Phoenix Ashes Master

by Anne, Melody

  With some help from his father, Brian waited at the head of the altar for Sadie. Tears filled his eyes as he took in the sight of her walking barefoot on flower petals while holding onto her father’s arm.

  She was radiant, practically floating the last few feet to him. As he’d fallen from that balcony, thinking he could break his neck or cause enough damage to his body to bleed out, his last thoughts had been of his beautiful fiancée.

  Realizing how fragile life was made him think about priorities. He couldn’t wait one more day to make Sadie his wife. He ignored the pain shooting through his leg as he put pressure on it — he pushed every thought but those of Sadie from his mind. He could suffer through anything as long as he had her by his side.

  The two of them stood before the preacher and exchanged vows. Brian forgot all about the pain as he held Sadie’s hand in his and repeated his vows to love, honor, and cherish her for the rest of his days.

  Sadie was barely able to get the words out as she thanked him for the joy he brought to her life. As far as picture-perfect moments went, this day was as good as it got. When it was time for them to face their family and friends, Brian turned to the crowd with a smile of pure joy before slowly leading his wife down the aisle, leaning heavily on a crutch.

  At the reception, Sadie was delighted when her mother brought out a small cake with frosting and flower leaves drifting down the side. It was just big enough for everyone there to have a bite.

  “From the moment you were born, I dreamed of how your wedding day would go. I pictured the perfect dress with your hair done by the best stylist, and all of us sharing the momentous occasion together. I wanted so much to do it all impeccably for you. We don’t have all of that, but I did manage to get enough items scraped together to make a pretty tasty cake if I do say so myself,” Megan said as she set it in front of Brian and Sadie.

  “Don’t you realize that this is the perfect wedding, Mom? You’ve made it so much more special than if a wedding planner had come in disrupting our lives and talking me into doing things I didn’t want to do. The decorations are exquisite, the chapel stunning, and this cake tops it all off. I love you, and I’m so happy to still have you in my life. When I have a daughter, you and I will plan her wedding that’s just as perfect.”

  Sadie got up to give her mom a hug before the crowd demanded that she and Brian feed each other a bite of the petite wedding cake.

  With a shaking hand, Brian lifted a small bite of pastry and gently placed it on Sadie’s tongue. Their eyes connected as she delivered his bite, and then they sealed their lips together, helping each other with the frosting touching their lips.

  “I have one final surprise for you,” Brian whispered before John came over and helped him over to a couple of chairs set up with John’s guitar leaning against one. Sadie’s cheeks were flushed as her gaze followed her husband.

  Several of their friends stepped up beside John and Brian as John picked up his guitar and sat down. Phoenix grabbed Sadie’s arm as the two of them waited for the men to start.

  “Sadie, you are my life — my entire world. I love you. John helped me express just a little bit of how I feel and created a beautiful song.”

  John started playing a slow ballad on his guitar that brought tears to many of the guests’ eyes. Then Brian and the others began singing:

  I didn't know from your simple touch,

  I could lose my speech and feel so much.

  Your presence is my solace,

  Your arms my refuge,

  In this world of abounding darkness

  It's always you I turn to.

  Say — you'll be my dream for a lifetime,

  Say — you'll stay through all eternity.

  Say — you'll love me now and forever,

  Say — you will, and set me free . . .

  Brian couldn’t sing anything further as emotion clogged his throat, so he carefully stepped over to his bride and pulled her into his arms. Leaning his weight on his good leg, he swayed to the music as John finished their song.

  “I’m humbled by how good you are to me, Brian.”

  “When you’re lucky enough to hold a treasure in your hands, you never let it go, never stop appreciating its beauty. You are my treasure, and I promise I’ll never forget that. I’ll try to make you feel like the priceless jewel you are every single day for the rest of our lives. Thank you for agreeing to be my wife.” Brian kissed her softly as the final chords of the song played, neither of them noticing the tears falling down the faces of their family members.

