A Shadow Flame (Book 7) (32 page)

The world began to shake and Aaron closed his eyes then turned his face upward once more, letting his sword fall into the smoldering lava and holding his arms out as pure, raw power flowed though his entire being. A pillar of truefire suddenly shot up all around him, blasting straight into the sky above, blasting through the swirling vortex of flames and cutting a hole through the dark clouds that covered the sky. Lexi could feel the heat of the fire and she instinctively knew that it was far more powerful than anything she or the others could withstand. With a flash of lightning energy, she snatched Zachary, and the young warrior god from where they stood and she flew away as quickly as she could. The dragons overhead sensed the danger as well and they widened their circle as a white, hot sphere appeared at the base of the pillar of light and began to expand. Barely a moment later, it exploded, sending a wave of blazing energy in all directions, chasing Lexi over the rooftops of the city and knocking the dragons from the sky.

The dark clouds that hung overhead were burned away, revealing a night sky, full of stars, that slowly faded to day as Lexi circled around. The dust and smoke from the blast began to settle and dissipate, and she saw that the wave of energy had damaged many of the buildings below and much of the palace was destroyed as well, including the walls that surrounded it. As she flew closer with the mage and the young warrior held gently among her claws, they saw that upon the ground, in the place where Aaron had stood, at the center of an empty pool of molten stone that was already beginning to cool and harden, was a statue made of stone. Lexi landed in the broken courtyard, next to the round pool, and she let Zachary and Brian down to the ground, then she shifted her form and leapt over to the smooth, stone edge of the pool. The statue that stood above her was strange, for it appeared to be stone, but it also seemed to move and shimmer, with the colors of fire and shadow flecked and marbled within its smooth surface.

"Is Aaron inside it?" Lexi asked, turning to Brian, who had attacked Aaron with the molten lava. Brian stepped up onto the edge of the stone circle and walked out over the smoldering stone. He placed his hand upon the base of the statue, and felt for any presence within the stone, but after a few moments he turned and shook his head.

"I can feel echoes of his power, but he is gone," he said, then he realized that he no longer needed to ask Kroma to do such things and Brian wondered if the god was still inside his thoughts.

"
I am still here,
" Kroma said. "
But I have shared with you my power and my knowledge.
"

"
Why?
" Brian asked.

"
It was time,
" Kroma replied. "
If you seek my counsel, I will be here.
"

"
Where are the others?
" Brian asked. "
Did everyone else survive the blast?
"

"
Can you not sense them?
" Kroma asked, and Brian noticed a hint of doubt in his tone. He closed his eyes and he could feel movements and tremors all around, some small and quiet, and others that were more noticeable.

"
I can feel them, sort of,
" he said.

"
Well, it's a start,
" Kroma said.

"
What happened to Aaron?
" Brian asked. "
Is the shadow truly gone?
"

"What of the shadow?" Zachary asked, breathing heavily and doing his best to suppress his fire.

Brian looked around and was surprised that he knew the answer, even though he already knew why he could suddenly know such things.

"The shadow is gone from this world, but its power lingers" he said. "Even in the stone and the earth itself, there is a poison that will take some time to fade."

"Is it safe?" Lexi asked.

"It is safe," Brian told her, and they turned as the dragons in the sky above screamed and bellowed as most of them turned and flew back north.

A smaller number circled down toward the courtyard and shifted their forms as they dropped to the ground, and Lexi stepped down from the edge of the pool and she blurred toward them when she saw Kasha carrying Tash in her arms.

"Is she..." Lexi asked.

"Tash will live," Kasha said.

"I am fine, Lexi," Tash whispered as she opened her eyes and Lexi was surprised when she saw what looked like stars glittering in her gaze. "Aaron healed me."

"You are still badly injured," Kasha told her. "You must rest."

"I am very tired," Tash said as her eyes fluttered and closed.

"Where is Ehlena?" Ariana asked, staring up at the statue of her brother. "The last I saw of her, she was at the center when the fire shot up toward her."

"Her essence lingers but I cannot sense her presence," Brian said with a frown.

"What about Aaron?" Borrican asked.

"Aaron is gone from this world," Brian said. "The fire at the end was his own."

"Then it was his choice," Kasha said with a nod, looking to the image of the young man who stood with his gaze to the sky and his hands outstretched. "And that is his truth."

Jax awoke to the gentle touch of a hand upon his shoulder, and he looked up into the face of a beautiful young woman, who he was sure he recognized, though he thought she looked different than he remembered. She smiled at him as she rose from where she knelt at his side, then she faded away, disappearing into the air. Jax sat up from the stone floor in the darkened room and he saw that the sun was shining outside the window, which wavered and shifted faintly, then whatever magic it held ceased to be. In his hand, Jax found a wooden tube and a tangle of string, and he opened it and shook out its contents, finding two rings inside, both of which he knew had belonged to his father. He sighed in resignation, for it was clear that his father had made his decision, and chosen to stay in the strange realm where the world was made of stars, from which it now appeared that there would be no escape.

