by Bonnie Lamer
Seeing that I am fine, the tension on Kallen’s face eases, and he drawls, “We did want the harmony to be perfect.”
I nod in appreciation. “Good job.”
“Seriously, what happened?” Josh presses as he pulls Eliana into a bone crushing hug. At least, it would be if he had her strength. Josh is not quite as used to his love disappearing as Kallen is, and he may be freaking out a bit.
Eliana gently disentangles herself from his bear hold. “We’re fine,” she insists. Lowering her voice in an attempt to keep Huma from hearing, she says, “We got pulled to the Phoenix realm.”
I stare up at my gorgeous husband so I can watch the confusion and disbelief dance across his face. I don’t get to see that very often. It’s usually me offering the entertainment in that regard. Kallen opens his mouth to object to the idea, but I hold my hand up. “It’s real,” I assure him in a whisper, even though it is probably obvious to Huma where we were. “And, there’s more than one Phoenix,” I throw out. Might as well hit him with it all at once. I keep my eyes glued to his face. This time, I’m looking for developing fissures that would indicate his head is about to explode.
Josh isn’t stunned into silence like my husband, but he does keep his voice low. “Where are the others?” he asks, oblivious to the significance of the declaration I just made.
“Still in the Phoenix realm,” Eliana says with a grimace. “They’re being held hostage.”
Kallen’s brow scrunches together. “What is the ransom?”
“That we put Huma out of her misery.” I explain as I stand and brush the rest of the sand from my clothes. It’s way too hot for sitting on the sun scalded particles. My skin was beginning to blister through my clothes.
It’s Josh’s turn to frown. “Who is Huma, and why do you have to kill her?” He glances at Eliana. “Which I assume you are not planning to do.”
Eliana shakes her head and smiles. “No, we are not. Nor are the other Phoenixes asking us to do so. They simply want us to talk her out of destroying the universe and to give back the Cosmic Fire so another Phoenix can take her place.” Again, nothing Huma hasn’t probably already figured out, so it’s okay if she hears us.
Josh nods in understanding. “Good to know. Did they give you any ideas for accomplishing this?”
I snort. “Yeah, they basically said, ‘figure it out.’”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see something dark moving our way. Kallen sees it, as well. He moves to take up a defensive position between me and the Shadow. I appreciate the gesture, but he needs to know that it’s unnecessary. “It can’t hurt anyone,” I tell him quietly and explain what Chol told us.
Kallen shakes his head and mutters, “So many damn secrets in the universe.”
“The wanker is just now figuring that out?” a voice snarks from my ankle.
I glare down at my Familiars and realize they were nowhere to be found while I was getting sucked into another realm. “Where have you guys been?”
“As your dad would say, we were doing recon,” Felix explains.
Nonplussed, I glance around the deserted desert. The only thing here is the temple. “Where?” I ask.
“Under that pile of sand over there,” Taz snarks, pointing to some random spot with his tail. “Are you an idiot? We were doing recon inside.”
“What is he saying?” Kallen asks.
I put a finger up to indicate he needs to wait a minute before I can give him a full response. He scowls at me, but clamps his mouth closed. I turn my attention back to my Familiars. “What did you find out?”
“We found out that the Phoenix has no idea what we are. She thinks we’re just wild animals, so she let us wander in and go wherever we liked.”
“Really?”
“She even petted us,” Felix informs me, the distaste evident in his tone. He doesn’t like to be touched, especially by strangers. I’m kind of surprised he didn’t bite the Phoenix. At least, I hope he didn’t.
Suddenly, it dawns on me that we might be able to use the Phoenix’s ignorance to our advantage. Lifting my eyes so that it’s not obvious I’m speaking to the two Tasmanian devils, I stare at Kallen and ask again, “What did you find out?”
Kallen looks at me like I’m insane. He opens his mouth to probably imply this orally, as well, but I shake my head slightly and glance down at Taz then back up at him. It takes a second, but I can see it in his beautiful green eyes when he finally understands. “Not much,” he says.
