Phoenix Ashes Master

by Anne, Melody

  She looked back and forth between the two of them. It would be so easy to escape, so easy to give away her soul. She heard one of the kids crying from inside the house as the wind picked up speed, making the night sound like a freight train was coming down on top of them.

  The swirling cloud, obliterating everything in its path, was almost upon them. If she chose not to go with them, she would die — she had no doubt.

  “I’m sorry, Devon. I won’t leave the children,” she said to her lost friend before turning to Vyco. “Go back to hell, Vyco. I’ll never go with you!”

  “Then you will die.”

  In a ring of smoke and fire, Vyco disappeared as the tornado neared them, panels on the house starting to pull off. The screaming of the children filled Phoenix’s ears as her eyes widened.

  “Phoenix, please come with me,” Devon pleaded as he started fading. She shook her head as she struggled to pull herself from the chair. She wanted to at least make it inside the house, stand a fighting chance.

  The large old oak tree ripped from the yard in front of her, rising up into the funnel that was right on top of them. Fear choked Phoenix as she felt the pull of the wind sucking away the bottom steps.

  With a surge of power, the funnel overtook the house and Phoenix couldn’t breathe. She felt her life ending as she was pulled into the monster funnel, swirling her around in a vat of darkness that soon exploded with fire. Her skin was singed and pain unlike anything she’d ever felt before seared her to her very soul. Her last thought was of Jayden, John, and Sadie — she hoped they’d forgive her for leaving them.

  She hoped she’d one day see them in another realm.

  The pain began to dim, and she knew her time was up.

  “Take me,” she pleaded. She couldn’t fight anymore.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  *** Jayden ***

  Jayden dropped to his knees, unable to breathe. It felt as if his lungs were squeezing shut. His heart thundered too fast, the pain ripping through him was unbearable.

  “Jayden, what’s wrong?” Cassidy cried as she dropped down beside him. Her arms encircled her brother as she tried to help.

  “That was the last of the demons, Jayden. If any are left, they scampered back to the underworld. Did you get hit?” John asked as he hovered over both of them while still looking across the forest with watchful eyes.

  “Phoenix!” he cried out in anguish.

  “What happened?” John asked in panic.

  “Go to her, now!”

  John didn’t hesitate, but took off in flight as he headed in the direction of the train crash. They were miles away, having chased the last of the demons from the survivors, destroying most of them, before the weak had scampered away.

  When the wreck began, they’d been in the last car having a council meeting. With no time to think, they’d acted quickly, disconnecting the car from the train, letting it fall behind as the other cars steamed ahead. The mortals in the last car sustained minor injuries, none of them serious, so after checking that Phoenix and Sadie were okay, the three of them went after the demons, chasing them from the crash and all of the vulnerable victims in the wreckage.

  It had taken them too long. Vyco must have stepped in. He’d sent a horde to destroy their group. Vyco wasn’t holding anything back now.

  A bit of the pain ripping through him receded, enough that Jayden could speak, but still not move.

  “What is happening?” Cassidy asked again.

  “I don’t know. She’s hurt, dying,” Jayden replied as he doubled over again.

  “John will get to her, Jayden. I promise you.”

  “You can’t promise that!” he thundered, feeling instantly guilty that he was taking out his fear on his sister. “I’m sorry . . .” he gasped.

  “Don’t be. I understand.”

  “What a pretty picture the two of you make, all alone with no one to help you.”

  Jayden whipped his head around to find Vyco right behind them. Before Cassidy had a chance to turn, a silver sword punched through her back and came out the front of her stomach. Jayden watched in disbelief as Cassidy’s eyes glazed over, and a single tear fell down her cheek.

  “I love you, Jayden. Tell John how much I love him too . . .” she gurgled before falling to the ground.

  It had happened so fast — too fast. In the blink of an eye he watched as the eternal light he’d never thought could leave his sister’s eyes vanished, leaving her a shell of the mortal body she’d once been.

