Embracing the Flames (31 page)

“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.”

“And however did you manage to get those, dear brother?”

“I, umm…” he stuttered, “I had them,” he said, ripping off another piece of bread and shoving it into his mouth. “I took them when I took the essence.”

“Almost like you knew you would need them, right?” Zane implied suspiciously.

Zhax shifted uncomfortably. “I grabbed a lot of different things that I thought might be helpful.”

“Just leave it be,” I said under my breath to Zane, giving him the shut-up eyes. I looked at Zhax and tried to level out my voice as I spoke. “At least we’ll have what we need. Will they cover our tracks as well?”

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Zhax replied, “No. We will have to come up with a way to hide our footsteps.”

“We could port around to where we need to go,” Zane suggested. My eyes grew wide as I looked at him, hoping he could read my expression. Porting was not a good idea. It would only give Zhax an open opportunity to split up from us. Zane looked at me, and his smile quivered as he continued, “I’ll open each port and we will all jump together.” Satisfaction lit up the corners of his mouth.

I shrugged.

“That’s settled then,” Zhax said, annoyed. He pointed his finger at us. “You two love birds have been gawking at each other all morning. I don’t think Fenn would like that too much.” He shook his head.

I started to argue with him but then thought,
why do I need to explain myself to him? He’s trying to kill us anyway.

“Come on,” Zane said, interrupting my thoughts, “we don’t know how much time we have before you feel him.”

I nodded.

A little over an hour later, Zhax left us to “relieve himself.” The sun was high in the sky, and shortly after, that icky dark feeling crept in. Zordon was here. Zhax must have signaled him.

“Ready?” Zhax asked eagerly as he came back over the hill, with his shirt in his hands. He rung it out and put it back on.

“As I’ll ever be,” I replied hesitantly, deciding not to question how he knew that it was time. A tingling anxiety plagued my legs and my stomach. My body couldn’t decide if it wanted to run in circles or throw up. Our plan had to go smoothly, down to the last detail, or we might never find Fenn and Eve.

Zhax gave Zane his cloak. I decided to use my reflection ability instead, trusting only myself. After we all camouflaged, Zane opened a portal. We linked hands and jumped through, landing right at the edge of the oasis.

Lush, green palm trees canopied over the hidden source of water, about a yard away. The temperature dropped a few degrees as we entered the formidable shade.

It was painstakingly quiet, like we were being watched. The birds weren’t even chirping. Zhax was the first to remove his cloak. He neatly folded it up and held it to his chest, scanning the area for any Sirens. When he came back around, his eyes scrunched in an effort to find us.

I contemplated staying reflective. It was a great way for Zane and me to disappear, leaving Zhax behind to deal with the mess. But it wasn’t what we had agreed to; it wasn’t part of the plan. Zane removed his cloak so I followed suit.

“What now?” Zane prompted Zhax as he moved closer to me.

“Let’s find a good spot by the pond and wait,” Zhax said.

“Okay. Let’s go then,” Zane agreed as he laced his fingers through mine and pulled me forward. I was too nervous to worry about his hand tugging mine.

This was the scary part. We weren’t able to cover our tracks here. The sun peeked through the giant palms as we stepped in and out of rays of light. The silence was deafening. When we neared the hidden water, Zhax motioned for us to camouflage. For a brief moment, I thought we would be fine. But when Zane let out a gut-wrenching yell, that smidgen of hope quickly disappeared.

“Zane!” I shouted as his hand was yanked from mine. We had failed to prepare for booby-traps. Zane had stepped into a foothold trap. The sound of the metal ripping into his flesh was horrifying. A net closed around him, pulling him upward, and the chain that anchored the foothold ripped from the earth. His cloak had fallen as he writhed inside the net.

My scales formed, and I spread my wings, leaping to where he was. “I’ll get you down,” I promised as the heat lit my fingertips. But I was too slow.

A loud, beautiful scream broke my concentration. It was the most alluring sound I had ever heard. I glanced down at Zhax who was unfazed by the voice. He was watching me, hatred burning in his eyes and betrayal lacing his cruel smile as he took off in a sprint towards the pond.

“Aurora, cut me down,” Zane said calmly, reaching out of the net for my arm. I shook my head to shake the muted voice of the Siren, and concentrated once again on the heat. The Siren must have been watching because a spear blew past me a second later, barely missing my side. I turned just in time to catch another spear, the tip nicking my shoulder. Pain seared the area as my skin bubbled from the poison that laced the tip of the arrowhead.

Her voice picked up, the notes rising and falling in a bewitching harmony as she jumped from treetop to treetop. I could make out her figure now, but her voice was weakening my mind. One second she was angelic and lovely, and the next she was deformed and ugly. “Aurora,” Zane called again.

I turned back to him. He was already working magic on the rope, but his spells did nothing.
Enchantments
. I glanced back down. Zhax was gone.
As expected
, I thought as I shot a flame towards the top of the net.

