by J. B. North
“Is there?” I asked, eyebrows raised.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. If I were you, I would put it off as long as possible. Aren’t you afraid of death?”
My scar felt prickly as I became aware of it. Death is inevitable. “What’s there to fear?”
She leaned against her dresser. “Pain, of course.”
I nodded. “I don’t look forward to that. But Cecile, how much longer do you think I have?”
She looked back at the stone. “For what?”
“For death, for war? I might as well get going now before any of it hits,” I said.
She pursed her lips. “I don’t want to be the one responsible for the ruin of the kingdoms. If you think that it’s best to leave now, then go ahead and leave. Just take that thing with you,” she said, nodding at the pendant. “Throw it into a dark cave or something. Somewhere miles from here.”
“How do I get out of here? There are bars on the windows and guards around every corner.”
“Not a problem,” she said. “I have an escape route.” She walked to her window and pushed aside the curtains. “Most windows don’t have this.” She opened the window to expose the bars, but unlike mine, hers had a latch and hinges. A padlock was hooked through the bars to prevent people on the outside from opening it. Cecile pulled back the curtain a little more to expose a key hung on a nail that had been hammered to the wall.
“Hurry,” she said as she handed me the key.
I disabled the lock and let the grate swing open. It made no sound.
“Are you sure you’re not going to come back?” she asked.
“I don’t think I have a choice,” I answered.
She tilted her head to the side. “Don’t you ever question the prophecy or the last phoenix? We don’t know for sure if you’ll die from the plant.”
“But there’s a chance. Besides, I’d rather have it behind me.”
She sighed and then took me by surprise when she placed a hand on my shoulder. “Go. Defeat the dragon. Just know that there’s a warrior here who will fight with you if the time comes.”
I smiled. “Thank you.”
She watched as I turned and transformed into the phoenix. It was a tight fit through the window grate, but soon, I was out in the open air, speeding away with the phantom stone gripped in my talon. I kept waiting for an alarm to sound, but there was no shout or roar or any indication that anyone had noticed my departure.
That’s good. One less obstacle to worry about.
I headed east, toward the one place I suspected the dragon to reside.
I remembered the man that protected his small village on the coast from natives. He’d said he’d seen a shadow fall over the forest years ago. And I still remembered the time when my feet hit the sandy shore only to collapse under me as a roar sounded in my head.
The dragon was somewhere on the Isle of Ginsey. I was sure of it.
-Chapter Twenty-four-
Onwin was a large country, and certainly a daunting one. There were guard towers and flight brigades everywhere. The fact that I intended to get to the Isle of Ginsey through Pira made the trek through Onwin even longer, but I’d rather a longer trek through Onwin, where I was a friend to the king, than having to go through Ginsey.
It took me two days to get to the wall of Pira, the country where I intended to drop off the pendant. During the journey, I could sometimes feel the pendant grow hotter. I assumed it was because Niko was trying to get through to me, so I would quicken my speed, hoping that in his spirit form, he wouldn’t be able to keep up with me. It was probably a stupid concept, but nevertheless, I saw no sign of him. In the back of my mind, I knew that didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t watching. He could be recording my every move and reporting my position to his king.
As the wall drew closer, it seemed that the prairie grass was growing thinner. From up above, the land beyond the wall appeared brown and desolate with not a drop of water in sight. With my enhanced eyesight, I could see that the men manning the wall were hot and sweating, some even daring to strip away some of their armor.
I knew it would be impossible to keep from being seen. In fact, I knew that they probably had already spotted me in the cloudless sky. To keep from being shot at with arrows, I knew my only option would be to climb as high in the sky as possible. I hefted myself upward, gaining altitude, never letting my eyes rest as I watched the men scrambling on the wall once they sensed my plan. I climbed and climbed until the air was deathly cold and so thin that it choked my breathing. Even with my keen eyesight, I could barely see the guards below.
Once I was sure that I had gone far enough past them, I angled myself downward into a dive, my lungs aching for a breath of fresh air.
I had no doubt that they would send a flight brigade after me, so there was no time to stop. I flew quickly, guided on by the wind at my back that was no doubt pushing the others faster as well.
After a few minutes of mindless flying, I noticed something on the surface. There was no water to be found, but down below, in the cracked earth, there were strange shaped green plants. At first glance, they looked like people in bizarre green clothing, holding their arms up in surrender, but when I flew a little lower, I could see that some were misshapen or surrounded by dry, dead bramble patches. A few even had blossoms on them.
After flying past hundreds of those peculiar plants, something peaked over the horizon, something that I at first thought was an odd shaped city. Then, as I got closer and closer, the shapes began to look more like blocks. Plateaus.
It took longer than I thought to pass over the first one, but after it dropped off, I noticed something on the lower ground. Rows of white tents, printed with the red snake of Pira, hundreds of armed people walking between them. The queen’s soldiers.
Heart pounding, I hurried to gain altitude once again, keeping my eye out for anyone who noticed me and hoping that they would think me one of their own.
They didn’t.
All at once, I heard shouting and from the largest tent, a flag flying high above it, a woman stepped out.
