From the Embers (The Born in Flames Trilogy) (22 page)

He looked down at me again. “When the electrocution starts, try to remain still.”

“Okay,” I said, inhaling deeply for courage. 

“Bite down on this,” he instructed, placing a small piece of leather in my mouth.

As soon as my teeth sunk into the strap, the first round of torture began. It started out as a mild tingle around my wrists but steadily grew into searing pain. Hot, white light flashed behind my eyelids as my toes curled into themselves.

“Rory!” I heard Fenn shout from down the hall. He felt my distress, but I couldn’t communicate with him like this. My mind was swarming with the pain.

Sam turned up the voltage, sending a higher course of electricity throughout my body. My back arched, practically lifting me off the table. I bit down as hard as I could on the leather.

“She has surpassed human pain levels,” Sam said to Terron. My ears were ringing, and I felt like my head was splitting in two. My blood felt ready to boil out of my skin.

“Keep going,” I heard Terron say apathetically.

The pain eased up for a split second and then returned with a vengeance. My eyes rolled into the back of my head, leaving a scream sitting like a thousand pound weight in the back of my throat. I should scream…end this horrific pain. But I had to get the elixir. This was my only chance.

“She’s surpassing Mage pain tolerance,” Sam noted.

I think I heard a loud pounding on the door, but I couldn’t be sure. It may have been the sound of my brain throbbing in my head. Muffled shouting that sounded like Fenn’s voice tried to break through the awful ringing in my ears.

Terron’s voice was obscured when he approached the table. “Are…close…finishing?”

“Final stage…strong,” I heard Sam reply in between my convulsions. The room was beginning to float away from me. The searing pain was so intense, I could no longer see. Even if I had wanted to scream, I couldn’t.

I felt darkness creep in, pulling me from reality. The same darkness that always carried me to Zordon.
No, not now,
I thought helplessly.

But it was too late. When my eyes fluttered open, the scene around me flickered in and out. One second I was on the table, electricity pulsing through me, and the next I was lying on the floor next to Zordon, unable to move. This went on for a few seconds until Terron and Sam noticed my body moving in and out of time.

“Where do you think she is go—”

I caught the tail end of their conversation before I flickered back in front of Zordon, this time staying a few seconds longer. His eyes were wide and set on me, though he was just as paralyzed as I was.

“Aurora,” I heard Terron say distantly. I flickered back into the pain of electricity, writhing against the table.

“Should we stop?” Sam asked, and then he disappeared again.

“You,” Zordon managed to groan out, his hand curled awkwardly into his chest. I tried to look around to see where we were, but I couldn’t move my head. I was stuck looking at his face.

“I am going to kill those Prie—”

And then the pain stopped.

I felt the leather strap being pulled from my mouth. I tried to open my eyes but failed. My amulet pulsed against my chest. Healing energy and strength flowed throughout my being and kept me from losing my grip on what was real.

“Look! Her chest,” Sam said

I used what little energy I had left to pull from the amulet. My eyes fluttered opened. Sam was looking down at me, sweat marring his brow in tiny beads. He sucked in a quick breath, his eyes wide.

“You passed,” he said. He wore a grin full of wonder.

“Great,” I said weakly. “Can you take the restraints off now?”

“Oh, yes,” he said, rushing to unravel the wire. “How did you leave like that? Your physical being, it just disappeared and reappeared. How?”

I felt the locks turn on the shackles and then my arms were free. I pulled them into me, rubbing my wrists and wincing from the pain. I had somehow shifted back into my human form. Thank The Fates for my armor.

“It happens sometimes because of the bond I share with Zordon. Our physical beings are linked,” I said, wishing I could erase Zordon’s face from my mind.

“Outstanding! And your amulet,” Terron pointed at it, “what does it do?”

I wrapped my hand around it. “It heals me and binds my dragon form to my human form, which is what allows the transformation.”

His eyes filled with ideas as he paced away from me.

“You took more pain than I thought possible,” Sam said as he helped me sit up on the table. I waited for him to remove the shackles on my feet.

As he removed the last shackle, the door to the room burst open. Fenn was at my side in a heartbeat, gently lifting me off the table. It felt good to be in his arms.

“How sick are you?” Zane asked from the doorway, his face twisting in revulsion. His gaze skittered across the room, the sight slowly draining the color from his face. When his eyes fell on me, anger flickered across his face.

He was in Terron’s face a split-second later.

