CHAPTER ELEVEN #2
“There has been resistance to my presence in the army.” Terani began to pace back and forth in front of the basin, hands clasped behind her back.
“And I’ve certainly won no favors with General Rokuba ever since he was promoted.
I’m unhappy with the direction he’s taking our new recruits.
Probably too vocal about my thoughts. For too long, Sivell has utilized our bonded phoenixes for war alone.
” Her voice was growing increasingly passionate.
“We’ve secured the phoenix’s breeding grounds.
It’s time to put aside our thirst for mindless expansion.
Now is the moment to rise from the ashes of war and rebuild a kingdom worth living in, not flame the fires of war with Kothia once again. ”
Terani gestured wildly with her hands.
“Why don’t we value the phoenix’s capacity to heal in equal measure?
What of their connection to life, to rebirth, to forward progress?
We should invest in their ability to heal the same way we invest in their ability to protect our borders.
But for men like Rokuba, there is only glory in wartime.
They look uneasily upon times of peace, desperate to cement their own legacy.
Assuage their own ego. Peace is worth protecting too.
And that is why I put myself through the flames to join their ranks.
And now, because of that, I’ve put Eterna in harm’s way. ”
“Do you have any idea where she might be?”
“Yes. It’s taken me longer than I would have liked, but I figured out they sold her to a buyer in Kothia.
The one place I cannot travel myself for threat of instigating a war.
” She pointed to the prominent tattoo on her arm.
“She’s still alive, because I can still draw upon her magic like I showed you.
But our bond is too new, too fragile, for me to communicate with her from a great distance. ”
“Who was the buyer?”
“His name is Rogam Vunzaver. He’s a collector of rare and valuable things.
He regularly hosts a dinner party for interested patrons at his mansion.
On the surface, it all appears to be above board—old books and imported goods and the like.
But it’s all a ruse. Rumor has it that he caters to a less discerning clientele as well.
Those with no qualms about purchasing dangerous artifacts or living creatures.
That’s how he’s really made his fortune. ”
“That’s horrific,” I said, fighting a wave of nausea at the thought of it. “How did you figure all that out?”
“With help. From the older phoenixes like Fiere. He told me about what you did, by the way. Told me I should seek you out.”
Terani watched my reaction with an expectant look.
I stared back, my hands starting to tremble.
Suddenly, everything felt very real. It was one thing to think about a midnight bargain as an abstract concept.
It was another thing entirely to gaze into somebody’s eyes and see their need reflected back at you.
Suddenly, there was someone depending on me.
And she deserved somebody who could help make this situation right.
I struggled to believe I had what it took to be that person.
Could I really pull it off? With Eterna’s life and freedom on the line?
Sweat began to pool on my brow, and my hands turned clammy.
“Terani, hearing your story, I want nothing more than to help you. But I don’t know if I can,” I said, the confession causing something inside of myself to shrivel. “You should find someone else. Someone with more experience.”
Terani’s voice was grim. “There is no one else.”
And that was the crux of the issue, wasn’t it?
The reason someone like me should exist. The true purpose of my office in shining clarity.
When the people and institutions who were meant to protect you failed, there was no one else.
That was it, the answer I had been searching for all my apprenticeship.
The injustice stung. And I was angry. Angry thinking about Eterna’s circumstances, imprisoned against her will.
Angry thinking about the men who had targeted Terani in the first place.
All her training, sacrifice, and dedication—only to have it ripped away, told she didn’t belong.
Doing nothing was not an option. Not after her bravery in traveling to my island.
Not after everything she shared with me.
If there’s no one else, then I will do everything in my power not to fail.
“Then you have my word. I will attend the party and I won’t leave unless it’s with Eterna.
Do you have any idea how to get invited? ”
Terani nodded. “If you know about it, you’re invited. The next event is three weeks from today at Vunzaver’s mansion. Outside the City of Kincardine. Once you’re there, you’ll need to convince him to show you his hidden wares.”
She took the moonstone out of her pocket. “Oh, can’t forget about this. Does it go in the basin?”
I looked at the moonstone and then back to the ceremonial basin. “Err—yes.”
Nix spoke up from the shadows. “Not until the bell tolls midnight.”
“Actually, please wait,” I said, stalling her hand. “Place it when you hear a bell ringing. It should be soon…”
It wasn’t long before the bell sounded its haunting call—each peal slow, deep, and solemn.
Terani stepped up to the pedestal stand. I could have sworn the walls of the cottage pressed eagerly inward. Its wooden beams creaking and moaning in anticipation. She placed the moonstone within the depths of the ceremonial basin. Instantly, the cottage faded from my view.
Darkness. I was floating in darkness. My naked body as light as a feather, weightlessly suspended.
A glowing white light descended from above.
I reached for it, clasping something smooth and cool, instinctively bringing it closer to my heart.
I arched my back, a river of emotions flooding through me.
Ribbons of moonlight came pouring out of the moonstone, wrapping themselves softly around my legs and arms and breasts.
The moonstone was imbued with Terani’s motivations to visit me—and I could feel them all.
I tried to untangle the knotted mess of emotions inside me.
To pick out each individual thread. I could feel Terani’s fear and grief over Eterna’s captivity.
