Born In Flames

by Candace Knoebel

  “You did a great job. They’re delicious,” I mused taking another bite. I laid back and rested my hands behind my head, creating shapes in the clouds.

  “So I’ve been meaning to ask you…do you know my parents?” I hoped that Lexi would help me find the missing pieces to me. All I wanted to hear was the truth.

  “Your mother’s name is Eralise, the Draconta Princess.”

  “Princess? Dragon? But how-”

  “Magic Aurora,” she said, cutting me off.

  “I know that, and I feel that part of myself wanting to break free. But there’s just one part that I can’t come to grips with. A part that just can’t be right. Lexi…I’m,” I looked down, “well, I’m human. And you’re telling me my mother is a Draconta Princess. Do all dragons look like humans?”

  “Correction, you are part human. Your father, Myrdinn, is a very powerful Mage. You’re as much him as you are your mother. Remember the scales? That was a glimpse of your shift. And no, the dragons don’t look human. They look like dragons,” she snickered.

  “My shift?” I asked, “So I’ll be able to shift back and forth?”

  “That part no one knows because you’re the first of your kind. I’m sure it will all be explained in the end.”

  “I think I saw Myrdinn when Eve gave me the Oraculus, but I can’t remember his face. I only paid attention to Zordon.” I felt a pang in my stomach.

  “Well, once we find these keys you’ll get to see him all you want,” she replied.

  “What if we don’t make it?” I said quietly, helping her pack up our stuff.

  “Don’t think that way,” she said with disapproval in her tone. “Although no one had ever thought to turn a dragon into a human, that didn’t stop your father from trying. The love your parents felt for each other, combined with their magic, was so strong it gave your mother the ability to morph into a human and inevitably conceive you.”

  “So she’s human now?” I felt even more confused.

  “No, she’s back in her dragon form. The magic wasn’t strong enough to sustain childbirth. Once you were born, the talk of war began and she had to return home to help protect her kind. Save the questions for when we return…for now we have to keep moving.” She lightly patted my shoulder and then moved to catch up with the rest of the crowd, leaving me to stand in shocked silence.

  “It just keeps getting better and better,” I said to myself, following behind as we began our descent downhill.

  Lexi bravely walked up to Logan and tapped his arm. He turned to face her. I shook my head.

  The grass was still gently swaying, and I could see the ruins not too far off in the distance. A sense of urgency washed over me.

  I was so close to the end now. The keys and the cave, it was all so close to being mine. Then it would finally be over. Over enough for things to begin at least.

  Chapter 26

  Not Again…

  WHEN THE SUN REACHED THE highest point in the sky, we finally looked upon the castle ruins. It felt like I was visiting Stonehenge or something. The massive boulders were unexplainably large, making me feel like a tiny ant.

  Lexi left Logan’s side and made her way back over to me. Although she acted like she was listening to me rant and rave about the beauty of where we stood, I could tell that she was sneaking glances around the two lovebirds to wink at Logan.

  Molten lava had spewed from the nearby volcano and onto the ruins creating a grayish rippled river frozen in time, which Matt had explained to us was the original demise of the temple.

  “Now everybody, watch your step,” called Matt. We descended down the uneven rocky hill, using the car-size boulders as a bracing point while praying our shoes could grip the tiny pebbles that made up the ground.

  “This is as physically straining as going uphill,” I complained. I will not fall, I will not fall, I told myself. But I couldn’t get the image of my face smacking into one of the boulders out of my head.

  I watched jealously as Lexi moved like a mountain lion, knowing just when to push off of each rock.

  At the bottom of the path was a patch of the greenest grass I had ever seen with tiny orchids sprouting up. It was like finding water in a desert to my eyes.

  We were surrounded by weathered columns that held glimpses of once being majestic. It was history, and he let us touch each one in an attempt to give us the true meaning of where we stood.

