Embracing the Flames (33 page)

Fenn was thrown onto the cart Zane came in. I was gently laid next to him. “Anything else?” the man from the camp asked.

“No,” Zane said gruffly as he walked around to the front of the cart. He climbed on and commanded the horse to go forward. “Tell the Lord I said thanks.”

As soon as we were at a safe distance, Fenn brushed my hair from my face. I was shivering and still on the verge of being pulled by Zordon. After traveling for some time, Zane stopped and opened a portal for us to escape through.

“We need to get her back before her fever grows,” Zane urged, lifting me from the cart.

“I’m so sorry, Rory,” Fenn cried.

Then we were back at Alister’s, our safe house. I let out a sigh of relief and then the darkness took me.

Chapter 28

Facing my Disobedience

I HALF-EXPECTED TO WAKE UP and see Zordon, but when I opened my eyes I was in the room Alister had provided for us, lying in a cozy bed. Fenn was sitting next to me, lightly snoring in a wooden chair. Zane was on the floor lying on his stomach. His eyes were open and set on me.

“You’re awake,” he stated.

I sat up, bracing myself for the pain, but there wasn’t any. I was completely healed. I reached up to the pendant that rested free against my chest. Instead of my armor, I was in an over-sized shirt and shorts.

“My bookbag!” I shouted, fear instantly smacking me.

“It’s here,” Zane answered, lightly tossing it to me. I sighed with relief, leaning back down onto the bed. “Alister tended to your wounds. Your wing was already healed, but your side couldn’t heal completely with the arrow still in it. That’s why the pendant didn’t work for you,” he said, sitting up and smiling at me. “You shouldn’t have stalled when we were going to port, you know.”

“If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have found Fenn.” 

“Well, you’re lucky I know the Lord.”

“How did you know I was there?”

“Fenn,” he said as Fenn began to stir. “He wasn’t thrown into a pit. He conjured a message onto paper and dropped it through a portal to Alister’s. Pretty clever and risky given the circumstances you were both in.”

I frowned and looked over at Fenn. “Where is your mother? What happened when we separated?”

He winced. “I think she is with my father,” Fenn said quietly. “After we jumped through the portal, he was there, waiting for her. He snatched her up without even looking at me. There was nothing I could do. His port trail was closed.” Shame filled his voice.

“Why didn’t you come back to us then?” I asked, hurt that he left me worrying without ever connecting to me.

“I was being tailed by Looters and Zordon’s men. I couldn’t lead them back to you. I have to protect you.” His jaw flexed in anger. “Zordon figured out who I am. I’m not sure he knows how I apply to the prophecy, but he knows I am his son. I heard Gwen begging him to spare me.”

“How did he know who she was?” Zane asked. “She still looks like Eve.”

“Maybe it has something to do with being a Dark Saar. After all, they are the only beings who can defeat a dragon. Maybe they aren’t affected by dragon magic,” Fenn answered quietly.

“I love you,” I professed, squeezing his hand.

Zane leaned forward. “We’ve lost enough time with this. Zordon has what he needs, and he won’t waste any time breaching the Obsidian Chasm. We need to focus on the big picture. It’s what our mother would want,” Zane said, looking away.

“Fine. But you two need to understand that we all need to be on the same page.” I stood up and stretched my legs.

“I beg to differ,” Zane said through laughter. “You do whatever you want, no matter what anyone says. Had you known where Fenn was, you would have left before we had a chance to handle Zhax.”

I glared at him but softened as his laughter synced with Fenn’s. They were cute as brothers. “Either way, it's better that we’re all back together. So what’s next?”

“We go back to the Chasm,” Fenn said, and the laughter stopped.

After thanking Alister for his hospitality, we all took a deep breath and ported back to the Chasm. We arrived just outside the entrance, and the same two guards looked as regal as ever. They never even blinked as we stepped past them.

Minutes later we were inside the Courtyard. My grandparents lifted their heads as the three of us entered. Everyone was weeping and chatting wildly. The room was packed full of dragons, Mages, and even Necromancers. “We have been awaiting your return, Little Flame,” King Darian said angrily. “Everyone leave us at once.”

