Dawn Of Hope: Charity Anthology

by J. A. Culican

  “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”

  ~ Henry Ford

  “Now we wait.” Arrum’s voice pierced the silence that threatened to strangle me.

  “Wait?” my voice cracked.

  “Surely you remember what happens now?” Jaiden piped in as he lifted his hands from his knees and sat back in his chair.

  How could I forget? The day I became a Phoenix may have been over ten years ago, but it still felt like yesterday. I sighed as the memory of that day flashed in front of me.

  I had just laid down on my bed, wallowing in my worry. A Shade always received their gift of magic when they turned thirteen. But not me. Nothing had changed. My parents acted like it was no big deal, that it would come. Maybe I was just a late bloomer. But I had never heard of anyone getting their magic late. I either had it or I didn’t. Everyone was tense, trying to ignore what it meant if I had none.

  If I was just typical, a plain mortal, I would be forced to leave Hollows Ground and live above ground with the non-magic folk when I turned eighteen. I would be alone, with no family and no magic. Never having left Hollows Ground, I had no idea how to live in a world with no magic.

  I lay there cursing myself, wondering what I had done in a previous life to be born without magic in this one. Why me? But then I was pulled out of my misery by a humming that seemed to come from within me. A tug in my chest pulled me from my bed and out of the house, then through the dark streets of Hollows Ground. I wasn’t scared, but at peace. I knew that whatever was happening was supposed to be happening. The tug dragged me all the way to this very temple. To the very room I sat in now where Stella, Arrum, and Jaiden had been waiting. They opened their arms to me and since that day they were my family. It was a family I hardly saw, but a family none the less.

  A bang from the front of the temple pulled me from my thoughts. Twisting in my chair, I turned as each pew tipped forward in a clashing barrage of noise. The three of us jumped from our seats and huddled on the other side of the fire. Arrum and Jaiden pushed me behind them in a show of courage, as if they could do anything to stop whatever was coming.

  I peeked over their shoulders but saw only dust being kicked up from the ground. Just as I was getting used to the noise it stopped and an unnerving stillness enclosed us. The feel of both Arrum and Jaiden trembling in front of me made my pulse accelerate.

  “What was that?” Jaiden whispered.

  Arrum and I were silent. Neither of us had any clue what was going on Stella might have known, having devoted her entire life to being a phoenix, but she was gone. While the three of us who remained were also dedicated, none of us had studied the history of magic like she had. I found many of the stories boring with little point to them. Not to mention our ancestors liked to write everything down so there were thousands of years of history to read up on. . I always told myself that when I got older I would invest more of my time in reading the old books. I was definitely kicking myself now for putting it off, and by the looks on Arrum and Jaiden’s faces, they were too.

  “Maybe we should leave.” I shrugged. It didn’t seem safe for us to stay, with falling pews and all.

  “We can’t. We have to wait for the new water phoenix,” Arrum answered as he stepped away from us.

  “Arrum’s right. She’ll be scared, especially if she arrives and no one is here,” Jaiden added as he followed Arrum around the fire.

  Arrum picked up his chair that had tipped over during whatever had just happened and sat. With one last glance at the fallen pews in front of me I grabbed my own chair, righted it and plopped down. My knee began to bounce instantly.

  “What do you think all that was?” Jaiden asked as he paced around the fire, foregoing his chair.

  “No idea,” Arrum mumbled as he raked his fingers through his hair.

  Jaiden stopped pacing and looked past us to the front of the temple. His dark pink hair looked brighter than normal as the firelight bounced off of it. He rested his hands on his hips, his face scrunched in thought.

  “Something strange happened to me today,” I blurted out.

  “What’s that?” Jaiden shifted his gaze to meet mine.

  “Your crystal was red,” Arrum answered for me.

  My head tilted in his direction. “How did you know?” My eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

  “Mine was too.”

  “Life is the fire that burns and the sun that gives light. Life is the wind and the rain and the thunder in the sky. Life is matter and is earth, what is and what is not, and what beyond is in Eternity.”

  ~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca

  “So was mine,” Jaiden said as he resumed pacing.

  “Have either of you ever created a red crystal before?” I asked.

  “I don’t think anyone has. Not until today,” Arrum answered with a shrug.

  I dropped my head into my hands as blood rushed through my ears. No way could this be good. All our elements had acted up today. I should have said something earlier; Stella would have had an answer for us. But now she was gone. Her phoenix had passed and was currently being reborn inside our new water phoenix. If only our memories stayed with our phoenix, that would make all this so much easier.

  “There’s nothing we can do about it. It’s why I didn’t say something earlier. Even our ancestors know little of our magic. A gift from the Goddess at the start of time,” Arrum said, repeating a statement I’d heard a million times since becoming a phoenix.

  “He’s right. Let’s just focus on our new phoenix. No need to worry about something we can’t do anything about,” Jaiden added as he finally found his chair and sat.

  “Who do you think it will be?” I asked in an attempt to squash my nerves over three red gems.

  “Some thirteen-year-old girl.” Jaiden dropped his head back. “At least we had Stella when you arrived. I know nothing about kids.”

