Rise of the Flame

by K.N. Lee

  Delia finished the job by making Sister Eloni’s body burst into the same black embers of Sister Jedra and the other Sister just moments earlier.

  “We saw what we needed to see. Kavien is dead. We stopped the leader of the Sisters, now we must escape from here.”

  Lilae nodded. She slowly walked over to Kavien’s body. She leaned over him and kissed his forehead. “I’m sorry,” she said to him, wishing he could hear her. She turned to Delia, gathering her wits and energy to make it out of the palace. Dragnor was still out there.

  They raced from Kavien’s room and to the servant’s secret hallways. They went down staircases that seemed to never end. Lilae shuddered, remembering being trapped down in the dungeons only days ago.

  Delia spoke hurriedly. “Lilae, do you remember what I tried to teach you that night, back in Lowen’s Edge?”

  Lilae knew exactly what she was talking about. “Yes.” She had to push the vision of Kavien’s dead body out of her head.

  “Well, now is the time to make it happen. It’s our only way out of Avia’Torena! It is the only way to stop the Sisters!”

  Lilae could feel the dread rising. She had seen what that Bellen could do. She hadn’t time to prepare. The one skill she needed most she had failed once before. She wasn’t sure exactly how that would get them out of Avia’Torena, but she already started to focus on harnessing her power. She refused to disappoint Delia again.

  “I have faith in you Lilae,” Delia said. “But you must be ready when we reach the courtyard.

  Lilae was silent. She was focused. Determined. She saw the doors that led to the courtyard and took a deep breath. She clutched the hilt of the sword tighter and called out to The Winds. She hoped they would finally respond once more.

  “Lilae,” they softly called and she felt her entire body warm with joy.

  She beamed as they finally made their way from the musky, damp, lower wing and out into the fresh air. Lilae’s smile quickly fell when she saw Dragnor standing there waiting for them. Nearly half of the kingdoms soldiers were assembled, their weapons ready.

  Lilae gulped and stopped in her tracks as their eyes met. The fear of the pain he could bring began to rise in her throat like bile. She stepped away, hoping that he wouldn’t take her power again.

  Delia held her willow staff towards Dragnor and stepped towards him. When his eyes met hers his smug smile fell and he looked as though he had seen a ghost. He stumbled backwards, completely terrorized.

  Delia tilted her head as she looked him over. “What’s it been Dragnor, son of the tyrant Malikar?”

  Dragnor stood as though frozen, speechless for the first time since Lilae had known him.

  “One, two hundred years?” Delia continued, her voice so low and menacing that even Lilae shivered. “And what progress you have made. Who let you out?”

  “Gatekeeper!” he said breathlessly.

  Lilae eyes went back and forth between both of them, confused that they knew each other.

  “Yes, yes.” Delia stood before him, looking up into his dark eyes and Lilae saw him shudder before her tutor. “Did Wexcyn warn you that there is a contract on your head? The Elders will hunt you down to bring you back to the Underworld.”

  Dragnor straightened up. His jaw clenched and he tried to regain his composure. He glanced at Lilae and at the soldiers who looked on expectantly. They waited for an order.

  “I have Inora’s protection now gatekeeper. My Ancient will protect me,” Dragnor said, more to convince himself than anyone else. “You can send me back, but I will just be set free once more.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Delia added. “Whatever it is he has planned, will fail. The Flame and the Storm will set things right once more.”

  “Oh I assure you,” Dragnor grinned. “The Storm will never make it to you.”

  Delia raised an eyebrow. “Oh he will. There's nothing you can do to stop him.”

  Dragnor balled up his fist. “You do know, I have all that I need from the girl. Inora has given me the power to absorb that of others. I,” he said pointing to himself. “Hold the power of the Flame now! It is you who has failed.”

  Delia laughed softly then and motioned for Lilae to come closer. “Are you sure about that Dragnor?”

  “Your power is no good here Gatekeeper! Go back to the Underworld where you belong,” he shouted. “Go back and let Wexcyn destroy you like he did all of the other Elders.”