Immediately, I felt the feathers on the back of my neck stand up. I didn’t get a very good look at her, but she was thin with raven-black hair whipping in the wind. Even in the heat, she wore a pelt of some kind wrapped around her otherwise sleeveless shoulders. She held a black spear in one hand, and raised it to the wind as I watched.
My flight faltered, and I had to strain to pick up speed. She was trying to ground me with magic.
I kept the memory of my parents in my mind and pushed onward. It was then that I heard a scream sound from below. With one glance backward, I saw the woman’s spear coming toward me, but she had missed by a long shot. She now stood weaponless, glaring up at me as I got farther and farther away.
Heart pounding, I continued on. The sun was getting low and my mind and body were growing weary. Plateau after plateau passed before I came to a deep canyon, where the river had worn itself down almost a mile of solid rock. It was the first sign of water I’d seen since Onwin.
I swooped lower, keeping an eye out for any enemies that might be clinging to the sides of the cliffs. Birds flitted from cliff face to cliff face, but I could only hope that none of them were shifters. Grass crowded the bank, the water roaring through the ravine and pulling some of the greenery down into its swift current.
I dropped down until I was only a few feet from the water and opened my claw. The pendant slipped from my grasp. I watched as the water swept it downstream.
Just watching it go, I felt as if a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I flapped back up to the side of the cliff and landed on a ledge, digging my claws into the cracks to keep from falling into the river. Just having the moment to rest my wings felt wonderful. A little bit of my energy started to return.
Then, just when I was ready to take off again, agonizing pain ripped across my back. Taken by surprise, I lost my grip on the side of the cliff, and fell into the rushing water. The current drag
ged me down and tossed me against the rocks.
The last thing I remembered was pain splitting the side of my head, and then I was out.
* * * * *
When I woke up, there was a steady roar. I cracked open my eyes, scared at what I would find, but it was only a waterfall in the distance. I pushed myself up with my wings in the shallow pool I’d been pushed up into. The water was pink with blood, but there wasn’t a scratch on me…besides the new scar that tingled on my back.
I shifted into first form and coughed water out of my lungs. Once I was able to take a steady breath, I studied my surroundings.
Gone was the constant orange of the desert, replaced instead with grays, greens, and browns of woodland. I wasn’t sure where the river had taken me, but it had to be either southern Ginsey or northern Pira. I’d rather the latter than the first.
I reached around and traced the veins of scars that now lined my back, another reminder that I might not have much longer.
Before getting to my feet, I took in a few deep breaths and scanned the woods for anything suspicious, anything that scented my blood or my fear. From what I could tell, nothing hid in the shadows.
I took in a deep, rattled breath and closed my eyes, trying to regain my energy so I could continue the journey. I had no idea where I was right now, but I only hoped that I would still be able to find my way to the Isle of Ginsey. I opened my eyes and looked up at the sun which had sunken low behind the trees. That was west, which meant that the Isle of Ginsey would be somewhere behind me.
I changed into the phoenix and took off, circling back around until I was pointed away from the sun. The new development of the scar made flying uncomfortable. Each flap of my wings made the skin across my back feel too tight. I narrowed my eyes and pressed on stubbornly.
Just before the sun set, I studied my surroundings. Off to the right, I could see the greenery becoming sparser. That was the direction of the desert. To my left, the land rippled up into mountains. I didn’t think I was in Ginsey yet, but if I went that direction, it wouldn’t be long before I was. Kurt was probably just two days flight away, and yet, there was nothing I could do for him.
What if I join their side after I defeat the dragon? Kurt would be safe… I banished the thought. That was exactly what they wanted, and I knew that Kurt himself wouldn’t want me to make that decision. I forced my mind to come back to the mission at hand. I just hoped that I was going the right direction.
* * * * *
I flew until I hit the coast, but I’d apparently been pointed in a slightly wrong direction. Though the days here were colder than they were in the desert, I still expected the island to be further north, so I angled my body toward the left, the tips of my wings cutting through the air as I shifted course.
The rain hadn’t started to fall yet, but I expected it to soon. I almost hoped it would just to cool my stinging back. Nevertheless, it held off. For miles, I saw nothing but darkness below me, but then in the distance, I saw light filtering through a thick layer of fog. I headed in that direction, ever conscious of my exhaustion. I descended into the fog slowly, avoiding a few branches before finally landing on the sandy shore on the side of the mainland.
As soon as my talons touched the ground, I shifted into first form and walked toward the lake. My throat was parched and my scar ached for the cool water. I waded in until it was up to my waist, and then dove. Underwater, I could hear my thundering heartbeat in my ears. I listened as it slowed considerably in only a few seconds. I came back up for air after about a minute, shivering with cold.
I waded onto solid ground and focused my energy on drying off. The water steamed from my body, joining the fog around me. I laid down on the sand and looked up, breathing in a sigh. I closed my eyes and let the sounds of the forest lull me to sleep.
-Chapter Twenty-five-
The next day, I woke up to intense hunger pangs. I sat up and noticed immediately that any soreness I had felt the day before had since disappeared. Thank goodness.
