Phoenix Rising

by Ephie Risho

  The next day in Seabrook, he was too busy with his normal duties to think any more about the phoenix, the wizard, Amber, and what he could or should do—if anything. It wasn’t until he’d gathered the last of his mail and set off west toward the coastal town of Strathmere that it all started to stir within him again.

  Of course they could use his powers, he reasoned. But was he ready to reveal them to the rest of the world? He remembered Amber saying the pixies were a big factor in her decision to head out and wondered if there were still any around.

  He entered Strathmere and delivered the mail. When the last letter was delivered, he went to Mrs. Rugsby’s old rugged house and knocked on the door. If there was anyone in that little village who’d know how to find pixies, it would be her. She always had her nose in everyone’s business, whether they liked it or not.

  A middle-aged woman opened the door. She was plain, with a large awkward nose and slitted eyes that darted around. “Yes? How can I help you, Ryder?” She stood in her doorway, one hand on her rotund hip and an apron around her waist.

  “Hi, Mrs. Rugsby.” Ryder smiled. “I’m wondering if you know of any pixies living in these parts, and if so, if you would direct me where I can find them?”

  Mrs. Rugsby frowned. “Pixies? What on earth would you want to find them for?”

  Ryder didn’t answer but just continued to smile. The less she knew, the less rumors she’d spread about it.

  After a pause, when she could tell she wouldn’t get Ryder to say anything, she said, “There’s a small group of kids who sometimes go out and talk with some west of here. I’ve never seen them myself. They never come into town.”

  “Which kids?” Ryder asked.

  “Oh, your best bet is Sammy. He’ll know.”

  “Thank you so much.” Ryder nodded his head in respect.

  “What are you looking for pixies for, anyway?” she asked politely.

  “Oh, it’s nothing.” He knew instantly that Mrs. Rugsby would take that to mean the exact opposite. Which, he supposed, was true. “Thanks again!” He waved and headed back down the street.

  He found Sammy and the kids playing a game with a ball made of straw. They kicked it over a waist-high net back and forth to each other without using their hands. Ryder watched them for a bit, smiling. It looked like the purpose of the game was just to have fun and keep the ball going, not score on the other side. He made a mental note to remember to try it later, then said, “Sammy, got a minute?”

  Sammy and the other children were quick to show Ryder the pixies, so all six kids wrapped up their game and walked with him to the west edge of town and into the dense forest. The whole way they laughed and joked with each other, making a great racket.

  I guess there’s no sneaking up on pixies anyway, Ryder thought. “How much longer is it?”

  “Oh, about fifteen minutes.” Sammy skipped and whacked at a bush with a stick he’d picked up. “They always meet us at the clearing by the pond.”

  Fifteen minutes was like no time at all to kids playing tag along the way. The pond was teeming with little flying bugs, and frogs and turtles were sunbathing all along its banks. All the kids but Sammy ran to the pond and started catching frogs. Sammy smiled at Ryder and whistled loudly, then called, “Ruffles! Where are you?”

  He walked around the clearing and whistled again. The sound of the other children laughing when one of them accidentally stepped into the pond echoed through the trees. Then a small pixie in a bright-green jacket and tightfitting brown pants flew toward them.

  “Ruffles!” Sammy’s eyes brightened. Then he frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  The small pixie looked worried. “Sammy, we may be leaving soon.”

  “Why?” Sammy’s shoulders deflated.

  The pixie looked behind Sammy to Ryder and pointed. “Who’s that?”

  “I’m Ryder. I have a question for you. A friend of mine was talking to the pixies from Seabrook and—”

  Ruffles cut him off. “Seabrook?”

  Ryder paused. “Yes . . . that’s what I said—”

  “Those pixies are here right now. But they’re not staying.”

  “Really?” Ryder raised his eyebrows. “I wonder if the ones who talked with Amber might be able to give me some advice.”

  Ruffles shrugged. “I can ask them.” He looked back at Sammy, then at Ryder again, and darted off into the trees.

