Phoenix Rising

by Ephie Risho

  “As I was saying, you will appreciate the giants as allies. Never before has the goblin army been so powerful.”

  “Yes, of course.” The king sat down, looking satisfied. “Most powerful goblin army ever!” He grinned and laughed. “With giants, we crush any resistance.” He squeezed his beefy hand as if squishing fruit.

  “And giants are the start,” Lucio continued, keeping the scepter raised. “We will search for other help as well. No power will be able to stand in our way.”

  “Excellent!” The plump goblin clapped his hands together.

  “When do you think the army will be ready?”

  “Soon. Soon. Much, much still to prepare. Shelter is needed, to be in the day longer. And more weapons.”

  “And other goblin kingdoms?”

  “Yes. Yes. I send my goblins—go speak to them. They join for victory!”

  “Indeed.” Lucio thought for a moment. “If it pleases your highness, I’d like to talk with them as well. To tell them how great you are and to come join your forces here.”

  “Yes. Yes. You talk too. Show how great our army is with giants.”

  “Wonderful. Your majesty.” The wizard bowed slightly and placed the scepter back into its holster, then turned and walked out of the room. Three goblins immediately followed behind him. He strode under goblin escort through winding tunnels until he came to two large doors that were open, revealing daylight.

  The goblins shrunk back from the outside light, and Lucio strode through into the open air. The hippogriff stood quietly, waiting for him. He mounted it smoothly, then the creature spread its wings and glided down the mountain and out over the plains.

  Dozens of large canopies were set up with hundreds of goblins gathered under them building war catapults. He flew low and circled the area. Below, taller hobgoblins were ordering the shorter goblins who cut down trees, trimmed, sized, and assembled them. The catapults weren’t the greatest workmanship Lucio had ever seen, but he smiled slyly. It would be a month, maybe two at the most, before the army would be ready. And by then, it would be the most powerful force on the planet.

  The hippogriff soared past the goblins toward another mountain capped in snow. As Lucio drew closer to the mountain, he noticed gargoyles perched in the shade of the largest trees watching him carefully. Their dark, stony hides were hard to spot in the darkness of the enormous redwood branches, but Lucio knew exactly where to look.

  After passing the thick forest, he flew toward a perfectly built white-stone castle with six thin spires angling into the sky, partway up the base of the tall mountain. Each was topped with a deep-red pointed roof. Its tall wall was surrounded with turrets and watchful eyes from dozens of different creatures, from bat-like gargoyles to humans and elves.

  He coasted over the wall and landed in the wide inner courtyard. As he dismounted, a short elf with green skin and long pointed ears came running out of a building toward him and stood patiently. Lucio strode toward the nearest building and spoke gruffly. “Is Caster back yet?”

  “Yes, master.” The elf bowed and followed behind quickly. “He is in the planning room.”

  Lucio barreled past servants at work, cleaning and carrying items. Upstairs he strode into a room with four people in it, including Caster.

  Caster’s red cape ruffled as he turned to see Lucio. “Ah! Welcome back. I have good news.”

  Lucio frowned and looked impatient, so Caster quickly continued, “I found two dozen imps who have killed at least as many pixies. They’re on the move and heading southwest down the coast. But we need more fires in the next towns—only those who’ve had fires are leaving their homes.”

  “Just as I suspected.” Lucio folded his arms. “The pixies are resourceful, but most of their power comes from the magic they’ve put into their homes. When they’re on the move, they’re far more vulnerable.”

  He tapped his fingers together. “Check on the imps regularly. We need to keep pressure on the pixies. And don’t lose them this time. I don’t care if you have to kill all but one. Make sure at least one survives to lead us to that tower of theirs.”

  “Consider it done.” Caster nodded and tapped on some drawings on the table. “And the phoenix?”

  “Yes. Yes.” Lucio looked annoyed. “I’ll pay it another visit. We’ll burn the whole coastline if we have to. We’re going to find that tower.”