Zane fell to the earth before I had a chance to catch him. The fall knocked the breath from him, but he quickly doubled over, reaching for the foothold.

The Siren was beneath me now, her gnarled, bubbling mouth opening again. “Rest your eyes,” she sang to Zane. His eyes glazed over. The spell we used was quickly diminishing.

At the same time, I felt Zordon and turned to face him. He stepped from behind a jagged palm that sloped over the pond a few feet away. He was surrounded by curling, black smoke.

His cruel smile surfaced as a Siren snuck up behind him. I returned the arrogant smile, looking past his shoulder at the Siren. His smile vanished as he turned to face the luring voice. Instead of dropping to his knees, as I had seen Zane do, he pulled a mirror out from under his robe. It was Crystalline — enchanted to reflect not only your image but your voice as well. Alister had suggested we use one, but there was no time to obtain it.

The Siren was jarred to a stop, her head cocked to the side in curiosity. She moved closer to the mirror and reached out with her fingers. Her voice still echoed out of the mirror, repeating what she had just sung. Her eyes glazed over, and she dropped to her knees, spelled by her own voice. Zordon didn’t waste any time. A black ball of energy hit her face and knocked her backwards.

I turned back to Zane. The Siren’s mouth had opened un-humanly wide, showing three rows of teeth as her head tilted down to devour him. I swooped down and kicked her, sending her in Zordon’s direction. She screamed in a lulling tone, but I focused on Zane, tuning her out. “Aperium,” I commanded, sending my energy into the trap that still held his foot. It opened, and relief immediately brimmed his eyes. His foot was already healing.

He smiled a thank you and then shouted, “Go!” I turned back to Zordon who was leaving the other Siren’s dead body and heading for the pond. I still hadn’t seen the Stella so I waited a moment to see what he was going to do. Zhax appeared from under the water along the surface of the pool.

“They’re right below me,” he announced excitedly. But then something changed in his face, and his complexion went from a light tan to an opaque white. “Behind you!” he shouted.

Zordon turned on a cloud of smoke just in time to see a herd of Sirens running wildly towards him. They were all singing in unison, which somehow sounded like yelling and beautiful music at the same time. Zordon fumbled with his robe to pull the mirror out. Zane hurriedly limped over to me. “This is it, Aurora. We have to follow through. We have to lose one to win one. Help Zordon.”

“I just hope it works,” I replied as I lifted Zane off the ground and dropped him into the pond. Zhax waded through the water towards him. He punched Zhax as soon as he was close enough and then grabbed his shirt and shoved him under the water. Once I was sure that Zane would be okay, I took a deep breath and went for it.

Zordon had his mirror out and was fighting Sirens off, left and right. He glanced back at Zhax and his now black eyes widened as he realized that his help was in trouble. Zane let Zhax’s limp body go, and he floated face down away from him.

For a brief second, I met Zane’s eyes and saw the sorrow that filled them. He turned from me to wade towards Zordon. It was now or never. I swooped into the crowd of Sirens and let my flames pour from me, consuming the Sirens. It went exactly as planned. Zordon saw it as an opportunity and ran for the pond. Zane was already out and walked over to me. His foot was completely healed. I watched nervously as Zordon’s shadowed form dove into the water and disappeared beneath the serene liquid.

“What if he ports under there?” I asked Zane in a brief moment of panic.

“You can’t port under water. Just be ready for him,” he instructed as we moved to the edge of the pond. All of the Sirens behind us had fallen, trying to roll out the flames that absorbed their bodies. I wasn’t worried. My flames were like tar. You couldn’t simply put them out.

“He should be up by now,” I stressed.

“Take a deep breath, Aurora. He has to catch one.” Sparkling like tiny diamonds, the water showed no signs of disturbance. Not even an air bubble.

“I’m going in,” I said as I sucked in a breath and dove, without giving Zane a chance to stop me. The water repelled against my scales as I swam forward, trying to focus. Everything was slightly blurry, but I had to keep moving.

At first everything looked normal, like any other pond, but then I noticed a light and movement to my left. A fish, only it wasn’t quite a fish, it was more like a butterfly with fins in the shape wings. My eyes scrunched, trying to make out the details of the Stella. But the more I looked, the more my eyes burned.

I followed the direction of the light until I noticed a black blur in the midst of the school of Stellas. Zordon. Swirling spheres of black energy shot past me. I kicked harder, trying to swim away from him. He shot another energy ball that surrounded the school of Stellas. He was trying to catch one.

Everything in me wanted to stop him because it would only bring him closer to what he wanted, but I saw Fenn’s face and knew I had to stick with the plan. If we let him win, he would port back to Fenn and Gwen.

Zordon’s body suddenly shot up. I pushed off the bottom of the lake and found him already sloshing through the water to the edge, opening a portal. Zane was nowhere to be seen. Damn it!

I swam to the edge and flew towards the portal just as Zordon jumped into it. When I reached the portal, Zane appeared from nowhere. His cloak. He reached out for my hand and pulled me through with him.