Phoenix Ashes Master

by Anne, Melody

  “You. Stop!”

  “Go. Run faster,” Elise urged the kids. She could hear their panting breaths mixed with tears. They knew they were in trouble.

  Suddenly, Elise felt her hair being yanked, halting her as she lost her balance and fell with a hard thump to the cold cement. Pain shot up her spine, sending a shock wave of aches from her tailbone all the way to her neck. Cheryl flew from her arms and curled into a ball on the street as she whimpered in fear.

  “What do we have here?” a man’s voice snarled, making Elise afraid to open her eyes. No, this couldn’t be happening. She had to get the kids to safety.

  “It looks to me like a renegade and her brats. I like the little redhead,” another voice mocked.

  “No! Keep your filthy hands off of them!”

  Elise’s head rocked back from the closed fist slamming into the side of her jaw. She started to black out, but fought the sensation. She couldn’t fade away and leave the kids alone. They needed her.

  “Mama!” her daughter screamed, causing Elise to open her eyes. A man in a dirty overcoat was grabbing her daughter while her son kicked at his legs.

  “Leave my sister alone!” Gabe shouted as he desperately tried to defend Cathy.

  The man kicked his leg out, sending Gabe flying to the hard cement where he moaned in pain and blood starting pooling around his head.

  “Please, please don’t hurt them,” Elise begged. “You can have me, please, I won’t fight — just don’t hurt my kids.”

  “That’s what I like to hear. You be nice and cooperative for us now, and maybe, just maybe we’ll let you go,” the man snarled as his hand snaked behind her sore neck and he yanked her up, tucking her body into his horrendous smelling chest. His hand snaked down and ripped the straps of her bags as he threw them to the ground. The release of weight should’ve been a relief, but instead all she could feel was the filthy man’s hands touching her.

  Her empty stomach heaved, though there was nothing to throw up. The man glared down at her before his hand tangled in her hair and yanked her head down, causing shards of pain to tingle along her scalp.

  “No!” she heard Mikey yell as he rushed toward the man holding Cathy. “Don’t hurt her,” his tiny voice cried.

  Elise turned to see the man kick Mikey square in the stomach, sending the little boy flying backward. She watched in horror as he landed on the cement holding a lamppost and an eerie snapping sound echoed through the street. Mikey crumpled to the ground and didn’t move.

  “What did you do?” Elise screamed, struggling frantically to get away from the man holding her in an iron grasp. Grime washed down her face as her eyes poured out her anguish. She was supposed to protect the kids — she had to save them.

  “That’s okay, baby, I love a challenge,” the man gripping her said with a deep laugh.

  “Mama, help, please, Mama . . .” Cathy cried as the other guy pushed her to the ground. Gabe was still groaning where he’d landed, and Cheryl was lying curled in a ball, sobbing. They weren’t escaping from this.

  She’d failed as a mother, making one bad choice after another. After all of the struggles they’d endured over the past few years, it was so tragic this was ending in this way.

  Chapter Seventeen

  *** Vyco ***

  “Josiah is gone. There’s no better time to step up this war. It’s my turn to rule this world. I'm no longer content to hide in the dark, scavenging for my kills. It’s time for the world to know about the dark side, and it’s past time for this war to truly begin,” Vyco snarled as he paced his shadowy palace beneath the earth.

  “I agree with you, my lord,” Jessica whispered as she sauntered close behind him and ran her long, blood-red nails across the nape of his neck. “I love to see you using your power. Nothing excites me more than the pure command of your hands, the way you can whip the wind into a furious storm or open the ground, swallowing everything in its wake. Every battle you fight is a thrill for me.”

  She leaned her head back and groaned before circling around him and reaching up to run her tongue along his lips. He hungrily kissed her as his hands pulled her in tightly, his thoughts turning to satisfying his needs.

  “I haven’t managed to get through to Phoenix yet, but she’s beginning to break. I can feel it,” he murmured as his teeth bit into the flesh of her neck, leaving a dark bruise and the tiniest trickle of blood.

