Risen (The Firebird Trilogy Book 2)

by Stephanie Harbon

  I was about to surrender again and land and give up when the heady scent of blooming flowers filled my nostrils. Persevering I was rewarded with the view of field after field of incredible purple. Feeling slightly more confident I flew onwards south, keeping a sharp eye out for the Cracked Valley; not that I knew what it looked like. I imagined it was a desert with muddy sand so dry it had cracked.

  In the end it was the smell that attracted me to the right place. The smell of dust and dry, scorched land. I followed my instincts and finally noticed a desert on the horizon, a desert formed with earth well and truly cracked.

  After a while I noticed another smell, this stronger and almost nauseating. The horrid stench of molten rock and the subsequent gasses it emitted. It smelt like what I would imagine lava to smell like, so I followed my nose.

  Landing where the smell was overpowering I immediately discovered track marks; prints in the dusty earth which were unmistakably a result of talons. I followed the marks as they led towards a massive mound of rock. The ground was unbelievably hot, wafts of toxic gas spiralled up into the atmosphere from deep cracks. I tried to hold my breath for as long as possible as I cautiously clawed my way nearer to the hill. I felt vulnerable here, the ground was such a flat deserted amplitude of nothing, I felt on display.

  The tracks stopped before I reached the looming mound of rock, descending suddenly into some sort of crater-like hole. I stared at it anxiously, really? You want me to descend down a creepy black hole which honestly looked like it housed Golem out of Lord of the Rings. Fine.

  I deliberated whether or not I should switch forms, and decided it would probably be best if I was human; I’d be smaller and easier to squeeze into tight crevasses, more sneaky too. I Changed quickly, dressing even quicker, then I carefully began to climb down into the crater.

  Below me was such impenetrable darkness that even lighting a flame wouldn’t vanquish it, so I just had to wait. Eventually my vision adapted and I found myself crawling down a very narrow vertical tunnel which stopped so abruptly I slipped. My arms grated down the sides of the passage, scraping deep cuts but I managed to stop myself before dropping into the unknown.

  My legs dangled dramatically in mid-air and I awkwardly shifted my position to get a better view of what was beneath me. Luckily I could just make out the floor; not too far away. I noticed a hot glow seething from the ground’s intricate cracks. I slipped again abruptly but this time I didn’t manage to catch myself. A rush filled my stomach as I fell, my arms scraping painfully on the rock, before I landed with an unsurprising lack of ninja-ness onto my butt. I blew out an uneasy breath at the impact.

  I glanced around in the darkness, the precarious ground my only feeble light source. The whole place seemed to go on eternally, I realised as I began exploring. The silence was piercing, my noisy footsteps echoed terrifyingly loud. There was apparently nothing here except the unbearable temperature which seemed to be increasing the further I went.

  An eerie, nervous feeling fluttered in my stomach. I was being watched.

  I began to see more light up ahead, so I walked faster towards it. As I grew closer I saw that it was a large crater in the floor, and within it bubbled hot flowing magma. I shivered despite the boiling heat and stayed clear of the hole. I kept walking and slowly discovered more broken sections in the precarious floor. Sweat was covering me thickly now; it was so hot, I knew I wouldn’t be able to last much longer down here. At first the holes were intermittent but soon they became more frequent; until finally I stumbled upon one giant lake-sized area of spitting, molten rock.

  I glanced at the cracked ground underneath me nervously; praying that it was a lot sturdier than it initially appeared.

  The heat was too much. I would have turned right back around in that instant if it wasn’t for the flicker of movement that caught my eye. It wasn’t a particularly fast or sudden movement, so I don’t really know why it caught my eye, but it did. It was near the edge of the magma, looking just like any other large rock, but I immediately noticed that part of it was rising and falling steadily. It was a creature, no doubt, and it was… sleeping?

  I swallowed anxiously but then froze as I realised what was to the left of the creature, just a little behind it; the unmistakable gold flames of Caylic Fire. I huffed inwardly. That was one thing the Elder forgot to mention, the fact that the fire was guarded by a gigantic daemon rock thing.

