Born In Flames

by Candace Knoebel

  “Because of who you are tied to,” she answered.

  I glanced at her quizzically and then opened the book, bracing myself for what it could possibly say. Everything was in a language I didn’t understand.

  “Well, this is of no use if I can’t read it,” I said, my words coated with irritation.

  “The magic isn’t in the words written, Aurora. No one is supposed to ever see their own Oraculus until they have died and crossed over to the Hall of Knowledge. But in your case, well…” She broke off.

  I continued flipping through, noticing that only half of the pages had words. The rest were blank.

  “It’s not finished,” I pointed out.

  “Like I said, you’re special. Your history is different because it is tied to Zordon’s. It’s-” A shuffling noise sounded from outside before she could finish. She got up and went out of the room and then came back in a rush.

  “Take it and keep it safe, at all costs. You must understand that this is your lifeline,” she said, emphasizing the last words.

  “Well leaving it with me is not going to keep it safe. I am the worst with keeping track of things.” I pushed it back towards her hoping she would understand.

  “Oh, really? Well I guess I’ll just keep it then,” she replied, pulling it back towards her.

  I stopped her mid-pull, gripping the edge of the book tightly and preventing her from pulling it any further.

  “Wait just a second,” I said, a strong sense of possession rising deep within me. “You said lifeline? What does that mean?”

  A coy smile crossed her lips. “Oh, but you said you couldn’t take care of it,” she mimicked, still smiling. “In our realm, a Mage cannot exist without an Oraculus. If your Oraculus falls into the wrong hands, you are dead. To burn an Oraculus is to fatally wound a Mage.”

  She let go of the book.

  I sense of dread and responsibility swelled within me. “So what you’re saying is that if this book is ruined, my life is basically over?” Her eyes filled with recognition as she nodded. “You feel it, don’t you?” she asked. “You feel that deep need to protect this…at any cost.”

  I grimly nodded. “Good,” she said as she stood from her chair. “You’ll be surprised with just how safe you’ll be able to keep this,” she finished with a wink, her scold long gone.

  “What should she do with it?” Fenn asked.

  She didn’t acknowledge his question as she said, “You must go now. Our time is up.”

  “But wait…aren’t you going to help me find the keys? This map isn’t the most readable,” I said as she started directing us towards the door.

  “Even if I wanted to help you, I wouldn’t be able to. This is not my journey to take, Aurora,” she hedged.

  “But I can’t read it,” I admitted in defeat.

  “You can. You’re just not reading it in the right place. Try saying Apparatio the next time you’re alone with your Oraculus. It might help you figure some things out. And go to the historian in town. He will unintentionally lead you to the next key. I am not to influence your decision anymore so.”

  “What’s the right decision?” I asked, more confused than ever.

  She answered with a smile and patted my arms. “Keep your eye on that,” she said, pointing to the Oraculus. “Remember, it is a matter of life and death. It will have the answers. Your choice affects the lives of many so please make the right one. Okay then, buh-bye, stop by sometime.” And she practically shoved us out the door.

  We both stood on her porch, blank expressions on our faces.

  “Aurora?” Fenn asked. “What just happened?”

  I looked at him, bewildered. “I was going to ask you that. She didn’t even ask for payment.” I was thoroughly perturbed by her behavior.

  “Should I go in and pay?” And as if she was listening to us, all the lights flicked off and we heard a click of a lock on the door. “I guess not then.” Fenn grabbed my hand and tugged me down the stairs back towards our motel room.

  “She was in my dream, well, she said it wasn’t a dream, but she was there in my head, I guess. Apparently there are two realms, anchored together by a cave on this island. There was an evil crazy man named Zordon—my fated enemy.” I paused as something hit me. “I felt tied to him. Like it could really be true. I’m not sure what to think or make of it.”

  Fenn laughed as if questioning my sanity, putting me in instant defense mode. “I’m not lying or crazy, Fenn Aiden.” His eyes flashed over to me and then his lips twitched, as if fighting the urge to smile.

