Phoenix Rising

by Ephie Risho

  “Oh gosh. When I was super young. I guess I don’t really know. Because I’ve always loved animals, and they’ve always loved me. I just figured it was natural.” A small chickadee landed on his shoulder, as if to prove his point.

  “Did you ever feel like you could communicate with them before you knew you had a power?”

  Theo paused and thought for a moment. “I guess there were a couple of times, but I never thought about it till now. Once I was playing with a cat and wanted it to jump across the room to catch a feather toy. My friend Pender was doing the same thing, but he couldn’t do it. I got the cat to do it. I just figured at the time that I was good with animals—not that I was telling it to do stuff with my powers.”

  “Huh. Curious. I wonder if we’re born with these powers or if we get them later?”

  “Well, how about you?” Theo asked. “Was there a time you remember having control over plants?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I was always just good with them. I could grow plants no one else could, and I could also—sort of—feel their moods. I know that sounds weird, but plants get unhappy too. We’d grow these big crops of food, and I’d say to one of the farmers that the wheat wanted a bit more compost or this crop needed more water and this one less.”

  “Oh, and here’s another thing,” she went on. “Did you know certain vegetables like to grow next to each other? Nobody else knew that in my village, but I told them that the beets want to grow next to the garlic, and the broccoli next to the onions. And guess what? They were way healthier. All of them! We’d had this snail issue, see, eating all the beets, and when we did that, it just solved it instantly. Plus, they tasted better. So, of course, everyone does that now.”

  “That’s amazing.” Theo looked inspired. “How long ago did you do that?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. It’s been a few years now. So, yeah, maybe I’ve always had these powers. I just didn’t realize they were magical.”

  They chatted into the night, trying to relax, but there was tension in the air. Would they even find the phoenix at all? Was the entire mission impossible from the start?

  The next morning Basil took off on foot to the next mountain to hunt while Amber and Theo continued their search. They tried using their powers throughout the day. Amber stretched her mind to find out how far she could sense plants and trees. It was farther than the last time but still not much more than a couple of stone throws away.

  She thought about the vivid dream she’d had the night of the trolls. The trees had talked to her.

  She tried communicating with the plants around her, but nothing felt strong and vibrant—nothing like she’d experienced that night. During the waking hours, it was more like she had a sense of things, what sort of moisture and sun they needed. It felt very familiar, like when she was back in Seabrook helping people with their farming decisions.

  Theo practiced with animals. He brought different kinds of birds, from hawks to hummingbirds, and sent them around the mountain to get their perspective on where the phoenix might live. Just like his earlier attempts, it didn’t bring any results.

  On his own, Basil also tried many different things to control the air but couldn’t seem to do more than tighten it, push wind currents around, or whip little bits of leaves off the ground. He could create serious gusts of wind when he focused hard but felt like he must be missing something.

  And he hadn’t found any deer, so that night they felt tired, discouraged, and hungry for fresh food.

  On the third day, it started raining, and the search became nearly impossible. Amber’s enchanted cape turned out to be waterproof, but Basil and Theo were getting drenched, not to mention their horses and all their gear. They decided to go back to their camp and wait it out.

  Basil made a fire at their site, and Amber caused the branches to create a canopy to shield them from the rain. The boys changed clothes and hung their wet clothing out to dry.

  Amber felt chilly and pulled out the black-and-yellow striped hat her mom had knitted. It felt like so long ago, and the bright, happy colors seemed so out of place with the grey rocks and rain.

  “Hey! Love the hat.” Basil smirked. “How come you haven’t worn that before?”

  Amber pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and under the hat. “There’s a pixie that would be losing a bet right now.”

  “Huh?” Basil looked at her, puzzled, and Amber laughed.

  “It’s not just for looks. It’s a nice, warm hat.”

  “Okay.” Basil shrugged and turned back to lighting the kindling he’d set up in the ring of rocks.

  The fire quickly warmed them to their core. Basil whittled a stick with a knife, and Amber found herself getting entranced by the dancing flames. Theo pulled out a small book.

  “What are you reading, Theo?” Amber asked.

  “This?” Theo looked at the book sheepishly. “It’s a book of short stories.”

  “Neat.” Amber peered at the cover. “I only brought one book with me. It’s a great story about elves and a dragon. I’d have brought more, but I didn’t know how long I’d be gone. I have some great books back home.”

  “I bet,” Theo said. “Do you have a library or some place to read more books in your town?”

  “Naw. But there’s an old woman, Mrs. Juniper, who has quite a few. I like to go over to her place and read, or she sometimes lets me borrow them. We don’t really have any place like Chandler’s in Seabrook.”

  Theo put his book down. “I can’t imagine life without a library or a teacher. Is there a school there?”

  “Not really. Mrs. Juniper teaches lots of folks to read—including me and my brothers and sister. But no, I’d say only half the folks in town really know how. We spend a lot of time working outdoors. My parents read at night, so I grew up with them reading to me, and I learned pretty young. But a lot of folks don’t have that.”

  Theo nodded. “Sounds like there’s not a lot to choose from. Did you learn much history or science?”

