Authors: Candace Knoebel
“Well, at first I thought it had to do with the portal I came through and that maybe Fenn or I would die if we tried to go back, but now I’m not so sure. I mean, if I’m supposed to protect the dying race, then why would I die so early on? And, it says
he
, which I am a she. So basically, I have no idea,” I finished.
“But you see, Aurora, I cannot tell you what it means. That is not a part of my job,” he said artlessly.
“What about the missing piece? You weren’t supposed to withhold a piece of the prophecy so it appears that rules mean nothing to you,” I retaliated.
I saw a quiver of a smile at the corner of his mouth.
“You’re wiser than I assumed,” he said quietly. “Rules do apply to me,” he said slowly, “as does your purpose. As you already know, I gave up my ability to protect you. In return, I simply ask that you trust me when I say I cannot tell you. Now is not the appropriate time for that,” he finished solemnly.
I paused a moment, then sighed. “Fair enough.”
“Well then, now that that’s settled,” said Lexi, stepping in between us and facing Soothe. “Are you coming or staying because we have keys to find and one night to find them.”
He turned back to the cave and stared at it for a moment before facing us. “Staying,” he said. “I have a feeling we will run into each other again,” he finished with a wink in my direction.
“Then if you’ll excuse us, we will be going now,” she said, tugging my arm in the direction away from him.
“What now?” I asked.
“Now we find the next key.”
Chapter 24
Aloha Hotel
“WHERE EXACTLY ARE WE GOING?” I asked, trying to keep up with her pace as we trudged through the forest.
“To find the next key,” Lexi replied as she opened the map. “But we can’t do that until we make it out of this forest. We have to be directly under the sun.”
“In all my life, I have never noticed a second sun,” I said under my breath as I shambled along behind her. The far off sound off the waterfall was calling my name due to the afternoon heat that was steadily rising.
“You usually can’t see it,” she verified. “You just know it’s there. I mean, it’s the Hall of Knowledge,” she said as if it was common knowledge, “the place where all Mages hope to cross over after death. And technically, it’s not a ‘second sun’. It just appears that way if you are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of it. I’ve read that it was created from the purest light.” “Sounds complicated,” I grunted. I quit focusing on swatting at the shrubbery and looked up. The edge of the forest was just in sight. “Finally,” I mumbled, wiping the sweat from my brow. We exited the forest and came out into a lush valley. The grass was slippery from an afternoon shower.
“Show us the keys” said Lexi, holding the map up to the sun. The rays banned around her and the map, shining through the ink on the hide. Suddenly all of the scribble made sense. Somehow, the light made the lines of the ink impress upon the grass, becoming a sort of holographic image. And where the X was, a small sliver of light shone through. It was much like the beam of light that came from the key when I found it.
So the map was real.
“See,” she pointed, “it’s showing the other keys.” Her finger was in between the ruins and the cave. They were surrounded by a pulsing glow.
“The altar and the cave,” I stated. I mindlessly twirled the loose-fitting ring on my finger and thought back to what Bob had suggested. “Was Fenn’s ring created from that altar?”
She nodded.
“Why?”
“That’s easy enough. He’s your protector. Why do you think the Natives worshipped the fifth brother? Because he sacrificed himself for something more, he
protected
the Draconta. Astral felt it was worthy of holding and restoring Fenn’s memories.”
I slowly nodded as it all took shape in my mind. Fenn, the fifth brother, both looking out for someone (or something) other than themselves.
My lips puckered in sadness. “Why couldn’t Astral have instructed Fenn to hold-off on putting the ring on in the letter he gave us?”
“Astral has a reason for everything he does,” she consoled, “maybe I was wrong about him wanting you to stay here. Maybe he intended for it to happen this way so you would have no choice but to return.”
“It sure is a cruel way to make me choose,” I said, my voice almost inaudible.
She patted me on the back sympathetically.
“So what are we waiting for?” I asked, suppressing a sigh.
“Not a thing.” She smiled softly and started in the direction of the ruins. “They should be just over this hill.”
She was wrong.
It wasn’t “just” over the hill. We walked for what seemed like forever. When we finally reached the other side of the hill, the excitement to get to the ruins had all but left me.
To add to it, Lexi’s shoulders slouched over in disappointment. “Great,” she muttered darkly.
“What?” I asked as I came up behind her. “Oh.” The ruins were full of tourists.