  “You’re now standing on an ancient piece of history,” Matt said with pride. “Lore about dragons and magic says that this very spot was home to Natives who believed in beings more powerful than the imagination.”

  The girl pried herself off of her boyfriend and asked, “Dragons? There isn’t any proof of dragons. Why would a dragon even have a temple? I thought that they lived in caves and ate people.”

  Matt turned unwillingly towards her. “Well Kathy, some people also don’t believe in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. It’s a personal preference called imagination,” he replied indignantly.

  She looked defeated as her boyfriend rubbed her back.

  “On that note,” he perked up, “let’s head out. The altar’s not too far from here.”

  We walked deeper into the ruins, Lexi and I trailing behind to study the columns, and found the group huddling around something. And then I felt the familiar humming vibration.

  The second key, I thought with a rush.

  Matt’s voice carried on the wind as we came up behind them. “…and was carved out of Lapis Lazuli. The altar has been studied by many, the intricate design of the carvings telling a story that many decipher into their own meaning.”

  Lexi leaned into my ear and whispered, “As soon as they move on, we’ll get the key.”

  I reached around Lexi and traced my fingers along one of the carvings, the missing piece in the picture.

  The gouge was definitely big enough to suit a finger. I reached down and twirled the loose-fitting ring, wishing that everyone else would just disappear so I could put it in the missing space.

  I eyed Lexi on the other side of the altar and made a motion for her to come near. She wormed her way over and crouched down next to me as the chatter from everyone floated above our heads.

  “Here’s the gouge.”

  “Watch this,” she said as she balled her hands into two green-glowing fists. She closed her eyes and whispered a chant, slightly rocking back and forth. The green glow trailed up from her hands and into the air, touching each one of the tour members and wrapping around them as she whispered, “Oblivisci.”

  I had seen this before. After the first altercation with Soothe on the bus. She was bending them to her will like he had, replacing their memory of this moment with something else.

  One by one they shook their heads, as if trying to see through a hazy fog. Matt said, “Okay, everyone, this way, follow me,” and they all walked off, leaving Lexi and I alone.

  “You have to teach me how to do that,” I said excitedly-stating, not asking.

  “It comes in handy from time to time.” She winked. “Now, let’s do this,” she urged, holding up my hand and looking at the ring.

  “Should I leave it on or take it off?”

  “Take it off. Don’t want to risk you losing a finger,” she answered confidently.

  I did as she said and held it up, both of us looking at it as if it were the most amazing thing we had ever seen before.

  “Put it in,” she rushed, pushing my elbow forward.

  “Here goes nothing,” I said as I leaned in and stuck the stone into the gouge.

  For a moment nothing happened and we sat there, our breaths caught in our throats, waiting with fingers crossed.

  “Any day now,” she said anxiously.

  And then the ring moved, twisting and pushing into the altar. Dust flew out of the hole and we jumped back, not sure what was going to happen.

  The top of the altar shook and then cracked, a zigzag trail running down the middle. Light seeped through the crack, emphasizing the
swirling dust that floated out from the ancient relic.

  “What now?” I asked, my heart pounding wildly against my chest.

  Then a shimmering light shot up towards the moon intensifying into a beam that was almost blinding.

  “The key,” I said, bolting forward and shoving my hand inside the crack. “This is the same thing that happened with the first,” I quickly told Lexi as she came up beside me.

  I reached as far as I could go, my fingertips skimming along a surface inside the altar. I weaved around, trying to feel for a stone but couldn’t quite find it.

  “I can’t feel it anywhere,” I said, my arm completely engulfed by the altar.

  “Move…let me try something,” said Lexi, her hands lit up again with her green energy. Her eyes focused on the altar, and the energy wrapped around the base.

  The altar slowly began to open, her magic levitating the top of it into the air. “Quickly,” she said, still focusing.

  I leaned in and there it sat at the bottom, the beam of light making it hard to see.

  “Got it?” she asked, her hands trembling.