  How? How could he have not been warned this was coming? How could he have failed everyone he loved? Vyco had won. In one swift swell, he’d won it all. Jayden couldn’t breathe. He’d lost his will to fight — to survive.

  “No!” he finally screamed, his anguish too great to bear. Pain was overwhelming his body. Phoenix was dead. Cassidy was dead. He couldn’t breathe; he couldn’t move. He was Vyco’s willing victim now.

  “I should give you the mercy of killing you too, but I won’t. You’ll walk an eternity knowing because you chose to betray me, all of those you have ever loved are now dead,” Vyco said. He threw back his head and laughed as he pulled his sword from Cassidy’s body.

  There was a broken smile on her face, but no soul left inside of her. She truly was gone. Jayden was torn apart as her body shattered, the bright pieces of light drifting up into the sky. He quietly sobbed as everything was taken from him in a single moment. An eternal death was the end. He’d never see her again.

  “What have you done?”

  Jayden turned to see John flying toward them, fire lighting his eyes. Vyco stumbled back at the black furry that rained down on him. He hadn’t expected John to come back, figuring he’d be too busy trying to save his sister.

  “Just getting rid of some unpleasant pests,” Vyco chortled as John landed in front of him.

  “Why didn’t you stop him?” John thundered as he turned his hate-filled eyes on Jayden.

  “I couldn’t . . .” Jayden cried, anger and anguish constricting his heart, making his muscles weak.

  “My sister and now my wife!”

  “John, don’t turn — Vyco’s not worth it,” Jayden warned. Suddenly his body was healing. He didn’t understand what was happening. He should still be in unbearable agony, unable to move. Had Josiah come back? Was he giving him the chance to fight?

  “You don’t get to tell me what to do. You sat there and did nothing as the two most important people in my life were destroyed!”

  “I couldn’t stop him, John. I’d trade my life to save either one of them,” Jayden said as he staggered to his feet, rage starting to fill him. How dare John accuse him of doing nothing while those he loved were destroyed?

  “Join me, John. Use that anger for revenge,” Vyco goaded him, clearly seeing the struggle in John.

  With unsurpassed speed, John’s hand shot out, silver disks flying from his fingertips. Before Vyco had the chance to counter the move, they sliced through his neck, quickly severing his head.

  Jayden watched in shock as Vyco crumbled to the ground. His body began smoking, and then went up in flames before the remains sunk into the ground. Was he dead? Had John just destroyed the leader of the underworld?

  John raised his hand as he faced Jayden, getting ready to strike him next. Jayden froze, not knowing what to do. He knew John was grieving and would regret his decisions. Maybe it was best if he just allowed him to kill him. He couldn’t live an eternity without Phoenix by his side. He didn’t have his sister anymore. He closed his eyes as he waited for the strike.

  John was doing him the favor Vyco had refused. He waited . . .

  Chapter Forty

  *** Phoenix ***

  The darkness lifted as Phoenix regained consciousness. Was she dead? Was this what the afterlife felt like? Slowly her eyes opened, and with shock she realized she was still in the middle of the tornado. The fire was gone. The smoke was gone. Her hair was blowing out behind her,
her clothes ripped and barely hanging on, but her body was still, not thrashing about in the deathly wind.

  It was eerily calm.

  It was as if everything was moving in slow motion. She watched as trees and cars flew by her, pieces of wood, dirt, and debris. All of the wreckage was moving in a circle, the fury of the storm grabbing everything in its path. She should be torn to shreds. She shouldn’t be able to move, but with wonder, she lifted her arm, bringing her hand to her face as she took a step in the air.

  The tornado wasn’t controlling her — it was as if she was viewing it from a protective bubble, none of the debris able to touch her. Not even the strong winds caused damage.

  “You’ve changed, Phoenix. The tornado lifted you, the fire consumed you and took your mortal life away — your bravery allowed the transformation. You’ve become the warrior you were always meant to be. You’ll now be the one to save the world.”

