The Red Phoenix

by Alex Carter

  Guardians of the Light

  Book 1

  The Red Phoenix

  Alex Carter

  Prologue

  My name is Angel Champion.

  I’ve always liked my surname.

  It comes from my grandad, Lux Champion. He was an adventurer and his biggest passion was mountain climbing. He was also a brilliant storyteller. My favourite memories from my childhood are his bedtime stories. He never read the stories from books; he used his imagination. He created amazing mindscapes with his words and as he narrated the stories, I would lie in bed with my eyes shut visualising everything he described.

  The stories were always fantastical adventures about a power struggle between good and evil. The heroes were a group of seven men and women called the Guardians of the Light. They looked like normal people but had special powers and the ability to transform into mythical creatures. The villains were evil, shadowy creatures called the Dark Legion. They hated all forms of light and spent most of their time living in the dark. The Dark Legion’s objective was to eradicate all the light and wanted to turn the world into a dark inhospitable place. The tales always ended with a mighty battle between the Guardians and the Dark Legion.

  The Guardians always won.

  I loved those stories but would often lie awake at night worrying about what life would be like if the Dark Legion really did exist.

  Chapter 1

  Imagine a World of Darkness.

  Total cold darkness.

  Pitch black.

  No light.

  No heat.

  Nothing.

  Our World.

  Before the humans arrived.

  Chapter 2

  Yesterday was my last exam.

  No more classes.

  No more studying.

  No more having to justify to my dad why I’m not studying.

  I can do whatever I like for the whole summer.

  Awesome!

  Last night was the party to celebrate the end of our exams. Everyone was there and it was great fun. I have no idea exactly what time I got home. After midnight, I think.

  My alarm wakes me with the sound of the morning breakfast show. I would love to hit the snooze button, as I would do at least twice on a normal day, but I really need to get up today as I’m travelling to Scotland. I’m going to be staying with my grandmother, Arty, for the next few weeks.

  “Maybe just a couple more minutes though as I do love this song” I think to myself as lie in bed, listening with my eyes closed.

  “Angel? Are you up yet?” Dad shouts from the kitchen. “You need to make a move if you’re going to make your train. I’ve put some bacon on. You’ve just got time for a sandwich before you go.”

  I open my eyes and glance at the clock. I need to get into the shower rapido if I’m going to make the 8.30 train out of London Kings Cross.

  “Of course, I’m up!” I shout back as I throw back the duvet and leap out of bed. “I’m going to have a quick shower and then I’ll be straight down.”

  “Hurry up as the bacon is cooking” Dad replies.

  I quickly shower, get dressed and head downstairs. All I need is a quick bite to eat and I’ll be good to go.

  “I’ve made one half with red sauce and one with brown, just the way you like it” Dad says as I sit down at the kitchen table. He plonks a huge doorstop-sized bacon sandwich in front of me. “I’m just waiting for the milk to froth up for your coffee.”

  “I’m perfectly capable of making my own breakfast you know” I say half-heartedly as I take a bite out of the giant bacon sandwich. It tastes delicious. I have considered becoming vegetarian on so many occasions, but the lure of a yummy bacon sandwich has always held me back.

  “I know you’re big enough to make your own breakfast Angel but I’m not going to see you for most of this summer and I wanted to take the opportunity to spoil you a little” Dad replies as he strokes my hair.

  “I’m 16 now Dad” I reply as I push his hand away and check my hair for bacon grease.

  “It doesn’t matter how old you are, you’ll always be my little girl” Dad says with a silly parental grin on his face. He puts the freshly made mug of milky coffee down in front of me.

  “You know I don’t like coffee!” I say as I push the mug back towards him.

  “Fine, I’ll have it then” he replies as he picks up the mug and takes a sip.

  “Is that my phone ringing? I think I’ve left it upstairs” I say as I pick up the sandwich and run to my room. My phone is on my bedside table and I only just manage to grab it before it goes to voicemail. I can see from the screen that it’s Arty, calling from Scotland.

  “Morning Arty! How are you?”

  “I’m absolutely fine Angel, dear” Arty replies cheerily in her soft Scottish accent. “I just wanted to make sure that you’re up and about and on track to make that 8.30am train?”

  “Yes, I’m fully dressed and everything is packed” I reply. Thankfully I did all my packing ages ago. I usually hate packing but as I discovered over the past week even packing is a more attractive proposition than revision.

  “What time is it now?” I ask.

  “Just after half past seven, dear. Is your Dad going to give you a lift to the station?”

  “I’m just about to ask him, although the way he’s running around after me this morning he’ll probably agree to drive me all the way to Scotland!” I reply.

  We both break out laughing.

  “OK then dear. I’ll see you soon. Safe travels” Arty says as she hangs up.

  I stuff my mobile into my jeans pocket, take a final bit of the sandwich, grab my backpack and head downstairs.

  “Hey Dad, is there any chance…”

  My sentence is cut short as I catch sight of my Dad who is standing at the front door. He has his coat on and is dangling the car keys from his fingers with a knowing smile on his face.

