Heart of Fire

Directions to Nowhere

I had to read the title a few times to understand why Ember brought home a travel guide. When realization finally came, Ember just nodded. 

"You got it faster than me." I didn't understand why we would need a guide to travel. But I could not bring myself to leave the book at the library. It was like I was drawn to it. Kinda creepy if you ask me. Ember rattles on and on as she recites her experience with finding the book. 

"Well, I guess we should focus on this one tonight." I told her as I made my way to the couch to begin reading the book. I could hear Ember rummaging around in the kitchen. And after a few chapters of the book which really was a travel guide, Ember handed me a plate with a grilled cheese sandwich and some chips. 

"Well does it hold the golden key to our situation?" She asks me as she takes a big bite out of her own sandwich. I shake my head in dive into my grilled cheese and ponder the book. 

"SHIT!"  I exclaimed and jumped out of my seat running towards the kitchen to grab some paper towels to clean up the giant grease blob I just dropped on the book. When I return, I see Ember tilting her head staring at the book that was now splayed on the floor. I picked up the book and dabbed at the grease spot that thankfully is disappearing. 

"Cryptography?" Ember says quietly to herself. She snatched the book from my hands and turns it sideways. I glare at her and try to take the book back. She twirls out of my reach and begins hmmmm-ing and ahhhh-ing as she looks at the book sideways.  

"What nonsense are you talking about cryptsagraphsy?" I ask her irritated. Ember turns to look at me with an eyebrow quirked at my tone. 

"Cryptography" she said slowly as though speaking to a toddler. "Is an ancient form of hiding the relevant information within irrelevant information." She said simply and continued to read the book sideways. 

"What does that have to do with you reading a book I was already reading sideways?!" I ask her slightly exacerbated at the weird way she was behaving. 

"Because, my dear Jade, this book did call to me, and we do need it. We were just reading the wrong part of the book." Ember looked up at me and smiled. I started to follow her reasoning, but still how could a book have hidden information. Clearly seeing the confusion on my face brought Ember to a stop. She came back and sat down on the couch patting the space next to her. I rolled my eyes and sat down next to her. 

Ember held the book at arm's length in front of her angled towards me. I looked at the words, trying to tilt my head to read them. 

"NO! You have to read it as I am holding it." Ember corrected me sharply. I looked over to her and saw that she had a fierce look of determination in her eyes. I had seen it a few times when we first began. Every time we found a solid lead, or the texts finally made sense. I looked back towards the book and started at the top of the page. I was startled to see words, and not just words but fully formed sentences. 

"What the hell?! How can a book be read two ways, and how does it make any sense?" I slightly shouted at Ember. She shakes her head and playfully rubs her ear at my volume. I realize that my shouting was unnecessary. I go back to the book and turn it back to normal and can read the text without any issue. I try to read the other text from this angle, but it is not possible. It is like it does not exist. I once again turn the book sideways and can read the text previously unseen. Amazing. I look to Ember, and she has a fire in her eyes. This book is a huge clue for us. 

"You should read this one from the beginning." I tell her, she is a quick reader, and her knowledge of languages is higher than mine. She eagerly takes the book from me and opens it to the first page. Turning the book she reads the text, suddenly she turns the book again, and again. 

"You have to follow the path of sentences. It is not just written in a linear style. You have to manipulate the book in all directions to read it. This will take some time. We need take out!" Ember tells me while she intently studies the text. I make my way over to the menus and begin shuffling them to see what our meal will be. 

Forty minutes later a knock at our door indicated our late-night dinner has arrived. I thank the delivery guy and close our door. Locking our deadbolts which one would think are not necessary with a wolf and a Fae who can fling fire living inside, but there are so many other supernatural's that live in this building alone it makes us feel more comfortable. I take the food into the kitchen and replate it for easy eating. 

"Get it while it's hot." I sing out to Ember as I come back into the living room. She doesn't move. Her eyes seem to be fixed on something in the book. I step closer to her and get a chill. Her breathing is very slow, her eyes haven't moved, she hasn't even blinked. I set the plates on the sofa and reach for Ember's shoulder when all of a sudden it was like someone pressed play, and she was animated again. I jumped back and screamed. 

"WHAT THE FUCKING SHIT WAS THAT!!!!!!" My heart was pounding in my chest, Callisto was on edge and her fur was bristling. Ember looks at me like I have lost my ever-loving mind. Wait no not Ember, Fern. 

"What seems to be the matter, Jade?"

"UGH, Fern you need a warning signal! It was like you were a statue?!"  Fern cocks her head to the side and examines me. I am still breathing hard, and Callisto has not calmed down. She has taken to pacing in my mind while keeping her eye on Fern. Fern is Ember's spirit and while she is very nice, her nature is stoic and blunt. She also controls fire and almost singed the fur on Callisto's tail the first time they met. Understanding dawns on her. A small smile forms.

"Apologies Jade. We have not received a vision in a long time. Ember doesn't feel them coming on so to speak and they just engulf us when they do. All of our senses while we see are shut down so it could definitely appear that we are frozen." Fern states. I cock my eyebrow to her waiting for her to tell me about it, she finally continues. "Rain Forest, inside of a rain forest while we were reading this bit here in the book about mapping out the trajectory needed for traversing realms." Fern finished explaining.  I see her eyes slowly shift back into Embers unique shade of turquoise. She looks at me with an odd expression. 

"Rain Forest?"

©2023 Lisa Enstrom / @JadeFyre2018. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without written permission from the author. This body of work is available exclusively on Wattpad. If you are viewing it on a different website or platform under a different username or title, it has been illegally stolen, and you may even be at risk of malware. Please do not support these sites, as writing is hard work and effort on the original author's part. Head over to Wattpad and let me, the original author know if you have encountered this situation by finding me @JadeFyre2018