All the Draconta, including Soothe and Gabe, exited as quickly as possible, leaving the three of us wide-eyed and worried as we gazed up at them. What had I done?

“Your mother,” my grandfather began, “she has gone missing. Shortly after you three decided to take your leave, someone from the inside managed to break into your parents’ room. Your father struggled but was overpowered by the unexpected, and she was taken from us.” Naveena’s tears poured like pitchers of water.

“My father?” I asked in shock.

“He’s fine. He’s in the infirmary right now. He was hit with the Rupterum spell, breaking both of his legs,” King Darian answered. “As for you three, I deserve an explanation.”

“We went after Zordon,” I said quietly.

“Did you succeed?”

My head hung as low as it would go. “He went after the ingredients for the creation spell. We tried to stop him. He has all the pieces and will be coming here. We need to plan for his attack,” I admitted, defeat swelling up in my throat.

Darian hung his head. It was a few moments before he finally spoke, but he said, “At least you are all okay. Where’s your mother?” he asked, looking to Fenn and Zane.

They both shook their heads.

“We lost her after our first attempt at stopping him,” Fenn added.

“Such a shame, all this travesty,” Naveena said quietly through her silent weeping.

“It is a shame, and I am very disappointed. I need to speak with my Council. Head to your rooms. You will be called upon.”

We did as we were told, choosing to remain silent. When I entered my room, I found Soothe sitting on my bed. “I’m going to take a wild guess,” he began snidely, “that you
didn’t
succeed against the big bad Zordon.”

“Shut up and get out,” I snapped at him, trying to keep the lump in my throat where it was.

“Moody, are we?”

“Soothe, what do you want?” I demanded, glaring at him.

“I just want to say hi and make sure that you’re okay, of course,” he said innocently.

“I’m fine, now please leave.”

“So now that he has what he needs, how do you plan to stop him?” he asked, still arrogantly sitting with his legs crossed on my bed.

“Well, it’s not like he can get through all the traps they have set. He’s not of royal blood.”

“Where’s your mother?” he asked, suddenly changing the subject.

“Don’t be a jerk. Get out,” I said, my jaw set tight with anger.

“Fine,” he said easily as he stood and headed for the door. He turned back just before he walked out and said, “You know, you really should learn to tame your temper. You don’t always hear what it is people are trying to tell you. Sometimes the answers lie within the questions.”

“Whatever,” I said as I slammed the door in his face. He had me so bewildered that I paced for a while, trying to regroup my thoughts.

Where was my mother? Did he know? Who would have taken her? I wanted to find Zane and Fenn, but I knew it was better for me to follow my grandfather’s bidding. I had already disappointed him enough.

A knock sounded at the door before slightly opening. It was Gabe. “Can I come in for a second?”

“Sure,” I replied lightly, trying to sound like I wasn’t as upset as I felt.

“Your grandfather asked me to escort you to the infirmary to see your father. Are you up for that?” As usual he held his helmet to his hip, his amiable green eyes patiently inspecting me.

“Of course,” I said, standing at once, my heart skipping a beat. “How is he holding up?”

“He’s as strong as a Barbarian as far as his health is concerned, but his mind…” He broke off and looked away, then said, “his mind not so much. He’s distraught and unreachable after your mother’s disappearance. I think he blames himself.”

I lowered my head, trying to hide the tears that surfaced. All this guilt and pain that I caused. “Give me a second to put my armor on,” I managed to mumble out, my voice awkwardly lilting higher than normal from the lump still clogging my throat.

He nodded and closed the door, waiting on the other side of it. I grabbed my bag and put it on. Then I slid my armor on, waiting for the bag to merge with it.

I opened my door. “Let’s go,” I said. He placed his hand on my lower back as he guided me through the Courtyard and down one of the many halls to the Infirmary.