  The reception lasted long into the night until finally Sadie got to share her first night with her husband. It was so much more than she had ever imagined, being able to fall asleep in his arms with no guilt or remorse. She was right where she belonged. Waking with Brian next to her made it feel, for one magical moment, their world wasn’t at war and people weren’t dying. Everything was the way it was supposed to be.

  She was taking this moment with no guilt. It was Brian and her, and Phoenix and Jayden for all of time and all of eternity. Nothing would break what they had.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  *** Jessica ***

  “I can’t betray him. My life will be over before I utter a single sentence. He knows when he’s being lied to. I’ve seen what he’s done to those who are disloyal.”

  “If you don’t do this for me, I’ll tell him you betrayed him, anyway. I’ll tell him you touched me — violated my body, which belongs to him. I’ll say you tried trading sex for his secrets, and you’ll die a painful death, probably drawn out over years. Vyco is a jealous leader, and taking his anger out on minions such as you brings him great pleasure. Watching him torture you worthless shells brings me joy,” Jessica said as her hand slipped up to caress Falcon’s face.

  “What makes you think I won’t kill you right now — leave your black soul to be scavenged by the underfeeders?” Falcon asked, grabbing her wrist and twisting it before slamming her against the wall.

  Jessica laughed in pleasure, enjoying herself. She smiled into his burning eyes, her blood-red lips parted as desire filled her cold black eyes and she gave him a knowing smirk.

  “You don’t have the balls to kill me. You, and all of the others, are too scared to do anything but cower to your master. I’ll rule this underworld, take this planet, and lead you all out of the tunnels of hell. Vyco might say that’s what he’s doing, but his only concern seems to be for Phoenix. I want to know why!”

  Jessica pressed against the chest of one of Vyco’s most loyal servants. She knew to get answers she had to go to the top of his command. He could try to betray her, but she knew his fear would hold him back. He was far too afraid of Vyco’s wrath to ever tell his leader that his woman had come on to a servant, such as himself. Vyco wouldn’t believe him and in his wrath would strike down anyone who’d heard the accusation.

  They both knew the truth, and it was only a matter of who was going to cave first. Jessica’s eyes filled with victory when she saw the moment she won.

  “You will kill us all,” he snarled as he pressed tightly against her and crushed her lips with his own. In a vicious bid for dominance, he punished her against the cold stone wall, hating her as much as he desired the malicious woman who’d gladly take his soul if he had one left to give.

  “That was certainly fun, Falcon, but now I want answers,” Jessica calmly said as he set her back on the ground and she paced the small enclosure.

  “Vyco will return soon. I won’t be caught lurking in the shadows with you. The moment he returns he’ll want you at his side.”

  “He shouldn’t have left me behind if he didn’t want me to play. I’m done discussing this with you. Tell me what I want to know or face your leader when he returns. I’ll be punished, but then, I like my punishment. Do you like yours?” she taunted as she slid against him, once again reminding him of who was actually in control.

  “He wants Phoenix because she’s t
he key to all of this,” Falcon finally said, the words being wrenched from him. He paused when fire entered Jessica’s eyes, sparks of hatred staring him in the face.

  “What do you mean by 'Phoenix is the key’? She’s nothing but a weak, mortal human! She holds no power! Explain yourself, and make it fast, because I’m quickly losing my normal calm.”

  Falcon barely managed to hold back the snort at her words. Jessica was anything but calm when she wasn’t upset. She was a force of darkness he hadn’t seen in years when she got even the slightest bit mad. Yes, the creatures hiding in the dark were of the highest level of sinfulness, especially the mortals who’d been turned into demons, but Jessica took revenge to a whole other level. She was powerful and frightening, and the demons had quickly learned not to get on her bad side. It was a one-way ticket to eternal death.

