"You're back!" She hugged me tightly, I could feel my newly formed muscles protesting against the pressure.
"Not so tight, Noiryn, I'm still healing."
"Healing?" She stepped back. Evidently, in her rush to get to me she hadn't actually looked at me. She did now, her third eye wide. "Oh no. Oh, Phoenix, what happened to you?"
"Let’s all get inside," Benyst said, his hand going to Noiryn's back, guiding her towards the hut. "Phoenix will tell us everything once we've sat down." He turned to me. "And your minions will be fine where they are, no need to worry."
"What about Archer?"
"Oh, he left the second you rounded the corner." Benyst saw the shock on my face. "He must have been called away."
"He better have," I mumbled.
Benyst's hut was exactly like I remembered with one new addition; a beautiful big, like bigger than a California king, sized bed. A bed so big I'd have thought the hut wouldn't have been able to accommodate it.
"Did you expand?" I asked, gesturing at the bed.
"Oh, that's just Traveller magic. Our spaces grow as our needs do."
"They do?" Another Traveller perk I knew nothing about. Sigh.
"Phoenix," Noiryn was practically shoving me into a chair. "What happened to you?"
"Well, it's a bit of a long story, but I'll try to condense things. I went to the City of Caves to stop Ganaraj from continuing with the Bounty."
"What?!" Noiryn exclaimed.
"Noiryn, if you interrupt this will take forever," Benyst said gently as he placed a hand on her scaled thigh.
"I thought Ganaraj had set the Bounty so I challenged him and won. I killed him." I shifted in my seat, Noiryn hated violence. "And because I'd beaten him I became the leader of the minions. Archer had come with me to help, but he'd sort of lost it in the Caves' magic and was back at the surface. So the minions helped me get out of the Caves. I get to the surface and Archer's fighting with his ex, Mhyr. So I step into it, and she attacks me and then it turns out she set the Bounty, and she tries some epic magic, powerful stuff, on me and nearly kills me. But unbeknownst to me, my people get really freaked out when you try to kill them. So freaked out that we have a sort of self-destruct mechanism and Mhyr triggered it. Big time. I burst into flames. I literally exploded and blew everyone out of the area. Then, while I was unconscious, another of my kind," Noiryn made a yelping sound in her throat. "Yep, I couldn't believe it either, an older guy, named Royal. Well, he took me home and helped me heal. I was just bone and bits of tendon to start off with, but I've been doing my best to heal the past few weeks, and now here I am!"
I took a deep breath and let it out.
"That's a lot." Benyst, King of the understatements.
"That's only part of it," Noiryn said. "You glossed over the most significant part."
"Another of my kind?" I asked.
"No," Noiryn shook her head like she was trying to forcibly forget something, "You are now the leader of the minions, but I assume the passing of that torch did not go well."
"To put it mildly." I sighed. "There were a couple groups that really did not want me there, and they got pretty violent. I had to put all those against me in the Caves' jail." Noiryn's third eye slowly closed and did not reopen. Not a good sign. "I had them cleaned out first," I added quickly, "And I made sure that someone I could trust was in charge. He has explicit instructions to treat the prisoners well and to contact me the second anything goes wrong." I was practically pleading with Noiryn to approve of my actions because truthfully, I wasn't sure that I did.
"You've done your best," Benyst said gruffly. "I'm surprised you had that in you." He reached across and patted me roughly on the shoulder. "Good work staying alive and smiting your enemies."
"Thanks."
The funny thing about Benyst was that even though all the tumours were gone and he was this beautiful handsome-romance novel-Greek God looking individual, he still moved like the shy hermit I'd met back at the beginning of this journey. I wondered if he would ever lose that shyness, that undercurrent of unnecessary shame that he had carried for so long.
"What is your next move?" Noiryn asked.
"Well, that's why I'm here. I need your help."
They both just looked at me. No words. No quick 'whatever you need,' they just looked at me.
"Um..." I continued, "I need a team of people I can trust to act as my advisors when I go to the Guard."
"Huh." Benyst made the word deep in his throat.
