Phoenix Rising

by Theo Fenraven

  Artemis glanced toward the computer monitor and saw it had been turned to face the room. Liz looked pleasantly ordinary, as before. “Ms. Blackstone, welcome. Can you hear me okay?”

  “I can. Please continue, Detective Gregory.”

  Numbnuts spoke up. “This is irregular as hell. You haven’t been debriefed yet.”

  An unexpected but welcome calm flowed through him. “I’ll fill out any paperwork you like after the meeting. This is more important.” The surprised look on the lieutenant’s face made Artemis almost reckless. He held up the baggie and addressed everyone. “This is the feather found in Donny Carlson’s bedroom. Sherlock, will you remind everyone of the results of your tests?”

  His voice was flat. “Doesn’t belong to any genus of bird on record.”

  Someone in the back of the room said, “We’ve heard this already.”

  Artemis lifted an eyebrow. “This feather”—he waved the bag—“belongs to a phoenix.”

  A long silence met his remark, and then Sherlock said, “What?”

  Artemis paced, trying to decide how best to relay this information without making himself appear to be ready for Bellevue. “This feather belongs to a being who calls himself a phoenix. Most of you will recall from your childhood a mythical creature, born of fire.” He stopped walking, and his gaze swept the room. “Before you decide I need a straitjacket, listen! I was gone for how long? A few weeks, right?” He held the bag higher. “This feather came from the phoenix.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew a red-and-gold feather. He held it next to the baggie. “I took this from the phoenix. Sherlock?” Artemis handed it over. “Please… run tests. Now.”

  Sherlock took the new feather, eyes round, and scurried to his lab.

  Silence reverberated in the room. Artemis smiled, remembering how Talis had handed him the feather the last time they were together, in Belize.

  “Take it. Maybe it will help.” They were on the beach, watching the sun set.

  Artemis put it in his pocket and then took Talis’s hand in his own, their fingers interlaced. The sky flamed red and gold as the sun sank into the ocean.

  Rachel brought him back. “What else, Artemis?”

  “Talis Kehk did not kill those men.” He drew in a breath. “It sounds insane, but they offered to die for him.” He turned to Nolan. “Cause of death: unknown. You wrote it on the file of every victim attributed to the killer. Isn’t that correct?”

  The ME nodded slowly. “Their hearts stopped. That’s how I read it.”

  Artemis nodded. “They offered themselvestheir essence, their souland that he took. He did not commit murder.”

  Numbnuts scoffed. “You are so full of shit. How can you prove such a thing?”

  “Can you prove he killed? Reasonable doubt, remember? I think a good lawyer could get him off, especially after they see the transformation.” Artemis activated his cell and pressed a thumb against Call. He didn’t keep the connection open; the second it went through, he put the phone away, looking at the door expectantly.

  Talis walked in, his eyes instantly going to Artemis at the front of the room. He wore immaculate white jeans and a T-shirt that fit him like a second skin, and in one hand he carried more clothing.

  Artemis’s heartbeat quickened. Although he’d left Talis only early this morning, it felt like a lifetime since he’d seen him. Okay, I’m fucked. A goner. I’m in love like I’ve never been in love before, and I’ll do anything to stay with him, even if it means I never do anything worthwhile again.

  Every cop in the room recognized their suspect; hands immediately darted to guns as they went on high alert. A couple leaped to their feet, weapons drawn.

  Artemis raised his voice as he gestured to Talis to wait. “He’s here at my request. Please! Take your seats.” When he judged he’d regained control of the situation, he waved Talis forward.

  Smiling, Talis moved to stand beside him, whispering softly enough that only Artemis could hear, “The headwinds were a bitch over Pennsylvania.”

  Chuckling, Artemis turned to address the room. “I knew you wouldn’t believe me. Hell, if one of you was up here in my place, saying the shit I just said, I’d think you were loony, too. So I invited Talis here to allow you to meet Phoenix.” Artemis took the clothing from Talis; he would need it when he transformed back into his human self. “Whenever you’re ready.”

  At that moment, Sherlock Jones raced back into the room, skidding to a stop just inside the door. “It’s a match. The feather from Donny Carlson’s apartment and the one you gave me match. They’re from the same unidentified bird genus.”

