Phoenix of Hope: Complete Series — Books 1-4

by Zora Marie

  “I am not certain, but maybe.”

  Zelia’s thoughts turned to what it could mean to Xander and even herself. This opened so many possibilities. Maybe this other body could free her of her constant pain. Then again, what was Xander planning to do with this other body?

  “Come, we need to know for certain. I did some reading last night and I think I know of a spell that will tell us for certain without letting Xander know.”

  Zivu picked up the rune covered blade from the edge of the pedestal and gestured for Zelia to give her hand to her again. Zelia sighed through her nose, looking out at the snow-covered hills around the pavilion, hesitation taking hold of her with a discomfort that tugged at her chest.

  Zelia flinched when Zivu touched her shoulder, breaking her hesitation. “Sorry,” Zelia said as she removed the bandage from her wrist and pulled her sleeve back. She put her wrist in Zivu’s hand and before she could hesitate again, another small cut dripped blood into what now seemed to be fragrant water.

  Zivu muttered strange words as she pulled a handful of something from a pouch that hung at her waist. She threw the powdery substance with the last drop of blood as she pulled Zelia’s hand away from the water. As the water stilled, a dim image formed. There, trapped in some strange orangey substance, lay Zelia’s other body. It seemed to be the same age as her, though the joints were knobby and muscles thin, just as her body had been the first time she had come back.

  Though thin, it seemed untouched by the years of torture she had endured. For a moment, Zelia longed to not have scars to hide, to remind her of what she had been through. Then her thoughts turned to what Xander must have planned for this body, for her.

  “We should destroy it,” Zelia said, not sure if she had just spoken those words.

  “That body could free you from the shrapnel,” Zivu said.

  “It’s not worth it. We don’t know what Xander has planned for it, for me. I will not risk being under his control again. Can we destroy it from here?”

  “Zelia, are you sure you want to do that? If you do become a member of the Guild, you may live with this,” Zivu gestured to her chest, “forever.”

  “It’s fine, I don’t remember what it's like to live without pain. At least in this body I’ll always have a reminder that the nightmares were real and I’m not just losing my mind.”

  Zivu swiped a hand across the pedestal, causing the water to ripple and the image to disappear.

  “I want you to think seriously about what you’re asking me to do, before we go through with it.”

  Zelia nodded, accepting that Zivu would not accept a rushed decision. “May I go for a walk?”

  “You may, but have Yalif wrap your wrist before you go.”

  Pulling her cloak tight, she headed for Yalif’s chambers once more. When he had wrapped her wrist, she pulled her hood up to where it obscured her face as she walked to the barn at the other end of the town. She recognized a few of the boys bartering with one of the few shop owners who had opened their stalls. She turned away so they wouldn’t recognize her. She knew she should think about this other body, but she just wanted to walk without thought, so she did.

  Soon she stood at the edge of the pasture by the woods. A lean-to had been constructed near the gate since she had last been there, yet Thunder stood under a tree at the far end of the pasture, seemingly unaware that she was there.

  “Zelia?” She turned to see Donequen standing at the corner of the barn, a shovel of poop in his hands. He looked down at the shovel and flung its contents at the compost pile. “So, um, I just finished cleaning if you want to come in.”

  Zelia shrugged and followed him into the barn. He hung the shovel on the wall and turned to her. “So, how long are you back for?”

  “I don’t know. It depends on how fast Linithion heals and when all of this is done. How’s your mother?”

  Donequen’s gaze fell as he raked his hair back out of his face. “She passed away not long after you left.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “She’s not in pain anymore. At least I knew that was coming, but losing you, that was different. I lost my best friend and my mother in the same month.” Donequen shifted. “So, how is Linithion? I’ve heard the healing magic works better on Elves. That true?”

  “Seems to be. She’s up and moving, though she’s in a lot of pain.”

  “Sounds like she’s the perfect match for you, tough as nails and just as stubborn.”

  Zelia couldn’t help but smile at that. “I am sorry I left you the way I did. I hope we can still be friends.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. There is this goat that has been there for me through everything.”

