The Phoenix Chronicles_Alone in the Light

by M. K. Williams

  “So what exactly is the point of this meeting then? I hope it doesn’t last too long, I want to go and visit Kristian,” Kieran said, more to himself than to his master.

  “Susan does not want visitors down there at the moment; he is stable, but remains critical. And this meeting will last as long as it takes,” Andrew replied.

  Kieran was taken aback by Andrew’s stern tone; he had rarely heard him snap like that. They arrived at Jonathon’s door and Andrew knocked loudly, it was immediately opened. Jonathon stood, beckoning them in whilst he continued talking on his phone. “Yes, yes I said unlimited, Kara. No, I will get Andrew to sort it out when he gets there. Okay. Okay then, yes. Bye,” Jonathon flicked his phone cover shut and placed it on the desk then quickly burst into speech.

  “Hello. I’m sorry to arrange this meeting at such short notice but time is not our ally,” he raised his eyebrows.

  “Is this about Kristian?” Kieran asked.

  “No, it’s about Oliver’s funeral,” Jonathon replied.

  “Funeral? Surely his family have buried him by now? You released the body weeks ago!” Andrew exclaimed gently.

  Sadness filled Jonathon as he leant against his desk and looked at the pair.

  “Yes, they did, but his family are poor and the funeral was paid for by the state. He was cremated and the funeral was condensed into a small ceremony at his mother’s home. Not fitting, you know. A lot of his family could not make it as they are all spread out over the US and his mother had trouble contacting them,” Jonathon’s speech was rapid, as though the pace could hide the shame he felt.

  “What?” Kieran asked abruptly, he was disgusted at the thought of Oliver being memorialised in such a way.

  “I have been very busy, Kieran, the Jakyll and the Dark Phoenix have taxed me to the limit. Once his body was released, it slipped my mind.” Jonathon felt ashamed to say it, but it was true, other things had taken precedence and Oliver had sunk to the bottom of his thoughts.

  “Slipped your mind?” said Kieran, struggling to conceal his disgust.

  Andrew gave Kieran a wary look and in his mind, Kieran heard the words “Know your place.”

  “I have spoken to his mother today and I promised her a remembrance service, and a plot in their local cemetery, with a headstone, befitting a Phoenix, all paid for by the Order. We shall also pay for all his family and friends to be there.”

  “Don’t the Phoenix have rules about how to commemorate and bury their dead?” Kieran asked.

  Jonathon nodded, “Yes they do, but they waive the ritual if the host requests that their family take care of the funeral.”

  Kieran was amused by Jonathon’s response. So do Yi-Mao and Brendan know that he was cremated? Do they know what happened?”

  “No, no they don’t, but I shall explain when they return,” Jonathon said with apprehension, the thought of Yi-Mao’s response obviously worrying him.

  “Okay, so I assume you want me to go to Alabama and see to the arrangements?” Andrew interjected.

  “Yes please, if you would. I think she wants to have it in their local church, she knows what she wants so if you could just help her, look after the financial side. And if you could both be at the service as well, I would like his family to know that we care,” Jonathon asked.

  “Are we to leave today?” Andrew enquired.

  “Both of us?” said Kieran.

  “Yes, today and yes, both of you,” Jonathon replied. He was starting to get slightly agitated with Kieran’s blatant attitude.

  Kieran was more than annoyed, he was outraged to hear of the Order’s treatment of Oliver and his family following his death but now his concerns were for Kristian, who was still in the Andromeda-Aceso medical centre.

  “We shall leave at five o’clock, our time. Oh, what about Adriana? Should we take her?” asked Andrew.

  Jonathon’s expression changed. He had forgotten about Adriana as well. He had kept her in the dark about Oliver’s death thus far, but now it seemed to him that she should be told. His second thought told him that she was on a very important mission in Spain and should not be distracted.

  “No, I still do not want to tell her. Not yet anyway,” Jonathon said, sounding unsure of his decision.

  Kieran could not believe his ears, he knew that she had been kept out of the loop but this all now seemed just heartless; he could not have imagined Jonathon would treat anyone this way.

