by Eric Vall
“Very well,” Ruslan nodded, “Julia is inside with Ravi. They seem to be in search of the best cot the infirmary has to offer.”
“I guess I’ll go give them the good news,” I chuckled.
Ruslan and I turned toward the door of the infirmary and walked into the scent of antiseptic and disinfectant. Cupboards and shelves lined the walls, each filled with medicine and bandages. Cots were lined along the floor, with white sheets folded perfectly and pillows placed along the top.
Julia and Ravi currently occupied two of the cots. They were both on their backs with their eyes closed.
I looked at Ruslan, and he just shrugged.
“This one is stiff,” Ravi suddenly spoke, but her eyes remained closed. “Just like the others.”
“I think they all feel about the same,” Julia chuckled. Then one of her eyes popped open, and she noticed us in the entryway. “It seems we have visitors.”
Ravi jumped up and gave a short bow.
“Lord Ruslan,” she greeted with her head still inclined, and then she shifted her body slightly to face me. “Lord Evan.”
“Please, there is no need for that.” Ruslan waved his hand at her in a gesture to rise. “Evan has some good news for you. You will not have to stay inside the infirmary after all.”
“Then where shall I stay?” Ravi asked as her eyes fell onto me. Her voice was much more formal and proper than it had been with Julia just seconds ago, and I wondered if it was because she knew I was the one to refuse her help, or because I was a man.
“The Blue Tree Guild has offered you a room in their airship,” I told her.
“What is an airship?” She turned to Julia with a confused frown.
“Come with me,” my mother responded. “It will be easier to show you.”
Ravi nodded silently in assent, and then we traveled as a group toward the airship. I led the group while Ruslan walked with Julia and Ravi slightly behind me. The walk was awkwardly silent, and I began to think Ravi’s change in tone was because she was aware that I was the one who had refused to help her.
Thankfully, the airship wasn’t too far away from the infirmary.
We approached the massive ship, and it looked ominous as the mahogany wood shone in the last remainder of the sunlight.
Pyotr met us at the entrance ramp.
“My Lords,” he greeted and bowed deeply.
“Pyotr,” I replied with a nod. “Laika sent word to prepare a room. Is it ready?”
“Of course, it is. Follow me.”
The older wolf Demi-Human led us inside the ship and brought us up to the top floor. We turned down a hallway, and I noticed doors lined on either side of the hall. I’d never been in this section of the ship before, and I wondered what these rooms were typically used for.
Pyotr walked down to the very end of the hall before he pulled out a set of keys from a hoop on his waist. Then he used a key to twist open the lock and swung open the door.
The room was small, and it really only had space to house a bed and a dresser. The walls were made of mahogany, like the rest of the ship, and they stretched to the high ceilings and met at a peak. We were in the very top of the ship, so this might even be considered the attic. The room was freshly cleaned and smelled faintly of incense, and the mahogany bed frame seemed to be built into the walls of the ship. The joints where the different pieces met were seamless, as if it was made out of one piece of wood, and the mattress atop the frame looked much more comfortable than a cot in the infirmary.
“Wow,” Ravi breathed as she looked around the room with her wide blue eyes. “This is where I get to stay?”
“I know it’s not much, but we don’t have a lot of spare room in the city--” I started to explain, but I was cut off by Ravi as she pushed past all of us into the room.
“It’s perfect!” she exclaimed as she spun around, and her dress twirled with her. “I’ve never seen such a beautiful room!” She collapsed on the bed and let out a small laugh. “It’s so soft.”
I chuckled at her enthusiasm. I was still wary of her, but I had to admit, it was hard to see her as a threat when she was nearly swallowed by the mattress on the bed.
“I’m glad you like it,” I told her.
She smiled from her place on the bed and then rolled off the mattress and stood. She inspected the dresser, though it seemed like she had no need for it. She didn’t have any other things with her besides her current outfit, but she seemed to enjoy opening and closing the drawers.
Her fun was interrupted, however, when the echoes of a bell rang from outside.