  Zelia rolled her eyes and Donequen shrugged.

  “So, why are you here anyways? It’s cold for a ride or a walk in the woods.”

  “Zivu wants me to think about something and this is where my feet brought me.”

  “Think about what?”

  “I… ” she broke off, unsure if she should talk about it.

  “Come on, best friends tell each other everything, and well, you’re my only friend, unless you count the goat.” He shoved his thumb in the goat’s direction, and she stretched her neck out to nibble on it. “Ouch, you have teeth!” he said, giving the goat a light bop on the nose with a finger.

  Zelia shook her head again. At least some things hadn’t changed since she’d left.

  “So come on, spill the beans.”

  “I… apparently, I have another body. Xander must have made it when I died the first time. I think we should destroy it to keep Xander from using me again, but Zivu wants me to contemplate using it instead of this body because of the shrapnel. Using this other body would keep me from spending the rest of my likely to be extraordinarily long life in pain, but is that worth the risk?”

  “Have you talked with Linithion about this?”

  “No.”

  “This sounds like something you should talk with her about. She is your soulmate and all.”

  “Wait, how did you...” she asked.

  “What? You think it wasn’t obvious yesterday? Here, you want a ride up the hill? Some of the horses could use some exercise.”

  Zelia looked out the barn door, ajar from Donequen’s coming and going. Above them rose the snow-covered rooftops, and soft streams of smoke streaked the sky.

  “Sure. Who’s due for a ride today?”

  “Yargo and Zivu’s horses, Goldy and Silver here.” He pointed to the gold and silver buckskins, the two most beautiful horses in the barn.

  “What are their real names?” Zelia asked.

  Donequen shrugged. “You think I remember every animal’s name? Besides, I don’t think I’ve seen Yargo or Zivu talk to them.”

  “Fine. Do they prefer to be tacked or untacked?”

  “Goldy seems to prefer being tacked, probably has to do with the armor Yargo wears, and Silver doesn’t seem to care.”

  “Then I’ll ride Silver so you’ll have one less horse to untack when you get back.”

  “Works for me.” He put a halter over Goldy’s head and led him from the stall. With Zelia holding the lead, he put a pad and saddle on his back. Next, he put a halter on silver. “Come on, I’ll give you a lift.” He intertwined his fingers and Zelia placed her knee in his hands rather than her boot so as not to get snow all over him. With them both mounted and outside, he slid the barn door closed.

  It wasn’t long until they were back at the open air pavilion. No one was there and the tome was gone from the table.

  “They must have gone inside. Thank you for the ride,” she said as she slid from the mare and gave her a light pat. “You too,” she said to the horse.

  “Anytime.” He gave her one of his goofy grins and took Silver’s lead, turning both horses back towards the town.

  Her boots were dry by the time she made it to the inner halls, where the study and other rooms were. A guard stood at the cross section in the hall. “Do you know where Linithion
is?”

  “I believe she’s with Yalif.”

  “Thank you,” she said as she turned to her right. She knocked on the door.

  “Yes?” Yalif asked.

  “May I come in?”

  “Yes.” This time it was Linithion who spoke.

  She closed the door behind herself as she entered, seeing that Yalif was in the middle of wrapping Linithion with a fresh bandage.

  “It seems that Linithion here is far better at taking instructions than you,” Yalif said. Linithion covered her mouth as she let out a long yawn, and Yalif smiled. “Though she hasn’t completely caught on to the whole rest thing.” He tied off the bandage and helped her back into her dress. “How about the two of you go get some rest?”

  “But it’s the middle of the day,” Linithion said, “and I’m helping Zivu with something.”

  “You won’t be helping anyone if you don’t take care of yourself first and Zivu knows that my instructions always come first.”

  “Fine, but Zelia can keep helping Zivu.”

  “Hm, she looks pretty tired to me, but she may do what she will. It’s not like she listens to me, anyway.”

