Embracing the Flames (29 page)

My panic continued as the scales surfaced along my skin. I wouldn’t go down without a fight. I waited…quietly, patiently, as the rustling grew closer, my fear boiling into rage. Zordon was almost here, and I was ready to pounce.

I leapt into the air, flames rushing from my mouth and fingertips. “Rory!” Fenn shouted. He ducked, but my flames caught his shoulder as he dropped and rolled.

It took me a second to register what I had done. It wasn’t Zordon I had seen, but the fear in my imagination.

“Oh, Fenn, I’m so sorry!” I apologized profusely as I dropped to the ground and rushed over to him. Gwenevere was already by his side, picking at him.

“I’m fine, Mother…see?” He showed her his shoulder, already healing. “Scared ya, huh?” He chuckled as he looked over at me. Everyone else turned their eyes to me as well.

With burning cheeks, I tucked my wings under and waited as the armor shrank back to fit my human skin. Thank god for that. “Where’s Zane?” I asked, diverting the attention away from me.

“Over here,” he said angrily.
What is he mad about?
I wondered. Then it registered as he stepped aside.

“Zhax?” I asked in shock.

Chapter 24

The First Encounter

“AURORA, GET BACK. YOU DON’T know him,” Zane urged as I strode over to where he and his brother stood. “He’s a traitor,” he spat out, standing defensively in between us, his arms crossed in anger.

“Zane, calm yourself,” Gwen reprimanded. “He’s injured because he came to help us. Surely you must remember how it feels to be viewed as a traitor when all you want to do is help?” She laid a soft hand on Zane’s arm.

“I do remember, Mother. But I also know the difference between my brother and me, and I find his story hard to believe.” He peered back over his shoulder to where Zhax lay keeled over on the ground. His gaze seethed as he finished through clenched teeth, “Zordon had to have sent him here.” His menacing eyes were full of disgust as they roamed over his brother.

Zhax shuffled uncomfortably as he clutched his right arm closely to his chest underneath his tattered and torn clothes. His face was bruised and bloodied, and his left eye was swollen shut. He stared at Gwen for a long moment, probably trying to distinguish who she really was. Although I could see her in her true form, everyone else still saw the dragon glamour. To him she would appear as Eve.

She seemed to notice this and picked at her hair, unsure of how to explain the situation. She chanted a few words and then his expression seemed to register who was before him.

“Mother?”

She nodded, smiling now.

His face changed into horror. He must feel what Zane felt the day he found out his mother had left him behind. “Brother,” Zhax desperately appealed in pain, looking away from Gwen. “I swear I am not here to harm any of you. I’ve barely made it past the guards with my life! I came to find you because I am finally free of our father’s darkness, and I want to help you stop him.”

Though his golden hair was disheveled and full of leaves and twigs, one thing remained unscathed — his voice was as smooth and light as cream.

“Oh yeah? And how is that possible? If you are caught on these grounds, the punishment is death. How is one Mage capable of getting away from a multitude of Priests that reside here?” Zane shoved Zhax farther down onto the wooded earth with his foot, hovering over him, his veins pulsing wildly. He dug his heel into his brother’s right side, and Zhax’s jaw went tight in pain.

“I swear,” Zhax pushed out in panic. “After you disappeared, our father left our home in search of certain items…items for a spell that he plans on using to overtake The Fates. The distance between us must have purged his hold on me, because as soon as I realized what he was after, I began to follow his trail in hopes of stopping him. Which has led me here,” he rushed out, his eyes full of sincerity. “I was only able to get to you because the Priests are in meditation right now. I ran into two guards but managed to immobilize one and stun the other. But the other guards will notice and will be on the hunt soon enough. We must work together. Please, listen to my plan.”

Gwen rushed over, dropping to her knees and covering Zhax in a protective nature, which made Zane remove his foot from Zhax’s chest. “Zane, please,” she begged, “I believe him. He has come home to us.”

“I should kill him right now. He’s going to hurt Aurora. Don’t you know that?” He shouted at her as his red energy pulsed around his balled-up fists. I was stuck, unsure of what was true.

