Phoenix Born

by Sean Stone

  ‘Do you know how to use that?’ The last thing I wanted was him swinging a massive blade around whilst I was trying to take a Phoenix-Born down. I had horrible visions of my own limbs getting hacked off.

  ‘Of course I do. Why else would I have it?’ he said, as if I was an idiot.

  ‘I’m sorry I didn’t know you were experienced in the use of an ancient and redundant weapon,’ I said. I sunk into one of the small leather chairs.

  ‘Sword training was part of a wizard’s education when I was a kid,’ he growled. ‘The Prime Wizard dropped it about thirty years ago and even if he hadn’t I would never have bothered teaching you. You never even mastered magic fully.’

  ‘Oh, this again!’ He liked to mention it at least three times a week.

  ‘I’m just saying if you applied yourself properly you could have an unlimited source of magic. You could master nonverbal spells.’

  ‘Oh please, there are like five wizards in the country who can use nonverbal spells. The chances of me being able to do it are slim to none.’ Using nonverbal spells wasn’t a skill anybody could learn. It was a rare ability that only the most powerful wizards were known to use. As was mastering the elements. Because I’d been such a masterful student of magic, Drew had always expected me to flourish into one of the top echelon of wizards. To say I’d disappointed him would be a massive understatement.

  ‘They are with that attitude. Honestly, you haven’t developed in any significant way since…’ he trailed off. He had been about to say since Sam had left. It was smart of him not to.

  ‘Let’s go over the plan,’ I said, eager to change the subject. Drew seemed happy for a fresh topic too. He sat up straighter and propped his sword against the desk.

  ‘You will go to the party and get on with things like normal. I’ll stay here and wait for our guest. You’ve got the security app on your phone?’

  ‘I have.’ I tapped the pocket containing my phone for emphasis. We both had an app that allowed us to see the security footage. I’d be able to check it throughout the night to see when Kagen arrived.

  ‘The rear security know that if anybody tries to enter they aren’t to put up too much of a fight. We don’t want anybody getting killed unnecessarily. Once Kagen enters the building I’ll then let you know.’

  ‘He won’t want to make a scene so there’s not much chance of him going into the party. He’ll probably head here to wait for me,’ I said. Drew nodded.

  ‘He might even come up here to set some kind of booby trap. We already know from my research that he doesn’t care about collateral damage. If anybody else comes in here he’ll happily kill them too.’

  ‘Leah has instructed everybody to steer well clear of this part of the building,’ I told him.

  ‘Good. So when you get my message you’ll make your way up here. I’ll make my way to you at the same time. We should trap him in the corridor. He’ll be caught between us.’

  ‘Hopefully he’ll come for me and I’ll hit him with the heart exploding spell killing him instantly.’

  Drew nodded. ‘On the off chance that he comes for me…’ he placed an aged hand on the sword. ‘Straight through the neck. Then we take the body out the back and burn it. Separate the ashes into the two lead boxes. Job done. Phoenix-born dealt with.’

  Drew pulled out a bottle of Teeling whiskey and poured two glasses one of which he handed to me.

  ‘What, no Macallan’s?’ I asked as I took the glass.

  ‘You can have the good stuff when we’ve done the job,’ he said.

  ‘How silly of me, for a moment I actually thought that I owned all the liquor in this place,’ I laughed.

  We chinked glasses and downed our drinks. I tried to enjoy the burn that raced down my throat but it was impossible with everything that was looming over me. I’d need a lot more than one drink to calm my nerves but then my brain would be addled and I’d definitely fail.

  ‘Shall we do this then?’ I said putting on my best smile. Then I headed back to the bar room in time for the doors to be opened. It was showtime.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Monkey’s doors opened and in came the highest-falutin people Sangford had to offer. I knew most of the people in the room. In my line of work it paid to know who everybody was, not that my work was usually carried out in the city. Still, Drew had insisted that I know the who’s who of Sangford. I think he just loved making me do pointless research. Whilst I knew who all the people at the party were, I’d never actually spoken to most of them and I was a stranger in their eyes.