“There’s no way we can get in and out without anyone noticing,” she brooded.
“Can’t you just perform a spell? Soothe did something like that before,” I offered.
“Magic doesn’t always take well in this realm Aurora. And look at the numbers. The ruins is crammed full of people. I would deplete my energy if I attempted that.”
I huffed, shaking my head sadly.
After a long moment of not knowing what to say, I asked, “What now?” It was inadequate for the situation, but the best thing I could think to say.
She frowned. “I need to think. Come on, we’ll grab our things and find somewhere other than your motel room to sleep since it’s known.” She folded the map and handed it back to me.
This time I was the one patting her on the back.
Back in the room, I started packing a spare change of clothes and my Oraculus. The sun was already starting to set as Lexi slumped over, staring blankly out my motel window. Defeat seemed to have poisoned her. I had to do something.
I quickly jumped on my computer and searched for a place to stay, just to get us moving. There was a hotel right off the ruins that would be perfect. I selected it and waited for my authorization code, when an ad popped up.
My face immediately lit up.
“You know,” I said craftily, “Bob had mentioned checking out the tour that is offered for the ruins.” I peeked sideways at her with a hopeful expression.
She looked at me, her expression still blank.
“And I was thinking, maybe it would be a good idea.” I gave her a meaningful look, hoping it would sink in.
She stared at me for a moment, puzzled. And then slowly, as the thoughts turned in her head, awareness seemed to overtake her bummed mood. “We would always be near people,” she began to formulate, “so we would have the protection of safety in numbers.” Then she frowned. “But what about the people?” she reminded.
“We could separate from the group and get the key when they head for the cave. We just have to get it before the next tour group gets there,” I explained. She was beaming now.
“We can meet back up with them near the cave since it showed up on the map for the third key and is where we need to be when the full moon hits. Your powers and memories will be restored and we’ll be able to make it home,” she concluded happily.
Back to Fenn.
With our plan underway, we drove the stolen car back to the beach and then boarded the bus that would take us to the hotel. We talked about our plan in depth, ensuring that there would be no hiccups. I felt confident that we would make it.
But I still had a lingering question that I had been meaning to ask. “What exactly is Zordon after?”
“Oh,” she said, seeming surprised by my subject change. “Well, rumor has it that Zordon is planning an attack against the Draconta, hoping to gain control of the Stone of Immortality. I fear it will have a devastating effect on our people and dragons,” she said sadly as she paused and stared out the window. Softly she finished, “and Zordon’s rumored army gathering will leave us all with no choice but to run.”
“The chosen one fated to protect the dying race,” I repeated out loud as it dawned on me.
“Huh?” Lexi face scrunched in question.
“A part of the prophecy says that. That has to be what it means. That has to be my purpose, to protect the Draconta. Maybe I can prevent all that from happening,” I reassured.
“It’s not that simple, Rory. The army he is supposedly going to gather is one that many fear.” She leaned into me and whispered, “The Dark Saar.”
“Who are they?”
“They’re Mages who never crossed over to the Hall of Knowledge because they never found their balance of light to escape the darkness that follows us. The worst part is, they can only be killed by humans so the Draconta don’t stand a chance against them. That’s if Zordon’s lucky enough to recruit them.” Despair weighed on her face.
“There has to be a way to keep that from happening, and I swear to you, I’ll find it,” I said, squeezing her arm. The bus slowed as it turned into the hotel parking lot.
“I know that, Rory. You are the progeny. It is your destiny to save us from him,” she said encouragingly as she stood up, motioning for me to follow. I grabbed my bookbag off the seat and threw it over my shoulders. When I stepped off, the air smelled of native Jasmine, dazzling my senses.
“This is it,” I muttered, sliding on my backpack and following the greeter who placed Leis around our necks. To add to the atmosphere, the path we walked along had little rocks with speakers built in that serenaded us with tropical themed music.
“I wish that my home was as luxurious as this,” Lexi remarked, amazement filling her eyes. Her look reminded me of Fenn’s eyes filling with joy the day we stepped foot in our new space. I hoped to see that look again, sooner than later.
After quickly checking in, I pointed Lexi towards the elevator. Like a kid in a candy shop, she bolted towards it.
This ought to be interesting
, I thought, wickedly amused.
“Push that square thing called a button,” I said, pressing my lips together to keep from laughing. She pushed it, excitement bursting out of her pores as it lit up.
