From the Embers (The Born in Flames Trilogy) (21 page)

“Willing?”

Fenn moved next to me.

The Elder Priest watched us with curiosity, analyzing our every move. An abrupt bout of laughter rang through the air. He was laughing at me.

“You didn’t think you would show up and be handed the elixir, did you?”

I leveled my gaze on him, growing irritated. “It would be in your best interest to assist me,” I said through tight lips. I took a step in his direction. “Zordon did, after all, steal from the Pool of Virtue.”

The Elder Priest’s darkened gaze churned with power as a bright light in the shape of teardrops formed in his eyes. He was pulling power from the Pool.

“I will only say this once,” the Elder Priest said directly to me, the storm above us swirling inside his black eyes. “We do not choose sides. We experiment for the greater advancement of our kind. You have trespassed onto holy ground and, according to our ways, should be sentenced to death. I am making an exception due to last year’s circumstances surrounding the missing drop from the Pool of Virtue. I understand now that you were trying to stop Zordon, not aid him in his quest to becoming a Fate.”

Fenn stood in front of me, his chest puffed out, veins bulging along his neck. Zane took my left side, crouched just enough to be prepared for an attack. Adam took the right, his hand wrapped firmly around the hilt of his dagger. Lexi was next to Fenn, ready for whatever the Elder had to throw.

The storm that rolled in opened, rain plummeting in a sharp angle towards us.

“Are you threatening us?” Fenn asked in a low growl. His tone was deep and full of strength. I twisted the crystal on my necklace in my hand, ready to whisper the words should we need help.

“Only if you need to be threatened,” the Elder Priest sneered, revealing crooked front teeth. He looked us over as if waiting to see if we would try anything.

“If the Progeny passes the test, we will make an exception as far as the elixir is concerned.” The expression on his face told me that he thought I wasn’t up for it. I was about to prove him wrong.

I straightened my posture and moved between Fenn and Lexi, stopping in front of the Elder Priest. “I will do whatever it is you need to prove that choosing my side is the right thing to do.”

What seemed like a smile lifted the side of his mouth at a peculiar angle. “We shall see,” he said dryly. He looked down on Fenn and Zane, commanding with his gaze for them to back off.

Lexi stepped around me, tapping the Elder Priest on the shoulder before he could walk away. “Now that introductions have been made, can we get back to the small matter at hand? You know, the one concerning the well-being of this realm.” She raised her brow at him.

A shade of red spread across his face in an angered wave. After a second, he seemed to have composed himself and said, “Remove your hand and follow me, Celestian. You would make an even better bargaining tool seeing as we’ve never had the opportunity to experiment on one of your kind before.”

The greed dripping from his words made my stomach turn. Lexi jerked her hand back. Satisfied, the Elder Priest headed back into the Temple, gesturing for us to follow.

“I sure hope you know what we are walking into,” Adam said out of the side of his mouth.

“Either a trap, or our destiny,” Lexi said over her shoulder as soon as we stepped through the Temple doors. I kept my eyes forward, not wanting to see the tables with chains and blood behind each door. Not wanting to see the fruits of their labors.

We made a sharp left and came into a large, open room with sparkling purple walls where all of the Priests had gathered.

“Brothers,” the Elder Priest called out, “the Progeny has agreed to take the test.” The excitement in his voice brought a fresh dose of fear. My ears rang, and my mind spun with images filled with blood and pain.

“Rory?” Fenn nudged me, concern written in the lines of his face. He fed off of my emotions, emotions I needed to get a grip on if I was going to make it through this.

I looked up at him and tried to focus on the charming features of his face. His pleasant eyes took the edge off of my fear. I forced a smile and stepped forward as the Priest turned and extended his arm to me.

A chilling silence fell over the room as the Priests’ greedy eyes took in my dragon form. I had never felt so naked in my life, even behind my armor and scales. I jutted my chin out, refusing to allow them to see my fear. I had to be strong.

“The Progeny has come as we have foreseen. She will take the test in exchange for the elixir.”

The crowd of men clapped high above their heads; smiles spread across the room. Fenn and Zane did not look pleased. I could feel Fenn restraining himself from pulling me away from the Elder.

