The Eternal Dusk (Daughter of the Phoenix Book Two)

by Victoria J. Price

  An angel burst into the library, followed by Arion and a witch… and her. Auburn hair, pale skin. Yes. She looked just like Terah.

  Green eyes met his and Erebus knew he could not stay. With a swirl of his shadows, he burst through the window, out into Alythia. What is she doing up here?

  He would never have put her life at risk, had he known. But the angels… an example needed to be made. The people and the creatures of Ohinyan needed to see them for what they truly were. He let a burst of flames escape from his fingertips onto the buildings beneath him before he pressed on past Alythia’s perimeter, over a precipice, and down into the clouds.

  What was Fia doing in Alythia? Erebus played over scenarios in his head as he flew across the skies of Ohinyan. She’d no doubt left Earth to be reunited with Alexander. Anger flashed through him at the thought, and a stream of flames poured out of him into the clouds.

  The half-light covered everything in a dim glow as though a permanent dusk had settled over Ohinyan. Not long now until the second sun burnt out completely.

  There. The metal beast he had been searching for. The odour of fuel carried its way to him on the breeze first, followed by the distant hum of engines. And then it emerged from the clouds; rusted metal and wooden wings protruding from it like a broken mechanical bird.

  Erebus passed through the glass onto the bridge, his ethereal form allowing him to become something in between physical matter and a vapour of black smoke. He passed through riveted corridors to a room lined with banners bearing a phoenix—the emblem of the Makya. The one who called herself the fire mother stood over an urn, her back turned. Beyond her, one of her brothers paced as he talked.

  The male hadn’t looked up to see Erebus enter the room. Pity. “I say we land in Ashar. Refuel and restock, perhaps buy off an army or two whilst we’re—sister, get back!” He fired a stream of flames towards Erebus, but it passed right through him.

  Erebus shed his cloak, felt himself fall back into his physical form and flexed his wings wide. The male had the gall to fire another ball of flames towards him, but it merely hissed against his wings and fizzled into nothing.

  “Jerum, isn’t it?” Erebus asked, brushing a few sparks off his bare shoulders as if they were nothing more than specks of dust. “Your flames have no effect on me.”

  Jerum stepped forwards, palms outstretched and released an inferno. Before the flames even made their way across the room Erebus let out a lick of his darkness and it reached out like an arm, wrapping itself around Jerum’s neck. “Are you unable to comprehend my words?” He released Jerum, and he fell to the floor, reaching for his neck and gasping for breath. “Your kind may control fire, but it is ineffective against me. In truth, I don’t think any ordinary element would cause me harm. Now.” Erebus turned his attention to the female, who had been watching silently as her brother had attempted an attack, and quickly been defeated. She hadn’t jumped to his aid, either. Interesting. “Lorn, a formal introduction is in order, after your gracious cooperation these last few months. Erebus,” he extended a hand towards her, and she took a step forward.

  Before Lorn took his hand, she circled around him, her eyes roving from his bare feet, up the length of his linen trousers, across the tattoo on his chest, and along the length of his wings, before settling on his face. Erebus held her gaze. A long red coat with brass buckles swung open over her tight-fitting bodysuit, with boots reaching above her knees. All made of some fire-resistant animal hide, no doubt, judging by the similar coat her brother wore. “Lose the coat, it does nothing for you,” Erebus said as the silence stretched on.

  “Erebus is trapped,” Lorn finally said. Her ruby-red hair was shorter than the last time he’d seen her from his prison, but her eyes still smouldered like glowing embers. “That demonstration just now could be nothing more than an illusion, perhaps a witch taught you their ways.”

  Erebus let go of his physical form and felt himself collapse into a cloud of black vapour. He willed himself to the urn in the centre of the chamber, felt himself merge with the flames as he turned them black. “Now, Fire Mother. Do you believe me?” He made his voice sound as it had from his prison, stretched and strained as it had been for so many years.

  The colour drained from Lorn’s face and she lowered her eyes. “Forgive me, sire. We are on track to take Alythia, as you requested.”