"You want us to stand beside you and support your actions?" Noiryn asked. I couldn't take the unspoken stuff that was bubbling between us any longer.
"Noiryn, I'm sorry that I have disappointed you. If there had been any other way out of the situation I was in, if I could have avoided going to the City of Caves and killing Ganaraj, I would have. But there was no other way. They'd tried to attack me at my family's home. They were hunting me down." I sighed. "Sid thinks that someone else was pushing for the encounter, that they were trying to get me to go to the Caves so that Ganaraj could kill me."
"Kill you? Why?" she asked.
"Because for some reason, a lot of people think I'm dangerous. And until I figure things out people are going to keep trying to kill me." I reached out and took her hand in mine. "I don't like what I did." I could feel tears coming, tears I hadn't allowed myself to shed. "It was a terrible thing to do. But I had to do it. There was no other way out." Tears flowed down my cheeks, Noiryn started to wipe them away. "I walked out of that hellhole and straight into Mhyr who tried to kill me as well. And she almost succeeded. If I hadn't been able to burn up like this, I'd be dead." I looked at Benyst, his cheeks started to ripple in the firelight. "I need your help. I need the two of you beside me. I can't do this alone."
"We will help you," Noiryn said.
"Of course we will," Benyst agreed.
"Thank you."
Noiryn slid out of her chair and pulled me up into a hug.
"We will come with you now," Noiryn said, turning to Benyst. "We should pack."
"Just give me a minute." He went over to the bed, reached underneath and pulled out a large duffle bag. "Done." He swung the bag over his shoulder. "Let’s go."
"What about my things?" Noiryn asked.
"Already in here." He patted the bag. "I had a feeling Phoenix would show up sooner or later and need our help. So I've kept a bag packed for about a week now."
"You are amazing." Noiryn beamed at him, her third eye wide open.
"Alright, let’s go get the minions and be on our way."
"Are we going straight to the Guard?" Benyst asked.
"No, first we have to go pick up my friend, Royal: the other of my kind that helped me when I first burned. Then I thought we'd head back to my place and have a bit of a convo about what we're going to do when we get to the Guard. I'm sure Sid will have some insightful comments for us."
"Sid is here?" Noiryn asked.
"Yeah, he and Spin are waiting in the circle of torches."
"Will the Archer join us?"
"Who knows," Benyst said as he extinguished the various lanterns in the room. "He left almost as soon as Phoenix had stepped out of sight."
"Wow, thanks, Benyst."
"You're welcome," he said seriously as he poured a bucket of water on the fire. Travellers and sarcasm sometimes don't mix.
"Benyst!" Noiryn yelled as acrid white smoke filled the hut. "Let us get outside before you do that!" She took me by the hand and pulled me out the door.
"Noiryn," I said, "Now that we're alone, can I ask you about something?"
"Of course."
"I had a vision a little while ago that I was swimming in the ocean." Her third eye blinked. "Well, when I say swimming, I was trying to swim to the bottom of the ocean. I, um, I think I was trying to kill myself." She made that same strange throat yelp sound she'd made earlier, weird. "I know I was trying to kill myself, but you were suddenly there, and you stopped me. Thank you for that. What I really want
to know is, why was I trying to kill myself? Had something happened? Had I been depressed? I thought that maybe since you were there, you might be able to tell me what had happened."
"Alright! Let us depart on our journey!" Benyst stepped joyfully from the hut. "Ladies?" He bowed deeply. "After you."
Noiryn took my hand and pulled me forward. She leant in close and quickly whispered, "We'll talk later."
The minions had heard us coming of course, and Sid was standing tall at the edge of the clearing waiting for us.
"Sid!" bellowed Benyst.
"Siddhartha!" Noiryn dropped my hand as she and Benyst descended on Sid.
"My friends! My friends!" Sid happily scrambled up Benyst's bulk to rest in the crook of his arm. "It is so good to see you! It has been far too long."
I left the three of them hugging and chatting and walked over to Spin.