  “Besides the fact that I love it when you say my name like that, I wasn’t laughing at you,” he said sincerely. “And we both know that you are crazy, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think of you as credible. With everything that’s happened lately to the both of us, I’m not going to doubt anything. I’ve seen and felt the magic myself. She wouldn’t know what she knew if it wasn’t real.” He nudged into me, chuckling as I stumbled to catch my balance.

  I frowned. “I just wish I knew what to do with all of this information. I mean, if I pursue my past then I have to deal with all of this, but if I just let the moon phase come and go, well, she said that a lot of lives hang in the balance. I don’t want to be the cause of something bad happening,” I admitted as we turned into our parking lot.

  His face went serious as he quickly looked at me and said, “I believe in you so I can see why you would be prophesied about. And I believe that you will do what’s right. If you gained anything from what just happened, gain that you were sent here for a reason, and apparently that reason was to keep you safe and to give you a choice. It is your choice, so don’t fret.” He rubbed my hair, leaving his hand to rest along the back of my neck.

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I guess you’re right,” I surrendered, giving him a weak smile.

  He laughed and said, “I’m always right…I’m a man, remember?”

  I punched him in the arm as we headed up the stairs, and I felt a great weight lift as he turned the key in the door.

  Chapter 13

  A Kiss

  FENN CAME UP BEHIND ME and rested his chin on top of my head after I took my shoes off by the door. I set my Oraculus down on Fenn’s couch. I smiled as a feeling of euphoria consumed me, and I spun around to face him. I don’t know what possessed me, but I didn’t even hesitate to kiss him with every beautiful emotion in my being.

  Butterflies flew crazily in my stomach, making it hard to concentrate, and the lullaby kicked into gear, stealing all rationality. My heart seemed to sync in time with the harmonious song that had unleashed between us like an untamed fire. His lips were so soft and gentle. My knees melted into oblivion.

  Time seemed to seize around us, and I wished that it would remain that way forever. Why had I denied myself this for so long?

  I grabbed the back of his head and twisted my grip in his thick wavy hair, not wanting to lose this perfect moment. His hands roamed down my sides and up my back, finally resting in my hair and twisting it just as yearningly.

  On my tiptoes, I leaned hard into him and found that I wanted to show him the part of me that was real, a part that I had rarely even shown myself.

  But then Eve’s voice resounded in my ears: “Your choice will affect many.” And I remembered the reflection of my blood-red eyes.

  I suddenly shoved Fenn off, taking a few steps back to put distance between us. He had a look of awe written across his face, eyes still shut tight.

  “Rory, that was amaz-” I cut him off before he could finish.

  “That was me not using my head. We can’t do this. This can’t happen right now.” I looked to the floor, desperate for the right words.

  “You don’t mean that,” he said, and in two strides he was face-to-face with me, eyes drowning my resolve. My breath caught. His lips were the only thing I saw. Perfect upper lip that was just a bit bigger than the bottom, soft and loving.

  He tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear as he leaned in for
another round.

  My hand met his chest. “No,” I forced out in a whisper, his lips just inches from my own.

  “No?” he quizzed softly.

  I closed my eyes, wanting so bad to say the hell with it, but I saw Zordon instead.

  “No,” I answered firmly. “I need to figure this mess out before I can commit to this. I need you as my friend right now. Adding romance is only going to complicate things. And besides, what if it doesn’t work? I can’t lose you.”

  He bitterly took a step back and without looking at me said, “As you wish,” then turned and headed to the kitchen, pulling out leftover chicken and lettuce to make a salad.

  I wanted to make sure he wasn’t mad, but I knew that I had hurt his feelings. “Umm, can you look up the number to that historian Eve mentioned? I’d like to go first thing in the morning if you think it’s a good idea,” I said awkwardly.

  I needed to change the subject and that was all that popped into my brain. He looked at me or more like right through me.

