The Phoenix King

by Keegan Long

  It did not take Jadyn much longer to gather herself before she was topside of the ship where everyone else was.

  “You really did it this time,” one of her fellow companions mumbled to her as she took her stance by her side.

  Jadyn sighed. “Don’t remind me, Kiley.”

  Jadyn’s attempt to quietly sneak up into position without being noticed did not work to Jadyn’s hope.

  “Aw, how nice of our fellow sister to finally join us,” June noticed as she made her way over and stood in front of Jadyn with only a few inches of air separating them.

  June’s smooth black hair and piercing brown eyes really made her intimidating, and especially up close. She definitely could put the fear of Hades into anyone who did not know her personally like Jadyn did.

  “Sorry, sister,” Jadyn apologized but not sincerely. “It won’t happen again.”

  June continued to stare down Jadyn without blinking or moving any muscle ever so slightly. “Pray to Anubis it doesn’t.” Then she continued on and walked back to addressing the group.

  Jadyn let out a deep sigh in relief.

  “Today is a very important day to all of us as you know,” June went on. “Today is the day we set on the right path to restore our rightful glory and honor. The motion to reclaim our homeland starts today! Today Anubis goes free!”

  Everyone cheered but Jadyn and her close friends silently exchanged glances at each other as she knew they were all thinking the same thing.

  Was Anubis even still alive?

  Anubis, more than likely the last Olympian in all of Terran, had been imprisoned in the worst place for at least 100 years. The chances of him still being alive seemed pretty slim to them. But this was the only life, and some may even argue, their only purpose as a group. They had to try.

  It was not long after June’s little rally that the ship rumbled, signaling to the passengers that they had touched land.

  Everyone took in their surroundings of Titan. It was dead and dark. Enormous rigid mountains populated the landscape and the ground was black as if some mysterious evil magic had sucked the life of the very ground itself. It was silent, and more importantly, the normal presence of wind had disappeared.

  All members of the group were scared, but no one wanted to show or admit it to the others.

  “This is it!” June went on once again to bring momentum to the group. “Today we make history! Onward!”

  With June’s last words the entire crew began loading off the boat and making their way on land. But Jadyn had no plans on going to the most dangerous place in the world. At least without her best friend.

  “Jadyn!” Grace called out as she noticed her friend divert from the main group while making her way bellow deck. “What do you think you are doing?”

  “I’m not going on that island without him,” Jadyn firmly answered as she passed her friend.

  “June is going to kill you,” Grace continued to try and reason but it was not use. She knew her friend and was confused why she was even trying to talk her out of it.

  “I don’t care. I need him, and so do we all.”

  Jadyn lost sight of her friend as she continued making her way bellow deck. She quickly made her way to the very back of the ship until she reached the storage room. A light rattling noise could be heard from the outside as the sound of a metal chain moving around.

  Jadyn quickly opened the door to reveal a big metal cage in the middle of the storage room that housed a full size, orange furred, and black stripped tiger, that was sound asleep.

  The tiger had heard Jadyn open the door and stood up excitedly at the appearance of her.

  The tiger’s name was Raj, and the history between him and Jadyn was a long one. Jadyn had rescued him as a cub when some traders were trying to sell him to the highest bidder. When she brought him home, most of everyone had disapproved at first but she ignored them and raised him anyways.

  Over the many years, the majority of the group had grown fond and close with Raj as well and have even counted on his help during certain missions. But June was one of the few that had never changed heart and still held a grudge.

  The bond between Raj and Jadyn though was unbreakable and the two of them were hardly seen apart. And nothing would ever change that.

  Jadyn quickly approached the cage and unlocked it for her tiger to make his way out. Raj looked up at her and growled in appreciation.

  Jadyn knelt down by his side and scratched his head. “Come on buddy. We need you out there.”

  Carter

  Thieves’ Landing

  Carter and Gibson quickly made their way back into town on their horses. When they made their way into the Pirate King’s Palace, they noticed that already hundreds had gathered outside in the courtyard with even more trying to make their way into the Throne Room.

  The two of them quickly dismounted their horses and slowly squeezed themselves into the building and the Throne Room itself.

  When Carter made his way in and could see he saw the big and mighty Pirate King himself sitting on a throne made entirely of ancient and dried up skulls. The Throne of Skulls.

  Carter looked upon Agnes and saw him slouched and in distress as he sat upon his throne. In all of his years living upon the pirates, Carter had never seen Agnes’s in so much worry and anger.

  Agnes was the biggest human-like giant and man could ever see. His body ripped and torn from the harsh and unforgiving seas. His short black hair and nasty yellow teeth set an example of what a pirate should look like. Carter never agreed to this though.

  Nothing ever scared the Pirate King. He was the one that did the scaring. But today would prove to be different.

  Carter looked over towards Gibson waiting for him to say something. Anything at this point. Carter wanted answers but never got any from the old man. Gibson was just as worried and confused as Carter was.

  After several long minutes of waiting and muttering to one another, Agnes stood up with force from his throne and the room went silent.

