The Phoenix Grail

by Helen Savore

  Jamie smiled. Catching him like this, she couldn’t deny it. Strangely enough, he suspected Adam wouldn’t support her in trying to hide this. He seemed to want Jamie to know. This was real, it was happening, and she did know something. “Alexandrea, tell me everything.”

  26

  Mysteries filled Alexandrea's life that would scare or amaze anyone else. Different things became unlikely for her, like holding Jamie’s face in her hands. Like his eyes, looking straight at her, waiting, trusting. She wasn’t used to this much scrutiny from her old friend. It unnerved her, being on the receiving end of that smile.

  It was also wrong. This injury was her fault. She should have said something sooner. She was so wrapped up in what she knew, that she thought she knew better than anyone, by straddling both worlds. Instead she, the one who believed in the magic and wonder, could not believe in him, and he got hurt again. She didn’t deserve the regard and joy that blossomed on his face. She had healed him, but at what cost? Everything was about to change.

  “Jamie, I think you may be a Druid.”

  Jamie blinked. “Something tells me you’re not talking about a gaming class.”

  Adhomai knelt. “That may not be. He was not able to heal without your assistance, Alexandrea.”

  She dropped her hands and frowned. “Adhomai, this might be easier if…”

  He glanced at her, but was otherwise still. “If what?”

  “Could you go find Moralynn?” She grumbled. “You two talk for a bit, maybe even head off. I think I need to stay.”

  “There’s another elf here?” Jamie asked.

  “Not exactly.” Alexandrea patted Jamie on the leg, trying to quiet him. These explanations would be hard enough without an audience.

  Adhomai stood and reclaimed his foci. “Perhaps I should take the wheeled device as well?”

  Jamie’s eyes flicked. “Yes, thank you… Adhomai.”

  “I expect a rematch when you are ready, Jamie.”

  Jamie rubbed his cheek. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

  Alexandrea waited for Adhomai to shuffle away before standing. How to explain? Where to start? She tried to recall her early lessons, but it had been different for her. It came to her naturally over time. There wasn’t a single revelation that drastically changed her understanding of the world.

  She offered a hand to Jamie. “We shouldn’t stay here. We can talk as we walk.”

  Jamie took her hand, but said nothing until he too stood. He dusted himself off and rubbed his cheek for a good minute.

  “Okay,” he said, rubbing his jaw again. “Where are we going, oh wise and powerful Druidess?”

  She spun and grinned. She shouldn’t be encouraging him, but he was only teasing. “The nearest gateway,” she said, “is tucked within the woods on the property.” She blazed a trail until they could link up with one of the paths.

  Jamie’s footfalls echoed behind her. “Really? I thought we climbed over every inch of this as kids.”

  “Not quite.” She paused a moment to murmur to the path, and the plants pulled away. Alexandrea sighed as she stepped on more level soil, covered in leaves. “You could say the gateway preceded the house. But to your point, we trampled over every corner we were allowed to find. There are certain charms that prevented you from finding it.”

  “Me specifically?”

  Alexandrea tapped on a tree. “No, simply anyone besides me.”

  Jamie grimaced. He picked up the pace as they walked in silence, or in an absence of words, at least.

  Animals were settling or waking with the deepening shadows leading into the approach of night. The wind played round the trees, giving the branches a small sway. Alexandrea’s eyes tracked their dance above, but she turned her mind elsewhere. She knew she should keep talking, start explanations, but if he was willing to be quiet, then so would she. It was cowardly, but a kind of excuse. They were going towards the Marrow, it would be the easiest way to show him. It was the land itself, rather than the fae folk usually didn’t believe enough to see. Or Shaping, which he might claim was just illusion.

  They found their way to her more typical paths, and soon the tinkle of a little brook filled the clearing.

  “I suspect this won’t be the first time you’ve been near a gateway to the Earth Marrow.”

  “Why is that?” Jamie raised a brow at her.

  “If you tell me about the other incidents…”

  Jamie grabbed her shoulder. “How do you know there were others?”

