“You do?”
“Yes.” A glimmer of heat formed in his eyes as he looked at me. “You took me there once.”
Damn, why didn’t the wings show me that one? I blushed scarlet and managed a small affirmative word. Benyst roughly put my bag in my hands then he and Noiryn bid me a hasty goodbye and disappeared. I was left alone with Archer. We stared at each other for a little while, many questions hanging in the air. I broke the silence first.
“I’m sorry I don’t remember everything. Maybe it will come with time, I don’t know. I just know what the wings showed me and they showed me that I trusted you, well…” I blushed again. “Apparently more than trusted you.” He smiled and his skin pulsed with a silvery glow. It warmed my entire body, stopping the part of my brain that made intelligent speech possible. “Screw it, just get me home.”
He closed the distance between us and as our bodies touched we began to Travel.
35
The Travel was smooth, instantaneous, like blinking. I opened my eyes and found that we were in a forest. The ground was light in colour, and there were large open spaces between the trees. The trees reached high overhead, and their broad leaves covered the forest floor with an undulating pattern of light and shadow.
“I live in a forest?” I shook my head. “I have changed.”
“No…” Archer smiled. “Your home is this way.”
He set off at a light stroll and soon I could make out the path he was following. Trees curved around it here and there creating archways and clumps of forest flowers grew along its borders. I could hear birds singing in the trees.
“It’s so beautiful here.” I mused.
“You have great taste,” Archer called playfully over his shoulder.
We walked for maybe five minutes, but I couldn’t be sure. I was too engrossed in my surroundings. I felt so peaceful here; calmer than I had been anywhere else on this little adventure. There was a light breeze that wafted the pleasant smells of the forest across my nose, and the temperature was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. Just right.
“It’s just up ahead. You are almost home.”
Archer's voice tugged at me gently. Home. My home. Weird. What if I didn’t like it? I’d seen a few dwellings on my Travels and, except Cosima’s, which I reluctantly loved, all of them had been very basic. I so did not want to live in a cave. That being said, what if I loved it? What if I loved it so much I didn’t want to go back to my apartment? So far this forest was a hell of a lot better than my third-floor walkup.
I had my head down, thinking about all this when I walked right into Archer. We let out tiny grunts as we collided.
“Sorry,” I said, taking a moment to casually brush phantom bits of myself from his broad shoulders.
“We are here.”
I was scared, it seemed stupid to be scared in such a peaceful place, but I was. When I made no move to walk forward, Archer took my hand and led me towards a large living archway. It was the biggest we had seen on the path and as we crossed through it felt like walking through a waterfall. I could feel it pulsing with warm, welcoming energy. We stopped just inside the archway and Archer whispered to me.
“This is home.”
It was beautiful, exactly where I had always dreamed of living. It was like someone had taken pictures of my imagination. We stood on a huge lawn, as wide as it was deep. The grass was dark green and as lush as shag carpeting. Around the edges were raised flowerbeds framed with natural stone that looked like they’d been there for centuries. Near the house, which was made from the same rough stone, was a small pond. It had a waterfall that filled the garden with a soft gurgling, and although lilypads grew on the surface, and stairs leading down into the crystal water. And then there was the house.
The house. Yes, a house! Not a cave, not a hut, a gorgeous two-story stone house with a dark tiled roof. It was built in three sections with the central part housing an immense wooden front door. On either side of the door were small stone Gargoyles, grey and worn by time they stood guard over the home. The wings of the house branched from the centre and wrapped around the edges of the garden making the whole area secluded and secure. The wing to my right was made partially of glass, creating a large greenhouse. I could see lush plants inside, some of them brushing the glass roof. In front of the other wing, bridging the ground between the pool and the house was a large patio. A cast iron lounger, matching metal chairs and a stone table completed it.
It was amazing.
“Holy crap.”
I’m so eloquent sometimes.
Archer started to laugh, and I took off for the front door. I just wanted to get there as quickly as possible and see what it was like inside. I had forgotten about the wings at my back, so when they responded to my urgency and threw me into the air, I let out a scream. I actually flew. For the first time ever, I flew. The strength in my wings was overwhelming. They broke through the air with such power and made short work of the distance between me and the front door, much shorter than I had anticipated. I was so caught up in flying that I hadn’t thought about landing, but the door helped me with that one. Once I had peeled my face from it and managed to stop laughing, I looked at the door.
Three people could easily walk through it side by side, and if one of those people were ten feet tall, they’d have no problems. It was solid wood, stained a deep brown and the surface was carved in a grid pattern. I ran my hands over it taking in the rich grain before I pushed against it. Due to its size, I thought it would be difficult to open, so I put my entire body into the thrust. The door swung easily. A quick flap of my wings kept me on my feet, and I walked inside. Archer followed, closing the door behind him.