  Amber thought about it for a bit. “Some, I guess. A lot of it is passed down around the fireplace. My dad likes to tell stories, and he thinks it’s important to remember things from the past, so I know a bit. But not like Chandler. I couldn’t believe how much he knew about everything.”

  “Yeah, he’s a bit of a know-it-all,” Theo said.

  Basil interrupted, “You can say that again! He’s totally full of himself. Thinks he knows everything. But then, I guess he does know a lot. He’s helped out the folks of Sanford more times than I can count, so they treat him with respect.”

  Amber poked the fire with a stick. “I never thought about how knowing history could be so helpful, but I got a glimpse of it back at Chandler’s place. Before we even found Sage, it’s like we figured out all sorts of stuff. And the maps! I’ve never seen maps of the land like that before. I guess, besides hearing Ryder’s stories, I hadn’t really thought about how far the land goes.”

  Theo nodded. “Yeah, it’s pretty great having that kind of knowledge. I really want to learn more. I hear Lugo has a huge library. I’d love to visit it someday.”

  “Sounds like a great idea,” Amber said.

  The rain continued all day and into the evening, so they didn’t bother leaving their campsite. They played Castles, and Theo showed Basil and Amber some of the strategies he’d worked on. Amber was impressed at how many levels of thinking could be added to such a simple game.

  Basil left for a while to set up a few rabbit traps, but when he checked them at the end of the day, there was nothing. The three went to bed once again with a meager dinner of jerky and the last of their stale bread. The next morning, the search continued, and Amber wondered if they’d all have to hunt for more food.

  Then, that afternoon, with no warning, the phoenix appeared far below them and flew away down the coast.

  It was an unbelievably fierce-looking creature, like an oversized yellow, orange, and red eagle with glistening scales and a long reptilian tail
. It appeared massive and foreboding, even at their great distance from it.

  Amber felt chills go down her body. How would they get close to a creature of that power? She realized it was flying down the coast toward her village. She hoped it wasn’t going to burn another field. Or worse yet, attack the villagers.

  “We need to get to that cave before it gets back!” Basil said excitedly.

  Amber shook her head to focus, and the three scrambled down the mountain face, toward where they thought the phoenix had been. Even knowing the general area, they had no clue where to look. The cave was perfectly hidden.

  Suddenly, Theo’s face lit up. “Rats!”

  “Come again?” Basil said.

  “There are rats over there. Come on!”

  They clambered across the rough terrain past trees and long grasses and over large rocks, then came across a small opening between the rocks. Theo focused, and instantly a dozen large rats came pouring out of the hole. Amber had to keep herself from jumping up and running away. The rats stood in front of Theo, as if taking orders from him, then dispersed in every direction.

  Theo flashed a smile. “We’ll find it in no time now.”

  Sure enough, only twenty minutes later Theo called, “This way!”

  They ran and climbed over the rough land and came upon a large cave opening.

  “There’s no way we’d have found this,” Theo said, peering around a rock. The cave was completely hidden from nearly every angle, and they wouldn’t have realized it was there, even if they’d walked right up to it.

  “What’s our plan?” Amber asked, looking at her friends.

  “Let’s go in and see.” Basil held the hilt of his enchanted sword tightly.

  The cave entrance might have been small, but inside it was enormous, with craggy spots all around and all sorts of rocks and crevices. Sunlight filtered down through a small hole into the lofty space, making the entire place feel magical. It was mostly empty, except for a large padded nest of grasses and numerous bones scattered about. It had an unusual sculpted look, as if it had been burned and melted over the years to suit the phoenix’s needs.

  “Look.” Basil pointed behind the nest. “That rock there is large enough for you to hide behind, and it’s right next to the nest. Here’s what we can do. You hide there with your cloak and the amulet. Theo and I can hide behind these other rocks over here. When it gets close enough, leap from the top of the rock onto its head and drop the amulet over its neck. If it gets wind of you, Theo and I can distract it.

  Amber gulped and nodded. They all hugged each other, then hid behind different rocks, waiting.

  Time passed slowly, and nobody said a word. Amber sat holding the amulet in her hands, turning it over and over. Maybe we won’t die today, she thought. To prepare herself, she slowed her breath, focused, and imagined how she’d leap onto the phoenix at the right moment.

  But when the phoenix returned—its huge fierce body landing quietly on the cave entrance holding a deer in its talons—Amber grew pale. Her hands trembled as she held the amulet and listened to the large creature tear into its prey. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Would she be able to do it?

  22

  Pixie Power

  FLURRY HID INSIDE THE SMALL HOLLOW OF A TREE, holding tightly onto Wix. They sat in the far back corner in the shadows and listened intently. The forest was eerily quiet.

  A pixie mind-spoke to the general area: Three imps. Maybe four. At least ten of us dead. Stay hidden. The elders have a plan.

  The fact that the elders had a plan was somewhat comforting. But not really. There was no question in Flurry’s mind at this point. They had to get to the Great Stone Tower. I wonder who’s dead, she thought. Then she shook the thought from her mind. No time for that now. Survival depended on being fully present.

