Phoenix Incandescent (Endeavor Series Book 1)

by A E M

  “Our enemy chose false centers of activity to lead anyone who put the planted clues together to ambushes while he protected the real centers of activity.”

  “I do not like the depth of planning.” Lodestar paced back and forth behind them all. “Go on.”

  “There are eight strongholds. Each one contains an Arx who oversees the operations of the stronghold, which includes searching and kidnapping. There is also one fortress.” Zorach paused and frowned. “We are around the corner from one of the strongholds and we know that Arx Oscar is Faunus’ eldest son.”

  A rapping at the door interrupted them. A Faun with long black hair swept into a ponytail stepped into the barn. “I am Phoebe.” She wore leggings with buckles that matched her vest. Flower tattoos decorated her human half. She sashayed to the fire. “Mother sent me ahead. The biders will be here shortly.”

  “We tried to divert them.” Beau said.

  “It didn’t work.”

  Beau stood. “Your brother Oscar is the leader at a stronghold nearby.”

  “You are the eldest under Oscar.” Lodestar said. “Do you have any idea where he might have chosen to build?”

  Phoebe frowned. “Oscar.” She closed her eyes. “There is a place east of here that is important to him. It is outside of our family lands, and Father prefers not to visit there.” She shook her head. “But I was near there recently and I didn’t see anything.”

  “We believe that a weaver is also involved.” Evangeline said. “It could be hidden.”

  “We were foolish not to seek a weaver for our team.” Lodestar said. “We cannot fight against one—”

  The screech of the biders filled the air. Ebby snarled and flapped her wings.

  “Is she old enough to fight?” Charlotte asked.

  “She will be fine.” Lodestar answered. “In fact, she’s about to have her first real feast.”

  “Ebby and Beau, you knock them down to us as much as you can.” Zorach commanded. “Evangeline and I will take out as many as we can with our bow and arrows.”

  “It’s not only biders coming at you.” Phoebe warned. “I saw at least one centaur.”

  “Ekos.” Zorach scratched at the stubble on his face. “I will take him.

  “There were a lot of Fauns.” She paused. “My parents will be here soon with more Fauns to battle on our side. I’m afraid that lines will be blurred today.”

  “We will have to do the best we can.” Lodestar said. She looked at Evangeline and Charlotte. “Remember that, true hearts.”

  Beau pulled Charlotte close for a quick, firm kiss. “Until we meet again, Caramia.”

  “Fly well, Beau.”

  Lodestar and Zorach pushed the doors open. Out they went into the snow and the cold and the screeches and the unknown. Beau joined Ebby in the air. Ebby unleashed fire and ripped the wings off of any who came close to her. Beau sliced anything he could get near with his sword. The Biders were black with a wingspan of six feet. Each Bider had eight retractable spider legs connected to the bat like torso. Their spider eyes were creepy. Beau sliced through as many as he could. Today the Biders had split into two groups. One flew in the air like a black cloud, while the second moved over the earth like an oil spill.

  Time passed, but he couldn’t be sure of the speed. He caught glimpses of the battle beneath him. Faunus and a large group of Fauns joined the battle not long after the start. Zorach paired off with Ekos, while Lodestar took on the two other centaurs. She quickly beheaded them and turned toward the half-giants who brought up the rear of the enemy formation. Alcott dominated the field with his mattock. Beau saw him take out more than one magani in one blow more than once. He stayed close to Charlotte, who wielded her quarterstaff well. Evangeline handled her sword with grace and deadly accuracy.

  The snow fell even harder as arrows ripped across the sky and ended in thuds or screams. Feet ran. Hooves clopped. Blades crashed. In the air, Ebby and Beau took down the biders one by one. Their numbers were dwindling rapidly. When his right arm tired, he tossed his sword into his left arm and thanked his father silently for making him learn to wield it from both.

