by J. B. North
I glared at him and struggled to keep my grip.
He rose his sword for a killing blow, but before he could bring it down, I pulled myself up onto land and rolled away. The giant growled, turning quickly. It was my only chance. I hurtled toward him, kicking him hard in the chest. He stumbled backward and roared angrily as he tumbled over the cliff. The roar continued until it faded in the distance. There was no thud to signify that he had hit the ground. The cavity just swallowed him whole.
I backed away from the cliff, unsure that I had really defeated him. I must have, however, because I felt my strength beginning to fade. My weight felt like it was pressing against the earth once again.
My opportunity to launch myself through the gate was fading fast. While I still had my inhuman strength, I needed to use it. I ran toward the pool of lava and jumped as far as I could. I was able to make it to the threshold, but landed awkwardly. One of my legs came perilously close to getting seared. I cried out and jerked my leg back up quickly. The leather of my sandal burst into flames. I tugged it off as quickly as I could, hissing at the pain of the burns as I let it drop into the fiery pit.
I backed quickly through the gate, and then everything was dark. The sound of rushing water overtook my hearing. My eyes adjusted to the darkness slowly, and once they did, I found myself in a small cave, blanketed by a bed of moss. A waterfall cascaded down one side of the cavern, pouring into a shimmering pond. Above me, the cave opened up to the crescent moon. It calmed me, allowing me to take in a deep breath and look at the leg that I had burned.
The skin was deep red and smoking, but oddly enough, it wasn't as burned as it was supposed to be. Normally, being that close to lava would've blackened and blistered the skin. However, it was still very painful. The coolness of the water begged me not only to ease the burn, but also to quench my growing thirst. I stood and limped toward the pool.
The moment I touched the water, a voice rang out, startling me. “Who approaches the Pool of Clarity?” It echoed from behind the waterfall, the pitch faltering at the end, like a lament. It was impossible to know if it belonged to a man or a woman.
“Ivy Oliver,” I said with hesitation. Although, I ached to get my leg in the water, I drew back.
“What is your past?” the voice moaned.
My past? “Why do you wish to know?”
“This is a test of the mind. Your past is what has...formed it. I must know for you to continue.”
It took a moment for me to reply. “I grew up an orphan, with few friends. At my trial, I turned into a creature that is supposedly important. I was taken to a school to be trained how to fight and survive.” I paused for a second. “I met more friends there than I've had my entire life...and now, after traveling across the kingdoms to get to this island, one of them is about to die.”
“And you wish to save him even though he betrayed you?” the voice questioned.
“Yes,” I answered, choking back my surprise. I hadn't said anything about Roland betraying me.
The voice moved on to the next question. “What is your present?” it asked sorrowfully.
I wasn't sure what to say. I had just told him that I was trying to save Roland. Finally, I managed to say the first thing that came to mind. “Confusion...Worry...Fear.”
“What is it that you worry about?”
“My dying friend...and my brother, who has been captured by a wicked man.”
“If you survive, what is your future?”
“To save my brother and heal Roland with the plant.”
When the voice chuckled, the sound seemed to come from everywhere as it bounced off the walls. Then, it was silent for a long time.
“Is that the end of the test?” I asked.
“No. One more question,” the voice said. “What is the meaning of life? Why are we all here?”
My mind searched for the correct answer. I've tried to answer that question many times in my own thoughts, but the things I came up with never seemed right. I've always longed for simplicity and happiness, but thinking about it now, I know that that cannot be what life is all about. Simplicity and happiness does not help your fellow man. The Nallans probably don't even know that we're on the brink of war because of their tendency to stick their head in the sand. If I hadn't turned into the phoenix, I'd be doing the same thing.
There is one thing in life that I've neglected because of the pain is usually results in. However, these past few months I've made more friends than I've ever had, which means my pain is inevitable. I realized then why I was giving my life up for Roland's.
Love. That was the purpose of life.
I hadn't even spoken a word before the voice whispered, “You may proceed.”
I hesitantly stepped into the water. What had appeared to be a deep pool now only reached my ankles. I ducked under the waterfall, letting the cool water wash over my burns. I wished I could have stayed under the water for a long time, but the sensation completely stopped when my surroundings changed once again.
Instead of standing under a waterfall, I was now in the middle of a dry, barren wasteland. The ground was flat here, and I could see nothing for miles.
All that existed in this place was dirt and sky and sun.
The heat was so intense, even I was burning up. My second form's immunity to high temperatures could only go so far, as proven by the burns on my leg. I tried to shield my eyes with my arm, but the sun was everywhere. It was impossible to escape from it completely. Even with my eyes closed, I could see the bright red of daylight.
I walked forward a few feet and stopped. What was the point? There wasn't one landmark on any horizon to walk toward.
Suddenly, the ground shook. I knelt to keep from falling. The earth burned through my dress. Little by little, the ground started to crack, forming small fissures. Dust swirled up from the crevices, emitting a sulfuric smell, painful to breath in. Then, the shaking stopped. I could've stood back up, but I didn't. Instead, I crumpled to the ground and curled into a ball, feeling completely hopeless. I knew in the back of my mind that it was strange for me to suddenly feel this way, but the overwhelming feeling of despair drowned out the thought.