“Where are my brothers?” the Elder Priest asked, glancing around the room. He sucked his teeth, his belly bouncing as he straightened his pants. 

“Calm down,” a tired voice said. Another Priest, whose markings helped identify him as an Elder Priest, came into the room. “The others are waiting in the prep room. They didn’t feel that taking part in the pre-show was necessary.”

The Elder Priest next to me swallowed. “How thoughtful of them,” he forced out.

The second Elder Priest introduced himself to us as Elder Lighthorn. He was small-framed and short like the rest of his brothers. His weathered skin was pale from lack of sun. His eyes were barely visible underneath the wrinkles that crinkled deeper when he spoke.

He pointed to the Elder Priest who found us and said, “And this delightful fellow is Elder Terron.”

Terron rolled his eyes, shifting the belt around his waist. “As I was saying.” He side-eyed Lighthorn. “We will begin the test as soon as our other brothers meet for meditation. That is when I will be able to pull the most power.”

“What do you need to do that for?” Fenn asked in alarm.

Terron didn't acknowledge Fenn. Instead, he looked right at me. “You must do this alone.” His underlying message was set in stone when he glanced over at Fenn and then threw me a questioning look.

“Absolutely not!” Fenn shouted, throwing his arm over my chest to protect me.

Terron did not take his eyes off of me, waiting for my answer. I didn’t trust myself to speak so I nodded my approval.

It was time for my inner strength to emerge.

Chapter 19

The Torture Test

I FACED MY FRIENDS WITH my bravest face, but avoided eye contact with Zane and Fenn. I didn’t want to give away the doubts I felt. I needed the elixir if I was ever going to defeat Zordon and this was the only way to do it.

I had to be brave.

Fenn grabbed my forearms. “Rory, I don’t like this one bit. You know what they are capable of.” His grip was dangerously tight as his eyes searched mine, pleading for me to stay.

“What else can we do?” It was all I needed to say. His mouth moved as if to speak and then stopped, his gaze falling to the floor.

“Brothers, please head to the prayer room and begin meditation at once,” Terron advised. He looked back at me. “Follow me.” He made his way through the dispersing crowd.

“You don’t have to do this,” Zane said to both Fenn and me.

“Don’t I?”

He looked away without an answer.

“If it makes you feel any better, I will stay connected to her energy. Celestians can track anyone with a magical scent. If she is in danger, I will port in and grab her,” Lexi offered.

“You can do that?” Fenn asked, his tone rich with gratitude. She nodded.

Terron stopped on the other side of the room. With a deep breath, I followed him into the crowd, leaving the safety of my friends behind.

The hushed murmurs of the Priests made the hair stand on the back of my neck. I tried not to imagine what was coming. I didn’t tap into my dragon Foresight for fear of what I would see. I couldn’t give myself a reason to turn back now.

We exited through a small wooden door on the other side of the room. I could feel Fenn sending me reassuring vibes. It helped ease the need to vomit my fear from the inside out.

Terron opened the door and stepped aside, waiting for me to follow. Lighthorn was directly behind me. “The room is right down this hallway,” Terron explained as he walked around me to take the lead. His chin was up in the air. I focused on the ever-changing patterns of purple light, letting it distract my thoughts.

“Here,” he suddenly said, stopping in front of an open archway. Lighthorn came up beside me.

I peered ahead, hoping there wouldn’t be any blood. The room was too dark to tell. I couldn’t make out a single shape inside the blackness.

The sound of feet shuffling against stone reached my ears. Someone came out of the shadows of the cold room with a torch in his thick hands. Hard green eyes buried beneath a thick blonde brow line met mine. He tilted the torch towards me. I looked at Terron, unsure of what to do next.

“After you,” Terron ordered, sweeping his arm out to motion me forward.

I passed by the strange Priest with green eyes and walked into the darkness of the room, biting the inside of my lip. “I can’t see,” I stated, stabilizing my voice using Fenn’s reassuring vibes.

“A problem that you can easily solve, Progeny,” Terron pointed out. The door shut behind me. I spun around, searching for his voice that seemed to drift around the room. “Why don’t you show us?”