  Sammy shrugged at Ryder. “They’re sometimes like that. Who knows what they’re up to?”

  Ryder nodded and waited. Sammy stood for a moment, then said, “If it’s all the same to you, I’m going to see what my friends have caught.”

  “Sure, go ahead.” Ryder smiled and gestured for the boy to go.

  The wait for Ruffles felt long and painful. The sound of the children laughing and screaming lifted Ryder’s spirits a bit, but he still felt off, like he was missing something important.

  When Ruffles finally returned, it was with one other pixie, a young girl wearing a spiffy white-and-blue outfit and looking reluctant to be there. Ryder talked quickly. “My name’s Ryder, a friend of Amber. Are you from Seabrook? Do you know Amber?”

  Instantly the pixie perked up. “Amber?”

  Ryder hadn’t spoken to pixies for what felt like half his life, but he did remember that you had to keep them engaged and interested. “Do you know who talked to her before she left Seabrook? I want to talk to them.”

  “Why is that?” The pixie looked a bit mischievous, and Ryder started remembering again why he’d stopped bothering to talk with them. Even though they seemed to know a lot of stuff, wrenching it out was always painful and difficult.

  “I was just with her, and she has a question. But first, I need to know who she talked to. Do you know the pixie who spoke with her last?”

  The pixie nodded. “I do. The name’s Flurry. What’s Amber’s question?”

  Ryder thought quickly. He’d have to make something up. At least he found what seemed like a pixie who knew a thing or two. “She’s off looking for a wizard, and it seems like an impossible task. She’s wondering if that’s what you wanted her to do?”

  The pixie looked at Ryder for a moment, then said, “You’re wondering why I sent her. You wonder if you should go too.”

  He looked at her in shock. How did she figure all that out from his awkward question? He stammered. “Umm . . .”

  “Everyone needs help. Even you, Ryder. You can’t travel alone forever.” There was an awkward pause, and the pixie sighed. “Tell Amber when you see her that it’s worse than we thought. It’s all connected. She’s needed more than any of us knew.”

  “But why her?” He peered into the small pixie’s eyes, tiny little dots as blue and clear as the sky.

  Flurry grinned and looked mischievous again. “Wouldn’t you want to know, Mr. Ryder, with all sorts of hidden powers. You could be a big help to her, you know.”

  She began to jitter up and around excitedly. “Do tell her when you see her that we’re fine—but still on the move. And I bet she still hasn’t worn that hat!”

  Ryder furrowed his brow, then smiled. “I will tell her. When I see her. Thank you, Flurry.”

  The two pixies flew up and away, leaving Ryder to his thoughts. The pixie knew of his hidden power. And he so badly wanted to use it. Maybe he really should have joined Amber when he had the chance. But how could he find her? She was headed deep into mountains without any proper roads. His best bet would probably be to seek her out at one of the cities.

  He stretched and walked back to the village without saying goodbye to the kids. He was good at finding people. That was his job, after all. And he’d found her before.

  He could keep doing his courier duties and travel around the countryside. In the process, he could keep an ear out for more information. And he could start with Chandler, in Sanford. Chandler seemed to have lots of ideas.

  The late afternoon light was creating a beautiful red glow on the ancient trees and large rocks, and Ryder si
ghed contentedly. As usual, much of his pleasure as a delivery person was the journey in between stops.

  He sighted Sanford in the distance. Perfect timing. As usual. He spurred Rocky forward, and they trotted past the large wooden gates. He noticed four guards were there now, rather than the usual one guard. Or even none, just a year ago. He nodded to them and headed toward the courier hostel where all the delivery people would stay.

  Every town had one, even the smaller villages, although those would have more like a spare room next to a common hall of some sort. He fed and watered Rocky, then asked the other couriers the whereabouts of Chandler’s shop.

  He grabbed a quick bite to eat, walked down the streets, and within a few minutes was standing in front of Chandler’s two-story yellow building. He walked right in. A bell attached to the door handle rang as Ryder opened it.

