by Bonnie Lamer
Dagda nods. “From what I understand, the leftover ash is the remnants of the darkness her soul may have picked up in that lifetime.” He looks to Adriel for confirmation.
The Angel of Death nods. “Her darkness is burned away by her Cosmic Fire.”
Dagda continues, “As she is an immortal being, the ashes are still a part of her and cannot be destroyed. The ashes are sought after because some believe they carry some of the power of the Phoenix, as well. That is why they are hidden away.”
“Do they?” I ask. “And would the power gained from them be dark power?”
“No one really knows for certain, but as they are burned by Cosmic Fire, it seems doubtful,” Isla says, but she is looking at Eliana, not me. Isla believes someone knows for certain. Namely Ra.
Eliana avoids the question in Isla’s eyes. “How long has it been since the last time the Phoenix was reborn? Are her five hundred years up, or do we have a little time?” Eliana asks. Excellent question. If the Phoenix is already past her expiration date, we’re screwed.
“In Cowan years, it has been several thousand years,” Kallen says, not really answering Eliana’s question.
Josh frowns. “I thought she had to die every five hundred years.”
“Five hundred of her years,” Kallen reminds him. “The Phoenix experiences time differently than the realms do.” He nods at Raziel and Adriel. “Much as the Angels do. They are outside of time as we experience it.”
“We know her time is near, but we do not know the exact dates,” Isla says. “For example, it could be days or weeks for the Fae, or decades or even centuries for the Cowans.”
“This isn’t confusing at all,” Sam grumbles, earning him an elbow to the ribs from Jenna.
“I agree,” I grin. I definitely like Sam. He’s a mutterer like I am.
“That makes sense why Ra was the last one to help her hide her ashes,” Josh says, staying on track with the conversation, unlike Sam and me. “He was still around then.”
“Are you able to communicate with Ra now?” Dagda asks Eliana. I have explained the basics of Eliana’s coexistence with the Egyptian god in the past, but as Dagda knows from my own magic, things can change and grow over time. Maybe Eliana does have a better communication method with the god now.
No such luck. “Ra communicates with me, but it is often through dreams. It is rare for him to communicate directly,” Eliana admits. She hurries to add, “I have no doubt that he will help us if he can, though.”
“Maybe you should take a nap,” Kegan suggests. When I give him a sour look, he shrugs. “How else is she going to dream?” He does have a point, though I doubt it’s quite that simple.
Proving he is not the only one thinking along these lines, Isla says in a not so subtle hint, “We have prepared rooms for you all.”
With a grimace, Eliana says, “Honestly, I don’t think I could sleep right now.” Nor do I believe the god within her can be manipulated like that. From what I understand, he communicates on his timetable, not Eliana’s. Much like the Angels do with me. Damn higher beings and their annoying ways.
“We did just tell you the universe might be ending,” I say sympathetically to my friend. “Information like that tends to disrupt normal sleep patterns.” I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep right now with that hanging over my head, either. Giving Kegan another sour look, which I also pass along to Isla, I say, “Maybe we should come up with a plan that doesn’t involve Eliana napping.”
Steering the conversation in a more helpful direction, Josh says, “You knew that Ra kept the ashes. Did the lore happen to give any idea as to where?”
“If we knew where, we would already be looking there,” Kegan snarks under his breath. Across the table, Sam snickers. Hmm, he and Kegan just may be kindred spirits. I’m not sure that’s a good thing.
Being the laid back guy he is, Josh isn’t ruffled by the snark. “Often, there are references to ancient cities or locations in what is believed to be mythology. We already know that much of what is considered myth by humans is actually true. If there was a place mentioned, we would have a starting point if we can match it to an approximate modern day location.”
Dagda nods. “True, but unfortunately, we already know that the location has long since been taken over by Cowans. This happened thousands of years before the Fairies left your realm. Virtually all ancient aspects have been destroyed.”