  I kept to the edge of the room, lurking in the shadows like a member of the staff. I wanted to keep my eyes open just in case Kagen did decide to infiltrate the party. It would be idiotic of him to attack me here. Among the city’s elite were some of the strongest magical beings in the country. The Prime Wizard was in attendance with the Elders of the Hall of Wizardry. Dorian Gray was here with some of his best, though Monroe was not present. Monroe was a behind-the-scenes kind of guy. He was too shady for Dorian to be seen in the public eye with. If Kagen was moronic enough to attack me here, then he would die rather quickly. But then I wouldn’t be able to burn his body and separate the ashes because the authorities would want to deal with him.

  I watched everybody wandering the floor with their drinks, conversing politely with one another. It was amusing to see enemies interact and smile politely all the while thinking hideous thoughts about each other. I watched with keen interest as the mayor greeted Dorian Gray. I couldn’t hear what they were saying but I could see the abhorrence in the mayor’s eyes. Being the host, I would be dining with both of them on my table tonight. The mayor on one side of me and the real ruler of the city on the other. It was going to be so much fun.

  After a long enough time had passed, I saw Leah’s minions flow into the crowds to start guiding the guests to their seats. It was my time to shine. I approached the bar and ordered a neat rum which the bartender quickly served up for me. I stared at the golden-brown liquid. I’d already had two drinks tonight. Was a third wise? Just because I couldn’t feel it didn’t mean it wasn’t affecting me. I was pretty sure I could handle a couple more. I downed the rum and then headed for the stage which stood in wait for me. My whole career was about skulking in the shadows and avoiding the spotlight so stepping up onto a stage went against all my instincts.

  ‘Break a leg,’ Leah said supportively as I passed her at the steps. I gave a quick smile that didn’t come close to conveying how warm and fuzzy her encouragement made me feel.

  As I stepped onto the stage the room fell silent. The crowd sat watching me expectantly. As I looked out at the sea of faces I wished I’d had two drinks at the bar.

  ‘Good evening ladies and gentlemen,’ I said into the microphone. There were a few murmurs from the audience. ‘I am very pleased to welcome you all here tonight on behalf of our most honourable mayor, Percival Harper.’ That name got a lot of applause. Phoney, sycophants. I doubted many of them actually liked the mayor, but they knew where their bread was buttered. I bet if I called out Dorian’s name I’d get an even bigger round of applause. Maybe even some cheers.

  ‘Mayor Harper cares deeply for this city, which is why he has thrown this fundraiser tonight, and not because the election is coming up.’ The audience laughed at that one. ‘He promised a good many things in his last election and although I don’t personally keep up to date with politics, his office has assured me that he has fulfilled the majority of his promises to the electorate. But there is one promise which he is yet to act on and that is the one we’re raising money for tonight. I believe very strongly in this which is why I wanted to host this event and it is why I will personally be pledging a very generous amount of money to the cause. For decades this city has grown and flourished. Every year it grows even more beautiful than the next. But there is one part that has been sorely neglected. The…’ I had to stop myself from using the informal title, the Dregs. ‘The South End. The South End is a barren place little
better than a bog. It is high time we all got to work on improving that part of the city for all our sakes. If this beautiful part of the city in which we are all dining in tonight is the head of the city then the South End is the arsehole.’ Another ripple of laughter came out of the audience. I caught sight of the mayor shaking his head at my use of profanity.

  ‘Tonight I want you all to join me by donating money to this cause so that we can all reap the benefits. Wouldn’t we all feel a little safer knowing that part of the city had been cleaned up and made just as splendid as the rest?’

  Leah walked subtly up to the front of the stage and handed me a flute of champagne. I took it from her hand and when my eyes met hers I couldn’t help but smile.

  ‘Would you all raise a glass with me. To the South End!’ I raised my glass.

  ‘The South End!’ The room mimicked, hundreds of glasses going up and catching the light so a sea of sparkling champagne shone up at me.

