Phoenix Born

by Sean Stone

  I grabbed the two lead boxes from the back seat. Kagen wouldn’t be escaping this time. These babies would be going somewhere far from human reach. Maybe Leah could keep one safe in her river.

  ‘I’ll be waiting at the river,’ Leah told me. We’d already agreed that she should be a surprise. I would walk into the clearing alone and then lead Kagen towards her. Then we could double team him to death.

  ‘Alright, I’ll see you soon,’ I said. If things went wrong then I might never see her again. I wanted to hug her and wish her luck but instead I gave her a half smile and then stalked off into the trees.

  It only took me a couple of minutes to reach the patch. It was a vast circular clearing about a hundred feet wide all the way around. Ancient wooden benches were positioned around the edge of the clearing from the days where the duels would be observed by the people of Sangford. Now they were just used to lounge around on by teenagers and bums.

  Once I had the Patch clearly in my sight, I drew on the magic that I’d already converted before heading out there and activated the ring on my little finger. A wave of magic rolled over me that would conceal my movements so long as I remained within the trees. I would blend in with the shadows and the foliage. There were spells that achieved the same effect, but the ring was stronger and this evening I was taking no risks. No risks I could avoid anyway. This entire scenario was a risk.

  I knelt down and placed the lead boxes underneath a bush. They’d be safe there until I was ready for them. Slowly, I began to stalk around the perimeter of the Patch looking for any tricks or traps that Kagen had set up. Kagen was standing confidently in the centre of the clearing waiting for me. As always, he was dressed lightly in jeans and a t-shirt. He hadn’t bothered with even the lightest kind of protective wear. As I continued to stalk through the woods I saw Drew. He was sitting against one of the wooden benches, his midsection had been bound to one of the thick legs. His face had been decorated with a few bruises and it looked like his neck was burned a bit. Otherwise he looked okay. His eyes were closed and I assumed he’d been knocked out beforehand. I forced down my anger at seeing him in such a state. Anger would only make me reckless and that wouldn’t help Drew.

  I made it back to my starting position by which point I was feeling more confident. Kagen hadn’t laid any traps. He was alone and ill-prepared. I could handle this. I was surprised my uncle hadn’t treated him to one of his lectures about not preparing well enough. Or maybe he had and that was why he’d been knocked out.

  I strode forward out into the open and shouted, ‘Obmuri!’ Kagen screamed as his sight vanished plunging him into darkness.

  ‘Jacob! Jacob you sneak!’ He yelled at me, as he flung himself around trying to ascertain which direction I was coming from.

  I didn’t bother replying. I had one job. Kill him. ‘Rabole!’ My spell whacked into his chest and sent him hurtling across the clearing where he cracked his spine on one of the benches.

  He moaned in pain and I was pretty sure he was laughing as well. He still thought he was on top of this situation. I reached him and stood above the blind Phoenix-Born. It was a shame that he couldn’t see the Wraith looming over him, bringing his death. I wasn’t going to need Leah’s help after all.

  I held my hand over his body and said, ‘Rigesilud.’ Four frozen spears stabbed into his body, piercing his shoulders and waist, pinning him to the ground. He howled as the ice bit into his warm body. I restored his sight so he could look at my face one last time before he spent eternity in my boxes.

  ‘You’re a moron, Kagen. You know that I’m an assassin, the best assassin around, and you actually gave me an entire day to prepare for this. The only advantage you ever had was the element of surprise and you threw it away. You’ll have plenty of time to think about your failings from inside the lead boxes I’ve brought along with me.’ I brought my hand up again, this time to destroy his heart.

  ‘You mean these lead boxes?’ said a sickeningly familiar voice. I wheeled around to see Ethan Spriggs walking out of the woods with a lead box in each hand. He threw them down on the grass and continued walking toward me.

  ‘What?’ It was the only word I could form in my sudden state of shock. Ethan had no business being here. It made literally no sense.

  ‘I told you I was coming for you, wizard,’ he spat the last word like it was an insult.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ I demanded, clearing my head enough to form a sentence.

