Born of Fire: The Dawn of Legend (49 page)

EeNox forced himself to smile but knew that her sudden display of levity was far from sincere. DiNiya had always been the type to keep serious matters that she fretted over close to the heart, rarely letting anyone in. Moreover, she would go out of her way to cast aside doubt or worry on the part of others so she would not feel as if people were prying. This tactic, however, never truly worked on him, and time and time again he would find himself pretending to be fooled like the rest in order to keep from putting her under any further stress. Things had never been the same since the day of the accident.
Accident
, he thought. A word to describe what happened that day that he knew she would never use. Regardless, he missed the sister he once knew. The girl that despite being the same age took on the role of mother to him, and in a way watched over him and their father. Something he grew to feel guiltier about during the past three or four years.

Over that period of time he had grown somewhat distant from his family, finding it difficult to connect with them on a personal level. He could not make any sort of rational sense for his feeling of self-imposed removal but knew it was wrong. Still, with most people who were aware they had a problem, he could not bring himself to reconnect and strengthen the bonds that he was slowly dissolving. Perhaps it was the realization that only came with age that he did not have a normal upbringing, or the accident involving his sister. Regardless of the reason, he had feared for some time that he would one day find himself alone. That was until a strange young man arrived into their lives and changed everything.

Rex
, he thought.
I was so afraid of you when we first met. Worse yet, my sister looked at you like you were her salvation. Then again, considering how much she’s changed over the past year, I can’t help but think that maybe you are just that, but not just hers.

“EeNox,” his sister’s voice rose out of the wall of sound that had faded into the background. “Are you still with me?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry.”

“What is it with boys your age? Always drifting off into your own little world.”

“Do we?”

“Well, I know Rex does constantly.”

“Rex does a lot of things that people would find…unusual,” EeNox said. “Maybe that’s what the world needs, though. Something different.”

“Maybe. I just hope he comes back tonight.”

“He will.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Are you kidding me? VayRonx is the lord and master of motivational speaking. Trust me, if anyone can light a fire under that brute’s ass, it’s VayRonx.”

DiNiya laughed. “All right, all right. Fine. I’ll take your word for it, but I still can’t forget the look on his face when he stormed off. He seemed so disappointed, like we had let him down.”

“I think he feels he let us down,” EeNox said solemnly.

“I don’t see why. He put his trust in us to help him, and we failed.”

“I don’t know if I would go that far.” DiNiya gave him a curious look. “It’s like TolNy said, Rex did not do what he did in anger. It was just an accident, just him overshooting his mark. Think how many times he failed to keep his flame at any given level when we had him try during his training. The only difference then was that there was no risk of something bad happening because of it.”

“The problem is that he doesn’t see it that way. All he knows is that something bad happened because of something he did, and now he’s going to stew in anger for days.” She took another sip, ignoring the burn on her tongue she received as a result. “Damn it, he can be so…infuriating!”

“And here I thought you were feeling sorry for him,” her brother mused.

“Huh? What do you mean? I do feel sorry for him.”

“I mean, I’m sure you do. It’s just—”

“It’s just what?” she demanded, placing her hands on her hips.

“Well…you just look more like you want to smack him up side the back of his head than you do hug him. It’s just funny, that’s all.”

DiNiya stood in silence, unsure how to respond.
Do I really sound angry, and if so, why?

“Probably because you care about him and are annoyed when he takes out the frustrations of his shortcomings on himself.” DiNiya just stared at him, blinking feebly. “Why are you angry with him? That is what you were asking yourself, am I right?”

“How did—?”

“Because I’m your brother,” he replied with a smug grin as he crossed his arms.

“Ah, so you think you have me all figured out, do you?” she teased as she playfully pinched him on the shoulder.

“Ouch!” EeNox cried in a high-pitched voice as he recoiled back, much to her satisfaction. “No need to make such a big deal of it. You’re actually not as difficult to figure out as you think.”

“Right you are, EeNox,” said KyGahl from behind them.