I snapped my fingers, the flame instantaneously erupting. I touched it to my shoulder, letting it slide all over my scales. The room brightened enough to finally see.

The Priest with green eyes stood in front of me. He was bald, just like every other Priest, with swirling black markings that wrapped around his head and came to two points on his forehead. There was a gentleness in his features that set my mind at ease. He looked in awe as the flame along my body grew in time with my racing heart.

“Let’s proceed, shall we?” Terron said. I followed his steps, maintaining a front of confidence. A large wooden table with metal shackles sat in the middle of the room. Gleaming under my fire’s light, a smaller table with instruments meant to probe and cut stood next to the examining table. Ropes and chains that could hoist someone hung from the ceiling. 

I kept my eyes on the table, certain they could see the rapid pounding of my heart beneath my armor. Laughter entered the room as the five Elders stalked towards me. I gulped down the need to flee, determination like cinder blocks in my feet.

“Just in time,” Lighthorn said, smiling. His long, frail hands were out, fingers wiggling with excitement.

“I’ve heard about you,” I said, trying to gain control over my heavy breathing.

The Priests closed in a circle around me.

“Enlighten us,” Terron said.

“You torture people for knowledge. You kill for even less.” I spat out the words, thinking of Astral and his advice to stay away from here. I was beginning to understand the extent of his anger.

“Yes, if we wanted to, we could kill you and be done with the whole fiasco, now couldn’t we?” I blinked a few times before Terron’s words registered. My heart slammed against my chest. I had walked right into a trap. I wasn’t immortal like Zordon, but I was the only link available to kill him.

But my Foresight told me otherwise.

I didn’t see harm coming my way, only intrigue, so I held back the need to strike. I slowly let my flames die down and watched the Priests through the haze of smoke rising off my body.

“You won’t kill me,” I said on a whim, sounding certain. I turned inside the circle, eyeing each of the Priests to show my confidence. This was, after all, what they wanted.

There was a long pause as the Priests gradually broke the circle, each taking a corner of the room, leaving only Terron in front of me.

“No,” Terron finally said, “we won’t kill you. Unless of course, you break our agreement,” he added, his finger tapping against his chin.

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

He looked me over. “Yes, you are.” He turned to his brothers and made some kind of weird hand signal. Each Priest stepped up to his own small, amethyst altar, rising up out of the ground. They all placed their left hands on top of the altars and closed their eyes.

A quarter moon smile spread on Terron’s face. He stepped aside. “You may lie on the table now,” his slick voice instructed.

“Lie on the table?” I repeated, hoping he didn’t hear the hesitancy in my voice.

“That is what I said,” Terron replied in a mocking tone.

“Okay,” I said, quivering. I hopped up on the table and lay back, finding the shards of amethyst that hung from the ceiling a good distraction.

All around me the altars began to glow underneath the touch of each Priest. The lavender light spilled onto the floor, sending beams of light directly to the table I lay on.

I mustered up enough courage to ask the question that had been bugging me. “What does the test involve?”

Terron chuckled menacingly. “If I told you that, then it wouldn’t be a test, now would it?” His face appeared in my line of vision, and I felt the coolness of the shackles being placed around my arms and ankles.

What did I get myself into?

As he locked the last shackle, a chill ran up my spine. I shifted against the sterile table, trying to ease the pressure of my weight off of my wings, but I was chained so tightly there was nowhere for me to move.

Be strong,
I told myself.

His harsh face appeared again in my line of vision. He shackled my head to the table, twisting screws that prevented me from lifting my head. Claustrophobia struck, making my entire body shake uncontrollably.

“The test will consist of two stages,” Terron went on to explain. “Stage one will be an entire examination. You are the first of your kind and could very well be the last. We must document everything we can for the Biblium.”

He walked around the table, his voice drifting through the hollow room. “We must also be assured that you are strong enough to survive. Find your strengths and your weaknesses. If we find a weakness, we may be able to help better protect you.”

It sounded like a good idea, except for the part about examining me. I hated doctors. I hated being poked and prodded.