  ‘Right now, I’m distracting you.’

  A blast of heat slammed into my side and sent me sprawling into the dirt. Though his flames were swarming over one side of my body and burning away my clothing, they weren’t doing anything to my body apart from warming it up. Then I remembered that Marie had said the power of the river would protect my body for about twenty-four hours. His flames couldn’t burn me now. He narrowed his no longer blind eyes as he realised I wasn’t burning.

  ‘Magic,’ I replied as I pulled myself to my feet.

  Kagen and Ethan were standing a short distance apart and they were both between myself and Drew. Kagen’s biggest advantage had been robbed from him and Ethan was a Nocult. They wouldn’t pose much of a threat to me now.

  ‘Maybe I can’t burn you but…’ he gave me a wink as he turned to face Drew. He went full phoenix and ignited his body as I’d seen him do before. A man of fire stood with his back to me.

  ‘Himas!’ I shouted abruptly, throwing a wave of ice at Kagen. He sniggered as my spell washed over him, barely doing more than wafting his flames about.

  ‘You should know that won’t work on me. I told you before, I’m too hot for you,’ he said over his shoulder.

  But I didn’t believe him. I listened to my uncle’s lessons sometimes, especially when they were about the practical application of magic. When a spell at first doesn’t work simply throw more power into it and hope for the best.

  ‘Himaaaaaaaas!’ I screamed at the top of my lungs, throwing every ounce of magic I had inside me into the spell. Icy wind flew out of me as the spell drained my magic. Blue mist swarmed over Kagen and to my relief I saw his flames vanish beneath the chilly blanket I’d cast over him.

  As the spell took the last of my magic reserves I staggered backwards, finally realising what Kagen’s trap had been. A well of despair opened up in my stomach and swallowed any hope I’d had before. I should have seen it sooner. Leah should have seen it too, she was a smart girl.

  He’d drawn me out of the main city. Lured me away from all sources of power. He’d cut off my magic. But how had he known it would work? Neither he nor Ethan knew that I couldn’t convert natural energy into magic. Not all wizards could convert natural energy but they didn’t know whether I could or not. Either this was a gamble or they had inside information.

  Kagen turned back to face me, grinning with smug satisfaction. ‘How are you feeling, wizard? A little empty?’ He shrugged his shoulders and light flames rippled over his body once again. They weren’t as large as they were before but his point was proven. I’d wasted my magic and doomed myself.

  Ethan strode forward and swung his fist right at my jaw. Magic or no magic, I was still an assassin. I hadn’t just been trained in wizardry, I’d been taught in physical combat too. I sidestepped his attack, grabbed his arm and then threw him into the dirt. He scurried away from me like a spider before I could land another attack.

  ‘What the fuck are you doing here?’ I demanded of him.

  Once Ethan was safely behind Kagen he pulled himself back to his feet and faced me. The self-satisfied smirk on his face filled me with loathing. I was going to enjoy peeling it off his face. If I got the chance that was.

  ‘Who do you think freed me from your trap?’ Kagen asked, pointing at Ethan.

  I shook my head. ‘That’s not possible. He would’ve needed magic to free you. There’s no way he broke into both my apartment and the Hall of Wizardry.’

  ‘I had a little help with that. After I caught you fucking my fiancee I ma
de a new friend. A magical friend. One who was more than happy to help me take you down.’

  ‘Who?’ I asked. The only wizards in the city who had it in for me were members of the Hall of Wizardry. Had Artemis put someone up to it, and if so were they finished messing with me now that Artemis was dead?

  ‘Need to know. The point is I masterminded all of this.’ Ethan spread his arms wide as if I was supposed to be impressed.

  ‘You sent Kagen to attack me and kidnap my uncle? Well done.’ I gave him a slow clap. If I had a cookie I would’ve thrown it his way as a congratulatory treat. But alas, I did not.

  ‘So, who’s the moron now? I went to Kagen’s father-in-law and told him to hire you to kill Kagen. I knew that you wouldn’t be able to. I couldn’t kill you myself, so I got someone else to do it for me.’

