Phoenix of Hope: Complete Series — Books 1-4

by Zora Marie

  “Really? I figured Luxly wouldn’t be safe to travel for a while still.”

  “Apparently he threatened to walk here on his own if Koin didn’t take him on the barge. So, I’ll be taking a look at him as soon as he gets here.”

  “Why haven’t I heard of this Luxly or Jones?” Linithion asked with a teasing tone.

  Guilt ate at Zelia for having forgotten to say anything about them. At first it was because there was so much going on, but she should have mentioned them on the way. There had been hours upon hours of tense silence on the way, she should have brought them up then.

  “It’s alright. I never really asked about what happened in Coridale or at the Kingdom of the Mountains.”

  Zelia tensed at the mention of the Kingdom of the Mountains, at the memory of King Gregory’s body lying over his son’s charred remains. They had deserved it, but still…

  Linithion’s chin rested on her shoulder. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask you about what happened, I should have.”

  “It’s alright, a lot has happened in the last few weeks.”

  “If either of you needs to talk, know that Eleanor and I are here for both of you.”

  “Thank you, Eadon. So, let me guess, you want me to touch my toes and stand on my head?”

  Eadon laughed. “You can pass on the headstand, but touching your toes would be a good start.”

  “I’m going to go make sure no one needs me. I’ll see you at breakfast in a few.” Linithion grabbed her boots and cloak on the way for the door.

  “Eleanor’s in the study down the hall with some of your elders.” Eadon stared after Linithion as she pulled the door shut. “How is she?”

  “She’s holding it together? I don’t know, the last few weeks have been…” she shook her head.

  “Too much?”

  “Yeah. First her father and then her people and home. What good is our power if we can’t protect those around us? And then Gregory. He and his son forced me to kill them. I tried—” her voice cracked.

  “That is their own faults, not yours.” He hugged her then, his presence as warm and soothing as it had ever been. Her father, that’s what he’d been and would always be to her. “Come on, you still have a long way to go before I won’t be terrified at the idea of you being in the middle of all this.”

  “As though any amount of training will make you comfortable with it.” She stood and stretched, touched her toes and twisted around to show that she was just as flexible as before—and to prepare for what she figured was going to be a long day of training. “Thankfully, all of this riding and being on the move has made my legs and core stronger, not so much my upper body though.”

  “And that’s what you’ll be working on today. I’ll leave it up to you whether you just want to do exercises or try to spar with someone.”

  “When will Koin be back?”

  “Sometime today, depending on how bad the currents are.”

  “Small exercise this morning then, as I’m sure he’ll be busy drilling me as soon as he’s done briefing Eleanor.”

  “You know, you really should be included in all these meetings now. You and Linithion are Eleanor’s heirs.”

  “So, we lose one kingdom and you give us another? Sometimes I think you two don’t think things through.”

  “What happened in the Drakeon Empire was not either of your faults, and the casualties were low compared to what they could have been.”

  Low? That field of white shrouded bodies burned in her mind. There had been more in the field than surrounding it. “Did you two even consider Alrindel? He is older and he wouldn’t be torn between the guild and here.”

  “That’s not for me to decide and I think you should talk with Linithion before you go pushing Eleanor.”

  “Yeah. I guess. Did you hear that Yargo and Zivu made me one of their heirs? I… why? Why would they do that?”

  Eadon smiled—of all things—and she glared at him. “It was probably just their way of making sure you knew they still considered you part of their family. Plus, the humans are more likely to follow a Hyperian Princess than any human or Elven ruler.”

  “But Elves, Dwarves, Fairies, and even the Dragons are technically from Hyperia.”

  “Their memories don’t run as deep or clearly as ours, you know this. One day, they won’t remember the Hyperians or even this war. One day we’ll all just be myths to them, as the old gods are already. Fregnar is the only one they remember, and only because humans have a healthy fear of death. Now, I believe it’s time for breakfast.”

