Once he’d bandaged his back where the razor-fin had cut him and cleaned himself thoroughly, the tension had fled from Lyle’s muscles. He was exhausted. According to his clock, he’d somehow been in the second labyrinth for an entire day. It was already evening on Saturday, and he’d entered the Tear on Friday afternoon. He suddenly realized he was starving. The food in his pack was waterlogged despite him being dryer than expected, so he would have to head downstairs to find sustenance before he rested.

Oh, shit, Lyle thought. Did mom and Helen notice I was missing? Of course they did. I better go see if they’re here.

He found Helen in her room, and quickly explained that he’d been in another Tear.

“You better figure out what you’re going to tell mom,” she told him with wide eyes. “She’s been pretty worried about you, especially since you quit your job.”

“Did you tell her?”

“That you’re an Ember? No, but you should.”

“So she can worry more?” Lyle said sarcastically. “That would be like telling her I’m on death row.”

“Then figure it out. She just got more worried when you didn’t call her back for almost a day.”

“My phone’s broken. Didn’t I tell you?”

“If you did, I don’t remember, and obviously she doesn’t.”

Lyle sighed and left her room, creeping down to the kitchen in the evening light. He found his mom sitting at the counter with the laptop.

“Lyle!” She immediately stood up when he entered and pulled him into a hug. She let him go and pushed him out to arm’s length. “What the hell is going on with you? First you quit your job, and now you disappear for over a day? You didn’t even return my calls!”

“Mom, I’m sorry. I was at Abe’s overnight and I broke my phone a few days ago.”

“You—why didn’t you say anything, then?” she cried out. “I’ve been worried sick!”

“Mom, I’m an adult. I can take care of myself.”

She gave him a dangerous look. “If you’re an adult, then act like it.” A shudder ran through his body at her tone. She returned to her seat at the counter, not looking at him. “What happened to your phone?”

“I… dropped it into water. It won’t even turn on now.”

“You’ll have to buy a new one.”

“Yeah, I’ll… I’ll get it in a few days. Promise. I was up really late, though, so I’m too exhausted to do it right this second.”

“First thing Monday.”

“Right.”

She waved him away, apparently dismissing him, and he sighed. He pulled sandwich fixings from the fridge and made himself two, putting them on a plate to bring upstairs. He made it to the doorway before her voice stopped him.

“Just… tell me if you’re going to be out of touch for that long. That’s all I ask.”

“I know. I should have. I’m sorry.”

He made it back up to his room and finished his sandwiches before falling into his bed. As soon as he did, pain struck him, his chest burning with heat. He gasped and clawed at his heart, pulling off his shirt immediately so he could free his feverish skin. He lay there, panting and hoping it would pass, until it subsided several minutes later. His entire body felt like he’d put it through a marathon of exercise now, and he was even more ready for sleep.

I guess using my power like that isn’t good for me, after all, he thought to himself. Then, despite the recent pain and the thoughts racing in his head, his eyes fell shut. A long, deep slumber awaited him.

When Lyle woke up in the morning, he found another package in the kitchen waiting for him. His mom or sister must have brought it inside. When he peeled the tape away, a pendant on a leather strap and three brightly glowing Cinders were revealed inside, along with a note.

The pendant was a circular piece of metal divided into four sections by two lines, though it was otherwise unremarkable, each section only filled by flat metal. Lyle could feel something magical coming from it, but it wasn’t a normal Token. He touched it with a hint of magic, and nothing happened. If he’d done the same with a Token, it would have pulled at the power—at least, that was his understanding.

The Cinders were unremarkable, aside from the fact that he was holding three Cinders in his hand. They were smooth, round stones that glowed with a bright white light. He frowned uncertainly—what use did he have for three Cinders? He could sell them, which would certainly alleviate any financial troubles.

There was a note in the box, too, on a novelty card. He opened it up and read it.

