Phoenix Rising

by Ephie Risho

  “Which brings us to the conclusion that someone—or some thing—is attempting to hurt us. The imps’ attack this morning is another sign. We must continue west toward the other tribes and warn them.”

  A young man spoke up. “We need the power of the Tower—the Great Stone Tower! We need to see who’s doing this.”

  The other pixies murmured among themselves, and Molina spoke again. “We very well may. But first, we must use our own means. We are far from the Tower, and there is plenty of power among us, if we use it wisely.”

  The pixies all nodded in consent. This was quite true. All of the four dozen pixies present knew magic in one form or another, even if just to set up a protective ring.

  “We can be a formidable bunch. But we must be prepared. We can’t be taken off guard again. Or we may suffer a true loss.” She looked at Wix, who furrowed his eyebrows and nodded.

  “Don’t worry about our home. If we can learn what’s happening and aid our other brothers and sisters, we may be able to return soon.”

  The room was quiet for a moment, then a young pixie asked, “When should we go? Is it urgent?”

  “Let’s leave in the morning, at first light,” Molina said. “For now, let’s rest and assess what we know. Anyone who has any information, please bring it to the elders, and we will discuss and make plans.” At that, she wiped her hands, which was the pixie way of saying the conversation had ended. All the other pixies in the room went back to talking with one another, and Flurry flew over to Wix.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Glorious.” Wix flashed a wry smile.

  Flurry laughed, then grew serious. “You nearly died.”

  Wix gently patted his bandaged side. “This? It’s nothing. A story for my grandkids one day.”

  “Did you see where the imps came from?”

  “Naw. They seemed to come out of nowhere. I tried a charm spell when I saw them, but of course that didn’t work. I guess it was just instinct to try it. Too bad they weren’t lower to the ground, so you could’ve taken care of them.”

  “Yes, too bad.” Flurry rubbed her fingers together in thought. “Amber asked some good questions this morning. I feel we’re being targeted. Think about it. We’ve heard of other pixies leaving their homes from attacks, not just us. And imps! We haven’t had imp attacks my entire life.”

  Wix chuckled. “Well, Flurry, you’re only, what, fourteen? That’s not a lot of years.”

  “True. But I think it’s been a long time, that’s all I’m saying. And now there are goblins, imps, and an attacking phoenix.” She wrung her hands together nervously. “Something’s going on. Aren’t you scared?”

  “I’m sure the elders will know what to do. We’ve been through a lot, but we always make it. Always. If the outside world knew the full potential of pixies . . . well, let’s just say we’ve got a lot going in our favor. I’m not worried.”

  Flurry tried to be calm like Wix, but she couldn’t stop worrying and barely slept.

  When dawn came, the elders mind-spoke: It’s time. Gather your belongings. Flurry rubbed her eyes. It felt too early.

  They left quickly without speaking, occasionally communicating to one another with their minds but staying as quiet as possible in case other imps were nearby. Scouts went out in all four directions. The pixies flew as one eastward, toward the next pixie village. After a little while, the scouts began returning with news—no imps found.

  All felt safe, but the fourth scout still hadn’t returned, and Flurry sensed a strange tingling worry. Wix and other pixies would always tell her she worried too much. This time was no exception. She suddenly had a deep fear that the scout wasn’t going to return . . . that an imp was on their trail.

  She looked around at the other pixies. They were mostly calm, as if they weren’t on an escape mission. A couple kept glancing over their shoulders, though, and it encouraged Flurry that maybe she wasn’t the only one concerned. Following her hunch, she flew behind a tree and hid in some bushy leaves, waiting and watching behind them.

  She stayed there for a bit, breathing far too loudly.

  Am I just being overly worried? I’ll only stay a few more minutes . . . I don’t want to lose the group.

  Her breathing quieted, and she listened.

  Was that a flutter?

  She peered toward the trees where the sound came from. A flit of black jumped from tree to tree. An imp! She was right, but that didn’t make her feel any better. What could she do? She had to warn the others, but if she moved, she could be seen. Imps have amazing vision—even better than eagles.