  I took a moment to think. If I only had one chance to get the Caylic fire, I needed to do this right the first time. What weapons did I have? Nothing physical. I had my voice. If worse came to worse I doubt I could kill it with my hands alone. Just as I was thinking this I saw another flicker of motion.

  It was one of the female candidates. I couldn’t remember her name.

  I watched from my hidden position, camouflaged by black shadow, as the girl cautiously edged nearer to the slumbering monster. I froze where I crouched, hoping to get a few tips on how to actually encase the fire without letting it touch me. She had crept past the creature and was now poised before the spiralling column of flames. Her arms were shaking as she quickly rummaged in her pocket for something; eventually withdrawing a single glass tube. She clutched it in her trembling fingers, raising it towards the fire.

  I frowned in genuine befuddlement as she lifted her hand in the fire’s direction. Surely she wasn’t going to do what I thought she was going to do. Surely she understood that Caylic fire burns everything; even those of Fire. She had to know. I bit my bottom lip as the atmosphere became increasingly tense. It abruptly dawned on me that she didn’t know. I jumped up instinctively, planning to warn her.

  I rushed over to her as silently as possible, so as not to wake the monster, but it was too late. Her skin had touched that deadly golden flame. As she did she automatically flung her arm back and the vial from her grasp; landing a couple of feet behind her.

  She screamed a horrifyingly loud wail that echoed across the rock chamber, amplifying louder as time passed; as if the sound stretched the further it travelled. I raced over to her in a hopeless attempt to help but the flames were already upon her. She shrieked and cried as the fire burnt her, splitting her flesh and cooking the boiling blood in her veins. Her whole body thrashed wildly as she struggled in agony, but then she tripped and perilously stumbled backwards into the bubbling lava lake behind her.

  Her screams subsided and I knew she was dead. Astonished, my feet seemed to be planted permanently into the rock underneath me.

  Then I watched, even more shocked as Louree appeared, as if from nowhere, and snatched the glass vial that had been the girls. Inside it was a dying flicker of fire which he quickly sealed off with an inflammable lid. I couldn’t believe it. He’d been right next to her and yet rather than warn her he’d waited for her to die and then stolen her vial!

  I barely had time to think about this before I realised that the creature had awoken. I glanced over to it in horror and my heart pounded.

  The creature was a lot larger than I’d imagined. Its body was long and lizard-like with a powerful spiked tail. It had six armoured legs, its belly dragged near to the ground and its gigantic clawed feet. It had no wings, but sharp triangular spines stuck up in a line from the back of its neck to its barbed tail. It looked halfway between a stegosaurus and a Chinese dragon.

  My actions were instinctive, I opened my mouth and uttered soothing words with my powerful voice.

  I panicked internally as it came over, slowly, merely interested. Its head was the size of my torso, covered in shards of black plating; more armour. Its mouth was closed but I could easily imagine finger-sized teeth. Its eyes were small and green, staring straight at me with an absorbed fascination. I could feel the intense pressure; if this went wrong then it’d be over very quickly.

  With deliberate slow motions, I raised my arm to retrieve the mysterious glass vial around my neck. If it just held still, if I just kept it occupied with my gift, then I might just be able to retrieve some of the Caylic fire. Iden
tifying the vial’s familiar shape with my fingers, I brought it upwards on its cord, subsequently closer to the creature as it began to open its mouth. My voice still flowing fluidly, I tried to be calm as I struggled to pull the top off the glass tube. Its mouth opened wide, I could see right the way into the back of its salivating throat. I could see some of the jaw muscles contracting.

  Then suddenly Louree shouted. As he did the beast snapped out if its trance and growled a warning so rough it was like it was coughing.

  “I’ll be going then,” Louree said with a mean grin, and started running.

  What an absolute dick.

  The beast roared, turning to me. Frightened I stumbled upright as it snapped its jaws, sprinting as fast as I could after Louree. I dived forwards like lightning, but I was no way near fast enough to outrun it.

