Page 3 of Keeper of the Flame: Orrick

As soon as she moved away from him, Orrick suddenly felt as if he didn’t want her to go. Intrigue filled him, bringing him back to life. He had to know more before she walked out of his life forever.

“Who is this person you seek?” he blurted out before she made it to the door.

She stopped and turned slowly, a half-smirk on her face as she met his gaze once again. It was almost as if she’d purposely been throwing out a lure and he unknowingly took the bait. The wench was bold enough to look him in the eyes without dropping her gaze.

“I never said it was a person I sought,” she told him, fully turning around. “As a matter of fact, it isn’t a person at all. What I am searching for is an object. I’ve heard wondrous, mystical stories of it and also the legends that surround it. I want it and will not stop looking until I find it, no matter what it takes.”

“Find what?” asked Noah, running over and standing at Orrick’s side.

The girl’s eyes darted down to the boy. “Who are you?” she asked with a half-smile.

“I’m Noah, ward of the lord of the castle, Lord Corbett Blake.”

“Really,” she said, and Orrick could just see her devising a plan in her head to use the boy to get what she wanted. “It seems we have more in common than I thought.”

“I’m Orrick’s apprentice,” said Noah proudly. Even if it wasn’t true, the boy believed it and it made him feel special.

“You’re the sorcerer’s apprentice,” she repeated and raised a brow and giggled. The sound of her laugh was like the chirping of a small bird. Orrick liked it. It reminded him of a time when he could make Petronilla smile and laugh. His heart ached to think of it, but now he only wanted to hear her laugh more. He found himself attracted to this mysterious woman for some reason, and he didn’t want her to leave just yet. “Well, Noah, if Orrick isn’t willing to help me, then mayhap you can.”

Orrick cringed inwardly. Sure enough, the brash wench was going to use an innocent child to do her bidding. He didn’t approve of that in the least.

“Sure I can help you,” said Noah excitedly, jumping up and down. “Tell me what to do.”

“Noah,” Orrick said in a low voice, shooting the boy a glance that warned him to behave. “Lady Hope, I’m intrigued,” he said to get the girl’s attention away from the young boy. “What is this legendary item you search for? Perhaps I have heard of it in my travels after all.”

She took a step closer to him, causing the steward to shift nervously from foot to foot in the doorway. The man did not want to enter the chamber and neither did he want the woman getting so close to Orrick.

“It’s said there is a candle or torch of some sort that is magical and even guarded for fear the flame will extinguish,” she told him.

Orrick’s body stiffened. He knew exactly what she was talking about and he didn’t like it in the least. “Really. Tell me more.” He found it interesting that anyone but him would know about this.

“It’s called an . . . infernal flame,” she blurted out, making Orrick cringe.

“Eternal,” he corrected her, too softly for her to hear it.

The woman kept talking. “I’ve heard that this flame can make one live forever. Supposedly the holder of the fire is also invincible and the flame cannot be extinguished, no matter how hard one tries.”

“Are you looking to live forever for some reason?” he asked cautiously, needing to know more of what she knew. She’d gotten part of the story straight, but he was sure she didn’t know all that was involved.

“Nay. Not really. Although the thought is enticing.”

“You do not know what you’re doing,” he said in a low voice. “It’s not for you, so leave it be.”

She blinked twice, smiled, and stood up straighter. Suddenly, the seriousness of their conversation faded away. “I’m just intrigued, that’s all. I’ve been hearing stories about this ever since I was a child and I would love to see it.”

“From whom did you hear these stories if I may ask, my lady?”

Orrick had never told anyone about the Eternal Flame. No mortal had ever seen it, and he planned on keeping it that way. Not even his good friend, Lord Corbett Blake, knew the powers that surrounded this magical icon. The only one he’d confided in about it was someone he trusted with his whole heart, and it had been many, many years ago. Petronilla knew about the flame, but she promised to take the secret to her grave rather than to tell a soul. Had she gone back on her promise?

“The stories came through my family. I had an ancestor who said he heard the legend from a dying woman,” she explained.

“He did?” Orrick asked, feeling confused how this could be so.

“Aye. He was an archbishop, and heard confessions of dying people all the time,” explained the girl. “He heard about the flame from one of my family’s enemies about a hundred years ago. Or at least, that is what I’ve been told.”

“That long ago?” asked Orrick, thinking about the day Petronilla died in his arms from old age. It was a century ago, but it had to be only a coincidence and have naught to do with this girl’s story. Petronilla never would have betrayed him.

“So tell me, Sorcerer. If one owns this Infernal Flame, can they snuff out the lives of their enemies with ease?” It angered Orrick to hear she wanted the flame for an evil purpose.