by Eric Vall
“I’ll be okay, I’m here now, so you might as well let me stay,” she answered, and we each killed a few more echidnas.
Then I turned to the group we rescued and looked back at Ravi.
“Fine,” I grumbled. “Just be safe, okay. Help them get somewhere safe.”
“Thank you.” Ravi nodded and turned to the group of her people. “Follow me, we’re getting you out of here.”
They all shifted and took off into the sky, and I moved to follow them, but the echidnas had different ideas.
A few of the bastards grabbed onto my legs and quickly crawled up my body.
“Get off me!” I snarled as I tried to shake them off.
As I focused on the first few that climbed onto my back, I could feel more skitter around my body. It felt like there were twenty on top of me as they latched onto my wings, and their combined weight pulled us down to the ground.
I growled in annoyance before I focused on my lightning and let a current run through my body. It shocked the echidnas enough that most of them fell off my back, but the ones on my wings held tight.
“Fine. Let’s make this a little more interesting.” I shifted back into my human self and immediately grabbed The Sword of Hatra from my spatial storage.
The echidnas fell from the sky as I changed forms, and I swung my sword hard and fast. I sliced cleanly through several echidnas, and their blood splattered to the ground, but I was careful not to get any of it on me. Then I dodged out of the way of their claws as they snapped at me in retaliation.
More echidnas began to come at me, and I smirked as I gripped my sword. I spun around one and quickly stabbed it through the back of the neck, and I finished off one more before I heard Valerra roar in agony somewhere above me.
Her pain helped to fuel my anger, and my sword became a silver blur as I slashed at the swarm of beasts. I was less cautious now, thanks to my rage, but I was also able to kill more of them in less time. Only when my small area was cleared, and I was surrounded by nothing but their dead bodies and green blood, did I notice that their blood had burned away a good portion of my clothes. I was so thankful for my healing magic. I had a few burns, but nothing I couldn’t handle.
I sent some of my power to Valerra to heal her injuries, and I could hear the sounds of the phoenix people as they began to return to the battle. They picked up their weapons and attacked with vigor. Long, wicked looking blades and staves were the most common weapons, but I could see a few arrows as they were loosed by phoenixes who stood a ways off from the actual battle.
Screams echoed through the air from those who got burned, and I pushed my magic out to find how many people were injured. There were a few serious burns that I quickly healed, but for the most part everyone was okay.
When I finally had an opening, I shifted back to my dragon form and began to use my claws to rake across the backs of the echidnas. Then I used my stone powers again, but I was careful to stay in the sky this time as I used magic to squish a few hundred of them in one go.
After what seemed like hours, we finally began to make a dent in the echidnas’ numbers. It felt like I’d slaughtered hundreds of thousands of them before they began to understand they would all be killed if they stayed.
Slowly, the few that remained began to fall back to their holes and away from the tribe.
“They have begun to retreat!” I heard Chief Fiyero bellow victoriously from across the battlefield.
“We can’t let them!” I roared back. “If we leave any alive, we will just have to fight them again when they restore their numbers. This ends today.”
I could still hear dozens of echidnas that had managed to burrow back into their holes directly around me, and I focused on the ground beneath my claws. At the same time, I reached deep into my spiritual sea and pulled on my well of power as I summoned my stone magic one more time. Then I trapped the echidnas beneath me in the sand, raised the snared echidnas from the ground, and hardened the edges of the sand into a box to not let any of the beasts escape.
The echidnas that were still skittering across the desert chittered loudly as they scurried from their holes in fear, but Valerra gave chase and easily got rid of them.
Meanwhile, I summoned the box of sand higher into the sky until it was about fifty feet in the air. Then I let it drop and heard the echidnas splat along the insides of the box.
For good measure, I also slammed a bolt of lightning down on the remains, and the air was filled with the stench of ozone and burnt exoskeletons.
I cast my gaze out across the desert one last time, but nothing moved except the wind.
We’d done it. We’d won.
Ravi and Valerra each landed beside me, and the three of us changed into our human forms as Chief Fiyero made his way across the sand to us. He seemed to be okay, other than a few minor burns, and I knew he would want to be reborn if there were any critical injuries.
“Okay, I think that was all of them,” I told Fiyero as I approached him.
“I do not know how to thank you, Lord Evan,” Fiyero said respectfully and wiped at the sweat and gray soot on his brow. “You have saved my people in more ways than I can count. You are a great leader, and I am honored you agreed to help us with this today.”
“There is no need to thank me,” I told him with a wave of my hand. “I promised to help. I’m just glad everything worked out for you and your people. Now, are you sure you don’t want to return with me to Hatra? We don’t have a lot of current space, but the city will continue to grow as we rebuild. If you don’t want to come now, I can send for you once we have space for you and your people.”
“You have done enough for us, and we can never repay you as it is,” the chief replied with a shake of his head, “and I couldn’t take you up on any other offers now. My people and I have called this desert home for a thousand years, and we will continue to do so for a thousand more.”
“I understand,” I said with a nod. “I wish you and your people nothing but the best.”
“And the same to you and yours,” Chief Fiyero responded before he looked out over the sand and sighed.