  ‘Well, I’m not dead yet. And, how did you even know about Kagen, or the fact that I’m an assassin?’

  ‘Well, my new friend helped me there too,’ he said sheepishly. ‘He knows all sorts of things.’

  ‘So, you didn’t engineer any of those. Your friend did?’

  ‘Hang on,’ Kagen said darkly, raising a hand to Ethan’s face. He’d finally caught up. ‘You sent him to kill me?’ He turned to face Ethan. It looked like Ethan was about to get a little bit crispy.

  ‘Well…’ Ethan exposed his palms in a placating gesture as he backed away from his “partner”. ‘I knew you wouldn’t really die.’

  ‘Do you have any idea how much it hurts when somebody blows up your heart? Or cuts off your head? Or strikes you with lightning? How about stabbing you with a sword?’

  Whilst they argued I closed my eyes and searched for some source of power. Anything would do. My prayers were answered. Leah’s car was close enough for me to drain her battery. I hastily began pulling the energy into me. It wouldn’t give me much magic, but enough to hold my own against Kagen whilst I led him to the river.

  I opened my eyes and focused. ‘Rabole,’ I said and watched my bickering enemies fly off toward the trees. That spell alone had taken up a significant portion of my limited magic.

  I waited until Kagen had risen back to his feet. And then I ran.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  I hurtled into the woods, dodging blasts of fire that Kagen threw at me. They couldn’t burn me but they could still knock me down and if he caught me he could fly off with me again and it was unlikely that I’d manage to pull off the same trick I had last time. I didn’t even know how I’d done it after all. I was starting to doubt that I had. Maybe the lightning had been a coincidence.

  I stopped for a moment to catch my breath and realised that I had no idea which direction the river was even in. I’d got so disoriented from avoiding the fire attacks that I’d been thrown right off kilter. I didn’t even know where I was.

  Another ball of fire flew past me narrowly missing my ear and I got moving again.

  ‘Keep running, Jacob! I love the hunt!’ Kagen yelled jovially at me.

  I’d just have to run forwards and hope that I came to the river soon. If not, I guess I’d have to improvise. It soon became obvious that I was not heading in the direction of the river when I come to a huge wooden sign that had been stuck in the ground.

  FAE WOODLANDS BEYOND THIS POINT

  YOU WILL NO LONGER BE PROTECTED

  BY THE CITY OF SANGFORD

  Identical signs were placed in a line each about twenty feet from the other. They served as a fence because the Fae would not allow an actual fence to be constructed around their land.

  I stopped in front of the sign trying to figure out what to do. A ball of fire soared past my head and reduced the sign to cinders. I ran forwards into the Fae woods before the next fireball was thrown. It wasn’t ideal but it was the best plan I had now. Without being able to figure out how far from the river I was, I’d just have to resort to plan c.

  The trees looked darker ahead and as soon as I entered them it felt as though a blanket had closed around me. The air felt heavier, stuffier. Everything had a sinister quality to it like the way a harmless pile of clothes on a chair can turn into a vicious monster come nightfall. The trees were more like giant, twisted figures, their branches were spindly arms tipped with razor claws.

  I ran until I was out of breath and had to stop if only for a minute. I leaned against the back of a tree so Kagen wouldn’t see me. I fanned my top against my body trying to get a bit of air to cool me down. All the running had turned me into a bit of a sweaty mess, not to mention the constant scorching fire that Kagen kept throwing at me.

  I noticed that a thin mist was covering the woodland floor. It was a pale blue colour and only added to the creepy factor. Running in here had been a mistake. I’d probably never find my way out again. If I even survived. I peeked around my tree but there was no sign of Kagen anywhere. Maybe he’d been smart enough not to follow me in. I could hear something, no, some things moving around me. Whatever they were they didn’t sound remotely human. Nobody at the Hall was stupid enough to venture in these woods so knowledge on the place was rather limited. I had no idea what to expect. What I did know was that I needed to get back to safe ground.

