Born of Fire: The Dawn of Legend

by Dreagen

  “Interesting. How long can they, uhh…record for?”

  “Only about the length of time you just heard, five to seven minutes.”

  “So not long enough to eavesdrop on an entire conversation.”

  “But long enough to catch the important parts if you know when to plant one in a room,” EeNox said, winking.

  “So why didn’t you just plant the bug yourself? Why involve KenSito at all?”

  “Because he could get close enough to the right people without raising suspicion.”

  “But if your father knows, then why not just eavesdrop on him at home?”

  “Ha! Yeah, right. You’re mad if you think my father would be so careless as to speak freely about such sensitive information with me about.”

  “You don’t think he trusts you?” Rex asked, sounding bemused.

  “Not when it comes to matters of privacy,” EeNox replied, grinning.

  “I can’t imagine why. So, in other words, you had your little friend plant this thing where you knew he might play host to the right kind of conversation.”

  “And it was a good thing I did, too, or else we might still be guessing as to where they’re holding our guest. It was almost a waste because KenSito’s father really wasn’t giving up anything of value until my father spoke to him just before the recording ended, and he mentioned the Spire.”

  “So, wait,” Rex said, dropping his arms. “You’re saying that’s all we’re going on? Your father just throwing out the name of a place they might have taken him?”

  “Well…yeah.”

  “Damn it, EeNox! We could be out here for nothing, you know that, right?”

  “Trust me, it has to be legitimate.”

  “Oh, really?” Rex replied with heightened sarcasm. “It does? Well, shit, in that case, I guess there’s no reason to worry.”

  EeNox wrinkled his face. “I mean, I was worried that we didn’t have enough to go on, either, but then I started thinking about the best place to bring what essentially would be a prisoner. You couldn’t keep him anywhere near town because he could hurt someone if he managed to escape.”

  “True,” Rex said, relaxing a bit and crossing his arms.

  “Also they would want somewhere private, without any distraction to—”

  “Interrogate him.”

  “I was going to say question, but depending on how forthcoming he is with information, VayRonx or KyVina may feel the need to apply a heavy hand to the process.”

  Rex looked back down at the insect whose illumination suddenly disappeared, returning it to its normal dark brown and black color. He found himself fascinated by the tiny creature. EeNara was appealing to his scientific curiosity more and more with each passing day as he discovered one natural wonder after another.

  EeNox, who had noticed Rex’s fixated curiosity on the insect, mused, “With everything you’ve seen since you’ve arrived, I’m surprised you’re so interested in a little bug.”

  “It’s always the little things that catch you by surprise,” Rex said without taking his eyes off it. However, a sweet smell riding up on a faint breeze immediately grabbed his attention. He whipped his head around and stared at the edge of the slope, where the sounds of footsteps were becoming audible. “Someone’s coming.”

  EeNox put the KepArr back in the pouch on his hip and walked over to the edge, glancing down as he did so. “They’re here. Remember, whatever you do don’t tell anyone about my little friend here,” he added, lightly patting the pouch.

  “You still haven’t told me why not.”

  “Because my sister, knowing me as well as she does, will no doubt realize I’ve been using it to spy on her and the other girls to see what they’ve been saying about…well, anything, really, which means she’ll scold my ear off, while LyCora will slowly melt the meat off my bones.”

  Rex cringed slightly as he was treated to a less-than-pleasant mental image. “All right, but just this once. I don’t like the idea of having to keep secrets for people. It always leads to trouble.”

  “I promise it won’t become a habit,” EeNox said with a reassuring smile, which failed to make Rex feel any better.

  A minute later, the other four were standing with the two boys on the landing in front of the passage. EeNox regarded them, then asked, “Did you make it out all right?”

  DiNiya nodded. “Yes, we didn’t have any trouble.”

  “Good. Since we’re all here, then, let’s get going.”

  “Wait a minute!” LyCora called out behind him.

  EeNox sighed and slumped his shoulders as he pivoted around to face what had become an all-too-familiar look of skepticism on LyCora’s face. “Yes?”

