Phoenix of Hope: Complete Series — Books 1-4

by Zora Marie

  They slowed their pace when they neared the island, and they were close enough for Dotchavitch to make out the ship in the harbor. To their dismay, Dotchavitch didn’t recognize it.

  She focused and could see men with bound villagers. “They are binding the villagers’ hands. And I don’t see your father.”

  Dotchavitch grit his teeth and slammed his fists on Stardust’s back. “Those bastards! You go tell the others since Raven is faster. I’ll go see what I can do.”

  She paused for a moment, but his look of determination and hatred for those men made her decide it was best not to argue.

  Raven folded her wings and spun to face the others. This time she held nothing back as she flew back to the others. Raven didn’t even slow down as she neared them, she just spun around until she faced the island once again.

  “Come on! The village is in trouble!”

  All the dragons sped up and Raven shot off towards the island.

  When they neared, Zelia found some men surrounding Dotchavitch. They outnumbered him and he slashed at them in a desperate attempt to keep them back. You fool, you’re going to get yourself killed. She sat back and made it rain arrows when Raven neared, waiting for the pause between wing beats to shoot. Each arrow met its mark and dropped men left and right. Half the men scrambled back in surprise and she even got two with one shot.

  She slung her bow across her back. “Drop me off here, if none of the villagers are on that ship, burn it.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Saving Dotchavitch, don’t worry about me.”

  Raven sprayed fire and slowed, allowing Zelia to slide off. She plucked a sword from among a man’s ashes, the metal hot against her palm as she met the sword of another man.

  She was a few huts down from Dotchavitch but could see the men had regained some of their composure and returned to fighting him.

  The men around her shook off their daze and sprung towards her. Before she could meet any of them, Kafthry swooped down on Evergreen and plucked her from the crowd of angry men.

  “Why did you do that?” she asked as she swung herself behind him.

  Kafthry pointed ahead.

  Raven and Stardust faced off with two dragons larger than even Raven. One was a rather round white ice dragon that sat half in, half out of the water. The other was a long and narrow red dragon.

  The others darted here and there around the two dragons. Zelia stood on Evergreen’s back.

  “Raven, over here!”

  Raven circled over and Zelia dropped down to her. They passed over the burning village and she willed the fires to quell.

  “Zelia.” Raven turned towards the shore.

  A tall, broad shouldered man stood next to the burning ship. In front of him, he held Gondavitch with the blade of his sword to his throat. Fifthry dropped Dotch off on the shore and headed off to help the others deal with the ice and fire dragons corralled in the harbor.

  “Let my father go,” Dotch demanded, his anger showing as his sword jabbed the air with each word.

  “You’re in no position to be making demands, boy.”

  The men who had been ransacking the village now moved towards the harbor.

  “Raven, Stardust.” She nodded towards the men.

  They bathed the approaching men in fire and ice to hold them back, though they were careful not to cause more damage to the village.

  Zelia stepped to Dotchavitch’s side. She watched the man’s gestures, his rage, and even his arrogance.

  The man sneered. “Icelore! Show them just what you can do!” The gigantic white dragon left his companion to deal with the other dragons and puffed out his chest with a deep breath.

  “You don’t have to do this. Let me help you, you can both be free.”

  “We can never be free, no one can kill him, we’ve tried.” He lowered his head and blew straight at them.

  She shoved Dotchavitch aside as the dragon’s icy breath encased her in a spiky block of ice. Caught in an internal fight between fire and ice, she shuddered and strained. Please don’t let me shatter this time, she thought as she felt the ice envelope her, to become a part of her. She had only ever done it once while in the cave and never so soon after using fire. A muffled scream filtered through the ice. Dotch? She forced her hand to close and the ice around her outstretched hand cracked. She willed the ice to break as she forced her arms apart and her icy tomb shattered.

  Even Dotchavitch turned from holding his fallen father. “Z... Zelia?”

  She stared down at Gondavitch, his insides showing where the dragon trapper had gutted him. Cracks ran down her face and grew with her every move, her ice form fighting with her inner flame. She chewed her frozen lip against the pain and turned her attention to Gondavitch’s killer.

  Rage at his actions coursed through her, yet she still didn’t want to kill him. “I have fought becoming the very monster some of my creators wished me to be, and you have sought to become that monster. Maybe it’s not what we have done, but what we choose to do. Tell me. What will you choose?” Ice formed under her feet as she walked towards the man.

  In a last-ditch effort, the man made a move towards Dotch. Before he could get near him, she raised her hand and icy spikes shot out of the ground in front of him.

  The pops and cracks of snapping ice sounded when she shook her head.

  “No. Greedy and heartless beings like you don’t deserve to live in this realm. The deepest depths of Fregnar’s realm would suit you much better,” some small part of her hoped to intimidate him into fleeing with his men.

  The man raised his sword with a shaky hand towards her. “No! I won’t go to the underworld!”

  She cocked her head at his remark. “I can tell you; you won’t be going to the hall of fallen warriors.”

  “How would you know!” His face twisted in anger.