  “There’s a prophecy that only Vyco’s closest advisers know about. At the end of days, when it looks as if the humans are in absolute danger of being destroyed, one among them will rise. She was chosen by the high council many a millennia before she was born to her earthly body. She’ll be a warrior, the only one who can stop the dark forces from succeeding. Vyco wants that power in his hands. If he acquires the Phoenix, the one who will rise from the ashes to save mankind, then he wins. If he doesn’t — he fears the battle is lost before it begins.”

  “The Phoenix!” Jessica shouted, her rage causing the rocks to splinter around them and the tunnel to shake. “Are you telling me that Phoenix Light is this so-called warrior — the one to save this pathetic excuse for a planet?”

  Falcon was terrified to confirm his story. The rage brewing in Jessica was beyond what he’d seen before. He’d always feared Vyco, which was the reason he was so loyal, but at that moment his fear of his dark leader was nothing compared to the terror Jessica sent down his spine.

  “I’m sorry, my lady. I don’t want to displease you. I’m only telling you the prophecy — what’s been written. This is why Vyco is relentless in his attempts to lure her into our realm, hoping to catch her in a moment of weakness. Josiah will fight with everything he has, but without his chosen warrior it will all be for naught. Many of our kind will perish, but Vyco doesn’t care — he can make more. He’ll take great pleasure in the many innocents who will perish as well, taking a chunk of Josiah’s soul that can never be healed. He must acquire the Phoenix.”

  “Why doesn’t he just kill her? She hasn’t risen yet — she’s vulnerable. He can simply take her life and end this now.”

  “He wants her power. If he kills her before the power is formed, it’s lost forever. If he manages to turn her before that power flows into her, he can drain her soul, take it into himself and use it. He won’t destroy her. She fascinates him, calls to him, and above all, stirs a yearning deep inside of him.”

  “Silence!” Jessica thundered as she lifted her arm and sent Falcon flying into the rock, causing it to shatter around him and a huge crack to form down the middle of the floor. Fire danced on her skin as her rage consumed her, freeing more of the power that was locked deep inside.

  As the inferno of rage consumed her, she lifted from the ground, her form spinning slowly in the air, her body changing, growing stronger, black tattoos marking her arms in a fiery path. Falcon didn’t move as Jessica screamed in pain and exaltation as the final transformation of her darkened demonic form emerged.

  “I’m sorry, my lady. I’m sorry,” Falcon cried as he cringed at the sight of her.

  The space went quiet and Falcon didn’t move a muscle as he waited for Jessica to strike out against him. At least his death from her would be quick.

  “Look at your new queen, Falcon — and bow to me.”

  Falcon looked up, then dropped to his knees at the sight of her. She was glorious — beautiful beyond anything he’d ever seen before. She stood in front of him naked, her scraps of clothing burnt off in her transformation. The marks on her body were intricate lines with symbols mixed in, symbols of protection offered by the darkest of magic.

  The lines extended from the inverted pentagram burned into her stomach. They weaved across her body, crisscrossing her back, and sliding down her arms. One thin branch reached up across her neck and touched the right side of her cheek, branching out at her eye.

  As their eyes met, Jessica smiled in triumph before she slowly floated back to the ground and stepped to him. She was still the same woman — but an entirely new being at the same time. She was the darkest soul he’d ever witnessed — and that was saying a hell of a lot.

  “I’m the chosen one, Falcon. Me!” Jessica roared, her voice deeper, authority ringing through the tunnels.

  Soon, the room began to fill as the demons were drawn to her. They bowed at her feet — ready and willing to submit to the woman who appeared to be their chosen one. Was she going to take over for Vyco — or would the two of them rule the dark world together? Either way, life would never be the same again for either the light or the dark.

  Chapter Thirty

  *** Drake ***

  “We’ve been here for a month now,” Elise said as she snuggled closer to Drake on the sofa. “Maybe it's time we gather supplies and find one of those camps you’ve been talking about. It’s so easy to pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist, that we’re all okay and the world isn’t at war, but you’ve scouted and know that’s not the case.”