  Jessica instantly stiffened in his arms, before pushing against him and pacing, turning around to glare. He loved the look of anger and jealousy exuding from her, but he couldn’t allow her to disrespect him.

  “Phoenix!” she spat. “We don’t need her. She’s nothing!”

  “Ah, my sweet, dark Jessica. Is that jealousy I detect? I adore that emotion, the way it depletes the soul, turns the softest of hearts to stone, and causes wars and murder,” he said with a smile before suddenly appearing in front of her and gripping her head tightly with his hands, bending close so his words whispered over her lips.

  “However, don’t forget who you’re speaking to. I gave you life when you were breathing your last breath, and I can just as quickly take it away. Do not ever cross me.” His hand rose, extracting the oxygen from her lungs, causing her to gasp and her skin to turn blue. She choked in his arms as her hands clawed at his chest.

  Just before the last of her life was taken, he ended his torture, letting her drop to the floor where she lay gasping for air, fighting the feeling of eternal nothingness. Without regard for her condition, Vyco glided to his throne and sat as he waited for her to gain the strength to get off the floor. Not caring the least about Jessica, his mind drifted back to Phoenix and the camp she was hiding in.

  “There’s a hardened heart among them in the camp. Her name is Miranda. I’ve been whispering in her ear for some time, and she’s ready to betray them. The most amusing part is that she thinks she’s on the good side. I’ve got her convinced that Jayden is a monster who’s leading them all to hell. I love taking the slightest murmur of discontent and turning it into an unstoppable storm. It brings me great pleasure how easy these mortals are to manipulate. I once played quite well with you, Jessica — I still do.”

  “What are your plans?” she asked, pain lacing her voice. He knew his words were upsetting her, but she was too afraid of the consequences of talking back to him again, so she kept her head down and her words at a minimum.

  “We’ll attack the camp where the good forces think their people are so safe. We’ll attack with everything we have, but first, Miranda will disable their warning systems. They won’t know we’re there until the fire is consuming their buildings.”

  “That is an excellent plan, my liege. When do we begin?” she asked. Her fury with him was radiating off her, but she was also elated by the thought of attacking the group who’d once housed her.

  Jessica rose to her hands and knees then tried to stand, before stumbling and falling. Her wrath continued consuming her as she discovered how weak she was. Good — he was happy with the anger — it made her so much more fun.

  “Do not rise off your knees. I like you just how you are. Crawl to me so you may bow at my feet.” She started to move, keeping her head down, when he stopped her. “Drop the defiant attitude immediately,” he taunted.

  Closing his eyes, he felt her turmoil surround him, her rioting emotions feeding his black soul. She was worthy of keeping around, since she was continually bringing him great pleasure and amusement. He didn’t want all of the fight to drain from her, but he also demanded respect and obedience.

  He had no doubt her anger would one day lead her to betray him if she felt she could get away with it. Never would it be wise to give her too much time to plot. A black heart he enjoyed. A vengeful heart against him, he had to destroy — just not quite yet.

  No, he’d play with her until she couldn’t amuse him any longer. Once he was done, he’d hand her over to his demons for enjoyment until they killed her. She’d go th
rough much suffering for many years, until the day they went too far. By that point she’d pray for eternal death. His eyes opened so he could watch her crawl the last few feet.

  “I want to help. I’ll go in for you,” Jessica said as she moved slowly toward him.

  No, he wouldn’t allow that. He must keep her away from Phoenix. Jessica would kill the girl the first chance she got. He couldn’t have that, not when Phoenix would be his future queen. She’d fight him for a very long time, possibly decades, but she’d eventually bow to him and when she did — ah, when she did, it would be the victory of all victories.

  She held powers beyond what any of his demons had. When she realized her strength, she’d be a true force to be reckoned with. He wanted to harness that power, show her how to use it. Together, they’d begin a new era — be an unstoppable force of chaos.