Taz’s response is a bit different. “There are two chambers. One has a bunch of empty pots that probably held her ashes. The other is where she is holed up. She seems to have super hearing, but we don’t believe she can see what is going on outside the temple. If you make a plan, try to keep your mouth closed while doing it,” he adds as if I didn’t understand what ‘she can hear but she can’t see’ meant. I glower down at him, but he ignores me as usual.
Eliana is about to ask what is going on, but I put my fingers to my lips. To Kallen, I mouth, ‘paper and pencil.’ In an instant, he creates them and hands them over. Scribbling as fast as I can, I write down what Taz told me. Eliana and Josh’s eyes widen in surprise. Eliana asks for the paper and pencil and I hand it over. She writes something down and hands it to me. Her question is, ‘What are you thinking.’
Excellent question. One I don’t quite have an answer to yet. I shrug and give them each an imploring look, hoping they might come up with something. Three foreheads scrunch up in concentration and three mouths remain tightly closed. I sigh in frustration and turn to ask Felix and Taz if they have any ideas.
My Familiars are nowhere to be found.
36 Chapter – Taz and Felix
“Do you think she noticed we’re gone yet?” Taz asks Felix.
“She was quite focused on what she was doing,” Felix responds.
Taz rolls his eyes. “A fancy way of saying she doesn’t have a freakin’ clue.” Felix doesn’t respond, but Taz knows he’s right. “What odds will you give me that she does something stupid while we’re trying to execute our plan?”
Felix glares at him. “Xandra is impulsive, not stupid.”
“Suck up,” Taz mutters. Louder, he asks, “What was the point of going out there and telling her all that again?”
“To give her an idea that there are alternatives to whatever she is thinking of doing,” Felix explains for what he feels like is the hundredth time. “While she ponders a way to use us to her benefit, we have time to do what we need to do.”
“She’s going to come looking for us as soon as she notices we’re gone. She would never let us walk into danger alone,” Taz points out.
This is not news to Felix. “Which is why we snuck off. We have probably five minutes before she figures out what we’re doing. By then, we’ll be in place.”
Taz eyes Felix for a second as they make their way down the temple hall. “If you get her killed, I’ll have to kill you.”
Felix snorts. “You could try.” But, he has no intention of getting this Xandra killed. Not after all she has done for him. “Xandra will be fine.”
“Let’s try not to get ourselves killed, either. I couldn’t spend an eternity without bacon.”
“That I cannot promise you,” Felix informs his doppelganger as they round the corner that leads to where the Phoenix is.
When they reach her, she smiles widely. “You have returned. I heard you growling outside. It seems you don’t like the intruders any more than I do.” Her smile becomes sad. “It will be nice to have your company as it all ends.”
Taz fights back a snort. If the crazy bird had any idea what they had planned for her, she would already have burned them alive.
37 Chapter
“Damn it!” I exclaim. My Familiars must have gone back into the temple. I point furiously at the building so the others will understand why I’m upset.
Eliana writes, “What are they doing?”
“Getting themselves killed, probably,” I mutter. Kallen
nudges me and points to the paper. Right. There is more danger for Felix and Taz if the Phoenix has any idea they are associated with me. Then again, why the hell does she think there are Tasmanian devils in the middle of the Sahara? It’s not like they’re natives here. Maybe she was never good at zoology.
I grab the paper from Eliana and write, “We need to go after them.”
Josh takes the paper from me and writes, “Without a plan?”
I nod. I am going to save my Familiars, with or without a plan. Seeing the determination on my face, Eliana takes the paper back and writes, “We’re coming with you.” I smile at her in appreciation.
As if choreographed, we all turn toward the temple and begin walking. Once we are inside, the Phoenix will sense our presence. She always has before. So, there’s no use in trying to sneak in. When we reach the door, Eliana extends her hand and her eyes glow red again. The door disappears and we enter the gloomy hall. Kallen and Josh remove the torches from the wall and Eliana lights them for us. This is becoming way too routine for my taste.