“Do you know what you’ve done?” he shouted, his fists clenched at his sides.

Lexi ran into the room and stopped short at the sight of vomit and chains. “Aurora,” she practically yelled, her hand held over her heart. “Zordon knows.”

My heart beat out of sync as the world in front of me spun off its axis.

“Rory?” Fenn asked, brushing the hair from my face.

I pulled harder from the amulet, knowing that this was the worst possible time to become dead weight.

“Rory,” Fenn repeated, this time with a little more urgency in his voice. “Is it true?”

“I saw him,” I said, nodding.

Fenn set me down to my feet, his eyes growing in size.

“The test, it was too much, it weakened the both of us. I was transported to him like I always am. He knows where I came from. I think he knows what we are after.” I looked over at Terron, hoping that this information would be enough to convince him to choose our side.

He was ghostly white.

“She has proven herself worthy of the elixir,” Sam spoke, sounding worried.

“We do not hand out something so precious to just anyone,” Terron added. The other four Priests relinquished their places in the corner and stalked over to us, standing like statues.

Fenn huffed. “She is the Progeny. You know that. Your test wasn’t necessary, and by doing it, you have not only put us in danger but your precious Priesthood as well. He will come for you.”

Sam hid in the shadows of the room, pale-faced.

“We will not give anything without proof,” Terron advocated coolly. He stepped back from Zane and walked over to where Sam hid. “You must understand these times. We do not fear Zordon.”

“We understand that you torture every race you can get your grimy hands on,” Zane seethed.

Terron spun around, his upper lip quivering. “We do what is necessary to preserve and evolve. Your derogatory comments will not change nor offend our outlook.”

“Give her the elixir so we can leave,” Fenn demanded, walking towards him hastily.

I had gone this far to prove myself as strong and worthy. I wasn’t going to leave without taking the lead. “I did what you asked. Now I need what you have.” My knees were shaking and threatening to give out.

“Anything else?” he remarked dryly.

“And we need you to join us,” I added, my eyes boring into his. “I know that you can.”

Amusement played between his eyes and mouth. “Join you? We don’t fight.”

“No, but you can heal. You can follow us and help heal the wounded. And you can use the power from the Pool to fight back against his army.” I didn’t flinch when he moved. I had to gain his allegiance.

He pondered me for a moment. “You want the elixir and my allegiance? That is a high demand for someone who only passed a pain tolerance test.”

“I also offer you a world where you can continue your studies. If Zordon wins, the world as we know it will no longer exist. He wants to destroy everything his father has ever touched. He wants to raise an indestructible army using the Necromancers.”

His head snapped in my direction. “Na’shir wouldn’t.”

“He already has,” Zane corrected saucily.

Just then, the walls began to shake. Terron violently jumped back, his eyes scanning the room for the source. But I already knew what it was. Zordon had come.

“He’s here,” I declared, grabbing Fenn’s hand. “Terron!” I said sharply, forcing his attention back to me. “The elixir.”

Terron tipped his head in my direction, fear prevalent in his eyes. “Follow me,” he urged as he turned and ran out of the room.

The walls trembled as amethyst shards rained down around us. We ran as fast as we could, following Terron who made his way towards the spiral staircase we had taken the night Zhax helped us go after Zordon. Zane took the lead, wedging me between him and Fenn.

“Where is Adam?” I whispered to Fenn, who covered my head with his arm, taking the brunt of the sharp impact from the shards.

“With the other Priests.” He hissed through his teeth and fell forward when a large shard of rock pierced his thigh. I caught him in time and helped him up until his leg was nearly healed.

“We keep all elixirs near the Pool,” Terron urgently called over his shoulder, taking two steps at a time. An explosion sounded from the front of the temple.

“Where is she?” Zordon’s voice yelled out.

He had arrived.

“I want to get out of this place…alive,” Fenn whispered into the back of my neck.

“Me too,” I whispered back.

When we finally reached the top of the stairs, the Priests were all huddled around the Pool in prayer, exactly as they had been on that night long ago. Adam blocked the front of the staircase, enraptured by the leaves made of light cascading down into the shimmering pond below.

Zane bumped into him, knocking the breath out of him. “Move it!” he shouted, shoving him forward. The stairs behind us swayed and then ripped away without warning, just as I jumped into Fenn’s arms.