“We know this?” I ask, surprised that I wasn’t informed we had this much information. I shoot another glare toward Isla and Kallen for keeping me in the dark. They both ignore me yet again. They are so good at that. Too good for my taste.
Again, Dagda nods. “Heliopolis.”
Eliana groans. “He’s right. Heliopolis has been occupied for at least five or six thousand years. There is nothing left from the time Ra may have walked the land.”
“If there was a hiding place there, it has been found,” Josh says, as disheartened as Eliana.
I’m not convinced. “Not if it’s warded like the temple of Isis we found. It would have been impossible to gain access without magic.”
Brightening, Eliana says, “If that’s true, it could still be there. Also, we don’t know the boundaries of ancient Heliopolis. Wherever the temple, or whatever it was, is located may be deep in the desert, away from the human population.”
“Which makes it that much more difficult to find,” Sam points out.
“If the Phoenix ashes were thought to be powerful, wouldn’t magical beings have been searching for them of the centuries?” Jenna asks. “Would the wards have held against every magical creature looking for them?”
“If Ra put them in place, I suspect they would have. Maybe once we get close, Ra will guide us,” Eliana says excitedly, not losing momentum over Jenna’s doubts. She is obviously growing to like this plan.
“What do you hope to find?” Jenna pushes. When all eyes turn to her, she asks, “What kind of clues are you looking for?”
“Yeah, it’s not like the Phoenix would have left an itinerary for her future realm to realm travels,” Sam points out.
“Or even a how-to spell for tracking her down on a specific date,” Kegan adds unhelpfully. Yes, I believe the two of them are kindred spirits. From my husband’s annoyed expression, he is not pleased with this revelation. One Kegan can be quite enough around here.
“No, but the Angels are pretty certain there are clues to be found,” I inform both of them. My eyes can’t help but travel across the table to the Angels present hoping for some sort of confirmation.
Adriel nods. “It has always been believed that Heliopolis holds secrets about the Phoenix. Unfortunately, it is warded from the Angels.”
Interesting how she worded that. “Meaning the Angels don’t really have a clue what’s in Heliopolis, if anything?” I press.
Flushing because she may have said too much, Adriel tries to dig herself out of her ‘too much information’ hole by saying, “None of this was my area of expertise.”
“It is a good starting point,” Kallen says before I can grill Adriel any more since he knows she won’t give anything else away. Continuing the conversation will do nothing but frustrate us both. “We should depart immediately,” my gorgeous husband urges.
Frowning, I ask, “Are you suggesting that we just wander around the area of ancient Heliopolis until something comes to us?”
There is a snarky response dancing on my husband’s tongue. I can see it there doing pliés and jazz hands. Yes, his snarky comments like to mix dance styles. Before he can speak, though, Eliana says, “The closer I am to the hiding place, the more likely Ra will lead us the rest of the way.”
I study her a moment trying to figure out if this is wishful thinking, or if she knows this to be true. I decide I can’t tell. With a sigh, I reluctantly concede that I don’t have a better idea. “I guess that’s our plan, then.”
“Once you have found the temple, you are to return here with any information,” Dagda instructs,
using his most regal voice. He must be trying to impress our guests because he knows it will not impress me. “We will make a plan for approaching the Phoenix together.”
I roll my eyes. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you are implying that I’m not very diplomatic.”
“I was not implying,” Dagda says dryly. I give him a sour look, but I can’t really disagree.
Proving that he is way more diplomatic than I am, Kallen says, “If time allows, we will do so.”
Dagda doesn’t like Kallen’s response, but he accepts it with a curt nod. He cannot help but add, “Remember, the fate of the universe is at stake.”
“No pressure, though,” I mutter under my breath. Sam hides a snicker with a cough.
“You are not going anywhere until you eat,” Tabitha says as she begins to load the countertop with plates of food. “You cannot save the universe on an empty stomach.”