Camille will contact you about the pendant. And, as promised, I have created another way for you to fully Kindle those around you. They are similar to what you humans refer to as ‘Flares.’ Like Flares, they are single use, and they will increase a dream-touched human’s magic power. They will also complete the Kindling process for a non-Ember or any Ember that isn’t you or your friend Morgan. Do what you will with them, but keep in mind the power that they grant.

Like the note that had accompanied the black blade, it was signed with a dragon’s head stamp.

“Huh,” Lyle said to himself, turning the card over to see if there was anything else. “‘Complete the Kindling process?’ Does that mean that regular Embers are… incomplete, somehow?”

He turned that thought over in his mind for a moment, but arrived nowhere quickly, so his attention fell to the Flares. Flares were rarely found in the middle and upper floors of the Tower. They were much like Cinders in that they transferred their magic into a human, but unlike Cinders they were generally something that a person could consume in one way or another. Lyle had heard of them most often taking the form of fruit that radiated intense power. All an Ember had to do was eat it, and the power within would boost their own power permanently, though they could obviously only be used once, unlike Cinders. The crystal Flares he held burned brightly—the light that emanated from the fiery veins in the stone was brighter than that of a Cinder. They were highly sought after, and if these stones were actually Flares, then he’d been given an incredibly valuable gift, though selling any of them would be far too hasty.

On the other hand, what if he could sell one to Moonlight Sonata? Perhaps it wouldn’t work for Morgan, but she surely knew others she would want to have it. It occurred to Lyle that he might be caught up in the halo effect, but Moonlight Sonata’s reputation was superlative. Really, none of the large guilds in the Twin Cities were bad, but he cared about Moonlight Sonata because this kind of trade could potentially help him heal the rift that no doubt existed since he’d accidentally knocked Morgan unconscious. He stood a lot to gain from it, and he doubted Moonlight Sonata would consider it a loss.

He shook his head and took a deep breath as the events of the last few days washed over him again. That happened, he thought to himself incredulously.

Lyle’s thoughts returned to the lagoon. He hadn’t been given the color or location of his next challenge, so he’d have to either take a chance and pick one randomly or deduce it somehow. That was a decision for later, though. The lagoon had almost killed him multiple times, so a bit of less dangerous training was due before he dove in again.

As he thought of his fight against the serpent, he momentarily regretted losing his father’s sword. Stephen had called it Steel Death, Lyle remembered, and it was one of the few remnants he had still possessed of the man, who languished wrongfully in prison. Emotion welled up within him, but he tried to push it down and justify its loss internally. It had saved his life, after all. Wouldn’t his father be satisfied with that? Lyle would have to ask when they visited.

After having lunch with his mom and sister and carefully informing them that he would be going out for a couple hours, he gently wrapped the Flares in a towel then placed them in a duffel bag, which he slung over his shoulder. It was time to go to the Bloomington Auction, where he could find an intermediary for his planned transaction, assuming Moonlight Sonata accepted the invitation he would soon send.

Given the rarity of Flares as rewards from the Tower, Lyle couldn’t imagine they were auctioned very often, so they probably would. Since guilds had most of the floor licenses, they tended to obtain most of them on high floors in the Tower, and they were almost always awarded to members of the guild and consumed within hours of their appearance. Still, they were quite rare even for those more powerful guilds. 

He might actually have to be quiet about the auction, given how high profile a sale like that could be, but he knew just who could help figure out the details. Lyle sent Abe an email and then went straight to his apartment. When he arrived, Abe pulled the door open before he even knocked and grabbed him in a bear hug.

“Dude, where the hell have you been?” Abe asked while doing his best to crush Lyle to death. He might have succeeded before Lyle had been kindled. “Your sister was asking me, and I didn’t know what to tell her! You’re making me look bad here, man!”

“Woah, woah, watch the back. Walking wounded here. I was in another level of the cube-thing.” Lyle grimaced as Abe pulled away.

“The… cube-thing? What are you talking about?”

Lyle realized at this point that he hadn’t told Abe about his trip into the labyrinth yet or his experience at the party. He hummed, wondering where to start. “Why don’t I start from the beginning,” he finally said, then he began to tell the tale of his last few days.