  Delia took Lilae’s free hand. “My power may not be as strong in this world,” she admitted. “But the Flame's power is!” She squeezed Lilae’s hand. “Lilae! Now!”

  Lilae held the sword out and took a deep breath. She looked around nervously and it felt as though time slowed for her. She heard nothing. There was utter silence, but she saw Dragnor give the order to seize her. She watched as the soldiers ran towards them as though they fought a strong wind.

  She started to sweat, afraid of failure, when suddenly she saw the faces of her family. Tears fell from her eyes as she watched their faces fade and saw what the future would hold if she didn’t survive that night. She suddenly glared at Dragnor and he saw the fire in her eyes.

  “Lilae,” Delia shouted again, breaking her from her trance. Garion attacked those who were close.

  Then, Lilae closed her eyes and let out a long slow breath. She raised the sword in the sky. The fire within her soared up from her toes to her fingertips and the swords blade began to glow red with flames. The sadness deep within her made the sky turn red and when her eyes opened she felt Delia’s pride. Lilae’s eyes were pools of light so bright that the soldiers started to lower their weapons and back away in terror.

  Her hair flew as The Winds lifted her from the ground. The wild tresses grew bright red and they feared they were looking at a demon from their darkest nightmares.

  “What is this?” Dragnor shouted, shielding his eyes. He looked angrily at Delia. “What is it?”

  Lilae shot a look at him that made him take a step back. Those dark eyes of his met hers and he could read what she wanted to do to him. She growled and pointed her sword at him. His eyes widened and he raised a hand against her. Dragnor covered his head in his hood and vanished into the shadows. Lilae shouted angrily. She wanted him dead! She wanted to go after him, to make him face her.

  Delia looked at her, breathless. “Lilae,” she whispered, giving her hand a squeeze and reaching for Garion’s. “Take us out of here now.”

  Lilae stretched higher and suddenly knew what to do. In an instant there was a loud popping sound and the three of them vanished into the light.

  Chapter 56

  Liam looked ahead as he climbed free from the ocean waters. He was exhausted. He pulled himself up onto the sand of the beach. He wanted to rest. He needed sleep, but he had arrived, finally.

  Liam could see The Barrier in the distance. The sky above it was visibly darker. Swirls of purple and black topped the hazy aura of The Barrier. His eyes narrowed as he saw something flying towards him. Liam couldn’t contain his joy when Nani flew into his arms.

  “Liam!” she cried gleefully. She wrapped her arms around him. She kissed him all over his face and smiled at him. “I knew it! I could feel that you were alive!”

  Liam hugged Nani tight as he came to his feet. “Oh I missed you Nani!”

  She giggled and planted a dozen kisses on his cheek. “You have no idea how much we missed you Liam! I am so glad that you are ok!”

  “Where’s Rowe?”

  She flew from his embrace and threw her hand out to point towards the jungle. “He’s right there! I knew you were coming. I knew it. We waited for you!”

  His gaze followed where Nani pointed to and saw Rowe running over to them. Liam grinned and hugged Rowe. Rowe rustled his hair with tear filled laughter. They were both at a loss for words.

  “Aww, you guys should see yourselves,” Nani remarked. “You look just like brothers.” She grinned. Her heart felt whole again. “Except, Rowe is the much bigger brother, of course
.”

  “No time to waste!” The Winds urged and Liam was brought to attention. The reunion was cut short. There were still important things to accomplish.

  “And where have you been?” he shouted at them.

  Nani and Rowe searched for who Liam spoke to.

  “Go!” They yelled. “The girl! Go! This way!”

  Liam stopped asking questions and had to grow serious. “All right guys, we must leave now. The Flame is near. Come on.”

  They nodded and followed Liam as The Winds led the way. The path to The Barrier was an inhabitable jungle. It was thick with large slippery tree roots exposed above ground and thatching across the jungle floor. The leaves were big and dark, not green like he was used to, but more of a brownish red. Some were even black. The leaves grew more oddly colored the closer he got to The Barrier.

