Born of the Phoenix

by Forrester, David Murray

  "It’s still quiet early, I think after we get some supplies we should head straight to the mountain pass," If the rains were coming Ravage didn't want to get stuck in the town. The first few miles of the pass were step and treacherous, if they could pass it before the rain set in they would be alright for the rest of the pass was much less inclined, wider, and there were rocky outcroppings and caves for shelter.

  "I don't know if I want to cross the mountains in a storm, it'd be wet and horrible," Patsy didn't like the thought of trying to navigate the mountain in the rain, being soaked to the bone and assaulted by the strong winds that blew in the high peaks did not seem pleasant at all.

  "It won't be that bad, the wardens keep the caves stocked up with wood so we can have a fire, if we stay around town it might rain for a week, do you really wana stay here for a week?"

  There was an unwelcoming crisp bite to the air. Patsy glanced around at the dreary stone and wood cabins. The plants were grey and frigid. Morning fog from the river still hung about the town. Sigwood was very unappealing and bleak. "Not really," she shuddered.

  As they rode through the town an unease befell Ravage, she began to feel as though they were being stalked, there was nothing around yet the anxiety did not subside. The feeling grew stronger. Ravage bade Patsy to stop. The street was eerily silent. Ravage strained her senses and detected the sound of soft footfalls, animalistic, pawed. A deep growl roused them, from the side of a log cabin prowled a wolvren, its snarling head low as it stepped slowly towards them.

  The great wolf was taller than the horses. Its staunched muscled body covered in a thick grey fur with a face masked in white. Patsy notched an arrow and took aim at the savagely fierce beast. Ravage readied her spear and manoeuvred herself between Patsy and the animal. She knew a dozen arrows would not slow a wolvren if it decided to pounce. Her spear was the best option for defeating it, though she felt loath to use it. Despite being a deadly adversary, wolvrens were rare and exotic. She admired them, and hoped the standoff would come to naught.

  Another wolvren appeared behind them, snarling viciously with fangs exposed. It was larger than its companion and had black fur with a pearl shine. It glared at the girls with haunting bright blue eyes. Patsy turned her bow on it. Fear and desperation sunk into Ravage. One wolvren they could manage, not two. This was not a fight they could win.

  "Loose that arrow and I will end you human."

  Standing at the edge of a cabin roof was a female neshural warrior. Neshural have the appearance of werewolves, though the two species couldn't be more dissimilar. She had a thick mane, fur awash of blue and grey. Heavy plate armour adorned her shoulders. She held an intimidating serrated broadsword. The neshural leapt to the ground with agility that no human cold match. She stood proudly before Ravage and Patsy, studying them with her keen eyes.

  "I'm glad these wolvrens are yours," said Ravage as she lowered her spear, "they are beautiful animals, I didn't want to fight them."

  "No," the neshural stepped towards her, "then why did you raise your spear against them?"

  "Well I wasn't about to let them kill me."

  "Do you think you would have won?"

  "Probably not,"

  That made the neshural smile. "You're a modest one, for a human." she said, and sheathed her broadsword. "I'm Allura."

  "I'm Ravage, this is my friend Patsy,"

  "You came up from the south didn't you," as she spoke she held out her hand and the wolvrens came and sat by her side. They no longer displayed any kind of aggression. Curiosity was in their eyes now, and affection for their master. "Did you notice anything strange as you came closer to town?"

  Ravage and Patsy exchanged glances.

  "Well I did notice that there were a lot less deer around in the grasslands," began Patsy, "and the herds we saw were very clustered, as though they didn't want to stray, it was a lot quieter at night too."

  "I think the strangest thing is how quiet the town is, but I have a feeling that may have something to do with your wolvrens," said Ravage; she hoped Allura didn't take offence to that.

  "The town is quiet because more than half the people are missing, no one has come down from the pass for almost a hundred days, excluding myself of course."