  Artemis nodded. “Thanks, Sherlock. Take a seat.”

  Numbnuts looked like he was about to explode. “That only proves they came from the same source. It doesn’t identify what that source is.”

  “We’re about to make that connection, sir.” Artemis rarely addressed Numbnuts so politely, and the lieutenant responded by closing his mouth with a snap and folding his arms across his chest. The “show me” attitude was obvious.

  Artemis took a step away from Talis, even as he ached to touch him. “Do it.”

  Talis slowly looked the room over, meeting the eyes of most of the people there, smiling when he saw Rachel. “Nice to see you again.”

  Rachel blushed becomingly. “Same here.”

  Numbnuts rolled his eyes. “Can we get on with this?” Glaring at Talis, he added, “There are murderers to catch.”

  Unaffected by the lieutenant’s surly demeanor, Talis spoke to the room. “This can be shocking to some. Stay calm, remain in your seats. The phoenix will not harm you. His purpose is to heal, not hurt.”

  Artemis had seen it before, but still, it was impressive enough to take his breath away. It happened fast, feathers sprouting along arms that became wings, legs turning into appendages with claws. The hardest part to watch was when the beautiful human face turned into a bird visage, complete with beak and piercing eyes. That particular transformation underscored how alien the phoenix was.

  Gasps sounded in the room, and Artemis heard “What the bloody hell!” from the computer speakers as Blackstone weighed in. Rachel’s mouth dropped open; she’d seen the transformation in Central Park during the concert but, like everyone, had assumed it was a stage trick. Numbnuts looked like he might have shit his pants. He scrambled out of the front row and backed away, never taking his eyes off Phoenix.

  Guns were drawn again as several cops called, “Freeze!” and pointed them at the bird. Artemis wanted to laugh. Telling a giant bird to freeze? But in the same instant, he realized they felt threatened, out of their element, and offkilter cops were dangerous. Immediately, he moved to stand in front of Phoenix, arms slightly outstretched.

  Several things happened at once. Artemis became aware of Phoenix’s light, reassuring scent as it enfolded him. Numbnuts backed into a cop holding a chambered gun, jostling him. The gun fired, and Artemis felt an explosion of pain in his stomach.

  Rachel’s scream of outrage echoing in his ears, he dropped to the floor and passed out.

  Chapter Two Talis

  I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.

  —William Allen White PHOENIXfelt Artemis’s pain as if it were his own. Opening his beak, he shrieked in anger. The cry echoed, bouncing off the walls. Spreading his massive wings, he lambasted the air with them. The wind they created blew pens off a desk and caused papers on the bulletin board to flutter.

  “Rachel!” Phoenix commanded. “Control these people.” Not even questioning being given orders by a bird, she nodded, stood, and waved her hands for attention. “Guys! Chill!”

  While she continued to talk, Phoenix crouched over Artemis, who was bleeding heavily onto the floor. Heart twisting in his feathered chest, he curled his wings around Artemis, sheltering him. No one else existed. He might as well have been alone with the detective. “You shall not die. You will not!”

  His tears flowed like silver rain, falling on A
rtemis’s body, running in rivulets along every curve, and flowing into the gaping wound in his gut. Phoenix had never felt such sadness, or so much compassion. You will live, you will live, you will live…. The mantra repeated itself over and over, until it became a jumble of meaningless sound.

  Rachel was suddenly there, leaning over them both. “I called for an ambulance. How’s he doing?”

  Phoenix didn’t lift his eyes. “Watch….”

  “Is that…? Did it…?”

  The bird didn’t answer. His entire being was focused on the man at his feet. His tears continued to fall, but their special quality was no longer necessary.

  Artemis’s blood ceased to flow from his body. The hole in his abdomen expelled a misshapen piece of metal and then closed. A moment later, his eyes opened.

  Phoenix crooned and began to sing under his breath.

  Artemis inhaled slowly. “It always freaks me out when you smile. Birds shouldn’t smile.”

  Phoenix morphed back into Talis and wrapped his arms around Artemis. His naked flesh gleamed smooth as white marble under the fluorescent lights. “According to you, they shouldn’t talk, either.”