  Chandler sat at a back table with an oil lamp and looked up. At first, he looked puzzled, then he smiled, “Ryder! What brings you through these parts? Any news from our friends?”

  Ryder strode over to the table and sat down. “No news. But I did a little exploring of my own and talked to some pixies. Turns out, they think it’s worse than we thought. They’re very cryptic, so I don’t actually know what that means, but it sounded like they’re worried and on the move.”

  “Interesting.” Chandler took off his glasses and fiddled with them. “Anything else? What are you thinking?”

  “I want to find Amber and the others.”

  “Well, that will be next to impossible.” Chandler shook his head. “They’re off in the mountains somewhere, maybe even found the wizard by now. How on earth do you think you can track them down?”

  “I’m pretty good at finding people. But I don’t know. Maybe I should wait somewhere for them to return. I also think we need to learn more. The pixies said it was more serious than they’d thought. I wanted to talk with you, see what you think.”

  Chandler smiled and looked proud of himself. “Of course you do, my boy. Well.” He looked around the room for a moment. “I don’t think the answers are here.” His voice trailed off. “If we want to find more answers, they’ll be in Lugo. We can do proper research in a real library.” The scholarly man looked surprised at himself for suggesting it, then straightened his composure.

  Ryder stared into space. He wasn’t much of a reader, and going to a library seemed like the last thing to do when in a rush. But the thought of learning more did sound appealing. “Do you really think we can learn what we need to know in a library?”

  “Of course, my boy. Of course! This book collection I have here is a tiny scratch compared to what we can find there.”

  Ryder looked skeptical, and Chandler’s eyes gained some urgency. “If you want me to come with you, it will have to wait a week or so. But listen . . . It’s not just the books. It’s the people. People who are educated properly. People who live in a bigger city and have exposure to more of the happenings around the country. If we want answers, they’re not here, they’re there.”

  There was a moment of silence and both of them looked at each other with understanding. Ryder cleared his throat. “When’s the soonest you can leave?”

  13

  The Lookout

  AT LEAST THREE GOBLINS CHARGED down the narrow path toward Amber, Theo, and Basil, swords raised and yelling in their raspy guttural voices. Theo screamed and fumbled for his bow. Basil drew his sword and spurred his horse toward the goblins yelling, “Attack!”

  Amber quickly pulled her bow off her shoulder and drew an arrow in one fluid movement, releasing an arrow into a goblin before Basil reached them. Without thinking, she aimed for the necks, since that was the weak spot on the goblin she’d fought the last time. Sure enough, the goblin dropped instantly while the others scrambled around.

  The path was too narrow for her to fire a second shot with Basil charging down on his horse, so she tried walking Buttercup a few steps to the left into the bushes for a better angle.

  From the side, she could make out three goblins running toward them. Basil was charging at the closest one, so she aimed at the next closest one and released. Again, a perfect shot. The goblin toppled to the ground instantly and didn’t move.

  Basil leaned over and used his sword to stab the first goblin, slashing at its arm while it also managed to hit his right leg. Basil continued toward the fourth goblin and plunged his sword into its chest. Unfortunately, the impact threw him from his horse and into the bushes. Storm stopped and looked around awkwardly.

  The last goblin continued to charge toward Amber. She drew another arrow and let it fly right as the goblin was about to reach her. It hit the goblin in the chest, slowing it down but not dropping it like the first two. The goblin jumped at her with his sword.

  Buttercup reared up in fear, kicking the goblin in the face. The goblin was knocked terribly but still managed to grab the reins and hold on while it swung with its rusty old blade. Buttercup jumped and reared again, trying to shake it off, but instead of shaking off the goblin, Amber was tossed to the ground.

  She rolled and grabbed for an arrow, but they’d fallen out of her quiver and were strewn all over. She tried grasping for an arrow as Buttercup continued to jump and kick with the goblin holding on tightly. Panic welled up inside her heart. She was completely defenseless without her arrows.

