Born of Fire: The Dawn of Legend (32 page)

Now they concealed something else, something…alien.

Autumn was now in full swing and it had been a little over half a year since Rex had begun his training, having made a promise to himself to accept this world as his own. It was not always easy; he found himself at odds with many ideas that ran contrary to what he had learned on Earth. However, he was quickly learning that different did not necessarily mean bad, and that the EeNarin way of life was a better one. That fact alone did not always prove at making certain transitions any easier.

Still, much had changed during that time. LyCora and her mother had decided to stay in KaNar for the rest of the year to help increase the town’s defense to any further attacks, a decision that he suspected was due to VoRenna rather than LyCora, who continued to glide amongst them silently with a gloomy disposition.

On a brighter note, he and EeNox grew to be good friends. While he still felt closer to his sister than anyone else, it was admittedly nice to have a male friend to discuss many of the things that boys did at that age, and felt more than a little uncomfortable discussing with members of the opposite sex. As it turned out, EeNox was more than pleased to go over all the finer points of courting a female in EeNara, or rather what he believed those to be.
Me with friends—wonders never cease
.

Then there was DiNiya, of course—the ever-present constant in his life since his new one began in this world. Close as they had grown since their initial meeting, there was still so much about her that remained a mystery, including the most tantalizing one of all: why she could no longer ignite her flame.

A year had nearly gone by now since he arrived in this world, and he was still no closer to solving the mystery. He had tried gently coaxing an answer out of her but was continuously disappointed when each attempt met with failure. He had long since suspected that she was well aware of what he was doing and was simply being kind in not embarrassing him by calling him out on the issue; instead, she pretended to be ignorant of his intent by simply deflecting the topic of conversation to a different one when it began to creep into their discussions.

Everyone else, including her brother and father, seemed to be equally committed to staying tight-lipped on the subject, and so in the end Rex decided to drop the issue.

This morning he was feeling especially tired. He had stayed up late with DiNiya and EeNox the night before, practicing at maintaining his flame at little more than a low burn that could only be recognized by the naked eye by the faintest of glows around the body. To his surprise, keeping his flame at such a minimal level was exhausting, for it required all his concentration to keep it from expanding any further.
My body feels wrecked
, he thought as he walked downstairs where he met DiNiya for breakfast.

“Morning,” he said, trying to put his best foot forward for once and go on the offensive with kindness instead of always just being on the receiving end. After all, if any one deserved it, it was DiNiya. She had been so good to him ever since he first laid eyes on her in his room a year ago.
Has it really been that long
?

With a slight look of surprise that she was saying it as a reply for the first time, she smiled and said, “Good morning. How did you sleep?”

“After yesterday, like a rock. You?”

“Same…is that wrong?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, taking a seat and cracking his neck loudly.

“Well, I just mean I’m worried that you may be letting my brother push you a little hard with your training.”

“I think worrying is what made you pass out and sleep so well last night to begin with.”

She gave Rex a quizzical look. “How do you figure?”

“Well, think about it,” he said, tearing off a piece of bread from a loaf and stuffing it into his mouth. “You’re always worrying about someone or something that it’s bound to take its toll. Know what I mean?”

“I guess,” she replied, slumping down in the chair across from him. “But I just can’t help it. How am I supposed to relax when there is always something that needs dealing with?”

“Who says you always have to be the one dealing with it?”

“I know, I know, you’re right. But I just can’t let things go by the wayside.”

“And I’m not saying you should,” he said, tearing off another piece and making it disappear. “I’m just saying you’re going to flip out one of these days if you don’t unwind.”

“How do you know?”

“Have you met me?” he replied sarcastically.

DiNiya laughed and brushed her fur out of her face. “You’re not that bad.”

“That’s why I’ve started remodeling your house for you, right?” he said, glancing down the table that was missing two large pieces. “Is your father ever going to get that fixed?”

“Eventually, when he’s not running around like a mad man trying to get a million things done at once.”