  “Okay,” he said vaguely. This wasn’t going to get better soon enough.

  “Listen,” I leveled, “I’m going to take the car back to Mily. I think we could both use a little space right now.” I uneasily edged away and snatched up my Oraculus before I walked out the door.

  I took off in a hurry, hoping that the speed would beat the feelings I tried to leave behind. What was I thinking kissing him like that? I smacked my forehead with my palm and was instantly reminded about my bruise, regretting the smack.

  Mily’s house was only ten minutes away, which was good because the bus wouldn’t be too far behind.

  Eve popped into my mind as I drove. I remembered her saying that if I opened myself up, then maybe I would understand everything more. I glanced over and looked at the Oraculus on the seat next to me. “Ugh,” I moaned.

  Thoughts flourished as I raced down the highway. The music I blared wasn’t enough to keep everything away so I smacked the power button off and rolled the windows down, letting the night air glide over me.

  This was all so crazy, yet I knew it was true. I knew it would lead me to the answers that I had been looking for. The answer to who I am. That was why the decision should be so simple—find the keys. But then there was Fenn.

  I was growing doubtful about the worth of finding out the truth anymore. I could simply let the full moon come and go and just live happily with Fenn.

  Butterflies stirred again. Maybe that was what I should do. I mean, my parents did give me up so I could make my own choice after all and I could keep the freaky scary side of myself locked away. If what Eve had said was true…I’d really be something other than human. I wasn’t quite sure I was okay with that.

  I sighed as I turned into Mily’s driveway, shutting off the lights so they wouldn’t wake anyone. I grabbed my stuff and quietly eased the car door shut. A light was on in the house. I knew it wasn’t late enough for Mily to be asleep, but I didn’t feel up to chatting. I put the keys under the potted plant and headed over to the bus stop, plopping heavily onto the bench. No one was around, which gave me an idea.

  The words written had an ancient scroll look to them, letters curved as if written by a regal hand. I ran my fingers across the rough, stained page and felt a light shock course up my arm. Eve’s earlier advice sprang forth.

  “Apparatio,” I said aloud, letting the word roll on my tongue as if I’d said it before. I felt the energy inside me awaken, as if it recognized the magical language. I paused and looked around to make sure no one was behind me. Only the crickets chirped.

  “Apparatio,” I repeated, this time pushing my energy into the word. Little blue sparks popped around me and what felt like pure lightning rushed through my veins and coursed through my heart.

  I was doing it. I was using magic.

  Hunger for more burned in the pit of my stomach, growling and intensifying with each repetition of the word. I felt connected with the other side of myself. I felt alive.

  Blue fizzles popped and sizzled around me. I was now unperturbed by the fact that I was out in the open. “Apparatio,” I commanded one last time, forcing my power into the word.

  My vision became blurry as a blast of blue light shot out from both of my hands, light streaming from the tips of my fingers. It was instant and then gone, but I felt myself fading, being pulled into the other realm like before. The last thing I saw was the Oraculus glowing in front of me in the same blue-green hue. A void opened around me as more words began to scribe across the page. Then everything went black.

  Chapter 14

  The Fates Speak Through Me FOR THE SECOND TIME IN twenty-four hours I found myself in another realm of time. Zordon sat in what looked like a bedroom that must have been located in the Lyceum. The walls were made of the same white marble, and everything, including the bed dressed in blood red linens, seemed to suspend in air.

  The room was wide open, the ocean air gently breezing through the balcony’s sliding glass windows. Zordon’s back was resting on the chaise that sat at the foot of the bed. And as if he knew I was there, he tensed and sat straight up.

  I wanted to turn and run, but that wouldn’t do me any good. I didn’t know where to go. I quickly assessed the room for a place to hide, choosing a thick crimson curtain that hung on the wall behind me. As he began to turn in my direction, I darted behind the curtain, praying that he would pass off the disturbance of movement as the ocean breeze.