  "I don't mean to be rude, but why are you here?" Ravage tried to be as courteous as possible with her question, "it's very rare for one of your people to be on this side of the mountains," It was within itself a fair question. It was no secret that humans and neshural didn't get along very well. The two races usually kept well within the borders of their own lands, not mixing with each other. Though in no way did Ravage mean to be prejudice. It was sheer curiosity.

  Allura stared at her for a long moment reading her face and eyes. "I hunt in these mountains and have become friends with many of the wardens. They came to me for help when the people in the town began disappearing; now they themselves have also vanished."

  "Vanished?" Ravage didn't like the sound of that, "are there any clues as to what happened to them?"

  "There is nothing," Allura sighed, "I have scoured the mountain pass for anything that would reveal what might have happened, even my wolvren cannot find a scent or trail to follow, there are no tracks, no blood, nothing, it's like they've just vanished into thin air."

  "Do you think it could be magic?"

  "If it is I cannot tell, I have no skill with magic."

  "Nor do we."

  It was then that Patsy began to notice that her surroundings were askew to the memories she had from her last visit to Sigwood. It was a river town. She remembered it being alive with colour and beauty, not as it is, bleak and miserable. Even the air seemed stagnate. Her thoughts became ponderous. Patsy began to feel a strange emanation, as if a strong will of malice had descended upon the town.

  "Actually now that I think about it things are very different from the last time I was here," she said.

  "Different how?" Allura stirred with curious anticipation, she was eager for any information that might help her solve this mystery.

  "Everything seems so, anaemic, and dismal," even as she spoke the chill seemed to swell around her, pressing on her skin, "it feels more like a tomb than a town,"

  "So you can sense it as well," Allura ran her fingers through the thick fur of her wolvrens head, "I'm starting to believe that a spirit has claimed this town, something evil, powerful, that exists beyond my power to find it, and possibly to defeat."

  A hundred ghost stories ran through Ravage’s mind. Tales of horror filled with haunting beasts and demonic spirits were her favourites as a child. What was happening now had all the elements of those stories. Half the townsfolk of Sigwood had disappeared, that fact alone compelled her into action.

  "We’d like to help, if we can,"

  In no way was Patsy surprised by her friend’s request. Though after what had happened with the craven she really hoped that whatever was plaguing Sigwood was merely a monster and nothing supernatural. If she never saw a ghost or phantom again it would be too soon. The thought of working alongside a neshural was exciting, this was going to be an interesting adventure.

  The mossy stones were noisy underfoot as Ravage made her way along the river bank. Constantly her attention turned to the slow moving water. She had no trust of water, even when it was crystal clear, for she knew too well the hideous predators that lurked beneath the surface. Cunning and patient they were. Poisonous, strong and often camouflaged they could steal a man's life before he even knew he was in danger. It was Patsy’s idea to search the river bank. Allura had gone off exploring in the mountains with her wolvren. With their agility they could reach places the two humans could not, and with greater speed.

  The sun was completely veiled as they came upon the ford which itself was shrouded in heavy fog. Stone tiles had been laid to make the crossing easier for wagons and carts. The master masons worked their craft to magnificent standard carving intricate statues of fish and water creatures. Pipelines had been created so that durin
g times of heavy flow there were beautiful fountains of water splashing across the statues creating a breath taking sight. It was a grand majestic ford though its beauty had now faded. To Ravage and Patsy it was cold and uninviting.

  As they continued along the river bank the mountain closed in on them. The fog became so dense the pair could only see a few feet ahead of themselves. The water was barely a few inches deep in this narrow ravine, slowly trickling along its path. Sheer rocky walls abundant with ferns walled the girls in as they approached a cave from which the water flowed. The mouth of the cave was a few feet wide and tall enough that they could easily enter without obstruction.

  It was utterly dark inside. Ravage dare not enter without a torch, many bestial monstrosities favour dwellings such as this. The pair turned to head back when something in the water caught Patsy's eye, a glimmer of light amongst the grey stone. She bent down retrieving a golden pendant. An intricate fox and sparrow had been engraved on its surface. Linked to the pendant was a delicate gold chain.