  Phoenix turned, seeing a man floating near her, his eyes kind, his light so brilliant it should blind her. None of the wreckage touched him, either.

  “I don’t understand. How do I do this?” she asked, somehow not thinking it strange to be conversing with what appeared to be an angel in the middle of a giant funnel of death. Everything quieted as if it were only the two of them.

  “Jayden will show you the way, but you have to get to him now. Your world is about to take another drastic turn. Tragedy and pain always follow those who are called to serve. It’s unfortunate that it has to be that way, but I think the gods like to see if you truly are worthy of their loyalty.”

  “How do I get out of this? How do I find Jayden?” she asked as the being started to fade. She didn’t know what to do — he couldn’t just leave her.

  “Look within yourself — you’ll know the answer.” With that, he was gone.

  Phoenix watched as more bright light filled the funnel, circling around in this prison of death, and then the light carried the children she’d been guarding high up into the sky, taking them to their new home. She closed her eyes as she took it all in and tried to look within herself like the mystical being had told her to do.

  Suddenly, she was moving. Her body flew through the storm, breaking out of the edges of the tornado as it began to evaporate back into the sky, the remains of its destruction dropping back to the earth.

  She didn’t open her eyes for several seconds, letting her heart guide her. She could feel herself getting closer to where Jayden was, and somehow she knew he was in extreme danger. Her heart filled with both joy and sorrow, because as she dropped to the ground in front of Jayden, she was looking into the eyes of her brother — or who had once been her brother.

  The man before her was no longer John. His eyes burned with rage, and fire engulfed his hand as he aimed it toward her.

  “John?”

  He was silent for a moment as he looked at her. She could see the struggle inside him, before shutters came back over his expression, and he looked at her with blankness.

  “This has nothing to do with you, Phoenix. Back away,” he told her, his hand still raised.

  “John, I can’t let you destroy Jayden. Please, John, don’t do this. Don’t lose your soul,” she begged.

  “I . . . can’t. She’s gone,” he cried, letting his pain consume him for a moment before managing to pull himself together once more.

  “Please, John. Let me help you,” Phoenix begged him. He took a small step toward her as if he was about to come to her.

  “Don’t let her fool you, John. She’s one of them now. You killed Vyco, making you the new leader of the Dark. You have legions of followers, ready to do your bidding at a moment’s notice. Come with me, John. There’s no pain here — only pleasure. If you stay, your heart will never heal.”

  Phoenix turned to find Jessica gliding up to them. She put her hand on John's face, rubbing her body against his as she pulled his head down to look into her eyes.

  “Come with me, John. Staying here will kill you. You can’t survive it,” she repeated.

  His shoulders firmed as he looked into her eyes, and Phoenix knew the moment she lost her brother. It might look like him, but John was hidden so deep inside, she might never see him again.

  “I won’t kill you, Phoenix, but stay away from me,” John said before taking Jessica’s hand and disappearing inside a ring of smoke.

  As her brother vanished, Phoenix stared in disbelief at the place he’d been standing. How many more would she lose? How much more was she expected to endure?

  John had always been her sun and moon — the one who’d seen her through all of the worst tragedies of life’s drama. As he pulled away from her, her heart was wrenched from her chest. She couldn’t lose her brother — the pain would be unbearable.

  Dropping to her knees she sobbed in anguish before lifting her hands in the air and screaming. “No! How dare you allow this to happen? How dare you! Why aren’t you helping us?”

  “Phoenix . . .” Jayden said as he tried to console her.

  “No! Where is Josiah? Where? Why would he change me only to rip away those who are supposed to be by my side? He should’ve saved Cassidy, helped ease John’s pain. He should be here,” she screamed, pain tearing her in two.

