Risen (The Firebird Trilogy Book 2)

by Stephanie Harbon

  Both Nik and Chara were looking at me. “What?” I asked.

  Nik shook his head, “It’s just a little scary the way you do that.”

  “I second that,” chimed in Chara.

  “Well if you’re born to be a weapon, you might as well know your strengths,” I muttered grumpily.

  We quickly left the building and went out of the front door so we didn’t arouse suspicion. As we walked under the threshold something stopped me. It was a symbol etched into the door frame which I vaguely recognised. I stared at it closer, trying to make the connection of where I’d seen it before.

  “Do you recognise this?” I wondered to the others, pointing.

  Nik looked closer and said almost instantly, “It’s an ancient symbol used alongside another to lock and unlock things. The other symbol is identical to this but reversed and together they provide a balance. This one keeps intruders out. I guess it reversed lets people in.”

  I stood there momentarily, struggling to remember where I’d seen it.

  And then it clicked.

  The snake. The symbols on the snake in Lynk’s office. I remembered it now. Those markings were exactly the same as this symbol; only flipped over, backwards. Then my slow brain made the connection between that strange animal and the burnt locked door in the slave quarters.

  “It’s the snake!” I exclaimed excitedly.

  Chara and Nik stared at me in obvious confusion. “What?” Chara said.

  “It’s the snake! The snake is the key!” I realised. The others had already walked half way down the path by now and I ran in front of them.

  They stopped walking. Chara sighed impatiently; placing her hands on her hips in a way that said: Go on, tell us your next stupid idea.

  She actually said, “The key to what?”

  “The door in slave quarters!” I exclaimed again.

  Nik frowned, “Why would you want to go down there?”

  I shook my head frantically. “There’s something about it that just isn’t right. I have this feeling something is in there. Why else would it be so hard to get in to?” They both looked unsure. “Come on,” I pleaded. “Trust me.”

  Chara sighed, “Fine. Come on Nik, let’s humour her.”

  We flew back to the Fire Palace and Changed quickly, travelling straight to Lynk’s abandoned floor. I whipped out the key that unlocked his office from my coat pocket; where it currently lived, so it wouldn’t be stolen or misplaced. Once inside, I marched purposefully over to the glass box that contained the intelligent reptile.

  How do I get it out? I found the answer almost instantly; there was a small silver latch on top of the box; which Nik flicked open before I had a chance to. The instant the top was open the snake went crazy, hissing and biting at Nik’s arm until he quickly shut the lid again.

  “No way am I touching that thing,” he decided stubbornly.

  “I’ll do it,” I volunteered. One of my friends back at home had pythons; I was well accustomed to handling them. “Can you see a stick or something?”

  We searched around Lynk’s office but found nothing suitable. Latching the lid of the glass box again we left the room in search of something to pick up the dangerous snake with, preferably with a hook on the end. Downstairs I couldn’t find anything either, but Nik had disappeared and was now retuning holding some sort of gardening tool or weapon; I wasn’t entirely sure.

  I thanked Nik and took it off him. As we climbed the stairs again we met both Kieran and Jayson on the way, descending in the opposite direction.

  “Jayson!” I said. “I found out how to open the door in the slave quarters.”

  “Wonderful,” Jayson said. “Now why aren’t you ready?”

  Oh yeah. The ceremony. I looked up at him awkwardly.

  “Well, we might not have to get Bound now,” I told him uncomfortably.

  He stared at me, half glaring with irritation, and then he glanced at Kieran –where had he been?- before saying suspiciously, “Why?”

  “Because I kinda wiped Silva’s memory,” I said sheepishly.

  “You can do that?” he asked, astonished. Then his expression morphed into superfluous annoyance. “Why didn’t you do that before then? You know, when there weren’t three hundred people arriving later to watch you get Bound?”

  “I didn’t know I could,” I said defensively. “Otherwise I would have.”

  Jayson looked incredibly grumpy and his voice was slightly clipped and bitter as he said. “Well you can tell them; because I’m certainly not. Not after spending this much time organising the damn thing.”