  “Yeah,” I replied as I stepped back, “but we need to put this light out before someone sees it.” “I know. It’s a beacon for evil to find us easily.” She covered her hands over mine to help shield the light. “What did you do last time?”

  “I just wished it would stop and channeled my energy to connect with it, and it disappeared on its own.”

  “Well, do that again,” she instructed, smirking, still holding her hands over mine. I closed my eyes and tapped into the humming energy deep inside me.

  The harsh sound of clapping hands broke my connection as it echoed around us.

  “Good job…Progeny,” hissed Zane. He still had a welt on the side of his face from where I had hit him with the tree. “Seems like you won’t be getting home.”

  Before I could stop it and before Lexi could register, he hurled an energy ball toward her, shouting, “Immobaltio!”

  The spell hit her as her eyes widened in horror, and then she toppled over onto the hard earth with a loud thud.

  “Lexi!” I shouted as I ran over to her.

  “The key Progeny, give me the key,” Zane demanded, stalking towards us. It was still shining in the palms of my hands, as far as the eye could see.

  I risked a glance at Lexi, her eyes wide with fear. I knew what I had to do. I had to protect the key. It was my only way back to Fenn. I shoved it in my pocket, the jean material dimming the radiance.

  Zane’s pulsating energy was breaths length away from me. I turned to face him.

  “Boo!”

  I spun around and ran as fast as I could, searching for something to hide behind. We were surrounded by old, worn columns of stone. As I neared one, I darted to the left watching a whirl of energy whiz by, barely missing my feet.

  My chest heaved in and out as I tried to pace myself and think. But there was no time for that. Only time for instinct.

  A burly looking man stepped around the column next to me, flashing his snarling yellow teeth as he wove a ball of energy in his hands and threw it at me. I ducked as it zoomed by, shrieking and crawling around the column.

  A pair of shoes entered my line of vision. “Hi,” Zane snickered as his foot slammed into my face. Stars instantly swarmed my head as I flew backwards, up against a teetering column.

  The other guy, with his slicked back black hair, snorted and said, “Look! The progeny flies.” Zane chuckled alongside him as I tried to sit up.

  My head throbbed from the collision, a wave of nausea crashing down. I leaned to the side as my lunch resurfaced. This seemed to make them laugh even harder.

  “Can you believe this is who’s supposed to defeat my father?” Zane denounced as he his lip curled up with disgust.

  They stood before me and stared down at my body as if I were nothing more than a defenseless dog left to die. I wiped the bile from my mouth, and tried to focus on their looming figures. When enough sense resurfaced, I scowled up at Zane.

  He picked his leg up, his foot digging into my shoulder, pushing me back down. “I will only ask one more time…give me the key.” With each word he dug his boot in a little deeper.

  I felt the burn of anger building behind the screaming pain of my head and my swollen face. “No!” I said defiantly, the coppery blood pooling in my mouth.

  The other guy started laughing again, crouching down to his knees as he leaned into me and whispered, “You’d better do what he says, Progeny,” he spat mockingly. “I don’t think you’ll like what comes next. We’ve got the other map.”

  This might be my last chance, I thought as I grit through the pain and once again met Zane’s grim stare.

  “No!” I repeated, pushing against his foot and trying my hardest not to wince from the pain it brought. I couldn’t show weakness.

  His eyes went tight. For a brief moment, I swear I saw Zordon instead of Zane. Then his hands came together as energy pulsed between them. “Good. I’d rather do this the hard way.”

  Two things happened at once. Lexi’s green energy connected with Zane’s head, throwing him back, and my own energy surfaced as I directed it towards the other guy.

  My energy was infused with fire; the man danced wildly, shrieking in pain. The flames consumed him, slowly shutting off his agonizing cries as his body sizzled and writhed on the ground.

  “You okay?” Lexi asked as she rushed over to me. I used her hand for support, my head pounding. Blood pooled in my mouth and I spit it out, trying to pull it together as Zane began to stir.