  The stench of the battlefield assaulted his nose. The snow fell even harder. The cold began to bite his fingers, and the snow lay thick on the ground. There was a loud bellow and Beau looked down to see Ekos go down by Zorach’s hand. Suddenly the battle went still. Ekos must have been their leader. Now the enemy line consisted of Fauns, who stood stunned.

  “Surrender.” Zorach demanded. “Surrender or die.”

  “We will not!” They yelled. “We will fight to the end for our master!”

  “And what of your father?” Faunus yelled at them. “Why do my children betray me?”

  “If we do not betray you, we betray ourselves!” One of them cried out. “The darkness, it calls us from within! We must listen to it!”

  “The darkness you speak of is using you as pawns.” Lodestar called out. “You have let it in, and you can let it out.”

  “You would be wise to join us. Oscar will spare your lives if you surrender.”

  “You are quite mistaken.” Lodestar responded. “Your brother uses your bodies as a shield instead of fighting himself. You stand and fight for a coward!”

  There was a thundering in the distance and the enemy Fauns leapt and shouted towards the sky. “Your destruction draws near!” They turned and ran.

  There was a loud boom and more thundering, and the snow blanketed the ground harder. Beau landed near the others. “What’s wrong with the weather?”

  “It’s not weather.” Lodestar said quietly. “Get to the barn and I will explain. Alcott, I hope the Maguard is here soon. Our numbers will not withstand what comes next.”

  20

  Gulla

  “And they lived happily ever after. The End.”

  Isaac kissed her head and stood. “Goodnight, Lottie.”

  She sat up. “Does everybody live happily ever after?”

  Isaac paused for a long moment. “No, child. Some don’t.”

  “Why, Papa?” She hugged her book.

  He tapped the doorframe with his fingers. “I don’t know why.”

  Charlotte stared down past her bloody hands at the bits of white snow still visible between the stains of war. She wanted to smack her complaining self from yesterday. What was body odor when confronted with the stench of war? She looked up at her hands, bloody on the inside and the outside, and wondered how much of the outside blood was hers and how much was not. She couldn’t relax her fingers. How long had it been? She couldn’t remember. How old was she? Surely she was a year older. Surely that’s how long she had gripped her weapon. Could a person age a year in a day? In hours? Somebody called her name. She turned to follow the familiar voice and her boot stepped down with a crunch. A hand.

  She had taken life. She didn’t feel regret about killing the biders. But the Fauns and other magical creatures left a sinking hole in her gut. The worst feeling was knowing that she would never know if those she killed were all on the wrong side or not. The Fauns had been everywhere, and she couldn’t tell one side from the other. All she had known was an urge to save her own life. All she could feel was the fear of death. All she could think was to live.

  “Charlotte.” The voice said firmly in front of her. A familiar hand came down between her hands and rested on her weapon. “I need to rest and eat. Do you need that, too?”

  “Yes.” She managed.

  “Come, then.”

  The hand took her hand and led her through the battleground and back to the barn. She stared at the hand for a long time. Then she blinked and the hand grew into an arm that led to a body and she remembered him and she squeezed his hand. He smiled back at her and nodded. His wings were painted with blood and they brushed the snow beneath them.

  The barn was a welcome sight. Charlotte remembered her fingers first. Then her toes. All around her bodies packed into the barn until it was tight with body heat. She looked around at the haggard faces.
They were all bloody and tired. She thought of the granola in her bag. How would they feed this many people? She rubbed her hands together slowly and looked at Lodestar, who stood quietly in the middle of the barn.

  “You should be proud of yourself.” Beau leaned into her slightly. “I’m proud of you and not one bit surprised.”

  She looked over at him. Hair oily and bloody. Missing feathers. She squeezed his arm. “You should be proud of yourself, too.”

  A Faun pushed between them. Zorach cleared his throat. The barn quieted of chatter. Charlotte remembered then. The battle was not over. She shivered and leaned into Beau. He gripped her arm and held her tight against his side, but he didn’t say anything. She was glad for it. She didn’t want his words right now. Only his presence.

