Ashes

by Lauralana Dunne

  Phoenix and Rorin looked at the Guardscaptain with respect. Phoenix looked at the gargoyle and he nodded. He removed the pouch of bloodwort from his belt and handed it to Sylvia. She opened it and looked inside, then closed her eyes in relief. “Thank you,” she said in a whisper.

  “My flight is on their way, but it will take them some time to reach you. Save him if you can,” the gargoyle frowned. “One so courageous is one who deserves to live.”

  Sylvia nodded and knelt next to Captain Rolf’s wound, sprinkling the dried bloodwort into the deep gash across his chest.

  Phoenix could feel Sylvia’s Power rally to try and mend the flesh together.

  Rorin turned to Phoenix and squared his shoulders.

  She nodded and, as one, the two crept towards the doors, Kit following behind them.

  Phoenix peered through the crack between the doors. She could make out several shapes in the room, but she was unable to get a final count.

  Her skin prickled, and she could feel Power being used from the other end of the room. Camden was there, a barrier of air between him and two assailants. A third, who must have made it through before the barrier had been made, was dancing around him in combat.

  The two lunged at one another and locked swords with a crash of sparks. The man was larger than Camden and outmatched him when it came to strength, but Camden was much more agile and was able to maneuver quickly out of the way.

  Every time their swords struck one another, the barrier flickered and lost strength. The men on the other side readied their weapons for an attack.

  Phoenix no longer felt the need for stealth. Leaning back, she kicked the double doors open with a crash and charged ahead. Recklessly she ran straight towards the men waiting to ambush Camden.

  The air around her became heavy. An instant later, Rorin leapt over her and, with a flap of his great wings, dove towards the closest target with a battle cry. The men, who had startled at their entrance, paused for a moment. Recovering from their surprise, they both raised their weapons and charged at Phoenix in return.

  The noise was explosive. Rorin crashed into the first man. He knocked his shield away and it slid across the floor towards Phoenix. The man was up again in a flash and was swinging his sword towards the gargoyle’s head. Rorin jumped back and crouched on the ground, lashing his body around quickly to whip his tail at the man’s legs to trip him up.

  “Watch out!” he shouted to Phoenix.

  The other man was close; almost within sword’s length of where she stood. Taking Rorin’s idea, Phoenix waited until the man was close enough and she dropped to the ground to kick at his shin.

  The effect was not the same. Instead of knocking him down, the man only stumbled for a moment before regaining his balance. His sword came and Phoenix rolled out of the way just before the steel struck the carpeted floor. She managed to grab the discarded shield and cover her face with it before the sword fell again and crashed into it, the force of the impact jarring her hands painfully. Another blow came and the shield’s frame buckled under it. Phoenix made a noise of desperation. She knew that the next time the shield would splinter and break, and it would not be able to protect her.

  She kicked out in an attempt to catch the man’s legs, but she only managed to kick air. She pushed the shield aside and tried to scramble out of the way.

  Kit launched herself at Phoenix’s attacker with a snarl. She distracted him long enough for Phoenix to be able to get out of harm’s way. The man grabbed the dog by her collar while she was still in mid-air, and he wrenched her sharply in another direction, slamming her down on the floor heavily.

  “No!” Phoenix cried. She leapt forward and grabbed the arm that was holding Kit’s collar. Quickly, she thrust her dagger into it. He yelled and let go of Kit, whipping his arm to the side to dislodge Phoenix’s hold on him.

  Phoenix fell to the ground, but she noted with some satisfaction that her weapon remained entrenched in his flesh.

  “I’ll kill you!” he roared, using his other hand to pull the knife from his arm. Phoenix jumped up and grabbed the shield next to her. He looked up just in time to see the shield come crashing down on his head. The wood splintered and he fell unconscious to the ground, the metal frame hanging around his neck like a collar.

  “Lizard demon!” The other man snarled. He was leaning over Rorin, who was lying on his back on the floor and blocking him with his legs. “I’ll cut out your heart and feed it to my dogs! Umph!” The man grunted as Phoenix jumped on his back in an attempt to pull him down to the ground. When she realized that her weight was not enough, she settled, instead, for trying to choke him by locking her arms around his neck.