  “I’m okay. We need to move.”

  She nodded, and threw my arm over her shoulder, pulling me away from the ruins.

  “You still have the key?” she asked, letting me lean my weight on her.

  “It’s the one thing I did right,” I weakly jested, running my hand over the outside of my jean pocket, just to be sure. It was still there.

  “Okay, you need to merge with it or whatever you did last time so it will be safe.” As we slowed to a stop, I held the stone in my hand, and focused my energy on it. In less time, I merged with the stone. “Good, now we need to get to the third. Zane will wake soon. He must have the other map.”

  “He does. I heard the other guy with him mention it. Shouldn’t we bind him or something?”

  She took in a deep breath and then shook her head. “My energy is almost depleted after holding that altar open. I haven’t yet mastered conserving it,” she said with a weak smile. “We should check the map instead to make sure the other key hasn’t been taken.”

  I agreed. I took the map out of my bookbag and unfolded it, holding it up to the second sun’s light. An X appeared over the ruins, a small sliver of light shone through. The only illuminated spot left was the location of the third key. The cave.

  “Let’s catch back up with the group,” she said as I folded the map back up.

  A small rush of rocks slid down the hill next to us, a reminder that we were out in the open and alone.

  “Zane,” I whispered, tucking the map inside my bag and zipping it up.

  “Stay here,” Lexi mouthed as she slowly crept over to where the rocks had fallen. She came up behind one of the stone pillars, locking eyes with me, “Ready?” as her fist began to glow.

  I nodded, prepared for anything, and then she ran around, hands out, ready to attack.

  “WHOAH!” Adam cried out. His hands were up in the air. “It’s just me, I’m sorry. I saw you guys trail off and wanted to make sure you knew where the group was headed.”

  I let out a sigh, glad that it wasn’t Zane. Lexi’s hands fell to her side. “You can’t just sneak up on people, you weirdo,” she scolded as she shouldered past him.

  “I wasn’t sneaking. I…I was just going to let you know that we were heading to the woods now. What were you two doing anyway?” he asked as I moved into his line of sight.

  “We umm…we saw something cool,” I began.

  “Oh yeah? Wh
at?”

  “Yeah, it umm…I think it was an animal or something,” I said sheepishly.

  “An animal?” he asked distractedly, looking over at Lexi.

  “Yeah, it was some kind of strange animal, but we never got a good look. Oh well,” she covered, winking in my direction.

  “That’s odd,” he noted, his face puzzled. “I could’ve sworn I saw a bright light back there. You didn’t see that too?”

  I stumbled only for a moment, and then said, “Light? No. We didn’t see any light, did we Lexi?” I said, searching her eyes for a good answer.

  “Nope. No light. We were probably too caught up with trying to find the animal,” she said with a laugh, playing it off.

  “So is that why her face is all beat up?” he asked Lexi before turning back to me pointedly. “What kind of animal was it? Looks like you’ve been punched.”

  More like kicked, I thought bitterly as the forgotten pain pulsed again. I lightly touched it, wincing from the open wound Zane left on my forehead. “I uh…I fell.”

  “That’s quite a fall,” he commented, moving to touch it. I turned away before his fingertips made contact.

  Lexi started giggling nervously. “Yeah, I barely caught her in time. Can you believe it? She’s such a klutz,” she quickly threw in.

  She started walking again, gesturing for us to follow. I didn’t hesitate.

  “I’m fine, really,” I reassured as we neared the edge of the group.

  Logan called out Adam’s name. “Glad to hear. Can’t risk losing you,” Adam added, walking alongside of me. Something strange flickered in his eyes. Like he meant something more than that. Like he knew something. He turned and left.

  “What was that all about?” Lexi whispered. “Does he know something?”

  “I was going to ask you the same thing,” I said under my breath.

  “You know…he does look familiar, but for the life of me I can’t place him. Oh well,” she shrugged, “for now we need to focus on the key. Zane will be waking.”