The village was destroyed. Tents were torn to shreds, and the contents inside were ruined beyond recognition. Any form of wood the phoenixes once possessed had been torn down to use as weapons, and the few animals they owned had escaped into the vast desert in an unknown direction. The tribe walked tiredly around the area to ensure they found anything that wasn’t destroyed, and the injured phoenixes were huddled together in a small circle.
I let my magic flow on a glittery wave toward the wounded and healed their injuries. At the far side of the village, there were a few stray bodies along the sand that had been covered by red blankets. The phoenixes might have been immortal to an extent, but Ravi had explained they had their limitations. A phoenix could not be reborn properly if their ashes got wet, and if a phoenix died suddenly before they could burn, like if they were impaled or crushed, then they were truly dead.
I could sense Fiyero’s sadness next to me, and I felt his loss as if it were my own.
“I’ll stay until morning to help you clean up,” I offered quietly. “I can start now if you’d like to take a minute to mourn your friends.”
His orange eyes looked to me, and he nodded.
“Thank you, Evan,” he said gratefully before he walked away to the corpses of his fallen people.
“I should go with him,” Ravi murmured from my side, and I nodded silently to her.
The princess followed her father down to the bodies, and then she wrapped an arm around his shoulders as he knelt beside the fallen phoenixes.
I left them to their grief and began to clean up the debris along the sand while Valerra watched from the side.
“You could help, you know,” I said to her as I watched the phoenixes for a moment to see how their clean-up process worked. They seemed to toss anything broken beyond repair to one pile and anything salvageable into another. So, I grabbed one of the broken tents and
tossed the shattered wooden poles into the trash pile and the fabric into the salvageable pile.
“I could,” Valerra answered with a smirk, “but I won’t.”
“Thanks, you’re a real help,” I replied sarcastically.
Valerra grabbed a small wooden spike that was used to tie the tents to the earth and tossed it to the salvageable pile.
“There,” she sniffed, “I helped.”
I rolled my eyes as I continued to sort the different pieces of debris, and Valerra slowly followed behind me.
Chief Fiyero and Ravi eventually returned to help, and Fiyero ordered people to pack up the salvageable pile while Ravi helped with the clean-up.
A few hours later, we were nearly finished. What was left of the village was being readied for travel, the sun had begun to set a half hour ago, and the darkness slowly crept toward us. Valerra had already shifted into her dragon form and disappeared into the desert to rest.
“Will you be alright to leave in the morning?” I asked Ravi when she walked by me.
“Yes,” she stopped and answered quickly. “The clean-up is nearly done, and my father plans to move the tribe to a new location in the morning.”
“That works out well then,” I said, and we both sorted some broken pieces of furniture to the trash pile. Then I looked over to the phoenix princess and saw her gaze was locked across the village on her tent. It was the only section of the village untouched by the clean-up crews, so it was still collapsed and covered in sand. Holes were ripped through the fabric of the tent, and I could see some of the crushed remains inside.
“Have you checked it out yet?” I asked gently.
“No,” she admitted quietly as her eyes flicked back to me. “I’m afraid to.”
“Why?”
“I’m scared to see the damage. Right now, I can assume my belongings are safe and undamaged. What if everything has been destroyed and nothing can be saved?”
I remembered the necklace she had from her mother, and my heart ached for the beautiful woman in front of me.
“Come on, let’s go find out,” I told her and offered my hand.
She nodded slowly. “Okay, let’s go.”
We walked to the tent hand in hand, and she took a deep breath before she pulled away the shredded remains of the canvas. Inside wasn’t much better off. Her hammock and table were crushed to pieces, and the blankets on her hammock were full of tears and holes.
Ravi looked around sadly at the destroyed remains before she walked to the table where the necklace once sat and knelt down. Then she began to dig through the broken shards of wood but pulled her hand back quickly.
“Ow!” She pulled a splinter of wood from her index finger.
A small bead of blood appeared on the tip, and she groaned in annoyance. I quickly sent out my magic to heal the wound, and she smiled gratefully as glitter wrapped around her finger.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it,” I said as I knelt down beside her. “Just be a bit more careful. You’ll never find it if you rush, you’ll just end up with it buried deeper in the sand. Let me help. We’ll work faster together, and you won’t have to rush and get hurt again.”
I could see her hands shake as she nodded, and her watery eyes looked devastated.
“We’ll find it,” I promised as I grabbed her hand.
We continued to search for a few minutes, and Ravi was careful to not get stabbed by any stray pieces of wood as we dug. As we looked, I slowly sent out my senses into the sand and sifted through it like I had with the other treasures in the desert.
Finally, I sensed something spark against my magic, and I dug a little deeper to the left. Then I saw a glint come from a small gap between some sand and splintered wood. I reached out slowly, since I didn’t want the gap to collapse and lose it again. A moment later, I could feel the chain under my hand, and I tugged it free. I inspected the necklace for any damage, but thankfully it seemed unharmed.
“Ravi, I found it.”
Her hands froze, and she turned her head quickly. I held out the necklace, and she gingerly took it in both hands.