  Then she heard a thwack! and turned. It was Theo, who had finally managed to pull his bow off his shoulder. He’d sent an arrow straight into the goblin, amid all the bucking and movement, and the goblin released its grasp and fell. Amber got to her hands and knees and scrambled across the ground toward some arrows. She quickly notched one and looked around.

  The fourth goblin struggled weakly, and she released the arrow into it. The creature stopped moving and lay still. All four goblins lay on the ground motionless. She watched the surrounding forest, waiting for another goblin to pounce. Her breathing was rugged and wild, and she turned around, watching carefully, an arrow notched at the ready.

  All remained quiet and calm for a full minute. As a gentle breeze blew into her face she suddenly realized Basil was nowhere to be seen. “Basil! Where are you?”

  “Uuuuugh!” A groan came from the bushes beyond the last goblin, and Amber went running. Basil was tangled up in a bush with scrapes down his face and a big cut in his leg from the goblin’s sword. His curly hair was full of twigs and leaves, and his pant leg had a big opening in it.

  She helped him stand with one hand, keeping her bow with a notched arrow in the other, and they looked around together. The four goblins remained motionless. Theo sat on his horse, holding an arrow notched, watching the dense forest and shaking. They all stood at the ready, watching for movements from the four goblins on the ground and listening for sounds from the surrounding woods.

  Finally, Amber relaxed her bow somewhat. “I think we got them all.” She turned to Basil. “Are you ok?”

  He suddenly felt the pain of his injuries, now that the adrenaline was wearing off. He grabbed his right shoulder and winced. “Ow. My arm. I must have pulled it when I got yanked off my horse.” He moved it around in circles carefully.

  “You’re bleeding,” she said, pointing to his leg.

  He looked down, surprised. It didn’t appear deep, but blood was staining his pants from a long slice down the thigh. “Oh. I didn’t even know I got that!”

  She felt his shoulder tenderly, and then they walked over to Buttercup so Amber could get her medical kit. She put a salve on his shoulder to help it heal quickly and rubbed some herbs on the leg wound, then bandaged it up.

  “Not too deep at all,” Amber said. “You’re lucky.”

  Basil smiled as he winced.

  The three went about pulling the goblins off the trail and seeing what items they had. All in all, there was more money, two more pendants with the mountain design, and weapons—mostly junky scimitars, except one short sword in decent condition that Theo decided to keep.

  “I feel naked with only a
bow,” Theo said. “I know it’s not a nice sword, and I may never use this, but it’s something.” He strapped it onto his waist. “Basil, you’ll have to show me a thing or two. It’s been a long time since anyone taught me how to use these things.”

  Basil held his hand out, and Theo gave him the short sword. He felt the balance of it, then handed it back. “Can do. It’s not a good blade, but it’ll work. I could use some new training myself. If I’m going to be doing attacks from a horse, I think I should be using a longer sword. I think that’s why I got thrown—in order to do any damage I had to lean in really far, and it got stuck.”

  “Where will you get one out here?” Theo asked.

  Basil shrugged. “No idea. But let’s keep our eyes peeled.” He patted his short sword strapped to his left side. “This is a beautiful blade, though. I don’t think I would ever want to part with it.”

  “I just hope we don’t run into any more goblins,” Amber said. “I’m already sick of killing. I’ve helped kill six goblins in the last three days. Not what I expected when I started out on this journey.”

  The boys nodded. Nobody could disagree with that.

  Throughout the rest of the day, they were tense and alert. Even Theo talked only when necessary as they traveled single file down the narrow trail through the dense forest.

  At one point, Amber was in the rear and noticed a flitting motion ahead of her. It gave her a start, but then she realized that in the quiet, Theo seemed to be somehow attractive to the birds. They fluttered around him, even landing on his shoulders and head from time to time.

  I wonder what that’s about, she thought. Animals seem to love him. He must have a gift.

  It started feeling dark far before it actually was, with all the tall trees blocking much of the sun. The forest didn’t feel friendly enough for them to stay the night, but they knew they needed to sleep soon.

  “Let’s see if there’s any clear ground up that way. It looks promising.” Basil pointed to their left, up the mountain.