  The man twisted in an attempt to grab her. “Caller brat!” he spat, grabbing a handful of her hair. ‘You’re lucky he wants you alive! Otherwise…” His sword flashed up to block Rorin’s knife.

  Phoenix cried out in pain as he wrenched her head to the side. He brought the edge of the sword up to her neck with a triumphant grin at Rorin.

  “However,” he amended, “if I have to choose between her skin and my own…” He waited calmly and watched the gargoyle. Rorin growled and bared his fangs at the man. He threw down his belt knife and watched the man angrily, his eyes flashing brightly like that of an animal in the half light.

  Phoenix cried out again as the grip on her hair tightened. “Control your beast, Caller,” the man spat at her. Kit had come slinking towards the two. Her nose was wrinkled with a growl, and she stopped still when Phoenix waved a hand at her.

  He kept his eyes on the two and backed Phoenix towards the barrier that still stood between them and Camden, where he and the guard fought on the other side. Roughly, he pushed Phoenix into the invisible wall of air.

  “Make it go away,” he commanded, keeping his body in between her and the other two.

  Phoenix felt the cold steel of the man’s blade press against her neck. She was still hanging off of him from where she had jumped onto his back to save Rorin. The man supported her weight easily, and he gave her no room in which to get down and stand on her own feet. The hard leather of his armor pressed against her, which in turn pushed her into the churning wall of air.

  “Make it go away!” he snapped, pulling forcefully on her hair. A searing pain ripped across her scalp, and Phoenix knew that he had been successful in ripping out a chunk of her curls. A warm trail of blood trickled down the side of her head.

  “All right!” she cried out, desperate to get her throbbing head out of his grasp. “All right. I’ll do it,” she promised. “Just let me go.”

  He released the rest of her hair, and Phoenix winced as she pressed her hand to her head. She found the bald spot easily. The skin was raw and painful underneath her fingertips.

  He grabbed her arm, instead, and shoved her forward. “Hurry up,’ he snapped. He kept his blade close to her and one eye on the gargoyle, who was trying to edge closer without being seen. “Or else,” the man growled.

  Phoenix took a deep breath to calm herself. She was conscious of the unmovable air before her, and the painful grip that the man had on her arm. She pushed it from her mind and sought her Power.

  It was often difficult, she found, to call on it at first. Once she had it, it was easy enough to use, but making the initial pathway was what always took time.

  She closed her mind against her external senses like Malcourt taught her. It came more easily than ever before. Her blood was already pounding hot in her ears, and she used the heat from it to spark her fire.

  The warmth tingled in her hands and spread outwards along her fingers and arms. From somewhere far away, she was aware of her body being shaken forcefully, but she ignored it. All she could feel was the growing pressure of her Power pulsing against her skin, waiting to be released. She could feel the resistance of Camden’s Power against hers, but she ignored it and sent her Power in another direction.

  She looked at the man and smiled at him. “Catch,” she said, calmly, using her voice to r
elease it.

  It all happened in slow motion.

  It started off as a single flicker, but quickly it grew into a roaring flame. The heat left her skin and passed along into the hand that was holding her.

  A scream snapped her out of her reverie.

  The man had let go of her, his hand raw and swollen where she had burned him. The fire, no longer needing Phoenix’s contact, continued to burn and feed itself. It spread to the man’s clothing, growing quickly as it spread to engulf him.

  Screaming with horror, he ran around the room in an attempt to put out the fire. He stumbled from the room and crashed into the stone ground of the waiting room. He rolled around, his armour making a horrible noise as he did so. Phoenix could smell the stench of singed leather and burning flesh where the fire had become trapped between his armour and his skin.

  Her focus ring flashed. It absorbed the excess energy and filled in the pathway that Phoenix had created. Cut off from the source, her Power dissipated and rose off of her as smoke.

  Her attacker lay on the ground, unmoving, panting and groaning with every breath. He was alive, but his injuries were severe.

  Phoenix could taste the bile rising in her throat.

  Behind her, Camden fumbled. He jumped up quickly, his reflexes fast despite his fatigue, but not before his attacker slashed a wound across his chest.