Jax rose to his feet and noticed a shape the floor, and he reached down and picked it up. As soon as he touched it, he immediately recognized that it was a copy of the strange book he had taken from his father, the book that the young man Aaron had sought, a magic volume that had apparently caused a lot of trouble for the people of the world. Knowing that it was likely still very dangerous, and determined that it should not fall into the wrong hands, he shoved the book into his shirt for safe keeping until he figured out what to do with it. Jax thought he heard the sound of cheering, so he peered out the window and saw that the palace courtyard was filled with people.

"I suppose I'd better go find out what I missed," he muttered, wondering how long he had been laying on the floor, then he turned and made his way out of the room, not noticing that his steps no longer made any sound and that he cast no shadow, no matter which way the light fell upon him.

Jax stopped in the outer chamber, determined that he should straighten his clothes and dust himself off, but when he looked into a tall mirror that stood against the wall, he was confounded that for some reason, it seemed that he had no reflection. He held up his hand in front of his face and was relieved that he could at least see himself, and he could certainly see the room behind him in the chamber, but he was missing. He dashed from the room, determined to find out if he had somehow fallen prey to some strange sort of magic, or if he might not even be alive. With silent footsteps, Jax quickly made his way from the old part of the palace, climbing up and out through a window, then he dropped down outside into a small garden. He ran down the overgrown path that led toward the palace courtyard, and climbed over the rubble that had once been the wall between them.  Once he was through, he ran toward the people who had gathered in the courtyard and were congregated around a large, empty pool and a statue that had somehow appeared at its center, with a jeweled sword sticking into the melted stone in front of it, a blade that Jax would likely have recognized had he not been so distracted by his own predicament. He was relieved when people noticed him when he began pushing his way through the crowd and he was even more relieved when he saw Fergus turn and break into a grin as he approached.

"Am I alive?" Jax asked, looking around at all of the people, finding it strange that he could see things that he could not see before, as though the clothing they wore was somehow not entirely solid, and he found himself averting his eyes.

"Now that there's an odd question, Jax," Fergus said. "Did ya get yerself hit on the head or somethin?"

"I'm not sure," he said, then he saw Kasha walking toward him, and though she rarely wore much in the way of garments, it was even more distracting that the few scraps of cloth she was wearing might as well be gone, and Jax forced himself to look at her eyes as she approached him.

"I see that you have finally come to know Ansari," Kasha said with a smile.

"To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what I know," Jax admitted.

"Then you may be wiser than most," she said.

Jax turned as trumpets blared, and a procession of elegantly armored warriors entered through the remains of the palace gate. They were led by a tall warrior, dressed in intricately worked leather and steel, whose angular features were somehow even more elven than the dozens of elves who followed him. The strange elf approached the edge of the stone circle beneath the large statue and he dropped to one knee before the princess of Maramyr, whose red hair glistened in the bright sunlight, waving in the breeze overtop the shimmering crystals that covered the side of her face and parts of her body.

"Your highness," Quenta said, with his head bowed. "We have driven the Darga from your realm and they now flee far to the east."

"Rise, Quenta," Ariana said. "You need not kneel before me."

"In this land, you are Queen," he said. "When we are in the forest, I will stand before you as you stand before me, as equals."

"You are welcome here and recognized as you would be at Elvanar," Ariana said. "Now stand with me, for we are to witness a sight not seen in Maramyr for many generations."

Ariana smiled as Quenta rose to his feet, then she turned and nodded to Carly, who reached out her arms and took the one hand of the mage, Zachary, and hand the young warrior, Brian, in each of her own, then she closed her eyes. A moment later, the ground began to shake and the broken parts of the palace began to crack and crumble, then stones shifted and moved and great streams of water burst into the air, creating a mist in he sunlight that glimmered with colors. The crowd of people, who were a little nervous at first, after all they had witnessed, visibly relaxed and they smiled when the streams of water died down and fountains flowed in places that seemed as though they had always been there, and flames flickered in torches, casting light even in the brightness of day.

"I have a gift to offer to you and to the people of this land," Quenta said, as the large, open pool beneath the statue before them began to fill with cool, blue water, submerging the jeweled sword almost to its hilt. The elven prince touched the edge of the pool and vines began to grow around it, and lilies appeared upon the water, with white flowers blooming upon them. Quenta turned to the elven soldiers that he led, and he nodded to them, then the elves turned and walked from the crowd, spreading new life across the ground with every footstep.

"We will stay until everything has been restored, then we will return home," Quenta said, turning back to Ariana as the elves left the courtyard and made their way out into the city.

"Thank you, Quenta," Ariana said. "The flowers you made are beautiful."

"They are not of my choosing, for they grew of their own accord," Quenta told her, then he looked up at the statue. "It is said that the son of Aria took the shadow into himself and welcomed the fire of dragons that the darkness would be destroyed. Is this the truth of what happened here?"

"It is as close to the truth as anyone knows," Ariana told him.

"To have done such a thing, is both brave and foolish," Quenta said, then he glanced over at Zachary. "We will honor him as a lost prince of Solari as we honor you a princess who will return."