  Jayden was silent as he pulled her struggling form against him and held her as she pounded her fists against his chest. He didn’t know what to say, or how to make things better. His own anguish was overwhelming him. The only thing that kept him on his feet was having Phoenix alive. He’d be right there with John if she had died. He couldn’t have lost his sister and his soul mate at the same time, so instead of saying anything, he just rubbed her back and rocked her until she finally stopped struggling.

  “I thought you were gone,” Jayden finally whispered, bringing Phoenix’s attention back to him.

  “I thought you’d left me too. I didn’t know what to think. Where were you?” she asked accusingly.

  “I never left you, Phoenix. I had to make sure the demons were gone,” he replied, feeling horrible that he’d left her unprotected even if he’d been trying to save them all. He’d failed. No one had made it.

  “What happened to Cassidy?” At her simple sentence, his gut tightened again as a fresh wave of pain washed through him.

  “Vyco. I couldn’t move. He appeared and stabbed her. John arrived right after it happened and killed Vyco. The rage in his eyes alarms me, Phoenix. He wants revenge, and rage can make you desperate.”

  “I can’t talk about him anymore. It hurts too much. We need to find Sadie, please?” she begged.

  “She’s with your parents. They’re going back to the train now.”

  “I thought they were gone,” Phoenix said as her body trembled.

  “I should’ve told you they were safe. I should’ve come back to you before chasing the demons. Maybe none of this would have happened if I’d done that.”

  “It might have all been worse then. We don’t know what will transpire until we’re in the moment. You did what you had to do. Now, I need to pull myself together.”

  “You have a hard battle before you, Phoenix. You died. I felt it in my very soul, it’s why I couldn’t move — I wanted to die too. I didn’t know you were changed until the moment you were standing in front of me. I was going to let your brother end my existence.”

  “Don’t you ever do anything so foolish again; I couldn’t survive losing you too,” she said before throwing her arms around his shoulders and holding him tight.

  “I don’t want to let you go, but we have to get back. I can feel the pain ripping through your parents and Sadie right now. They’ve made it back to the train and can see the destruction from the tornado. They think you’re gone.”

  Phoenix reluctantly let go of Jayden and the two of them lifted into the air and rushed to the train wreck, landing on the other side and walking around. There was enough to explain without them seeing Phoenix fly through the air.

  Sadie was sobbing in B
rian’s arms as she looked around at the destruction the tornado had left behind. So many lives had been lost that day. Too many.

  “I’m here, Sadie,” Phoenix called. Sadie looked up as if she didn’t believe what she was hearing.

  “Phoenix? Phoenix! I thought you were dead,” Sadie cried as she ripped herself from Brian and stumbled over the uneven ground in her haste to reach her best friend.

  “I’m right here,” Phoenix assured her.

  “I shouldn’t have left you. I’m so sorry,” Sadie cried as she embraced Phoenix and cried in her arms.

  “I’m okay. I promise,” she assured her.

  When Sadie was sure Phoenix was alive, she backed up, allowing Phoenix to turn to her parents. They were bruised and limping, but they were alive. The remaining survivors gathered around them, no one smiling, pain evident in all of their expressions.

  “So many lives have been shattered. I was supposed to protect them, and all I’ve done is lead them to their deaths,” Larry said as he looked at the violent scene before him.

  “You’ve been an incredible leader, Dad. You’ll have many more who will count on you. We can’t give up. There’s still too much to do,” Phoenix said as she embraced both of her parents.

  “Where’s John?” Janet asked, her eyes searching.

  “Something bad has happened. Cassidy was killed. John . . . well, he couldn’t handle the pain. He’s left us, but don’t give up on him. He needs time,” Phoenix answered, and Janet broke down, covering her face with her hands as Larry instantly wrapped his arms around her, nestling his face into her hair. The two of them comforted each other in the way only two broken-hearted parents can.

  “You’re right, Phoenix. Don’t give up on him.”

  Phoenix turned to see Josiah standing before them, his face filled with pain as he looked around the site.

  “Where have you been?” Jayden demanded, his stance angry as he faced the man who had once saved him. Josiah sadly shook his head.