  A red flower immediately blossomed on his chest, and blood soaked through his tunic. Wide-eyed, Camden pressed his hand to his chest and fell to his knees. His expression was blank.

  “Camden!” Phoenix screamed, throwing herself at the air barrier with all her strength. Her shoulder smashed into the barrier and the air current pushed at her roughly. She grabbed her bruised arm in pain. Camden’s opponent, seeing the boy kneeling on the ground, gave a wicked smile and walked towards him.

  “You put up a good fight, Caller boy,” the man drawled, “but I put up a better one.”

  “No!” Phoenix cried, pounding against the wall as the guard raised his sword for the killing blow. She feltl her hand slip through the outside force surrounding the wall, but the currents inside of it were far too strong for her to make it through.

  Behind her, Rorin and Kit had launched themselves at the wall as well. They scratched and clawed at it to try and break through. Phoenix could only watch as the man stood before Camden and brought his arms up as high as they could go.

  Camden’s expression turned from dazed to triumphant. His free hand flicked his sword up and, before the man could move to block, Camden’s blade slid through the bottom of his mail shirt and into his belly He continued to thrust upwards, and Phoenix could hear a sickening crunch as the force broke through his bones and plunged into his chest.

  The man hunched over with a grunt. He dropped his sword with a clatter, and Phoenix could see his eyes lose focus. Still staring at Camden in surprise, the man fell forward as his body lost strength. Camden used the sword hilt to direct the man’s fall and moved out of the way so that he hit the floor. Still sitting on the bloody carpet, he closed his eyes and the barrier flickered into non-existence.

  It was too much for Phoenix. Falling to the ground, she was only able to move her hair back before she emptied the contents of her stomach on the floor. When she had finished retching, she wiped her face with shaking hands and looked around.

  The place was ruined. Broken furniture and blood was strewn about the floors around her. Her body was bruised and sore and, conscious of how weary she was, she wished that she could just hide and rest somewhere for a time.

  A grey talon appeared in front of her, and she looked up to see Rorin before her, offering to help her to stand. Gratefully she accepted the help, and she was surprised at the ease in which he pulled her to her feet.

  “Camden,’ she said worriedly.

  The boy was sitting against the wall. He had his hand pressed to his chest, and Phoenix was relieved to see that his wound had all but stopped bleeding. His face was pale from the exertion of using his Power while fighting, but he was glaring openly at the gargoyle that held her hand.

  Phoenix hurried over to him. “Are you all right?” she asked.

  He nodded. “I pretended that I was hurt worse than I was so that he would let his guard down. It was my only chance to beat him,”

  “You scared me.”

  “I’m sorry.” His voice was soft, and he looked so pitiful that Phoenix couldn’t help but give him a quick hug.

  “Ouch!” he protested.

  “I can’t get through,” Rorin said. The gargoyle was trying to push his talon through a wall of red light. The light was blocking the entrance to the King’s sleeping chambers, and every time Rorin touched it it flashed angrily.

  “Prince Hallan put it up,” Camden told them.

  “Why haven’t you taken it down?” Rorin asked.

  “Because I can’t!” Camden snapped at the gargoyle. “Don’t you think I’ve been trying? I can’t knock down walls!”

  “Yet you can put them up?” the gargoyle asked matter-of-factly.

  “That’s different. I can keep air moving. I can’t use it to break something.” His tone indicated that the gargoyle was stupid for not knowing the difference between the two.

  Rorin made a dismissive noise in his throat.

  Phoenix ignored their bickering and began to inspect the wall herself.

  “Well can’t you just blow it down?” She heard the gargoyle ask.

  “Can’t you just fly through it?” Camden snapped back.

  Phoenix laid her hand against the force. There was a brief moment of resistance – a feeling as though she was dragging her hand through water – and then her arm sunk through the barrier.

  Gripping her dagger tightly in her other hand, Phoenix entered the room.

  She could hear Kit’s howling through the space that still lingered behind her, but the sound cut off abruptly as the opening closed and sealed itself behind her. She could see both Rorin and Camden pounding their fists against the wall, causing the light to flash under their hands.