My spirit felt crushed. I wished I could stay in this desert and rot. It would be easier to die than to fight. I held my head in my hands and began to cry in defeat. I wouldn't be able to get out. I wouldn't be able to save Roland. My sacrificed life will have been for nothing.
But no. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. I stubbornly choked off my sobs and stood, wiping away the tears. I needed to keep walking. I would walk until I found something or until I died, whichever came first. I let my anger take over and drive me forward. The wind picked up as if reading my mind, willing me to stay where I was. It blew sand into my eyes, making me temporarily blinded as I continued to push against it.
I shielded my eyes and squinted against the dirt, giving my best effort to continue forward. I paused when I saw something on the horizon. It was coming closer. I squinted my eyes. It looked like a person.
As I watched, more people appeared, their clothes dark against the blinding line where the earth met the sky. They came quickly, as if the wind that was blowing me backward was blowing them forward. The strong gusts tore at the scarves that were wrapped around their faces. When the people finally reached me, both they and the wind stopped.
Silence. Beautiful silence.
The people had stopped a little too close to me, making me feel vulnerable. I took a few steps back. The only part of their bodies I could see was their eyes, and one particular pair of eyes looked very familiar.
“Roland?” I asked.
He pulled the cloth from his face, revealing a grin—a perfectly healthy grin. “Yes, it's me, Ivy,” he said.
“You're not sick?” I asked.
“Not anymore,” he answered.
One by one, the other people dropped their scarves. I recognized Kurt, Liana, Roselle, Matilda, Burton, Sophia, Elna, Ayon, and even Natalia and Grix. All the p
eople that I had grown to love. There were only two figures that hadn't pulled their scarves away from their faces. I turned toward them in confusion. Finally, they tugged away the fabric, letting it slip away to expose the faces of two people that I recognized, but never really had the chance to meet.
“Mother? Father?” I gasped, dumbfounded.
They nodded their heads. Tears glistened in their eyes as my vision began to blur with tears as well.
“I thought you were dead...” I said.
Mother shook her head and rushed forward to hug me. “No, my fire flower. We're right here. Everything will be fine now.”
I pulled back to look at them. My mother had her same dark brown curls and green eyes, and a height that matched my own. I glanced over at Kurt. Seeing them both together made me realize just how alike their facial features looked.
My father was tall, which must've been where Kurt had inherited his height. But...something wasn't right. Father's hair was longer than it had been in my memory, and his beard was, too. Gray streaked through his red hair and peppered his beard. His face was more wrinkled than the memory had shown.
That's when I realized it was an illusion. I backed away. “You're not real,” I whimpered. “Not real.”
“Of course we're real,” said the mirage of my mother. Her eyes had darkened. I glanced around. So had everyone else's.
I shivered and turned away from them pushing through the wind that had decided to pick back up. In the real world, Roland still needed my help.
“Wait, Ivy! We love you! We want you to live with us—to get to know us better!” the illusion shouted after me. I tuned her out, only focusing on the mission ahead.
The illusions followed me, pleaded me with my friends' and family's voices. I closed my eyes and bent my head down, forcing my way forward. Phantom fingers gripped at my dress, at my arms, but still, I continued. Roland needed me.
I opened my eyes when the ground began to shake again. The small fissures in the earth were widening more and more. The voices behind me stopped, cut off in mid-plead. I turned to look at them just as they evaporated into a swarm of gnats. The gnats were everywhere—in my ears, my eyes, my mouth, my nose. I dropped to the ground as the wind and gnats worked together to suffocate me.
Then, the earth crumbled beneath me, and I was falling, falling, falling into endless darkness.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
I fell for so long, I wondered if I would even land at all. When I finally did, the impact should have been hard enough to kill me, but it wasn't. It was only as if I'd dropped three feet. Still, I fell to my hands and knees, choking on the dust that was still caught in my throat. Oddly enough, the gnats had disappeared, only the nightmarish memory left behind.
All around me were blurs of shadow and light, clangs louder than steel on steel ringing through the air. It took me a while to realize what I was seeing. When I squinted my eyes, I could make out their forms. The shadows and light were fighting, and the weapons they were using were way stronger than anything in my world.
The lights were big and powerful, all muscle and wing. They held blades that were just as bright as the light that surrounded them. Cherubim.
As I watched, one of the angels barely touched a shadow with his blade, and the shadow fell to his knees, his cry of anguish cut short when he completely disintegrated.
The shadows were tall and gangly with gray skin, wielding black swords. Dark stringy hair tangled with their black aura. There were more of them than the angels, but by the amount of shadows that were disappearing, they were considerably weaker.
Beyond them, a rock wall stood, vines creeping up over the side, as if trying to get a peek at the battle going on ahead of me. I could only guess that the plant was in there.
I took a step closer, wanting to get beyond the raging war, beyond the rock wall, and into safety. Unfortunately, my movement drew attention. The shadow closest to me wasn't fighting yet. He seemed to be waiting for something, and when he saw me, his teeth bared into a frightening smile, full of sharp teeth. He turned to me and walked forward.