I found myself in a large open space with a cathedral ceiling. At the back of the hall, I could see a sweeping stairway that forked right and left to the upper levels of the building. At either side of its base were large doorways leading to the wings lower levels. To my left, leaded windows stretched from floor to ceiling and opened out to the patio. It was a continuation of the outdoor perfection. Again I felt like someone had taken a picture of my brain and that perhaps I had not changed as much as everyone thought.
The walls had been plastered inside yet the floor was a continuing blanket of the stone that made up the facade of the house. The furnishings were a mishmash of modern and antique. Here and there the floor was covered with vibrant Persian rugs, a plush leather couch smattered with various cushions, spread out in front of the windows. It was kept company by an ornate wooden chair whose back and seat was covered in rich purple brocade, and two slipper chairs in light green velvet. The windows were trimmed with light blue silk that featured a repeating design, birds and vases filled with flowers, done in shades of ivory. The panels were full, and a deep pelmet sat above each window. Just looking at them I knew that if closed they would plunge this room into total darkness.
At the back of the room sat a huge stone fireplace. It was almost as tall as me and was a little wider than the front door. In front of it was another bright rug, piled with floor cushions that centred around a low table. There were other tables scattered about the edges of the room, each one had some beautiful and unusual artefact on it. I spotted a giant seashell, a chunk of rough gemstone, and on one large surface, a giant tusk.
There were so many things to see, but I was growing more tired by the second. Sensing this, Archer came up beside me and gently took my hand. With a graceful look, he led me to the stairs. My wings brushed the treads as I began to climb. We didn’t speak as we walked, side by side, up the stairs but the silence was full of understanding. Now that I had my wings, there would be so much Time for words.
My eyes were beginning to close of their own accord by the time we reached the second floor. Archer led me down a short hallway, and I didn’t catch a single detail of it. I must have nodded off for a moment because suddenly Archer was opening a door, with me in his arms. Not an easy feat with the wings but he made everything look effortle
ss. I had an impression of distance, and then he lowered me onto a soft surface. My bed. He placed me on my side and my wings folded in behind me. The light in the room diminished, I could hear him closing the drapes. I tried to look around but could manage no further than the thick wooden posts that framed the four corners of the bed. The room was almost completely dark when Archer came and sat beside me.
He looked so natural sitting there in his leather pants and platinum skin. I felt like I had always seen him there. I reached my hand out to him, and he took it. I gave it a slight tug, and he slid closer to me, laying his body alongside mine. He brushed a stray lock of hair from my face while he spoke.
“You need your rest.”
“Um hmm.” Eloquent.
“I’ll let you sleep.” He kissed me on the forehead and went to leave. I held onto his hand.
“Don’t go. Please.” He looked down at me. The same look I’d seen in my dream took hold of his face, but now I could read it. Love, tempered by the fear I would never remember it. My wings felt it too and quickly gave me a montage of him. I saw slivers of the moments we’d shared before I had been Banished, how close we had been. When the vision cleared I looked at Archer, shimmery silver tears streaked his cheeks, he knew what I had seen. I opened my arms to him, and he came to me.
We drifted off to sleep under the cover of my wings.
36
No, I didn’t sleep with him. Yes, he’s beautiful. Yes, we had an instant connection. And yes, technically, we had done it before, but in this life I barely knew him. I was also exhausted. Okay, some stuff happened, but we kept fairly PG. Cross my heart.
Archer stayed with me for the next few days and told me everything he knew about my exploits in The Void. Which wasn’t as much as I’d hoped, we’d only really met after I was bound. Maybe the wings will keep filling me in, but until then I just have to muddle through. He brought Benyst and Noiryn over, and the three of them helped me practice Travelling. We spent a lot of time preparing me for moving in and out of my former world.
Archer’s theory was that because of my ‘mortal birth’, his words, not mine, my wings could disappear to their eyes. If I chose I could fold them into my body, ready and waiting for my call, I would be visible to people and appear totally normal. We tested his theory in a few small villages. I bought some bread, milled around, and chatted about the weather. Nice, normal stuff. We deemed it a success.
It’s strange to think I’m not human anymore. Okay, I lie. It’s fucking trippy! I don’t know how I’m going to handle family dinners now; I could barely tolerate them before. That old ‘what have you been up to’ takes on an entirely new meaning when you can fly.
Archer. Well, I guess we’re dating. Sorry, that sounds really stupid. Yeah, he’s older than Time, and I have a giant set of wings, but we’re just dating. Right. I don’t know how to describe it; I just know that it’s good.
