As I rose from my bunk at Flame HQ, I caught a whiff of the familiar scent of griddlecakes roasting downstairs. I took a deep breath before stretching my arms and climbing down the little ladder to the floor.
"Hey! Teren! Wake up you lazy cow, it's already 6:30!" I shook the crumpled blankets that lay on the bottom bunk, but there was no response.
"Teren?" I asked again tentatively, before yanking the blankets away to find that my brother was missing! He still wasn't back from Earth!
That idiot was taking this too far! Yes, he was an amazing Aura warrior, but he wasn't immune to everything! Lady Myers would surely kick him out of the Order for this...
Walking into my bathroom, I quickly changed out of my pajamas into a gray t-shirt and black pants. As I walked out into the hallway, my mind kept drifting to thoughts of Teren. As much as I wanted him to receive his well deserved punishment, he was extremely devoted to the Flame cause and a valuable asset to the Order. I just hoped he wouldn't be censured to severely...
"Hey Rory," I greeted my younger sister, who stood by the stove frying griddlecakes.
"Hey Aron," she whispered, tossing her jet black hair over her shoulder. "Where's Teren? Is he being lazy again? I swear, if that guy is late to another Order meeting, I will beat the Aura out of him!"
"Rory...not now, please," I warned her, before heaping two griddlecakes onto my plate and sitting down on the couch.
"Why did they have to choose him for the Order?" Rory fumed, driving her spatula into a griddlecake viciously. "I've consistently been in the top 5% of my class ever since our parents joined the Flame, and I'm a three time recipient of the Order's Most Promising Young Aura Warrior Award! All Teren has ever done is cause trouble!"
I sighed, sticking my fork into my breakfast. Once Rory started ranting, she didn't stop, and the ranting often led to throwing things, burning things with Aura, and other destructive behaviors. Typical Warrior Clan girl.
"Look, next year's election year. Lady Myers is gonna choose a new Order, and I'm sure she'll pick you."
"She'd better," Rory snarled. "Or anyone else. If Teren gets a second term, I'll die!"
"Come on-"
I was beginning to reason with her, but was cut off by a sharp knock on the door.
"Open up! This is the Order!" Came a gruff voice from outside our flat.
"Maybe they came to give me a spot!" Rory excitedly rushed from her position at the stove to open the door. I rolled my eyes, that girl was way too devoted to joining the Order for her own good.
My sister pulled open the door, revealing a tall man and a small but stern looking woman, both dressed in identical suits. I recognized them from Auraview broadcasts as major rebel leaders, Tamarius Kandain and Alsiyah Valior. You could call it ironic that they were the brother and sister of Armetorius Kandain and Selaeyah Valior, two of Queen Saralee's most powerful Icehearts.
"Mr. Kandain, Mrs. Valior," Rory gushed, putting on a smile so fake it took all of my willpower not to laugh. "What can we do for you?"
"By order of Lady Eleanna Myers, supreme leader of the White Hot Flame, Mr. Aronel Faerlen and Ms. Aurora Faerlen are required to make an appearance at the midweek meeting of the Order of the Flame exactly, let's see," Tamarius looked down at his watch. "seventy five minutes."
Rory and I instantly exchanged confused and concerned glances.
"Is something the matter?" Alsiyah asked.
"Of course not, Mrs. Valior," I quickly confirmed. "It's just that...there is less than an hour until the meeting*. It isn't like the Order to give such short notice."
"Indeed, we were just as surprised as you are when Eleanna told us to give you this message. But what can I say, her husband died yesterday. You have to cut her some slack," Mrs. Valior shrugged.
"We will surely be there then," Rory beamed. "Let the Flames forever burn."
"Let the Flames forever burn," Alsiyah said in response, before the two Order members exited the flat.
The moment their footsteps faded, Rory and I almost simultaneously screamed in a mixture of anticipation, fear, and delight. We each dashed off to one of the two bathrooms to fix our appearance before the meeting.
I combed my long-ish brown hair and put on a worn leather vest over my shirt and thick boots. I wanted it to be obvious that I was from the Warrior Clan.
Queen Saralee's favorite clan, said an annoying voice in my head. I silently and very politely requested that voice to shut up. Just because a crazy Ice Queen liked my clan didn't mean I couldn't be proud of it.
After washing my face, I exited the bathroom to find Rory in full warrior gear, with her black, long sleeved undershirt and thick, metal plated dress of brown leather. She had taken her thick hair out of its typical stubby braid and it hung loose around her shoulders. She looked gorgeous.
As gorgeous as a newly Turned Iceheart? The voice taunted, returning to my mind. If my brain was a person, I would've strangled it then.
"Come on, Aron," Rory bit her lip impatiently.
"We'll be, like, twenty minutes early."
"Don't you want to make a good impression on the Order?" Rory retorted, opening the door and skipping out, leaving me no choice but to follow.
The hallways were relatively quiet, it was Deucwyn, and we were on a much needed week long break from high school at Flame Academy. Since it was quite early too, there weren't very many adults around either. The entire underground rebel base seemed like it was sleeping.
"Wait! I forgot to wear something Flamey!" Rory yelped halfway down the second hall.
"What?"
"We're going to an Order meeting. We need to look like true, devoted Flames! I'm going to go buy something super Flamey," my sister pointed to the next hall. "There's a Flamewear Ultra down there. I'll be right back, just stay here!" Before I could protest, Rory ran off to the clothing store.
And the famous rebel Aura Warrior Rory Faerlen runs off to go shopping.
It was that voice in my head again! Except these sarcastic remarks were starting to sound very familiar...almost like...
Teren! I furiously replied to his CT. The Order meeting starts in twenty minutes and you're not even on the planet!
Relaax, Aron, of course I'm on the planet, came Teren's typical, easygoing response.
Did you find Princess Viviana? I typed with a snicker. I just use that one.
Yeah, I did. What a disappoint. All that Viviana the Savior propaganda is complete baloney! Half of the Empire thinks she's some kind of goddess, heck, I thought she was a legendary hero. Just wait until they see how spoiled and helpless she is. She doesn't look like she's been in a single Aura battle in her whole sweet life!
Don't talk about the Savior that way! I CT'd angrily, looking up at the gigantic poster that hung above Flame Hall, which was only a block away from where I sat.
"Have patience, brothers and sisters, for our Flame Princess shall return and rid this land of all tyranny," I read quietly. I had walked past this poster thousands of times since Lady Myers had it placed up there, and each time, I paused in reverence along with all the the other Flames passing that way. Viviana was our hope, our light.
Though none of us aside from Lady Myers had ever seen her before, without her, there would be no Flame. The possibility that the one being powerful enough to take down Saralee was alive gave us strength, and kept us going. I could tolerate it if Teren made fun of me, Rory, and Lady Myers, but I wouldn't and couldn't let him insult the greatest Aura Warrior there ever was."
*A Lessaenite hour has 100 minutes, and there are 30 hours in a day, as Lessaenes is slightly larger and rotates at a speed slightly slower than Earth. Lessaenes is also very far from its sun (hence the extremely cold climate and Saralee's nickname, "Ice Queen") and a Lessaenite year is 575 days.
...........................
I'm really nervous for Claire now! The Flame expects her to be an Aura machine, but she's just a kid. Will the Flame be terribly disappointed? Or will she find a way to live up to their ideals of Viviana the Savior?
Also, which character should be an actual important part of the story? (The other will just be a side character)
Holly Myers (Amanda's little sister)
or
Princess Annalee (Queen Saralee's niece)