“Sounds like someone else I know.”

DiNiya gave him a smug expression. “In any case, if you’re in the mood to feel guilty about your rampant acts of destruction, how about your most current work upstairs?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry about that.” Rex had completely forgotten that he had punched a hole through the wall in the hallway upstairs a while back.

She leaned forward and with a sly smile said, “If you’re in the mood to put holes in things, you go do it in the roof above LyCora’s room so she has a nice skylight the next time it rains.”

“You really don’t like her.”

“What’s to like?” she replied, leaning back and bitterly tearing off a piece of bread.

“Now you’re just copying me.”

“I don’t want to talk about this.”

“Yet you’re so eager to enlist his help to make my stay here even more unpleasant,” LyCora said as she rounded the corner and came down the steps.

“Aren’t you pushing the whole ‘blue’ thing too far?” Rex asked, looking her up and down.

“What do you mean?” LyCora replied, looking at herself and taking note that as always she was wearing mostly blue.

“I understand that your flame is blue, but your cape thing is blue, your eyes are blue, your jewelry is blue, even the stitching in your clothes is blue. Ever consider diversifying?”

“Blue happens to be my favorite color.”

“No shit.”

“He’s right, you know,” DiNiya said, leaning back in her seat with a certain sense of satisfaction. “Your whole image does sort of scream cliché.”

“At least I have enough pride to make an effort in front of the mirror every morning,” she said, putting a hand on her hip.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Rex was afraid of where this was going.

“Well, just look at you. You have oily skin, your clothes barely fit you, you have knots in your fur, and I can see your split ends from over here.”

“I do not have split ends!”

Suddenly the front door burst open and EeNox came rushing in, to Rex’s great relief.

“Good, you’re all up,” he said.

“Not before you, apparently,” Rex said. “Why so lively so early?”

“I guess you guys haven’t heard.”

“How could we? We just woke up,” LyCora replied.

“Speak for yourself,” said DiNiya. “By the way, your horn is coming in nicely,” she said, pointing to a large pimple on her forehead.

LyCora’s eyes widened as she turned away, and she immediately began trying to pop it.

EeNox looked at Rex, who simply shook his head as if to say “don’t bother asking” before he continued. “Yeah, so anyway, Father sent for a healer to come treat TarFor!”

The big man had been in a coma ever since the attack in the forest by the sentinel clones. The local healers had hooked his body up to what were known as MayLock trees, plants that possessed the ability to heal and keep those who were badly injured from dying long enough for a more experienced healer to see to them. Such had been the case with TarFor, for despite having shown some brief signs of being aware of activity around him, he remained utterly in a deep, unwavering sleep. Rex remembered watching in silent awe as they brought the small potted trees into the room, and watched them seek out TarFor’s motionless body, like the long tendrils of some strange predator reaching out for its prey. It had been explained to him that they hooked into the body with long, hallow barbs, and fed a type of sap into his bloodstream that acted as a kind of fuel for his own flame, keeping it burning high enough so he would not slip away entirely. The trees had to be tended to three times a day to make sure they themselves were being given enough water and light.

“Are you serious?” DiNiya exclaimed, wide-eyed.

“Dead serious! I only just heard from KyVina myself. Apparently he sent word a while ago with a message saying he needed this person to come right away!”

“How soon will he be here?”

“Tonight!”

“That soon?”

“Yes.”

“No way!”

“Way.”

“Wooah!”

“Excuse me,” Rex cut in. “What exactly makes this healer better than the ones already here?”

“You mean you don’t know?” EeNox asked with a look of surprise.

“Who founded Rome?” The boy just gave him a blank stare. “No fun feeling stupid is it? Answer the question.”

“Those born of the lavender flame are the least common of all flame types, except for yours, of course.”

“Of course,” Rex replied sarcastically, evoking a small laugh from DiNiya, who quickly muffled it by covering her mouth when she saw her brother giving her an angry look.