There was a sterile smell to the room as we entered. Sconces hung on the walls above the many beds, the candles glowing brighter than normal. Most of the beds were empty, the white sheets folded and placed neatly at the end of the bed. My father was towards the back of the room with a nurse standing over him, using her energy on his legs.

“What’s she doing?” I whispered to Gabe.

“The spell used on him is not easily healed. It is dark magic. Whoever cast it was very strong and very skilled.” The nurse stepped aside as she heard us approach. She nodded a little and disappeared through a wooden door.

“Dad,” I choked out, “I’m so sorry I left.” I sat on the edge of the bed and reached for his hand. He didn’t move. He didn’t even flinch. “Dad?”

“He hasn’t spoken since that night,” Gabe added regretfully.

A few tears fell as I leaned down to my father’s face, looking into his violet eyes. “It’s not your fault Mother is gone. We will get her back. I swear it,” I said forcefully. I squeezed his hand then laid it back down by his side. I carefully moved a few strands of hair from his forehead and pulled the covers up to his chin, kissing his cheek softly. Then I turned to Gabe. “We
will
find her. Take me to Soothe.”

He nodded, and I followed him out of the Infirmary. We found Soothe eating in the Courtyard. He was chatting away with a couple of smaller dragons. Whatever they were talking about must have been humorous because they were drenched in laughter. “Excuse me,” I politely said to the two dragons, and then to Soothe, “can I borrow you for a second?”

He followed Gabe and me across the Courtyard towards the throne where we could speak freely without prying ears. On our way, we passed through a group of Necromancers painted in blue body paint. Tribal symbols and colorful pieces of fabric covered their dark bodies. I couldn’t help but think of Irisi, wondering what she was going through.

Soothe swallowed and stared at me curiously. “What is it, young Progeny,” he asked coyly. It was everything in me to bite my tongue.

“You know who has my mother, don’t you?”

“What makes you think that?”

I huffed and looked at Gabe for some help. “Can you please get him to quit playing games with me? This is important.”

“Alright, alright,” Soothe conceded, rolling his eyes to the skies. “Yes, I have an idea of who took your mother.”

“Well?”

“Who do you think, Progeny? Use your head,” he nagged. “Who would want, no, who would need your mother?”

I stepped back as it hit me. “Zordon?” He confirmed my thought by pursing his lips and lifting his brows in agreement. “But how?”

“Have you heard from Gwen?” he asked Gabe, changing the subject once again.

“Not yet,” Gabe replied regretfully.

Soothe looked back at me, his eyes still trying to tell me something. Rather than getting mad at his deferral of conversation, I paused and thought about his change of subject and his question. He does everything for a reason. Gwen. She was missing. She had access to the Draconta. Zordon has dark magic at his fingertips. The kind that can control someone. “Oh my god,” I began, “you think Zordon used Gwen to steal my mother?”

“How else would he get into the Lair? He is not of royal blood and certainly not welcome here,” Soothe confirmed.

“Gabe, we have to do something,” I pleaded.

“What can we possibly do, Aurora? Your grandparents won’t listen now that you’ve openly disrespected and disobeyed them.” I winced. “I have to keep my cover intact for the sake of your mother.”

“Damn,” I cursed, shaking my head in dismay. Fenn came around the corner and spotted us, waving.

“Hey guys,” he said happily as he jogged to meet us. Then he noticed our grim faces. “What is it?”

“The young Progeny has just figured out who has taken both of your mothers,” Soothe told him effortlessly. I glared at him, wishing that my gaze were tiny daggers that could poke him to death.

“I believe Zordon has taken them, which would mean Gabe’s cover could potentially be blown. We can’t risk him going back to check,” I finished, giving one final death stare to Soothe.

“Whoa,” Fenn said. “Give me a second to process.”

“We need to come up with a plan. We have to help them.”

My grandparents entered from the Courtyard a moment later. Darian saw us, and his eyes went tight as he took the throne. “Meet back in Aurora’s room at midnight,” Fenn said under his breath. I didn’t check to see if Gabe and Soothe agreed.

“Have you spoken to your father?” Darian asked with much chagrin in his voice.