“KyGahl!” DiNiya exclaimed. “I didn’t hear you approach.”

“Not surprising given how engrossed you two were in your discussion, which I could not help but overhear as I was coming over to say hello.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I did not mean to sully your big night with my silly problems.”

“Oh, come now,” KyGahl said, waving his hand dismissively. “Let’s not delve into that conversation again. Besides, I understand your cause for concern given what happened with Rex earlier this evening.”

“You know?” EeNox asked, sounding surprised.

“Well, yes. You two may not realize because you have been spending so much time with him, but word of Rex’s activities is a popular topic of conversation in these parts.”

“I know he’s unique, but even still…why so much interest in him?”

“A boy of the red flame, only the second SaVarian in our history to ever wield its power, appears from seemingly out of nowhere. How else would they react? Like it or not, Rex is far from your little secret.”

“Do you really think that many people know already?” EeNox asked.

“How many people have seen him since he arrived? How many merchants?” EeNox and DiNiya exchange nervous glances. “KaNar receives and sends traders to all corners of the continent year round. Still, that does not necessarily mean anything would have come of it.”

“I remember once when I was two, a man from the capital came to speak with my father,” DiNiya said. “My father told me he would be staying in KaNar for a few days to watch me but I was not to be concerned.”

“I remember that,” said EeNox. “He only spoke with us once, and after that always hung back and watched us from afar. I never liked that man, made me feel uncomfortable to be watched like that.”

“Understandable,” KyGahl said, nodding his head. “It never did sit well with me how they approached the issue of studying you, DiNiya.”

“Studying her?” EeNox gasped.

“You knew?” DiNiya asked.

“I did,” KyGahl replied with a heavy sigh. “Or rather, I learned of it shortly after your accident. That man was an envoy from the Science Guild, sent to study your flame.”

“But why?” she asked more insistently. “What makes me so special?”

“Not you, your flame.”

“But a person
is
their flame,” EeNox corrected.

“I agree. However, for some it is easy to lose sight of that when presented with something as unprecedented as your sister.”

“Well, I wouldn’t call her that,” EeNox said. “Not anymore.”

“Agreed. Furthermore, Rex is of the same age as our DiNiya here, which means he was birthed during the same breeding season.”

“Could you two please stop speaking as if I’m not here?” DiNiya demanded unhappily.

“My apologies,” KyGahl professed, bowing his head. “It’s just that two SaVarians, born of the red flame during the same ten-year cycle on EeNara…well, it’s a rather thought-provoking coincidence.”

“Even still,” she said. “Rex and I are both citizens of this world and not a pair of specimens to be poked and prodded.”

“I agree, and I suspect the Guild does as well, for aside from observing from afar, they have never engaged you further. I imagine that it is probably more a subject of curiosity than anything else. Still, I respect your decision to be wary. No harm ever came from watching one’s back.”

“I’m sorry, KyGahl, I did not mean to sound so rude to you. I’m just concerned for Rex. Yes, I was initially drawn to him because he was like me, but since then he has become a dear friend to me. He has had no real reason to trust me or any of us, and yet he agreed to give me his trust, and I feel compelled to see to it that he never feels like that was a mistake.”

“Hey, you’re not the only one,” EeNox said, giving her a gentle nudge in her side with his elbow.

“That boy is fortunate to have found his way here to KaNar,” KyGahl said. “I doubt he would have discovered a better pair to look out for him than you two, and I hear that he has already befriended the young healer and my young colleague.”

“Yes, AnaSaya and ShinGaru have taken a real liking to him,” DiNiya said with a smile. “And AnaSaya seems enamored with him.”

“And how do you feel about that?” KyGahl asked, giving her a pressing look.

“What do you mean? I’m glad Rex is making more friends. How else should I feel about that?”

KyGahl leaned back and exchanged a quick glance with EeNox, who smiled and just shook his head. “You’re right. Silly question. Forget I asked.”

“I just wish I could make him realize that, and that he doesn’t always have to go off and deal with everything alone like he does.”

