The Phoenix Chronicles_Alone in the Light

by M. K. Williams

  The doors suddenly slid back open and Kristian jumped onto the platform and started to run in Zel’s direction. He suddenly slid to a halt in panic, as he saw three bodies lying on the platform floor in front of him. He paused and tried to take in the horror of what was there in front of him: three bodies soaked in blood. Moving quickly towards the carnage, he knelt down and turned one of the corpses towards him. The face, though stained with blood and dreadfully scared, was more than familiar.

  “Rachel! Rachel!” screamed Kristian. He looked over towards the other two bodies and realised that they too were known to him. Jean and Sam both lay face up, the injuries on their bodies as severe as Rachel’s. Kristian scrambled to see any sign of life through the wet, red veils that covered their faces.

  “Sam! Jean!” Kristian was now weeping and quivering with fear.

  In the dread and frustration he looked around him to see what might have committed such a vicious act. He then quickly became aware of the fact that he was dreaming! He began to stroke Rachel’s hair, he gazed upon her face, her trademark glasses askew and smashed, his heart pounded as her eyes opened.

  “You can’t take us with you. Don’t take us with you!” she spattered her words, her mouth and throat choked with blood. The shock rushed through Kristian as he flinched backwards.

  Opening his eyes, he scanned the space around him. The surroundings were different, no blood-soaked bodies, no train, he was now back in his sleeping quarters at the Order; back in his bed. He was sitting upright, sweat dripping from his face.

  “It was just a dream, it was just a dream,” he affirmed. As the words left his mouth, he slowly laid back into his sweat-drenched sheets and pondered on the revelations. Was it all just a dream, what did it mean? he thought. In his confusion he was unsure of what Zel’s or Rachel’s words meant, nor did he have any insight into what the cryptic poster meant. Kristian remained in his soaked sheets and spent the next couple of hours contemplating his nightmare.

  …

  - Chapter Eight -

  The Trinity

  Following several hours of fractured sleep, Kristian awoke to the sound of a mobile phone ringing. Sitting bolt upright, he wiped his eyes to try and clear them of sleep, and began to look around the room for his mobile. Listening to the ringtone and trying to determine where the noise was coming from, he scrambled for his trousers, which rested on the back of the chair at a desk. Rummaging through, he quickly found his phone in the back pocket.

  “Hello,” he answered. The male voice on the other end was loud and played heavily on his ear.

  “Are you up? Where are you? Do you know what time it is?”

  “Yeah,” Kristian replied as he moved the phone from his ear and looked at the time. It was half past eleven. Slamming himself in the head with his free hand, it suddenly dawned on him that he had overslept; badly. “Sorry, I had a bad night’s sleep.”

  “Well, this is your wake-up call! You have a busy day ahead,” the disembodied voice replied.

  “Sorry, Jonathon. Thanks for the wake-up call; I will go and find the others now.” Kristian hung up the phone and threw it onto the bed. Looking into the mirror he was shocked to see how awful he looked. His eyes were dark, his skin red and blotchy and his hair was all over the place. It didn’t take him long to get ready; within ten minutes, he was in the elevator heading down to the main corridor, often referred to as the hub. He walked from office to office, investigating all the training rooms; he was looking for the rest of the gang. He spent near on half an hour searching and was beginning to get fed up with looking.

  He had bumped into nearly half a dozen people, all of them patting him on the back and telling him how nice it was to see him again. He couldn’t be so sure that he felt the same about many of them; he hardly recognised most of them! They were the office clerks and research assistants with whom he had never really spent much time whilst in the Order. The only friendly face he happened upon was that of Karnel, the Vinji. His appearance alone was not particularly welcoming and to say he had a friendly face would be misleading. But he had been a good friend to Kristian, and what he lacked in looks, he made up for in personality.

  Kristian was glad to see the large, overpowering and yet very kind Vinji. Of all the people he liked and admired in that building, Karnel was one of the dearest. Kristian had often wondered about his past, how he had come to betray his people and how he ended up working for the Order, but as friendly as Karnel was, they were questions that Kristian had been warned never to ask.