  “Or girls,” Arrum added with a chuckle.

  Jaiden’s head snapped back up and he glared at Arrum. “Yeah, you’re right,” he said with a laugh of his own.

  A small smile spread across my face as the guys continued to jab at each other. They were always close, both knowing each other before becoming phoenixes. It was rare to have two so close in age, but Jaiden’s predecessor had passed unexpectedly. No one knew the whole story, just that the other Phoenixes hadn’t been prepared to welcome a new Earth Phoenix. Within a matter of weeks, they had two brand new phoenixes. I couldn’t imagine the two of them as teenagers with the fate of all Hollows Ground on their shoulders. Somehow, we made it through them going through puberty at the same time. Surely we could make it through whatever was happening now.

  A gust of wind blew the front doors open with a bang. The three of us jumped from our seats once again and faced the open double doors. There wasn’t much to see with just the light from the fire and the night outside, but the three of us stood motionless, staring at the inky blackness. This must be it. Any minute we would meet our new Water Phoenix.

  A small shadow came into view, blocking the few stars we could see through the doorway. As the shadow came closer, its figure became clearer. My eyes scrunched as I shook my head. I knew this kid. This must be wrong.

  “I don’t understand.” Arrum walked toward the door.

  “This can’t be right.” Jaiden followed Arrum.

  “It can’t happen. The balance must always be maintained,” Arrum said as he stopped in front of the boy.

  Declan, turned thirteen a few weeks ago. The boy and his family had lived next door to my parents for forever. It was only yesterday that my mother was telling me how sad it was that he had been born with no magic. How his parents were having a really hard time accepting it. It seemed they would have nothing to worry about now.

  “What’s going on?” Declan’s blue eyes bounced from the men in front of him before coming to rest on mine. “Gemma?”

  I took the remaining steps to Declan an
d threw my arms around his shoulders. The poor boy was shaking, and Jaiden or Arrum were just gaping at the terrified kid. I shook my head at the two of them and navigated Declan through the fallen pews to the fire.

  “Sit here.” I pointed to the seat Stella had left behind. It was the only seat that hadn’t fallen over earlier.

  Declan tentatively sat,, twisting his hands twist together in his lap. Arrum and Jaiden also reclaimed their seats around the fire, though they both looked just as dazed. Declan’s hair was already changing into the pink that all phoenixes sported. Lucky for him his eyes were already blue, so it wouldn’t be too much of a shock for him the next time he looked into a mirror.

  “Am I-”

  “A phoenix. A Water Phoenix to be exact,” Arrum supplies.

  I sent up a thank you to the Goddess for pulling Arrum and Jaiden out of their shock. Goddess knew I would need them both to help Declan transition into the phoenix he needed to be.

  “What does that mean?” Declan turned towards Arrum.

  “You’re now in charge of keeping the balance here in Hollows Ground. Each of us is charged with one element and together we keep our home safe from any outsiders. Without the magic of the phoenixes, Hollows Ground wouldn’t exist, couldn’t exist. The magic that now resides within you, passed from our last Water Phoenix, will guide you.”

  “Guide me where?”

  Jaiden chuckled. “Everywhere. Your magic guided you here tonight. And tomorrow it will guide you to your new home. Your magic will be drawn to a place somewhere here in Hollows Ground where it can be stored safely and do what it does.”

  “Do what it does?”

  “No one really understands how it all works, not even us phoenixes,” I explained. “Every day you will go to your cave. And each day your phoenix will create a crystal full of the magic that Hollows Ground needs that day to survive.” The magic of it all still astonished me.

  “But it still doesn’t make sense.” Unable to sit still, Jaiden began pacing again. “This has never happened before.”

  “What has never happened?” Declan asked.

  “Balance is what keeps us alive. We were expecting a girl to come through those doors. Two males and two females is how it’s always been since the beginning. Obviously...”

  “I’m a boy. And Gemma’s the only girl,” Declan adds.

  The truth shocked me. Declan was right. Not only were we unbalanced but I was the only remaining female phoenix. I thought back to our red crystals that each of us created today. Maybe it really was an omen. Just maybe this all meant much more than any of us could possibly understand. As I took a look around at our new family, a familiar feeling of dread crept up my spine. An unbalance had never happened in all of Hollows Grounds history—a history of success and growth. I sent up another silent prayer to the Goddess and prayed that this would not mean a time of misfortune or worse. I prayed this wouldn’t the end of Hollows Ground.

  The End (or just the beginning…)

  * * *

  Continue the Hollows Ground Series in Book 1, Second Sight

  www.jaculican.com

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  Sarah’s Farewell

  A Portallas Short Story

  By Christopher D. Morgan

  Copyright © 2017 Christopher D. Morgan

  All rights reserved.

  portallas.com

  This is a work of fiction. No actual person or event is depicted.

  No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express permission of the author except for use of brief quotations in book reviews.

  This short story has been written using British English spelling and conventions.