  It was ironic that the richest people in town were toasting to the poorest part of the city with drinks that the latter would never be able to afford. What made matters even worse was that if Harper did go through with his plans to do up the Dregs then its residents would no longer be able to afford to live there. This wasn’t a plan to do up the city, it was a plan to drive out the poor people.

  When the noise died down again I resumed speaking. ‘Anyway, it isn’t me you want to hear from tonight. It’s the big guy himself so I’ll wrap this up. Ladies and gentlemen give a warm welcome to Mayor Percival Harper!’

  I descended the stage to rapturous applause that my speech was completely undeserving of. Rich people were so polite. Harper passed me on his way up to the stage and gave me a grateful smile. I watched him deliver his own speech from a seat at the bar. I wasn’t quite ready to take a seat at the table yet. Once I sat down, I was going to get caught up taking politics with people from City Hall and Dorian’s guys too. I needed a little more time to prepare myself for that. I’d much rather be risking my life fighting Kagen.

  Once Harper had finished delivering politician’s promises to the crowd and he’d taken his seat at the table, I went and joined them. I felt the tension as soon as I planted myself between Harper and Dorian. Why had I agreed to this?

  ‘Thank you for your glowing speech, Mr. Graves,’ said the mayor. He shook my hand vigorously as I took my seat.

  ‘Yes, it was very well executed even if I didn’t fully agree with the sentiment,’ Dorian said, his voice as sweet as ever.

  ‘I’m sorry, how can you disagree with the sentiment? You believe that we should leave the South End in its pitiful state?’ Mayor Harper asked, barely bothering to hide his dislike of the immortal. The other four gentlemen at the table looked at me as if I was some kind of referee they expected to stop the fight that was about to break out.

  ‘The South End has a purpose just like the rest of the city. I am surprised that you didn’t speak with me about this matter before arranging this evening.’ Dorian gestured airily at the party around us.

  ‘I am the mayor,’ Harper said in hushed frustration.

  ‘You are and we all know how little that means,’ Dorian said with a toothy smile. ‘The Dregs serves a purpose. It houses all the poor people. All the criminals, the delinquents, the undesirables. You can make the whole city look fancy from north to south and east to west, but the poor people will still exist. They won’t leave the city. They’ll be forced to mingle with the upper classes. We won’t be able to walk down a street without seeing an undesirable creature on the corner. By trying to improve the city you will make it worse. Why do you think I never did anything about that area?’

  ‘I long since stopped wondering why you do anything, Dorian,’ Harper said without so much as a slither of respect. Dorian’s polite smile wavered before steadying again. ‘I always assumed that since you couldn’t see it from your fancy house up on the hill you simply didn’t care about it.’

  Dorian chuckled as he looked down at the food being laid before him. The smell of the lamb was making my mouth water but I didn’t dare touch my cutlery until this argument was put to bed.

  ‘There isn’t a single millimetre of this city that I do not care about. You’ve been mayor of this city for four years, I have presided over this city for over a century. I built this city into what it is today so do not dare to presume that you care more about my home than I do.’

  ‘Then why would you allow such a grubby pit to exist in your city?’

  Just as I thought the discussion was going to pass the point of no return Dorian cracked his biggest smile yet. ‘Percy, even my perfect body was cursed to sport a hideous rectum. If my angelic form can be tainted by something so ugly then so too can my city.’

  Harper couldn’t stop himself from laughing at that statement and soon the whole table was laughing along with the two powers of Sangford, even me. I got the sense that myself and the other guys were laughing with relief.

  The rest of the meal was dominated by chit-chat. I was thankful that it never neared another argument. Dorian and Harper did a fantastic job of appearing to get on. The whole meal I was itching to check the security feed on my phone but that would’ve been rude and Dorian would never have stood for it. Once everybody had finished their meals I excused myself from the table and headed back to the bar. My phone was in my hand before I reached the bar. The security guards were still in place at the backdoor. No sign of Kagen yet.

  I ordered a drink. I only went for a Coke this time. Best to keep my head clear. My glass had barely touched my lips when Artemis Saxon, the Prime Wizard appeared at my side. I was surprised to see that he’d forgone his purple robes for a dark purple suit. He almost looked regular.