  “Many of you are wondering why I called all of you here today,” the Pirate King began as his voiced echoed throughout the small chamber they all stood in. “Our kingdom we have built here and worked so hard for is at risk of being destroyed.”

  Not really a kingdom. At least officially.

  “Issor and his band of traitors have risen up against me!” Agnes went on. “No. Against us!”

  A loud roar replied in response from the gathered crowd.

  Agnes now stepped down from the raised platform that held the throne and was amongst his gatherers. “And what type of king would I be if I did not respond to these threats! These are our waters and our ships he has been plundering. And I say no more!”

  An even louder cheer filled the hall this time from the pirate crowd but Carter and Gibson remained silent.

  “Sail out with me!” Agnes continued his rally. “And let’s cut the head off that traitor and sink their ships until there is nothing left! Let us show all the other kingdoms that look at us in disgust that we are our own kingdom now and not one to be reckoned with!”

  The crowd erupted in their final battle cry as they unsheathed their swords and started waving them above their heads.

  Gibson looked more worried that Carter could ever remember seeing him before. The only time he remembered seeing him this worried was long ago when Carter had been seriously injured after slipping off a tall cliff. It took him over a month to fully recover with Gibson by his side the entire time.

  “What the hell was all that about?” Carter asked his mentor.

  “It looks like Agnes had just declared war,” Gibson mumbled back to Carter. “And not just on Issor but on all the kingdoms of Terran.”

  “And this makes me even more worried how?” Carter asked.

  Gibson took Carter’s hand and began leading him out of the throne room and back in the courtyard outside. “Issor is a fight Agnes can win easily. But it’s the other kingdoms that worry me.”

&n
bsp; “But the other kingdoms have never bothered with us,” Carter tried to counter. “Or at least recently.”

  “And you’re right,” Gibson explained. “The other kingdoms will ignore us. Except one. The Druids do not like to be provoked so Olympia will respond. And that is a fight that we will never be able to win.”

  Carter’s stomach dropped at the word of Olympia. The capital of all places was not one you wanted to notice you.

  An unlimited supply of troops and Druids that could squish Agnes and his fleet like it was a mere ant without even breaking a sweat. There was no way they were going to survive this one.

  “So, what are we going to do?” Carter asked. “Surely we can’t just wait around to be blown up.”

  “Our best option is to set sail with Agnes and fight alongside him in his war against Issor.”

  “That doesn’t sound like the best plan to me,” Carter sarcastically replied to the man. “I kind of would prefer a plan where I don’t die.”

  Gibson sighed and turned around as he stared straight into Carter's eyes as he. Took him by the shoulders. “We have a better chance of surviving against Issor than we do against Olympia. Plus during the chaos of battle will be our best opportunity to try and escape with being noticed.”

  “You’re talking about starting a new life,” Carter asked shocked as he never thought these words would come out of Gibson’s mouth.

  Carter never disliked a plan of leaving Thieves’ Landing and starting somewhere new but never got the chance or motivation to actually set off and build a new life. A life free of pirates.

  “I guess I am,” Gibson mumbled as he was even in shock and disbelief at himself for saying those words. “But it’s the best chance at staying alive.”

  Carter had a thousand different thoughts swirling through his head right now but he took a deep breath and closed his eyes to focus. “If you say this is the way then I’m with you.”

  Gibson smiled at the kid he had seen grow up. “This is the way.”

  “Then I’m with you.”

  The very next morning Carter found himself and Gibson aboard on Agnes’ ship with the rest of the fleet sailing out right behind them.

  Over the years Agnes had always kept Carter close to an extent. Carter was a good fighter and Agnes always kept his most valuable fighters close by his side. On the other side, Gibson and Agnes had never been close or gotten along either but still had respect for each other due to the past experiences they have had with each other. Gibson always refused to talk about those times.

  Agnes and his fleet had been out in the seas for a few hours and there was still not a ship to be seen over the horizon. No Issor either.

  It was clearly evident that some of the crew was starting to become restless after only being out at seas for half the day. Pirates were restless and impatient and would much more be spending their time on land drinking and chasing around the local women. This did not bother Agnes one bit.

  Agnes had made sure that each and every capable pirate, and ship, was out at sea with him at this moment and only left a small garrison back home to keep the order and to defend their goods. There was no such thing as “order” though back at Thieves’ Landing.

  Carter at the moment had taken refuge up at the mast of the ship. The mast of the ship was a giant pole in the center of the ship that held together the sails but also was used for someone to climb up top and scout for nearby ships. Carter loved being up top and being able to take in the incredible view and feel the breeze come alongside his face.

  “See anything up there, Carter?” Gibson called from bellow. “Any ships other than our own?”

  “Nothing out of the ordinary!” He called back down. “Just another beautiful day across the Terran seas.”

  Agnes had now joined in abruptly. “And even if you see the slightest thing of a trader ship I want to know! No one should be in these seas except us!”

  “Yes, my king,” Carter answered submissively as he turned back around and continued searching the vast open seas.

  A few more hours had passed and it was now nearly the peak of the afternoon. Carter had almost unintentionally dozed until he noticed a ship slowly become visible to his eyes.