  “Do you even have a plan?” she asked him before looking at everyone else. “Do any of us?”

  “Like I said before,” he reiterated, trying his very best to contain the physical outburst of frustration boiling just below the surface. “We follow this path all the way to the Spire where we listen in on the questioning. Now, if no one else has any questions?” He began to turn once again but was interrupted by DiNiya.

  “But how exactly do we do that?”

  EeNox raised his hands to the sky before balling them into fists and bringing them back down where he painfully forced himself to smile. “There are three entrances leading in. One of them is at the top. We can go through that one and watch from high above.”

  “How do we get to that one without being seen?” ShinGaru asked.

  “There’s a spiral staircase that encircles the Spire leading right to it.”

  “But how will we keep from being seen?” DiNiya asked more insistently.

  Rex and AnaSaya were standing side by side, their eyes darting back and forth from DiNiya and LyCora to EeNox, who was clearly growing more and more frustrated by the inquisition.

  “As long as we hang back and keep quiet, we shouldn’t be noticed.”

  “Shouldn’t be?” LyCora asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Damn it, you two, yes! Look, we walk on the damn path, which takes us to the big pointy rock with the stairs! Then we go up to the platform, squat down, and shut up so no one sees or hears us, all right? Any other burning questions that you just can’t go on with life without having answered, or can we finally go, please?”

  “One more,” LyCora said. “How were you planning on staying hidden when VayRonx and KyVina can pick up our scent from up to eight kilometers away?”

  EeNox took another pouch off his hip and poured a small amount of what looked like green power into his open hand.

  “Is that dust powder?” ShinGaru asked, leaning in for a closer look.

  “It is,” EeNox replied as he poured it back into the pouch and retied it to his hip. Turning to Rex, who he naturally assumed was the only one who did not know what that was, he said, “It masks your scent for a time, making someone smell like something old and dusty. Perfect for where we’re going.”

  “Well, now, don’t you just think of everything?” Rex said.

  “Of course. ‘He who comes prepared’ right?” They each held out their hand, and EeNox poured a small amount so they could sprinkle the grey powder on themselves. EeNox then poured some in his own hand and did the same before fixing them with a gaze and asking, “Is there anything else?”

  The two girls looked at each other then back at him. “Lead the way,” DiNiya said, motioning with her hand.

  Her brother nodded with a sigh and turned, where he disappeared into the dark gloom of the crevice. DiNiya and LyCora followed, with ShinGaru close behind, while Rex and AnaSaya brought up the rear. As Rex walked towards the opening, he noticed AnaSaya was not moving. Turning to her, he asked, “Aren’t you coming?”

  “Have you ever had a moment where you knew you were making a decision that would change the rest of your life?” she asked, staring into the dark opening.

  “Every day since I got here.”

  “Does it ever stop feeling scary?”

  “I’ll let you k
now the day I can walk through life fearless.”

  “Sometimes I have dreams where I hear voices in the dark that tell me to step where fear tells me to never tread.” She turned and looked at Rex, their eyes meeting. Rex could see the gentle flow of lavender flame within hers, while AnaSaya felt a crushing force when she looked into his. Never before had she seen such furious intensity in anyone’s flame. The longer she held his gaze, the deeper she felt herself being pulled in and the higher the red flames rose. Finally, she blinked and returned her focus in front of her. Without another word, she walked forward. Rex watched her move past him and disappear into the darkness.

  Voices in the dark for you. He thought back to his dreamy encounters with phantasms of his mind. Monsters in my head for me.

  A small gust of wind blew through his fur, and he thought he heard a distant voice whisper forward. He looked behind but saw no one. With that, he marched into the dark.

  Further up ahead, the others were walking single file in the narrow passage. “How far does this go on for?” DiNiya asked from behind her brother.

  “About another thirty meters,” he answered. “Then we’ll have some elbow room.”