  Bracing herself, Phoenix turned her attention away from her friends and focused on the darkened room before her.

  CHAPTER 27

  The only movement in the room was a sickly red light that flickered against the walls, casting harsh shadows across the hung tapestries. The familiarity of the off-color gave her pause, but Phoenix was unable to pull it from her memory.

  Kenneth and Jamie, Prince Hallan’s personal guards, stood with their backs to her. Prince Hallan towered over a fallen Master Malcourt, with King Benedict standing a few feet away, held at knife point by the assassin, his thick hand pressed over the King’s mouth while the flash of a dagger was held at the King’s throat.

  Malcourt, to Phoenix’s horror, was trapped by the strange red light that flickered across his body. He was alive, but fully immobilized where he lay. Only his eyes rolled towards her as she approached.

  “What are your orders, my Lord?” Kenneth asked the Prince.

  Prince Hallan, who had his back to the pair, turned around slowly with a wondering smile. “Phoenix,” he greeted her warmly, “however did you get in?”

  The guards whirled, but Prince Hallan raised his hand and the two stayed where they were. “Now, now,” he told the two. “There’s no need for that. Apprentice Phoenix is a friend after all.” Prince Hallan walked between them and gave her a disarming smile. “Aren’t you, my dear?” he purred.

  Phoenix, tongue-tied from his attention, could only blink in confusion.

  “It’s not her fault she was kept in the dark,” the Prince continued. “She would never hurt anyone. Would you, sweetling? Not unless it was absolutely necessary, of course.”

  There was a snort behind him. The assassin stood behind the Prince, a sneer on his lips. His thick hood no longer covered his face, and Phoenix was shocked to see that Oliver had escaped from his cell in Castle Angor’s depth. He stood before them now, his sword steady as he held it to King Benedict’s neck.


  The Prince held up a palm. “Careful,” he warned Phoenix. “We don’t want to provoke anyone into doing something drastic.”

  Oliver shifted his attention to Phoenix, curling his lip. “You best listen to him, brat. You might live to regret it, but your King sure won’t.”

  “We don’t want that to happen,” Prince Hallan agreed reasonably. “That’s why I said I’d guarantee your safety if you let him go. It’s the best option for you now that your Master is… indisposed.”

  Oliver narrowed his eyes. His gaze fell to Malcourt’s trapped body. “Yes... My Master promised me great rewards if I got rid of the King and the Prince.” He said the words haltingly, as if he were trying them out for the first time. He raised his greedy gaze to Prince Hallan. “But it doesn’t matter to me who dies so long as I get paid.”

  “You’re lying!” Phoenix crouched over Malcourt. “Master Malcourt would never-“

  “Careful,” Prince Hallan warned her as she reached towards the light that encased Malcourt. “You don’t want to touch that.”

  “What are you doing to him?” she demanded. Malcourt’s expression was pained as he looked up at her.

  Prince Hallan frowned. “I have to drain his Power, Phoenix. I have to keep him secured – otherwise he could free himself and kill the King, and I would never forgive myself if that were to happen. I’m sure you understand…”

  The Prince sighed when she continued to glare at him. “Think about it. Who has the most to gain from the King’s death? Malcourt, of course! The King’s very own advisor! Who better to take over Angoria then one who already knows how to run it?”

  He stood behind her now. He rested a hand on her shoulder, and Phoenix was instantly soothed by the touch. She looked down at Malcourt in disbelief, sinking to her knees next to him as his eyes desperately fought to hold hers.

  “But... he healed the King...” Surely the Prince’s mistake was obvious. “He brought me here when I needed a home. He took care of me…”

  “Only because it benefited him! Don’t you see? It all makes sense! Who better to avoid suspicion than one who was working so hard to save him? Of course he healed the King – he was the one poisoning him. He had the antidote all along! And as for you… Well… you’re amazing, Phoenix. How can you not understand that? How could he have let you think otherwise? How could he have left you in that disgusting dorm room? You passed his protection circle in the woods without his detection – and just now you passed through the shield I erected to keep your friend safe. That’s impossible!”