"I'll introduce you once they've finished their love-in." Spin smiled. "What happened with Archer? Why did he leave?"
"He clutched his side, the area where he had drawn that bone, and then said he was getting a message from his people and had to return at once. Then he was gone."
"Oh."
"It must have been very important, Phoenix. I have never seen that expression on his face."
"How did he look?"
"Like this." Spin screwed up his little face like he was in pain and then quickly relaxed so his jaw hung open. "And then he did this." He stood up as tall and as straight as he could, his little brow furrowed. "And then he said what he said and was gone."
"Well, that definitely does sound serious."
"Archer is always serious." Sid's voice sounded behind us. "Most of his kind are."
"Right." I wasn't going to get into this with Sid. "Benyst and Noiryn, this is Spin. He helped me survive when I went into the City of Caves. Spin, this is Benyst and Noiryn."
"Very pleased to meet you," Spin said as he offered his hand to the couple.
"Likewise," Noiryn said with a smile.
"The same," Benyst said.
"Alright, we're all here, and we all know each other's names. Time to get Travelling!" I moved to the centre of the clearing and held out my arms. "Grab on and let’s get out of here."
Four sets of hands latched onto me. I closed my eyes, and we Travelled.
22
The sun was high in the sky when we landed at Royal's place. The contrast from Benyst's home was so stark that we all immediately clapped our hands over our eyes.
"Damn, it's bright here," Benyst said.
"You didn't tell me we were going to a desert," Noiryn murmured.
"Oh crap, I didn't even think about it." I wiped at my streaming eyes. How could I be so stupid bringing a siren to the desert? She could dry out in minutes. "Will you be okay for a few minutes?"
"A few minutes, yes. But too much longer and I will have a problem."
"We will have a problem," I stressed. "Okay, I'll make this fast. Follow me."
I set out toward Royal's home. The team fell in line behind me with Sid bringing up the rear. We walked over the gentle rise of sand that shielded Royal's home visually from the Travelling spot. Royal was working in his yard, his great wings were paled by the sun, and his back was a little stooped, but there was no mistaking him for anything other than one of my kind.
"Oh!" Noiryn said softly behind me, "He looks just like you."
"Just like me is a bit of an overstatement."
"Not really," Benyst chimed in.
As we descended the hill, Royal stopped worked and looked up. A big smile spread across his face as he took in the entire group.
"I thought you'd come," he called up the hill. "I'll get my bag." He turned to go inside.
"Wait," I called back, "Just like that?"
"Just like that."
"How did you know I'd be coming?" I asked as we joined him in the front yard.
"I've got my ways."
Noiryn stepped out from behind me, and Royal did a double take. It was subtle, but it was definitely a double take. She's a beautiful humanoid. It makes sense.
"I'll be right out," he said then made a beeline for his front door.
"So it's true," Noiryn said as Royal disappeared into his home.
"What is?" I asked.
"There was a rumour, long ago, that a siren loved a man with wings. He has clearly been touched by our kind."
"His wife died," I said.
"Yes, that was how the story went."
"Oh, so Cheryl was a siren?"
"Cheryl?" Noiryn laughed. "No siren would be called, Cheryl."
"He said her name was Cheryl."
"Perhaps he wishes to keep her true self just for him."
"Off we go, then," Royal called as he locked the door to his house.
"You lock the door?" I asked. "You've got no glass on any of the windows, someone could just walk in. Besides, you're a Traveller, no one can get in without your permission."
"Is that so?" he asked. "Then how did you and your friends just walk right up here?"
"Wait a second, how did we just walk right up here?" I asked, suddenly freaked.
"I don't go in for any of that power shielding nonsense. I lock my door and put the bars up when I leave the place for a while."
"Bars?"
"On the windows." He pointed, and I could now see that yes, bars had appeared on all the windows. "No one thinks I exist. The only people who ever come here already know that I am here, and up until now they've all been sworn to secrecy. But I guess that's all going to end after we go see the Guard. Are you going to introduce me to everyone?"
"Right, sorry."
