Enflame (Insight #6)(15)

“You’re scaring me,” I thought quietly.

“It’s okay, I promise. I’m fine. We’re fine.”

I hated that word. He hasn’t been fine since before Mars.

Landen’s gaze found Phoenix once again. “What I remember of you is vague. You’re a Phoenix. I know that.”

I cautiously glanced between them. It was the wording of his sentence that had caught me off guard. He said, ‘you’re,’ not ‘your name.’

“You were one at one time, Brother. How long did it take you to find her? How many times has that bastard taken her from you?”

I wanted to ask which one because it was clear that Phoenix didn’t like Dane. But for Landen, there was only one man that had tried to take me from him. I know it’s wrong, but having Drake here right now would make me feel a little better, at least grounded.

“No one is taking her from me.” Landen’s tone was meant to intimidate Phoenix, but warm chills spread across my skin. I’d always felt safe at his side, but now I felt invincible. It was like I knew that because he’d said that, I was more than protected. In Phoenix’s eyes, I was ‘claimed.’

“Are you blind, too? What was his name? ‘Dane,’ is it?”

Landen’s jaw clenched as he leaned forward ever so slightly. “I know he’s been possessed in the past. He’s risen now.”

“Not saved. Whoever was foolish enough to do that must know that if he falls in the wrong direction, he will be more than a mortal enemy to you.”

“Fall?” I uttered.

“He’s not completely a Witness yet. Neither is Clarissa. She’s closer.”

“What fall?”

“It’s not a fall, but a test. He will face everything he’s been.”

“Fall into place,” Phoenix answered. “He’s in my world. The veil. He cannot die any longer. He’s a warrior now. What side he’s on will not be clearly determined for at least twelve moons. The first and last are the hardest.”

“He’s not bad. He was possessed in the past. If it wasn’t him, then he can’t feel guilty for it,” I argued, as if I were defending Dane’s existence.

“You’ve said that before,” Phoenix stated all to evenly.

“Show her respect, or I will give you every reason to think twice before you cross that line again.” Landen said so powerfully that his voice vibrated through my soul.

“Right, mate...no doubt,” Phoenix replied squarely. “What’s going on? What do you remember about me? Why are we just sitting here? You have the girl. Let’s undo this web.”

There was a sharp intensity in the air, a standoff. I knew Landen was trying to gauge how much he could trust Phoenix.

“Not enough,” Landen finally said.

“When did the memory of me start to surface? On sight, or before?” Phoenix asked as if he were struck by grief. It was clear he was in some way upset that Landen didn’t know him the way he thought he should.

“Before.”

“What were you doing?”

“Running into a burning building...” Landen’s gaze moved to the blazing fire. I could swear the flames reached for him when his eyes settled within the glow of orange.

I knew I was in way over my head. What happened in that Realm? Oh God, I needed Draven.

“Building or manor?”

“It could have been that. You tried to stop me. I went anyway.”

“Because you thought she was in there,” Phoenix said with a nod in my direction.

“Right,” Landen said in a ghostly tone.

Phoenix moved his head slowly from side to side. “Those are memories, mate. That was our beginning. How did you tap into them? The Realm?”

Landen nodded once.

“If you found your way to The Realm, you should know more than you do.”

“I didn’t find my way. I was sent there.”

That seemed to enrage Phoenix. He was furious that someone had hurt Landen.

“If you let me see her medallion, I can explain your life plan a lot faster.”

Landen held his stare for what felt like an eternity, then he glanced at me and gently nodded. With shaky hands, I reached back to unclasp my necklace. As soon as the hook was loose, it began to float in Phoenix's direction. At the same time, a small ball of fire emerged from the fireplace. Guided by Phoenix's stare, the necklace floated over the small ball of fire that was centered between us.

The fire lingered under the medallion, causing shadows of its details to dance across the room. A few seconds later, the necklace started to vibrate. I leaned forward, not sure what to expect next. Then all at once a burst of energy pushed through the room.

Focusing on the necklace, I could see the black glass moving, then all at once four rings of energy began to circle it. Details in the black glass that were hidden before started to reflect within the rings of energy that were moving. They looked like planets.

The fire enflamed the rings, then the necklace vanished into the illusions with the rings. It was two universes side by side, and between them was what looked like a wall of water with one bright spot in the center. The rings looked as if they were trying to move more fiercely, but they couldn’t. Half of it was stronger than the other, brighter. The part that was dim looked as if it were slowly easing into the bright part. I could see hazes around what I thought were planets, lights of energy snaking through them.