  "How do you suppose this got here?" Patsy said as she handed it to Ravage, though she already had her suspicions.

  "This isn't very old," Ravage commented as she inspected the pendant, turning it over, scrutinising the craftsmanship, "it's pretty clean so I don't think its been sitting in the water very long."

  "You think it might have been dropped when something dragged its owner into the cave?"

  "I'm guessing that's how it happened." The mouth of the cave appeared much more ominous, darkness concealing the evil harbouring within. "You know the smith might be a good place to start looking for its owner, they're usually pretty cluey in small towns like this."

  "Sounds like a good place to start." Patsy took one final glance into the cave before turning to walk away. A dark river cave that leads who knows where and is full of who knows what, this is going to be just charming isn't it she thought to herself.

  There were shelves upon shelves of trinkets and novelties with not a weapon to be seen. This was not the sort of blacksmith store Ravage was expecting. She surmised that in these parts travellers were buying gifts for family members or as mementos of their journey across the mountains and had no interest in weaponry. The fighting in these parts was left to the wardens who obviously bought and serviced their weapons at another establishment. The items were of good quality but there was nothing extraordinary about them. Nothing magical, nothing rare.

  "Fancy a tea?" Came a charmed voice from an open door behind the counter, "got a pot brewing, nice and hot! You're the first customers I've had all day."

  "Not for me, but thanks for the offer," Ravage leant upon the wooden counter which was decorated with glass bowls of polished stones.

  "I'll have one, if it's not a bother," said Patsy, she could do with a hot tea after slugging along the river bank.

  "Not at all, not at all, always happy to oblige!"

  There was humming and the busy sounds of cups and spoons then a moment later a woman appeared with a wide smile and a steaming tea in each hand. "Here you are," she said placing the colourful ceramic mug down, "what can I be helping you with today?"

  Before either Ravage or Patsy could speak the woman continued. "Perhaps a nice horse statue, ooh I have some beautiful silver chains, do you fancy a sparkling gemstone? Emeralds are my favourite." It was often the way of merchants to be quick spoken. Ravage found her enthusiasm to be quite charming.

  "I was actually wondering if you could help me with something," Ravage placed the golden pendant on the counter, "by chance have you happened to have seen this before?"

  The woman's face lit up for a brief moment before her expression of joy transformed in a grim scowl. "What game are you playing at?" she hissed, "have I seen this before? Who sent you?"

  “So you have seen this before?"

  Quickly the woman snatched up the pendant, "I don't know who you are but I'll tear the eyes from your skull if you've harmed my Gaby!"

  Ravage was taken aback by her sudden burst of anger. She felt pity towards the woman and took a deep breath as she prepared to deliver the bad news.

  "I'm afraid I don't know your Gaby," she spoke with a soft, empathetic tone, "we found this pendant in the stream beyond the ford at the opening to the river cave, as a smith I thought it best to come here in search of answers to whom it may belong to,"

  "The cave," as the woman spoke her knees became weak, she collapsed to the floor, eyes awash with tears. Patsy rushed to her side. "I thought she had left with her fiancé, to Engalia, eloped in the night to begin their new life together, I knew she wouldn't leave without saying goodbye.” Her grief could not be contained, she trembled in shock.

  "She was your daughter," Ravage knelt beside her taking the woman's hand into her own, "she may still be alive you know, in the cave, there is no proof yet that she has met her end, only that her pendant is found."

  "You really think she might still be alive?" her eyes alive with doubtful hope.

  "We’ll search the cave for her, that I can promise you." Ravage's voice was strong. The woman could feel the resolve in her words. It gave her confidence.

  "Please take this," she said, handing Ravage the pendant.

  "I couldn't," Ravage gently pushed the woman's hand away.

