Bounty Of Ash (The Phoenix Series Book 2)

by Sarah Rockwood

  "Phoenix!?"

  My mother.

  Crap.

  She had followed me into the woods. At first, I stayed where I was, thinking she couldn't see me with my wings exposed, then I realised that at some point during my raging I had retracted them. I was now entirely visible as I threw a tantrum in the mud.

  A flashlight beam cut through the trees.

  Double crap.

  I got to my feet and scrambled to some bushes a few feet away and wiped the mud from my hands on the branches. I tried to clean up the rest of me, the coat seemed miraculously clean, but my pants and boots were soaked.

  "Phoenix, are you down here?"

  "I'm here, Mom." I made my way up the slope towards her, furiously thinking of a way to explain my appearance. "Sorry, I couldn't find Bonkers."

  "He's in the house, sweetheart."

  "Oh, I thought I heard him down here." Her flashlight beam hit me, burning my eyes. "Mom!"

  "Phoenix! What happened to you?" Her voice was practically a screech as she took in my appearance.

  "Well, I fell in the stream, didn't I?" Yeah, fell in the stream, that’ll work. Thanks, brain.

  "What were you doing down there?"

  "Looking for Bonkers."

  "But he's in the house!"

  This was getting very circular.

  "Yes, Mom, you said, but I didn't know that or I wouldn't have come down here."

  "Your boots are ruined."

  They really were, as was my patience. I was cold and wet and had a big bad creature to hunt down. I needed to get out of here.

  "Yes, Mother, I am aware of that."

  "Well," she was getting pissy now, too. "You better come inside and get out of those clothes."

  We were almost at the house, and she strode past me towards the door.

  "No, Mom." She spun on her heel.

  "What do you mean no?"

  This could get bad, I needed to do some placating and fast. Creature from another world scared of her mommy.

  "Well, mom, look at me. I'm a mess, I'll scare the kids. Let me just head home and get changed. I'll call Rob tomorrow and make my apologies."

  She looked unconvinced, time to bring out the big guns.

  "Besides," I paused for effect, "I'll ruin your floors."

  That did the trick.

  "Yes, dear, you're probably right. Just run around the side of the house, I'll say your goodbyes." She leant forward and, careful to not touch my clothes, kissed me on my cheek. "Be good."

  "I always am."

  She headed inside; I walked slowly until I knew she was behind a locked door and then ran to my car. The engine was running, and the door was open by the time I reached the vehicle. I paused before getting in and turned to the house, I needed to do something to protect my family until this was all over.

  I called forth my power. It cracked like a whip in my belly and filled me instantly with a warm green energy.

  "Woah!" I said softly, watching the green energy drip from fingertips. Instead of dropping to the ground it floated towards the house.

  "Cool!"

  I focused and threw my hands towards the house. I swiped at the air like a painter and watched as huge swathes of green energy flew towards the house, coating it in a glowing protective shell.

  Once the entire house was covered, I got in my car. It immediately started moving. I grabbed the wheel and forced a deep breath in and out of my lungs.

  "Easy, Phoenix, take it easy."

  The car slowed down, responding to my new calm. I was a little jumpy after the events of the evening. I needed someone to talk to; the car would have to do.

  "There is no way I'm going back to the city tonight. I need a place to stash you for a little while."

  An image of an empty parking lot and a small, lonely building flashed through my mind.

  "The train station, good idea."

  Honestly, I have no idea if it was mine or the car's.

  11

  I drove slowly through the train station parking lot. It was getting late, and the lot was deserted. I pulled around behind the ticket booth and parked a few rows back. Hopefully, any passersby would just think I'd missed my train home and leave the car alone.

  I started to get out of the car. Somewhere in the dark, a bird cried out, and I jumped, whacking my head on the door jam.

  "Ah!" I rubbed my head with my hand and felt dried mud flake off into my hair. "Gross," I said to myself. "I need a shower," I sighed heavily "a soft bed and some strong arms to carry me there." A happy thought filled me from the tips of my toes to the top of my bruised head. "Maybe Archer came back."