  “I will,” I said apologetically. “Right after we go downstairs.”

  “Why?” Kieran wondered.

  “Ruby’s got it into her head that something awful is lurking in the old slave quarters,” Nik sounded dubious; he obviously didn’t believe me.

  “No,” Jayson said, sticking up for me. “She’s right. Something isn’t right about that place. You’ll feel it too when you get down there.”

  “Aren’t you coming?” I wondered.

  He paused for a moment and Kieran smirked, “Bless, he’s scared.”

  Jayson glowered again, “Fine. I’ll go. But let’s let Kieran lead the way, just in case something jumps out and eats the first person inside.”

  “Not a problem with me,” Kieran shrugged. “I’m not scared.” He emphasised childishly; smiling sweetly at Jayson who glared again.

  Kieran seemed to have suddenly brightened; the lines under his eyes had disappeared and he looked healthy and confident again. It was amazing what a good night’s sleep could do. Or was it something else?

  As we went back into Lynk’s office the others stood back; watching distantly as I unlatched the lid of the glass box and held it down to prevent the snake from escaping. Inside the animal was going berserk again, lancing at the glass just underneath my fingers, trying to attack me through the invisible barrier. I paused, unsure of how to continue.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” asked Chara anxiously, “That thing looks like it wants to rip your head off. It may be venomous too.”

  “It is,” Kieran supplied. “Incredibly so. You’ll die in minutes if it bites you.”

  “Leave it alone then Chick,” Chara said to me.

  I frowned, ignoring them and opening the lid the tiniest fraction. The snake viciously sprung forwards. Before it could escape its glass sanctuary I instinctively slammed the lid shut again; wondering how I was going to handle the dangerous little creature without getting seriously injured.

  Then an idea occurred to me. The snake must be like this with everyone except Lynk. What was the difference between Lynk and everyone else? His gift. A gift I shared.

  I glanced at the snake again, maliciously snapping at the sides of its glass prison, and wondered if it was possible that Lynk specifically chose this snake for its aggressive nature; so that only he could control it.

  I quickly wracked my brain for the ancient word for calm and remembered Sungha instantly, which I whispered aloud with a certain soothing tone. If anything the snake hissed and thrashed more. I automatically flinched as it struck at me.

  “Why are you saying Sungha?” Chara wondered confusedly.

  “It’s calm in the ancient language, isn’t it?” I asked, frowning.

  Kieran was looking at me with a peculiar, surprised expression, but it was Nik who answered, “It roughly translates as ‘sun of the soul’. It’s what you call the one person in the world who means the most to you.”

  “It used to calm my dog,” I protested. “In England.”

  Chara smiled softly, “Your Sungha doesn’t have to be human. I guess back then the most important thing to you was your dog.”

  “But it calmed him,” I persevered.

  “The word affects everyone differently when spoken honestly; so there’s no reason it couldn’t calm someone.” She answered.

  “So what does it mean then?” I asked, flustered. I didn’t understand.
r />   What had Kieran been calling me?

  “Well, I think that to call someone Sungha,” Chara said, “you are saying that they are like your own personal sun; that they are the person who feeds your happiness with life and warmth.” She shook her head, “But that’s just my interpretation. It means something slightly different to everyone.”

  I glanced at Kieran and his features made it clear he’d known what he’d been calling me all this time, but never mentioned its exact meaning; thinking that I already knew. He’d been calling me the sun of his soul.

  I still didn’t quite understand until Kieran spoke again.

  “You can’t survive without the sun,” he stated philosophically; staring absently at the bookshelf. “But if you get too close it burns you. Even if you admire it from a distance the light can still blind you. You cannot win in such a relationship; it’s impossible to make it work.”

  So that was his interpretation. He was talking about us, but I didn’t like what he was saying. It made sense and was incredibly true, but perhaps that was why it hurt. If we became too close to each other we’d get burnt, so that left us the only other option to stay away; suffering and not suffering in turn.

  And I’d thought it just meant calm in the ancient language.