  She thought of her options. She could try to sneak back to the group close enough to mind-speak to them. Or she could lure it away, perhaps. Or maybe wait till it passed, then sneak up on it. But then what? Her powers would need it to be close to the ground. How could she do that? Without getting killed, that is.

  The imp flitted past her without noticing her hiding spot. Well, she thought, it’s too late to lure it away. I need to stop it before it gets to the group.

  The dark creature disappeared into the woods. Flurry took a deep breath. It’s now or never. I can do this. Just need to be careful.

  In an instant, she sped off toward the imp. But when she got nearer, the imp abruptly turned and pursued her. Flurry panicked and dove to the ground.

  The imp followed with breakneck speed. Her plan suddenly seemed foolish.

  She hurtled toward the hollow log she’d seen earlier and went straight into it, with the imp almost upon her. In an instant, she flew out of a side hole and turned, twisting her arms. The earth rippled, and the hollowed log went flying into a nearby boulder, cracking into hundreds of pieces.

  The imp spiraled upward then plummeted onto some rocks and lay motionless. Flurry flew over to it, hovering and frowning. As she turned her hands over, the earth and stones surrounding the imp moved, piling on top of the creature. The imp started to sink into the ground, and in less than a minute, it was swallowed up. There was no sign of it anywhere.

  She took a deep breath and listened to the woods for a moment, lost in thought. That was close. Too close. They’re so fast—and dangerous.

  She talked through options as she sped off toward the group: “They definitely have a way of tracking us. We have to have a better plan. I need to talk with the elders! We need to know what’s going on, and quickly. I hope Amber finds something out. Soon. There’s no time to lose.”

  5

  Old Mr. Thompson

  THE WHOLE WAY HOME AMBER STRUGGLED. Even though she was convinced she would go, she felt way too unprepared to head out all by herself, with all the danger. But on the other hand, she knew deep down that someone had to figure out what was going on, or it would just get worse.

  Part of her, too, felt like showing Patrick a thing or two. “Chores!” she argued aloud with herself. “All he thinks I’m good for is chores? Sure, I doubt anyone will take care of my plants properly. But still. I can do more than that! Just because I’m the youngest doesn’t mean I need to sit back and watch. They’ll see.”

  When she arrived home, she started packing. But it was hard to figure out what to bring. Was it for a few days or a month? Could she really be away from home that long? And how sure was she, really?

  Every time her confidence wavered, she remembered why she was doing it. Nobody else was going to figure out why everything was happening. Besides, Flurry thought she was special somehow—that she was the person to do it.

  She packed some food and clothing in the saddlebags on her golden horse, Buttercup. Their dog looked up at her with sad eyes, as if he knew she would be gone a long time.

  She laughed and patted him on the head. “Oh Scrawny. You’ll be fine without me.” She began tightening the straps on the horse when her mother came in.

  “Out for a ride? Are you sure that’s a good idea with goblins in the area?”

  Amber paused. She didn’t want to lie to her mother but didn’t want her mother to stop her e
ither. Tension filled the horse stall.

  “Don’t stop me. I’m going.”

  Her mother nodded. “I know, dear.” There was a glimmer of understanding in her mother’s eyes.

  Amber suddenly felt like crying and blinked away the tears. “I have to. We need to know what’s going on. And we can’t all wait around here for the next attack. What if it only gets worse? I’m not going to stay around here and let that happen.”

  “No. Nor should you. You need to find out for yourself what’s going on.”

  “You’re not mad?”

  “Why would I be?” Her mother smiled gently. “I was just like you at your age. Wanting to get out and change the world.” She looked over at Amber’s horse, laden down with supplies. “Do you have a plan?”

  Amber looked down and didn’t reply.

  “Well, Old Mr. Thompson is a good start. He knows a good many things and has advised our village through some difficult times in the past. Also, I know Ryder will be headed out that way today, and he could probably ride with you, to get you started.”

  Amber nodded. “Thanks, Mom. That’s a great idea.”