  Dragon Realm Press

  www.dragonrealmpress.com

  Sarah found a quiet spot out of sight and sat to watch the Elder as he continued with the training session with this latest group of young hopefuls. She knew already she was better than any of them but would never say so publicly.

  “One of the first skills you’ll be tested on will be your aim,” the Elder called out in a commanding voice. The stern man eyed them each in turn. None of the young men spoke as he walked up and down the line. Standing tall with broad shoulders, the Elder was not known for his patience. They all avoided making eye contact.

  “You!” he said suddenly, pointing at one of the sixteen year olds. The young man flinched before looking left then right. He slowly pointed to himself, his face turning a distinct shade of green. The Elder thrust his slingshot into the would-be Woodsman’s chest with such force it nearly knocked the poor lad over.

  “Yes, you! Step forward. Don’t be shy! I’ve already eaten this morning. Do you see that Yucust tree over there? Take this Bramock berry and see if you can hit that Finkle nest hanging from the third branch!”

  The Elder handed over a red berry. The young man reached out a shaky hand to take it. He fumbled to load the palm-sized fruit into the slingshot pouch and shuffled himself forward. Raising his arm, he pulled the pouch back and took aim. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he composed himself for a couple of nervous seconds before releasing the pouch. SWOOSH! It sent the berry flying through the air. Everyone’s eyes followed it across the glade. It fell short of the target, barely even reaching the foot of the tree. The young man’s shoulders sank and he let out a sigh. Several of the others sniggered involuntarily. They all wiped the smirks off their faces when the Elder turned to glare at them.

  “The trials are just a few short weeks away!” The Elder shouted. “Some of you,” he said, casting a reproving eye at the now sullen-looking young man still standing in front of the rest, “are clearly not yet ready. How do you expect to be able to tackle a fully-grown Wood-boar in the night if you can’t even hit a Finkle nest in broad daylight?”

  The Elder walked off, shaking his head and tutting. One by one, the entire line of young men followed him.

  Sarah waited for them all to leave the clearing before getting up. She unhooked her slingshot and rummaged for another ripe Bramock berry. Standing where the previous would-be Woodsman stood, she raised her arm and took aim at the same Finkle nest. In an effortless and swift motion, she released the loaded pouch, which sent its payload soaring through the glade towards the nest. It struck the target dead on, causing a swarm of Finkle flies to take to the air around the nest, which was now swaying back and forth. Sarah afforded herself a slight smile and followed the would-be Woodsmen back towards her home village of Jemarrah.

  ***

  By midafternoon, Jemarrah was a bustling hive of activity. Despite being the northernmost town in all of Forestium, it had become a melting pot of people from all over. On any given day, Sarah saw the uniforms of a dozen or more different tribes from across the land.

  Traders pushed carts loaded with their wares up and down the streets. Kids chased each other back and forth. Sunlight streamed through the treetop canopy to reach the ground like brilliant shards of dancing crystals. The ever-present mist drifted on a gentle breeze between the trees and buildings.

  Whilst the trainees all licked their wounds and made their way back to the Elder’s hut for what would undoubtedly be more stern pep-talking, Sarah made her way to Isabelle’s hut. She found her adopted older sister there preparing a fresh batch of dried Shrooms in the small kitchen.

  “Is that what’s for dinner, then?” Sarah asked. She picked up a Shroom slither and slipped it into her mouth whilst Isabelle’s back was turned.

  “I saw that!” Isabelle said. “Where have you been all morning, anyway?”

  “Oh, just checking to see how well Jemarrah’s future Woodsmen ar
e doing.”

  “Really? I thought that latest batch completed their trials already?”

  “No. It’s not for another couple of weeks for this lot, although something tells me another couple of months isn’t going to make much of a difference to this sorry-looking bunch.”

  “Struggling, are they?”

  “Um, you could say that. Honestly, some of them couldn’t hit a Wood-boar at ten paces.”

  “But you could. I don’t think there’s ever been anyone that could handle a slingshot as well as you. Really, Sarah, I don’t know why you aren’t going up for the trials yourself. You’re ten times better than any Woodsman Jemarrah has ever seen and you can certainly take care of yourself out in the Forests. It doesn’t hurt that your father is the village Elder, either.”

  Isabelle stopped what she was doing and looked up at Sarah. She sighed and said, “Why do you want to be a Fixer? Jemarrah has plenty of Fixers already.”

  “Let’s not start that again. You know it’s all I’ve ever wanted to be in life. Besides, someone has to look out for these Woodsmen and keep the town going.”

  “Yes, yes, I know. There’s no denying that you’re a natural born Fixer…but Sarah.” Isabelle huffed, her hands on her hips. “Three months? You could be gone for over three months, perhaps even longer. It’s easy for you. You’ll be off, traipsing around the forests, learning new skills and no doubt having lots of fun.”

  “Aha. I can’t wait.”

  “Forestium is a dangerous place. What if something happened to you?”

  “I’ll be fine. Besides, you just said it yourself. I’m more than capable of looking after myself.”

  Isabelle’s shoulders sank. “Look, I just don’t like the idea of saying goodbye to you, that’s all.”