  Time felt like it slowed down. They waited and waited. When would they know if the imps were gone? All of their usual senses to detect living creatures seemed useless. She tried listening, but it was futile inside the tree.

  After what felt like hours, the pixie mind-spoke again: There were four imps. They’ve passed us now. Let’s regroup at the cherry blossom tree we saw back by the ring.

  Flurry and Wix peeked out of their hole. No other pixies were visible. They darted into the open and sped toward the tree. It was in full bloom, with pink-and-white blossoms covering every branch and filling the whole area with a sweet smell. Twenty other pixies hovered, glancing around furtively. Flurry was heartbroken to see so few, especially since she only recognized half of them.

  One of the elders raised his hands and mind-spoke to them: The ring nearby can be restored with minimal magic. We can use it to cast protective spells and have a safe night, invisible to the world. From there we can devise our next plan. We know we need to get to the Great Stone Tower. But it’s far. We must deal with the imps first.

  All the pixies silently agreed. A few stayed behind to communicate with any stragglers still arriving, and the rest flew over to the mushroom ring. It was old and incomplete—but nothing a few spells wouldn’t help.

  The pixies with power over plants worked quickly, as did the mages with their wands to enchant the ring. In short order, the whole area began to shimmer, and golden sparkles appeared, rising up from the mushrooms and creating a dome around the fairies.

  As the minutes passed, the sparkles grew thicker and thicker, until finally all the pixies relaxed. They were invisible to the outside world now. More pixies continued to stream in through the walls, adding to their numbers. Flurry felt comforted that there were more than the original twenty that had shown up at the blossom tree.

  The regal-looking male elder called them in, then stood in front of the group. “How many tribes are represented here?”

  Two elders from different tribes flew over to the speaking elder and stood next to him. One pixie looked around frantically, then flew over too but looked discouraged. Not an elder by any stretch but representing her tribe. Four tribes in all were present.

  As a few more streamed in, Flurry did a quick estimate—about seventy pixies were present. That meant over a hundred had been separated from them or killed in the last week. She shook her head and tried not to cry.

  The elder spoke again. “The fires have been targeted all along the sea, but there are still many more tribes down the coastline. No tribe has been prepared for this. We can’t count on them to solve this issue. We may not be able to prevent the fires, but we can come up with a strategy against the imps. Are there any pixies here with the power of illusion?”

  One young pixie raised her hand and flew over to the elder. “Yes. But I was a student. Not a full-fledged mage.”

  The elder continued. “You can show me your limits shortly. Any pixies here with elemental powers?”

  Flurry and two other pixies darted forward, next to the elder. “Your powers?”

  “Earth.” Flurry nodded.

  “Plants,” said the other two.

  The five younger pixies and three elders hovered above the rest. “And finally, any pixies who are strategic—who think they can help us devise our plan. Come forward now.”

  There was an awkward pause. A middle-aged pixie looked around at the others, then flew up to the group. Another one quickly followed her lead.

  Dismissed, the elder mind-spoke, wiping his hands. The rest of the pixies relaxed. Flurry and the other nine pixies flew to a rock and landed.

  “At this point, we have a very simple plan. We’ll fool the imps into thinking we are elsewhere, then sneak attack them. Since our normal powers don’t work on them, we’ll have to use the elements around us—earth, plants, and whatever else we can come up with. We have the perfect place for a sneak attack in mind . . . it’s a narrow valley with lots of rocks to hide behind.” She looked at Flurry meaningfully. “Or hurl.”

  Flurry gulped and glanced around at the others nervously. Her role would be critical to the plans.

  “Any other ideas, please share the
m now.”

  A moment passed, then the first pixie, a kind-looking woman, spoke up. “We need to consider how to better use our power over plants. The imps are far too fast to be caught in woodland prisons, but I’ve seen arrows created from thrown branches, and I’ve seen arrows themselves become more effective under guidance. Depending on the skill levels present, we could have pixies line up on both sides of the valley. We can create large crossbows to send arrows toward the imps—as long as they are fooled into thinking we are in a certain spot.” She glanced at the young pixie who said she could create illusions.

  “I . . . can . . . do . . . it,” she said, then closed her eyes and breathed in deeply for a moment. “I’ve done illusions that size before. Just not for a long time. We’ll have to be precise about when they’re nearby, so I can limit how long I have to keep up the illusion.”

  Flurry cleared her throat. “Perhaps we could make it look like only a few pixies are there, so it’s easier? I’m sure the imps would attack, even if they only saw three.”

  “Indeed,” the elder nodded approvingly. “The key is having all four imps together at the same time. That may be our greatest challenge. I’m not sure an illusion will do it. We may need a real pixie to draw them in.”

  The second pixie who volunteered for strategic thinking spoke. “We developed a system in our tribe to lure them away and then hide. We figured out they somehow are able to sense us—but only when we’re flying. If we’re on the ground or in trees, they’re as blind to us as any creature.”

  “Really?” The elder raised her eyebrows.

  “Yes. What we did is show ourselves near a good hiding spot, then lure them away from the larger group and stay hidden till they were long past. I’m guessing most of my tribe are still on their way to the Great Stone Tower now. I was one of a few who took on the role of luring them in the other direction.”