  Without looking at him, Jessica continued her stiff journey to his feet, slowly crawling to him. With her teeth gritted, she dropped the last of her dignity and will on the dirt-packed floor, gazing at him with submission. His eyes lit up at the sight of the many wounds crisscrossing her body. His whip had marked her well. It looked as if she needed another reminder of who her true king was.

  She finally reached him, immediately bowing at his feet, showing her desire to submit to him with her knees tucked underneath her and her rounded backside high. He snapped his fingers, summoning his whip, and quickly lashed it through the air.

  The sound of the leather fighting the thick air and then snapping across her freshly exposed flesh made him smile. The sound of her whimper on the third hit made him laugh. When blood welled on her fresh wounds, his game was over as hunger consumed him.

  Gripping her by the hair, he dragged her body upward and reminded her of who he was. For her to forget for even a single moment was unacceptable. This was his kingdom, and his world, and nobody better forget it.

  Chapter Eighteen

  *** Sadie ***

  “I wanted to wait, Sadie. I thought by now this would be over and we’d be living in a real house again, tilling the ground for a garden, watching children play in the parks, and having picnics on the beach — but this nightmare never seems to end,” Brian said as the two of them sat on the water’s edge, the cool waves gently lapping over their feet.

  “It will end, Brian. Someday soon, we’ll have that and so much more. We’ll have freedom again, and get to be a part of the regrowth of our nation. We’ll sleep at night without fear, stroll in the dark without looking behind our backs. There will come a time when happily-ever-after isn’t just a fairy tale,” she assured him.

  “That’s why I love you so much,” Brian said. “I can’t imagine going through the endless days and nights without you. Knowing you’re safe is the only thing that keeps me sane when my team leaves for missions. I know it’s hard on you when I go. I understand that you want to be with us, but I worry so much about you that I literally can’t focus. I need to keep you tucked away until the end of this and then show you off to the world.”

  “If there’s much world left after this is all finished,” she answered with a bit of heartbreak.

  From the reports coming in, there were so many lives lost, millions upon millions of lives, their bodies disposed of as if they were nothing more than garbage. It was truly horrendous what the enemy had done to their fellow humans.

  “There will be a new world, otherwise there’d be no point in what we’ve been doing,” Brian said. “We’re out there every day to ensure the survival of this nation, to guarantee there’s a place for us, and to bring the survivors together. The enemy soldiers are starting to fall, running when we come near them. Their bases are becoming fewer and fewer and I think most of the prisons have been infiltrated. We’re taking back our country one day at a time — and we aren’t backing down.”

  “I love you, Brian. You bring me hope when I start to doubt. Thank you,” Sadie said before leaning in to kiss him.

  He gently touched her lips with his then kissed her until she couldn’t breathe. Sadie felt as if she was floating as he pulled away and his beautiful blue eyes sparkled at her in the fading light from the sunset. It was one of those perfect moments in time that she wished would never end.

  “Sadie, I wanted to wait until the world was perfect, but right now feels right. When I hold you close to me, when your warm breath drifts across my skin, and your touch warms my soul, everything is perfect. Will you marry me?”

  Brian pulled a small silver ring from his pocket, showing her the stars etched on the eternity band. His fingers trembled as he held it for her to see. She was so overcome with emotion she couldn’t get the words to form for several heartbeats.

  “Yes, Brian, a thousand times, yes,” she whispered as she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in tight, resting her head on his shoulder as emotion claimed her.

  It was several minutes before she pulled back so he could slide the modest band onto her finger. It was a perfect fit.

  “I spent a month carving the stars into the metal. I wanted it to be perfect, so I took my time. I know it’s not a huge diamond, or anything like what I’d love to give you—”

  Sadie interrupted him by placing her finger over his moving lips.

  “It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. Look how it shines in the last rays of the sun. It holds the stars on it and promises me forever with you. I don’t want a diamond. It’s nothing more than a shiny lump of coal, anyway. What I want is an eternity with you.”