“Thank you, Lord Evan.” A stray tear rolled down her cheek, and she quickly tried to brush it away. “Thank you so much.”
“Hey, don’t cry,” I consoled her. “It’s okay.”
She nodded, and a broken sob came from her. “I know, I’m just so relieved. I don’t know what I would have done if I lost this forever.”
“Come here.” I opened my arms to her, and she flew into them. Then I rubbed my hand over her hair and brushed across some feathers as I pressed a kiss against her forehead.
The sky had turned dark by the time Ravi had calmed down enough to rejoin the village, but I wasn’t complaining about holding her in my arms the whole time.
“Where will everyone sleep tonight?” I asked Ravi as we made our way back out of the ruins of her tent. I turned to glance at the princess and smiled at what I saw. She’d put on her mother’s necklace, and it hung from her neck as she walked.
“They’ll probably shift into their phoenix forms and huddle together,” she answered. “It’ll be warmer that way and more comfortable since nearly all the hammocks were destroyed.”
As if on cue, dozens of bright lights filled the village, and the remainder of the tribe shifted into their true forms. A massive pile of blankets and pillows was piled in the heart of the village, and all of the fire birds landed on the soft surface and tucked their heads under a wing.
“Now, there’s a sight,” I chuckled, mostly to myself. This world never ceased to amaze me.
“It’s called a roost,” Ravi told me. “Some birds do this regularly, but we only do it when needed.”
“It’s smart, this way you’re all together and can keep an eye on each other,” I responded. “Will you sleep with them?”
“I don’t see much other choice,” she said.
I opened my mouth to reply, but then I saw Kiran behind Ravi, still a good distance away, shift into his phoenix form.
“When did Kiran get back?” I asked with a frown.
“Hmm?” Ravi said before she turned around. Then she saw his phoenix form land among the blankets and pillows and looked back to me. “They returned a few hours ago. My father was not happy with Kiran when he returned with the others. He holds Kiran responsible for my escape act earlier. I should probably apologize to him.”
She took a step toward him, but I grabbed her arm.
“I’m sure he’s fine,” I said.
The thought of Ravi and Kiran sleeping together, even with the others present, sent a vicious wave of possessiveness through me.
“Lord Evan--” she started to say, but I cut her off.
“I have an idea,” I told her. “Why don’t you sleep with me? Valerra will sleep in her dragon form tonight, but I still have my tent from Julia in my sack.”
Ravi glanced back at the roost before she turned to me.
“Okay, let’s do it,” she agreed with a bright smile.
“Where do you want to set it up?” I asked with my own grin.
“Can we set it up around the roost?” she requested as she dropped her eyes shyly. “I know it seems strange, but we usually roost like this any time there is a death in the tribe, and I’d feel terrible if I missed out completely. It’s how we honor the fallen.”
“Okay, how close do you want to be?” I asked as I pulled out the bag Julia had packed and withdrew the small tent.
“Let’s see … ” she mused before she ambled toward the roost.
I followed Ravi until she found what she deemed the perfect spot. Then I quickly set up the tent, and I followed the phoenix inside.
“Is this okay?” I asked her as we set up the blankets and pillows.
“It’s perfect,” she responded with a smile.
When we finally had the tent set up, I laid down against a pillow, and Ravi curled into my side and placed her head on my chest.
“Goodnight, Ravi,” I said a
s she got comfortable.
“Goodnight, Lord Evan,” her sleepy voice responded.
A few minutes later, her breathing evened out, and her body relaxed peacefully against me. Then I closed my eyes and let her soft snores lull me to sleep.
I woke up the next morning with Ravi still asleep on my chest, so I spent a few moments just basking in her warm and curvy body pressed against me. Finally, though, I gently shook her awake, and she opened her eyes and looked around in a daze before she seemed to remember what had happened.
“Morning,” I said quietly.
“Good morning,” she replied as she shyly pulled away from me.
Her orange hair was ruffled from sleep, and I smiled at the adorable picture she made.
We exited the tent to see the villagers pack away the remainder of their belongings as they prepared to leave. Valerra stood off to the side, in her human form, and looked bored. Then our eyes met, and she walked toward us.
“About time you two woke up,” she grumbled.
“Calm down, we get to go home today,” I chuckled, “I thought you’d be happy.”
She made a face in annoyance but didn’t respond.
Then the three of us walked around the village to look for the chief so Ravi could say her goodbyes to her people. We finally found Fiyero near his tent. He rummaged around the debris, and in his hand he held the feathers of his wife and children.
“Papa,” Ravi said quietly, and Fiyero turned his head to us.
“Ravi.” He smiled softly before he nodded to Valerra and me. “Evan and Valerra, good morning.”
“We will have to leave soon,” Ravi told him, and he nodded.
“We will be off soon as well.” Then he turned to look at me. “I can never repay you for everything you have done for us, but I do have something I would like to offer you.”
Chief Fiyero reached his hand behind his head and pulled out a single orange feather. It was long, nearly the size of my forearm. The tip of the feather was also black, and the dark color seemed to bleed into the orange further down.
The chief offered the feather to me, and I took it with a little hesitation.