Terron’s face filled with horror as he watched the staircase crash into the walls of his temple. “You must remain quiet and wait here,” Terron made clear, his voice and hands trembling. He hurried through the maze of meditating Priests to the upside down tree and said a quick prayer before dipping his hand into the Pool. When he pulled it out, his hand was covered in iridescent droplets of light. He shook it lightly, letting every last drop fall back into the Pool.

When his hand had completely dried, he held a vial filled with glowing golden liquid. The elixir. The rest of the Priests remained in deep meditation, unaware of the fact that the temple was being destroyed beneath our very feet.

He quickly hobbled back over to us and placed the vial in my hand. “The contents of this vial are enough to drain two of immortality. It must be ingested. This is the only vial we have. The Priest who discovered the formula was killed the night Zordon stole from the Pool of Virtue.” His features grew dark and cumbersome.

I quickly unclasped the back of my jade necklace and slid the vial onto it as the ground quaked beneath us. There was a cracking sound, like the splitting of a tree, followed by Zordon’s laughter. Little by little, the wooden floor that we stood on cracked and opened, Shadows pushing through the center. Lexi cried out as we scrambled away, trying to stay out of their reach. The Shadows filtered in, sweeping around the room, sending chilling cries into the night sky.

“Port us!” I yelled to Lexi who shielded Adam and herself with white energy. A Shadow appeared in front of Fenn and me as Lexi’s hands began to glow. The Shadow formed into the shape of Zordon and stalked forward, reaching out for my face.

“Nebulum!” Fenn shouted and then pulled me down to the ground with him. The fog enclosed us, shielding us only for a moment. We took the advantage and crawled towards Lexi’s light.

Terron collided with us when we stood up just as a Shadow circled around him and penetrated his mind. I grabbed him right before he fell backwards into the hole.

“If we are going to break the bind sometime this decade, we need to get a move on it,” Lexi barked, the portal open near her.

I looked back at Terron, unsure of what to do as the darkness of Zordon’s taint grew closer.

“Go!” Terron shouted at me, and then his eyes rolled back. I let him go.

Zordon appeared again, hovering above the hole in the floor. “Aurora!” he shouted out as I turned and hurled through the portal.

Chapter 20

The Return of a Friend

SOMEHOW LEXI HAD EVERYTHING MAPPED out in her mind. It was like she was on overdrive. Or maybe it was because she was immortal like her father.

We ported further and further away, trying to put distance between Zordon and us. About five portals in, Lexi stopped to catch her breath.

I lit a flame on my shoulders. “Where are we now?” I asked, quickly surveying our surroundings as my breathing and the rapid beating of my heart tried to slow down.

“The Polar Lyceum,” she rushed out, backing up a few steps to dodge the threats flying from Zane and Fenn.

“Why the hell did you bring us here?” Fenn shouted, reaching out to shake her. She ported circles around him, laughing along the way. He shot a hand out where he expected her to be next and caught her. Then his ring started glowing furiously. Adam and Zane crouched down, on guard for whatever was about to go down.

“Before you all freak,” Lexi quickly added, “we are shielded at the moment by my power. The only one who could see us would be Zordon since he is unfortunately a Fate and can see through my magic.” 

“Wonderful,” Adam said snidely, refusing to budge from his stance. He shivered against the chilly breeze that carried a sprinkling of snow.

“Why are we here, Lex?” Zane asked. “And be serious. Our lives are not a joke.”

His words snapped at her like a whip. She was in his face before I could blink. “Neither was mine.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, his shoulders slumping. “It’s not like we have many options here. Like Aurora, I am winging it. Being a Celestian didn’t come with an instruction manual, and neither did working for Iliana. I thought the best option for us was for me to bring Aurora to him. This is where he stays now when he is not in the Hall or in the other realm,” she explained.

“He’s at the Temple,” I corrected her.

“Yeah, but I’m sure he will follow the trail here. Where else should we take him? At least here, if there are casualties, they will be from his army.”

She had a point. There was nowhere else safe to lead him to, and we definitely needed to get the elixir into him. There was no more time for running and hiding.

I took a second while under her protection to take in my surroundings and formulate a plan. The island was covered in ice and snow. A heavy, white breeze pushed against us. There was no one around. They were all off fighting in the other realm, destroying humankind as we knew it. In the far distance, I could see two small beacons of light and felt the essence calling to me. Fire. That had to be where the Lyceum was.

I pointed to the lights. “We head that way and wait for Zordon. Then we do our best to administer this elixir and take his blood.” I thought if I sounded confident, then the task would seem easy enough. Their doubtful gazes proved that theory wrong.

