Fire Temple
The fire licked across the wall, moving to form more words. 'Don't be alarmed. I'm not going to harm you.'
The children just stared.
Rav, ever the brave brother, stepped forward to say something, but his brother interrupted him, ever the curious one.
"What are you?" he spoke.
Fire jumped up and down across the wall, as if it was laughing. 'I'm fire. Obviously.'
The middle brother frowned. "Yes, but how are you doing that? How can you see us and hear us and talk, or write, to us?"
The words changed again. 'That would be your grandfather. His gift was to insert and give life to fire. He put me in the Temple's walls, therefore I am talking to you.'
The sister smiled. "This is so cool! I'm talking to fire!"
The fire created an image this time on the wall. A person was shown. It raised its arm above its head and bowed. Words appeared beside it. 'You're welcome!'
The girl laughed.
Rav again went to speak. "Why have you decided to talk to us?"
'Ah yes.' It wrote. 'I'd hoped someone would say that. The Fire Lord has left for a council meeting and I am in charge whilst he is away. He has told me you have the option of seeing your father if you wish.'
They all stood in shock.
"The Fire Lord's gone?" The youngest whispered, confused.
Rav smiled. "You know what this means? This is the opportune time to escape!"
The fire licked again. 'However, do know that if you plan to make any plans of escape, you will not be able to see your father or each other again.'
The middle child elbowed Rav and shot him an angry look.
"Can we see dad now?" The girl asked, ignoring her two brothers.
'If you wish.' The fire replied.
She looked at her two brothers and they nodded. "I would like to see dad please."
The fire flickered before leaving. 'Your wish is my command.'
The walls rolled forward and backwards, warping, the stone bending and flexing before it stopped to reveal Thorn, sitting on the floor, arm looped around a bent knee in front of him, and other arm resting by his side sprawled on the floor. His head was faced down and his hair pooled over his head, brushed the top of his raised knee.
"Dad?" The youngest whispered.
As one, the three children rushed to their father, hugging him. Their combined weight knocked him backwards to the floor.
He turned his face up to look at them one at a time. "Alec? Rav? Ebb? You're here."
"Dad!" Ebb cried. "I missed you so much!"
Rav smiled at his father. "I protected them as best I could." His face turned sad. "Mum helped. She's hurt."
Thorn smiled. "Your mother is very strong. She'll be alright."
Alec stepped back and stared at his father for a second. "You're hurt too." Was all he finally said.
The other two jumped back as Thorn stood. "I'll be fine." He said.
"Now," He began. "How are we going to get you out of here?"
"What do you mean 'get us out of here'!? You're coming with us!" Rav's forehead turned up in concern as he realised what his father was saying. "You mean, you're not coming with us?"
"Rav!" Ebb cut in, annoyed. "You know what the fire said. If we try to discuss plans, we won't be able to see each other again. You're risking too much!"
Thorn looked up, startled. "What fire?"
"You know." Confusion twisted Ebb's face. "The fire your dad placed-"
The walls started moving again, moving Thorn back to his cell, cutting the daughter off. Fire flickered across the wall that had just moved, again forming words. 'Another rule: You are not allowed to tell Thorn of my existence in any way. He doesn't know I exist and I would prefer to keep it that way."
"What!" Rav cried out. "You cannot be saying that Dad lived here his whole life and didn't know you existed!? That's just stupid! I mean he LIVED here!"
'The are many things about this Temple that Thorn doesn't know.'
Alec spoke up. "How? How does the Fire Lord know of your existence and not dad?"
'Simple. Svorn spent the majority of his life in this place. He had to do something whilst he was holed up in here, so he explored. He learnt all of this place's secrets. Of course, he didn't learn of me that way. There was an incident directly responsible for that, but that's his story, not mine, to tell.
'Thorn, however, spent most of his life outside of my walls, getting praise, going on adventures, and when he came back, he was far too involved with his parents, himself and his friends to take the time to notice me.'
The children looked at the wall of fire in shock. Again.
'Truth be told, I'm not the biggest fan of Thorn. He hurt my master many times, more than I can forgive.'
Ebb stepped closer to Alec and him to her. Ebb looked at Alec in confusion, and Alec whispered, reading her eyes, "I know. I don't know what to say either."
Rav was still in silence. His face was filled with an expressionless expression. Blank, shocked, angry, sad, sympathetic, none could tell.
'I never liked my former master, the one who created me. But I only realised that when I met Svorn. Even though my former master was the one who I obeyed, my true master became Svorn.
'He isn't as bad as he appears. He's good and kind. He's misunderstood. And he's afraid. He's scared. He's been backed into a corner and he's fighting back with everything he's got. He doesn't have many options, but he's trying to do the right thing even still. Not many people see that. '
"It's a lie."
"What?"
Rav whipped his head up. "It's a lie! It's all a lie! The Fire Lord is making it tell us this so that we'll do what he wants us to do!"
The wall seemed to sigh. 'You have a lot to learn, boy.' It's flames gently flowed through the floor, circling the children and brushing their feet.
They leapt back, startled, but the fire didn't harm them.
'I like you.' The fire wrote. 'You seem like lovely people, so please, while you're here, don't make me have do punish you.'
The fire faded from around them, making as if to leave. 'The doors will be closing, so I suggest you get behind them before you're locked out here.'
The fire vanished, leaving silence in its wake.
The children, still in shock, walked behind the doors to their rooms. There they waited, thinking about what had been written.
"Stay safe." Ebb said.
"Stay safe." Alec repeated.
"Stay safe." Rav whispered. "We'll find a way out of here. I promise."
The doors closed, sealing them inside their rooms. Separating them from each other, and blocking out the outside world.
-------------------
Hey Guys!
I hope you enjoyed that chapter!
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I'll give you a hint: Ebb, Alec and Rav, are nicknames. Can you guess their real names?
*If you feel all alone, know that there's many people around you who love and cherish you. Know that you are never alone*
- Sylvia Shadow
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Fantasia[Finished and being edited] Once captured by a distraught king, a fierce warrior is forced to choose between saving his family or his country. But choices are never that simple. ...