“What is that?” She stopped in the middle of opening the dresser drawer and looked up in alarm. “I heard a similar noise as I flew into Hatra. Is it some kind of warning system?”
“In a sense,” Julia replied. “While the bell you heard earlier was in fact a warning bell, this current bell only rang once, which means it is just from the kitchens, and dinner is ready. Come now, we can discuss more about your stay after we eat.”
Then my adoptive mother grabbed Ravi by the hand and pulled her from the room.
Pyotr led us down and out of the ship, and we walked toward the dining pavilion, which was nothing more than a few dozen tables that sat outside. The sun had nearly set by now, so Ruslan and I each summoned our flames to give us light to see by.
We arrived at the dining pavilion at the same time as Laika and Alyona. Then we all chose a table together. Alyona and Laika sat along the bench on one side while I sat across from them, and my parents and Ravi sat down to my right side.
“Hello, my lords and lady.” Laika stood as she greeted us, and then she turned to Ravi. “And to you as well, Princess Ravi.”
“Thank you,” Ravi replied with a soft smile. “I’m sorry, I’ve met so many new people today, I can’t remember any names.”
“We haven’t been properly introduced, so it is no problem,” the wolf Demi-Human said. “I am Laika, leader of the Blue Tree Guild. It is on my ship that you will be staying.”
“Oh!” Ravi’s blue eyes went wide, and a broad grin stretched across her full mouth. “Thank you so kindly for the room. It is amazing, and I love it. The bed is so wonderful, I have never felt anything of its like.”
“It was Lord Evan’s idea for you to stay there, I simply agreed with him,” Laika responded modestly as she nodded to me.
Ravi turned her head and leaned back to look past my parents at me.
“Well then, thank you Lord Evan,” she said, and her face was honest and open. “I am very grateful.”
“You are a guest of Hatra, I want you to be comfortable,” I replied diplomatically, but my eyes couldn’t help but note how beautiful the phoenix looked in the low light.
A moment later, the dryad sisters danced into the room and made a beeline for our table. Then all three sisters slid into the bench next to Laika and Alyona.
“You must be the new princess!” the sister on the right declared with a wide smile. “Hello, I am Polina! It is very nice to meet you! Are you really a phoenix?”
Ravi opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, another sister cut her off.
“I’m Marina!” The second dryad leaned past her sister to study the phoenix with a tilt of her head. “I heard you wanted to burn down Hatra, but I’m sure that’s just a rumor, right?”
Ravi blinked in surprise but, once again, was beaten to the punch.
“And I’m Trina,” the final dryad introduced herself as she eagerly scooted closer to Ravi, “feel free to ignore my sisters. They can be rude. How have you enjoyed Hatra so far?”
All three sisters stared expectantly toward Ravi, but the phoenix just glanced between them in startled confusion. When the silence ticked on for a moment and it became apparent the dryads were finished with their deluge of questions, the orange haired woman finally cleared her throat.
“Uhh, hello?” she began hesitantly as she glanced to the sisters in turn. “Yes, I am a phoenix. No, I don’t want to burn down
your city, and I have had a wonderful time so far.”
“Alright, ladies,” I chuckled. “Let our guest be. She has had a very busy day.”
Immediately, the sisters grew silent.
“Sorry, Evan,” Marina whispered for her and her sisters. “And sorry Princess Ravi. My sisters and I can get a bit excited.”
“It’s fine, I don’t mind questions,” Ravi said as she smiled at the sisters.
The food was set on our table shortly, and as the scent of fresh bread filled the air, my mouth watered. There was bread, a roasted pig surrounded by carrots, celery, tomatoes and potatoes, and bowls of fruit.
Alyona filled her plate first, as was her right as princess, and once she was ready, we turned to Ravi.
“What would you like?” I asked as I grabbed a plate for her.
“Oh, I don’t need anything,” she replied. “I’m fine, thank you.”
“Don’t worry, we don’t want to poison you,” I joked. “You have to be hungry. You’ve travelled all this way.”
