Crow of Flame

Chapter 22

Orion led me from the party and down a maze of hallways. I didn't pay attention to the decor or the paintings, I was engaged in examining Orion. He was a strong build, and I held his bicep and it flexed and relaxed with the motions of walking. He walked with long easy strides and his shoes made soft clicking noises on the stone floors. I looked up to his face. The muscles in his jaw feathered and waned as he spoke passionately about something. I had no clue what he was talking about, I was lost in his features. The way his lips moved to form words was hypnotic.

And he turned his gaze to me and he smiled. "Is there something on my face?" He asked playfully.

I looked away, "nothing but skin." I said.

"So, what do you think about it?" He asked.

I looked at him with confusion, "your skin?"

He laughed, "No, about the war between Eboni and Kronos."

"There's a war between Eboni and Kronos?" I asked.

He laughed again, it was hearty and deep and it filled the deepest cavities of my chest with warmth. Since we had left the party, I had let the flames dim a little but I hadn't let them go out completely and when he laughed I felt them grow the tiniest bit. "I've spent the last few minutes ranting on the subject." He said.

"I've hardly been listening, if I'm honest," I admitted shyly. "Why are they at war?" I asked.

"I don't know," he shrugged, "all I know is that there is some prophecy involving you and Eboni. Did Kronos tell you Theodore and I used to be disciples of his and hades?" I nodded, "good, I was Kronos' disciple. He wasn't as gracious with me as he was with Ambrose. Theodore and I were allowed monthly visits with Eboni. One month, when we were supposed to meet with her, we cam down with a terrible illness."

"What were you afflicted with?" I asked.

"Power." He said calmly as we reached two glass doors. He opened one and led me to a stone balcony with vines creeping around the railing. It looked over a glade caged by a forest with dewy grass that sparkled like the night sky. "Did Kronos tell you about the sparks?"

"Nothing more than that I was a spark of flame, and that they were the pillars this lands magic rested on." I said softly. "There are supposed to be four of us I think, I'd love to meet the others..." I trailed off at my eyes met the stars. They shone brightly in the dark night. "He keeps a lot of things very vague, probably for me to make my own judgements, but I can't judge what I don't know."

"Did he tell you that you are the first ever to be entrusted with flame?" I shook my head no and leaned my elbows on the railing to look out at the starlit grass. "There were sparks for the other three, they lived for many lifetimes, but they grew tired. Their names were Aeros, Terros, and Aqueous. They pleaded to the council to find replacements. No spark may die until their power has been passed to a suitable host, the magic is too great to be released randomly to the universe. In any case, the council endorsed their request and set their sights to find keepers for the power." He took a breath and leaned on the railing next to me. "It took them near a century to find a list of candidates they thought worthy of the power. No one knew they were looking, no one knew that the sparks had decided it was time to release, until Theodore and I were chosen to hold the powers of water and earth."

I met his gaze, "you're trying to tell me you're a spark?" I asked with breathless disbelief.

"Yes, Theodore and I are sparks." He said. "The council, after we received the power, tried to separate us from Eboni and each other permanently. She pleaded for them not to, she tried talking to Kronos, and the council but no one would let us be around each other. They said we needed to be focused on learning control."