“If you pass that stage,” Terron continued, unaware of my internal panic, “stage two will commence. Now…this part may be a bit painful. The Priesthood connects with you using the Pool. This will allow us to see into your soul. The painful part is the actual infiltration of the soul. All of this will be documented and kept within the Biblium.”

“Okay,” I said impulsively before I had the chance to reconsider.

“Sam,” Terron called, summoning someone that I couldn’t see. “Let us begin.”

I heard footsteps and then metal clanging against metal. The green-eyed man. I shut my eyes and tuned into my Foresight. The flash was brief, but I was relieved that it didn’t involve blood.

Sam pressed a cold instrument against my cheek. I opened my eyes and glanced down, but I could only make out the sharp tip of the instrument poking my skin. His fingers pinched and prodded, and then he scraped off a piece of the rough outer layer of skin.

“Hey!” I said, wincing from the sting. He left the table for a brief moment and then returned, moving the instrument down to my left hand to poke at my scales. A burning, stinging sensation formed under my skin. I bit the inside of my cheek to stifle back the word stop.

After popping off a scale and leaving again, he came back, took my temperature, and then plucked a strand of my hair. He attempted to take my blood, but the needle wouldn’t puncture my skin.

“The scales have a glass-like consistency and cover most of her body,” Sam told the Priests. “The skin untouched by scales on her hands, feet, and face is entirely reptilian though her internal temperature and hair are that of a mammal.” He sounded intrigued.

I listened, interested and slightly mortified.

“How much pressure to puncture?” Terron asked callously. I couldn’t stop the trembling quake in my muscles. I felt embarrassed as my body continuously shuddered against my will.

Breathe,
I told myself, using Fenn’s energy to soothe me.

“That’s just it. The puncture would have to come from an enchanted blade. Her scales are the same as a dragon’s. See—”

I felt a slight jabbing pressure against the scales on my left arm. I couldn’t see what he was doing, but I assumed he was demonstrating by trying to stab me.

“That is most helpful news,” Terron said, delighted. “Her battle will be prosperous. What about her pain tolerance? She cannot buckle under Zordon’s power should he capture her.”

My eyes widened. “He won’t kill me. Not so long as we are connected. You don’t need to worry about that. This should be enough information for you to record.” My temperature rose as I moved beyond fear and into anger. This had gone on long enough. “We are wasting precious time here.”

“You gave your word,” Terron reminded me in a flat tone. It irked me that I couldn’t move to see his face. It irked me that I couldn’t move period.

“Let me up,” I demanded, jerking my hands against the chains. The copper must have been enchanted because I was immediately shocked with electricity from the movement. “What the hell!” I yelled, trying to move my head inside the vice.

“Let us finish,” Sam said smoothly. He calmly placed his hand against my shoulder, his face coming into view. His smile was kind when he looked down at me. “I will try not to hurt you,” he eased. “Just cooperate with me.” His eyebrows lifted, suggesting that I agree with him for my own good.

I exhaled loudly and sunk back into the table.

He left my side, and the metal clanking resumed once more. He was searching for something. “Do you mind if I pull from the Pool?” he asked, his voice a bit distant.

“We must know,” Terron granted.

Great.

Sam came back a second later with a long metal wire. He wrapped the cool wire around both of my wrists and then my neck. Although I knew it couldn’t pierce me, my human instincts told me to stay still.

“I’m going to use a simple electrocution test,” he explained. “We do this to all our projects.” He continued wrapping the wire, looking away from me.

“Projects?”

“We must document your pain tolerance. And since we don’t possess magic like most races, this is the most effective way with the least amount of blood spill. Also, this is the best way to determine how much torture you can take without having to put you through it all. If Zordon were to catch you with the elixir…”

“I don’t plan on getting caught,” I bit off, trying to remain still even though every fiber in my being told me to run. Being stuck with my hands above my head and shackled to the table was quickly becoming unbearable.

“No one ever does, Progeny,” Terron chided. The ridicule in his tone had me grinding my teeth.

“Can we get this over with?” I snapped.

“I am going to pull from the Pool now,” Sam said quickly from my right side. He muttered something to the other Priests in the room and then a loud vibration shook underneath me. They had connected the power from the Pool to whatever Sam was using on me.