  “But you still need the sun even if you’re burnt or blind,” I said. “You still need it to survive.” Kieran glanced straight at me and in that moment I wasn’t aware of the others in the room, it was only me and Kieran.

  Nik cleared his throat awkwardly and quickly informed me, before Kieran could speak, “Calm in the ancient language is Leatah.”

  I nodded finally, tearing my eyes from Kieran, opening my voice into a soft uttering sound as I gently breathed, “Leatah.”

  The snake halted briefly; then launched itself into space below the opening latch. I tried again and the second time it stopped and listened before picking up where it left off, hissing and attacking nothing. I repeated the word again and again, making my voice generate softer and more tranquil notes. Eventually I could feel the creature settle. It stared at me with a blank, almost dopey look.

  As slowly as humanly possible I crept over to the cage and cautiously unlatched the lid. I picked up the stick again, gently placing it into the cage but the snake flinched and began hissing again. Immediately I removed the stick and knew the only way I could get at it would be with my bare hands.

  As it settled again, I slowly reached in.

  “Are you crazy?” Jayson demanded. “That thing will bite your hand off.”

  “Shushh,” I hushed him gently, lowering my arm further.

  The snake reared back slightly, its tongue flickering constantly to taste and smell my steady fingers. Nervous beads of perspiration wet the hairs on the back of my neck and I constantly repeated that special word in the softest uttering voice I could muster. Eventually it nudged my index finger with its nose and slithered onto my wrist, where it quickly wrapped its long thin body all the way up my arm so its face was near mine. I felt confident now; it wouldn’t attack me now.

  The others, however, I wasn’t quite so sure about. So I quickly told them; “Stay far behind me, I don’t want you to scare it.”

  “Not a problem,” Kieran muttered.

  “Don’t let it bite you,” Chara reminded me anxiously. I nodded.

  Very carefully I tried to twist it around so I could see its underside. Eventually I managed it without too much protest from the beautiful creature. Its scales were smooth and cool to the touch; then I saw the marks. I recognised the symbol immediately but turned to Nik for confirmation.

  He nodded, “Yes those are marks of release.”

  I grinned, glad I was right, and the snake curled around my neck, moving across my shoulders as I carefully walked to the door and made my way downstairs; the others following accordingly. I slowly led them down into the obsolete slave quarters. Once again that cold feeling crept over my skin, sinking into my bones with an intensity even the snake sensed; as it tightened its grip. As we approached the door a feeling of frightened uncertainty chilled my blood, freezing me internally.

  “I see what you mean,” Chara breathed. “This place is creepy.”

  “I told you,” I said. “Something’s just not right about it.”

  I turned to the last lock left to be opened and suddenly something stopped me. What if I didn’t want to find out what was on the other side?

  Kieran nudged me, “What you waiting for? Go on. We only die once.”

  I took a deep breath and nodded, directing the snake towards the spherical hole below the door handle. There was a hesitation which made me think this wasn’t going to work after all, but then thankfully the snake slithered forwards, automatically disappearing into the hole.

  We waited for what seemed like a ridiculously long time, intermittently hearing clicks and knocks, and then there was one final loud click and the snake once again appeared, head first out of the complicated lock system.

  As soon as it touched air it shot down the door like a bolt of lightning, streaking across the floorboards and vanishing almost instantaneously.

  Nik said, “It obviously didn’t want to stick around for the grand opening.”

  “Maybe it senses something,” I said. “You can’t deny you feel it too.”

  The others nodded and Kieran huffed, “Okay, I’m bored now. I’ll open the damn door if you’re all going to be girls about it.”

  Kieran brushed past me and purposefully yanked the handle down, sending the door flying open. As it swung back an awful ear-splitting screech seared my eardrums from the neglected rusty hinges. My hands instinctively clasped my ears. As I watched dust exploded everywhere, showering down like a sand storm, making anything behind the cloud impossible to see. I coughed a little as it filled my lungs.