  They stood and chatted for going on fifteen minutes, about everything from university to coffee, then Kristian thought to ask him if he had seen his companions. Asking Karnel on the off chance he had seen Sam, Jean or Rachel, the Vinji replied with a smirk, “Ah, yes, they are in the Crown.”

  Kristian could have hit himself for not thinking of looking there; of course that is where they would be! For the few months that he had spent in the Order, a lot of that time had been spent in the Crown. Leaving Karnel with a grunt and a wave for a goodbye, he leapt into a fast-paced jog and left the complex, running around the corner towards the pub, which sat directly behind headquarters.

  It was a nice little place, with envious views over the Thames, and the South Bank. Pushing through the doors, Kristian instantly spotted the team. They were sitting in the same old booth, which he remembered well.

  Of all his time in the Order, he remembered the moments spent in this place most fondly.

  They all noticed him enter and each of them raised their hands and waved him over. Sam, Jean, Rachel and Kieran all returned to their conversation as Kristian walked over and sat next to Rachel and Jean.

  “Morning guys, eaten, have we?” Kristian said as he pointed down at the empty plates on the table.

  “Yeah, breakfast as usual. Oversleep did we?” replied Kieran who sat directly opposite him.

  “A little! So what have you all been chatting about?”

  “Well, loads actually. But it’s all about the mission,” said Rachel.

  “Would you like a drink, Kristian, it’s sadly my round,” said Kieran, rising to his feet.

  “Yes please, I’ll have a cranberry juice.”

  “Okay, so is everybody else having the same?” asked Kieran, pointing at the empty glasses. Everyone said yes and Kieran made his way towards the bar. Kristian looked down at the array of glasses on the table in front of him. Two pint glasses, one wine glass and a tumbler, which he picked up and smelt.

  “Ooh, gin in the morning?” said Kristian, cringing.

  “Yeah, that’s mine!” replied Rachel, laughing.

  “I thought yours was the wine.”

  “No, that’s Kieran’s. I think he thinks it’s sophisticated!” chuckled Sam.

  “It’s never sophisticated drinking alcohol before midday!” said a smirking Kristian.

  It wasn’t long before Kieran had returned to the table with the tray of drinks. Everyone began to launch back into their conversation. They all seemed worked up, the discussion heated, each one suggesting what place to search first, how the group should split up, even how they were going to write it all up!

  Clutching his cranberry juice, Kristian downed it in one, feeling unbelievably nervous; his dream was still haunting him. The point of the dream was clear to him now; he knew he had to go to Berlin alone, but how could he break that to them? His mind began to race as he thought of how to word it, methods he could use to persuade them. He was aware that he didn’t have much time to do it; it had to be done now!

  “I’m going to Berlin alone, guys,” Kristian’s words cut through the conversation, stunning them into silence as they all turned as one towards him.

  “I beg your pardon?” asked Jean, looking surprised.

  “I’m going alone. I can’t take you. It’s hard to explain, but it’s just something that I need to do on my own.” Everyone looked shocked at Kristian’s revelation and they all shook their heads in sync.

  “You cannot just not t
ake us, Kristian. We’re not children. Sorry, but Jonathon wants us all to go, so we are all going,” said Sam, his voice unusually high.

  “Sam, you can’t come. I can’t tell you why but I have to do this. I have to do this alone,” Kristian said, his tone attempting to convey a deeper meaning to his request.

  They all looked at each other; all of them except Kieran who was trying to think of what to say that would change Kristian’s mind. Sam went to reply to Kristian but Rachel interrupted him. “Fine, we don’t need to know. I for one trust you Kristian, but a word of warning, if you go alone you will be open to even more danger than you would be with us. Oliver was alone, remember.”

  “Don’t bring him into this please. Trust me, it’ll be a lot safer if you don’t come; that’s my word of warning,” said Kristian defensively.

  “How can you say don’t bring Oliver into this? It’s about Oliver; he’s the reason we’re going in the first place. And what does Jonathon think of your plan? Huh?” Sam was shouting, angry and frustrated. “And how are you going to get there without Rachel?”

  “I was going to take a train, later on today,” Kristian replied.

  “Today?” said Rachel, Sam and Jean incredulously.