I don’t need Eliana to guide us this time. My tie to my Familiars steers me in the direction we need to go. I stalk ahead of the others, ready to fight to the death to save the stupid, brave little guys. Fortunately, there are no obstacles in our way this time. No walls to block us, just an open door inviting us to step inside. I do so and stop dead. I came to rescue them and here they are curled up on Huma’s lap practically purring. Even Felix! He sure seems to have gotten over his abhorrence to being touched. I hear a gasp behind me as the others see the same betrayal I am seeing.
Except, I take a look beneath the surface of the scene. Felix is not at all relaxed. If his muscles were any tighter, they’d snap like rubber bands. His expression is pained. I’m certain the others can’t tell, but I know my Familiars and their expressions. And Taz? Taz has that look in his eye he gets when he’s about to do something stupider than even I would dream of doing. Oh, no. My Familiars have decided to play hero, and I have no idea what their plan is. Then again, at least they have a plan. Better than I can say for the rest of us.
“Have they changed sides?” Josh murmurs.
“Seems so,” I lie. I ignore the sudden feeling of bugs crawling on me.
A pitying smile plays across Huma’s face. “Were these your pets? Did you plan to attack me with them?” She shakes her head. “How foolish. Ra should have told you that animals are drawn to me.”
Josh’s eyes narrow. “Did he…” I nudge him hard in the ribs before he can blurt out that Taz just rolled his eyes.
To cover for the tiny faux pas, Felix begins to growl at us. At least, that’s what it sounds like to everyone else. “There, there, my dear, you are safe with me,” the Phoenix soothes while petting his head. If only she knew how close to vomiting Felix is at the moment. He is probably going to have a nervous breakdown from all the touching when this is over. Providing whatever plan the Tasmanian devils have works. I have my doubts. Mostly because I still don’t know what it is.
I try not to laugh at the Phoenix’s ignorance, because what Felix actually said was, “Keep her talking so we can explain the plan to you.”
So, I do as he says. I search my mind for the question I would most like answered. “Why did you give us that riddle if you knew there was a possibility that we could do it?”
Okay, maybe that was the wrong question to ask. Her eyes flashing, the Phoenix’s face twists in fury. “I did not give you the riddle. My sisters found a way to communicate it to you.” Oh, that makes so much sense, I can’t believe we didn’t figure it out on our own.
“How?” Eliana asks.
“I do not know,” Huma snarls. “They should not have been able to communicate with anyone outside of their realm.”
Taz pretends he is responding to Huma’s anger and begins to snarl at us. Well, at the others. To me, he says, “You know, they really shouldn’t leave their past memories just lying around. She’s pretty chatty.”
“Writes well, too,” Felix adds with a snarl.
Their words hit me hard, and I find myself struggling not to show the shock on my face. The Shadow sent us the message? Why?
“Once you had the riddle, all I could do was make sure you understood the rules.” Huma focuses her glare on Eliana. “Ra was not to aide you.”
“He didn’t,” Eliana assures her. Well, he may have a tiny little bit, but no need to put that information out there. Huma is pissed enough already.
Conversation lulls and I need to keep it going. “Aren’t you worried someone is going to see the Shadow out there?” I ask.
Huma laughs, but there is no humor in it. “I am about to go supernova. What does it matter?” Good point.
“Yes, the one thing that can kill a Phoenix,” Taz growls. He bares his teeth in what I think is supposed to be a grin. I stare at him like he’s crazy. It’s the one thing that will destroy all the universes, as well.
Obviously, I am not getting what he is trying to communicate, so he tries again. “It’s a good thing you have the Sun God with you,” he says pointedly and growls in Eliana’s direction.
“Keep the conversation going,” Felix urges. “She’s about to blow.”
What?! My eyes shoot back to Huma and I can see it. Around the edges of her aura, tiny little flames are beginning to appear. Eliana sucks in a breath beside me. She sees it, too.
Okay, what do you say to a supernatural being who is about to go supernova? ‘Gee, it’s getting hot in here’ just doesn’t seem like the right thing to go with. “Why kill everyone?” I blurt out. “Why does everyone else have to suffer because you are unhappy?”
