Fire Proof

Chapter Twenty-Seven

I don't go to dinner. Or breakfast. I hole myself up in my cavern and stay tucked in a ball in the center of my bed. With no desire to get up and see Aislee or really do anything else for that matter, it's very easy to stay put in one place, one position, for so long.

Until a small knock comes to my door and Jupiter lets himself in. "Azari," he whispers hoarsely. I sit up, stiff in every muscle, worried he's crying. He's not. In fact, he almost seems happy.

"What-" my voice sounds funny, "what is it?"

"Aislee isn't going after Bryce. She's going after the wolves that killed Mom and Dad." I don't tell him I figured that out already. "She announced at the meal to start getting the Thunders organized."

Of course I miss the one important piece of information Aislee shared willingly! Time to stop wallowing, I suppose. I slide off the mattress and slowly crouch down to his level.

"She isn't going after Bryce now, but that doesn't mean she won't."

He nods somberly. "I know. Maybe we can leave during the fight?"

I smile, liking his thinking. "We'll try, okay?"

His smile is toothy, the first real happiness I've seen from him in a while. But his voice remains soft, "okay."

Taking his hand, I lead him out the door and down the hallway. We don't go in the direction the dining hall is; instead, we walk towards what I know to be the closest lookout cavern. I'm not sure when the last time Jupiter has stepped outside.

"Where are we going?" He whispers, feeling the need to stay secretive.

"You'll like it, I promise."

After several winding turns and some corridors completely pitch black to the point I needed to ignite a flame to see, the surface beneath our bare feet changes from the smooth stone to rough gravel and sharper rocks. We slow our pace, picking around the pointed pebbles, our feet not quite rough enough for them.

When the caverns were originally carved, the entire surface area of the design was rough and rocky. Overtime the rocks smoothed themselves over, making the polished feel we know now. The areas leading to lookout points and exits remain rocky. I'm not sure if that's purely from lack of use, or if it doubles as a protection service, to slow intruders and enemies if they discover the entrances.

The sunlight bathes my brother's face and instantly, I feel his hand slacken in mine. His face lights up in excitement and suddenly he's not so concerned about the condition of the floor. He bounds forward, tugging me with until the rays cover us from head to toe. Both of us squint our eyes against the brightness, needing to adjust to the change.

"Why can't we go right now?" He asks me animatedly. I press my finger to my lips and jerk my hand to the side, where I know a Darkness guard is standing post around the boulder. Jupiter's eyes widen in understanding and he presses his lips together to silence himself.

So we stand there, letting the sunlight soak us to the bone as we gaze out to the forest beyond the rocky, dry bush plane.

I'm not sure how long we're there, but I know we need to be heading in soon before Aislee loses herself over my absence. I blink my eyes several times, relishing in the feeling of the sun just a little longer. It was because of this, that as I turned to tell Jupiter it's time, a small figure moves at the edges of my vision. At first I think it's the guard, but when I focus, the figure is barely more than a dot on the landscape, way out near the woods. Jupiter sees it too, and he points, a question in his expression.

I shrug, stepping farther out on the plateau, careful to stay shielded by the boulder. Calling on my dragon — feeling how exhausted she is and urging her to find the strength — I stretch my vision to the figure. Soon enough, I can tell it's not a dragon. It acts puzzled, scanning the mountain over and over before turning back toward the treeline. It doesn't take me long to recognize more figures are standing amongst the pine trunks. I don't think the guards see them, or maybe there's really not someone on post right now.

A headache slams into me from behind my eyes and I know I've pushed my dragon too far. I stumble back and Jupiter instantly attaches his hand to my arm.

"Who is it?" He breaths and I shake my head to tell him I'm not sure.

Bryce? My heart whispers, but he couldn't have found the Caves like that, I don't think I gave him enough details to. Suddenly, I regret keeping those things from him.

Even though my eyes can't stretch, we stay put, watching and waiting for the figures to come closer. As we watch, they slowly make their way across the dry, rocky terrain. Mostly they dart between the brush, but the design of the plateaus help us spot any intruders. It's wide and open and has so little coverage we can see anyone and anything.

A small group of them — most stay sheltered in the forest — make it over halfway to the ground-level entrance before a blur of black appears from the right side of my vision. It's not dark enough for the guard to utilize shadows for transportation, but they make it to the trespassers quite quickly.

From here, I can hear what the guard bellows.

"Who goes there?" The guard stays in human form, not daring to show ourselves unless necessary.

Pushing through the slight headache leftover from the last attempt, I strain my eyesight again to try and discern who it is that stand before the Darkness Dragon. When they finally focus, I gasp and squeeze my brother's hand.

"Bryce!"