“There are some whose ability to treat the sick and injured surpasses what a normal lavender flame can do,” EeNox continued. “This one in particular has been working out east in the wilds, and only recently got word of father’s request. Father and VayRonx are meeting him when he arrives, so I say that gives us front row seats.”

“Have you forgotten why he’s coming?” asked DiNiya angrily.

“Well, no, but—”

“TarFor will die if this healer doesn’t treat him! The MayLock trees are already weakening, which means they’ll die, and when that happens—”

“Yeah, I know, but I—”

“Just stay out of his way when he gets here so he can work, all right?”

“Stay out of his way?” he repeated, giving her a funny look. “Just where exactly do you think he’ll be staying?”

DiNiya’s eyes suddenly went wide. “You don’t mean he’s—”

“Staying here.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“No way!”

“Way.”

“Huh.”

Rex was now more than a little curious to see this healer in action. Pretty much everything he found amazing in EeNara was just commonplace to everyone else, but to finally see something they deemed awe-inspiring was something he did not want to pass up.

LyCora was interested to see what the power of a fully realized lavender flame could really do. Blue flames had always been widely known as the most diverse kind in terms of capability, but the lavender flame always won out in mystique. True, it was supposedly the best at healing, but so few had been able to master the full spectrum of its capabilities that it led her to suspect that there was more myth than substance to the stories. As a result, most lavender flames spent their time treating basic injuries in what were considered high-risk sites: construction, excavation, and even sporting events. Anything that might result in someone needing a quick patch-up. In addition, the number of healers in a given region usually equaled only about fifteen to twenty-five percent of the population.

“Anyways, VayRonx and Father say we don’t have to work today, and that we should stay home,” said EeNox.

“So what are we supposed to do here all day?” asked Rex, looking around at the others.

“Who says we’re staying here?” replied EeNox with a grin.

“What do you have in mind?” asked his sister with a disapproving look.

“What’s that’s look for?”

“Because I know you; if left to your own devices you’re bound to get into some trouble.”

“Well, then, it’s a good thing you’ll all be there to keep me on the straight and narrow. Now hurry up and finish eating. We’ve got the whole day ahead of us to do whatever we want.”

“Sounds good to me,” said LyCora, much to everyone’s surprise. “With you three gone, I can actually relax around this place.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” EeNox said, remembering the other bit of news he had to deliver. “Your mother was there, too, and she made me promise to tell you that you had to come along with us and do whatever it is we’re doing.”

“Liar!”

“Go ask her if you don’t believe me!”

LyCora crossed her arms and glared furiously. DiNiya was none too pleased, either, for she did not relish the idea of spending the day anywhere near LyCora. The two of them had done a good job avoiding each other for the most part since she had arrived in KaNar, but now she feared that an incident was imminent in light of learning she would be accompanying them today.

Additionally, DiNiya knew her brother had a talent for getting into trouble, but she also figured that a day off to just spend the day together and do nothing in particular might be good for them in light of all the training they had been undergoing with Rex. Plus, she knew Rex could use it because he had been pushing himself so hard as of late.

They quickly ate breakfast and met up with EeNox in front of the tavern, where he had a large empty sack flung over his shoulder

“What’s with the bag?” Rex asked, eyeing it curiously.

“Fishing,” EeNox replied happily. “I got us a boat in town.”

“Who gave you a boat?” asked DiNiya.

“CaLar. He owed me for that time I gave him my catch when he was low at the market.”

“So he just gave you his boat?” asked LyCora suspiciously.

“Well, no, he just let me borrow it, but we’ve got it for the whole day, so I figured we could use it to catch all the non-local fish that have been driven way upstream.”

“You do know they’re only up here because of whatever tried to kill us, right?” DiNiya asked, angry that her brother did not seem to be bothered by that fact as much as she was.

“Yes,” he said, slightly irritated. “I know what’s happening out there, and believe me, I’m not happy about it, either, but we might as well try to make the best of it.”