  Erebus poured himself out of the urn and spread back into his physical form beside Lorn. He gave a pointed look at her brother Jerum, who still sat spluttering with his hands clasped around his neck. Pathetic. “Alythia has been dealt with. I have a new task for you. A chance to prove to all that you are the fire mother.”

  Her head snapped up and her eyes glowed. “Alythia has been… dealt with? Has it been destroyed?”

  “You. Up.” Erebus gestured towards Jerum. “I do hate cowering.” Jerum did as he said and stood tall, shoulders back. “There, isn’t that better?” Erebus made his way to the thrones at the back of the chamber and sat down in the centre seat. He rested his hands on the arms, his eyes tracing the white tattoo Terah had inked onto him. The Makya female before him was nothing like Terah—despite what she had been told, what she wanted to believe. “Alythia has not been completely destroyed, but enough damage has been done to send a message.” He looked up at the siblings and noticed for the first time the three guards stood by the door who had done nothing to defend their superiors. He clicked his tongue—they would need better training. Nevertheless, she was still the best one to carry out this task.

  “What would you have me do, sire?” Lorn asked. Eager to prove herself. Good. Desperation often led to frenzy—and he needed plenty of that for what was to come.

  “Do you know what happens when the sun dies?”

  “No—no one does. Darkness is our expectation, and nothing more,” Lorn replied. Jerum stood tall beside her, his hands held behind his back, his head high.

  “Only the fire mother can rekindle the sun. The third sun will not rise without her power. A new dawn will break across Ohinyan, and all will be indebted to the great fire mother.” Erebus stepped down from the throne and towards Lorn. She clenched her fists at her sides, and he knew she was battling with her temper. A temper he had provoked more than once over the last few months. Entertaining though it had been, he needed that rage too.

  “Anything you need, sire, I will do it.”

  “I need you to lead an army.” Erebus made his way towards the urn in the centre of the chamber. He reached out a hand and let a slither of darkness weave its way amongst the flames. “You see, I’ve been recruiting. Man, creatures—they’re all the same really.” The flames turned green and purple before settling to white. The white flames revealed creatures across Ohinyan: people, witches travelling, some alone, some in groups. Then the flames changed and shimmered blue. “But the spirits of Earth. They are quite something.”

  “Spirits, sire?” Jerum stepped up towards the urn.

  Erebus looked to Lorn, the blue flames flickering in her eyes. “My disciples on Earth are recruiting. I need you to lead. Lead my army, Fire Mother, and I will show you how to rekindle the sun—all of Ohinyan will be in your debt.”

  Chapter Eight

  Fia

  T he dead angel was sprawled across the largest bookcase in the library. Only the skeletal outline of his wings remained, and scorched flesh hung off bone. Above his head, seven books lay pinned open, the word traitor written across them in black ink. At least it wasn’t blood.

  Fia coughed back the bile that forced its way up her throat and wiped her hands against her sleeves. An image of Alexander’s wings going up in flames flashed before her eyes and she pushed the thought away. She couldn’t let herself think the worst. But how could any angel survive against Erebus? The stench of burnt flesh permeated everything.

  “Runa!” A familiar angel with bleach-blonde hair to his shoulders ran to Runa and pulled her into an embrace.

  “Mal,” Runa replied, throwing her arms around her hus
band. “We need to find Mira and the girls.”

  “They’re safe, General Jarl called for an evacuation. Fia, I’m glad to see you’re well. Lady Noor, Arion.” Malachai inclined his head. “Forgive me for being abrupt, but we need to assist with the fires.”

  “But, don’t you want to know who this is?” Fia waved a trembling hand towards the blistering skeleton sprawled across the bookcase behind them.

  “Gnossaan, our wisest sage.” Malachai frowned. “Alexander had his suspicions when the old scholar kept coming up with nothing in his searches about the dying sun, or of Erebus. The other scholars began to watch him. He’s been destroying books for some time; our oldest texts are gone. I don’t know what Erebus promised him but—it was a lie, whatever it was.”

  “Then we needn’t stay here and mourn, whilst others need our help.” Noor was already at the door. “What can be used to put out the fires?”

  “A waterfall cascades off the back of Ehnalia; no doubt there will already be angels there,” Runa replied.