“Ding, third floor please,” I said cheerfully as we boarded the elevator.
“This feels kind of like porting. It’s so quiet in here. What’s this called again?” she asked as we ascended.
“An elevator.” I scoffed, still laughing at her wonder.
The elevator chimed as the doors opened, revealing an oasis with banana leaf inspired carpets and sheer white fabric draped across the ceilings and lights. Tropical music played softly, reinforcing the mood.
We found our room and I handed Lexi the key. She looked at me, clearly baffled. “You slide it in there,” I said, pointing to the slot. She shrugged and then did as I said. The green light blinked and she pushed the door open to our paradise.
She gasped, her hands clasping over her mouth. “This sure beats cobblestone and jewels,” she said taking it all in.
“It better, I booked us a suite,” I muttered.
“Suite?” she questioned.
I shook my head, deciding not to go there. Instead I asked, “So is that true? I mean, about dragons liking shiny things? It isn’t just lore?”
“Well, yeah, they love rich shiny things,” she replied as we set our bags down, “but who doesn’t?”
“True,” I agreed, poking around the room. It had a full-size kitchen, two double beds, a couch, a TV, a bathroom with a sunken-in Jacuzzi tub, and a desk. A lovely home away from home.
“I can’t believe that I’m one of them, you know?” I admitted.
“What do you mean?” she asked as she plopped onto a bed.
I sat across from her on the other bed and replied, “I mean, I’ve always known that I was different, that there was more to me than just me, but when I step back and think about it all, I mean really think about it, it begins to feel unreal, like I fell and hit my head or something.”
She started giggling. “I can tell you now, you haven’t hit your head. This is exactly where you’re meant to be,” she insisted, turning to her side and propping up on an elbow.
“I can feel that it’s right, like you say, but I can’t help but think what if… What if Astral hadn’t sent me over here, or if Soothe hadn’t decided to cut a piece of the prophecy out, or if Fenn never had to go…” I rambled on. She put her hand up to stop me.
“Rory, if I could give you any advice on the current situation, it would be this—you can’t become who you’re supposed to be if you keep looking back on what might have been.”
I pondered that thought for a moment, impressed by her depth of thinking. “You’re right…onward and upward,” I declared with a smile. “Now if you’ll excuse me,” I said, pushing up from the bed, “I’m going to take a long soak in our tub to prepare my muscles for this socalled hike tomorrow.”
“Okay, I guess I will take a walk then and ‘soak up’ as much as I can of this place,” she said, heading for the door with a laugh.
About an hour in, a loud pounding on the bathroom door took me from my blissful quiet time. “Rory!” Lexi shouted from the other side.
I pulled the plug in the tub and ran to the closet, pulling on a robe. “Hang on a sec,” I called out. She seemed rushed. That alerted me.
Zane
, I thought.
She practically busted through the door, almost knocking me over before I could reach the handle. “I thought you may have drowned when you didn’t answer.”
“Geez, you scared the crap out of me,” I huffed as I rolled my eyes at her dramatic antics. She followed me over to the tub, chattering in my ear. “I walked myself down to the pool and took a dip thinking that you would be out before I got back.”
“Sorry, I was nodding off. Tends to happen when you’re relaxing in a bathtub,” I explained under my breath, shaking my head.
She was in a hotel robe as well but was wearing it completely wrong. I burst out laughing, tears gathering in the corners of my eyes. She placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side, eyes curious. I pointed to the mirror so she could see what was tickling me.
“What’s so funny, prune girl?” she countered as my laughter began to pick up again. I couldn’t help it, she was so oblivious.
“Well, nothing really, except your robe, it’s all wrong…” I broke off into more laughter. I had never seen anything like it before. I ran and grabbed my purse, taking a quick picture before she noticed what I was doing. Blackmail for later.
“What?” She looked at me, pausing with a raised eyebrow before looking into the mirror. “Oh fizzle.” She had somehow fit each leg into the arms of the robe, pulling the end of the robe up halter style and tying it closed. I would have died laughing if I had been an onlooker at the pool. It was a mystery how she didn’t flash anybody.
“How could you let me go out in public like this?” she blurted, wrapping her arms around herself defensively. I held in another giggle and said, “You’re the one who took it upon yourself to go for a dip alone.” She huffed and stalked off.