  I tried to focus on the instinctual burning along my spine, concentrating it to begin the Change. In a split-second I was in bird form, darting frantically between the stone pillars that supported the roof. Louree was ahead of me, in bird form also, but the creature was fast. The ceiling was so low the beast could easily reach to tear my wings in half with its teeth.

  Beating my wings as fast as my racing heart, I could hear the beast’s legs rapidly clawing the ground. It was catching up. I heard it’s growling roars. Louree was no longer in front of me; he was just to my right as we tried to fly out of reach of the pillars and the pools of boiling rock. There was a particularly large pillar ahead and I swerved to avoid it but as I did, so did Louree and our paths crossed as we collided into each other. The beast took this to its advantage as it leapt at us both.

  Louree kicked out at me with his sharpened talons, and I was forced backwards through the air. This moved us both out of the way as the beast pounced, but unfortunately this made the situation even worse.

  As the beast collided with the stone pillar an almighty boom exploded. Fragments of rock everywhere. I shielded my wing across most of my body but the impact was astonishing and I was thrown to the ground painfully. Squawking a gasp, I saw the vaulting above crack as the pillar gave way. As the ceiling began to fall, large bits of the rock smashed into the ground, shattering the cracked earth to reveal bubbling, red-hot magma underneath. I struggled up, screaming, but a heavy rock pinned my wing.

  Panicking as the original pillar fell, I pulled harder against the rock that trapped me. I saw the monster screech as the pillar landed on it, but its impenetrable armouring didn’t dent and he tossed it to the side with ease; to the side where I lay pinned. The ground lifted up underneath me as the ground split. Fortunately in that instant Louree flew over, kicking the stone off my wing before leaping out of the way of the cascading ceiling.

  Come on, he snarled, seemingly irritated by his own actions.

  Freed, I struggled into the air, my limbs only just lifting me.

  The ground was breaking up underneath me, the lava spilling everywhere. The stone fell in vast quantities from above, landing in the molten rock and spurting boiling matter dangerously close. Now I was flying for my life, trying not to get hit from above or sprayed from below. I’d totally lost sight of Louree. I barely heard the beast’s diminishing screams.

  Flying faster, I managed to dodge a spring of white-hot lava, but in doing this I moved into the path of a falling piece of blackened rock. I lost my balance momentarily, but luckily caught it just before tumbling into the scalding lake. Then, like a miracle, I saw an opening in the ceiling not too far away. I could even see the dark grey tufts of clouds.

  I darted between the hazards, frequently getting hit, but in my fear I somehow managed to find my way to the opening. Shrieking as searing droplets splashed me, singeing my feathers, I finally reached open air.

  I flew as far away as I could with my aching wing, far enough I so that I knew the ground wouldn’t give way beneath me.

  I ended up landing messily in one of the fields of Tamoon flower.

  I returned to human form, taking my time so that the aching of my adaptable cells didn’t seem quite as substantial while I painstakingly transformed… again. I opened my eyes, seeing in the sky a Phoenix of amazing flame-red. I felt unbelievably grouchy, well at least he’s alright.

  I lay back in the flowers, feeling hopeless and exposed. How would I get back now? With a damaged wing and dubious directions. To be fair was there any point in trying to get back? It was over already; I’d lost.

  It was a cold windy day today. Matted clouds darkened the sky as they rolled over, casting the world in a dreary darkness, washing out most of the colour. Even the purple flowers had lost their beautiful shadings. I lowered my head down onto my arm, closing my eyes.

  Lying down in the flowers, I heard a familiar cry. Looking up I saw Kieran in his mighty bird form swoop down and land gracefully beside me. I watched curiously as he changed back into human form, then slowly made his way over to me. It should have occurred to me that I shouldn’t be seeing Kieran entirely naked, or for him to see me undressed, but I wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed because I knew that this was only a dream. Still, one could admire my imagination… Kieran was very beautiful in the buff; more stunning than any sculpture chiselled by Michelangelo.