  This put a spring in my step, and I crossed the parking lot, enjoying myself as I skipped my way between the pools of light that dotted the asphalt. There were some trees at the edges of the lot, and I stood in their shadows, took a deep breath and made a call of power to Travel home.

  Nothing happened.

  Refusing to panic, I took a deep breath and, even though I was hoping to avoid doing it here, called forth my wings. They spread out behind me, and as my power rose, I called them to Travel.

  Again, nothing happened.

  Now I was panicking. Big time. Big. Panic. Time.

  I heard the sound of someone hyperventilating. I spun around looking for the source of the sound and realised it was me. I forced myself to stop moving. It was a struggle; everything in me was screaming I was trapped. It was too much after the minion attack. I fell to my knees, put my head between them and wrapped my wings around myself like a cocoon.

  I forced a breath deep into my lungs, feeling my rib cage move and my wings shift in sympathy. I let it out as slowly and completely as I could and then inhaled again, pushing the air deeper this time. My shoulders started to loosen, and my mind began to still. The third breath came more easily, and soon I was breathing deeply and calmly.

  Keeping my eyes closed, I sat up slowly and shifted into a cross-legged position. I straightened my spine and focused on Travel. I pictured the tunnel of time and space that I would move through and the place outside my gates where I would land. I relived it over and over in my mind: the way the wind would whip against me, the feel of the hard earth beneath my feet as I landed, the smell of the trees in the air. When the sensations became second nature to my mind, I opened my eyes.

  I was still looking out on the deserted parking lot, but something in the distance caught my eye. Hovering over the tracks was a shimmery ball of energy. It moved and twisted like a cluster of fireflies, dancing and undulating in the air directly over the tracks.

  A swoop of my wings brought me to my feet, and I started across the pavement towards the light. Another swoop of wings and I'd easily vaulted over the high barricade between the parking lot and the tracks.

  I looked up at the undulating ball of silvery energy and reached out a finger to touch it. Even stretched out at my considerable height, I still couldn't quite reach it. I stepped up onto the track and reached up. My finger touched just a single moat of light and an image of the Time Tunnel flared in my mind as energy shot through my body, throwing me to the ground.

  "Wow," I said to myself. "I guess that's the portal."

  The ground began to rumble beneath me. It was subtle at first, but soon every inch of me was shaking, I struggled to my feet as a deep whistle sounded.

  A train was coming.

  “Shit!" I'd been saying that far too much lately.

  I looked down the tracks, and the train was almost on me.

  "How can something that big sneak up on me?" I asked no one in particular.

  I was going to have to jump for it.

  With no time to lose, I took a few steps back and ran towards the portal. I stepped onto the rail for a boost, but it was shaking so hard that what was supposed to be a clean dive became a jumbled bunch of limbs that rushed painfully into the ball of light.

  "At least I'm heading home," I grunted as worlds flashed by.

  12

  It occurred t
o me as I Travelled, that perhaps, up until now, I had just been lucky with finding spots to Travel from. Maybe what I saw at the train station was actually the way it worked all the time, I'd just never had to be aware of it before. This knowledge would hopefully keep me from panicking next time I couldn't instantly hit a portal.

  I landed on feet in the forest that surrounded my home.

  My home.

  After the events of the day, it felt more like my true home than ever before. My apartment was no longer safe and, last time I checked, was covered in goo. And I couldn't go to my parents' home because it brought creatures to their doorstep. This compound in the middle of this beautiful, breezy forest was my sanctuary, and I had the gargoyles to prove it.

  "You're back! You're back!" Brog was standing on the tips of his toes, his little stone wings flapping, as he vigorously waved to me. Grog sat calmly, a welcoming smile on his face.

  "Welcome home, my lady."

  "Hi, guys." They both gasped.

  I had gotten close enough for them to make out my appearance. I looked down at my muck-covered body. Why do I always seem to end up so dirty?