  I straightened up to leave but then I saw the eyes. Two yellow globes glaring out from the shadows of the trees. Looking around I saw several more sets of eyes. None of them looked particularly welcoming.

  ‘Hello?’ I said, unsure of how to proceed. I was aware of how timid my voice sounded. That probably wasn’t going to help my case. Drew taught me always to project confidence. But this was an alien experience.

  ‘Wizard,’ a hideous voice hissed at me. It was like rusty nails rubbing against each other

  ‘I am a wizard. And you are?’

  The creature ignored my question. ‘You have trespassed.’ I couldn’t tell which set of eyes was talking, if any.

  ‘I didn’t mean to. I was running and I… Look, I’m sure if we all go and talk to Dorian he can settle this for us.’ It was a long shot, but maybe, just maybe, Dorian had some influence in this place. I hated using his name to get myself out of trouble, but I had to deal with Kagen and Ethan right now. And Dorian did owe me a favour if I gave him the heads up on Artemis and Harper.

  Rusty laughter slithered out of the trees at me. ‘Dorian knows only to come here when he is required to. He has no influence in these lands. No human does.’

  Well that shot that plan to sunshine. ‘Okay, so how can we come to a happy resolution here?’ I asked.

  ‘You die.’

  ‘I can’t say that would make me too happy,’ I confessed.

  ‘Nor me,’ Leah said as she strode out of the darkness to stand by my side. She seemed to have a glow about her in this dark place. She was a welcome sight. For me anyway. The creatures in the shadows began whispering among themselves frantically. Angry buzzing surrounded us.

  ‘Lady River, this wizard has broken the agreement,’ the voice said.

  ‘I know. He did so out of ignorance rather than deliberate action. I ask you to forgive him for this trespass. It will never happen again,’ she said. Here she was, the ancient peacekeeper in action.

  I opened my mouth to confirm that I would never come here again but she shoved her elbow into me hard. She was stronger than she looked, and I actually staggered to the side.

  ‘Keep your mouth shut,’ she hissed at me.

  ‘We will let him go on one condition. An eye for an eye. This human has trespassed on our lands so we must be allowed one trespass onto the human’s lands.’

  ‘He does not speak for the humans,’ Leah told them.

  ‘He will today. Or he will die.’

  Leah turned to me with an expression that said she’d done all she could. ‘Up to you now.’

  The way I saw it I didn’t have much choice. I couldn’t let them kill me. I’d have to accept their terms and hope Dorian was okay with it. ‘I agree,’ I said in my most formal tone.

  There was a long moment of silence during which I thought the creature w
ould change its mind. ‘Go,’ came its hideous whisper.

  Leah grabbed my hand and led me away from the glaring eyes. She walked in silence until we emerged from the spooky woods. I could tell when we were free because the air lightened up as did our surroundings. The trees looked normal rather than menacing.

  ‘Kagen was smart enough not to follow you in there,’ she told me. ‘I saw him flying around overhead and assumed you’d gone into the Fae Woods. He’s probably left with your uncle now.’

  ‘No. He thinks he’s got me cornered. I’m pretty much out of magic and he knows it. He thinks I’m powerless to fight him,’ I explained.

  ‘Maybe if you tapped into the limitless energy around you, you’d be able to prove him wrong.’

  ‘Nope. You’re up now. We get him to the river and you drown him. Oh, Ethan’s here too.’ She looked at me in confusion and I explained everything that had transpired at the Patch.

  ‘It doesn’t sound like he’s going to be much of a threat anymore. We still need to use me as a surprise. So you head down to the river. I’ll go and help Drew. Once I’ve freed him, I’ll heal what I can and then join you at the river,’ she said.

  I nodded my agreement and then headed off towards the river hoping that Kagen would pick up my trail and not Leah’s. If he was still flying around above us there was every chance he’d see her entering the Patch which meant he already knew she was here.

  ‘Jacob,’ Leah called after me. I turned back expecting her to wish me good luck. Instead she said, ‘the river’s that way,’ and pointed in the opposite direction.