“I don’t need to eat very often,” she explained. “Phoenixes have very slow metabolisms. I really only need to eat once every two days or so.”
“Really? That seems like it could be useful,” I told her as I filled my own plate. “So, is there anything we can get you? Water? Wine?”
She shook her head frantically. “I’m fine, really. I don’t need anything.”
The rest of us began to eat while Ravi’s gaze watched people walk around the city.
“So, you stay here?” Ravi spoke up a few minutes later, and when I lifted my head, she gestured around us. “What I mean is, you stay here, in this one place, all the time?”
“Yeah,” I nodded, “this is our home. We will defend Hatra with our last breath.”
“But isn’t this dangerous?” she questioned. “If you always stay in one spot, won’t your enemies always know where to find you?”
“Well, yeah,” I shrugged, “I guess so. But that’s why we have defenses. We have our watch towers to alert us of any danger, and we have walls to keep invaders out. We want to have more defenses added on later, but for now it will do.”
“That’s really admirable!” she exclaimed as her bright blue eyes focused on me. “And all of this is because of you?”
“Most of it, yeah,” I replied with a smirk, “but it’s a group effort. Everyone in Hatra is responsible for the safety of our city.”
“That’s incredible,” the phoenix murmured as she looked at me in amazement. “You really are a guardian.”
“Thanks, Ravi,” I laughed and speared a piece of meat with my fork.
She smiled in response, and I continued to eat.
When we finished with dinner, Alyona faced Ravi.
“Princess Ravi,” she spoke with authority. “My father helped your people hide from the miasma, correct?”
“Yes,” Ravi nodded solemnly, “King Rodion is not only our king, he is our savior.”
“I see,” Alyona mused as she pursed her lips. “Would it be too bold of me to ask you for the story of your people? It would be a shame for you to come all this way and not get to tell your story.”
Ravi blinked for a second before she smiled to herself.
“If you want to hear the story of my people, I will tell you,” the phoenix replied. “Though it is not very happy.”
“I don’t think many stories that involve the miasma are,” Julia said from Ravi’s side. “But please, continue.”
Ravi nodded and took a deep breath.
“My people were summoned by King Rodion to help seal the Breach the moment it opened,” she began. “My father sent our best mages and warriors. He was so confident our fire could fight back against the demonic nature of the Breach that he sent his own sons in the first wave. My older brothers and the others never returned. So, Father sent more. And then more, and more. Eventually, my father realized he had severely underestimated the power of the miasma and that all of his people and his own sons had died in vain.”
She paused in her story to take a breath, and Julia hugged her from the side.
“I am sorry about your brothers, I cannot imagine how painful that was for your father.” My mother let go of Ravi and turned to me “No parent should ever have to mourn the loss of a child.”
When she pulled away, she placed a hand over Ravi’s.
“Thank you,” the phoenix replied with a grateful smile. “I am sorry I never got to meet them, but I also am glad. It is hard to miss someone you have never met.”
I looked down the table at Ravi. Her hands were folded upon the table, and she seemed to be focused on the ground. She bit her lip and then inhaled sharply.
“My father decided to send one last team to the Breach, with him as their general, in a final attempt to fight back,” she went on in a subdued voice. “Only then did he understand our power was nothing compared to that of the demons from the Breach. He tried to pull back, and prevent any more loss of life on our side, but it was too late. My father was the only survivor of his group that day.”
I could see tears build up in her eyes at the mention of her fallen people, and she quickly wiped them away.
I reached out to her and held her hand. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how hard this is for you.”
She looked down and turned to me. Then she lightly squeezed my hand before she continued with her story.