  “I’ll head to the coast as soon as I’m done here.” Caster calmly gestured to the three others in the room.

  Lucio grunted in reply. He ran his finger down the scepter’s shaft, then turned and walked out of the room. When he left, the whole room relaxed. But his words resonated in the air.

  The coast wouldn’t be safe anymore. Not for a long time.

  19

  Underground

  BASIL HAD EXPERIENCED PITCH-DARK BEFORE. But dark at night always had the stars or the moon or the lights from town. Even when he’d camped in the darkness of a thick forest, there was always some light. But this. He looked around the cave in dismay.

  There was one time he remembered camping in the deep woods with the moon completely gone and full cloud cover. It’d been so dark that he couldn’t see a thing, similar to this. Yet, back then he knew that things would soon change—the sun would return in the morning.

  This time was different.

  And all three of them realized the same thing: morning wouldn’t bring light in the cave. There was no way to know day or night. No way to know left or right. Any hope of escape by the way they’d come, which would already have been a near-impossible task, was fully impossible without light. It was a timeless, directionless darkness. And it overcame any idea of hope.

  He heard Amber slump down on the tunnel floor and give out a little whimper. He put his hand out. The cave wall was cold and damp. He felt deep fear settle into his bones. Battling the trolls, however futile, was at least battling enemies in front of them. This was a different kind of scary—an utter sense of being lost more fully than ever, and no idea what to do about it.

  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them and looked around, he thought he was seeing flashing lights and stars, like when he would close his eyes tightly. He took another deep breath. “Any ideas now?”

  The sound of Theo scuffling and sitting down next to Amber echoed in the silence. “Is one of the elemental powers light?” he asked nervously.

  Amber gave a weak chuckle. “No, but that sure would be helpful.” They sat in silence for a few moments.

  Basil finally spoke. “I have no idea how we’ll get out of here, but using elemental powers sounds like a good thing right now.”

  “Hey,” Theo said. “Basil, the way you controlled the fire earlier . . . what if your power is over air? Maybe you can do something with that?”

  “I’ll try.” Basil moved his hands in circles and felt something, much like the last time, as if he was swirling the air around. That isn’t a power, is it? Isn’t that normal? He almost stopped, but then with desperation remembered the fire he’d caused to grow. There’s got to be something to this, he thought. I need to figure it out. We can’t be stuck here forever.

  Theo and Amber stayed quiet as he waved his hands around. Little twists of his hands with focus seemed to make the air breeze by. Bigger motions caused it to blow farther and faster. He stopped to feel the air for a moment—a breeze that continued in the direction he last waved, then it died down completely and was still.

  The sound of Amber and Theo breathing deeply in sleep filled the cavern.

  In the pitch dark, Basil got lost in his thoughts. I can feel the air around me when I move my hands. Maybe I can use that to feel the shape of the tunnel. Basil concentrated on the air around him. Nothing. He tried again, with more focus. The longer he stood in silence zeroed in on the space around him, the more he felt the dankness and stale quality of the air. But not the shape of the tunnel.

  He waved his hand while keeping focused. Instantly the air moved around him from one d
irection of the tunnel to the other. He could tell that the tunnel stayed consistent in both directions.

  He tried again. Yes, he was controlling the air! The difference was subtle. Before he was trying to do it more with his mind and his arms, but there was a deeper power within him that he felt stirring as he practiced. Is that the mana that Sage talked about? Do I just have to figure out how to tap into that, instead of my brain?

  He tried again—this time using his mind and arms less and drawing from that deeper source within him to make the air blow. It blew stronger than before, and the shape of the tunnel became clearer. He grew excited. I think I can use this to walk forward without bumping into things!

  He blurted out, “I’ve got it!”

  Amber and Theo startled awake.

  “Got what?” Theo asked groggily.

  “I’ve figured out how to feel the tunnel. My power is definitely air. I can create wind currents and feel the shape of the tunnel when I do.”