  “Because, Yargo has a hand in deciding who’s allowed in Hyperia’s hall of fallen warriors and I have more faith in him than that. Don’t worry. Your death will be swift, which is more than I can say for most of your victims.”

  She could see the fear in his face, but he charged her anyway, determined to change the fate Zelia had laid before him. He made it only a step before jagged points of ice grew out of the ground and skewered him in place.

  “You... you killed him!” The two huge dragons stared in amazement.

  “You’re free now. Go where you please.” They stared out at the open ocean. “Go, no one will stop you.”

  Without a second glance or a word of thanks, they darted away.

  “Get back here! You’re not leaving without us!” The other invaders ran out into the water after the dragons.

  She staggered towards Dotchavitch and her color returned to normal, streams of blood replacing the cracks.

  Her legs gave out and Dotchavitch caught her.

  “Are you okay?”

  “You sure like to ask that.”

  She shivered and slipped into unconsciousness.

  24

  “Hey there, are you okay?” Kafthry was first to her side when she stirred.

  “Better than I figured I’d be.”

  She sat up stiffly, her entire body aching with each movement. Don’t look so serious, I’m not dead. She cracked a smile, hoping to ease Kafthry and Johnol’s worry.

  “So, how long was I out this time?”

  “It’s been a few days.”

  “Hm, best time yet.” She pulled the wool blanket around her and sat back against the wall.

  Both boys raised an eyebrow.

  “It usually takes me much longer to recover from going full frost after so much as looking at fire. That’s if it doesn’t kill me. So, what did you do with the men who swam back to shore?”

  “They’re tied up in the hog pens. You know, we should go tell Dotch that you’re awake.” Johnol paused, “Oh, and the men are due to return today. Gondavitch had sent a dragon with a letter telling them to return when he saw a dragon trapper’s ship on the
horizon.”

  “I see. Well, come on then. I can give Dotch the news myself.” She slung her bow and quiver across her back as she walked.

  Dotchavitch stood with his arms crossed as he looked out at a ship sailing towards the island. The others hung back as she stood next to him for a moment.

  “How are you holding up?”

  Dotchavitch jumped at the sound of her voice. He stopped and composed himself a little as Johnol and Kafthry laughed at his reaction.

  “I will be better once I break the news to the men.” He motioned towards the ship coming in.

  “I can do it for you. It’s the least I can do.”

  “Thank you, but they need to hear it from me. Besides, they don’t know you.”

  “If you change your mind, let me know.”

  “How about we go get something to eat? I’m sure you’re starving,” Kafthry said.

  Not really. She shrugged and headed towards the dining hall anyway, leaving Dotch alone with his thoughts.

  On their way out after eating, Raven met them. “Come on, the men are about to tie off.” Zelia glanced back at Johnol and Kafthry, and Raven rolled her eyes. “Fine they can get on too. Just hurry up.”

  “Come on, Raven will give us a lift. The men are about to tie off.”

  Johnol and Kafthry didn’t even hesitate as they climbed on for the short hop to the shore.

  They all slid from Raven as she landed on the beach just as the ship eased to a stop at the dock. The men busied themselves with tying it off, several of them eyeing the crowd. They obviously sensed that something was off. Kafthry stopped beside Keller at the edge of the crowd while she followed Johnol through the throng of people. There were a couple people left in front of them when Dotchavitch raised his hand, calling the crowd to silence.

  “I’m afraid I have grave news for you.” Dotchavitch blinked to stop the tears forming in his eyes. “Our Chief, my father, is… is dead.”

  There were some gasps from the sea-weary crew as the ship’s captain demanded, “How, how did this happen?” He stared down at Dotch as though he had killed his father.

  You’re not alone in this Dotch. She pushed her way by the last few people to stand at his side.

  “Yesterday, a captain of the dragon trappers showed up with a large crew and his two favorite dragons to take over the island,” Zelia said.

  Dotchavitch’s voice cracked as he added. “By the time we got here, they had already tied up most of the villagers. I tried to save my father, but I was too late. I, too, would be dead and many more if it weren’t for Zelia.”

  “And how do you know she didn’t cause this?” The men pointed at her.

  Dotchavitch stepped in front of her. “If you’d like to question my word, then that’s your right. But I for one don’t question where Zelia’s loyalties stand. The fact of the matter is that no one would be here for you to come back to if it weren’t for her.”

  Zelia glanced around at the crowd that had gathered. She saw the grief and heard the support in their voices, but the men didn’t share their belief in her.

  “If this will cause problems among your people, I’ll take my leave. Just point me toward the Fairies.”

  One of the men jerked his head back, frowning. “Fairies? What in the gods are you talking about?”

  Dotch grinned for the first time since his father’s passing.

  “Much has happened in your absence. Come on, we’ll fill you in over dinner.”

  The men grumbled, but they couldn’t argue with a proper meal, so the entire village went to the dining hall. Once they had eaten and their tempers had simmered, they informed the men of everything that had happened while they were gone. Though the stories weren’t all sad there was a heavy sadness in the air for they had lost several good men and women.

  Then one man turned and stared at Zelia. “If all that is true, show us something.”

  “I...” She chewed her lip.

