Born of the Phoenix

by Forrester, David Murray

  Covered in blood she stood before her master who was still soaking in the heated mud. When the baron saw her drenched in blood he shook his head, another henchman gone.

  "He’s dead isn't he."

  "It’s not my fault," she shrugged apathetically, "he interrupted a summoning ceremony,"

  "And what were you summoning this time?"

  "Just a wraith,"

  "Another one?"

  "What do you think guards this valley?" Matearla had conjured many wraiths that haunted the broken forest with their terrifying presence killing any traveller who wandered too close to the hidden valley.

  "Fair enough," he said as he shifted into a more comfortable position, "you’ll need to find a replacement for him.”

  Matearla knew the baron wasn’t going to shed any tears for the man; he was just another henchman, a faceless servant to do his bidding. "He said you wanted me for something,"

  "Does the name Akella Terrifos mean anything to you?"

  "Nothing comes to mind," Matearla sat on the edge of the pool, lifting her dress she dipped her feet into the mud wriggling her toes in the warmth, "are we talking alive or dead?"

  "Alive, for the time being.” This peeked Matearla's interest, perhaps he had a new target for her to hunt. “We received a message this morning, a group of women killed the Fortress and the garrison at Menark, apparently they're witches,"

  “Witches?" she leant back and thought harder about the name.

  "So you haven't heard of her before?"

  "I can't say I have, but the thought of witches attacking one of our garrisons just doesn’t sound right," she began wondering if a new coven was on the rise. There were countless of her kind that would enjoy marching atop her mangled corpse. She had slain, double crossed and tormented many, many witches over the years so there was a long list of those who wanted vengeance. There were other witches who were solely jealous of her status and power. The list of potential enemies was endless.

  "I want you to go to Menark and find out exactly what happened and then hunt down these supposed witches."

  "With pleasure my lord," she rose from the mud with a smile, "what about the city? Should I extract our pound of flesh?"

  Baron Nade shook his head. "I like Menark, we get a lot of gold and slaves from there, I'll appoint a new captain and re-establish ourselves, just leave it to me, all I want you to do is concentrate on this Akella Terrifos.”

  Murder. It was in the top three of Matearla's favourite activities. If Akella truly was a witch then she would make her rue the day she ever thought of crossing the Scarlet Blades. Matearla was an alpha, a supreme, in the world of witchcraft there were few who could stand against the power of her magic.

  Chapter 08

  The spear blade caught her eye; there was something about fresh forged steel that Ravage found irresistible, its appeal and lustre, the keen edge of the blade so sharp and unscathed. Swords were her go to weapon, after years of training she held great confidence in her skill with them more so then other weapon yet she had a fondness for spears. They were excellent distance weapons; able to cause massive internal damage due to their high piercing ability. A well placed impalement could absolutely destroy vital organs; the thought of its devastating ability to kill gave her the chills.

  The spear was the only weapon in the store that really grabbed her eye. The longswords she thought were a tad mediocre. There was an impressive battle axe though she found them to be too cumbersome, their weight making them awkward and taxing to lug around. Ravage thought about augmenting the spear with a pair of daggers for those close encounters but decided on a short sword instead, the blade could be wielded with great speed and ferocity for hacking off limbs and didn’t require the intimate closeness of dagger attacks.

  It had taken only moments for Patsy to pick out a bow. She had a good eye for bows and was already trying on different fur armours to find the most comfortable combination. Ravage watched her friend with fondness before turning her attention back to the spear. With a smiths eye she scrutinized the hilt and pummel for strength and durability, making sure it was fully battle worthy, her life depended on it.

  It was a wonderful feeling, having new equipment. The fur armour Ravage had chosen for herself not only fitted perfectly but was also remarkably light allowing her superior agility. It sat across her shoulders and covered her breasts while leaving her stomach exposed. With spring soon to end and summer on its way the short fur skirt and sandals would keep her cool during the hot days to come.