  Her mother’s eyes twinkled. “Now let’s make sure you have enough things packed.”

  She spent the rest of the morning helping Amber, making sure she had enough food, proper bedding, healing herbs, a canopy for rain, a pouch filled with flint and steel, and even some fishing gear. “There will be plenty of creeks and rivers. Lots of opportunity to fish!” she said.

  Amber packed, partly excited but also scared. She felt like changing her mind when she got a sense that her mother was fretting or nervous. But her mom continued to pack and act like the decision was final, which gave Amber a boost of confidence.

  It wasn’t until Buttercup was fully loaded down with three days of food that her mother finally said, “I also brought you this.” She held up a book before carefully putting it in one of the saddlebags. It was Amber’s favorite book—she’d read it a dozen times—a story about elves, dragons, and adventure. She smiled and gave her mom a huge hug.

  She wasn’t entirely sure why she loved the book so much. They had other books that drew her interest as well. But her mom had mentioned at one point that her ancestors were involved in heroic stories like those in that book, and it got her thinking that maybe one day she might be a hero too. Of course, it was just a dream, never something she thought she’d actually do.

  “And this.” Her mom held out a small silver medallion on a chain. It had an intricate sun with a face etched on it.

  “What is it?”

  “Oh, an old family keepsake. It’ll bring you luck.” She undid the clasp and put it around Amber’s neck. “It goes back a long way, I don’t know how long, but I know at least to your great-great-great grandmother.”

  “Whoa. That’s a lot of greats! I bet she’s great.” Amber winked at her mom.

  Her mother chuckled and gave her a huge hug. They stood for a moment, then her mother wiped a tiny tear. “I know you’re in a rush, but say goodbye to your dad. He’ll be in Mr. Peabody’s fields. Ok. Off you go, my brave little girl.”

  Amber mounted Buttercup, then grinned at her mom as she put the black-and-bright-yellow wool hat on her head. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll prove you right. I’ll figure out what’s happening and then come back to help.” She gave a little kick with her heels and set off down the street. Looking back, she saw her mom’s face, moist with tears but also beaming a warm smile. Amber knew deep down that her mom wanted her to go—but not really.

  She found Ryder in the town center. He was waiting for any latecomers with mail for Lugo—a large city far from their tiny village, a two day’s ride away.

  She waved brightly. “Hi, Ryder. I hear you’re heading out soon.”

  “That’s right.” He looked at the gear on her horse with raised eyebrows. “And something tells me you aren’t here to pass me mail to deliver.”

  Amber grinned. “Now what gives you that impression?”

  Ryder laughed. “Where are you off to?”

  “I don’t know. But I’m starting with Mr. Thompson.”

  “Perfect,” Ryder said. “Not far at all. I can ride there with you. We can leave whenever you want. I was just about to call it quits.”

  “Sounds good. I just want to pass by the Peabody’s field, if that’s ok with you.”

  Ryder nodded and mounted Rocky, his splotchy white-and-brown horse with a long lightning pattern on its right side. Amber trotted next to him, and the two rode through the streets till they came to the field, which was still smoking from the fire the day before. Her dad and others were busy reclaiming what they could from the devastation.

  She dismounted and walked over to him awkwardly. “Hi, Dad.”

  He looked at her, then at the horses and Ryder, and then looked into her eyes with understanding. “I see. Does Mom approve?”

  “Yes.” Amber tried hard not to look down. “I’m starting with Mr. Thompson, and I’ll send word when I know more.”

  Her dad put his hand gently on her shoulder. “Somehow I always knew you’d be the one to head out first. Patrick might head out as well. But you . . . one thing I should tell you before you go. Amber, we have some great heroes in our family history, as we’ve told you before. Just remember, there are some folks out there who live a lot longer than we humans. I wish I knew more, but your mother’s side played an important role long ago in the great wars. If you ever hear stories about Majestic Rose, that’s someone you’re related to.”

  “Anyway,” he pulled her in for a hug. “I’ll miss you. Be smart. Be safe. And send word when you learn anything.”