I walked over to my bag by the bathroom door and scavenged for some jammies, finding the same sweats that I wore the night I kissed Fenn.
Sliding the pants under my robe, I turned my back to Lexi and slid on a tank top. I walked past her and plopped onto the bed, switching on the TV. I decided MTV was a suitable channel to wear me down.
Lexi changed into some sweats and a baggie shirt that I packed for her and then walked back over to her bed, stifling a yawn. She slid into her bed, shifting the covers around her. She was (as with everything else) amazed at the TV.
“To be able to see people from all over the world inside a tiny box is truly wondrous. I will be sad to leave this behind.” She adjusted her weight and began twirling her short hair through her fingers, huffing quietly as if pondering something.
She shifted again to face me, staring at the side of my face. She was probably waiting for me to look over so she could say whatever it was she was thinking. I waited a moment just to mess with her, and then turned my head.
“We need to discuss a backup plan in case Zane returns before we find the last two keys. We need to ensure you get there safely, and most importantly, that your Oraculus is kept safe.”
I had already packed it into my backpack that rested at arm’s reach on the floor. I didn’t want to take any chances on someone finding it.
“Zane may come back with back-up this time. He knows who you are now and that puts you in serious danger. Not to mention your amulet is basically a tracking device right now. They don’t want you to make it to the cave.” This was the conversation I had been dreading.
“Why not?” I asked, unsure as to what cave we were even going to. I knew they wanted me dead so I wouldn’t stand in the way of Zordon. I just wasn’t sure why exactly they needed to stop me before the cave. What was in the cave?
“Because that’s where the doorway you came from is located. And when you are in the cave with the keys and amulet under the full moon, you will be reunited with your powers.”
“Do you think he has the other map?”
“I sure hope not,” she fretted.
I frowned. “Me too,” I replied, trying to modulate my voice.
“In the meantime,” she said, changing her tune, “if he does so happen to make another appearance, I will be better prepared. I want to teach you a simple immobilizing spell.”
A spell? I was at attention.
“You need to understand that he knows you have powers now so he may expect it and deflect. And the spell may not work because of the realm we’re in.”
I nodded earnestly.
She almost smiled. “Okay, repeat after me. Immoblatio.” Her hands lit up with green energy as she shot a ball at her pillow.
I held my hands up and closed my eyes, searching for the source of power within me. I’d used it enough now that I could feel it even when I wasn’t angry. Touching my amulet seemed to help. I opened my eyes and held my hand out, saying the word.
I guess I should have paid attention to where I was pointing because Lexi’s eyes got real wide as she toppled over like a stiff board on the bed.
My stomach twisted as my heart raced. “Oh crap, sorry, Lexi. Oh no,” I said, sitting her back up and patting her incessantly.
Her eyes were frozen in place as she sat there, unmoving and rigid. “Please do something,” I begged, “I don’t know how to undo this.” Nothing happened.
I huffed.
Then her paralyzed body relaxed as she let out a pent-up breath. “Thank the gods you’re not into your full power yet or that would’ve stuck,” she said with a grateful sigh.
I hid my horror.
“At least we know you can do it now,” she said smiling. I still felt panicked. “Don’t worry. I’m fine,” she encouraged through a giggle. “So just use that, and don’t worry about me next time. You making it is the only thing you should be concerned about, otherwise this was all for nothing.”
I waited for the pace of my heart to return to normal, then said, “Okay, Lexi, I’ve got this. I actually feel…empowered, if you can believe it.” She looked content with that and also a little sleepy. It was the first time I saw her eyes droop. I wondered if my spell had drained her.
“Tired?” I guessed.
She replied blankly, “Just a little. On a more serious note though, I uh…wanted to ask you something,” she said quietly, moving to my bed and sitting next to me.
The trust that was growing between us felt so normal. I didn’t usually like someone being this close to me, but she was becoming a fast friend. I wanted a friendship, scratch that, needed a friendship. I’d never had one with a girl before. Fenn was it for me. Maybe this was all a good thing. It seemed almost healthy that I break away from the old me.
Then I thought about what she had just said. Me? She wanted to ask me something? It was slightly strange flipping the tables. I was usually the one with the questions.
“Okay, so ask. What’s up?” I said, rolling over to prop up onto my elbow. Her hair smelled of chlorine.