  “I must be telepathic” he says as we both head out to the car.

  “How are you feeling about the trip?”

  “I’m really looking forward to seeing Arty as I haven’t seen her for ages. I just wish it wasn’t for the whole summer.”

  “It’s not the whole summer Angel, it’s just over a month. If I could cancel this business trip I would but the board of the company that are buying my business have stipulated that I must attend every meeting until the deal is done” Dad says, looking really guilty.

  “I’m perfectly capable of staying here and looking after myself whilst you are away” I protest. “I’m not a baby!”

  “Nobody has suggested that you can’t look after yourself, but I can’t let you to stay on your own in our house whilst I’m away in China. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happened.”

  We’ve had the same discussion hundreds of times over the past few months, so I know it’s pointless arguing any further.

  My Dad took on the role of both parents after my Mum died. He’s a great Dad and I really love him, but he can be a little overprotective at times. He set up his own business after Mum passed away so that he could spend more time at home with me. The plan worked brilliantly. He has never missed any of my school events, parents’ evenings or my weekend activities. His business is some sort of fund management and is obviously very successful as he employs a lot of people. A Chinese company recently made an offer to buy him out but as part of the deal they demanded that Dad spends a whole month in Beijing with them. I had been planning my annual trip to Scotland to see Arty for one week at the start of the holidays. Once Arty heard about Dad’s trip to China she suggested that I should stay for longer, Dad agreed that it was a great idea and my fate was sealed. Rather than just a week I am now due to stay with Arty for the whole of the time that Dad is awa
y.

  “You know that you’ll have a brilliant time with Arty, so I really don’t see what the problem is” Dad says as we pull up at a set of traffic lights alongside the River Thames. “Arty is always up to something interesting and it’ll definitely be more fun than my boring meetings!”

  “I suppose so” I reply as look out of the car window at the Houses of Parliament.

  “Has Arty got anything special planned for the two of you?”

  “She didn’t give away too much on the phone but said that she might have a little something lined up.”

  “That’s good, although as she is now almost seventy, I doubt it will be anything that I should be too worried about” Dad says with a smile.

  “I’ll let you know if it is” I reply.

  Chapter 3

  In the beginning there was no light only pure darkness. We did not need light or heat. This was a tranquil planet. No politics. No wars. No famine. Just peace and harmony. It was the perfect existence.

  The first sign of change was a tiny speck of light. We watched as it hung motionless in the sky. Over time the speck grew larger and brighter. We had never seen anything like it before.

  Then more lights came. At first only a few. Then more. Soon our skies were a myriad of bright lights.

  Eventually one of the lights came down from the sky. It was some form of ship. My people gathered on the surface of our planet to watch. I watched from our headquarters, deep underground.

  We waited and readied ourselves for battle.

  Our warriors were ready for war.

  We watched a rod emerge from the ship. It extended out, high above the domed roof like a flagpole. Once it was fully extended the tip of the rod emitted a blinding beam of light. My people cowered in terror. We had never seen anything like it before and it was painful to look at

  Six more rods followed. As each rod reached its full extension the tip gave off the same blinding light. Once the tips of all seven rods had illuminated, they converged to form a pyramid on top of the ship. The combined light from each tip started to pulse and a dazzling light shone out from the top of the pyramid.

  An angry rumbling sound filled the air and a whirlwind started up around the ship. The earth shuddered and the sky was filled with blinding flashes as forks of lightning appeared. The pyramid appeared to be acting like some form of light magnet, sucking in light from all around. The air was filled with a cacophony of light and noise.

  The flashes of light got brighter. An ominous rumbling sound rose up from the ground as huge cracks appeared.

  What happened next will stay with me forever.

  I watched from underground as the pyramid exploded in an enormous flash of light and heat.

  Our planet transformed from total darkness to total light in an instant.

  Those above ground were vaporised on the spot, their bodies scorched to a cinder.

  We had lived our entire existence in total darkness. Our bodies were completely unprepared. We had absolutely no immunity. We were defenceless.

  We had been ready for war, but this was not war.

  It was total annihilation.

  Chapter 4

  Seven hours and two train changes later I arrive at Fort William train station in the Scottish Highlands. As I step off the train, I hear a very familiar voice.

  “Angel! I’m over here dear!” Arty shouts as she comes bounding towards me. She is wearing a luminous yellow hi-vis jacket coupled with combat trousers. Anybody else her age would look totally ridiculous in this outfit but Arty just about manages to carry it off. She throws her arms around me without breaking stride. The weariness from my journey fades away as I’m smothered in the warmth of her hug.

  “Wow! You’ve grown since I last saw you Angel!” Arty says as she steps back and looks me up and down.

  “Well, yes, that’s what happens Arty” I reply.

  “You’re a young woman now. I can’t believe it” she says as she picks up my rucksack and marches off towards the exit without me.

  I shake my head and chuckle to myself as I watch Arty disappear out of the station without a glance back towards me. Just after she disappears her head pops back around the corner.

  “Are you coming dear?” she shouts back at me as her head disappears again. I can’t help laughing as I break into a sprint to catch her up.