  “Wait. Why did he leave?” Fia asked. “Erebus took one look at us and left. Why?”

  Arion tapped a hoof to the marble and let out a quiet whinny.

  “Of course, Arion, we can discuss it later.” But Erebus had just left. Why not stay and cause more destruction? It didn’t make any sense. “Arion, are you ready?”

  Arion flicked his head up in agreement.

  “Runa, Mal, lead the way,” Fia said, pulling herself up onto Arion’s back. Noor followed without a word.

  The two angels leapt from the window—Erebus had shattered it entirely when he left, and it was large enough for Arion to fly through. Ehnalia was the tallest building in Alythia, and beyond it white buildings capped with gold dotted a canopy of trees, as if someone had sprinkled them into the forest. The sky was a flurry of movement, angels passing by with buckets and containers, a hum of conversation between them.

  Smoke billowed from the buildings below, but Fia couldn’t see any more flames, only the glistening gold of the rooftops as they flew around Ehnalia. She heard the roaring of the waterfall before she could see it, a dozen more angels flying past as Arion flew over the water’s edge, the spray showering them as he descended.

  Plants and trees sprang up between rocks, and the waterfall was more magnificent than anything Fia had ever seen on Earth. The pool of water beneath it was clear, glistening in the half-light. Orange petalled flowers bordered the pool, swaying in the breeze like struck matchsticks. Fia drew in a breath at the sight.

  “General Jarl,” Malachai called out. The golden-eyed angel, Halvar’s father, waved a hand as they approached.

  “Most of the fires are out—Erebus fled before he could cause too much damage. Everything is under control,” the general said. Fia found herself noting all the ways Halvar looked like his father—the squareness of his jaw, the shape of his mouth, those golden eyes.

  “Where is Alexander’s sister, where are his nieces?” Runa asked, her wings beating together silently. Runa was tiny beside Malachai, but Fia had seen her fight—she was just as fierce as any of the males.

  “Runa, over here.” An angel with long, wavy hair the colour of earth hovered above the water on the far side of the pool. Beside her stood two young girls, miniature replicas of their mother.

  Arion and Runa flew over to them, leaving Malachai behind with the general. Fia felt a wave of nervousness wash over her. Meeting Alexander’s family without him… it wasn’t how she’d thought this moment would go.

  “Mira, thank goodness you’re all well.” Runa greeted Alexander’s sister with a tight hug and gave a bright smile to each of the girls.

  “Horsey!” The girls cried out as Fia and Noor jumped off Arion’s back.

  “Arion, I think you’re going to have to keep them entertained for a while,” Fia said. She didn’t want them to hear the news about Alexander, not from a stranger.

  Arion huffed through his mouth and tapped a hoof onto the soft grass beside the water.

  “Be kind, girls,” Mira called after them as Arion led the girls squealing towards the waterfall. “You must be Fia.” She took Fia’s hands in hers and inspected the cuff on her wrist. “It’s so good to finally meet you.” Her smile was bright, and her eyes were as blue as Alexander’s. “Jarl has had little time to fill me in on what’s transpired—all we know is that Erebus attacked. Do you have any news? Have you seen my brother?”

  Fia’s stomach was in knots. How were they supposed to tell her that they didn’t know if he was dead or alive?

  Runa placed a hand on Mira’s shoulder. “We haven’t heard from him since he left for Earth. Fia missed him by a few hours at most.”

  Mira’s jaw tensed. Her gaze followed her daughters playing with Arion, and she sucked in a deep breath of air. “He’ll be fine. He’ll find a way back to you.” She smiled, but her lips remained pressed together and Fia wondered if the angel was worried but didn’t want to show it.

  She bit down on her lip but couldn’t bring herself to say anything to Mira. How could she console her, anyway? They walked along the water’s edge, Ehnalia’s exterior reflecting in the ripples Arion had made. Columns of smoke billowed from every direction, but the nearby angels were not frantic—the worst was over.

  “I’m sorry, Fia,” Noor said quietly, “but we need to know what the Shadow told you. You mentioned the Tahjiik.”