“Right,” Zane said, recovering quickly. “Should we stick together then?”

“Absolutely,” Fenn said, already flexing, ready for a fight.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Lexi said, walking over to where Adam stood. He pulled out a dagger and flashed a murderous smile.

“I’ve never been here before,” Zane admitted, huddling under his jacket as we carefully jogged along the ice towards the barely visible lights. We agreed not to port so we could always see what was ahead of us.

“Me either,” Lexi agreed. “And I’m getting a really weird vibe.” The alarm in her tone grabbed my attention.

“Weird like how?” I asked, preparing myself for the worst.

She turned her nose up into the frozen air, sniffing. “Something’s not right. I smell the really bad kind of danger.”

“There’s more than one kind?” Zane asked.

Fenn shoved his hand into the air. “Umm, hello, my ring?” He pointed to it. “Evil is clearly nearby.”

“Yeah, I’m sure it’s sensing Zordon or his army, Fenn,” Lexi said, rolling her eyes.

“So then what are you talking about?” he shot back.

I ignored the bantering, feeling a clear need to get to the Lyceum as quickly as possible. Something was waiting for me. I sensed it.

“He knows we are coming,” I said vacantly.

“Clearly.” Lexi sounded annoyed. “He saw you. That is what I’m trying to say. I am sensing something is off, like a trap.”

“What do you suggest then?” Zane asked again.

I thought about it for a moment. What could I suggest? No matter what we tried to plan, this was going to unravel in its own way. There was nothing more we could do besides fight back.

“Just stay together,” I finally said, walking ahead. They quickly followed, asking me what I was doing. I threw my hand up to shush them.

The wind miraculously died down as we approached a large Lyceum made from hand-carved blocks of sculpted ice. Misshapen forms and shadows were visible through the walls. There wasn’t a soul in sight. No one to guard these sacred walls.

“We just walk in?” Adam asked beneath his scarf.

A massive grand entry made entirely of ice stood empty before us. I took in a breath, and walked through. For a moment, I was taken in by the structure, but my focus returned when a blur of platinum hair crossed my line of vision.

“Gwenevere?” I called out. I felt Fenn, Lexi, and Zane freeze behind me. Fenn tried to grab my hand to stop me from following her, but I pulled away in time and headed after her. She wasn’t going to get by me.

She disappeared behind a door in a hallway. I ported to it and yanked it open, rushing in after her. “Gwen!” I called, barely even noticing the door slamming behind me. The air grew thick. I ran forward, following the blur through the room and down another hallway towards the right.

I wasn’t scared. Nothing really scared me anymore. Not after surviving the Priests.

“Gwenevere?” I called out again. I saw her turn into an open room and picked up my pace. Why was she running? I stopped when I entered the room as my eyes tried to focus on the sudden darkness. “Gwenevere,” I called out again.

I flicked my flames on and surveyed the room for any sign of her. She had disappeared. The only thing in the room was an egg-shaped seat carved out of ice and a massive bookshelf running along the ice wall.

“Gwenevere?” I asked again, wishing she would appear. A rattling noise sounded, and then a book fell off the shelf.

I rushed over to the book and picked it up. Dragon Lore, I read. I went to slide the book back on the shelf and jumped back. A pristine blue eye was staring back at me. It disappeared the minute I noticed it.

“Gwenevere, wait!” I yelled out, pulling all of the books off the shelf. There had to be a way to get in. When all of the books were piled around my feet, I stepped back. The peephole she had been looking through offered no sign of how to enter.

I felt around the entire shelf and stopped when my fingers found a latch under the spot where
Dragon Lore
had been. I pushed it in and followed the shelf as it moved inward.

A series of small steps led further down into the castle. My flames reflected off the ice as small tendrils of water melted down the walls like tears. I ran as fast as I could and paused only for a moment to listen for her. Faint footsteps padded lightly not too far ahead of me. I took off, rushing down the last of the steps in seconds, trying not to slip on the icy floors.

When I rounded the corner, I found her waiting for me. Her long flowing hair reached down to where her hands rested on her sides. A dagger gleamed against her crimson dress, her grip tightening at the sight of me.

“I thought that was you,” her soft voice said. There was something vacant in her tone and in her hollow eyes that unnerved me. Like she wasn’t there at all. Her skin was ghastly pale with dark half moons under her eyes. She was transitioning like Na’shir had said.