  “You don’t have to,” Dotchavitch said.

  “No, I can show them something.” She threw a horn of water across the table. Instead of splashing as water, it floated down as flakes of snow. She waved her hand up and down like the rolling waves of the sea and the snow jumped to life as if it blew across an open plain.

  She made the snowflakes appear as wolves running over a snowy mountain. Then a slender figure with pointed ears appeared, only to be run through by what appeared to be a Darkan.

  “No,” she whispered and shoved back from the table.

  She ran out to the water’s edge and fell to her knees in the sand.

  “I didn’t do that. The image, it just came to me, like the visions used to. Lumid, I know you’re watching me, what does it mean?” Zelia looked up to the sky, looking for an answer.

  Hyperia’s star twinkled in the starlit sky.

  “I know you can’t answer me. I need to talk to the Fairies, but not till we put Gondavitch to rest.”

  Later that night the village sent small boats out into the water carrying their dead and some belongings for them to carry with them into the afterlife. Dotchavitch was about to release a flaming arrow when a memory of pyres flickered in her thoughts.

  “Dotch, may I? Please, you’ll see why.”

  She took the bow and arrows from him. One by one, she set the boats ablaze as the villagers sang a song in remembrance of the people lost.

  Their songs peaked and sparkling white orbs lifted into the night sky, just as Leena’s soul had. Everyone gasped and Zelia slipped away from the crowd, having done her best to honor those who’d fallen to evil men.

  “You’ve done that before?” Raven asked.

  “A long time ago, for kin.”

  Zelia wrapped her arms around herself and leaned against Raven as she stared at the souls.

  Once the souls of their loved ones had long passed out of sight, people trickled back to their homes with a newfound feeling of peace. Eventually, only the dragon riders and their dragons stood on the shore in silence and they soon came to her.

  “That’s not the first time you’ve seen that happen, is it?” Dotch asked.

  She shook her head.

  “Well, come on, we should get some rest before I take you to the Fairies.”

  “Wait, why are we taking her to the Fairies?” Johnol asked.

  “She needs to learn something before she can return to the mainland.”

  “How do you plan to return? You have no boat and dragons can’t fly that far without rest.”

  “We might be able to help her with that, if she’s willing to stay for the winter.” Dotch grinned at Zelia, and she sighed. “So, just going to sleep out here?” Dotch asked.

  “Maybe.”

  Dotch shook his head. “Come on, let’s get some sleep.”

  The others all got up and left her staring at the stars.

  25

  They had passed many islands when they came to one with high cliffs, waterfalls, and a thick forest. The trees were so dense across the island that they circled many times before settling on a tiny clearing overlooking a cliff that dropped off into the sea.

  The forest before them reminded her of the forest that surrounded the Drakeon Empire, which nestled to the north of the Mountain of the Old Ones. She’d only been in the Elves’ woods for a short time, but much like the trees before her, they emanated power.

  The others moved into the forest with swords drawn, as they always did.

  “Maybe this is why the Fairies don’t like you.” She gestured to their weapons with a wave of her hand. “We are intruding on their lands after all.”

  The others sheathed their swords, and she listened to the trees. Their chatter pounded in her ears, and she worked to understand their words.

  “They speak only of us. The Fairies will find us soon enough. The dragons should stay here, though; they’ll only get tangled in the undergrowth and we wouldn’t want any of them lighting the trees ablaze.”

  “But we want to come!”

  “
Speak for yourself.”

  “Oh, shut up, you’ll do as she says. Go ahead, Zelia. I’ll make sure they behave,” Raven said.

  “Thank you.”

  She turned and slipped into the thick underbrush. She moved without a sound or a trace. Once they were a good way into the trees, they began to hear noises.

  “What’s that sound?” Senth asked, referencing what sounded like the jingling of bells.

  “It’s the Fairies.”

  “What are they saying?”

  “Give me a few. I don’t remember the language as well as I thought I did.” She thought back to the time before her first death. “It’s the language Alrindel and I were using when…”

  “It’s okay, you don’t need to explain,” Dotchavitch assured.

  A sparkling light shot across the path ahead, and she couldn’t help but smile.

  “But, can you tell us what they’re saying?” The others were all eagerly gathered around her.

  She shook her head and followed the crisscrossing specks of light winding down the path. Soon she could hear a small waterfall. The air of the forest had a new crispness, and she grew more cautious of her footing. She was careful not to step on any of the little creatures that moved across the forest’s floor.

  The insects grew dense, and she slowed to a stop.

  “Would you please ask the Fairies to come here? I don’t wish to step on any of their little friends,” Zelia asked the trees.

  The trees creaked in reply, their quickened tone showing their surprise at a human talking to them. They even chattered about the respect she showed towards the creatures that lived amongst them.

  A few moments later several very inquisitive Fairies surrounded them. Their figures were hard to make out through their sparkling light.

  Once they slowed, she could see every little detail about them. They wore clothing made of leaves and flower petals and had thin wings that varied from dragonfly wings to wings like a butterfly. Other than their wings and their bright glow they looked very much like their distant cousins, the Elves.