  “I don’t want to leave. I didn’t know happiness could exist again in the middle of all of this horror, but somehow I’ve managed to find a small slice of heaven and I’m afraid of letting it go,” Drake responded as he lifted his hand and stroked her hair.

  “It feels wrong, Drake. It somehow doesn’t feel right that we’re here playing house when people are dying all around us. There are children starving, people being tortured, thousands, even millions of lives we could help save.”

  “I keep looking. Each time I go out there, I search for survivors, but I can’t find any. I can’t make myself go too far. I’m afraid I won’t return to you and the kids if I do,” he answered, his voice lanced with pain.

  “I have the same fear. I watch the driveway, praying for your return, and then I feel selfish that I want you all to myself. How can we feel so good when others are going through such pain?”

  Drake turned Elise’s head and looked into her soft brown eyes, cherishing this woman who’d gone through so much and managed to not only survive, but to save her children and the life of an orphaned girl. He was falling in love with her. Dread seized his heart, though, because he still hadn’t told her he’d once been an enemy soldier. He was too afraid she’d make him leave. He didn’t think he’d have a heart left if that were to happen.

  “What if they figure it out? If they go searching and find us here? We’re all alone — easy targets.”

  “I’ve set up alarms and traps,” Drake said. “I check them every day. If someone approaches this house, we’ll know. We have plenty of time to get to the four-wheeler and escape. The cabin’s restocked, and in good condition. If we have to leave this house, we have another place to go. There’s no reason to seek shelter at a camp, not yet. With the amount of supplies we have stored, we have at least six more months before we have to begin worrying. Let’s give the children a break, allow them to continue laughing for a while. They had so much fun today when we were playing games. If we’re on the run, we risk their lives. All it would take is for one convoy of soldiers to box us in, and we might not make it out.”

  Drake hated denying Elise anything she asked for, but to leave their slice of paradise wouldn’t be wise at this point. He’d scouted the land, his heart dismayed to find the small town nearby completely abandoned, no survivors in sight. If there were people, they were well hidden. The good news was he hadn’t found any soldiers roaming the area, either. It was a ghost town, and he felt secure, able to protect Elise and the kids. He’d even managed to gather more supplies for them, extending their chances of survival further into the futu
re.

  “We need to plant a garden,” he said. “The weather’s getting warmer. I saw the first flowers of spring peek through the grass today. I say we stop talking about leaving and instead go to that open field a half-mile north of here and start preparing the ground. Maybe we’ll get lucky and stay here until the very end. The war has to stop at some point, even if it’s ten years in the future. We can rebuild our lives right here. I can keep looking for people and bring them back here, where we can build cabins in the surrounding woods and start a community. We can even pretend it’s the days of the Oregon Trail, and we’re the first settlers in the West.”

  “You make it sound too good to be true. Do you want me to wear an apron and start teaching school in a little one-room hut?” she teased.

  “I want you to do whatever your heart desires,” he answered, suddenly very serious.

  Elise tensed at the apparent expression of desire in his eyes. They’d become close, needing to lean on each other as they watched out for the children and tried to pretend the world wasn’t ending. But she still felt as though she was betraying her husband by bringing Drake into the home Jed had carried her over the threshold to, and even worse, opening her heart to another man when her husband had died to protect her and their children.

  “I’m not going to push you, Elise. I can see the conflict in your eyes. I never planned on falling in love — not after this war started. I didn’t think it was possible to find a woman I’d care for. I didn’t want to take the risk even if I did, because the chances of us both surviving in the middle of all of this seemed to be slim to none. I can’t help how I feel, though. I look at you and I see a future with more children running around the yard, a garden producing beautiful food, and most importantly . . . peace. I see it all. I know it’s hard for you, and I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to. I just . . . I . . . well, I can’t hold back the truth; I’m falling in love with you,” Drake said, giving in to his heart and allowing himself to be vulnerable.