  “I remember the smell from long ago.” Lodestar started. “If you survive this battle, you will never forget the smell. It is pungent. It soaks into your very brain cells.” Her eyes snapped shut for a second. She shuddered, then her eyes snapped back open. “The magani we fight next is named Gulla. She is an ancient queen of the wolverines of the north.”

  The room erupted in an ebb and flow of whispers until Zorach silenced them all again.

  Lodestar didn’t snap at them like Charlotte expected her to. Instead she merely picked up where she had left off. “Gulla is half wolverine. She hasn’t ventured from her home in hundreds of years, so none of you has likely heard much, if anything, of her. Her loyal subjects accompany and protect her wherever she goes. They are fierce fighters, and are known for being able to take down a centaur much easier than most magani can manage.”

  There was a hush in the room then; even those who had whispered through that part of her speech stopped after her last sentence.

  “Our best chance of surviving this battle is to thin the wolverines.” Zorach said. “Gulla will likely retreat if she thinks there is a chance she will be vanquished or that too many of her subjects will die.”

  “So she’s half animal. Most of us in this room are the same.” Faunus shrugged. “I don’t see what the problem is. Let’s take out her pets and be done with this.”

  Lodestar shoved her way through the crowd until she stood in front of Faunus. “Gulla is a beautifully hideous creature. She is charming and lovely and deadly. She has a mouth full of daggers and a heart rotten with greed.”

  Faunus shrugged again, but stayed silent. Lodestar fixed him with her glare. She lowered her voice. “She used to be a nightmare of the Fauns. After all, your young make a tasty snack for her and her subjects.”

  Faunus looked away. Most of the Fauns looked down at their hooves.

  “As it is.” Lodestar continued. “An adult Faun will make a good meal.”

  “Then we will make sure they starve.” Fauna yelled from the side of the barn.

  “Yes!” The Fauns cried out. “They will starve!”

  Charlotte had to smile. Fauna had a strength she admired. She thought she even caught a tiny smile cross Lodestar’s face.

  “We should go out and meet her.” Alcott said as he stood. “If she is as fierce as you say, then the best thing would be to face her head on. Waiting here will give her the impression that she has us trapped and that we hide from her.”

  “How close do you think she is?” Faunus asked.

  “There’s no way to be certain.” Lodestar said. “She could be right out the door for all I know. The heavy snowstorm to confuse us is a classic part of her attack plan.”

  “She will be near the stronghold.” Zorach said. “Oscar paid her to protect it. Once we get past her, we will be able to access the stronghold and face Oscar.”

  Faunus spoke then. “We should go soon, then, while there is plenty of day time. If we are able to scare Gulla away, then the storms should subside, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Fifteen minutes.” Zorach barked. “Warm yourselves. Prepare yourselves.”

  Ebby landed on Charlotte’s back and settled across her shoulders, her tail dangling down her left arm. Charlotte reached up and rubbed the spot between Ebby’s eyes.

  The unitaur leaves much unsaid.

  Charlotte reached up with her other hand and stroked Ebby’s back. She thought of Lodestar. How old was she? What story did she not tell? How many stories did she have to tell?

  I’ve never seen her so unsteady.

  Keep that in mind as you prepare for your next battle. An enemy who frightens Lodestar should terrify the rest of us.

  Ebby, I killed.

  So did I.

  Have you killed before?

  No, child. I am new to this form, and I did not have to kill in my other form. Her head shot up. Well, did I kill that Raven?

  No.

  Then no, I have not killed before.

  She stretched her claws out against Charlottes shoulders and curled her long neck in front of Charlotte’s neck.

  I have no feelings about killing. I suppose you do.

  Yes.

  You did well today. She nibbled Charlotte’s ear. Your parents would be proud.

  Charlotte slapped her hand on her ear and pulled back. I’m bleeding.

  Affection from a dragon is rare, my dear, and not without its troubles. You should feel honored.

  Oh? And where should I return the honor?

  Ebby snapped a mouth full of flames up in the air and jumped off her shoulders.

  Charlotte walked to Lodestar’s side and placed her hand near the unitaur’s waist. “What story do you not tell?”