  13

  Zelia tugged on her bond to Rogath as she walked to breakfast. He’d been quiet of late, his presence almost brooding at the other end of their bond. She hoped they would just be eating there too, so she wouldn’t interrupt his training.

  “Good morning,” Rog answered, perhaps a bit too cheerily for her tastes.

  “What has you so happy this morning?”

  “Yalif finally released Terik to return to training, which means Steffon will not be solely focused on me this afternoon.” There was a pause before he continued, “It is strange to think that while I’m here, you and Linithion are there fighting.”

  “How much have you seen of the last few weeks?”

  “I saw the attack on the trail. Good going with the fire into the portals. I told Father about that so we could pass the info along to our warriors. That said, I try to stay out of your head when you’re around Linithion.”

  “Aw, don’t like it when I’m around her?”

  “No. You’re happier, calmer when you’re around her, but—”

  “I’m just teasing. I’m glad to hear Terik is doing better. Have you heard any reports about Fenari attacks?”

  “No. Mother is insisting I keep my nose out of it after last time.”

  “Do you think you could convince Yargo to let you pass me updates? I hate to use you like that, but I’m starting to feel like we’re missing the bigger picture. Like why was the Drakeon Empire singled out? If it was just for revenge, why did they attack us on the way here? Why was Coridale attacked right when we showed up?”

  “I’ll talk with Father after breakfast and see if he’ll give you updates. In the meantime, try to stay safe and not let a Fenari take you.”

  “Oh, not you, too. I’m getting enough of that from Linithion.”

  “Still, Mother made me take a blood oath that I wouldn’t pull anymore stupid rescue missions against her and Father’s orders.”

  “Honestly, I’m surprised no one has tried to make me swear an oath like that.”

  “Me too,” Rogath mused. “Well, I’ll let you know what Father says later.”

  “Alright, thank you.”

  “It’s the least I can do. Tell Donequen I said hi.” Rog’s presence faded.

  Donequen stared at her with his arms crossed, as he stood between her and the dining room. “You really should learn to split your focus better. I’m honestly surprised you don’t walk into walls while talking to Rog.”

  “Rogath said hello to you, too.”

  “Mhm. Eleanor has made a rule of no war talk at the breakfast table. She says we all need to take a break for at least a little while, thought I should warn you.” He turned and went into the dining room ahead of her.

  “Good to know. So, how was your first flight with Grono?”

  “Our meeting started with a lot of him staring at me appraisingly, and a bit of hissing at Skylar.”

  “He hissed at Skylar?”

  “Yep. Still not sure what Skylar did to tick him off, perhaps you could shed some light on that?”

  “Maybe, and you know you still haven’t said how the flight went.”

  Donequen cleared his throat and pinned her with a glare. “The flight here turned out to be a series of tests to see if I was worthy of being his rider. Apparently being able to walk and joke after barely clinging on for dear life was sufficient. By the way, Grono can make it here from the Kingdom of the Mountains in a few hours—and
that’s while flying upside down part of the time.”

  Zelia bit her tongue to keep from laughing at the exasperation in Donequen’s tone. “Um… sorry? I didn’t realize Grono would be testing you.”

  “Yes, well, I’m over my fear of heights now, so there’s that. And after some charades, I figured out that he and Raven wanted harnesses made. Then I spent the next several hours having them both glare and hiss at me as I figured out how they wanted them constructed, only to have a very amused Orvi show me a slightly better version in my dreams that night.”

  “Orvi’s been talking to you in your dreams?” Linithion asked as she and the others joined them at the table.

  “Yes. I’ve always been susceptible to dream walkers, thanks to my mother.”

  “I can teach you how to open your mental shields to Orvi later, if you like,” Eleanor offered. “And Donequen, how are you not blocking her, but you are me?”

  “I actually have no mental blocks of my own, my power stone was chosen because it naturally shields its keeper’s mind. I don’t know why it lets Orvi through, perhaps because she’s a hybrid or maybe it’s her ability to manipulate energy.” Donequen shrugged.