  Carter quickly pulled out his looking glass to make sure it was not a ship of their own and to his disbelief, it was not.

  “Contact!” Carter yelled bellow to the crew who had mostly fallen asleep out of boredom. “Enemy ship beyond the horizon!”

  Carter noticed that Agnes too had quickly taken out his own looking glass to confirm Carter’s report and as he saw the flag of Clan Issor flying above the approaching ship a hatred inside him ignited.

  “BATTLE STATIONS!”

  The bell began to ring throughout the ship as pirates scurried to their positions. Carter noticed a small fleet reveal itself that was trailing behind Issor’s ship and he quickly began climbing down the ladder to get to the ship’s deck.

  “Come on you lazy sea dogs!” Agnes barked at his fellow pirates. “I want the Scorpion up top now!”

  The Scorpion was a prized siege weapon of Agnes that he had made sure to install on each ship of his fleet. The weapon itself was basically a giant crossbow that fired enormous steel bolts. It was a great weapon on destroying castle walls but in this case even better for destroying enemy ships at sea.

  As Carter finally approached the ship’s deck he found Gibson was waiting for him with a sword in his hand.

  “You’ll need this,” Gibson threw Carter the sword as he had picked up a bow and quiver of arrows. “You stay by my side at all times. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes,” Carter firmly answered as he saw how scared but serious Gibson was at the moment.

  “FIRE!” Carter heard Agnes yell out to the crew and at the same moment, Carter looked to see the first bolt from the Scorpion being fired towards the oncoming ship.

  Carter followed the shot to see that the bolt had missed and plunged into the nearby sea.

  “DAMN!” Agnes cursed in result. “Can we hit the fucking target please!”

  The crew stationed on the Scorpion adjusted as told and within a couple of minutes they fired again towards the enemy ship.

  Carter followed the bolt once again and saw that this time it had found its target and hit the back left side of the Issor’s ship. The siege weapon had done some considerable damage but the oncoming ship was still easily afloat and kept on its course towards Agnes and his crew.

  “TAKE COVER!” Carter heard from a fellow crewmate and quickly looked up and saw a volley of arrows headed his way.

  Carter and the rest of the crew quickly acted as they held up their shields to deflect the oncoming wave of arrows. Carter was able to do this with ease but a small few were not fortunate enough and their lifeless bodies now littered the deck’s floors.

  “Some firepower they got over there,” Gibson acknowledged as he knelt besides Carter.

  The two confronting ships were now side by side with each other and ready to blow each other to pieces. Neither side ready to back down from the other.

  “This is the end for you, Agnes,” a voice came from the enemy ship as Carter guessed this was Issor calling out Agnes. “The end of your reign. Thieves’ Landing is rightfully mine!”

  Carter looked over towards Agnes to see how he would respond. He tightened his fists and was about to respond with his own remark but he was suddenly interrupted by a strange noise.

  All the chanting and yelling from both sides became quiet and the fighting ceased. The only thing that could be heard was the calm ocean breeze.

  At the same moment, a dark shadow overcast both ships as everyone looked up in horror. The figure’s giant wings gave off a violent vibration as it roared to announce its presence to the ocean.

  “What in the world-“ Agnes muttered.

  “Is that what I think it is, Gibson?” Carter asked.

  This creature hasn’t been spotted in hundreds of years and many thought they were just a tale made up for
the entertainment of children.

  Gibson swallowed in fear. “That my lads... is a dragon.”

  Emma

  Andros

  The kingdom of Andros was rushing with excitement. It was only a couple days until the festivities would begin to celebrate Emma’s Name Day. The day the kingdom, and all of its lands, would get their new queen.

  Emma, on the other hand, was not looking forward to this day at all. The day where her life would be turned around. No more riding Layla all day alongside Bri or exploring the palace and all its secret rooms and stairways. Now she would have to sit in the throne room all day and listen to concerns or go to meetings with advisors. She would have to make decisions she would think would be best for the kingdom.

  But she would do it because Emma wanted what was best for her home, even if it meant taking her place on the Emerald Throne.

  “There’s all kinds of people coming into town for your ceremony,” Bri began as she sat on Emma’s bed and watched her friend get her hair ready for the day.

  Lucky me,” Emma groaned as she began fixing her blonde hair. “Two more days of freedom.”

  “You should be excited!” Bri exclaimed. “You’re going to be a great queen. Plus, I even heard the Greybeards are coming down to pay their respects.”

  Emma’s eyes widened at the sound of that name. “Was not expecting that.”

  The Greybeards, very much like the Druids, were a group of magical people. Wise with their knowledge of history and other ancient techniques. Unlike the Druids, they had always pledged absolute loyalty to the Phoenix King and his family line. The Druids, however, despised the royal line, and because of this, the Greybeards and Druids had always been enemies.

  “I think we all had that same reaction,” Bri responded as she examined Emma’s face. “No Greybeard has ever come to an Andros royal coronation in all of history. So why now?”

  “I guess I’ll have to find out when they get here,” Emma agreed. “Except they are going to get hot here with their large dark cloaks they wear.”