Caged In

Chapter 12

When Harbin finished practicing, the sun was already setting. Still, he wanted to work as hard as he could before the next lesson, so he continued on, going until the moonlight was his only light other than the flickering fire he produced.

When he held his crystal up to the moonlight to leave, he half expected it wouldn't work and he would be stuck there until daylight, which wasn't the best place as all he had to sleep on was uncomfortable stone. However, the adjusted to the moonlight with ease and, stepping into the light, he leaped back.

Harbin came back to find all the rooms dark. He made a small flame, using that as a night light. He would turn it off as soon as he got to his room and could use a balefire lantern.

His flame gave off little light, seeing as he did not want to wake Coach Arland in case the light shown from the bottom of the door. He was unable to make out most of the room, except for the silhouettes of furniture. Using the wall as a guide, Harbin counted the number of doors, finding the one he believed to be his.

When Harbin opened the door, he could not see his things. Still, he couldn't really see anything, so he continued into the room. Once he closed the door, he could make a brighter flame.

He stepped into the room, losing his balance on something and falling, the flame extinguishing itself.

Harbin uttered a word his mother would not approve of, getting up and reaching for something to grab on to pull himself to his feet. He found the doorknob and, after some struggle, managed to stand up in the dark area. He needed his sight, so, after closing the door fully, Harbin created a fire the size of his fist, letting it dance above his palm.

From the new light source, Harbin could make out a long hallway that ended with what he guessed was a staircase. That was definitely not his room. He should have just gone back and found his room, but this was a place he had never been before. The curiosity in him was too much. Besides, if there was someone down there, or anyone near where he was, they likely would have heard his fall. If no one was here by now, Harbin was sure they would not be.

He moved down the stairs carefully, knowing this sized flame would not go out so easily if he were to fall again.

When he reached the bottom of the staircase, he found a dead end. However, there was something reflecting the light from his fire.

Harbin crouched, checking the shimmering things at the bottom of the wall. They appeared to be crystals embedded in the wall. Harbin leaned close to one of them, examining it. The crystal reminded Harbin of a leaping crystal, which greatly resembled it. Come to think of it, all of the crystals were the same colors he had seen in leaping crystals.

Why would there be a staircase that leads to nothing? Harbin wondered. Unless, it was more than that. There had to be something there that was of use to them; he just had to find it.

After searching everything he could, Harbin found a faded symbol on the ground. It was of a fire, curved into a circular shape with small flames at the top.

He sat down, leaning closer to examine it.

Suddenly, his light source moved toward the symbol, as if drawn to it by a force, and quickly started filling out the symbol.

Harbin leapt away from the fire to avoid being burned.

The new light source left his fragile eyes with spots of bright light in his sight, rendering it useless for the time being.

He knew there wasn't water. And he knew that he would not have access to the kitchen to get large bucket of water without getting in huge trouble. But it wasn't like he could just ignore the flames ready to consume.

Some of his sight returned and Harbin noticed a few differences in how it acted. Where it should be spreading out across the floor, it remained. The flames were holding to the symbol's shape, the magnificent light source that lit up the room.

And, he discovered, cast beams of light off some of the crystals he examined earlier. Harbin recalled the similarities of those crystals to the leaping crystals he frequently used.

"Woah," he breathed, reaching his hand into a beam of light to test it. The light ushered him to step into it and relinquish control.

Harbin moved toward it, obeying the light, and let the beam sweep him away.

The journey was much more difficult than other ones he made. Once he had disappeared from the world, a searing pain came through him and it felt as though fire had engulfed him, like he was the fire.

Particles in his body wanted to pull away and he feared his concentration would break any second.

Mercifully, the light released its grip, and he found himself in a long corridor.

What was it with them and long hallways? At least this one was lit; every five feet were two balefire lanterns, one on the left, one on the right. Despite the seemingly great discovery of light, Harbin was only more concerned by it. If there were already balefire lanterns, there had to be a person. And it was likely Fintan, the very creator of balefire.

He was well aware he would eventually meet up with someone; the door to the hall had been left unlocked. But, the idea that it would be a Pyrokinetic that obviously thought he was alone worried him. What would happen if Harbin caught Fintan by surprise? The man burned half of a city in the past. Harbin did not want to play the foolish Kenric Fathdon in a reenactment.

He would check each room he came into first before going in. And bring his leaping crystal to the house. Hopefully then if a huge for ignited, he wouldn't be the ashes of it. And hopefully, this leaping crystal would work with fire instead of the normal sunlight.

Harbin quietly made his way toward the other side of the hall. Every two lanterns, there was a door on each side, which would, unsurprisingly, be locked, causing him to reach the end rather quickly.

At the end of the hallway was a metal door.

"Please don't be locked," begged Harbin as he attempted to open it, the last door he had not tried.

To his dismay, it was.

"You have to be kidding me." Harbin groaned, sticking his pinky finger in the keyhole, as if that would magically open it. It did not, but it did cut his finger. Harbin yanked his finger out, cursing the door.

He slammed his foot into the metal door, crying out in pain when it reminded him what it was made of.

Mad and aching, he thrust a ball of fire at the door, which met the door near the keyhole and caused a clicking sound in the door.

"What the— "

Once the fire had disappeared, Harbin opened the door, taking off his socks and putting them on his hand to prevent direct touch with the hot handle.

He got inside, finding a familiar blond sitting with three others, who were wearing thick cloaks, each a yellow, which reminded him of the flames he hoped to call down from the sky.

"Fintan?"