  Breakfast went on like that for a while, only with a bit more joking and teasing as Loboran and Starling joined them, the two males dragging Lighnif along with them. Zelia caught Alrindel staring at Lighnif more than once, but he always looked away right when Lighnif glanced at him. She wondered if her love for Linithion had been so obvious to everyone else. If so, it explained why Alrindel and Skylar had insisted she stay with Linithion that night in the wolfblood camp all those weeks ago.

  14

  The moment breakfast was over, Zelia slipped into her riding leathers. She wasn’t sure what the day would hold, but figured she’d spend most of it outside. Linithion and Donequen were quiet beside her as they wove their way through the tents that occupied every open patch of land in sight. A war camp, that’s what their home looked like now. They’d left one in cinders only to come to this. The only clear bits of land were the pastures. Where far too many horses crowded in one and dragons occupied most of the second.

  “Good morning,” Donequen called to the Dragons as they reached the pasture’s edge.

  Linithion didn’t wait for either of them as she vaulted the fence and ran to see Orvi. The young dragon was nearly as big as Raven and Grono now, and Zelia wondered how long it would be before she reached Kniteoff’s size. Her father had been huge, his muzzle alone nearly as tall as a person while closed.

  “We’ll have to move closer to the ocean at some point, or we’ll kill off the fish here in the rivers—before Orvi is full grown.”

  “We could start eating those four-legged, horned creatures to the East,” Grono suggested.

  “You go right ahead. I hate the smell and taste of burning fur.”

  “Good morning Raven and you, too, Grono,” Zelia said, conscious of Donequen’s mention of her leaving him out of conversations the last time they’d traveled together.

  “What are we? Chopped liver?” Elm asked and Evergreen grumbled in teasing agreement.

  “Oh, hush. Kafthry and Saria already stopped by to say good morning to you two. I’m glad you all slept well last night. Do you want to take a ride and try out the new harnesses? I believe Orvi is ready to take a rider now.”

  “They want to know if we want to go for a ride. Apparently Orvi is ready for a rider now, too.”

  “Really?” Linithion’s eyes lit up. Orvi bobbed her head and Zelia could have sworn a squeal of excitement escaped Linithion. “Of course, I want to go…” Linithion’s smile faltered as her gaze shifted to the tents lining the edge of the field.

  Orvi nuzzled her lovingly. “We understand you all have other responsibilities to tend to. We’ll make it a short trip.” The other dragons hummed their agreement.

  “We’ll make it a short trip, then we’ll get to work. Alright?”

  “Here, I’ll show you how the harnesses work. We built in little loops to make climbing back on midflight easier, in case someone needs caught mid fall.” Donequen cleared his throat accusingly.

  “Oh, you survived.” Grono huffed a hot breath in Donequen’s face.

  “You’re lucky you haven’t given him a heart attack,” Raven warned.

  “Man am I glad you’re my dragon, Raven. I don’t know that I would have survived Grono.”

  “Understatement,” Donequen muttered, then patted Grono’s snout. “Can we not do death defying feats this morning? I’m still sore from yesterday.”

  “I suppose, but you’ll need to know those maneuvers if we’re going to avoid getting blasted like Raven.”

  “One time. Just one time in, what, five hundred years? I think I’m doing fairly well, thank you. Come on, dear, before Grono makes me do something that poor Donequen will regret.” Raven settled down on the grass, the snow gone from where the dragons warmed themselves.

  Zelia smothered her laugh and used the loops of leather as hand holds to pull herself onto Raven’s back. For once her arms didn’t tremble with the effort, and she was thankful for that small victory.

  Across from her, Donequen pointed at the various loops on Grono’s harness. “You just put your feet in these loops and your forearms through these and hold on to the bone handles.”

  Zelia slipped her feet into the ones slightly back and behind her feet, and leaned forward to slide her arms through the front loops Donequen mentioned. The handles were made from what appeared to be a section of polished elk leg with leather looped through it. The bone was cold in her hands and she wished she had gloves. If things weren’t such a mess she’d see about having a pair made, but as things were—later, she’d see about added comforts later.