  Lodestar placed her hand on Charlotte’s hand. “Gulla killed my parents in front of me.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “My parents were centaurs. My mother should have given birth to twin centaurs, but she drank from an infused spring of water while traveling near fairylands in the Old World very early in her pregnancy. She bore twin unitaurs instead. One of the light. One of the dark.”

  “What do you mean of the light and of the dark?”

  “You have seen the light that Evangeline can create. It provides warmth. It provides comfort. It provides safety. It is one of the forms of magic given to the elves. There is also magic that is dark in this world. It is not spoken of in hopes that it someday may be lost or vanquished.” She looked around the room. “I’m afraid that many magani have forgotten it exists.”

  “I think they are remembering.”

  Lodestar nodded. “Most of the magic you know is a form of light magic, but its concentration varies depending on the magani.”

  Charlotte nodded. “You have a high concentration of it.”

  “I do.” She stroked her horn. She crossed her hands in front of her belly. “But as strong as my magic is, it also has limitations.” She smiled slightly. Lodestar patted Charlotte’s hand, still covered by her own hand. “The fairies have many secrets, child. It is true that they have reason to want to keep their potent magic safe, but I fear they have gone too far.” She tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “I wish I could speak to your mother. There is something about you that doesn’t add up. There’s something to your story that remains unknown.”

  “Could you go into the fairylands?” Charlotte asked, her eyes on a knob in the wood in the floor.

  “The fairies protect their secrets from even me.” Lodestar confirmed.

  Charlotte tried to pull her hand away.

  “I’m not done yet.” Lodestar chided. “It is true that you don’t know what you are yet. It is true that you have tried. But you have not tried hard enough.” She nodded at Evangeline. “If you do not learn to control and handle your powers, you will continue to burn others from time to time. When you burn them, you leach some of their very being into yours. I do not know if it’s permanent or not, but I do know that it happens.”

  Charlotte’s eyes widened. “I did that to Beau and Evangeline?”

  “Yes,” Lodestar said. “You have a bit of bronze eagle and elf in you.”

  “That doesn’t even make sense.” Charlotte objected. “
And how can you possibly know that?”

  “Evangeline could sense it, and I trust her judgment. If it weren’t for the fact that Beau had already attached himself to you romantically, he might have also noticed a change.”

  Charlotte took a deep breath in and rubbed her neck. Her ear had stopped bleeding.

  “I must warn you of one more thing.” Lodestar rubbed her neck. “I do not like the feel of any of this. This Oscar. This battle. These kidnappings. These Arxes and strongholds. They are planned by somebody. Somebody who collects.” She laid her hand on Charlotte’s head and let it fall slowly. “It should go without saying that when this somebody finds out that you exist, he or she will want you for their own. Can you imagine what kind of weapon you could be once trained? You will have to guard your thoughts.”

  “What do you mean?” Charlotte asked.

  “This somebody will use your negativity and any feelings you may still have about your parents covering up the truth of who you are. You will see this in action soon with Oscar.” She lowered her voice. “Faunus’ many children have reasons to fight against their father. I don’t have time to instruct you on Faun history, but the basic story is that Fauna and Faunus are the parents of all the younger Fauns right now. They often abandon them or ignore them unless it’s convenient. Oscar is Faunus’ eldest child. I do not know what happened to Oscar, but I’m sure that it was not in his best interest. You must not become a Oscar.”

  “I won’t.” Charlotte said, but her voice wasn’t steady even to her own ears.

  Zorach barked the room back into focus, and they spilled out into the snow following Phoebe’s lead. Into the wind and snow and unknown they marched for an hour before finding themselves standing in front of a twelve-foot rectangular wall the size of football field. Standing in an open arch in the wall was a woman with arms and legs of a wolverine. Gulla. She wore an asymmetrical blood red skirt and vest combination with buckles and a hood. Two snarling wolverines circled around her legs.

  “Welcome.” Gulla twirled her thick, curly brown hair.