  “Is that all?” Kieran’s voice was bitter and sulky.

  “Yes,” replied Jonathon “Are you sure you will be okay with this, Andrew?”

  “Yes. How is this being paid for, may I ask?” Andrew said, his disappointment in the actions of the Order well hidden.

  “Credit it all to the New York office and I shall sort it out later,” Jonathon replied.

  Andrew bowed and made his way out of the door, his hand holding firmly onto Kieran’s arm, pulling him along. As the pair exited the room, Jonathon picked up his phone again and sat back in his chair.

  Outside in the corridor, Kieran shoved Andrew’s hand off his arm and moved to storm away from the old wizard.

  “How dare you! Don’t you move,” Andrew bellowed, his voice filling the corridor. Kieran had never heard him sound so angry. He froze on the spot and twisted back to face him.

  “As a member of the Trinity, a certain amount of decorum is expected of you, demanded of you. And your attitude in that office and out here is unacceptable.”

  Kieran glanced around him; a few people in the corridor had stopped to witness the altercation.

  “Look, I’m sorry, okay?” said Kieran, eyeing the onlookers, before continuing in a whisper, “But this is a joke.”

  “A joke?” Andrew seethed. “You think that remembering a fallen comrade is a joke?”

  Kieran moved closer to his mentor, “No, that’s not what I mean and you know it. The joke is that this task should never have been set. If he had done his job and paid tribute to a fallen Phoenix befittingly, we could be focusing on more important things right now, like the Jakyll and Kristian. Oh and let’s not forget Leceth. Or has everybody forgotten about that little problem as well?” His voice got louder and his face redder with each syllable that passed his lips.

  Andrew looked around at the curious onlookers who were gathering in small crowds; he turned to them and spoke calmly and patronisingly, “Don’t you people have work to do?” On hearing his words, the crowds all departed and shuffled off back to their posts.

  “Follow me,” Andrew ordered Kieran, pointing in the direction of his office. They walked down the corridor to the room, which was barely used, and upon entering, Andrew directed Kieran to a chair.

  “You agree with me, don’t you? How can you not?”

  Andrew closed the door and turned to face Kieran. If he did agree with him, it wasn’t shown on his face. Kieran now lowered himself into the chair.

  “Whether I agree or not, that’s not the point. You need to learn your place. Jonathon is the Director of this entire Order, and believe me, he did not gain that position in a lottery, he earned it. So, he deserves our respect, and you will give it to him,” Andrew said as he too lowered himself into one of the chairs; he then smirked mischievously at Kieran, “and yes, I do agree with you.”

  Kieran tried hard but couldn’t help but smile back. It was strange for Andrew to get so passionate over anything except magic. It was at this moment that Kieran did not only respect his master as the wisest in the Order, but respected his unfaltering loyalty too.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful. It’s just that Kristian is lying downstairs and I’d like to be at his side.”

  “Oh, you will, in time. Don’t worry about that. Our little trip won’t last more than a few days and believe me when I say that our friend isn’t going anywhere.”

  “It’s not that I mind going. I’d like to go really, to the service I mean. It will be nice for members of the Order to be there, but I really think that one of the Phoen
ixes should go. And in particular, I can’t help but think Adriana should be there, or at least told and given the chance to go. This whole thing about not telling her because it would put her in danger on her mission just doesn’t sit well with me.” Kieran had lowered his voice dramatically and seemed embarrassed, as though he had realised how childish he had been in front of his mentor and the Order’s President! “I can’t believe that Adriana still doesn’t know. Surely her Phoenix must have sensed that something is wrong? I really think we should take her. I don’t care what she is doing in Spain. It’s just wrong that she doesn’t know.”

  “I agree,” nodded Andrew. “If her Phoenix has sensed anything, Adriana might have mistaken it for worry; she knew he was on a mission. We can’t know or guess at what she might have sensed. All I know is that she hasn’t been in contact with Headquarters, so she can’t be too worried. It’s very troubling I know.” At this Andrew gazed up into the air and was silent for a few moments as though contemplating his next move. “We will take her.”