The Phoenix returns her attention to me. “I am doing everyone a favor. These universes were a mistake from the very beginning. Putting flawed beings into flawed worlds to live flawed lives. What good could come from that? All that resulted was violence and pain.”
“That is not true,” Eliana says. “I love my life and so do my friends.”
Huma waves a hand at her words. “Only because you are young. If you lived longer, you would understand.”
“Liar.” To my surprise, Kallen said this. I stare up at my husband. I usually blurt those kinds of things out, not him. I guess I’m rubbing off on him. He’s not finished, either. “You feel those things and you want them to end. You do not care how, or that everything else will die with you. You can only think of one way out as you are otherwise immortal, and you are taking it like the coward you are.” A smile spreads across my face. I love him so much.
Kallen was not the only one speaking. While he spoke, Taz filled me in on more of the plan. I consider myself quite talented to be able to listen to them both at the same time. I’ll pat myself on the back later, providing it still exists.
“Say the word Benu-Phoenix to Eliana as you touch the Phoenix and then teleport,” Taz ordered as I pretended not to listen to him.
I have no idea how he expects Eliana and me to get close enough to the Phoenix to touch her. She’s still a powerful immortal who has the ability to wield Cosmic Fire. She’d disintegrate us before we took two steps toward her.
Unless two suicidal Familiars distract her, that is.
38 Chapter
Huma screams as two sets of sharp teeth pierce the tender flesh of her thighs. The tiny flames of Cosmic Fire dancing on her aura rise like solar flares, and I know my chances of saving my Familiars is slim to none. But, I’m sure as hell going to try.
Grabbing Eliana’s arm, I tug her forward. She doesn’t hesitate at all. Keeping my hold on her, we rush the distracted Phoenix who is about to burn my Familiars alive. Thrusting my hand forward to the first spot I see on her body that isn’t currently flaring with Cosmic Fire, I make contact with her ear. I turn to Eliana and whisper, “Benu-Phoenix.” Then, I teleport.
As soon as we leave the temple, I feel a tug at my core. I don’t even need to glance at Eliana to know that her eyes are shining a bright red as Ra directs us to where we need to go. In an instant, we a
re standing before the obelisk in Heliopolis. Minus two Tasmanian devils. I wasn’t certain I could teleport without them while they still had their teeth in the Phoenix’s flesh, but I had never focused my magic so hard on anything before. I sigh in relief. I just hope it was soon enough to save them both.
My time to dwell on the fate of my Familiars is brief. “Create a circle!” Eliana orders.
Just as she didn’t hesitate to follow me when I rushed Huma, I don’t hesitate in doing as she asks. I create a circle large enough to encompass the obelisk. As soon as I do, I drop my scorched hand from Huma’s ear. There may not have been Cosmic Fire flaring there, but her entire body is way above the average 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
There is a tug on the back of my shirt, and Eliana pulls me out of the way of the punch Huma throws. With her other hand, Eliana stops the forward momentum of Huma’s fist as easily as if a she is stopping a flea. I expect the smell of burning flesh to fill the circle I created, but instead, I have to jump back when their joined hands erupt in flames. Since nothing is disintegrating, I am going to assume that Eliana created the flames herself. Maybe to protect her hand from Huma’s heat? I’ll ask later. She’s a little busy at the moment restraining the Phoenix.
As we stand before the obelisk, it dawns on me that maybe I should have brought Taz and Felix along. After all, this was their plan. A plan which neither of them explained to me how it is supposed to end.
It turns out, I don’t need to know. Her eyes still glowing a brilliant red, Eliana begins to speak. As happened before, her voice comes out velvety smooth and very masculine. “Benu-Phoenix, temple of Ra, protector and marker of the benben stone, keeper of sacred law unchangeable and unalterable. Open for thy God.”
Outside the circle, crowds of people are walking along. Some stop to stare at the obelisk, still visible to them, but they keep moving. None come near it. They are being unconsciously repelled by my magic. Thank goodness, because if they could see what is really happening to the obelisk at this moment, there would be mass hysteria.