I yelled “Stop!” at the same time that Zhax shouted “I can help you find him!” while shielding his face from Zane’s wrath. My gut was telling me to give him a chance, especially if he knew how to get us to Zordon.

“We should at least hear him out,” I said, cautiously eyeing Zane.

Fenn walked up behind Zane and gripped his shoulder in assurance. “She’s right, and you really need to calm down before a guard hears you. Then you will be the one who kills Aurora.” At that, Zane’s tightened shoulders slouched.

He hesitated and then said, “Just know that I’m watching you.” He turned from us and plopped onto the ground.

I turned to Zhax. “So…exactly how can you help us?”

“I know what Zordon is after. I can take you to him,” Zhax replied as he stood and dusted the leaves from his pants. Zane laughed sarcastically. Zhax looked over at him, rolled his eyes, and then looked back at me. “Do you want me to?” he asked earnestly.

“Yes, I do.” He began to smile smugly. “But,” I quickly added to kill his confidence, “I will be watching you as well. It’s strange that you show up here, of all places, and coincidentally run into us. I’m not sure it’s such a coincidence. And I’m not sure you could have escaped multiple guards on your own.”

“Yeah,” Fenn added from behind me, “how exactly did you manage that?”

“Luck and wit,” he brazenly bragged. “Liege Zordon is heading for the Temple as we speak. I managed to follow his port trail the other day when he returned to converse with Kaede. I followed him from the Swamp of Outlaws and up through the mountains until we made it here.”

“And all the while, he never once detected you following him. Convenient story,” Zane said derisively.

“I was shielded by the essence of a Wisp,” he countered.

“A Wisp?” I asked, confused.

“It’s an extremely rare magical entity,” Zane explained, “it’s a ball of floating energy that goes in and out of visibility. You can only find them near water, from which they pull their power. And you can only find them if they choose for you to see them. The only way he could have gotten the essence is either from our father or from someone in the Swamp who deals dirty.”

“I stole it from our father,” Zhax said defensively, “only because it was necessary. Look, we are wasting time here. Zordon could be inside, possibly getting the drop of Virtue he’s after. Why don’t you let me prove my allegiance to you by taking you to him?”

He had a point. I looked at Fenn. He slowly nodded and shrugged his shoulders. I didn’t trust Zhax, but I did know that he was telling the truth about Zordon being close. I could feel him. I was willing to take the chance. “Okay,” I said, “but on one condition. You stay with Zane. He will keep you from trying anything funny.”

He hesitated for a split-second before he nodded in agreement. “This way,” he directed as he shouldered past Zane into the forest.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Zane said as he turned to follow his brother.

I grabbed his arm. “I have this, remember?” I pulled the chain holding the vial from around my neck. The Harpy’s blood coated the glass a dark crimson.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” he shot back. “We are the sons of Zordon. We have immortal blood in us. That only works on mortals.” He looked regretful at this bit of information and then with a sigh, turned back towards Zhax.

“I want to believe in Zhax, but I do agree with Zane. We must remain cautious. Just please don’t take another one of my children from me,” Gwen said morosely as she followed behind Zane.

I winced. Fenn threw his arm over my shoulder and pulled me forward, squeezing me tightly. “Don’t listen to her, okay? She means well. You need to do what you believe is right. I trust you.” 

“Thanks,” I said, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

Zhax took us behind the glistening, violet-blue Temple. He had just enough of the Wisp’s essence left over to disperse between us. We all took turns drinking before the guards could detect us. It glowed neon yellow and tasted as awful as earwax.

“A total of six guards patrol the outskirts of the Temple,” Zhax said, detailing his plan. “They split off in pairs. We will wait for the next pair to go by and then run towards the Temple in a straight line. Do not speak and try to remain as quiet as possible. The essence will only last a short while so it is essential that we get in and get out. My father is using the same essence so we will be able to see him. If you see him, hit him with the immobilizing spell immediately. Aurora,” he looked at me, “you will be in charge of opening the portal to take us back to a safe haven. Do you have one?”

“The Biblium. Alister has something that erases port trails. It will keep us safe,” I mentioned confidently.

