Shadow of the Avatar

Chapter 6 -- The Phoenix, Revival, and a Promise

My whole life I've felt alone, isolated by my origins, my sex, and even my intellect. I fit in by forgetting where I came from, covering up my femininity, and playing dumb. Not the best solution, but it worked. I cherished the times I could be myself...whoever that is.

--Wren

The noontime bell was ringing. Wren roused with a start, throwing off the covers and snatching for the dagger that usually lay under her pillow. Something metallic banged between her breasts. The heat of it made her flinch. Her heart thudded as she searched for the intruder.

She focused on a priestess who'd frozen in the doorway in response to her sudden movement. Wren let out a breath, the tightness in her chest loosening as clarity came and she grew more awake.

"Sorry, I'm still tense from last night," she said rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her free hand went the metallic object between her breasts. Blinking, she examined the small gold talisman. A symbol of a bird with its wings upraised.

A phoenix.

The image brought back the dream in a flash. At this moment, it felt more real than the massacre at the guild. Grahm, alive? The thought brought a smile to her face. Only, you'd be sneaky enough to sidestep death. She closed her eyes then opened them. 'Survive, be free, grow--'

A realization made her skin prickle. The visit with Grahm must have worked a magic on her mind. The horror of the massacre had faded. The blood, the screaming, it all seemed dream-like now. Even the grim memory of Grahm's trembling body as he shuddered and went still. It was as if something had reached into her mind and culled out the hurt.

Grahm had somehow survived. She could take solace in that. The best thing you can do for me is to focus ahead. Kill those bastard Dagger if it suits you. Don't look back. Look for me down the road.

She gripped the phoenix tighter and felt a tingle spread up her arm and into her chest. Kill those bastard Dagger if it suits you.

It suited her fine. They'd taken Grahm away. Destroyed her home. Killed her friends. The Dagger would be sorry they ever returned to Corwin or crossed the Brethren. She'd find Desiray and make her help, even if she needed to drag the mistress back to Corwin by the ear.

Wren looked up and saw that the priestess still stood in the doorway eying her as though she were a crazy person. Wren glanced down at the phoenix emblem again. For all she knew, a crazy person might be exactly what the priestess was looking at.

No point in trying to explain it. "Where's Jharon?" Wren asked.

The woman jerked at the sudden break in the silence. She put a hand to her chest as if to keep her heart from flying away. "Master Jharon is leading mass, he will meet you later. He instructed me to bring these to you." She cautiously approached the bedside and laid a black bundle down and unwrapped it. As she worked at the leathern knots Wren took closer note of her. The two of them were similar, from their modest statures to the blonde hair crowning their heads.

The priestess' eyes were a deep blue, and she frowned when she caught Wren staring. Unrolling the bundle revealed a pair of black doeskin breeches and tunic, a leather belt and climbing moccasins. A sheathed short-sword and a pair of daggers lay at the center.

"Perfect!" Wren said. They were from one of her clothes stashes. Jharon knew more about her than she'd thought.

The priestess gave her a disparaging look as she examined the clothing, and started to remove the gown.

She stopped. "Is there something wrong?"

"Of course. You're filthy. You should bathe first."

"Pardon me. I didn't know a bath was available."