I don’t think Cosima and Ganaraj will forget me anytime soon. I did royally kick their asses even if I have no idea how I did it. Once I have a better handle on my powers, I’ll track them down. Sitting and waiting for them to attack is not really my style. And at some point, I’ll have to talk to the rest of The Guard, but at least I know Archer’s on my side.
I hope Sid comes back. I’ve decided not to be mad at him until I know the whole story. He was such a good friend, and he worked so hard to help me. I hope he comes to visit me soon.
I would never have known who I am without him.
37
I had been working on my Travelling for a week when I decided I was ready to go back to my apartment. Archer and I were lounging in front of the fire at the time. It wasn’t a big dramatic conversation. Time doesn’t apply to us, so I didn’t have to answer paranoid questions about when I’d be back, and I’d been Travelling on my own so successfully that he wasn’t worried about the journey. The only worries were my enemies.
Cosima and Ganaraj had many supporters, and they’d probably be hunting me. Fortunately, my apartment was relatively unknown, only Sid and I had ever been there, so I could go at least once on my own. I’d land with my wings retracted, which would hopefully make me harder to track and I wouldn’t bring them out while I was there. Besides, I can handle myself.
So we got up and walked out of the house to the spot in the forest, said goodbye…. a passionate goodbye… and I left.
I arrived at the exact minute that I had left. The kitchen cupboards were still open from Sid’s rifling, and there were clothes all over my bedroom floor. I picked my way through them and lay down on the bed, it wasn’t as comfortable as my big one at home, and it felt a bit weird not having Archer there. As I thought about his platinum skin an even bigger thought pushed through. I was lying on my back.
“Holy shit!”
I jumped up and ran to the bathroom mirror. Although I’d tested this out, I’d never had a chance to look at myself. I hadn’t seen myself without wings in a week.
I got to the bathroom, grabbed a hand mirror and turned so I could see my back in the large mirror above the sink. I was still wearing a jumpsuit, so my back was bare. I’d found a whole closet of them at my house, one of the few things that carried through both lives. I looked at my back and gasped.
There was nothing there, no wings, just smooth and clear skin. But I could feel them. I could feel their power pulsing just below the surface. They lay there, waiting to break through my flesh and unleash my power. I knew at a moment’s call I could take to the skies.
“Nice.”
I smiled to myself, put the mirror away, and went back to bed.
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Bounty of Ash - coming soon
the phoenix series - book two
The phone was ringing. I tried to ignore it, but it kept on going and sunlight burned through my eyelids making a return to sleep impossible. I tumbled from my bed and made my way to the living room. I pawed at the phone until it came loose from its cradle and pressed it to my face, somewhere near my mouth.
“Hello” I croaked.
“Phoenix? Sweetie, are you okay? You sound sick!”
My entire body snapped to attention. It was my mother.
“No mom, I just woke up.”
“It’s 11 AM! You just got up?”
“Mother, don’t start.” She would anyway.
“Don’t speak to me like that, Phoenix.”
“Mom, I’m sorry. I…”
I stopped cold. I could see myself in the mirror above the sofa. I had wings. Big, giant, multicoloured wings. On my sleepy march to the phone, I’d forgotten all about them.
“Whoa.” I whispered.
I reached back to touch them and there was nothing there. Panicking, I looked over o
ne shoulder and then the other like a slow-witted dog searching for its tail. There was nothing there. Nothing. No wings protruding from my back, no beautiful feathers framing me. They were only visible in my reflection. Crazy. And problematic. Going to the ladies room would definitely raise a few eyebrows.
“Phoenix? Are you listening to me?”
Right, my mother was still talking.
“Yes, mom. Sorry, mom. Could you repeat that?”
She sighed loudly.
“When can we expect you this afternoon?”
“This afternoon?”
I’d Travelled back to the exact moment in time I had left when I went on my wing finding adventure. Today was my brother’s birthday. Crap. And there was a big family dinner. Double crap. I had to get out of this.
“Well, Mom, I’m not really feeling that well.”
“Nonsense. You’re fine.” Her voice was like cold iron. My Mom definitely had some powers of her own. “You want to live a life of big city excess that’s your choice, but I’ll not have you taking that out on your brother.”
She had slipped into her big-city evils routine. Although I highly doubted my brother would miss my appearance at his, quote un-quote, party, Mom was gearing up for an epic rant and there was only one way to defuse this ticking time bomb.
“I’ll be there at 6.”
“You’ll be here at 5.”
“Yes, mother.”
“Love you sweetie.”
She hung up. I dropped the phone back in its cradle and turned to the mirror. I looked at my big winged reflection. They were huge. The multicoloured feathers gleamed in the sunlight that streamed into my apartment.
“Well this complicates things.”
Torn From Stone (The Phoenix Series Book 1) Page 18