  “Huh?” Kieran stuttered.

  “Jonathon is our leader and his orders are always very clear. I’m pretty sure he said that he didn’t want to tell her, so I will tell her for him!” he smiled from ear to ear at his own audaciousness, to which Kieran beamed back.

  Andrew picked up the phone on his desk and gave it a bemused look. “Hmm, modern technology is not my forte!”

  “Here let me,” Kieran took the phone from him, “it’s the new model, isn’t it? Who do you want to call?”

  “Pauline, I want to ask her if she would be so kind as to pack a few things for me.”

  Kieran tapped the screen and opened Andrew’s phone. It was barely five minutes before the call was over and the two men were discussing the finer details of their task.

  …

  It was three days ago that the Jakyll had been captured; three days ago that Kristian had been so devastatingly wounded. A lot had happened in the last three days, Kieran told himself. He was now in Alabama, in a car on the way to a cemetery. He sat in the back of a large black limousine with two companions. Andrew, the long-in-years and powerful wizard, sat opposite him; on his lap rested a small, old and fragile spellbook. Sitting next to Kieran was Adriana, a Phoenix Host. A dark dress elegantly hung off her shoulders. Her dark hair complemented her eyes and skin. She was in her early twenties and was naturally beautiful. The only make-up on her face was a little mascara and some light foundation.

  Her hair was long and stretched past her shoulders, falling on her chest. She had a single parting, forming a fringe that just covered her left eye. Underneath the shiny locks, her eyes were filled with tears. Gently wiping them every few minutes, she prevented them from running down her face.

  Kieran compassionately placed his hand on top of hers, which rested on her folded legs. The soft touch forced her to turn and face him.

  “You okay?” Kieran asked, knowing it was a stupid question, but he struggled to think of anything else that he could say.

  She smiled half-heartedly and as she spoke, her Spanish accent was evident and strong. “I am okay, thank you. The service was beautiful, wasn’t it?” She had liked it; it was fitting, not too eccentric or mundane. It was almost perfect. The almost part being that it was for a man who had died in the prime of his life, a long time before he should have; for a man that Adriana had once loved with all her heart.

  The car stopped with a jerk, which caused Andrew’s book to close. “Oh, I guess we are here,” Andrew said, placing the book down on the empty seat next to him.

  Kieran opened the door and was the first to step out; he then helped Adriana who was followed by a slightly unsteady Andrew. The three stood in front of a huge cemetery, with no boundaries for miles. A large red-brick house was the only building to be seen. A long row of cars filled the space outside, most of them hired limousines. Andrew looked at the many vehicles and wondered just how much this was going to cost, then privately chuckled to himself as he realised he didn’t care about such trivial things.

  Kieran smiled as he saw Andrew secretly smile to himself, he wondered what was funny; his eccentric mentor was always a breath of fresh air, always preferring the happier emotions in life to the sad ones, even in times of sorrow.

  The three walked along the long narrow path that stretched around the building; they did not know where they were going, they just followed the crowd ahead of them. Nearly a hundred people were walking in single file along the same tiny path, until after ten minutes of walking, they reached Oliver’s final resting place.

  The crowd spread out, looking at the empty patch of grass. It seemed so bare. A single red flower stretched out in the sea of green. Andrew whispered into the two ears, “This is his patch. The headstone is arriving on Tuesday, it really is beautiful and befitting of Oliver.”

  The memorial service had been conducted earlier that day and now everyone stood with his or her own thoughts; their memories of Oliver were no doubt playing in their minds as Oliver’s mother began to scatter his ashes onto the grass. After she had said a few moving words about how Oliver had always looked after his sister and his friends, she knelt down and poured the remainder of the ashes onto the ground.

  Adriana could not help but notice how the wind stole more than half of his ashes and took them high up into the sky. She knew that this was Oliver’s way of escaping Alabama. He had once told her that his joining with Ethalon allowed him to see the world and get away from the banality of Alabama life, which he hated. Quickly bringing a tissue to her face, she was a little slow as a tear escaped her eyes and trickled down her face, creating a tiny crater in the foundation she was wearing.