Introductions didn't take too long since Royal already knew Sid and Spin. I also wanted to move things along because Noiryn had been standing in the sun for a while and was starting to look a little dry around the edges. We moved quickly to the Travelling spot, and everybody put their hands on me. I was trying to think of the perfect joke when Royal leant in and told me to get a move on.
23
We landed well. As well as six humanoids of various sizes can land on a narrow forest path. Yeah, someone elbowed me in the chest a little harder than I would like, not that I generally enjoy getting elbowed in the chest, but I wasn't going to make a big deal of it.
"Everybody good?" I asked as I casually rubbed my aching breast.
"We're okay. Looks like you're better," Royal quipped.
"Funny stuff. I took a wild elbow on that landing."
"Sorry about that." Noiryn blushed.
"At least you didn't have this one clinging to your back." Sid pointed a thumb at Spin.
"Hey! My fingers were slipping! I had to hang on to something!"
"Okay! That's enough," I said. "Benyst, you good?"
"Peachy." He pulled a twig out of his hair. Noiryn tried not to giggle.
"Then follow me."
Luckily the path to my home is smooth and clear, and we made great time. I stopped short as we approached the gate. Mastyx was casually leaning against it. He looked exactly the same, tall, lanky, covered in green scales with the head of a snake. A very smug snake.
"Hello," I said.
"Phoenix, you look terrible," he replied, a sly smile stretching out the line of his mouth.
"Thank you."
"I see you have company, so I won't keep you long, may we talk? In private?" He gestured at my gate.
"As if we're going in there." I turned around and started walking. "Come on, Mastyx. We'll do a walk and talk."
"Ssssssigh," he droned but fell in step behind me.
I didn't bother telling the others what to do, and I wasn't going to let the whole lot of them into my home without me there. At least the first time. If Archer had been there, then yes, he could have kept an eye on them. 'No, you may not open her refrigerator,' or something like that.
"Shall we sit?" I heard Spin ask the group, and then the sound of the five of them walking into the brush. It looked like Spin's little shelter area was go
ing to come in handy.
"So," I asked Mastyx as we walked, "What brings you here?"
"A great many thingssssss." Sometimes I think he put a little too much effort into the sibilance thing. "It is strange that the Archer is not with you."
"Why?" I looked at him sharply.
"Oh, don't tell me you've forgotten. You told me all about the two of you weeks ago."
"Crap, I forgot."
"Your ssssecret is ssssafe with me, for now."
Mastyx had saved my bacon back when I was dealing with the Bounty. Mhyr had given me a giant whack on the head and then thrown me out to the Void which was where Mastyx had found me, wounded and vulnerable, throwing up on the dark grey ground. He had helped me jump into a stream to get home. It had not been pleasant.
"And just so you know, Travelling by stream sucks. It almost killed me."
"I knew you'd be fine."
"You knew it could kill me?"
"Honey, everything can kill you." He laughed at his own joke. It was a slithering skin creeping sound. "Although, by the looks of you, maybe you can't be killed."
He could only see my face, I was wrapped up tight. He stepped in front of me and peered into the hood.
"What happened to you?" He smiled. "It lookssssss painful."
"Nope, not at all." Like I'd let him see me sweat.
"Liar." His smile faded a little. "Seriously, though, what happened Phoenix? I am genuinely concerned. As I have told you, this world is more interesting with you in it."
"Sssssigh," I mimicked, and he laughed. "Fine. Mhyr happened."
"Sssshe did this to you!? That bitch!"
"Not directly. She attacked me. By the way, it was her that set the Bounty."
"A scorned lover is a dangerous enemy."
"You know about her and Archer?"
"Darling, everyone knows about her and Archer. It was the first time in, oh, a thousand years, that their species had a chance at a True Birth. It was a pretty big deal when he ended it."
"He ended it?"
"He didn't tell you?"
"Archer isn't a big sharer when it comes to Mhyr."
"No, I can see why he would avoid the subject."
"So, she attacked me..."
Mend the Flesh (The Phoenix Series Book 3) Page 11