  “Yeah. The Shadow said they couldn’t help us because many of Ohinyan’s people and creatures fear them.” Fia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “They said the Tahjiik would help us. Then they got freaked out about Erebus, and we left.” They’d known Erebus was in Alythia, but how? She took in the lush bushes that lined the water, the way the waterfall shimmered in the light. Under any other circumstances, this would have felt like a dream.

  “The Tahjiik are nothing but a story we tell our young,” Runa said. Her clay-red wings beat together for a moment. “Did the Shadow say anything of our dying sun?”

  Fia hated riddles. The way the Shadow had spoken—she’d expected it to be archaic, but much of what it had said just didn’t make any sense. “It said only the fire mother could rekindle the sun. But who knows where Lorn is—or how we’d convince her to do it.” Erebus had been whispering to Lorn, tormenting an already tortured soul. She’d destroyed so much of Ohinyan and had come after Fia in the process. Fia kicked at a rock amongst the grass and it knocked into one of the orange flowers, sending the others around it swaying. Alexander’s father was dead because of Lorn. Enne is dead because of her. Could Lorn redeem herself of that? Would she want to? She looked up to meet Noor’s gaze.

  “Indeed. Perhaps Arion will be able to tell us more of the Tahjiik. Runa and I will retrieve him,” Noor said as she re-plaited her braid.

  “We will? Oh, yes, we will,” Runa replied and followed Noor as she strode away. Noor’s lack of subtlety wasn’t lost on Fia. But she’d felt uncomfortable speaking to Mira with them all there, so she appreciated it.

  “Alexander will be fine, you know,” Mira finally said, following Fia’s gaze.

  Alexander’s nieces chased Arion across the water, and he dipped a wing in to slow their pursuit. He turned off to one side, leaving the girls flying towards their mother, squealing and shrieking.

  “When we’re on Earth and someone is dying, we feel a pull, like a tugging thread that ends within us. But we feel a similar pull to those we love.” Mira reached out her arms to her two girls, and they ran to her and clung to her legs.

  “Like the Fates?” Fia asked. Two pairs of crystal blue eyes looked up at her from their mother’s side. They both wore sleeveless dresses with panels running over their shoulders, no doubt to make it easier for them to get dressed.

  “Call it what you will,” Mira said. “But I believe you will find your way back to each other.” She traced a hand across the cuff on Fia’s wrist and smiled as Arion touched down beside them. Did she truly believe it though? There was a hint of apprehension in her voice.
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  Fia nodded. She couldn’t bring herself to smile. Even though she was certain it was that thread that had told her Alexander was still alive somewhere, she couldn’t let herself think about it. “Arion, have you heard of the Tahjiik? Can you take us to them?”

  Arion’s head bobbed up and down. “The Tahjiik have kept themselves hidden for many years. They do not wish to be found.”

  “Was that a yes or a no?” Noor asked as she stepped up beside Arion with Runa. Malachai had joined them, touching down beside his wife. Fia had spent a lot of time with them both—Malachai was Alexander’s right hand, his best friend. His presence was reassuring, but the way Malachai always reached an arm around his wife made Fia even more aware of Alexander’s absence.

  “Your guess is as good as mine.” She rubbed at her neck. “Arion, can we find them?”

  The winged horse dragged a hoof along the grass. “It may take time, but yes I believe we will be able to find them.” And what if it was for nothing? What if they found the Tahjiik but they weren’t willing to help, weren’t even willing to talk?

  Fia nodded. “He says yes.”

  “Very well,” Runa added. “Mal and I will stay here, for now, to assist with the rebuilding efforts. But—we were meant to meet with Altair and Maab tomorrow morning in Ikothea.”

  “We’ll go. It would be a good opportunity to get some supplies.” Altair and Maab—two more of the reasons Fia had come back to Ohinyan. She’d only been to Ikothea once, with Alexander, and it felt strange that he wouldn’t be there for her second visit to the city.

  She couldn’t help but wonder if there was time for any of this—who knew when the sun would die? So many would suffer if nothing was done. We can ask around about the Tahjiik in Ikothea. That was something she could do, at least. “Where had you planned to meet?”

  “At the docks.” Malachai looked from his wife to Fia. “The fleet will be returning for supplies—they will need updating about all that has transpired here, about Erebus’s release.”