Kallen and Kegan are the first to dig in. I’m impressed how Kegan has learned to devour food left handed since he is still holding Keelan. Our guests are a little shy at first about helping themselves, but a few more encouraging words are all it takes. Soon, everyone has a plate loaded with breakfast foods, and we dig in like it could be our last meal.
We’ll try really hard to make sure it’s not.
7 Chapter
“That was delicious, thank you,” Josh says to Tabitha when he has finished everything on his plate. Smart guy. The way to Tabitha’s heart is praising her food. That and not saying things that will make her want to smack you in the back of the head.
Tabitha beams with pride. “You are a very nice young man. Unlike others I know,” she adds, glaring at Kallen and Kegan. There is no heat behind her glare, though. She loves them both dearly.
Kegan rises from his chair and wraps his free arm around Tabitha’s shoulder. He is still holding Keelan in his other arm as he is still too young for a high chair. “You know we love your cooking. Otherwise, we would not eat so much of it.” His nose wrinkles and his expression turns sour. After a quick sniff of the air close to his son, he sighs. “Someone needs to be changed. Again.” He gives Tabitha a hopeful look, but she just shakes her head and walks away with a wicked grin on her face. Resigned to his fate of diaper duty this time, Kegan turns toward the door. His eyes light up when he spies his wife entering the kitchen. There is new hope for begging off diaper time.
“You never came back to bed. What is going on?” Alita asks through a yawn. Glancing around the room, she notices the extra people and her face flushes. She runs a hand through her tangled hair and glances down at her rumpled pajamas. “Sorry, I did not realize we have guests.”
In an attempt to ease his wife’s discomfort, Kegan does some quick magic. Suddenly, Alita is dressed and her hair is as smooth and shiny as ever, easing her embarrassment at showing up so disheveled. She gives him a grateful look. Aw, Kegan really is a good husband.
Behind us, Jenna gasps in surprise. “That was amazing!”
“Thanks,” Kegan says with a grin, enjoying her thrill at such little effort toward magic on his part. He turns back to his wife. “There is a problem with the Phoenix,” Kegan sums up for her.
“I brought back my friends from the Cowan realm to help. We’re actually on our way back there now to look for the temple that stores the Phoenix’s ashes,” I tell her. I do a quick round of introductions.
Reaching out for Keelan, Alita says with more confidence than the rest of us feel, “If anyone can fix this, you guys can.” I give her an appreciative smile. Until she adds, “At least my son doesn’t need to be involved this time.” Yeah, it’s probably going to be a while before any of us live that one down. Though, it’s Raziel who is the target of Alita’s cocked brow. The Archangel shrugs helplessly. He did what he had to do to save us all from Demons.
Our guests are oblivious to the exchange. “What should we do with the things we brought?” Josh asks, glancing at the bags lining the kitchen wall.
“Leave them here,” Kallen tells him. “They will be put away.”
“I will put them in the rooms I made up,” Tabitha says. Suddenly, the bags are gone.
“We do get those back, right?” Sam mutters under his breath to Jenna.
“Of course,” Kallen assures him. “Likely all in one piece, too.” Sam’s eyes go wide until he realizes Kallen is joking.
“Do you need me to come along?” Kegan asks.
“So you can get out of diaper duty? I don’t think so,” I tease. Honestly, there is no way I would take him away from Alita and Keelan right now to do something dangerous.
To my great surprise, Kegan actually looks relieved. Usually, he wants to come with us. Then again, he does have a family of his own, now. One of whom is a newborn babe. When the universe may be about to end, who wants to be away from his wife and child?
Alita gives me a hug. “Be careful,” she whispers in my ear.
“Always,” I lie with a grin. Turning to Raziel, I ask, “Any words of advice?” It never hurts to try to wheedle information out of an omniscient being, right? I don’t get my hopes up that he will say something useful, though.
“Follow your instincts, they are always your best guide,” he says as cryptically as ever, proving I was right in keeping my expectations low. His eyes move to Eliana, indicating he is including her in his sage advice. She seems more receptive to it than I am, only because she does not know him well enough to resent that he could be saying so much more.