  "It's okay, guys." I held my hands up, and they both closed their mouths. "I'm not hurt, just dirty. Nothing a shower and a change of clothes can't fix."

  "That's a relief." Brog beamed at me. Grog was not so easily convinced.

  "And how did you get so dirty, lady?" He spoke like he was addressing a queen, a huge feat when I looked like the rat I'd punted down the alley a few hours ago.

  "Well, I fell in a stream, but the real problem was the unexpected trip to the minion stronghold." I had intended to continue, but both the gargoyles cried out.

  "What! How did you end up there?" Grog said, his stony brows rose in a look of shock.

  "That's a bad, bad place." Brog had teared up, little tiny pebbles dribbled from the corners of his eyes.

  "I know that now." I patted Brog on the head and sat down beside him on the stone platform. He wriggled in close beside me. It could feel his stony body move as he breathed.

  "Bad place." His whispered and closed his eyes, soon his breathing slowed, and he began to snore.

  "So how did you get there, lady?" Grog asked again, sitting down across from me.

  "I was tricked." I stroked Brog's back; it was like petting a cement cat. "Some minions tracked me to my parents' house, and when I tried to catch them, they jumped into a portal. I got stuck to one of them and dragged to their destination."

  "The underground caves?" Grog asked.

  "Underground caves?"

  "Ah, so they took you to the City in the Trees." Grog looked thoughtfully into the middle distance. "You were lucky; it is a far less dangerous place as these things go." He looked at me with his black slate eyes. "You must never go to the caves, my lady. Never. Down in their warren, they will toy with you and tear you apart, piece by piece." He shuddered. "I met a gargoyle who had been dragged down there as a gift for their leader..."

  "Big G," I said quietly.

  "Big G?"

  "Ganaraj."

  "Oh,” A small smile crept across his face, "I like it." He continued, "This gargoyle told me terrible things about what goes on there," I opened my mouth to ask. "Things I will not repeat to a lady." I opened my mouth again. "No matter how much she asks me. He eventually escaped by sneaking up to the surface through an underground stream. He said it was the scariest place he had ever been." Grog shuddered.

  "Where is it?"

  Moving surprisingly quickly for a hunk of stone, Grog leapt across the stoop and landed on the ledge beside me. He grabbed my shoulder and twisted me to face him. Brog woke with a start and scrambled away from me.

  "You must never, never go there, Phoenix!" He shook me. "Never! They will peel the flesh from your skin and smoke it while you watch. They will eat you slowly, using their magic to keep you alive so you can scream with every bite." Pebbles fell freely from his eyes. They pinged against the ground making a musical sound. "Ganaraj will pluck every feather from your wings and keep you chained to his throne.” Brog had begun to cry, it sounded like gravel being poured onto tiles. "Please promise us you will never go there."

  "Come here." I opened my arms, and they crawled into my lap. They were heavy, really heavy. I had to make this quick or risk losing feeling in my legs. I hugged them tightly. "I promise you, I will never go to the minion city in the caves."

  I meant every word, yet something deep in the back of my consciousness disagreed. Some small part of me wondered if Sid was there.

  "Thank you, lady." Grog sniffed, stones rattled inside his head. "Please forgive my..."

  "Not necessary, Grog."

  He smiled wearily and crawled back to his spot. I peeled Brog away from my chest and looked him in the eyes. Black orbs dribbling grey pebbles. I wiped them away and patted him on his chipped stone skull.

  "It's okay, Brog. I'll stay safe." He looked tired. "Why don't you go back to sleep?"

  "Yes, lady." He crawled to the end of the platform and curled into a little stone ball.

  I got to my feet. I needed a shower and maybe even a cat nap. This day was proving long and extremely stressful, but first I had one more question for Grog. One I was pretty sure I knew the answer to.

  "Has Archer stopped by?"

  Grog only shook his head and then took up his position at the end of his platform.

  "I didn't think so."