I was frozen in fear.
He circled around me, the tendrils of his strange hair twisting around my arms. I shivered “He doesn't love you, Ivy,” he said, the voice coming out of his mouth like a hiss. “He's just taunting you... He betrayed you once and he'll do it again.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but nothing came out.
The demon appeared in front of me, eyes crinkling at the corners. They were black with white pupils. “He won't save your brother. He'll only return to King Ciaran like a dog with his tail between his legs. Your brother is doomed to rot in King Ciaran's dungeon for the rest of his life.
“Follow me, and I'll show you the way back to the outside. Then, you'll be able to see your friends again. Your brother will be saved, I'll make sure of it.”
He began to walk away from the fight, into the darkness, looking back at me and beckoning for me to follow.
It was true. I longed to see my other friends again. I longed to see my brother. I was tempted to follow him, but I stayed rooted to the spot.
“You're lying. Roland is healed from his dark thoughts. I saw it happen,” I said shakily.
“Please, that was a ruse, a trick with his magic to make you think that he was innocent again. Now come.”
No. I wouldn't believe that.
“I will not,” I answered, curling my fists into balls.
The demon bared his teeth, a black sword appearing in his hands. “So be it,” he seethed. He raised the blade and sprinted forward.
There was nothing I could do. He was too fast. I closed my eyes and waited for pain. When it didn't come, I cracked my eyes open. A sword of light guarded me, pointing at the neck of the demon, who was now kneeling on the ground, defeated. The demon glared at the form behind me.
With one touch of the blade, he disintegrated into black dust. He barely had enough time for a final cry of pain.
Once the demon was gone, I should've been less afraid...but I wasn't. I turned and trembled at the sight of the powerful angel. His form was too bright for me to look at, shining even brighter than the other angels. I stared at the ground, the pure black ground, my heart beating rapidly.
“Enough,” he said. The word was barely a whisper, but suddenly everything stopped. The demons were gone, and the other angels stood back a ways, their swords resting on the ground in front of them.
I wanted to back away, but my fear kept me rooted to the spot.
The angel lifted his sword to my heart. “By light, your motive will be tested,” he said, his voice quiet, but powerful, ringing with authority.
This is it. The end of the battle is your heart. Soon, my thundering heart would be silent, a useless rock inside a stone cold chest.
The sword pressed against my skin, and then everything was pain and brightness. I could only see white as I crumpled to the ground. Heat from my heart coursed through my veins and burned my skin. I don't know if I screamed. All I could hear, see, feel, taste, and smell was pain. It seemed to last an eternity before it finally stopped.
Then, everything was still. Everything was dark.
I knew that I had to be dead.
But then, I felt something that I didn't expect.
Tha-thump...tha-thump.
My heart. My heart was beating.
I cracked my eyes open and looked around, a huge smile coming to my face. A rock wall surrounded me, vines trailing up the sides. I had made it. I sat up and pressed my fingers to my neck, where I could feel the throb of my heart. Never had I been more grateful or more aware of it than right now.
Unlike on the other side of the wall, where the sky had been a sea of blackness, the sky on this side was blue. Most every plant in this little haven was green, but one thing stood out more than all the others. In the very center of the garden was a petite little plant with small, glowing golden flowers, bright green leaves, and a dark purple stem. The plant of eternal life.
I stood unsteadily and walked toward it. I hadn't come all this way just to injure the only thing that could save Roland, so I dug into the dirt around it, carefully uprooting it before letting the dirt fall away. The glow of the flowers pulsed and faded, turning into a natural yellow.
Roland. I needed to get to him, and quickly. Who knew how much time I'd wasted.
Across the garden was a white gate. It looked like the only way out, so I hastened toward it. As soon as I passed through it, I was suddenly surrounded by snow and pines, crumbling black stone scattered around me. This must have been the gate that I'd first gone into, to get to the waterfall.
I shivered, glad that everything was over now. It seemed like I'd gone through years to get back here. I hoped beyond hope that I wasn't too late. I tried shifting form, but apparently, this entire area kept me from changing. Instead, I trekked through the snow a little ways, and it wasn't long before I came across the statue that I'd defeated. This time, its arm was still in place, but the legs were detached. I hurried on, not wanting to get caught up in another fight with the wretched thing. Once we were a safe distance away—and my legs and bare foot were stinging from the snow—I tried shifting form once again and felt the exhilaration of changing. I picked the plant up in my beak, taking care not to pinch it too hard, and flew off in the direction of the village.
It felt good to fly. I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to again. Just feeling the air breeze through my feathers made me feel like everything was going to be okay. Life would return back to normal, now that I was successful in retrieving the plant. Roland would be healed and we would return to the conservatory together. It was better to have a friend that was still alive than an entire lifetime of freedom.
Once the village was in sight, I hurriedly landed. I wished I could fly straight to Roland, but I still didn't want the natives to know what my second form was.
The village was more crowded at this time of day. Now, along with the women and children, men wandered on the streets as well, carrying weapons. They must've just gotten back from a patrol or a hunt.