  ‘An interesting speech you delivered,’ he said crisply.

  ‘Thank you,’ I replied. I’d never had much to do with Artemis but I knew that he didn’t like me very much, nor did he like my uncle.

  ‘I was even more interested in the research you were doing in the library yesterday.’ He turned his inquisitive eyes on mine. ‘Phoenix-Borns. Have you encountered one?’

  I looked back at him unsure how to proceed. I hadn’t broken any rules and I doubt he was asking because he wanted to help me out. Even if he did I could hardly bring him in on the plan. It would only raise more questions.

  ‘Just curious,’ I said quietly.

  ‘An odd area for curiosity. Especially since your uncle was there researching them too.’

  ‘Look, if you must know we were planning on a little trip. You know, around the world, gathering up as many interesting creatures as possible. The rarer the better. Then we could bring them all back and hold a massive auction. Imagine how much we could raise for the Dregs then.’

  His mouth extended into a thin, disapproving line. ‘Very droll. My sources report that you have met with Dorian Gray several times over the last few days. The two of you looked very cozy tonight.’

  ‘Where were you looking? I’ve been sitting in between a brewing fight all night,’ I said with a smirk.

  ‘I dislike your closeness to Dorian. Your uncle used to have business with him and now it looks like you’re following in his footsteps. He has no right to rule this city. A new time is coming, Graves. A time in which Dorian will not be on top and then you will wish you had reconsidered you’re allegiances.’

  Sometimes I do things to annoy people that only land me in trouble in the future. This was one of those times. A smart person would probably have nodded and walked away. I chose to plant a patronising hand on Artemis’ shoulder. ‘I think that when that day comes you might be the one who questions his allegiances. I only hope Dorian is in a forgiving mood.’ I gave his shoulder a double pat just to rub the salt in and he strolled away from the bar.

  I had no idea what he’d been talking about. Probably nothing but hot air. Dorian had a lot of detractors in the city who were waiting for his downfall but none of them were actually willing to try and make it happen. Artemis Saxon was no differe
nt. He’d need every wizard in the city to take on Dorian and most of them would never answer the summons. I certainly wouldn’t.

  I was on my way out back to check in on Drew when Jasmine swooped out of the crowd and intercepted me. She looked absolutely radiant. Still not as stunning as her younger sister, but beautiful nonetheless.

  ‘Jacob Graves, a truly spectacular party,’ she said silkily, bowing her head at me ever so slightly. She raised her champagne flute to me. I had no drink in my hand so I offered her a smile instead.

  ‘Thank you, if there’s one thing I do know it’s how to throw a party. I’m glad you’ve learned my name now,’ I replied.

  ‘Mmhmm, well my little sister filled me in,’ she replied. She was looking at me as if she’d seen me naked without me being aware.

  ‘So what brings you to town, Jasmine?’ There was something secret going on between her and Leah and my nosy brain was burning to know what. I knew I’d never get the truth out of Leah, she was too damn mysterious, but maybe Jasmine was looser lipped.

  She smiled on just one side of her mouth as if she knew what I was up to. ‘Family business,’ was all she said.

  ‘And… what race exactly is your family?’

  At that she full on chuckled at me. It was a girlish laugh. Cute even. ‘I think you’d be better off asking my sister that one,’ she replied and then winked. ‘Speaking of whom… I need to go and find her.’ She took a dainty sip of her champagne. ‘Tonight is the first time I’ve tried this. It’s quite exquisite, isn’t it?’ She said before she sauntered off into the crowds of mingling people, her hips swaying seductively.

  I headed out back to visit the little boy’s room, pulling my phone out as I went. The rear door was still fully guarded and completely clear. No sign of Kagen yet. I was starting to fear that he wouldn’t take the bait. Everything in his file indicated that he would. He was impulsive and rash. An impulsive and rash person would take this bait. I was almost at the end of the corridor when I heard the first scream coming from the main room. I turned back, eyes widening in alarm. There was no way Kagen had been brazen enough to attack a room full of the most powerful people in town.