  As the ceremony finished, the sun was beginning to head towards the horizon. People drifted away until very soon, Adriana found herself almost alone watching the wind take Oliver away forever; she could not bring herself to leave.

  Andrew had, some time ago, retired back to the car with his book. Still standing at the grave was the grieving mother, clearing up the overgrowth and shrubs around the outer rim of the patch. Adriana and Kieran stood quietly behind her, watching her with concern.

  “Adriana, it’s getting late. We should leave soon,” Kieran said as he watched Oliver’s mother.

  “No, I’m fine. You don’t have to stay, go back to the car if you like,” she replied not looking at the wizard.

  “No, I’ll stay with you,” Kieran automatically replied.

  “To be honest, Kieran, I would rather be alone. Sorry, I just want to say a final goodbye,” she now looked at him and although he wondered just how alone she would be with Oliver’s mother still there, he decided to respect her wishes and he left her side and headed back to the car.

  After a minute or so of being alone with her, Oliver’s mother looked up and glanced over to Adriana.

  “Oh, you still here, my dear?” Her deep southern accent was familiar to Adriana, she could hear Oliver in her words and found it comforting.

  “Sorry, did you want to be alone?” Adriana asked.

  “Oh no, no, not at all. Did you know my boy well?” she asked, staring unwaveringly at the patch of grass where Oliver’s ashes had been scattered.

  Adriana had never thought of Oliver as a boy and she had not known him that long, two years, but it had felt much longer.

  “Two years,” she answered. The way she spoke these words communicated effectively how she felt about Oliver.

  “Are you from the Order? Was he… happy there?” said Oliver’s mother, moving closer to Adriana.

  Adriana considered the question and thought of how to answer before she spoke. “Happy? Well, there was a time when he was. I wouldn’t like to presume anything but if he was anything like me, which I think he was, he would have had the best and worst of times at the Order.” She was sure she knew Oliver better than anyone but did not want to upset the old lady, or take anything from her, any of the memories she may have had, real or otherwise.

  “Do you have one of them creatu
res in you as well?”

  “Yes, I am a Phoenix. I’ve been in the Order a little longer than Oliver though. I remember the day I met him, even then, he was so brave and somehow he just got braver.” She could not help but smile at the memory of him.

  “So, you did know him well then?” As Oliver’s mum asked the question, her eyes welled up. It hurt her to think that this strange woman who now stood in front of her knew her son in a more intimate way than she ever could, the brave warrior Phoenix part. It hurt her to know it but in a strange way, she was also relieved that her son, her beloved son, had made something of himself. She was so proud of him, but despite the constant pride she felt she couldn’t recall an occasion when she had ever told him that.

  “There was a time when we were close,” Adriana replied almost in a whisper. A large smile crossed the woman’s face, as she understood what she had just heard.

  “Did you date him?” she looked up as she imagined her son courting such a beautiful woman.

  “Yes. Last year,” Adriana’s tone saddened and she looked down.

  “Oh,” replied the lady, “I see,” she began throwing weeds and mud into a carrier bag.

  “Would you like some help?” Adriana asked sincerely.

  The woman looked at Adriana thoughtfully. She did not really want any help, she did not need it, but she could see in the girl’s eyes that Adriana needed it.

  “Yes please, honey. That would be great.”

  Adriana quickly moved down to her knees and began to pull weeds out of the grass. Oliver’s mother pointed towards the deep red flower in the middle of Oliver’s patch and spoke. “Lovely colour, isn’t it?”

  Adriana stared for a few seconds taking in the crimson redness of the flower. It was strangely familiar to her.

  “Yes, it is,” Adriana said, “it’s just right.”

  …

  Kieran swung open the door and hopped into the car. Andrew peered over his book and smiled, “Where’s Adriana?” he asked.

  “She wanted a moment alone,” Kieran’s face was sadder than it had been all day.