The fog had already diminished a bit, and the sun was much higher in the sky than I had anticipated. I pushed myself to my feet.
I doubted that the woods on this side of the lake would have anything to catch and eat, as choked as they were by fog, so I shifted into the phoenix and backtracked to an area where the fog hadn’t affected the growth of the forest.
It had been a long time since I’d hunted like this, but I was surprised to see how easy it was to catch my prey. I saw the grouse from far above, and despite its attempt to escape, I descended upon it and delivered a swift death in seconds.
After cooking and eating the bird, I tried to find some edible vegetation, knowing it would be best to store up as much energy as possible. Since the weather had turned colder, there was really nothing to find except for roots. After searching for an hour, judging by the sun, I found only parsnips. I’d had parsnips before, and hated them unless they were masked somehow in a soup.
Nevertheless, I flew my find back to the lake to wash them, and forced each one down one by one, my eyes watering at the sharp flavor.
The fog had diminished to a light dusting on the water, but nothing more. I closed my eyes, steeling myself to the task at hand. As soon as I take off, as soon as I spot the dragon, I could be mere minutes from death.
But I needed to survive. I needed to help Kurt escape from King Ciaran.
I spread my wings and began my trip around the island, looking for any camp or village other than the one Roland died in. I hoped I would never have to go there again. If I had to, I couldn’t disguise myself. They already knew my human form, and even if I put mud all over my feathers, the size and shape of my phoenix form would give me away.
It wasn’t until I was all the way around the island that I finally spotted something that looked promising. A cliff rose high above the water, and right in the center of the rock face, there was a large v-shaped gap, overgrown with snaking vines and shadows. It was only when I circled back and swooped closer that I saw the huge hole that had been ripped through the growth.
That may have been the moment when true, blood-chilling fear settled in. I barely knew what I was up against, but by the looks of it, it was even larger than I’d anticipated.
I pushed down the fear that threatened to choke me and flew closer. I landed on one of the vines, close to the top of the cliff, and looked down through the gap. I couldn’t see anything, but with my wingbeats silent, I began to hear whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
With dread, I realized what that sound meant and immediately scrambled deeper into the vines, hoping the monster hadn’t seen me.
Despite the noise sounding very close, the dragon was still far away. I studied it as it drew closer and the beat of its wings grew louder. For some reason, I’d expected the monster to be dark colored, but instead of a black silhouette, there was a bright, white figure, the sun reflecting off its form.
I held my breath as it came close enough for me to see how its icy eyes were lined with dark blue and how the white, shard-like spikes on its back were tipped with the same color. I’d thought it hadn’t seen me, that I’d been well hidden, but just before it was supposed to dive into the viney gap, it altered its course and slammed into the cliff beside me, holding on to the rock with the jagged, white hooks on the ends of its wings and the dark gray talons on each foot.
It peered through the vines with one giant ice-blue eye and let out an ear-splitting roar.
Panicked and tangled in vines, I let out a blast of fire, scorching the dragon’s eye and the vines around me. The beast reared back in surprise, nearly tumbling down into the water.
I took that moment to dart past it.
To my dismay, the dragon managed to keep a hold on the cliff. I circled back, summoned up all my energy, and released a white-hot blast of fire when I got close enough to do damage. Before the fire hit, the dragon had pushed off of the wall, and hefted itself up into the air. The blaze managed to hit its chest, and the winged serpent bellowed out
a pained cry, but didn’t let its flight falter.
I dove away and readied myself for another attack. If I delivered a blow to its other eye, it would give me a definite advantage. The eye that I had already scorched was red and closed. I wagered that the dragon wasn’t even able to open it, and may never be able to use it again.
I beat my wings against the air quickly, needing to gain altitude before I delivered my next blow. Once I felt like I was high enough, I angled my body down into a dive. An exhilarating feeling of power grew in my chest. I could do this. I can defeat this dragon, I can be free from the prophecy and save Kurt.
My fear vanished as I gathered the heat in my lungs for the next blow.
When the dragon opened up its great maw, I assumed it was getting ready to breathe fire. I dodged away and sent a blast to its other eye, but it turned its head just in time and dampered down my fire with icy breath.
I was taken completely by surprise. I’d thought that all dragons were fire beings. Not only did the ice freeze my fire into nonexistence, but it went beyond it to creep across my body, stiffening my movements. I plummeted toward the water, my eyes frozen open. It took all my strength to break my wings free of the icy bonds.
But I was too late. The dragon had already moved on to its next tactic. While I was trying to stay above the water, flapping frantically to get higher, it dove right in, soaking me completely. Then, it reared its great white head back up and wasted no time aiming yet another icy breath in my direction. This time, the ice was so thick, it was impossible to break free. I skidded down into the water, and everything started getting darker as I sunk further and my body was denied oxygen.
A few shreds of thought came to my mind while I went down into the murky depths of unconsciousness.
I can’t die…
Kurt… He needs me.
-Chapter Twenty-six-
I’m not dead.