  "I made it for Gaby, it's a bad omen for me to keep it, please, return it to my daughter, bring her back to me,"

  "If I can save her I will, you have my word." Even as Ravage spoke she felt in her heart that the girl was already dead. She was determined to discover the truth. The cave did not daunt her; she would face the darkness within.

  "I searched the ford during the night," Allura said as she studied the pendant. It was a pretty thing. The gold glistened, the engraving elegant but to the neshural it was nothing more than a fancy trinket. "It would have been easy for me to miss this if it was in the stream,"

  "Wouldn’t it have been better to search during the day when you can see more?" Patsy thought that seemed quite obvious. She began to wonder what other signs Allura had missed.

  "I hunt by scent," Allura handed the pendant back to Ravage, "neither Mist, Shadow or myself was able to pick up a scent along the river bank, I did go into the cave but I know what creatures prowl the deep places of the world so I ventured only as far as I dared."

  "I want to explore the cave, I think we might find something if we go deeper inside," said Ravage.

  "You're a brave one Ravage," Allura admired that. Many of the wardens were too afraid to journey into the cave and they were battle hardened and seasoned warriors, these girls had guile. Hidden underneath her armour was a threaded necklace. From this Allura removed two knotted beads and handed one to each of her companions. "If we're going into the cave these will serve you well."

  After untying the knotted thread they uncovered brilliant catseye diamonds which caught the light in a dazzling magical way.

  "These are beautiful," Ravage adored the blue streak of the catseye piercing the centre of the clear diamond, "what are they?"

  "My people call them Lateisha, they are enchanted, tied to your blade it will allow you to vanquish the otherworldly. They are a permanent enchantment whose power will never fade, much better than the charms you humans use."

  "You keep so many of them," remarked Patsy, she began tying the thread to the hilt of her sword.

  "They are invaluable, and at times like this need to be shared so I always keep more than I need."

  The smith came out in Ravage. She began thinking that if she made a setting she could attach the diamond to a dempt chain making it much more durable; the gears in her mind churning with ideas.

  The trio made their way to the cave with the two wolvren in toe. The presence of the two ferocious beasts made Patsy feel much more confident about going into the darkness. Their keen noses would detect anything that tried to creep up on them. Mist and Shadow, Patsy liked those names. She patted the softness of Mist's fur. Its head was so large it could swallow her whole if it so desired. The wolvren turn
ed to her with a look of affection. Those deep powerful eyes made Patsy both excited and terrified at the same time. It was such an intense feeling. A desire began to grow within to have a magnificent wolvren companion of her own, they had stolen her heart. It was probably an unobtainable dream yet she wished it could be so.

  Chapter 10

  There was a great commotion in the centre of Granston village. Two men stood across from each other in bitter argument. One had his sword drawn eager for bloodshed while the other was loathe to fight.

  He was a farmer, not a warrior. His hands and body were strong, though it was spades and ploughs he knew, not swords.

  The man who stood across from him was well known throughout the village and neighbouring lands. Liam the field burner Corlander; he earned the nickname during his youth as a delinquent and a thug. He would extort coins from the farmers and anyone who refused to pay him had their fields set ablaze. He was a terror, he had grown up in the village and even though the people hated him they would not rally against him for fear of his father, a hard man and cruel.

  Posturing up Liam thought of Jeremy as nothing more than a farmer and a coward. Liam wanted Jeremy’s land and he was going to get it, his entourage of ruffians stood behind him egging him on. “Draw your sword Jeremy, it’s time to settle this once and for all.”

  A great despair was on Jeremy's wife. She didn't want to lose her husband, the father of their three children. "Let's just give him the land," tears streamed down her cheeks, she clutched at his arm, "we'll move, find somewhere else."

  The farmer cupped his wife's face with his large hands. "I can't Amanda," pain was in his eyes, "this was my father's land, and his father before him and in time it will pass to our son, I must stand up for it."

  "But he has no claim to our land," she turned to face Liam, eyes burning with hatred, "you have no right to claim our land!"