  "We can't thank you enough for this," said Ravage. Patsy stood beside her feeling blessed, they were so grateful to Crystal for her generosity. Not only had she paid for their weapons and armour but she had also bought them new saddles for the horses. They had become such good friends with Crystal and Melody in so short a time, it was a shame they couldn't spend more time in their company. Akella's sudden departure came as a bit of a surprise. It was discussed briefly during breakfast with Crystal assuring them it was just Akella's way. She lived by her own schedule, coming and going freely at her own will. Melody was a little wounded by it, she felt as though she and Akella had created a bond, it was a slight that Akella hadn't said farewell.

  "It’s my pleasure," said Crystal, "we can't have you running around in rags can we."

  "Hopefully we'll be able to repay you one day," said Patsy, "if our paths should ever cross again,"

  "If you ever want to find us come to Leesa, if we're not there then someone should be able to point you in the right direction, or at the least get a message to us."

  "Leesa?" said Ravage, "you’re living in the old ruined city?"

  "Is it a ruin?" smiled Crystal, "are you sure?"

  "Leesa’s been a ruin for centuries." The harbour city was indeed a ruin. Ravage had visited the destroyed ruins in her youth but dared not explore too deeply for fear of the creatures that had taken up residence amongst the decrepit buildings and underground chambers. The harbour city was once the grand capital of Sapphiron, the largest and greatest city before the construction of Vanslutten. Leesa was an important part of ancient history predating the Gorigarni conflict in which nearly all the first built cities had been destroyed during warfare. Ravage couldn’t imagine the manpower needed to accomplish the feat of rebuilding Leesa. It had been many years since she had been in that part of the southern coast so it was possible that it could have been rebuilt without her having heard about it.

  "If Leesa has been rebuilt I'd really like to see it, I've only heard of its glory in stories, when we're finished with our business up north we will come," said Ravage. Patsy nodded in agreement. Leesa would be the perfect place to settle down and build their forge so the pair could open their smith shop. Ravage felt a quiet excitement beginning to grow in her chest.

  “You’ll love it, it’s a beautiful city and there’s nothing quite like waking up in the morning to the sound of the ocean.” It was one of the reasons she had warmed up to Leesa so quickly, the crashing waves and sea breezes reminded her of home back on Pyrelle Island. “Good luck with your adventures up north.”

  The girls said their farewells, embracing each other as friends all hopeful to be reunited in the future.

  There was no road heading north for several miles. Ravage and Patsy decided to travel across the countryside as it was flat grasslands with a few rolling hills and patches of forest. Patsy knew the area well and could guide them with ease along the ever changing beast trails.

  The warm sun was on their backs as they began their journey. Ravage rubbed Musk's neck. The mare’s spirits had lifted greatly now they were in grasslands, Ravage was feeling a great happiness inside her also. It was true; there were still nice people in the world.

  Leesa was hundreds of miles south. Crystal and Melody had quite the trip ahead of them. They passed many travellers on the main road. Melody made the effort to greet them with a warm smile and a polite good morning though more often than not her efforts to be civil were met with suspicious glanc
es and the cold shoulder.

  "Such friendly people," she said.

  Crystal tsked in agreement; she couldn’t believe people were so rude that they couldn’t even be bothered to give a polite nod in response.

  On their second day of travelling they found themselves in the quaint village of Little Wisteria. It was quite a humble village of farmers and merchants which was often victimised by bandits due to its rather remote location. The villages were friendly enough, yet still wary of strangers. Crystal bought some supplies. To the joy of the merchants she was very generous with her coins.

  They continued south long after the sun had set for both enjoyed riding under the light of the stars. The three moons were bright in the night sky. Aluness, the blue moon was the largest; an omen of good fortune.