  Talis was aware that the room had gone deathly silent, and that they all stood there, watching, listening. He sensed they were no longer a threat to him. He had saved the life of their friend and coworker, and their urge toward action had dissipated, aided by Rachel’s exhortations. The phoenix’s scent and singing had affected more than Artemis.

  Outside, a siren wailed, getting louder as it approached. Talis glanced up at the uniformed men. “Medical assistance is no longer needed.”

  The lieutenant gruffly cleared his throat. “We’ll let them make that call. Jones, show them the way. The rest of you, get back to work. This meeting is over.”

  The room cleared, and then Jones was back with two EMTs. Talis was reluctant to leave Artemis for even the time it took them to examine him, but Rachel’s firm hand on his shoulder made that decision for him. He rose and stepped to her side. When she wordlessly handed him the extra clothing he’d brought, he put it on, his eyes never leaving Artemis.

  The EMTs studied Artemis’s blood pressure and heartbeat, checked his eyes and reflexes, and opened his shirt to look at his torso. The taller of the two said, “A gunshot was reported. There’s blood here. Is this a joke?”

  Artemis said, “The shooting was accidental. The phoenix healed me. I’m fine.”

  The EMT sat back on his heels. “What healed you?”

  Artemis sat up, drawing the edges of his shirt together. “Never mind. It might be best if you don’t record this call. There really is no logical explanation,and you’ll just get shit about it from everyone.”

  They packed up their equipment. “Shootings have to be reported”

  “yeah, to the police,” the lieutenant broke in. “I’m police. You’re in a police station. Consider your job finished.”

  One of them proffered a clipboard. “Sign this, then, and we’re outta here. Man, this city just gets weirder by the day. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Batman flying around soon.”

  They left, and Talis reached down a hand to Artemis, pulling him to his feet.

  Rachel stepped between them long enough to give Artemis a kiss on the cheek. “That was some show and tell, Gregory. Say goodbye before you leave, or I’ll kick your ass good the next time I see you.”

  Artemis yanked her into a rough hug. “Thanks, Rach. You can handle everything from here?”

  “Done deal. I’ll work with the lieutenant, Liz, and Sherlock to get the alerts canceled. I don’t think there will be much of a problem after what went down today.”

  “Speaking of Liz… Ms. Blackstone, did you catch all of this?”

  “I did indeed, Detective Gregory. We’ll need follow-up, details, corroboration, but for now, the red notice will be suspended.”

  “Thanks. Talk to you soon.”

  Rachel ended the connection, waggled her eyebrows at Artemis and Talis, and gave the lieutenant a playful shove as she maneuvered him out of the room.

  Talis looked at Artemis. “Am I free,then?”

  “Not quite, but the dogs have been called off and we’ll work it through.”

  “They won’t remember Phoenix in a few hours or a day.”

  Artemis pointed to two ceiling corners. “The meeting was videotaped. They won’t see him as such, but they’ll witness enough of the transformation to know they’re dealing with something they’ve never seen before. Also, I was shot, by another cop, no less, and miraculously healed. That’s a lot of weight to throw around.”

  Talis searched Artemis’s face. “You are still shaken.”

  “Fuck yeah, I am. That’s the first and hopefully last time I’ll take a bullet. It hurt like a son of a bitch.” He walked toward Talis, who opened his arms to him.

  Talis breathed in the living warmth of his soul mate. “You’ve made a decision.”

  Curling an arm around Talis’s neck, Artemis drew him closer. “Take me home.”

  Smiling, Talis said, “Next stop, Fortress of Solitude.”

  Chapter Three Artemis

  A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.

  —Jean de La Fontaine TALIStook him to Belize. “You seemed to like it best of the places you’ve seen,” he said as they unpacked Artemis’s few belongings.

  Artemis used to be a cop. He hadn’t acquired a lot of stuff. It had taken him only a few minutes to throw some clothes and toiletries in a bag and grab his laptop. “I like water, I like sun, and I don’t overly mind when sand crawls into my ass crack.”

  Talis sat on the bed, watching him. “Your presence gives me unbelievable joy.”

