Page 39 of Up In Flames
You've made a deal with him, haven't you?
A minute passed as Aranren continued to alter the land and even the weather. I waited for Death's answer.
At last, he said,I didn't lie when I said Aranren was like you. You are very much as he was in the beginning. He mourned for his old self often. Deep inside. Where I couldn't reach. So, I agreed to free him slowly. Over the years, we've learned to trust each other. He understands what we're fighting for and has fully embraced my magic.
I understand as well.
Only because I have taken your mind. Once I release it, you will fight.
I see.And I did. I understood that it was necessary to keep my mistaken morality submerged until I could fully grasp the momentousness of Death's plan. If we succeeded, there would be peace as Varr had never known. And that level of peace required sacrifice. That sacrifice included Aranren and myself. And my true self had recently complained about sacrifice.
But I want you to connect with Aranren,Death said.So I will allow some of you through. You are too cold with him, and I promised him a companion.
A companion? Is that all I am?
No, Ember. You know that you are the greatest power this world has ever seen. Without you, my plan would fail. But Aranren needs you as a man more than he needs you as a partner.
I considered this.You only want me to increase his power by falling in love with him. I am no longer interested in love. My love will strengthen him but weaken me.
You're wrong. I admit that I don't fully understand love, but from watching the world, I've learned a little. I've seen what love can do. I've watched the men who love you sacrifice themselves for you. That is power, Ember. Look at him.
I was already watching Aranren but with Death's urging, I looked closer. His beauty was unquestionable and magnified by his joy. Aranren's face bore no shadows or skeletons now. I realized it was because he was using elemental magic instead of Death. Not that there wasn't beauty in death. I saw all of its beauty now. But the elements had a passion that Death could never touch.
Yes, Death said.Every magic has its benefits. Death is not the only path. I have never said it was. Your power comes from uniting the elements, Spirit, and Death together. That is what makes you special. Aranren cannot do that. But imagine how he would shine if he could.
I watched Aranren's hands as they moved gracefully through the air, weaving the magic into what he wanted. With Fire, he pushed back the cold of winter, with Earth he summoned fresh growth from the ground, with Air he circulated the warmth, and with water he nourished it all. He smiled so brightly because he felt like a god. I knew he did because I had felt that way when I first harnessed the elements.
You could make him a god in truth,Death said.You have that power, Ember.
I don't think so.
You will see. You will learn. For now, see him. Learn about my first student. There is much in him that has been denied for my cause. I know you will appreciate it.
And the numbness pulled back.
I gasped as part of myself surfaced. It wasn't enough to make me run, and I couldn't understand how Death did that. How did he bring pieces of me into my consciousness but leave other pieces, like my need to get back to my lovers, buried?
“Ember?” Aranren turned to me, his hands lowering as the magic drifted away.
Trees surrounded us now, enclosing us with the waterfall. And the most impressive part was how the atmosphere had changed. We were in a pocket of summer, winter circling and doming over us. The colors were so bright against all that white, and the heat was decadent. Aranren's creation was beautiful and wondrous, but it also reminded me of the lake where I had learned to control Water. The lake where my lovers learned Water Magic as well. Recalling that didn't bring an ache, only awareness. I saw that I had been limiting myself, even with the elements. I could do so much more. And so could Aranren.
“He's released a part of me,” I said.
Aranren's eyes darted around and he swallowed roughly. “Death, give me some time with Ember. Alone.”
“No,” Death said.
“You promised me.”
“I cannot withdraw fully from Ember yet.”
“I know. I'm asking that you avert your attention so we may have some privacy.”
“Ah,” Death said. “Very well. You have an hour.”
And then he was gone. I felt that dark focus withdraw. That shocked me. Death was gone?
Aranren hurried over to me and took my hands. “Is it you now?”