“Okay then. Everyone here knows where that is so if something happens, and we get split, plan on meeting back there. This will be our only chance with the Priests in a deep meditative trance. When the moon’s light reaches the Pool, that’s when they can harness the most power. We must keep Zordon from taking a drop. For every drop taken, a Priest dies. Obviously this will disrupt their meditation, and we will all be dead.”

I was stuck on one thing. How did Zhax know where the Biblium was? I was about to ask when Fenn whispered, “Be quiet now. The guards are coming!”

We all stopped moving, crouched behind the bushes, waiting for their footsteps to disappear.

As soon as they were gone, we took off in a sprint with Zhax in the lead and Zane right behind him. Up close, I felt like an ant compared to the size of the Temple, the stone seeming to rise up from the depths of the earth.

Fenn reached back and took my hand as we approached the entrance. A Priest stood guard on either side of the doorway, staves resting across their chests. 

“Ready?” mouthed Zhax from the front of the line.

The essence was working because the guards didn’t even flinch as we snuck through the open door and into the Temple, careful to keep our footsteps silent. The essence was good for sight but not for sound.

Inside the drafty Temple, deep stony purple walls of amethyst glistened as we tiptoed by. I wondered if the Priests had chiseled out each room and hallway inside this colossal crystal. 

Rooms to the left and right along the hall had tables with restraints hanging from them. What would they need restraints for in a Temple?

Zhax motioned with his hands to move towards a wrought iron spiral staircase up ahead and to be quiet.

A faint humming sound emanated from up the stairs, vibrating through my core. The Priests were chanting. Zhax approached the staircase and slowly peered up to make sure it was clear. 

We took the stairs two at a time, winding up and around, flight after flight. I counted twenty-one stories before Zhax finally stopped us at what appeared to be the top. He slowly inched forward, stealthily checking around the corner. Then, he waved us to the other side of the room up against the amethyst wall.

The room was barren and open with springy bamboo flooring. Jagged amethyst reached up into a point above us, enclosing the top floor.

But the Pool was not at all what I had imagined. It was an upside down tree that hung from the very tip-top center of the amethyst. The leaves were made of light, and tiny, shimmering sparkles cascaded down from it into a small still pond built into the ground.

The Priests were kneeling in a circle around the pond, heads bowed in prayer, chanting furiously. Over one hundred shiny bald heads reflected the color of their temple.

Zhax pulled us down to a crouch and began to whisper. “He hasn’t infiltrated yet so we will wait here. When we see him, it is extremely important that we immobilize him before he has a chance to pluck a leaf. If even one leaf falls, we will all be discovered.”

“Won’t they hear us?” I whispered back.

“No, not while they’re in prayer. They are in a dream-like state right now,” Zhax replied, his gaze moving from face to face.

A chilling breeze picked up, carrying an unfamiliar scent with it. I sniffed the air. It smelled like a mixture of earthy incense and electricity.

“It’s sage. That’s what the Priests burn,” Zhax answered.

Zane leaned over my shoulder. “How do you know so much, brother?” he whispered presumptuously.

Zhax stared at him for a moment too long. The kind of stare that suggests you’ve been caught and are quickly trying to think of an answer. As fast as it had appeared, it had disappeared. “I overheard father talking about it before he left,” he answered calmly. “This was a part of his plan.”

Zane silently chuckled as he shook his head in disdain. Then he looked at me, his eyes confirming that we had made a mistake in trusting him.

I shrugged back at him. At least we had made it this far. Seconds turned into minutes as we waited in silence for Zordon to appear. The Priests continued chanting, oblivious to the five of us crouching near the back of the room.

Doubt settled in. What if this was a trap?

“What were the restraints for?” I asked Gwen who was couched in between Zane and me.

Her eyes fixed on me for a moment, as if she were contemplating whether she should answer me or not. While she decided, I waited patiently, locking my gaze with hers.

“Dissection,” she finally said callously. “They experiment inside this Temple. It’s a part of their tainted use of power from The Fates. No one has ever seen what they do exactly, but it is known that the experiments are heinous and unspeakable. You would be wise to not put too much thought into this place. Pretend it never existed.” She rubbed at her arms.

I remembered what Astral had said. “Though they are wise in the ways of healing and harnessing energy, they are not to be viewed as a kindly race. They are the exact opposite.”