She was worried her companion might be injured or caged.
Another thread burned with righteous anger—how dare they take Eterna against her will?
There were other emotions present too, driving her desire to find Eterna.
Her ambition—a desire to reclaim lost opportunity.
You cannot be a phoenix warrior without a bonded phoenix.
I reached for the next thread, followed it down to the base emotion.
I recognized this one most keenly. A bright thread of self-belief.
The desire to define her own limits and meet her own potential.
Nobody would take what she had already earned.
Yet, at the very core, the strongest thread I could unwind, the one that shone most brightly—I found love.
You are my bond and I will protect you at all costs.
My life will forever be intertwined with yours.
And just like that, I was back, standing in the foyer like no time had passed at all, the last peals of the bell still ringing out.
I wiped away the tears that rose unbidden to my eyes, but not before a few escaped, rolling slowly down my cheeks.
Experiencing that depth of emotion all at once had overwhelmed me.
I looked down into the basin. Surely, I could accept the motivations she offered me.
What was greater than a pure thread of love?
The moonstone transformed, a rainbow sheen hitting the light.
Pure intentions. It felt like the magic of the island validating what I felt inside to be true.
“Our deal is struck,” I said solemnly, the gravity of the moment making me lightheaded.
Having never been taught the official language to use, I went with what felt right.
At my words, the basin shook. A dazzling white plume of glittery dust filled the air above the bowl.
And some actual dust too.
A surge of power rushed through me. A soft, silvery glow radiating from my skin.
Brighter and more vibrant than the moonlight I summoned before.
A sudden, frenetic energy filled my body.
Like I could run a loop around the island if I wanted and still have energy for more.
The feeling passed as quickly as it had come, leaving a calm contentment in its place.
Nix spoke again, his voice approving. “Well done, Little Moon.”
“Thanks, Nix,” I whispered in his direction.
My mind turned toward more practical matters. It was late at night, and Terani was now my guest. Perhaps she would need a place to stay. Maybe she could sleep in Kaylin’s bedroom. “Would you like to spend the night here?” I asked.
Terani shook her head. “I prefer to travel under the cover of darkness. Like I said, Grence isn’t too far up the river.”
I thought again about what she had said, about being one of the first women to ever become a phoenix warrior. If I wanted to show her the book I was thinking of, now was my only chance. Mind made up, I gestured down the hallway toward the study. “Before you leave, may I show you something?”
As soon as we entered the study, I made a beeline for the bookstacks.
Pulling the tome I was looking for off the shelf, I could hear Terani calling from the main room. “You own a dragon flame ring!”
I walked out of the stacks and gazed at the ring she pointed out. “Do you know something about it?”
“I’ve only ever seen one on display in the archives.
Even then, it was broken. Dragon fire burns even hotter than phoenix flame.
They say our warriors used to fight with these—way before we ever learned to form a bond with the phoenixes.
A dragon from the Kingdom of Uvrakar gifted Sivell the rings.
But it made us dependent on them. Put us at a consistent disadvantage in trade and politics.
Eventually, it became untenable. Around that same period, the dragons began to chase out other winged creatures from their skies.
Lucky for us, the phoenixes fled to Sivell, and that was when Jaxon the Fire-Hearted bonded with a phoenix, sending us into a new era.
I dare say you wouldn’t see a flame ring in Sivell anymore out in public, even if they were common.
Most would see it as a grave insult to our history.
Not to mention the insult to the phoenixes, calling upon a flame that wasn’t their own in battle.
To me, it’s an ancient relic of a bygone time.
So it’s surprising to see one lying here looking brand-new. ”
A flame ring? Containing dragon fire? I would need to test it somewhere with a low fire risk… The middle of the lake?
“Speaking of your history,” I said, cracking open the book to the chapter I wanted to show her, with an illustration of a female warrior.
“Have you heard of this woman before? This account says she was the very first woman to become a phoenix warrior. It claims she’s the only warrior to ever call upon her phoenix’s power of rebirth to survive a banshee warrior’s death wail.
And that’s not all. She helped facilitate the peace negotiations responsible for ending the longest stretch of war between your kingdom and Kothia.
Even though it ended up being a temporary respite.
Still, this book claims during that era she oversaw the construction of Sivell’s largest library.
They may be resistant to your presence, but Sivell was built upon the contributions of female phoenix warriors, no matter how few of you have joined their ranks.
Just…don’t let your dreams diminish. It’s been done before. That means you can do it again, right?”
Terani grabbed the book out of my hands, scanning the page. “I’ve never read this account before.”
A wild laugh bubbled out of her mouth. “Those bastards!” She shook the book.
“They should have taught me this history. But I can tell you why they didn’t.
Because she was too significant. Because she shattered their limits.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told women don’t belong in the army, that a phoenix would never bond with me, that I was too weak, physically and mentally, to call upon their powers.
This is proof they’re wrong. Elvira, help me get Eterna back, and I swear to you—they will remember me.
” The look of steely resolve on her face was a sight to behold.
Perhaps keeping the history was more meaningful than I realized.
I watched her depart the island, feeling more invigorated than I had in a long time.
From then on, I resolved to stay awake until the bell tolled midnight.