  There is no sign of her when I get to the car park. I look around and spot her trusty old green Land Rover with its vertical exhaust. The passenger door is wide open. I run over and jump in. As soon as my bottom hits the seat, Arty dumps the clutch and the car screeches out of the car park.

  “I’ve got one of my special broths waiting for you back at my place, Angel. I caught a couple of rabbits yesterday and it’s been a record crop for my vegetables this year. I hope you’re ready for a good feed” she says as we career around a corner at high speed.

  “That’s absolutely great as I’m starving! I say with genuine enthusiasm. “I was hoping you’d have one of your specialities waiting for me.”

  “Glad to hear you’re still enthusiastic about a bit of home cooking” Arty says as the car skids into a tight corner and I’m flung sideways.

  “Slow down Arty!” I shout as I remove my face from the passenger side window.

  “Oops!” Arty says without any sign of slowing down. “I always seem to forget that bend is a tad sharp. Right, it took just over half an hour to get here but let’s see if we can’t beat that” she mutters to herself as we accelerate up a steep hill.

  We race along the empty streets and it is around 10pm when we reach the approach road to Arty’s house. There are no streetlights out here in the countryside. The only illumination is from the car’s headlights, which are bouncing up and down as we race across the bumpy road. I’m thrown back into my seat as Arty makes a beeline for her house. She slams the accelerator to the floor and we race towards the building. My heart is pounding as we bounce at high speed over the dirt track and the building gets closer and closer.

  “Arty…..” I say as we continue accelerating straight towards the house.

  Just as it looks as though the car is going to plough straight into the building Arty pulls hard on the handbrake and spins the steering wheel. The Land Rover pivots 180 degrees and starts skidding towards the house. Arty mutters something but I can’t make out what she said due to the loud screeching sound coming from the tyres. We are now travelling sideways at high speed. I feel a wave of panic sweep over me as we career towards the front wall of Arty’s house. The beat-up old Land Rover is not designed for this sort of driving and G-force is desperately trying to flip the car over. I brace myself for the inevitable crash but just as it feels as though the vehicle is going to flip, we come to an abrupt stop.

  The silence is deafening.

  “There we are” Arty says with a satisfied grin as she turns to me and unbuckles her seatbelt. “Twenty-nine minutes and forty seconds. I knew we could do it in less than half an hour!”

  “There’s nothing like a relaxing drive in the countryside and that was definitely nothing like a relaxing drive in the countryside!” I say to Arty with a chuckle. It feels like we have just spent the last half an hour on a roller coaster.

  “Driving is just a means of getting from one place to another. What’s the point of pootling around at 20 miles an hour dear? You may as well get to where you’re going as quickly as possible; that’s my philosophy” Arty says as she opens her door and climbs down from the driver’s seat. She opens the back of the car, grabs my backpack and heads off towards the house without waiting for me.

  ‘Good old Arty. Never a dull moment’ I think to myself as I watch her march towards the house.

  “Come on Angel! The broth won’t eat itself” Arty shouts as she flings open the front door and disappears inside.

  Arty’s house has always been a magical place for me. It is so different to my home. I’ve lived in the City all my life, where every square inch of land is filled with houses and buildings. I fre
quently use the phrase ‘middle of nowhere’ to refer to places that are more than a five-minute walk from the nearest shop or café. That sort of statement seems ridiculous now I’m here. Arty genuinely does live in the middle of nowhere. The house was originally a crofter’s cottage and was built over 300 years ago for the farmer who worked the land. The cottage was an abandoned ruin when Arty and my grandfather bought it along with the surrounding land. They rebuilt the cottage themselves using all the rocks and stones that were strewn around the site and installed a traditional thatched roof on top. The road that leads to the house is a dirt track that was built solely to access the property. The house is entirely self-sufficient. It has a log burner for heating and cooking, solar panels and a back-up generator for electricity. Running water is piped in from the nearby stream. It is a fantastic oasis of warmth and comfort sitting in the middle of the Scottish countryside.

  It’s dark and I am sitting with a belly full of Arty’s home made broth looking out of the window at the pitch-black sky.

  “I’m always amazed at how dark it is out here” I say as Arty hands me a mug of hot chocolate.

  “Yes dear” Arty says with a knowing smile as she sits down opposite me with her steaming mug. “Out here we don’t have any of the light pollutants that you have in towns. We just have the moon and stars to light our way. On cloudy nights like tonight it’s as black as tar out there. There’s nothing to worry about though as there’s nobody apart from us for miles around. In the whole time that I’ve lived here I have never been woken up in the middle of the night by a burglar alarm or car alarm or the clatter of a garbage truck. You may be used to all the noises that the city has to offer but I’ll bet that you’ll have the best night’s sleep you’ve ever had tonight” Arty says as she sips her hot chocolate.

  “I used to think that the darkness, the silence and the lack of people were scary, but I think I’m starting to appreciate the peace and quiet” I say as I put down my empty mug. “I’ve had a lot of late nights and early mornings recently so I’m really looking forward to a good night’s sleep.”