  Alexandrea backed away from his touch. “When I saw the creature beating you by the pitch, you seemed more angry than confused.”

  “I get that way when people beat me.”

  Alexandrea bit her lips. “Sorry, that was poorly put.” She tipped her glasses to Jamie. “But I am right, so tell me everything strange. I’ll fill in the blanks.”

  Jamie stepped forward, close enough she could feel his warmth, radiating through the small night chill. “I asked you for explanations first.”

  She held her breath and stood her ground. “This will help.”

  He stepped back and broke into a smile. “Okay, but you still owe me words.” He waggled a finger, but went on to describe the incident from earlier today and a couple more. Mostly it was the phantoms.

  Small tears welled in Alexandrea’s eyes. She gulped and worked to maintain her focus on the present.

  “Drea,” Jamie said, putting a hand on her shoulders, “what’s wrong?”

  “I saw them when my parents passed, reaching for their souls. It scared me, even though I knew what it was, and I couldn’t get— couldn’t get— to— them…” The memory gripped her. She was no longer in the woods with Jamie. She was in that damn ditch, crawling towards her pa, hand outstretched, desperately trying to make his eyes open.

  Then she wasn’t alone as arms folded around her. “Drea, I didn’t know. No wonder.” Jamie pulled away, but kept a firm hand behind her head. “I saw those, too, not the whole time, but right before my father passed.”

  Now she held him. “Jamie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize.”

  “No, we were both young. I couldn’t have known.” He blinked his eyes. “I’ve spent most of my life thinking I was going crazy, Drea. Even with this, I almost wish I were. So the fae, they’re right there, just out of sight for most people? How?”

  She resisted the urge to rest her head on his shoulder. This wasn’t the time to wallow. “We’ve lost the ability to comprehend them. The world moved on. They really aren’t crawling all over the place. We’re a bit of an exception here. Those who do come through tend to focus more on collecting resources—metals, souls, whatever.”

  Jamie gave her shoulders a squeeze and stepped away. Both of them needed their own space. “Souls?”

  She gulped. If she didn’t know where to start, why not jump into the thick of it? “Fae don’t procreate like we do. They are created. Their bodies are sculpted by Oberon, the GodKing, and their purpose determined by Titania, Lady of Fate. But the combination of body and soul cannot breathe without life.” She dropped her head. “Many human lives are needed to reincarnate a fae.”

  “So the phantoms I saw were fae leeching life? If they can’t live without life, how did they do that?”

  “Those weren’t actually fae, more like ghosts, or personifications of the curses that garner human lives.” She took his hand. “I’m sorry. It’s horrific to witness.”

  “Not nearly so bad now that I know I’m not imagining it.” He squeezed her hand, then trailed his fingers as he let go. “But why some and not others?”

  “I don’t know.”

  A small smile pulled at his lips. “You’re throwing a lot of stuff at me, Drea. GodKing? Reincarnation? Fairies? Don’t hold out on me now.”

  It was different from his usual wide smiles, and it sent chills down her spine. “I’m not,” She looked away to compose herself. “I’m still human, like you. And there’s a lot more to learn than we can in our short lives.”

&nb
sp; “Well, as long as it’s not too short. So why are they after me now?”

  “I don’t know.” She wrinkled her nose. This was an easier question to ponder, at least. “Because you’re human? Because you can see them. Maybe they can sense that somehow?” She shrugged. “The fae are clannish. Maybe they assume you’re allied with us?”

  “Allied?” He laughed. “And who is us? Adam?”

  “And Moralynn. Her more than Adhomai. Moralynn opposes Oberon, their GodKing.”

  Jamie snapped. “The guy who creates folk? Why oppose him? You guys just don’t like more fae in general? Or does he have something to do with this whole reincarnation thing, too?”

  “Let’s see, how to explain?” Alexandrea knelt and found a late-blooming flower, its leaves at their peak before they dropped. “Centuries ago, magic was more prevalent in the world. The Earth was but one world, and the fae realms many. Although small and short-lived, humans had something the fae did not: the gift to propagate life.”