  “I’m so sorry, Kieran.” I said pathetically. “I messed up my task. There’s no way I’ll get on the Council now.”

  I heard him take a deep breath, leaning closer. “Don’t apologise to me yet, I know somewhere you can get Caylic Fire.” His voice was reassuring, and his lips were so close to me I felt his breath kissing my skin.

  “Where?” I wondered doubtfully.

  “I’ll show you,” he smiled softly, his thumb touching a sensitive spot just underneath my ear lobe, his fingers stroking the nape of my neck, sending tingling sensations shooting straight down my spine; igniting an inexplicable energy.

  “Kieran, you shouldn’t be touching me like this.” I uttered unsteadily, my voice was shaking as he moved his hand tantalisingly down my neck, sweeping it over my collarbones and grasping my shoulder firmly, forcing me to twist over onto my side.

  “Why not? It’s only a dream isn’t it?”

  His hand continued further along my bare back, tracing his fingers seductively down the narrow trench where my spine ran. I shuddered, feeling the tingling increase to burning, a vaguely familiar smouldering that’d been buried for a long time. Kieran’s exploring hands triggered something within me, something that was simmering with transcendent complexities; something waiting to be unleashed.

  “I know you can spark Caylic fire,” he whispered, bringing his arm back up my naked back, his fingers digging lightly into my skin. “You’ve done it before when you were unconscious. Why not now?”

  I gasped shortly, “Kieran…”

  “I’ve seen you do it when you were barely alive,” he continued, lowering his face into the dip of my shoulder, pressing his lips hotly to the flesh of my neck. “So why not now?”

  “And how is this helping?” I said bewilderedly, as his hot breath tickled my throat and his kisses became deliciously rougher and more deliberate.

  “This time,” he whispered, “I’m giving you a spark of motivation.” With that he sunk his teeth into my neck, biting hard.

  My body instantly exploded into life.

  I felt strangely hot, my skin was sweating like crazy. There was a strange humming sound enveloping my senses. I moaned as I struggled to get up, my face half buried in flowers, and I smelt something horrid. My eyes shot open as I recognised the scent of burning flowers. I looked up and screamed. The entire field was alight with blazing golden flames.

  Flames that were heading straight towards me.

  Chapter Nineteen

  As the flames danced around me, their lethal strands intertwined with the stems of dying flowers. The fire was beautiful; it waved like strips of golden silk caught up in a rough wind. As lovely as it was; I knew if it touched me I would die. With that in mind I grabbed hold of the fragile glass tube that still hung around my neck and carefully l
eapt forward; snatching a piece of dry twig that was just catching fire a metre away.

  Without hesitation the flames began engulfing the flammable material, so I quickly broke the twig in half so it would fit in the vial. The flames nearly touched me as I secured the lid on. Meanwhile the fire was relentlessly fighting closer. I had seconds before it’d be on me.

  So immediately I Changed, a painful and unforgiving event, and sprung into the air just as the flames licked the ground I was previously stood on.

  I raced east as fast as I could; each beat of my wing like the tick of a clock. The sky was growing lighter by the minute, stars shining brighter in the heavens and this only meant one thing; time was running out.

  Perhaps the other candidates couldn’t get any Caylic fire; especially after the largest underground passage was flooded with lava. I might still have a chance of making it into the final. If only I could get there in time.

  I pushed my body more than I ever had before, but my mind was elsewhere. That dream was recurring in the base of my skull constantly, I couldn’t understand it. The whole thing felt so impossibly real. I felt Kieran’s presence as if he were truly there in reality, that the dream was reality. His voice felt too accurate; not an impersonation formulated by my unconscious mind but the real thing spoken directly by him to me. Was that possible? Had I really been talking to him? No, you’re being crazy Ruby. That would imply that Kieran and I are mentally connected through dreams. Or something.

  And was it truly me who sparked that Caylic fire?

  The hours were passing swiftly by; I never slowed. When I eventually discovered a familiar mountain range I knew I was about an hour’s flight from the city. I stretched my vision far into the distance, where the horizon was slowly lightening.