  They could see in the horizon the volcanoes that The Barrier was composed of. The ashes littered the sky and he could see lava trailing down canals that the volcano had made and wondered how the Shadow Elves survived in such conditions.

  This piece of land that connected Kyril and Eura was what the whole of Nostfar was like. Dark caverns and odd landforms was what the Shadow Elves were used to. The ground became smooth with dried and cooled lava.

  No amount of sun could penetrate the jungle’s canopy. The large leaves were three times the size of the leaves he had grown up seeing. They were lush as well, but not as lively. He was careful to avoid the sting flies that surrounded him. Liam swatted at them with his large hands, blood splatting on his palms.

  He wished he had his sword. He felt naked without it. They were so close. It was finally time to see her in real life. Liam couldn’t stand the anticipation. It was unbearable. Liam could see the broken pillars and the guardians stood before him. She was there, beyond The Barriers. Lilae. The girl from his dreams.

  He was anxious, his heart beating out of his chest. The trees fought him, the roots tried to trip him. Liam hacked away at the overgrown vegetation of the jungle with his bare hands, breathing laboriously as they tried to overwhelm him.

  And then, like a dream, he stood before The Barrier, its hazing aura beckoning him. He looked at Nani and Rowe who were both captivated by the sight and grinned. “Well, are you ready?” Liam asked. They both nodded as they continued to stare.

  “As ready as we’ll ever be.” Rowe prepared himself for what they were about to do.

  Nani swallowed hard and managed a small hesitant smile. “We’re with you Liam. To the end.”

  Liam nodded proudly and took a deep breath. Into the aura he stepped and like a blanket, darkness smothered them all.

  Chapter 57

  Lilae, Delia, and Garion were immediately sucked into what felt like another world. Their bodies shot through the sky into a roadway of millions of lights and colors that encircled them like thick water. The air was tight and squeezed their limbs together, pulling them along. They flew for what felt like hours, holding hands and waiting breathlessly for the ride to end.

  “Delia!” Lilae screamed when her body started to feel as though it was being ripped apart.

  Delia had her eyes closed and Lilae could tell she felt the same pain. “Shush Lilae, we will be fine,” she whispered, her voice wavering. “It’s almost over.”

  Lilae squeezed her eyes shut and prayed for it to end when they were all spit onto a surface that stopped their flight. They all crashed onto the ground and it took a moment for even Delia to find her footing. Garion stood silently, wavering like a mindless puppet.

  Lilae opened her eyes and groaned. She lifted her cheek from a smooth black surface and searched for Delia and Garion. She slowly crawled to her feet and nearly fell back down onto the slippery surface when she realized how dizzy the ride had made her. She took in a deep breath when she realized that they were standing at the edge of a rocky cliff.

  Lilae looked before them. They were high above a valley of dark water. She felt that she might vomit when she realized just how high they were. Delia looked down as well and then at the sky which was a haze of purple. They noticed that the moon was strange as well. It was somehow different, a more golden tint than the one Lilae was used to.

  The trees were tall and black and there was ash floating in the air. Lilae jumped backwards when she realized that thin trails of lava slowly slid down the mountain and off the cliff.

  “Delia,” Lilae called breathlessly, her voice trembling with fear. She felt a sense of dread fill her body, her pulse racing again. She normally sensed when danger was near, and now, she felt it everywhere. It clung to the ash filled air they breathed.

  Delia looked up at her. “Yes dear?”

  “Where are we?”

  “The Barrier.”

  Lilae looked behind her and screamed. She hadn’t noticed the two giants that stood guard behind her. They were large, with black cloaks and glowing spears that crossed to show that passing was not allowed.

  “The guardians?” The men stared off past them, paying them no attention. Their eyes were full of light and their faces were serious. Lilae thought that they looked like humans but tripled in height with wider eyes set father apart.

  Delia nodded.

  “Which barrier is this?” She had to know, she prayed that it wasn't the Nostfar barrier, where the Shadow Elves and horrifying beasts dwelled. Lilae wasn't ready to battle another basilisk. Any of the four realms but that one!

