed politely, trying to hide my nervousness. I kept glancing to the doorway, waiting for Fenn to come back, but he didn’t. That worried me.
Chapter 17
The Fight
FIFTEEN MINUTES HAD PASSED WITH no sign of Fenn. I politely excused myself from Bob and his extensive collection of stones and went looking for him.
It was eerily quiet inside the main room as I walked through the maze of dimly lit bookshelves. I wasn’t too sure where he had gone so I checked each aisle of books, just to be sure. I found dust mites and pages of history, but no Fenn. I headed to the back where the restrooms were and called out his name.
“Fenn?” I asked as quietly as possible. No need to stir up Bob.
Nothing.
“Hello?” and then I heard a moan. I grabbed the antique handle to the men’s bathroom and turned it as quickly as possible, hoping that it wasn’t locked. It creaked open but then stopped midway, as if something was blocking it. I pushed a little harder, opening it enough to peek my head in. There he was, in a heap on the black and white tiled floor.
“Oh my gosh. Fenn, are you okay?” I asked, easing him out of the way so I could fully open the door. Concern burned through my belly. I had never seen him like this before. He looked completely dazed and disoriented.
“Aurora?” he muttered, trying to move to a sitting position. I stepped forward into a puddle of water rippling beneath my foot.
“Yeah, Fenn, it’s me. Should I get help?” I crouched down, helping him up and grabbed his face so I could see his eyes. He groggily blinked a few times, trying to focus on my face. After a brief moment of swaying, he steadied, his gaze intently boring into mine. I let him grab onto me to help him stand. I had never realized how heavy he was before. Or maybe I was just weak.
“I’m okay. Just got dizzy is all.” He smiled weakly and splashed cold water on his face. I hadn’t even noticed the running water that was overflowing onto the floor like a waterfall. I placed my hand on his back, running my fingers soothingly along his spine.
“What happened to you, really?” He wiped his face with a paper towel and shrugged his shoulders, shutting off the water.
“Don’t know. But if I remember, I’ll tell you all about it.” A frail smile came from him and he stepped for the door slightly off balance. “Let’s go home, okay?” I nodded and helped him walk to the front door.
Luckily Bob was already there so we could make for an easy exit. “Hey there, oh, you look sick.”
Fenn stood on his own, seeming to regain most of his strength and balance. A strange look of recognition crossed his face as he stared straight ahead. I nudged him in his side, hoping to bring him back to reality. He looked at me, his eyes full of sorrow. He was somewhere else, seeing something else. I reached out and took his hand, squeezing it. Then he shook his head, replacing the sorrow with a forced smile.
“Wha-oh, yea. We better be going now,” he said bleakly, shaking Bob’s hand again. He grabbed mine and I waved at Bob, not sure why he was tugging so hard on my arm. And what about the mess?
The frail Fenn that I had just found on the bathroom floor was gone. Here’s to a rapid healing ability.
He rushed us toward the car and got into the driver’s side, slamming the door. I hurried, not sure what his issue was. One second he’s lying on the floor, passed out, and the next he’s a raging maniac. He must’ve hit his head pretty hard.
“What’s wrong, Fenn?” I asked, grabbing his arm off the stick shift gently. I didn’t feel comfortable with him driving like this. I wanted him to talk to me first.
“Nothing, okay, just drop it,” he barked, his tone harsh and barren. He threw my hand off his and then put the car into first, peeling out onto the road.
That caught me way off guard. Fenn had never yelled at me before, and I couldn’t help the feeling of dejection that came with it. I had no idea what to do for him, but my defenses went up immediately. I felt my temper brewing, the power in me heating up.
“No, I won’t just drop it. What happened to you when you put that ring on?” I asked and then waited expectantly. Something had to have happened with the ring. People didn’t pass out in a bathroom for no reason.
He glanced over at me, his eyes hard and cold and then back at the road, the speedometer still rising. The muscles in his jaw flexed in agitation.
I crossed my arms and huffed loudly, hoping that it would be enough to get him to spill.
He looked over at me again and I raised my eyebrows impatiently, holding my own against his glare. His shoulders slumped as his cold eyes melted.
“Aurora, there’s nothing wrong okay. I-I’m tired and dizzy. I think I just need to lie down. And I haven’t eaten anything. It’s probably just the caffeine from the coffee that’s upset me.” He glanced over in my direction, his eyes now empty.
