wasn't dreaming.”
“Mara, your doubts tire me.” Blaze sighed. “You're not dreaming. Your soul,
your spirit, your being is here now. The shell that normally holds it is sleeping
peacefully. Taking away your memories of the magic has set us back. I thought
the confident child you were would have returned with your memories. It
appears I was wrong to have had such hopes.”
Blaze took my hand back and stared deeply into my eyes. The golden specks
in hers flickered like flames. “Trust us. Remember the young girl inside you. She
believed in the magic and knew that there was so much unknown left to learn.
Listen to your heart and push back the negative thoughts clouding your mind.”
“I don't know why I let fear continue to control me. I'll try to remember who
I was as a child, Blaze." I forced a smile.
“I know you will find your confidence, Mara. Now, brace yourself to be
amazed," she said.
Blaze led me out of the cavern of crystal pools and waterfalls into a brightly
lit corridor. Gray stone glistened around us as water ran down the walls.
We continued down the corridor, along the stone wall. It slowly transitioned from gray to an orangish-red with specks of gold. The cool air around us grew
warm. It felt like a hot summer night when the wind blew just enough to make
the heat bearable.
At the end of the hallway, we entered another stone cavern. This room was filled with candles of many colors, and at the top of each wick, red and orange
flames flickered.
“Everyone, come meet Mara,” Blaze commanded.
I looked around, expecting to find colored lights, but there was nothing in the
room. It was just an empty space. “There is no one here,” I whispered to Blaze.
As I spoke those words, the flames left the candles and floated towards us. I
moved back from the advancing fire. I stopped my retreat when I realized it had
eyes. Again, the whispers started.
“The Goddess sent her here?” a loud voice asked with obvious irritation.
“Stop, you're scaring her,” a booming male voice said, silencing their chatter.
Obediently, the flames stopped and took their human forms. Eyes in varying
shades of gold, with flecks of dark colors, stared at me.
How many different shades are there? I wondered.
An attractive young man stepped out of the group. His chin-length hair was
asymmetrically cut, showing off his strong jawline. The longer side, which
slightly covered his left eye, was dark red, almost black.
“Welcome, Mara. I'm glad to meet you finally," the mysterious man said in a
husky voice. Then, he picked up my hand and kissed it.
His warm mouth lingered against my skin, and the sensual act took my
breath away. When he slowly pulled away from my hand, I felt somewhat dazed.
As he softly wet his lips, a strong desire to kiss him washed over me.