  “Really?” Theo scuffled around and stood. “So your power is air after all!”

  “Yeah,” Basil said. “I’m sure of it now. I think we should keep going the same way we were. I think the tunnel goes a long way.”

  “Ok.” Theo was still groggy.

  “Let’s go then.”

  “Wait, guys.” Amber staggered over and grabbed Basil’s arm. “Something weird is going on.”

  “What is it?” Theo said, concerned.

  “I feel like I can sort of see you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s weird. I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but I see you two, super faint. It’s like I see your heat.”

  “Really?” Basil held her out at arm’s length, trying to see her. All he saw was complete darkness. He may as well have had his eyes shut. “Does that have anything to do with your elemental power?”

  “I don’t think so. How would that be connected with plants? It’s odd, like I can see you better when I’m not working at it.”

  Theo perked up. “Can you see anything else?”

  “No. I guess not,” Amber replied. “I guess it doesn’t help us get out of here.”

  “No,” Basil said. “But I think I can. I feel the air—I can tell which way it’s going. I guess air does have a bit of usefulness. Makes me wonder what else I take for granted. Like you two, all this time you didn’t know you had powers, you just took it for granted. Maybe I’ve always had that with the way I can feel the air around me.”

  He paused. “I can tell where you two are without hearing you. I feel how the wind gets stopped by you, as it’s coming through.” He reached out and took Amber’s hand.

  Amber squeezed it. “That’s a strong breeze you’re creating. It feels nice.”

  “Yeah, I’m doing that!” Basil squeezed her hand back. “I don’t know why it took me so long. It seems so natural now.” He took Theo’s hand. “Here, Theo, take Amber’s other hand. I’ll lead the way.”

  Amber saw the faint heat coming from Theo and reached for his hand. “Ok, we’re all linked.”

  Basil took a faltering step, feeling with his foot and free hand cautiously before moving. It was slow going, and he sensed the need to stop occasionally to refocus.

  One slow step after one slow step, they made their way down the tunnel. Even with Basil feeling the air, it was still disconcerting to not see what was in front of them. What if they walked straight into a stalactite? Or fell down a cliff?

  After an hour of slow walking, they came to a fork in the passage, and Basil paused. “I feel air currents from two directions.”

  Amber frowned. “What do you think? Is one better than the other? Or maybe either direction could work?”

  “Wait,” Theo said. “I think there are some bats ahead to our right.” He stood still for a moment, tracking them. “Yes. Bats. There are dozens of them. I’ll see if I can get a sense from them if that way leads out.” He paused, then sighed. “Of course it leads out—for bats. I don’t think they have a sense of how big the passageway needs to be for humans.”

  They stood in silence for a while, then Basil said, “I need both my hands.” He lifted his arms like an orchestra conductor, waving them slightly and drawing from the inner strength that he felt more and more clearly.

  Wind gently breezed down the passageway and refreshed the kids’ faces. It felt crisp, much different than the rest of the air in the stuffy cave.

  “I can feel the currents. To the right is a large passageway. Large enough for all of us, I’m pretty sure. Come on!” Basil took Amber’s hand again, and they started walking more quickly toward the right.

  Basil never sped to a fast pace, but he was steady and moving more boldly than before.

  “Hey, the bats are just up ahead,” Theo said.

  “I can see them!” Amber grew excited. “They’re glowing red, very faintly. There are at least a hundred of them all sleeping on the ceiling.”

  “That’s right,” Theo responded. “I sense them too.”

  Under other circumstances, the bats may have seemed scarier, but in this case, the friends were relieved. It meant they were near the open air.

  Basil charged ahead. “It’s this way. The outside air is getting stronger.” He led them through a passage, then stopped abruptly and felt with his hand. “Okay. Duck your heads here—it’s a lower ceiling.”

  They all crouched as they entered a narrow channel and then started to climb a steeper passage. “We’re almost there!” Basil called. “I think we can let go of our hands now. Duck even lower here. Almost at crawling height. Try not to bump your head.”