“Thanks,” I grump. A thought hits me and I direct my question to Adriel this time instead of Raziel. “If the universe blows up, what happens to the Angels?”
“We live outside of the constraints of the mortal universe,” she informs me. Well, at least she and Raziel will survive even if the rest of us don’t. They’ll ascend again and get their wings back. Reading my mind, Adriel says softly, “Remember, you have wings, too.”
With a surreptitious glance at my husband, I mutter, “I don’t find that comforting at the moment.” Besides, I still don’t have a clear answer on whether or not my part time wings make me truly immortal.
Not liking the morbid direction this conversation is taking, Kallen urges, “We should go.” I nod and help him usher our friends back out to the beach.
“Sorry you didn’t get a better look around at the Fairy realm,” I say to them when we are back on the sand.
“That’s okay. It doesn’t seem that much different than home,” Sam says with a shrug.
“When this is over, you will need to return so we can show you that is not necessarily true,” Kallen informs him. “The open use of magic here makes all the difference.”
Eliana smiles. “It would be nice not to have to hide my abilities all the time.”
Josh wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her close. “If things get too stressful in our realm, maybe we can move here.”
“You’re welcome any time,” I tell them. “Your families, too.” I sneak a peek at Dagda who is standing on the terrace to make sure he would be okay with more Cowans moving in. He inclines his head slightly in agreement. The thought of having Eliana on our side far outweighs the challenges of having more Cowans among us, apparently. Turning back to my friend, I ask, “Okay, where are we going?”
Eliana, being knowledgeable on all things Egypt, replies, “The only thing left of ancient Heliopolis is an obelisk. It’s in the northeast area of Cairo.”
Oh, that sucks. I grimace and tell her, “I can’t open a passageway in the middle of an urban area. I think I’ll open a passageway at my old house, and then we can teleport from there.”
“Why not our house again?” Jenna asks, more out of curiosity than being against the idea of my house.
“Because people might be watching our house now,” Josh says astutely. Liza may be his boss, but he doesn’t trust her not to spy on our movements any more than I do.
“What?!” Jenna gasps.
Sam chuckles. “Like they aren’t already considering the fa
ct that the government knows about Eliana. It was a big risk for Xandra to come directly to us last night.”
If I had thought it through more, I wouldn’t have gone straight to them. “Sorry about that,” I tell Eliana sheepishly.
Eliana shrugs. “No big deal. I don’t believe anyone is bugging the inside of our house. Sam scans it regularly.” She gives her friend an affectionate smile.
Shaking my head, I say, “I don’t know how you can live with the government in your business like that.”
With a wink, Eliana replies, “I believe the government here knows what you are doing all the time.”
I laugh. “They do. It’s a little different when it’s family, though.”
“I’m sure it is,” she acknowledges. She adds, “Josh and I considered all of this when we decided to work for the government. Being able to help people with my abilities outweighs the infringement on our privacy.”
“So far,” Josh chimes in. “If that changes, we have a backup plan.” That’s good to know. I don’t press for details, though. If I needed to find them, I’m certain I could.
“Where is your old house?” Jenna asks.
“In the mountains in Colorado,” I tell her.
She smiles. “At least Sam and I didn’t lie to our parents. We get to visit Colorado and Egypt on our ‘vacation.’”
Eliana laughs. “Good point.”
“Is everyone ready?” I ask. When I get a round of nods, I reach out and open a passageway. A familiar picture of my childhood living room appears before us, and I usher everyone through.
Before I can go through myself, Dagda grabs my arm and pulls me into a hug. “You are to return to us,” he says quietly so only I can hear him. “The Phoenix is dangerous. She is not known to be kind or generous or forgiving. Be careful what you say and do around her, or you could get yourself and your friends hurt or killed. Furthermore, do not trust her. She will attempt to mislead you if you get too close to her secrets.”