“I’ve been wondering how you knew you were in love with Fenn. Only because there’s someone back home that I’ve been promised to. I’ve only talked to him a few times and he’s really nice, but I’m not sure that he’s the one for me. I don’t want to be promised to someone that I don’t love so I figured if you could tell me how you knew, then maybe I could learn how to fall in love with him.”
She exhaled the thought like it had been pent up inside her for days.
I wasn’t expecting that. Promised to someone? What am I, in an eighteenth century romance? I didn’t exactly know what to say to her. How did you make yourself fall in love with someone? It was kind of like—because you couldn’t pick, you would automatically rebel against it. Well, at least I would.
I shifted uncomfortably, “Umm, well, I guess I feel that you just know when you are in love. This is not my area of expertise,” I added gruffly. “Ask me how to screw love up instead.
“That’s not true, I’ve seen you with Fenn,” she blurted out. “What I mean to say is,” she spoke quickly trying to recover, “even though you may not have looked at it as a relationship, it really did seem like it was one.” She was staring intently at me.
“First off, Lexi, it’s a little creepy that you watched Fenn and me. As creepy as Soothe and his photos. And now you are asking me to give you advice, well honestly, look what happened. I screwed everything up. I even made him leave. It seems we’ve been doomed from the get-go. I really don’t think my ‘relationship’ is a good example.”
She looked tongue-tied and though a part of me felt bad for being so harsh, I felt better for being honest. “I’m sorry Aurora,” she spoke softly as her words died off. “I didn’t mean to impose.” Then she rolled and faced the ceiling.
Now I felt bad. She was, after all, just looking for advice. This is why I stayed away from making friends. Too many complications and hurt feelings. But it was time I made a change, in myself.
I backpedaled. “Listen, that special person would live in your every thought, consuming your day-to-day life. He would be as much your rock as you are his, helping support each other through it all. The words ‘I love you’ would never be enough to profess how much he genuinely means to you.” I paused, feeling awfully exposed, and then added, “And I’m not speaking from experience. This was something I picked up out of one of those ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ books. And no, I don’t own the book, just read it in a store while waiting for Fenn one day.” I hoped she would buy that lame lie.
She looked at me questioningly, mouthing, “Chicken Soup?” and then shaking her head.
“Never mind.”
“No…that does help. I definitely don’t feel that. I’ve just never had the chance to talk to anyone about it. Frankly, I don’t know how chicken soup ties in with love here in this realm, but hey, who am I to judge?” She smiled and then rolled onto her back. “My mom doesn’t believe in love anymore so I never bother her with it. I think my father may have hurt her when he left us, killing her chance of ever loving again.”
“I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I didn’t know he had left you.” I could understand what her mother felt, to an extent. I blamed my parents leaving me for much of the reason I had screwed things up so much with Fenn. It was hard for me to open up and trust someone with my true emotions.
She looked back to the ceiling and said, “It’s okay. I never knew him. It can’t hurt as much when you don’t have those emotional ties with someone. Never knowing him saved me from the same despair my mother carries.” I wish I had that much resolve when it came to my parents.
“You definitely clarified things for me. I could never feel that for Brohm. I have to figure out how to get out of my promised marriage.” She went back to her bed and situated herself under the covers. She didn’t sound confident.
“So his name is Brohm? That’s a very…um…sturdy name.” It sounded so otherworldly. “Maybe you should just try talking to him. You never know, he may surprise you with an amazing personality.” She started to laugh, and I joined her. “Okay…” I said, “so maybe not. But I’m sure we’ll figure something out. Especially if we can find the keys in time.”
She yawned, nodding in agreement as I situated myself, feeling the same drowsiness overcome me. I gave up on trying to think and let sleep take me, anxious for our exciting morning to begin.
Chapter 25
The Tour From Hell
THE NEXT MORNING WE STOOD in the hotel lobby in the midst of a small crowd of eight. Lexi was still laughing about almost falling down the stairs after we decided racing each other would be a good idea. She cheated by tripping on the stairs and somehow managing a twisted back flip, landing at the bottom in a cat-like position. If it wasn’t for her clumsiness, she would never have beat me.
“Don’t be such a sore loser,” she said, smirking.
“Don’t be such a sore loser,” I mimicked snidely.
I glanced around, noticing a couple in our group that clearly believed in PDA. They were practically wrapped around each other, sucking faces as if they were octopuses mating. Maybe this was their honeymoon?