  “Here, I’ll show you to our room and help you into a sleeping gown,” Zelia said. “Thank you, Yalif.”

  She helped Linithion from the examining table and led her to the room.

  “This is your room?” Linithion asked as she spun in a circle, taking it all in.

  “Yeah, I didn’t expect it to still be mine after what I did, but they seem to understand even better than I do.” She untied Linithion’s dress and pulled a folded nightgown from the bottom of the wardrobe.

  “So, what is it you wanted to talk about?” Linithion asked as she straightened the gown and twirled her hair over one shoulder.

  “Did you hear any of what Zivu said earlier?”

  “About you having another body?”

  Zelia nodded. “What do you think we should do? What should I do?”

  “I wish I knew.”

  Zelia kicked her boots off and sat on the bed as Linithion climbed in. “Then what do you feel I should do? You’re the one who is likely to be stuck with me forever.” Though she joked, she found it hard to smile and gave up as Linithion placed a hand over her chest, above her heart.

  “If what you feel is anything like what I have been feeling, then I think we should give you a chance to be free of the shrapnel and plate. Even if we can reverse the spell that binds the shrapnel to you, Yalif will have to tear you apart to get it out.” Linithion laid her head on Zelia’s chest, as Zelia usually did to her.

  “I love you,” Zelia said.

  “I love you, too. Now get some rest. Yalif was right. Your heartbeat is a little off, you need some rest…” her words slowed as she drifted to sleep.

  Zelia couldn’t help but smile a little as she stroked Linithion’s hair, her own eyes growing heavy.

  33

  It was a while before the bed moved from someone sitting on the edge. “Girls,” Zivu’s voice was soft. “It's time to wake up or you’ll miss dinner.”

  Their stomachs growled at the mention of food, yet Zelia found herself reluctant to open her eyes.

  “We have news from Nikolas. It seems he’s going to stay with his father for a while, but Fregnar says that he will prepare for the worst.”

  Zelia rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and Linithion shifted beside her.

  “Did you decide on anything?” Zivu asked.

  “I would like a chance at the other body, but I don’t want anyone to risk themselves for it.”

  “So, what's next?” Linithion asked.

  “We prepare to strike. Yargo has sent warriors to Mineria to guard against outside attack, so we must figure out where Xander and his followers are. We should be ready tomorrow, so I want you both to eat well and get some rest. Tomorrow we will perform the spell to find them and then it will be up to Yargo and Skylar.”

  “Shouldn’t we go?” Zelia asked. “They may be warriors, but they are facing wizards.”

  “They will have magic users with them, some of the best I’ve ever trained, but we cannot risk both Yargo and me. If we both went, we might play right into Xander’s hands.”

  “But to not go you will not be sending your strongest force,” Linithion said. “At least bring Father and Vainoff in on this, it is as much their battle as ours.”

  “There will not be time for them to travel there on foot and our agreement does not permit members of the Guild to leave Mineria.”

  “Are you saying that once you give that power to us, we won’t be able to return here?” Linithion asked, sitting up as she did.

  “Those were the conditions we set forth when we first put the Guild into place. However, Yargo and I have been discussing the need to change the terms as the original rules do not seem to have worked.”

  “Then why not let them help? These are your terms, are they not?”

  Zelia ran a hand through her hair as she sat up against the headboard, making a mental note to avoid arguing with Linithion. Zivu’s expression shifted as her gaze fell away from Linithion’s.

  “You’re right, I’ll speak with Yargo when I see him. For now, you two should go eat with the boys, I have things to see to.” She stood and left, closing the door behind herself.

  With Zivu gone, Linithion changed clothes yet again. “Do they not have tunics here?” Linithion asked as she rummaged through the wardrobe.

  “No. Well, they do, but I don’t. We can ask Dain for some.”

  “Good. Can we do that in the morning?”

  “Eager much?” Zelia asked.