  Hanging up a shirt, Artemis paused and turned, smiling. His mom had cried when he told her he was leaving, but she’d be okay with William. He’d promised to return for the wedding and assured her his cell number was still active. Rachel had mock-punched him in the arm and then given him a kiss no professional partner should give another. Fortunately, he’d missed the traditional department goingaway party, having given them inadequate time to prepare one, but he had been dragged to Bruno’s on his last night in town for an impromptu drunk fest and roast.

  The top two buttons on Talis’s shirt were undone, and tufts of blond hair showed against a tan chest. Above the column of his strong neck, Talis’s beautiful face caused him to sigh. He was physically breathtaking, but there was so much more. Phoenix had lived through one thousand years of history, had watched humans evolve through countless wars, and witnessed the changes that now shaped their world. Forget Scheherazade, Talis was the real thing. He had a million stories to tell, and Artemis wanted to hear them all.

  “Any regrets?” Talis leaned back on his hands, thighs parting as he relaxed his legs.

  Artemis knew what he was referring to. “Not yet.” Resigning from the force, passing on his caseload, introducing Talis to his mother…. It had only taken a couple of days. He’d been too busy to feel much of anything.

  “I know you will miss your old life, but you may find this new one has much to offer you.”

  An anxious note underscored his words, and Artemis dropped the underwear he’d pulled from his bag and reached out ahand to Talis. “I choose you.”

  Rising, Talis took Artemis into his arms, pulling him close, biting and kissing his neck. “As I choose you, and have from the moment we first touched.”

  The contact caused a series of tiny explosions through Artemis’s body, and he tightened his hands on Talis’s lean hips. “Now, then? Finally?”

  “Yes.” They were at the beach house, in Talis’s bedroom. Ammon had been invited to go elsewhere after he’d prepared dinner, serving them in the small patio overlooking the sea.

  Ammon lowered his eyes. “There are many hotels in town.” “You will stay at the best one,” Talis said, helping himself to Cajun grouper. “And two days from now, you will return and take up your duties.”

  “You will contac
t me if you need me?” Ammon said. Talis touchedhis PA lightly on the forearm. “Of course.” “We won’t be visited?” Artemis asked Talis in surprise.

  “The sick people….” Talis scooped jasmine rice into his mouth. “Ammon lowered the flag when he heard we were returning home.”

  Now Artemis buried his nose in Talis’s hair and inhaled that man’s singular scent. “You don’t smell like anyone I’ve ever known.”

  “I hope that’s a good thing.”

  “I like it.” Artemis licked behind Talis’s ear and then nibbled on the lobe while Talis’s hands slipped beneath the waistband of his pants to stroke the sensitive skin there. Artemis’s nerves came alive, and he moved demandingly against Talis.

  “You’re not afraid?” the blond man asked, returning the pressure.

  “No.” Artemis shoved him back against the bed and then leaned on him so they fell. They laughed, and then the merriment faded. “Are you?”

  Talis’s amethyst-colored eyes darkened to a shade of purple sometimes seen in storm clouds.

  It was time to see what awaited them.

  THEY undressed each other slowly, exploring each area of skin with fingers, mouth, and tongue as it was revealed. It took a long time to get naked, but they weren’t in a hurry, and when they finally lay on the bed together, the sun had long since set and a warm breeze flowed in through the open windows.

  “The moon’s up,” Artemis said, his flesh burning every place Talis touched him. “Your skin glows in the silver light.”

  Talis ran a finger along the satiny flesh of Artemis’s hip. “So does yours. Feel that?”

  Energy was traveling back and forth between them at every contact point. “Yeah… it’s almost overwhelming. I don’t think I’ve ever been this hard.”

  They kissed at great length, lips soft and yielding at first and then becoming more demanding as hearts beat faster and lungs labored to keep up.

  When Talis reached down to stroke him, Artemis cautioned, “I’m already close.”

  The phrase “blissed out” suddenly came to mind. It described perfectly what he was feeling. The sexual excitement was intense, but beyond that was a mental state he’d never experienced before, and he was there, enveloped in it, and so was Talis. The rightness of the moment was shared; he could see it in Talis’s eyes. But when the blond man reached between Artemis’s legs and started to massage his opening, they knew in an instant they’d gone offtrack. The pleasant hum between them became discordant.