  Amber nodded, then walked back to Buttercup. “Let’s go.”

  Ryder kicked in his heels, and the horses clopped onto the small dirt road that led through the countryside.

  “You must love traveling these roads, since you’re still doing it after all these years,” Amber said.

  “Oh yes. I think it’s the adventure of it. I was eleven when I started, so young, and I ran into all sorts of interesting things.”

  “Really?” Amber asked. “Like what?”

  “Well, in Seabrook things get interesting when someone catches a large fish or when a visitor comes to town. Except for yesterday,” Ryder said as an aside. “But in larger towns, there’s a lot more going on. There are people from all around the world. People who look and talk differently than we do.”

  “Such as?”

  “Well, did you know not everyone is fair skinned, like the folks of Seabrook? I’ve seen people who are as black as the night. And I’ve seen some different races as well. Like elves.”

  “Elves. Mom says our family had elf friends in the past.”

  “Really?” Ryder gazed at her curiously. “I wonder how long ago.”

  “I don’t know. But you said you had some adventures?”

  “Oh yeah. Most exciting—I had some bandits try to rob me once.”

  “What?” Amber’s mouth dropped open. “What did you do?”

  “Well, it’s kind of hard to explain . . .” He stared into the distance.

  “You can’t leave it at that! It was just getting good!”

  “Ok. Ok.” Ryder looked around nervously. “I haven’t really told people about this before.”

  Amber excitedly twirled on a hair strand that had come out from under her hat.

  “So I was all worried and excited when all of a sudden there was an earthquake and the ground gave way beneath the bandits. They fell down—and that gave me time to mount Rocky and ride off as fast as I could go.”

  “Wow, that’s crazy.”

  “Yeah,” Ryder said. “Definitely crazy.”

  They rode in silence for a moment. “Do you think it was a coincidence or magic?”

  “Oh, it was magic. Definitely. In fact . . .” He gazed into the distance, “I know I caused it.”

  Amber paused. “Can you still do stuff like that? Can you do magic?” She thought of the book in her si
de bag, and the magic that was possible in her stories. Not just stories, she thought, as she patted the enchanted stone in her pocket.

  “Sort of. Big stuff like that seems to be tougher, and only when I’m scared, that sort of thing. But yeah, look at this.”

  He waved his hand, and the rocky road flattened itself out. Pebbles sank in, larger rocks rolled into dips, and the earth rose up to match it. In a matter of seconds, the bumpy road was transformed. “Definitely useful when you’re traveling a lot of roads in bad shape.”

  “How long have you been able to do this?” Amber stared at the perfectly flat road with fascination.

  “Well, I figured it out with the bandits, like I said. That was two years ago. And I’ve been practicing with it ever since.”

  “Amazing.” She gazed at Ryder with new admiration. “Tell me another story.”

  “Ok. Well, I ran into a huge wild cat once. Like, not normal size at all.”

  “Were you on your horse?”

  “Yeah. So I felt sort of safe. But even so, it was big. Like bigger than any cat I’ve ever heard about.”

  “How big?” Amber asked.

  “Oh, gosh, almost as big as Rocky here.”

  “That is big. What did it do?”

  “Nothing—except scare me and Rocky out of our wits. It’s amazing we’re still alive, honestly. I bet it could have shredded us for breakfast if it had wanted to.”

  “It just stared at you?”

  “Yeah. Like it was smart or something. I was so scared, but I also kind of knew it wasn’t going to hurt us. The way it looked at me with its eyes, like it was thinking.”

  “Huh.” Amber gazed at the leafy trees as they passed. “I always wondered why you decided to become a courier, especially so young.”

  Ryder looked down. “You know how my mom suffered so much before she died . . .”

  “Yeah, I remember.”

  “Well, one thing you probably didn’t know is she desperately wanted to let her sister know, to come visit us in her last days. But nobody was available to go. We had a couple of couriers who’d visit us from other towns from time to time—but no couriers based in Seabrook. And of course, our best friends all wanted to be there when she died, so they didn’t go off to find my aunt.”