  “Ow,” complained LyCora as her cloak got caught on a craggy rock protruding out from the side, tearing a hole in it. “Damn it!”

  “You all right back there?” EeNox called back.

  “I’m tired, hungry, my cloak is torn, and I’m starting to get blisters on my feet from walking in these shoes all day! What do you think?”

  “The pain lets you know you’re alive,” he said without glancing back. “So be thankful.”

  “I’ll be thankful when I’m soaking in the hot springs again.”

  “Don’t let us stop you from turning around,” said DiNiya as she stepped over a small pile of fallen rock.

  LyCora was about to retort when AnaSaya suddenly appeared behind her and said, “Hello,” causing her to scream abruptly.

  “Sorry, I fell behind,” the other girl said.

  “Where’s Rex?” DiNiya asked.

  “Right here,” came his deep voice from behind AnaSaya as the red glow from his eyes became visible in the dark before the rest of him came into view.

  “Everyone keep up,” said EeNox. “And keep your voices down.”

  “Why?” LyCora asked. “You said there would be no one on this trail.”

  “True, but there’s no harm in being extra cautious.”

  “A wise point,” ShinGaru agreed.

  They continued to move through the passage for another five minutes until they finally emerged on the other end near an open rocky trail high above KaNar.

  “Check out that view,” EeNox said, gazing at the light below and the endless open night sky. I haven’t been up here in forever.”

  Rex glanced down and saw the main gates of KaNar far below. “How high are we?”

  “About two hundred meters.”

  Rex leaned back, a sense of vertigo kicking in. He had never been afraid of heights per se, but he always felt nervous and uncomfortable when he found himself far off the ground for any particular reason.

  Continuing on, they made their way along the trail under the cover of night. EeNox continued to lead the way while LyCora, AnaSaya, and ShinGaru walked behind him a little ahead of DiNiya, who now brought up the rear with Rex.

  “Listen…I’m sorry about earlier,” she said, slowing down to walk beside him.

  “Sorry for what?” Rex asked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

  “For sounding like I thought you were fools for wanting to do this.”

  “You didn’t.”

  “That’s kind of you to say, but I can’t help but feel that you’re just telling me that to make me feel better,” she said with small smile, looking at the ground.

  Rex stopped abruptly, causing her to do the same. “Let’s get something straight. I don’t do or say anything for anyone just to make them feel better. I tell it like it is, and call out anyone who I feel is not being honest with me. If you ever say anything, at any time, that I feel is in any way an attack on me, then you can be sure that I will not spare your feelings in order to be polite. Understood?”

  DiNiya looked at him for a moment then nodded.

  “Good.”

  “Hey, you two, don’t fall behind,” EeNox called back.

  Without giving her another look, Rex walked forward. I wonder if that was too much? he thought, not wanting to look back and risk putting a hole in his stony exterior. Better she hear it from me like this than learn the hard way later on.

  DiNiya felt unusually sensitive all of a sudden. Why did what he said affect her so much? While to most she appeared happy and pleasant, she was always shielding herself with an emotional barrier that kept her from being too invested in any one person’s opinion of her or the way they talked to her. Don’t expose yourself too much and nothing will ever get in, but his words bit right through me.

  After thirty minutes of walking, the large dark pointy shape of the Spire loomed ahead of them across a small clearing atop a cliff.

  “There it is,” EeNox said, pointing to it.

  “Strange,” DiNiya said, cocking her head to the side. “I remember it being bigger.”

  “You also remember seeing it when you were about sixty centimeters shorter.”

  “Are kidding me?” Rex asked. “That thing has to be over a hundred meters tall!”

  “What’s you point?” EeNox asked innocently.

  “Right,” Rex said with a laugh. “I keeping forgetting you all are used to buildings that can hold DyVorians. Something like that would be tiny to you, wouldn’t it? Anyway, what’s the plan from here on?”

  “You said there was a top-level entrance, right?” ShinGaru asked.

  “That’s right,” said EeNox, pointing back to the Spire. “See, if you look close you can see it going up and around it from here.”

