The Flame Maiden by Taylor Clark (novel24 txt) 📕

The ever tawny sky is a bonfire, scorching everything below it. This constant heat is the way I like it, the way we all like it here on my home planet Foray. Here, orange clouds glower in the sky and ebony rock blankets the planet’s surface. Octagonal buildings form cities that house Forayian citizens. Smooth obsidian streets lace up and down, left and right, making roadways for hovering vehicles. I wonder how this compares to other worlds. My father, king Soot, told me tales about vast oceans and lush wildlife on “Earth”. Supposedly, this blue planet is home to a race called humans. As far as I can tell, all of it is a myth. everyone talks about the planets Mars and Jupiter, but i don’t recall anyone other than my father mentioning Earth. Besides Foray is the only paradise I know. But sadly, in three days on my sixteenth birthday, customarily, I will be sent to a faraway realm to serve as its protector. So will my twin brother Fyro. Yep, that just the downside of being royalty though. The king will choose separate planets to place us where we’ll try to stop whatever crime, war and all of that other “good stuff” that is destroying the planet. but where or what that planet is , is still a mystery to me.
“Princess Fyra Ashen of Foray, immediately report to the grand auditorium!” demands a messenger. Today is my sixteenth birthday and I’m wearing what would merely be a dress on another is a costume on me. The silky fabric is a greenhouse on my body, making me hotter than even I would prefer to be. My scarlet hair is a mess of curls, as if each and every individual strand is doing a dance of its own. On top of the fiasco, rests a cold tiara that is entirely too big for my head. I rake a comb through my hair and apply lotion to my cocoa brown skin. It’s a start, I march down the solid gold corridors of the palace besides the guards. The hem of my dress entwines around my legs turning my dignified march into an embarrassing stagger. Soon enough I reach the auditorium in one piece! What a relief! Everyone in Foray is in this auditorium. It’s a wonder everyone can fit, but I remember Foray is ten times smaller than our neighboring planet Pluto. The narrow isle that leads to my father looks like a million miles away,. My mind drifts away and eyes wander. I don’t understand why we have to leave our home planet to protect a planet that may have no idea we exist?
“We must protect these planets because we are all part of a harmonizing solar system.” says father the King. “You will soon come to learn what that means.”
Was I thinking out loud or what? A group of drummers provide a drumroll for the upcoming suspenceful moment. Out of habit I roll my eyes.
“Fyro Ashen, I now present you Guardian of plant Mars!” The crowd roars in applause and some people even hoot. My twin grins, he’s so fortunate. Mars has the mellowest people. Now it’s my turn. “Fyra ashen I now present you Guardian of Earth!” Nobody claps and nobody hoots. Some of them gasp and whisper amongst themselves.
“...Earth is dangerous...”
“...the dreaded place...”
“...will destroy itself...”
My heart stops dead. Earth? I always thought that place was a myth! Fyro turns to me with wide eyes. Apparently, he thought so too. The king, unfazed, starts to clap and the audience reluctantly joins in. Before I can even gather my thoughts, my father leads my twin and I to a spaceship port. I head toward the one that is programmed for Earth. The king goes to talk to Fyro at his ship. I look at my ship. It’s everything one can imagine a spaceship would be; shiny and high-tech. I reach out my hand to touch the glistening surface and my gown is transformed into a metallic jumpsuit.
“I see you’ve used the morpher!” Father! His aged grey eyes linger over the ship’s dashboard. He points to a headset piece. “This is insta-learn. It will tell you everything you need to know about Earth.I jump in and the cockpit shuts. Father’s voice is muffled through the glass, but who cares? I’m not listening. He puts his hand up to the glass and I likewise. We smile at each other. I don’t know when I’ll see my father again My life on this planet is being put behind faster than the speed of light.
The ship rises in the air. My father, the palace and the people get farther and farther away. I see Fyro’s ship rising too and we part in separate directions. The glittering ebony universe swallows me up. I’ll miss you.

Soon enough my ship approaches a blue planet with swirls of white and patches of green. This must be Earth. I can tell from the vibrant vibe of the planet that screams life. I pass through the first level of the atmosphere and start to see what the planet really looks like. Trees and grass cover some areas of the land while others forge cities with skyscrapers and streets. In a way it is similar to Foray. Except here the buildings seem to have less technology and way more colors. Every shade of the spectrum appears on this planet. Waterfalls and mountains make Earth a true paradise. I understand more of why this planet is worth protecting. But why can’t the humans do it? And how come much of this place is suffering from destruction?

At last my ship starts to slow above a forest of trees. The sky is midnight blue, revealing the time of early morning. The ship lands on a patch of grass between two trees. The door opens slowly and I get out and feel gritty soil under the sole of my shoe. I’m kissed by the falling leaves of trees, slapped by branches and tickled by hanging moss. The wind carries over smells from nearby places; rotting wood and stagnant pools of water. My ship hums and a holographic image appears above it. It’s my father!
“Now that you are the Guardian of Earth, you will be given the special abilities of planet Foray.” I think about my home planet; it’s hot, humid and orange. What kind of powers could possibly come of that? “Use your powers for justice or they will turn for the worst. You now possess the ability to control and manipulate-“The image short circuits and fizzes away. Manipulate! Manipulate what? Darn it! I have so many questions to ask! But I guess now there’s no time for that.
Something howls nearby. It’s loud, very loud. It’s coming nearer but darkness overwhelms me. Goosebumps arouse on my arms. My adrenaline kicks in and I dash past the trees. Twigs crackle below my frantic feet. My lungs sting from the cold air! I seem to be coming near it! Stupid! Something hard and long trips me. Ouch! My ankle is twisted and screaming with pain. Before I think things couldn’t get any worse, a blinding light pierces through the darkness. Help me! Somebody please help me…

Images: http://data.whicdn.com
Publication Date: 11-13-2012

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Dedication:
Dedicated to all fans of fantasy and science fiction!