  She looked to Jamie, and he nodded but did not interrupt.

  “It fascinated the fae at first, so in return they taught the humans their elemental magic—Shaping.” She plucked the petals and held them in her palm. “Shaping requires foci, multiple focus, which are forged by Smiths. So, while they taught us how to smith, and then how to shape, with foci, there was much we could not do. Several cultures improved our forging techniques and creating steel. Then the fae decided humans should not be able to wield magic at all. So, they killed them.”

  She crushed the petals in her hand and threw them at Jamie. “There was a great massacre. First, they went after the Smiths, removing the foci. Next were the best Shapers, just in case. But most of all, they destroyed bloodlines ripe with life shaping: the Druids. This was an inherently human capability, and while Smiths learned to create foci to boost healing, foci weren’t required to perform Life Shaping. After all those deaths, though, a few weaker strains remained.” She returned her gaze to the path. “I am a child of one of those families. You must be as well.”

  Jamie’s swiped at the petals. “That doesn’t make sense. They killed their life? I guess they found another way to make that work? You called it ‘the gift to propagate life?’”

  Alexandrea blushed. “Humans procreate. After studying and working with humans they established a way to reincarnate. The GodKing developed a method to harness any human life, not just the life from the Druids. Those are the death phantoms, as you put it.”

  Jamie’s eyes flashed. “So who signed the consent paperwork on behalf of the entire human race?” Jamie growled and clenched his hands. They walked in silence for a while, then he stomped past her.

  “You said you wanted to show me something?”

  “It’s not much farther.” Alexandrea listened to the crinkle of the leaves and the increasingly louder trickle of water, a calm balm to soften Jamie’s outburst. What did he truly think? Her words seemed to make him more upset. He probably needed something more physical, immediate, and active to oppose. Unarmed and without magic he hadn’t done too bad with that doppelgänger.

  “So what's this force that’s gathering life? We going to stop it?”

  “The Phoenix. It’s a power that has a connection to all sentient life. We lost it during the massacre.” She paused. She needed to make this sound more generic. He wouldn’t understand the connection to Moralynn. “The apprentice to the Phoenix, called the Phoenix Sparked, survived. It can perform small life deeds and maintain reincarnation, but at much greater cost.”

  She stopped her explanation when she saw the clearing ahead. The gateway would be a good distraction as she figured out how better to explain things.

  “Look.” She pointed to a tiny brook emptying into a small pool littered with stones. On the other side stood a large rock formation. It thrust up from the ground and wasn’t part of a proper hillside. Boulders and smaller rocks covered the entrance.

  “That’s interesting… why?”

  “Fine, I guess I have a finer appreciation for nature.” She strode ahead and grabbed a large stick to poke at the water. “It isn’t deep, but you should still be careful.” She did not look, back, but she could hear Jamie following her, plodding across the semi-slick rocks. She made the far shore and turned to see him holding his stick across his hands rather than poking at the water.

  “What? Better for balance,” he said, tossing the stick up in the air as his feet touched shore.

  Alexandrea ducked to avoid it, but it landed back in his ready hands. He smiled and offered it.

  She shook her head and dashed in front of him, throwing her limbs across the rock face. The chill was both comforting and jarring. Natural things were always familiar and brought her down to earth when she was surrounded by mystical things. But the cold also revived her.

  “I know I haven’t had enough time or the right words to convey this to you. I only hope you can trust me. Though the fae aren’t often here, and usually don’t interfer directly, this is all still very dangerous.”

  Jamie stepped forward and planted his fists on his hips. “I’m not looking back. Now, what is this?”

  Alexandrea didn’t move. “It’s a gateway.”

  Jamie walked forward, taking a few steps to either side. “Looks like a rock.”

  “There's a bit more behind it. Caverns and magma.”

  He brought his head level to hers. “How do you move it?”

  Alexandrea flashed him a smile, but did not explain. Instead she began the incantation to open it.