Memories of her rushed forward. Eve, stern and harsh. Gwen, kind and strong. The two of them joined as one, stabbing me in the back, literally.

“What happened to you?” I asked cautiously, ignoring the tiny voice in my mind that was telling me to turn and run from her. I took baby steps, keeping my eye on the dagger in her hand. It flickered with enchantment. The spot where she had stabbed me began to ache.

“One minute you were on our side, and the next you were abandoning everything you had worked for. Your children. Your new life. Gabe.”

Her eyes flickered to life at the mention of Gabe's name, but then a faint green light flared in them.

She shook her head. “I only care for my husband,” she said, devoid of emotion. Her fingers fidgeted against the blade.

My eyes stayed on the dagger. “I don’t believe that,” I eased. She didn’t say anything; she didn’t move. She just stood there, watching me creep towards her.

She looked lost.

“Gwenevere, Alexis is alive. She is alive, and she is here with me.” I waited, holding my breath and praying that it would bring her back from wherever she was.

She violently shook her head again, this time her free hand tugged wildly at her hair. A scream erupted from her throat, her eyes almost bulging from her head.

“Gwenevere,” I said harshly, snapping her out of it.

She stopped and looked at me as if seeing me for the first time. Tears ran down her face. “Alexis?”

I nodded. “If you come with me, I can take you to her.”

She took a step forward but then stopped, her hands flying up to her temples. She cried out in pain. “No!” she shouted, internally fighting. “I can’t fight it much longer. Come quick!” she forced out, still holding her head.

She turned down the hallway, beckoning for me to follow. We passed by cells filled with victims who moaned and cried weakly for us to save them.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked, trying to tune out the rest.

“We must be quick. He knows.” Her face tensed as if every word were a struggle to release.

We stopped outside a cell at the end of the hall where she doubled over. I caught her before she fell to the ground.

“You have to take him with you. You have to get him out of here.” Her voice was urgent and filled with pain. “Appareo.” Her palms lit up in a pale green light as she worked the spell to conjure something. A key appeared. “Gabe must go with you. Take it,” she said, shoving it towards me. “Unlock his cell.”

She handed the key over, her hands shaking.

“Now, take him, please. Zordon will arrive any second.” Tears were on the edge of her voice as she urged me forward.

Something in my senses scared me. Why hadn’t he shown up yet? He knew we were here. He knew we were coming for him. Something wasn’t right. I tried to use my dragon Foresight but was blocked by him. What was he hiding?

“You can come with us,” I said. But her face filled with pain, like every movement she made took more effort than it should have. Like she was fighting back.

I laid her on the ground and hurriedly unlocked the cell. Gwenevere’s chilling scream punctured my heart the moment the door swung open. I ran over to her, lifting her limp head off the ground. She was out of it.

“Gwenevere,” Gabe croaked. I turned back to him, laying Gwen back down.

“Gabe, you’re okay!” I rushed into the cell. My hand shot to my nose, assaulted by stale stink and rotten magic. Blood and grime covered his once handsome features and withered body.

“Aurora?” he forced out, wincing with his every movement. He was shriveled up in a corner, his knees brought up to his chin. Heavy shackles hung from his neck, hands, and feet. His left eye looked burned and swollen shut.

“Come on,” I said, leaning over him. I used the key to unlock the shackles and threw his arm over my shoulder, nearly dragging him from the cell. I glanced over at Gwen, unsure of what to do with her. I made a quick decision. I had to get him out first.

I was back up the stairs in a matter of seconds and racing towards the front of the Lyceum, ready to hand Gabe over to Fenn so I could go back for Gwen, but when I opened the door, no one was there. My jaw clenched, my pulse pounding behind my ears.

His voice drifted towards me like toxic air. “Going somewhere?”

I tightened my grip around Gabe. My vision tunneled on him. “Where are they?”

“I should ask you the same thing.” His tone was neutral. “Did you really think I would let you just waltz in here after what you did to my Lyceum? Especially after being tortured by the Priests because of you?” Laughter stained his smooth voice.

I gently laid Gabe down on the other side of the door. “This ends today.” My voice was almost unrecognizable as I growled.

His eyes drew together in interest, but underneath his composed stare there was an undeniable amount of hatred and rage just waiting to unleash. “Oh, does it? And how, may I ask, is that possible? Because, as you may have noticed, we are bound together. It seems you and I, well, we were born to live. Forever, perhaps.” He strode towards me, uncoiling his darkness with every step. Shadows swam around his feet.