  Brian’s eyes got suspiciously bright as he bent down and gently kissed her again, before holding her as the colors from the sunset washed over them, ending their monumentally romantic picnic.

  When the night air cooled their bodies, the two of them stood and began strolling hand in hand back to the base, Sadie feeling as if she was drifting in the clouds. She didn’t think it possible to have such a perfect moment in the middle of all the devastation.

  She was in love with Brian and had been for nearly two years. It seemed a million moons ago when her best friend had thought she wanted to be with Brian. Sadie would’ve never even thought of being with him then.

  But fate had a funny way of working out. Jayden had come into Phoenix’s life and her bestie had discovered what real love truly was. And that had opened the door for Sadie to allow her own feelings for Brian to show.

  Because of that, there was no doubt who Sadie would go to first to share her beautiful, wonderful news. There was too little of that anymore. She needed the support of her best friend. They had so little to be joyous about these days; she knew Phoenix would be thrilled.

  As soon as they returned to the base, Sadie kissed Brian for long seconds, before staring at him with pleading eyes. She didn’t want her meaningful night with Brian to end, but at the same time, she had to gush to her best friend.

  “It’s okay, Sadie. I know you’re dying to talk to Phoenix. I have to meet with the elders. I think they’re sending us out on another mission Friday.”

  Sadie instantly lost some of the joy she’d been carrying with her from the moment he’d proposed. He meant so much to her and if he didn’t return, she couldn’t imagine what her life would be like. It would never be the same again. What would be the point in getting engaged if she never got to marry the love of her life?

  “Hey. No crying. I always return to you, right?” he said as he tilted her chin so she was forced to look at him.

  “Yes, but . . .”

  “No buts. Do you think I can possibly stay away when I have you to come home to? I love you, Sadie, more than I could ever express. I want to make you my wife, and fast. If you can have the wedding planned by the time I return, we never have to sleep in separate rooms again. That will certainly make me come home faster. I’ll rush the team.”

  “Okay. Go plan your mission. I’m going to find Phoenix.”

  “I love you, and I will for all eternity.”

  “I love you too, Brian. Thank
you for making me so happy.” Brian bent down and gave her one final, toe-curling kiss before he reluctantly released her. Her feet barely touched the ground as she sought out her best friend.

  It didn’t take long for Sadie to locate Phoenix, who, of course, was writing in her journal. Phoenix looked up with a delighted smile on her face.

  “I was just thinking about you. Do you remember that time when we were little and I stayed over at your house and we went on a bike ride?”

  Sadie had to think back to what was so significant about a bike ride. When Phoenix glared at her, she remembered. Oh, that ride.

  “Vaguely,” Sadie mumbled.

  “Yeah, I’d forgotten all about it until I started writing things down. You were so kind to give me the bike with no brakes. I’ll never forget the terror I felt as I came around that corner and hit the brakes only to find out the dang things didn’t work. I think I was still picking blackberry thorns out of my butt a week later.”

  “You have to blame that on my parents. They’re the ones who didn’t check the brakes,” Sadie said with a sheepish grin.

  “I really miss those days sometimes. I miss how much we always laughed, and life was easier.”

  “I don’t,” Sadie said with a twinkle in her eyes.

  It took Phoenix a few stunned seconds to figure out something was going on, but since Sadie was practically bouncing up and down, Phoenix knew it was something big.

  “What happened?” she finally asked when Sadie didn’t say anything else.

  “Brian asked me to marry him,” Sadie answered as she plopped down on the bed and held up her hand so Phoenix could admire the ring.

  “Oh, Sadie, it’s beautiful. I’m so happy for you,” Phoenix told her as she grabbed her up in a big hug. “We have to make it special.”

  “I want to get married quickly. With everything that’s going on, I don’t want to wait and have it possibly not happen.”

  “I don’t think there’s anything on this planet that could stop Brian from marrying you. He’s a smart man.”