“But my father realized the miasma that seeped from the Breach was attracted to us,” the phoenix continued. “Not only that, but his people were more sensitive to the miasma infections. My father took his findings to the king and convinced King Rodion to hide us away, far from the Breach and the reach of the miasma. The king, in an act of kindness and gratitude for our fallen people, sent us to the desert. He told us it was a desolate, scorched, vast, and uninhabitable land. If anyone could survive there, it was us. He granted us with a blessing to hide our essence from the demons, and from then on, we have lived in the sands of the desert. We must constantly be on the move and have become experts at camouflage so we can hide from those who would do us harm. I was still an egg when my people found sanctuary, so the desert has been the only home I have ever known. That is why I have come. I know you must protect your city, and I understand your hesitance, but please. I am desperate.”
“I cannot imagine how terrible that must be,” Julia said from beside her. “Your people must be very resilient to survive in such a place.”
“My people need help,” Ravi said as she turned to me. “We no longer have great warriors, all of them have long since perished. Now, the only weapons we have are our control over fire, but our flames were never meant to be used for war. Phoenixes are creatures of fire, but our flames cleanse and purify. We do not use them to destroy, it is against our very nature.”
“Ravi, I’m sorry about your people,” I said with a sympathetic frown, “but we can’t help you.”
The beautiful orange haired phoenix deflated at my words.
“Please, Lord Evan,” she begged as she turned her wide blue eyes on me. “I am not foolish enough to come to you without payment. If you agree to help us, my people can give you anything you would like. Just please help us.”
“Ravi, I’m sorry,” I repeated with a shake of my head, “but the decision has been made. My people have fought off the miasma on several occasions. We’ve dealt with traitors and monsters. We need to ready our defenses and grow more food to keep up with our population as it expands. We just don’t have the time or resources to help you.”
Ravi nodded and stood from the table.
“I understand,” she sighed. “Is there any way I could change your mind?”
“Ravi--” I started, but she cut me off.
“Again, I can pay you,” she insisted as she looked at me with a desperate light in her beautiful blue eyes. “We have found all kinds of things in our thousand years. Do you like gems? Or jewelry? Gold? I can offer you almost anything. Just name your price.”
Sudden
ly, something clicked in my head. If Ravi’s people had lived a thousand years in the desert, they must have something to mark their journey.
The others must have noticed my hesitation because Ruslan shook my shoulder.
“Evan, you alright, son?” he whispered.
“Ravi, do you have maps?” I asked as I ignored my father.
“What?” She blinked in confusion.
“Maps, of the desert,” I clarified. “Do your people have them?”
“Of course, we do,” she replied and tilted her head. “We have cartographers who draw and redraw areas we visit. We nearly have the entire desert mapped out by now. Why?”
“If I help you, could I have them?” I inquired.
Everyone’s head snapped up, but I kept my eyes glued on the phoenix before me.
“Lord Evan, if you help me,” a broad grin spread across Ravi’s delicate face, “I will give you anything you desire.”
My pants grew a little tighter as the phoenix’s voice dipped an octave, but I shoved away my arousal.
For now.
“How long will it take to get to your village?” I asked.
“In my phoenix form, it took me two days,” she replied, “but it could be less in your dragon form. Your wings are much bigger than mine.”
I looked to the group at the table.
“Would you all be alright for about a week?” I questioned.
“Of course, we will,” Alyona responded for the group. “Our defenses are nearly complete. Plus, we have the Blue Tree Guild and the nobles from Leyte. We will be fine.”
I mulled over this for a moment. With the defenses nearly done, and the dryad sisters helping with the farms, perhaps I could step away for a few days.
“Alright then, Ravi,” I said as I turned back to the phoenix with a grin. “It looks like your visit wasn’t in vain. If you can promise me the maps of the desert, I promise I will help your people.”
“Consider the maps yours, Lord Evan. Thank you!” She jumped from the table to run over and hug me.
I quickly wrapped my arms around her thin frame, and I could feel her breasts press up against my chest. Her hair smelled slightly like a campfire, and I couldn’t help but inhale the scent. Then I glanced down and could see a small glimpse of her cleavage peek out of her robes. My head began to swim with thoughts of Ravi and I in bed together, and I swallowed thickly. My cock twitched against my trousers when Ravi finally pulled away.