  Everyone peered closer and zoomed in with their eyes, something that made Rex feel slightly odd when he remembered that no one around him growing up could do it. He focused his gaze on the Spire and watched as it looked as if it was racing up to him, with all the details becoming clear.

  “The coast looks clear from here,” said EeNox. “I say we get moving now.”

  “Wait a moment,” LyCora said, holding up a hand. “All of this seems a bit too simple for my liking.”

  “Are you serious? You’re complaining now because it seems too simple?”

  “Yes, I am. Think about it for a moment, would you? If our parents and the alpha of KaNar went through all this trouble to not only keep him here but have his presence remain a secret, then why should we simply be able to walk right up to where they have been holding him all this time?” EeNox was about to respond but was immediately cut off. “Furthermore, how could you come across such secretive information?”

  “What do you mean? You know how.”

  “Oh, right,” she replied sarcastically. “Your little network of spies. Do you honestly expect us to believe that a single boy was able to penetrate VayRonx’s veil of secrecy, even if he is the son of the city’s captain of the guards?”

  “You know, she has a point there, EeNox,” Rex said with a hint of a smile that must have looked like an ear to ear grin to the other boy, for he looked as though he was about to have a panic attack.

  “Yes, how did you find out about all of this?” DiNiya asked, turning back to her brother.

  EeNox suddenly realized that all eyes were on him. He looked over to Rex, who stood with his arms crossed, grinning. You bastard, he thought as he looked over and accidentally met his sister’s eyes. Oh, shit, look away. He shifted his gaze again and this time landed on AnaSaya, who looked back at him innocently and smiled. She wouldn’t suspect me. LyCora stepped in front of her. Damn it, but she would!

  “EeNox,” DiNiya began.

  “Look, it’s like I said, there’s a tiny leak of info and then word travels fast,” he said energetically. “You know
how these things go. What’s a secret one day is the talk of the town the next. Anyway, if we wait any—”

  Everyone jumped as a blood-curdling cry rang out through the still night air and cut through them like a knife.

  “What the hell was that?” Rex asked, his eyes fixated in the direction the sound had come: The Spire.

  “It sounded like someone screaming,” DiNiya said, stepping forward. AnaSaya collapsed to her knees, causing everyone to turn around. “AnaSaya, are you all right?” DiNiya asked as she ran over and knelt down beside her.

  “He’s…he’s in great pain,” AnaSaya stammered.

  “Who is?”

  AnaSaya’s eyes suddenly began to glow lavender as her head tilted back and arched itself up to the sky.

  “What’s happening to her?” Rex asked.

  “I don’t know,” DiNiya replied franticly. “AnaSaya, can you hear me? What’s wrong? Please answer me!”

  “Move,” LyCora said as she shoved DiNiya to the side and placed her open hand over AnaSaya’s face. Closing her eyes, her flame manifested into a small ball, which began to lower down to AnaSaya’s head.

  “What are you doing?” DiNiya asked, concerned. “You’re going to hurt her!”

  “I know we hate each other, but give me some credit here, would you?” LyCora snapped back.

  The ball of blue flame slowly sunk into the trembling girl’s forehead and began to ripple all over her body, canceling out her lavender flame. A deep exhale escaped AnaSaya’s lips as the glow dimmed in her eyes and her body fell limp. DiNiya quickly put her arm behind and caught her.

  “What did you do to her?” Rex asked, looming over them.

  “She got overwhelmed by her flame,” LyCora explained, standing back up. “It sent her into shock. Mine is stronger than hers, so I was able to cancel it out.”

  “How did you know that would work?” DiNiya asked suspiciously.

  LyCora sighed and squeezed her eyes closed for a moment as if to relieve a pain in her head before opening them back up. “To be honest, I didn’t. My mother told me the blue flame was the closest to the lavender in terms of properties, which means they can be used to safely subdue one or the other. That, and if you remember when KyGahl helped in Rex’s training, he was able to do the same to his. ”