From the Embers (The Born in Flames Trilogy) by Candace Knoebel Page A

and out of the room. There was one person I needed to see before dusk came.

Chapter 6

    Clearing the Air

    I WAS HALFWAY DOWN THE steps of the Lyceum when Fenn called out, “Rory, wait up.” We stood underneath rolling dark gray clouds because there was no sun—just a constant reminder that Zordon was still out there and in charge.
    I stopped and waited for him amidst the Mages who were in the sand gardens, weaving and raking circular patterns that symbolized the elements. They were having trouble keeping the patterns with the hounding winds.
    “Where you headed?”
    “I have to speak to my father,” I said when he caught up. I continued through the garden, pulling my hair up into a ponytail to keep it from blowing in my face. “I need to know that he will be okay before I leave here.”
    “You want me to go with you?”
    I smiled, fully aware of how lucky I was to have him. “No.”
    He stopped walking. “I’ll wait inside then,” he said, kissing my forehead. He turned and headed back up the stairs.
    I made my way past the fountain and statues to where Myrdinn was staying in the Pavilion on the other side of the island. Secluded from everyone.
    My hands started to sweat as I entered the Pavilion and knocked against his door. I took in a huge breath, trying to steady my heartbeat.
    There was a long moment of silence. My stomach quivered slightly. What if he doesn’t want to see me? He has done everything to avoid me since my return. Unwanted mist formed in my eyes. What if he blamed me for my mother’s death?
    “Aurora?” Myrdinn said from behind me.
    I spun around.
    “Is everything okay?” His head was tilted to the side.
    Traitorous tears slid down my cheeks. There was so much I had been holding back, so many emotions just waiting for the one tick that would send me over the edge. “Do you hate me?” I choked out. It wasn’t what I had planned on saying.
    He held his arms open, and I fell into them, hugging him tightly. “Fates, no. You are my little girl,” he said into my hair, rubbing the back of my head soothingly.
    “You’ve been avoiding me,” I stated, trying to stop myself from crying, but the flood gates had opened. There was so much guilt and pain and fear that I had been avoiding. He was a safe place to release it all. A place where there was no judgment, just love and understanding.
    “No, I haven’t. I just didn’t want you to see me like this. I’ve needed time to collect myself. I lost your mother and I…I thought I had lost you too.”
    My heart clenched tight. “I’m so sorry, dad. It’s all my fault.” I felt like I could break in half right there. This was the first time I had really let myself feel the loss of my mother.
    He stopped me just before a sob broke loose, his hands bracing my shoulders. “It’s not your fault, Aurora. You have to stop blaming yourself. Your mother knew there would be risks involved when we decided to have you. We knew there would be a price.”
    “You knew?” I asked in a whisper.
    He reached around me and opened the door to his room. “Come inside,” he said, extending his arm for me to go first.
    I walked past him and sat down on a pillow that rested near the front window.
    He shut the door behind him and walked into the kitchen that was off to the right. He was wearing leather pants and a large white shirt, something I had never seen him in before. He always wore robes. Stubble shadowed the sides of his thinned face and dark circles rested under his eyes.
    “Are you thirsty?” he asked from the sink. He set a pot on the stove and turned it on for tea.
    “No,” I replied, inspecting the room. There wasn’t much to it. A small mat sat in the middle where disheveled sheets lay next to another sitting pillow. Books littered the floor. I picked one up near the lantern next to me.
    “Necromancy: A Beginner’s Guide to Learning Dark Magic,” I read to myself. Why would he have this?
    “I haven’t taken time to make myself at