  We stepped into a black room; Kieran bravely –or recklessly- taking the lead. As the dust cloud settled we looked around the practically empty room. I frowned; it wasn’t at all what I expected. The room itself was triangular and there were a few white candles lining the walls and nothing much else.

  “Is this it?” I asked, disappointment raging within me. I didn’t know what I suspected, but it wasn’t this. I thought Lynk had been hiding something here. The same something that Briseis had tried to reclaim.

  “Wait, there’s a door over here,” Jayson pointed out. It was a tiny thing, perfectly fitted into the wall and made of the same dull wood; it was practically invisible at first glance. I leaned closer and saw no handle.

  “How do we open it?” I wondered.

  “Simple,” Kieran answered, then bounded forwards, raising his leg and smashing his foot forcefully into the door. It flew back from the powerful impact, part of it splintering and breaking. Not a lot of dust flew up, which seemed strange; almost like it was more regularly used.

  “It would have been really funny if that didn’t work and you broke your foot,” muttered Jayson.

  Kieran turned and grinned arrogantly at him, “But it was me who did it. So you knew it would have worked.”

  Just then I heard a clatter that sounded like metal skimming over the polished rock floor, cutting it deep. My neck snapped to the sound and I gasped in terrified astonishment as a distorted black wing appeared in the broken doorway. I knew what that wing was attached to even before it showed the rest of its body.

  “Ruby get back!” Kieran yelled and I obeyed, rushing out of the way as he pulled two Gaborah blades, always prepared, from his weapons belt.

  I could only see part of the half breed’s body as it was too large to fit through the tiny doorway, but I could see the bottom of its iron-plated torso before it disappeared backwards. Kieran watched it vanish before racing after it. Nik followed shortly after, then Jayson and Chara.

  “Stay here,” Chara ordered severely, disappearing into the other room.

  “No,” I growled stubbornly and raced after them.

  Before I had a chance to absorb my surroundings a gigantic claw jab
bed at me from above. I darted to the side instinctively but my reactions were slow and it missed me by mere centimetres. Chara was immediately beside me, shooting me a glare that said; go back in the other room. She proceeded to leap at a second monster.

  This one was giant; it’s muscular chest and deformed bat-like wings devoured space. The other was immense also, towering so tall it nearly reached the ceiling. What the hell were they doing down here?

  Kieran lunged forwards fearlessly, striking the beast with exceptional grace at its weakest point; its thin wing membrane. However, despite the power of the blow, he barely scratched the monster. The Daemon brought up one of its two dangerous wings and plunged it down towards Kieran with a swiftness that made me catch my breath in panic.

  Fortunately Nik was already there, swiping at the half breed with the flat side of his blade. Jayson was trying to reach Chara, who was obviously struggling behind me. I held my emergency blade, perpetually hidden under my clothes, in my shaking hand as I rushed to help Chara too. Legs, arms and wings were striking down everywhere, so impossibly fast.

  Fighting half breeds wasn’t like fighting anything else in the world. Alone it was a suicide mission, with two people it was incredibly risky; our chances weren’t exactly tipped our way. There were too many dangerous body parts simultaneously attacking me. All I could do was try my best, which regrettably wasn’t very good. I’d been trained as a weapon but not this kind of weapon. Then it occurred to me. What the hell am I thinking? Why do I never think to use my voice during such circumstances? It worked on half breeds after all. I’d already learnt that.

  Then a barbed leg moved to stomp at me and I thought, oh yeah; I never have time. I wasn’t fast enough to dodge out of the way. I could feel my body crumple agonisingly as its leg landed on my knee, forcing me downwards. My feet fell underneath me and I could feel a sharp stab of pain as it attempted to squash me. With extraordinary effort I rolled out of the way, frantically searching for my dropped blade.

  The half breed, from its high position, saw my weapon before me and maliciously trod on the metal. It cracked under the weight, breaking into hundreds of splintered fragments. Only the pommel remained intact. Glancing up again, I saw Chara rush over to help me up as Jayson distracted the hostile creature with a knife through its side. It roared; its inhuman features rippling and flashing sharp teeth.