"I am glad," Ariana said. "Borrican and I will return very soon."

"That would be wise," Quenta told her. "While our people are grateful to the dragons, many still remain uneasy at their presence, even among the trees of the red forest."

"I am sure Vale will also be glad to return to the north," Ariana said.

"Yes, that would be for the best," Quenta said. "I must leave now, Ariana, for I do not wish to be in the presence of the mage any longer than I must."

"Zachary cannot stay," Ariana said. "He is dying, Quenta, consumed by the fire that burns within him."

"Then that is also as it should be," he said, then he departed with a nod. "I will see to the elves and do what I can to help heal this land, then I will return home, where I hope to see you soon among the trees."

"Safe travels to you Quenta," Ariana said. "We will see you soon."

Jax ducked past the tall, strange looking elf as he made his way toward the princess, and when he appeared in front of her, she seemed a little surprised at first, as though she had not seen him approach.

"Excuse me," he said. "Highness, I do not believe we have met."

"You are called Jax," Ariana said. "I have heard that you are a thief."

"That is but one of my many talents," he said with a flourishing bow. "Jax Larian, at your service, and I have something that I think would be best kept in your care."

"What is it?" Ariana asked, curiously as Jax fished inside his shirt, then he pulled out a book.

"It is the book," he told her. "The book of the priesthood and the one god."

"And you wish to give such a thing to me?" Ariana frowned.

"No," Jax replied and Ariana took a step back as he opened its pages and turned them toward her. "It is different now. See, it is full of stars."

Ariana stared at the book and saw a beautiful picture of a white flower that she was sure was the same as the ones that floated in the pool beneath the statue, but when she looked up at the thief, she thought she saw what looked like countless tiny stars glimmering in his eyes. Jax blinked and the stars disappeared as though they had never been, and Ariana was suddenly unsure if her eyes had deceived her.

"I will keep it safe," Ariana told him as he smiled at her, then closed the book and handed it to her.

"And I will keep you safe, your highness," Jax said. "It seems that my family has a debt to yours, and it has fallen to me to repay it."

"Thank you, Jax," Ariana said, a little confused by his words but grateful for his offer, but he had already somehow disappeared, and she blinked, not sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her.

She looked down at the book in her hand and shuddered at all the trouble it had caused, but Ariana also felt as though there was something comforting and familiar about it, that reminded her of a time, long ago, when she had seen stars in the eyes of another the way she thought she had seen them in the eyes of the thief. It was a strange curiosity that no doubt would involve magic of some kind, so she tucked the book under her arm and the crowd parted for her as she made her way toward where the mages, Zachary, Stavros and Calthas, had gathered nearby.

"I have business with the Council of Mages," she said.

"The Council?" Stavros squinted an eye at her.

"Stavros, you are the Head of the Council of Mages, are you not?"

"If the Council exists once more, your highness, then I suppose I am," he said.

"I have a book for you to keep," she said and she held out the book and all three of the mages seemed to take a step back when they saw it. "Have no fear, for I am fairly will not harm you."

"How can you be sure of this?" Calthas asked.

"I said fairly sure," Ariana said as she looked up at the statue and smiled at the sublime expression on his face, that was somehow both joy and sadness at the same time. "No, I am sure of it."

*****

Dash pulled another log from nowhere and tossed it into the fire, and he watched the sparks fly up into the night that surrounded him. In his lonely spot within the vastness of the firmament, the red, orange and yellow flicker of the flames were comforting in their constantly changing liveliness. He thought about opening another jug of sweetwater, but ever since the time when Jax had come to visit him, the drink seemed to have lost its sweetness. And after he had turned down yet another chance to return to the world, everything he ate or drank in this place had become downright sour. Dash knew it had to do his own thoughts, that this place was a kind of reflection of things, and the little bit of magic he knew should have made it more tolerable, were it not for the quiet melancholy that had overcome him.

While a part of him considered drowning such thoughts with strong sweetwater, the way he had for so long before, another part of him wanted to remember everything, to try to understand all the things he had done, and how he had come to deny his oath to his king, to fail the people who had been almost like family to him, and to betray himself. Dash stared at the flickering flames as he tried to piece it all together in his mind, and so lost was he in thought that at first he did not see the figure walking toward him on the other side of the fire. When he finally noticed that someone was there, he realized that he could not really see who it was, for the figure seemed to move and bend with the flames of the fire before him, with flames and shadows that made his eyes feel strange. Not sure if he was simply seeing things, or if he might somehow have another visitor, Dash pulled a bottle of sweetwater from nowhere and held it up toward whoever it was that stood on the other side of his fire.

"Care for a drink?" he asked, doing his best to sound hospitable.

The figure walked around the fire and Dash saw that he was a young man who had wisps of flame around him as he moved, and he also had a kind of darkness that swirled around inside him, a kind of shadow that he did not like, for it reminded him of things he did not want to think about, even though they were exactly the things he had been trying to remember. Dash looked up at the young man's face and he thought he recognized some people he knew in his features, but when he looked into his eyes, that was when he knew exactly who he was.