It screamed and released me just as we hit the ground. I had the body of the bird to cushion my fall, and with adrenaline and power running through me, I tried to make my escape. I ran for it, but I was getting weak from blood loss, and I stumbled. That quick stumble was enough time for the bird to right itself and start after me. I knew I had no other choice but to stand and fight the fucking thing.
I looked around for a weapon, and all I could see was a large rock at my feet. There was no time to pull down a branch or fashion something sharp. So I picked up that rock with my good arm, charged it with power until it glowed bright blue, then braced myself for the attack.
The bird came at me hard, but I was ready. Rather than be knocked down by its weight, I took the impact into me and held on to the bird's torso. I was too close to its body to be batted by its wings, but it still had that massive beak and it started pecking at my head and shoulders. White light flashed before my eyes and I could taste blood in my mouth. Using a combo of legs and my bloody arm, I crawled up the body of the beast, all the while its beak pecking at me. I buried my head in the beast's neck to protect myself and then I started pounding on the bird's skull with my rock. Just pounding as hard as I could. It screamed and ripped a long gash down my back with its beak. It was running in circles now, trying to throw me off, but I knew if it did I was going to be bird seed, so I kept bashing that rock into its skull and it kept running.
My injured arm was starting to go numb and the flashes of blackness were coming closer together; I didn't have much time left, I was pretty sure I was going to die. And I swear, as soon as that hit me, the moment I knew this would be my last fight, a great warmth started to grow in my belly. At first I thought it was the warmth of death coming for me, but the warm turned to hot, burning hot, and then it started to move through my limbs. It ran down my arms and legs, the rock in my hand freaking started to melt and without thinking, almost like I was in slow motion, I reached up and smeared it across the bird's cheek.
It screamed a horrible sound, just horrible, like a chainsaw and a blender had a baby and then used it to puree cats, just freaking horrible. It was as the bird's scream crested that the heat in me seemed to double and light blue flames erupted from my torso. The bird started to panic then and, as the flames began to move down my arms and legs, it took to the sky.
It was almost impossible for the beast; big wings are hard to flap so low to the ground, but it was now as close to death as I was. We rocked and bucked as we ascended, all the while the great bird was trying to throw me off, but if I was going down I was taking it with me. When we reached the sky, warm winds fanned my flames and soon the bird and I were both covered in blue fire. I could smell our feathers burning. The heat inside me was unbearable; I pulled my head from the bird's neck and looked at my body. My clothes had burned away and under the blue flames my skin was covered in blisters. I looked like I was cooking from the inside out.
The bird knew we were going to die soon, and with the last burst of energy, it flapped higher and then went into a spiral dive trying to throw me off. I could see the ground coming closer, and I could feel the heat inside me ready to blow. So I let go. I let go of everything.
The last thing I remembered was a bright flash of blue and then nothing."
Royal stared into the fire.
"Then what happened?" I whispered.
"I woke up here."
"Seriously?"
"Well, not right here, just over the hill where the portal is. My best guess is that when I went boom, the bird was blown off and I had the good fortune to fall directly through the portal."
"But you must have been a skeleton when you landed?"
"Pretty much, still had a bit of meat on me though, woke up to a couple of buzzards picking at me."
"That's gross."
"It was." Royal laughed.
"But how did you get back here? I could barely move those first few days. And how did you take care of yourself?"
"Oh, I had help."
"You did?" He was silent. "Who?"
"Cheryl." He stared at the fire.
"Who's Cheryl?"
"My wife." He didn't offer any more information, and since Cheryl obviously wasn't living here now, I didn't press it. We sat in silence for a few more minutes.
"And the second time?" I asked.
"Huh?" Royal seemed to be coming back from somewhere far away.
"The second time you burned, what happened then?"
"Oh, that." He took a swig of his drink and placed the empty cup on the floor. "Well, Cheryl died."
And then he stood up and walked out into the moonlight.
About the Author
Sarah Rockwood is an author of urban fantasy for modern humans. She likes tea, loves her cat, and enjoys overthinking almost everything (including this bio).
You can learn more about her here:
sarahrockwood.com
[email protected]
Bounty Of Ash (The Phoenix Series Book 2) Page 18