  It exploded.

  She howled as the force threw her to the ground. Something crushed her body—not the jagged rocks, more like a force holding them. They twisted and ground into her. Alexandrea tried, but couldn’t lift herself.

  She barely realized her condition as pain filled her. She tried to burrow into the soil beneath her, but couldn’t summon the concentration. She couldn’t put together a coherent thought.

  Alexandrea tried to make a space in her mind to think, pushing the feeling of pain away so she could excite her cells. The pressure remained, and she was too slow.

  Blackness ringed her vision. She heard a muffled yell before her world collapsed and she lost consciousness.

  27

  The rock burst. Drea vanished.

  Jamie ducked out of the way, not gracefully, flailing along the jagged ground.

  He cursed his bruises as he scrambled, looking for Drea. Dust filled the air, blocking his sight. He coughed and threw his arms about, trying to clear some space.

  “Drea?” Jamie yelled. “Is that how the magic works, Drea?”

  He dashed through the sludgy air to the rock fall.

  “Drea? Are you in there? Please tell me you’re still in there?”

  He felt around the rocks, dubiously looking for a grip. He couldn’t move them. They were too heavy, but he had to try. The rocks were almost locked together, as if they were part of the ground and meant to be down. But that was silly, they weren’t here a moment ago; they burst from the rock face. Drea was underneath, and he needed to get her out soon. He picked a spot and ducked, positioning his back to roll the rock away.

  “Drea, you hear me in there? Hang tight.” He panted as he pushed harder against the unmoving rock. “We’ll figure this out. You said we’re healers, right? Heal, Drea, and hold on.”

  “Trust me, she can hear you no longer.”

  Jamie glanced about for the voice and found a bright blue thing. It was less humanoid than Adam, even if you ignored the coloring. Jamie recognized it from a children’s story, but did not know the word. It had hooves and a furry bottom with a mostly normal head atop, except for the horns sticking out.

  He stopped worrying. He’d decided to believe Drea once she mentioned the death fae. She could really be hurt; he couldn’t risk it being a trick of the mind.

  “I have to try,” Jamie said, and he put his efforts into pushing again.

  The figure stepped from the air until he stood beside Jamie.
“It is pointless, do you not see?” He held a dull green stone. “I am holding the rocks in place.”

  Jamie turned to the blue man. He glanced at its hand and then himself. He leapt at the monster, but met nothing, falling to the ground amid a swirl of blue dust.

  “That will not work with me.” The blue dust vibrated words as it settled back into the same figure. “I do not advise it, either. If you upset me, I may stay longer and keep my Shaping in effect.” His hand and the green stone reappeared. “If you do not upset me, I will be about my way, and you can help your friend. I am sure Moralynn will not let her apprentice die.”

  Jamie straightened up, now calm. He hadn’t known how to get out of these incidents so far, and yet he’d survived. While he may not this time, there was no question he still did not know what to do. The uncertainty was liberating.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  The figure walked in spirals off the ground, as if coming up a winding staircase. “Honestly I thought this was a trap of some sort. What was the chance someone lingered outside the Marrow as I arrived? I am sorry it hit your friend, but, as I said, I doubt she will die. However, I have now met you. Such a relief.”

  Jamie gazed at the rock pile, trying to figure out how a green rock someone else held made them stay down. He found a small green stone like the one the creature had. Maybe if he grabbed it? But the creature was already using it to push on the other stones, maybe it wouldn’t come away.

  So he’d have to destroy it right there.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure,” Jamie said. Having surrendered to not knowing, his body acted on instinct. Jamie smashed his hand on top of the stone. For a moment the edges cut his palm, and then it disintegrated.

  The stone in the air cracked, but did not break. The blue figure shot a hand after it.

  “Oh no, you don’t.” Jamie motioned again, punching the air as if it were the stone, willing the larger stone to shatter. He couldn’t get the same sense of it, though. Maybe if he got closer.

  The stone jerked out of the blue figure’s reach.