  “It’s Nostfar, but calm down Lilae. It doesn’t matter which barrier this is. They will all be destroyed in a moment.”

  Lilae felt such dread that she had to wrap her arms across her body. She felt cold, the goose bumps spreading across her exposed shoulders.

  “How do we get down?” Lilae wanted to get as far away from The Barrier as possible.

  “We don’t dear,” Delia said softly and gently took her hand. She smoothed the back of Lilae’s hand consolingly. “We must wait.”

  “Wait!”

  “Shh,” Delia soothed. “Shh! Just a moment. He is coming.”

  Lilae shot a look of terror at her. “Who?” She folded her hands before her mouth.

  Delia nodded towards The Barrier and they saw a shadow of a figure approaching from the other side. The fog was thick and they could see nothing but his silhouette. “He who will help you get your child back. He who will help you awaken the Unknown and destroy the evil that will soon walk this world.”

  “Who is it?” Lilae whispered as the shadowy figure got taller the closer it got to the guardians.

  “The Storm,” Delia explained with a smile. Her eyes seemed to see through the haze before them. “The Storm is coming.”

  Bonus Material

  Night of the Storm

  Book Two of The Eura Chronicles

  Chapter 1

  “Let me do it,” Risa whispered into her twin sister’s ear. Her words came out angrily, pleadingly. It made Jaiza queasy at imagining how Risa wanted to kill their master. Risa was not one to show restraint.

  They crouched low to the smooth granite floor in a huddle. Jaiza nervously looked over her shoulder at the torch lit hallway that led back into the main house of the compound. The heat of the outer corridor was briefly diminished by a soft breeze that drifted in through the walls archways.

  Fluorescent Cicada’s buzzed outside. The noise the glittering insects made seemed too loud for the girls. They needed quiet for this mission.

  Jaiza looked into Risa’s blue eyes. They were narrowed in a determined glare down the hallway. Jaiza had to suppress her desire to cringe at the purple bruise over her sister’s left eye. The swelling had begun to go down, but it didn’t lessen Jaiza’s anger. Their master promised to never bruise their faces. He was a liar.

  “Let me kill him.” Risa’s soft voice came out almost pleadingly. Her fists were already clenched. She wanted to beat him to death. Her method wasn’t practical.

  Jaiza had other ideas.

  Risa had as much as a claim to the duke’s life as any of the othe
r slave girls, but Jaiza had made up her mind at the beginning of this scheme. Risa had gotten that black eye from speaking her mind, for trying to protect her sister. Nevertheless, Jaiza would not give the honor of killing him away for anything.

  Kelsi, a girl from the village that they were captured from nearly a year ago, wrung her hands in worry. She looked over her shoulder to make sure no one followed them. Kelsi was a normal human girl, without any special skills except a pretty face. She looked at Jaiza, sweat dripping from her forehead. Jaiza could tell that the young girl wanted to bolt.

  Jaiza shook her head in silence. If anyone could kill the duke, it would have to be her or her sister. They had been trained since childhood by their father, Pirin, an expert soldier who had agreed to train and protect the chosen child. Neither of the twins were the chosen child, but they had benefited from Pirin’s knowledge as much as the girl whom they had been raised to accept as their younger sister.

  Lilae. They both missed her. Not a day went by when they didn’t think of her.

  Jaiza glanced over the corner once more. She had to force herself to get up and make the walk to the duke’s private quarters. She felt exposed as she came to her feet. The archways within the corridor looked directly out into the duke’s private gardens. Guards were either passed out on the ground or sleeping while seated against the side of the building.

  Yuvorias, a small exotic purple stemmed tree with great blooming yellow flowers, were potted in intricately embellished clay pots. They lined the walls, secreting fragrant opium-like aromas that altered the senses once inhaled.

  “No offense,” Jaiza said quietly, mentally preparing herself for what she was about to do. There was no turning back now. “But you couldn’t sneak up on anyone if your life depended on it, and this time it does.”