  The three crouched and crawled after Basil. “It bends to the left here,” he called back. “Ah! Stars!”

  The night sky greeted the three like a happy reunion with lost relatives. They simultaneously breathed sighs of relief and scrambled their way up the last rocks till they finally stood in the cool night outside.

  Compared to the pitch darkness of the cave, the trio felt like they could see everything. Large and small rocks covered the entire terrain. It was a far different spot than where they’d camped.

  Basil drew his sword slightly from its scabbard, but when he saw it wasn’t glowing at all, he put it back. “Safe for now.”

  He sat on a rock and took a deep breath. “That was amazing. I can control air currents!”

  Theo patted Basil’s back as he sat next to him on the rock, “Awesome. Looks like we’ve all figured out our powers—and it’s only been the first few days on our own. Think of what more we’ll discover if we can survive long enough!”

  Amber laughed. “Yeah. With all these trolls and creatures, who knows?”

  “One thing’s for sure.” Theo grinned. “Three kids with powers sure beats one!”

  Basil breathed deeply, feeling the air around him. For the first time in his life, he realized what he should have known all along. The air felt like a living, breathing thing. It had a soul. He could tell where the high-pressure spots were pushing the lows and where the cold air was forcing up the warm. It was never still, always moving around joyfully. He joined in, focusing on the air next to him and constricting it. As soon as it became high pressure, it pushed the other air around it.

  Curious, he tightened the air even more, and a small cloud began to form. Can I even control the weather? Basil beamed. “It sure is nice to finally know what my power is.”

  Amber’s eyes drooped. “That’s great, but now what? I don’t want to sleep out here on the rocks, but I’m exhausted.”

  They considered their surroundings. Up the mountain seemed rocky and unappealing, whereas below were trees and vegetation. They scrambled down some rocks till they came to the trees. They walked a short distance, winding through trees and past bushes. Amber tried to sense the different kinds of vegetation, looking for a bed of grass that would fit all three of them.

  “This way,” she said, leading them along a path made by forest animals toward a flatter, more welcoming spot. They huddled toget
her and fell asleep instantly.

  The sun peeked over the ridge of the mountain only an hour later, but the three slept through the sunrise, exhausted from the night’s adventure. When they finally awoke, it was to a warm and friendly day. Birds were singing in the nearby trees.

  Basil awoke first. He was lying in a tumble with Theo and Amber and felt achy and sore. He rose and stretched, then walked up the trail back to the rocks for a better look. The views were spectacular, but unfamiliar.

  One thing he’d learned growing up in similar terrain was to always be aware of your surroundings. He’d paid attention to the shape of mountain peaks and landmarks on trails. There were a dozen ways to figure out where you might be, and he had a general idea—at the very least, he knew they were on the east side of the mountain, whereas they’d camped on the southwest side. But that was about all he could tell.

  Excited with his newfound powers, he concentrated on the air around him. Can I create a cloud that rains?

  He focused and “asked” the air to constrict. It did, and a small cloud formed. He drew from his internal strength and a tiny bit of rain fell from it. He laughed in delight. This was going to be fun!

  By the time he made it back to Theo and Amber, they were just waking up.

  “Good morning,” Basil said. “Can you believe it? We survived trolls and a cave! What a crazy night!”

  Theo nodded. “It’s amazing to think. And honestly, I don’t think you’d have convinced me to come on this crazy adventure if I’d known we were going to run into trolls. But then again . . .” He looked wistfully up and focused, trying to find any nearby animals. “I never knew I was special. That I had powers.”

  “That’s it!” Amber instantly grew alert.

  “What?” Theo looked at her quizzically.

  “The pixies back in Seabrook told me I’m special. I bet this is what they were talking about. Don’t you think?”

  “I don’t know.” Theo scratched his head, letting a wisp of blond hair trail into his eyes. “I know pixies are magical, but can they know things like that?”