  Linithion rolled her eyes and turned her back to Zelia for her to tie the back of the dress. With that done, they walked to the larger of the dining halls where the noise made by the ruckus of men swapping stories swelled to a roar. The smell of mead and pork filled the air as they took a seat at the far end of the table, as close to the window as they could. Neither Skylar nor the other men seemed to notice them enter, only Rogath did, and he passed the dishes of fruits and vegetables in their direction, the men between them paying no mind to what they passed.

  “Thank you,” Zelia thought, and to her surprise, Rogath nodded.

  “I really am sorry about what I did.”

  “We’ve already been over this, you’re forgiven. How did your lessons go?”

  “We made some progress, but I think I’ve convinced mother to lock me up during the attack so I can’t do anything.”

  Zelia nodded, she knew that was likely to be an issue to come up, especially with their short timeline.

  “So, Zelia, tell us what you’ve been up to!” Gaeru said, causing everyone to quiet as they, too, noticed she and Linithion had joined them.

  “Let Skylar tell, he likes to spin stories.”

  Gaeru opened his mouth to say something, but his friend Barg elbowed him. “Leave the lasses alone. So, Skylar, I heard there was a titanic battle on Mineria not all that long ago. I’m sure a warrior such as yourself was there.”

  Zelia could feel Skylar glance towards her and knew this would be a story about her more than him.

  “I’m not a warrior, I’m a bounty hunter.”

  “Sure, just a bounty hunter,” Linithion interrupted to Zelia’s surprise and dismay. “I’m sure you know how Zelia fights and Koin trained him the same as her. He just does the bounty hunter thing so he can wander off more.”

  Skylar cleared his throat. “Anyway, I didn’t do all that much in the battle, Zelia did most of it.”

  “Why? Why must everything end up being about me?” Zelia asked. The warriors laughed in response.

  “Because it’s always the humble warriors who are the best,” one of the quieter warriors responded.

  “So, definitely not Gaeru then,” Barg said, giving the big man a light jab with his elbow.

  While she wasn’t a fan of being involved in the stories, Zelia liked the comradery among the warriors, even if she could only remember a few of
their names. She hoped none of them got hurt during the attack, as they would be at Yargo’s side. Linithion seemed to sense the shift in her mood and squeezed her hand.

  “Don’t. Let them enjoy themselves tonight, there will be plenty of time to worry tomorrow,” Linithion said.

  The next morning, Linithion stirred before Zelia did. “Father?” The weight of Linithion’s head left her chest and she opened her eyes to see Linithion wrap her father in a hug, paying no heed to the wound in her chest.

  Erolith kissed the top of her head, the worry fading from his features. “Sorry for waking you,” his words were so quiet she barely heard them. “I just had to see you were alright.”

  Zelia couldn’t help but smile as Linithion nuzzled against her father’s chest.

  “I’m sure you were worried sick. Don’t be.”

  “Zelia, Eleanor is in the study if you would like to see her.”

  Zelia nodded, rising from the bed. She knew she should be more excited about seeing Eleanor, but part of her feared that Eleanor would feel her pain again. Zelia didn’t bother changing from her nightgown, as it wasn’t that different from a regular dress. She pulled on her boots to protect her feet from the cold stone and left the room.

  Zelia was cautious as she entered the study. All the members of the Guild whom they trusted had come to Hyperia, and they crowded around Zivu’s tome by the fireplace. Eleanor turned when Zelia entered the room. Zelia wanted to run to her and hug Eleanor as Linithion had Erolith, but she stayed by the door.

  “Good morning, Zelia,” Eleanor said, the formality in her tone feeling forced.

  Instead of Eleanor, it was Yargo who embraced Zelia. “It will all be over soon.” He pulled back and studied her features. “Are you ready? This spell will not be easy on you. We are not sure how much blood it will take.”

  Zelia shrugged, there was a reason they had banned blood magic and now they had to use it to trace the magic back. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Did Alrindel come back?”

  “He did, but I had him go back to Dragon Island to let them and the Fairies know what is about to happen.”

  A guard came in and gave Yargo a nod. They both wore grim expressions, and Zelia guessed it was about Rogath.