  “Kristian, just think about what you are saying,” pleaded Rachel, “at least let me take you there. I would need a few hours to prepare before I teleport you and Saranthea, but if you just give me some time, I can do it, I’ve teleported other Phoenixes before.”

  “I just don’t have the time,” replied Kristian adamantly. “I need to leave today!”

  “Look, there is no way you can leave today and by train! Come on Kristian, Jonathon will not let you go alone,” Sam’s voice was still raised.

  “I’m doing this, guys, and Jonathon will come round to the idea, especially if you are all on board,” Kristian paused as he examined all their expressions. “Please, I need you to do this for me,” Kristian was now pleading with them.

  “Okay, Kristian, but even if we all agree to come on board with your ridiculous plan, Jonathon will not,” said Jean.

  “Well, I hate to put you in this position, but I was just going to leave. I wasn’t going to tell him,” he said, avoiding eye contact with all of them.

  “What?” said a bemused Sam. “And you want us to tell him what exactly?”

  “Just leave it as late as possible, and then tell him I chose to go alone and that I knew he would stop me if I told him.”

  The three of them were looking at Kristian as if they hoped he was joking, but it was obvious that he wasn’t. There was a steady determination in his voice.

  “Look, I’m not up for this. Listen to reason, will you? You just cannot do this alone,” said Jean.

  Rachel was lost for words; Kristian thought about his next move. What else could he say? How could he win them over? Rachel had sounded like she may be able to come to terms with the idea, maybe she could say something to support him, but she just looked empty and abandoned.

  “Guys. If he wants to go it alone, we will have to let him. He may have only just returned to the Order but he’s a Phoenix, which means he outranks us all. Just relax about Jonathon, I will talk to him. I’m sure he’ll be okay in the end.” As Kieran spoke, they all turned to look at him. They had almost forgotten that he was there. This was the first time in the conversation that he had got involved; he had just been sitting there, sipping his wine.

  Sam and Jean looked at each other, then at Kristian and then shrugged their shoulders. Kieran finished his wine with one long sip, and then moved towards the bar without a word to anyone. Kristian leaned in towards the table and on his move, the other three followed.

  “Look,” Kristian spoke, “please try and understand, I’m doing this because I must. I know that you think I’m being foolish but my intentions are good. Besides, I want you three to do something really important for me. I want you to help Zhing find the Dark Phoenix.”

  These words were exactly what Rachel had wanted to hear. She had been dying to get in on that case ever since she had been to the hospital wing to visit Tanya.

  “Okay,” Rachel said without hesitation.

  “Even if we are on board, Zhing was already offered our help and she refused. She wants to do this without any outside interference,” said Jean.

  “Fine, then help her somehow from headquarters,” said Kristian, hoping that this new mission may help the team come to terms with his plan.

  Kristian continued after he momentarily glanced over his shoulder at Kieran. “Sam, you can use your gift to try and find him; Rachel and Jean you can stay in touch with Zhing and me and be ready at all times for any other operations that may arise.”

  The three of them stared at Kristian, all with bemused expressions, wondering if this was really a good course of action. Without saying a word they watched as Kristian stood. “Guys, if we’re going to pull this off, we’re going to have to get going. I know that you think this is a bad idea, but trust me, I know what I am doing. Why don’t we go our separate ways now, think about what I’m saying then meet back here at three?” As he finished his sentence, Rachel’s mobile phone started ringing.

  Reaching into her pocket she pulled it out and looked at the screen. “It’s Jonathon,” she said with a look of panic in her eyes.

  Before she could answer it, Kristian signalled ‘three’ with his fingers followed by tapping the back of his wrist where a watch would be. He then made for the bar.

  Taking up the place next to Kieran, Kristian leaned against the bar and spoke, “Thank you for that back there; you helped me a lot.”

  Kieran slowly moved his head; his eyes gazed over at him. “You can keep your thanks, Kristian. I didn’t do it for you.”

  Kristian was completely thrown by Kieran’s tone and attitude. Why was he being aggressive?

  “What’s your problem, Kieran?”