  A valley of wild flowers greeted them on the third day. Rolling fields of amazing colour stretched out as far as the eye could see. It was one of the most spectacular things the girls had ever seen. They rode along in complete bliss, absorbing the beauty of their surroundings. Thick and luscious ferns grew along the road side. Melody loved the way the leaves curled, as she stared at one of the ferns the branches began to tremble and move, she thought it small animal scurrying amongst the undergrowth and looked with hope to spot a glimpse of the critter when suddenly a man lunged out in ambush, the blade of his glaive embedded in her shoulder.

  With brutal force he wrenched Melody from her saddle. The blade tore apart her muscles, fractured the bones and sent a stream of blood spurting from the wound. Once on her back he drove the glaive deep into her chest, twisting the weapon to tear the organs within. As he raised the glaive to pierce the deadly weapon through her neck Crystal rode him down, destroying his skull with Herakas her longsword. A wave of bandits rushed from the undergrowth. Weapons drawn, they were ready to finish what their leader had started.

  The bandits ignored Melody, believing her to be dead. They swarmed Crystal from all sides. A wave of steel flashed around her. Deadly weapons all attempting to rip apart her skin, spill her blood and take her life.

  She was enraged. A Terrifos teeming with wrath had an intense hunger for bloodshed. Akella might have been the stronger of the two sisters but never was Crystal in her sister’s shadow, she had great strength of her own. The bandits were simple highwaymen, dangerous in their own right, but not terribly skilled or intelligent. With absolute ferocity she dominated her enemies, hacking off limbs and showering the ground with blood and corpses.

  Melody was horribly wounded. With great haste Crystal fetched a healing elixir from her pack and poured it into the gaping bloody mess that was Melody's chest. The magical potion began working right away but wasn't potent enough to do more than stop the bleeding. Melody writhed in complete agony. One of her lungs was pierced making it near impossible for her to breath. Her shoulder was a mess of torn flesh and muscle. Crystal needed to get her to a healer and fast highly doubting Melody would survive more than a few hours in this state.

  Crystal bound the wounds with a tourniquet as best she could. With great care she lifted Melody into the saddle, cradling her tightly she urged her horse into the fastest pace the animals powerful legs would muster.

  At the end of the valley of flowers surrounded by an ocean of trees stood a menacing stronghold, it was an intimidating structure of stone and steel with tall towers and fortified battlements. Turquoise flags hung from long poles, dancing brilliantly in the wind. Turquoise; iconic to Delenair, this was a holy stronghold.

  Armoured guards with bastard swords and kite shields patrolled the entrance to the stronghold. When they saw Crystal approaching holding onto her bleeding friend they quickly came to her aid, ushering her inside the gates. The guards were caring and gentle with Melody as they laid her on a stretcher, carrying her with great haste to temple of healing.

  In no way had Crystal expected to be greeted with such kindness. She was really taken aback by the genuine concern these strangers were showing towards Melody. Sapphiron so far had only showed her it's cold, indifferent and violent side. The compassion was nice.

  The healers went to work straight away. A dozen or so came rushing into the room carrying cloths, boiling water, salves and tools. As they began cutting away Melody's clothing they exposed the large phoenix tattoo that ran along her side from her hip to her shoulder. The sight of the tattoo made the healers uncomfortable. Two of the healers quietly slipped out of the room while the others continued mending Melody's wounds. Crystal began to notice the healers speaking to each other in hushed voices. They were glancing at her suspiciously, as if they wanted to make sure Crystal could not hear their conversation. Something felt wrong. Their behaviour was strange.

  A group of guards entered the room. Crystal became tense but their captain’s warm smile quickly washed away her concerns. Adorned in heavy plate armour of layered steel that was decorated with intricate badges and a fine turquoise cape marked him as a Valliceth Knight; the highest order of knights in servitude to the gods. They were an ancient order and highly renowned for their discipline and devotion to righteousness.

  "You were very brave to rescue your friend," he said as he stood at Melody's bedside. As he took Melody’s wrist into this hand a great ease seemed to wash over his face. "Her pulse is strong, she's made of tough stuff this one, those are some really nasty wounds."