  “You ready?” Raven asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Hold on…” There was a hint of mischief in Raven’s tone as she launched into the air. Zelia tightened her grip as she felt Raven’s anticipation through their bond. “Want to try a barrel roll?”

  “Sure.” Zelia pulled against the straps to pin herself against the base of Raven’s neck, and then they were spinning through the air. Raven flew upside down for a few heartbeats and Zelia looked over her shoulder. If there were a set of straps with buckles over my legs I could sit up and shoot arrows unobstructed—once I can use my bow again.

  “Yes, there is still room for some improvement. A harness for you guys to wear with clips would be good, but it’ll need to be something you can unhook quickly in case something happens, and you need to bail.”

  “Um. I’d rather not think about why one of us would need to bail.”

  Raven rolled back right side up. “Still, it is something that must be considered. I wouldn’t want any of you to get hurt if one of us takes a hard hit. On Dragon Island, Dotchavitch and the others practice jumping to each other’s dragons for a reason. Sometimes we can’t pull up and there’s no sense in a rider getting pinned beneath one of us if we can help it.”

  “True.”

  “Well, you ready to head back and get to work training?” Raven asked.

  “I guess. I need to check in with Rog, and possibly Eleanor.”

  “Uncle Grono, can we fly a bit longer?” Orvi asked.

  Grono chuckled a little before answering, “Yes, we can make a pass by the East river and then turn back.”

  “You two stay out of trouble.” Raven landed back in the field and Zelia slid off. “Go on and get stuff done. Perhaps we can go for a longer ride this evening.”

  Zelia lingered. She longed to spend all day with Raven, to forget about everything else for a day. Raven nudged her, the gesture to get going and a promise that they’d find time to themselves later. Then a blast of wind blew loose strands of her hair past her face, and Raven's shadow passed over her. She watched her dragon trail after her family before forcing her feet into motion.

  She reached for her bond to Rog as she climbed over the fence. “What did Yargo say?”

  “I’m pretty sure m
other threatened him, but he said he’d see if Barg would be willing to play messenger.”

  Zelia sighed as she wove between makeshift forges and tents. “That’s better than nothing.” She’d rather have been able to ask Lumid and Yargo questions, but she could settle for whatever information Barg brought. Any information from Lumid would be better than none.

  “I know the feeling. I’d better go before Mother tans my hide. She’s been rather short tempered ever since…” Guilt washed through their bond.

  “She’s just worried. Be glad she loves you so much.”

  “I know, but Terik and I are both older than you—yet you’re the one out there fighting.”

  “You know I’m not like you. This, all of this is what they created me for, even if it’s not what Xander’s plans were. And Linithion is a Queen now, she can’t just stand by while her people die. While our people die. Now get back to work just in case we fail, and you have to defend Hyperia next.”

  “You won’t fail. You’re all too stubborn to fail, but talk later?” Concern pulsed off him. Concern and defeat. She realized then that he’d blame himself if something happened to her and Linithion while he was there safe and sound.

  “Of course.”

  “How dare you go for a flight without me,” Loboran practically purred behind her.

  A smile crept to her lips as she turned to face Loboran. “Should I have an extra set of foot and handholds fashioned for you?”

  “Nah. I think I’ll be needed on the ground. Eleanor sent me to find you.” Loboran strolled to her side, his hand resting naturally on the hilt of his sword.

  “What for?”

  “No idea. She didn’t elaborate.”

  “Of course she didn’t.” She sighed and rubbed her shoulder, the muscles already burning from the effort to climb and hold onto Raven. She was better than before, but was still too weak.

  Loboran nudged her with an elbow. “You enjoy your flight?”

  “Yeah. It was too short though. What’s Starling up to?”

  “Helping with the housing situation. All the plant swayers are—except those forging weapons or patrolling.”