  Moments passed as I tried to calm the frantic pace of my heart, waiting for the inevitability of being caught. The moments seemed to stretch on like a prolonged round of torture.

  Instead, his footsteps carried him away from my direction. I peeked around the inside of the curtain. He was facing the mantle of the fireplace reaching for a crystal ball.

  “Are you awake in there, Lev?” he spoke to the crystal menacingly.

  My hand flew up to my mouth, in an attempt to hold back a gasp. How could he put a person in a prison like that?

  “If anyone ever found out that you hadn’t deserted us, I don’t think they’d be so eager to follow me.” He laughed a knowing, chilling laugh and continued. “But if anyone ever tried to desert me, they would only end up like you. So I guess it doesn’t matter either way.”

  His smile made my insides turn. How could I hate someone so much that I barely even knew? “Gazing into your crystal again?” interrupted the beautiful lady with hair like white gold who had sat in the corner of my earlier dream. Her face was as expressionless as a rock.

  “Ah, Gwenevere, you’d think after thirty years of marriage you’d know not to defer my train of thought.” He set the crystal down and rolled his head in her direction, lips as thin as paper. “But since you have, what can I help you with?”

  Walking over to her, he put his arm around her waist and pulled her towards the openarched windows. His white-knuckled grip was digging into her hip.

  She kept her face expressionless and moved with him, but at the same time I noticed the little bit of distance she tried to maintain by leaning her head slightly away.

  “This is my room too, you know. Though I wish you would take up my offer and move me across the Lyceum near our boys.” Every note of her voice was flat like the drab hum of a motor. Zordon let out a low growl.

  She somehow managed to free herself of his grip and walked over to where I stood. For a second, I thought she was going to notice my form behind the curtain, and I cringed in anticipation, but she never looked my way. I let out a lengthy breath.

  She sat at the vanity, next to where I was standing. The misery creased in her face reminded me of Lady Eve. My heart twisted in agony.

  Inside the mirror, black smoke twirled and then Zordon’s face began to take shape. A Grinch-like smile stretched across his face. His eyes were completely black with only the faintest hint of a raging fire burning in the pit of his irises. No sign of human compassion burned there.

  “I’ve missed you while you were away,” he derided, head bobb
ing in the mirror like a ghost on thin air. His body was still by the window standing motionless, eyes glazed black as his magic pulsed around him. “I feel as if we don’t spend as much time together like we used to.” The cruel curve of his smile revealed a set of perfect white teeth, somehow adding to his mocking tone.

  His dark black eyes held no verification of his words. He moved from the window to stand directly behind her, his face disappearing from the mirror in a puff of smoke. His hands picked up a strand of her fair hair. With care, he bent down and sniffed it, pausing with eyes shut tight to inhale deeply. The knots in my stomach tightened even more. Her face remained unmoved.

  She gently took her hair from his hands and began to run her comb through it. How could someone as beautiful and pure as her, marry a man like him?

  A crackle of black energy popped around her head, and in an instant her chair spun around, leaning on its back two legs. His nose met hers, her eyes as wide as saucers. His energy was exploding around him.

  “What ARE YOU HIDING?” he shouted, the venom in his voice penetrating the air as he crowded her.

  My fingers dug into the palms of my hands as I clenched my jaw, biting the inside of my cheek. I should do something. I should help her. The anger flared inside of me.

  “I don’t know what you are talking about, my Liege.” Her voice faltered with betrayal. “You can ask any of the guards and maids. They are with me all the time.”

  For the first time I saw her look into his eyes. Her own light blue energy sizzled around her, ready to unleash. I had no idea what was going on between the two of them, but it seemed like some kind of ongoing mini-war.

  Carelessly, Zordon laughed, grabbing his stomach and throwing his head back. What is wrong with this man? I thought.

  “I’m not serious, Gwen,” he spat her name as he spun her chair back around. “As if you could hide anything from me. You know I have my people watching you.” I could see the mist growing in her eyes, but she never let it form into a tear.