  13

  I messed with the faucet until I had the right temperature, just this side of scalding, and then stepped back to let it do its work filling the bathtub. Yes, a shower would be faster, but my legs ached, and in addition to getting clean I needed to sit down.

  My beautiful coat already draped across my bed, it seemed to miraculously repel dirt, I sat down on the padded bench in the middle of the spacious bathroom that adjoined my bedroom and peeled my boots from my feet. I tossed them near the door where they landed with a squelch.

  Yep, ruined.

  I stood and reached back to unsnap the straps that entwined my body. With the straps free the garment slipped easily around my wings and from my torso. From the waist down was another matter; I was caked in mud and muck. It was like getting a wetsuit off, and as big chunks of dirt fell to the floor, I was glad it was made of marble.

  With the bathtub still filling, it's a full-on soaker tub, almost a small pool, really, I went to the vanity and selected a silver comb and some delicious soaps and shampoos. I opened one of the bottles and took a deep sniff. Mint, lavender and something lovely yet unidentifiable met my senses. In my former life, I had great taste in toiletries.

  The tub was almost full, and I slipped into the water as the faucet raged on. I let my body disappear completely bellow the water's surface, my wings splaying out beneath me. Once submerged I lay still and let the water support my weight. The tub was big enough that I could almost stretch out to my full height and my wings could open slightly. I opened my eyes and looked up through the crystal clear water to the sparkling chandelier that hung above the tub. It winked at me and even with the Bounty on my head, I felt very, very lucky.

  I broke the surface and took a deep breath of the steamy air around me. I turned off the tap. Selecting a light blue concoction, I started the lengthy process of shampooing, conditioning and detangling my hair. I love having long hair, but there are times, like after a fight, that I consider buzzing it all off. Tangles are serious bitches.

  The first stage of hair cleaning complete, I let the shampoo soak in and reached for a big sponge. Now, this was not your ordinary pink, plastic, man-made sponge, this was a big piece of dried botanical wonderfulness that cleaned better than anything I'd ever used. I squirted some sweet smelling green goop on it and then stood up so I could really scrub my legs. The sponge made quick work of the job, and I relished the soft tinkling sound that filled the air as tiny drops of water beaded on my wings and fell into the tub.

  I slipped under the water again and ran my hands over my body and throu
gh my hair, rinsing myself clean. Then I went for the conditioner and the comb and set about the business of detangling. The big comb was obviously an antique, there was a detailed scrolling design of vines and flowers along the handle, and the silver had a lustre to it that only time can provide. I was careful not to let it fall in the tub, and once my hair was thoroughly combed I rinsed the comb under the tap and laid it in the sun to dry off. I know, it's only a comb, but I felt a deep affinity with it. Which is also strange, yes, but what about my life isn’t?

  I submerged for a third time and ran my fingers through my hair until I was sure the conditioner had left its surface. Now squeaky clean, I hit a button that started the tub's jets and lay back to enjoy the swirling water. All the various soaps in the water began to foam, and the combined scents were ultra-relaxing.

  My eyelids began to droop, and I let them, succumbing to sleep right there in the swirling warmth.

  14

  The current was strong, but I was stronger. My arms cut through the salty water like blades and I dropped and shifted with the waves, evading every current that sought to own me. My wings were like two dorsal fins at my back, and as a massive wave made to crest over me, they slammed themselves wide against it, throwing me into the air where I somersaulted and then dove into the breach.

  My wings flattened against my body, and I plunged deeper and deeper. The pressure in my lungs growing as the water pressed in around them.

  How deep could I go? How far could I push myself? Nothing mattered. Not the pain in my lungs or the tunnelling of my vision or the heat building in my face and hands. Nothing. I would push myself into oblivion and then there would be darkness.

  Cold hands suctioned to me like a squid, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me back. I struggled against them but I was losing strength, blackness was licking blissfully at my eyes. I would be gone before they could pull me to the surface. Gone. Nothing.