He was lying, but why? My stomach clenched in knots as I foresaw what was coming but pushed the thought to the back of my mind, knowing that things would work themselves out. He loved me in one way or another.
But I knew deep down—his time had come as well.
My shoulders slumped as well as the sick feeling rose to the top of my throat. “Okay then. As long as you feel better. That’s what’s really important. Eat and get some rest. And when you’re ready to tell me the truth, I’ll be here.” I was trying not to sound as pitiful as I felt.
“I’m sorry Rory. I…I just need some time alone okay. I need to figure some things out.” He looked straight ahead, his tone as dry as a desert but somehow edged with sorrow. I hated that I noticed all these little things in his behavior. Why couldn’t I be more naïve?
“I guess everyone’s warranted their alone time. I’m as good as gone when we get back,” I replied blankly, trying to hide the hurt.
When we arrived at the motel I let him head up the stairs to be alone. The roof needed to be tested out anyway. I liked to stargaze and watch the sunset, and now seemed like the perfect time to do just that. Since the building was only two stories there was an easily accessible ladder around back beside the dumpster. The air was tinged with dirty garbage. I hoped the roof had a fresh breeze.
I climbed the rusted ladder, wiping on my pants the yellowish-orange tinge it left on my hands. Gross. Where was my hand sanitizer when I needed it?
Taking in a deep breath and trying to exhale away all the problems in my life, I looked around the desolate rooftop. There was an air conditioning vent and some aluminum pipes, but that was about it. I scuffed the gravel with the toe of my shoe and walked over to where some plastic chairs had been placed.
Just when I thought I had Fenn all figured out, he confused me again. I hated feeling like this, not knowing what was going on inside his head. And worst of all, I didn’t want him to be in the same strange boat that I was in.
The steamy sun was past mid-day when my thoughts began falling into place. I must have sat there for hours trying to rummage through the events of the past few days. I was determined to leave the rooftop with an answer.
If I was going to try for this, I would need to somehow make it to the ruins. Assuming I would find one of the keys there, I would still need to find the other two keys. With a map that was unreadable, my odds weren’t looking too good. And time was moving quickly.
I stretched my legs out and looked up to the faint stars twinkling above me like a field of diamonds. I breathed and let everything go. Two stars shined brighter than most, the two stars that Fenn and I had claimed as our own one night on a break behind Paradise Diner. In those moments I felt the most alive and complete.
I sat straight up. Suddenly I knew what I wanted to do. I just needed to make sure Fenn was on board.
My legs ached from not moving for so long and seemed to cry out as I raced over to the ladder. My nerves were in knots, but I had to face him sometime. So we had a fight. Maybe I was just overreacting. People were allowed to be upset every now and then, and he was definitely due for it.
I unlocked the door but couldn’t find Fenn anywhere. “Hello?” I called out. I waited for a response but nothing came. I turned back around and looked out the door. The car was gone. He must have taken it back. I hadn’t even heard him leave when I was up on the roof.
I sighed and shut the front door, uncertain about what to do with myself. I thought I had given him enough time, but apparently he really wanted to be away from me. I stood there for a few moments as my stomach dropped to the floor in disappointment.
“Aurora,” he said, startling me. I was lost in my thoughts and didn’t hear him ease open the door. “Please don’t be mad at me. I was an idiot today.” Tears rushed to my eyes. In that split second, the thought he was gone hit home, stinging worse than any wasp could.
I smiled and leaned into the hand cupping my face. Fighting was so unnecessary, especially with him.
“I’m sorry too, for everything lately. I’ve come to a decision, Fenn.” I wanted to tell him everything, excitement pulsing through my veins.
“And?” he paused, anxious to hear what I was about to say.
“And I’m going to give up. I want a normal life.” It got so quiet you could hear the TV next door playing through the wall.
What if he didn’t want that?
I started to doubt.
“You sure?” he half whispered, tilting his head forward and searching my eyes.
“One hundred percent,” I answered.
He walked around me and went to the closet, reaching for something.
“Go sit on the stairs and close your eyes,” he instructed.
“Why?” I countered.
“Rory Jay, just do it, okay?”
I gave up and stepped back out into the cool night air. I took a deep breath and sat on the edge of the top step, looking again to the stars.
A moment later, he said, “Okay, open them.” I spun around and looked up to his looming figure. “I, umm, I wrote you a song.”