“Well, then,” KyGahl said, slowly turning her around so she was facing the entrance. “Here is your chance.”

DiNiya watched as VayRonx walked through the two massive doors with Rex atop his head, who immediately felt all eyes on him—something he expected would be the case and had decided would not deter him. Suddenly he saw his field of view descending as VayRonx lowered his head to the floor.

“All right, now,” he said as Rex reluctantly stepped off. “You need to go the rest of the way on your own. Face that which you fear.”

“I’m not afraid of her,” Rex replied as he spotted DiNiya standing below an enormous tarp fifty meters away.

“But you are aware of her opinion of you.”

The look on Rex’s face changed from one of steadfast resolution to one of silent panic. “How do I just walk over there?”

“By putting one foot in front of the other,” VayRonx said, giving him a gentle nudge with his snout.

Rex staggered a few steps forward before gaining his footing and continuing on his own. Silently, he passed through the crowd, excusing himself as he moved through the throngs of people. As he drew closer, he noticed that KyGahl was with her and her brother. He wondered if they had told him what had happened earlier and how they would have described the incident. No, he thought, forcing such scenarios out of his mind. He refused to focus solely on the negative like he always did. Instead, he was going to do the unthinkable and trust in what someone else had told him, and give someone else the benefit of the doubt. He was terrified.

“Rex,” came a voice off to his left.

Turning, he saw NiroTy walking briskly to join him at his side with something in his beak. Narrowing his gaze, Rex saw that it was a moon orchid. One of the very same he and his uncle had been offering as prizes at their booth.

“You forgot this when you took off earlier,” NiroTy said as he raised his head up and allowed Rex to take it.

Eyeing its pale white petals closely, Rex then turned back to him and asked, “Why are you giving this to me?”

“Because you won it, of course.”

“How? I burned your booth down.”

“True, but in doing so, managed to light all seven candles in under a minute, so here’s your prize.”

Rex could have laughed out loud at what he felt was positively absurd, but instead he glanced up past him to where TolNy was standing back by one of the long tables lined with greenery for the herbivores.

There the old flame gave him a small nod before swiveling his head over slightly in DiNiya’s direction, before turning back and giving him a wink.

Rex swallowed hard before taking a deep breath, making his way over to DiNiya and the others. As he drew closer, he began to notice that which he surprisingly failed to before. DiNiya was wearing what appeared to be a form of garb that was common in EeNara in terms of general style, but unlike anything he had seen her in previously; it seemed to be made out of a silky black material. In addition, her fur hung loose down the sides over her shoulders while being woven into two thick braids that ran down to the small of her back. Still, it was her decision to not wear any form of leggings that caught his eye the most, for it exposed two long, elegant, and powerful-looking legs, which displayed an impressive muscle tone. He immediately thought back to the time he had seen her fully nude and how taken aback he had been by the sheer elegance and beauty of her form.

In fact, he was now noticing that many of the girls were wearing clothing that both revealed and seemingly celebrated their impressive physiques. Rex allowed himself a faint but noticeable smile as he took in the now obvious differences between humans and SaVarians. Still, he was not here to feast his eyes on a roomful of beautiful women, but rather to redeem himself in the eyes of one in particular: the only one that mattered to him.

At last, after a walk that seemed to last forever, he stopped just short of DiNiya, who gazed at him with the same look of uncertainty he was sure he was displaying.

“Hel—” they both began, cutting each other off in the process.

“You go first,” Rex said.

“No, please, you,” DiNiya insisted.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I was being arrogant, well…I should have been more careful.”

DiNiya stared at him for moment before smiling and brushing a strand of fur out of his face and leaning in closer to say, “Then you should have just said that to begin with.” She looked at him with a smile before adding, “Did you really think I was angry with you?”

“Yes,” he replied simply.

“Then it seems I’m the one who has failed you.”

“How do you figure?”

“Because when you first came here, you were angry and distrusting of almost everyone.”

“Well, yes, but…wait, I still am.”