  "She’s a fighter that’s for sure," the way the captain seemed to care for Melody made Crystal feel as though he was a good man. His face was kind, blue eyes filled with trust and empathy, "thank you so much for all your help, your people have really saved her life."

  "It's not a problem, we're happy to help," he stepped forward and took Crystals hand, his palms were warm, strong, he withdrew from her with a smile. "We try to patrol the roads as often as we can but those highwaymen are sneaky, always hiding from us like vermin."

  "They took us by complete surprise, but they paid dearly for it," a part of her wished she had been more alert, swifter, then Melody would not have suffered so greatly, “we won't forget this kindness, we are indebted to you."

  “I’m Captain Dogridge by the way,”

  “I’m Crystal, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  "There is one favour I would ask of you Crystal," he said, "if you wouldn't mind."

  "Of course,"

  "If you would meet with our lord, Cleric Osrown, and tell him your story of how the highwaymen attacked you it might compel him to let me lead a force out into the valley to find their lair and finally put an end to the raids so that no more innocent travellers are hurt or killed."

  "I can definitely do that for you," a thought came to her. It would take awhile for Melody's wounds to heal and this seemed like a safe enough place for her not to have to stay by Melody's side, "perhaps then, if your lord grants your request you will allow me to join you in hunting them down."

  "Another sword never goes astray, you're welcome to join us if our lord permits it," he turned, gesturing to the door. "Come, I will take you to his chamber,"

  Softly Crystal ran her fingers along Melody's brow. The colour was already beginning to return to her face. It was such a relief that she would pull through.

  Captain Dogridge began telling Crystal stories of the strongholds history as they walked through the stone hallways, his soldiers in toe. The conversation was lively, with the captain making jests and laughing merrily as he took her to some of the more beautiful sights of the stronghold. From the valley the stronghold looked cold and foreboding, Crystal was surprised by how beautiful the stonework and architecture was within, there were some truly spectacular courtyards and gardens. Being a holy sanctuary there were many inspiring places for the acolytes to meditate and pray.

  As the captain continued to lead Crystal through the stronghold covertly his entourage of soldiers drew their iron maces. When Crystals full attention was set on a magnificent fountain alive with flowing water crowned in white flowering lilies they set upon her. The first blow was the worst. It came as a complete s
urprise cracking her skull and knocking her to the ground.

  Disorientated she stumbled with hazy vision.

  “Take her down.” Ordered the captain.

  Crystal looked at the Dogridge; her eyes wide with shock from the betrayal. She began withdrawing Herakas from its scabbard but before the blade had escaped its sheath she was violently struck from behind a second time and fell to the floor, her head throbbing in pain. Witch they called her. Mercilessly they beat her with their heavy blunt weapons until she was bloody and unconscious. With his ruse a success, the captain stood over her battered body.

  "Take the witch to the dungeons." He clasped his hands together behind his back as he watched them drag her away, blood dripping from her fractured skull. He couldn’t fathom why witches continued to try and infiltrate Belderra but each one that did would suffer the same fate.

  Chapter 09

  "It sure is quiet around here," Ravage had never seen Sigwood so deserted before. Only a scarce few people were in the streets going about their business. "Probably the weather," remarked Patsy. The sky was full of clouds again, another storm was brewing.

  Sigwood was built as a merchant town at the ford of Graleigh nestled at the very root of the northern mountain ranges. It supplied goods to travellers as they began their trek along the Adderock pass which was the most commonly used and safest way to cross the mountains. It was maintained and patrolled by wardens who earned a living from the generous donations made from people who used the road. The donation was purely voluntary, as the warden’s being of high moral standing knew that not everyone could afford to pay, yet everyone deserved to cross the mountains safely. They were highly respected for this, and the people saw their service as invaluable. The wardens were battle hardened shorku hunters. Not only did they keep the road free of monsters, bandits rarely dared to face the wrath of the veteran warriors.