  “My problem? You can push us all away if you want, you can rush the mission through as fast as you feel you need, you can even go back to your pathetic little life when all this is over. But for you to risk your life like this is beyond reckless. When will you realise that the world doesn’t revolve around you? You make me so—” Kieran’s voice was raised, strain was showing on his face. Trying hard not to shout, Kieran turned towards the barman, “Oh, just forget it,” he then moved past Kristian, pushing into him as he went and walked out the door. The barman stood there with a glass of wine in one hand and a cranberry juice in the other, looking completely bewildered.

  “Sorry,” Kristian said to the barman as he raced after Kieran. Pushing through the doors, he saw Kieran not far ahead of him.

  “Hey!” he shouted. Kieran stopped and looked back.

  “I’m not going alone because I’m afraid of becoming too attached to everyone. I’m not pushing anyone away. I just have to go alone,” Kristian shouted down the street to the bemusement of many passers-by.

  “Why? Why do you have to go alone? Just tell me that. Why is it only your fight?” Kieran again struggled to keep his voice from shouting.

  “I can’t tell you, Kieran, I just don’t think you will understand,” his voice was lowering, he was trying to stay calm, and he hated fighting with one of the team.

  “Fine! Whatever! Just don’t expect a welcome back again,” Kieran said sounding defeated. “You’re so mysterious. In two years, you haven’t changed at all,” Kieran’s voice was now as measured as Kristian’s, but as he finished speaking, he just turned away and started walking off again. Kristian stood there, stunned by Kieran’s comments. Of all the outcomes he had expected, this wasn’t one of them. Did Kieran really feel so much anger towards him? Looking down the street, he pondered on what to do next; he thought that he should go and buy a train ticket, sort out some accommodation.

  The doors to the pub suddenly swung open and to Kristian’s surprise, there was Rachel, her face looking defeated, crumpled by emotion. She was being supported by Sam who looked equally upset, her face filled with tears. They
both looked at Kristian. What had happened whilst he had been away, he wondered. But before he could ask the question, Rachel spoke, “It’s Tanya, the girl who got attacked, she’s… it’s… she died,” her voice cracked and the tears started afresh; she whipped her nose on the back of her hand.

  “Her heart stopped,” Sam said, as he wiped away the beginnings of a tear from his eyes.

  Kristian looked stunned. He knew that there was a girl in the ward and he knew why she was there, but he had not come into contact with her himself. However, he knew that Rachel and Sam had played a big part in the girl’s rescue and completely understood their turmoil. He moved closer to Rachel, hugging her tight.

  “I’m sorry; I know you felt responsible for her,” he held his head over Rachel’s and the image of her bloody hair from the dream crept back into his mind. He pulled away sharply; to cover his reaction he quietly asked, “What is going to happen?”

  “Her heart’s stopped; Susan says she will wake up within the next twenty-four hours as a Vampire,” Sam said as a tear ran down his cheek; he then looked back and saw Jean behind him and without warning, gripped hold of the Frenchman and began to gently sob on his shoulder. Kristian shook the image of the dream out of his mind and his eyes locked with Jean’s. Both of them stared at one another and smiled half-heartedly. Both of them wondered what the other was thinking, but neither of them had a clue!

  ...

  Standing in front of the Great Library, Kristian peered down at his train ticket and hotel confirmation. Placing the pieces of paper deep into his pocket he felt the urge to hide them away from any prying eyes. Filled with a sense of anticipation mixed with fear and dread, Kristian was anxious to enter the Library again. The large magnificent doors that lay right in front of him were intimidating and did nothing to relieve his tensions. He had entered the Library before; he had passed the magical barrier that protected it. It had granted him access; it had decided he was pure of heart. But had things changed? Was he now less worthy? Pushing his emotions to one side he placed his hand onto a square gold fitting that rested on the door at chest height. The panel, which was roughly the size of a sheet of A4 paper, began to heat; pulling his hand away he watched as a shape began to appear from the fitting. A large golden ear now protruded out from the fitting. Lowering his head Kristian whispered into the ear. Instantly it vanished back into the door as the locks and cogs of the door sprang into life. Unable to see them as they lay on the inside of the door, Kristian knew the door was opening; the noise of the unlocking was louder then he remembered. Within seconds the large oak doors swung outwards as Kristian took a few steps back.