Darkness has fallen and she walks alone, her black boots stomping hard into the sand. Alexandra is determined to seek out any information of the captain's whereabouts from the ship, to take whatever goods she can from it and outright steal it if possible.
The slim elf, dressed in black leather with white curls tumbling down her back, looks up, the moonlight twinkling in her eyes, filled with hatred. The old, unwelcoming ship, anchored by the water's edge, ignores her.
The twilight sky blends with the midnight blue water below, perfectly still and calm, the tide lapping gently onto the shore. Grey clouds loom overhead.
As she takes her first few steps onto the wooden deck, the spurs on her boots ring gently across the ship. She pauses, as her instincts take over. It is too quiet. Alexandra listens to the creak of the ship, the stroke of the waves onto the shore. She feels a spit of rain on her forehead. These noises evaporate as a whooshing sound rushes towards her.
She instinctively dives to the side, narrowly avoiding Phoenix's surprise attack from the crow's nest. The ginger-haired elf had used her cloak to wrap around a rope and swing down towards Alexandra. But she misses. Phoenix hits the deck hard and rolls forward, cushioning her fall.
The two half-sisters rise in sync, turning to face one another. They are of similar height and frame, two silhouettes locked by fate. Like the water below shares itself with the entire sea, unwittingly, they share their mother's blood with one another, unwillingly.
They stand still in silence, as fresh rain begins to fall, lightly tapping on the wooden deck beneath their boots. They stare into each others' eyes with disdain, the moment lingering and tension growing as each elf considers when to make their move.
Rage bubbles slowly inside one, hatred in the other, as they begin to circle one another.
Phoenix speaks, through her red bandit mask, with spite and anger: "After all you've done, you dare to set foot here as well."
Alexandra responds with a sarcastic curtsy, the grin on her pale face belying a lust for violence.
Anger swells in Phoenix. She pulls Heart from its red and gold scabbard. Alexandra follows, removing her lightweight rapier from black boiled leather.
"I look forward to the small ounce of joy your death will bring after what you've done," Phoenix adds, her voice quivering. "You have taken so much..."
The patter of rain on wood grows more frequent as it continues to fall, slightly heavier now.
"And you from me," Alexandra replies. "But I shall take it back tonight, and kill you," she adds, a smile curling the edge of her lips upwards as the words linger, masking her own hatred and sorrow. "Just like the others."
The rage boiling beneath red leather reaches the surface and Phoenix bellows in anger, her battle-shout hanging in the air as she strikes forward, forcing her enemy into a parry. The pair lock swords and deflect each other's blows in quick succession as the sound of steel on steel breaks the peace of the water's edge.
Phoenix's rage is flowing freely now, her mind losing consciousness, completely seized by the red mist of fury that glazes over her eyes. Her subconscious mind is now in total control of her actions. The rainfall gradually transitions into a downpour.
Phoenix loses herself in the moment as the pair fight. Steel on steel, blood on blood, elf on elf. Everything goes black.
.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-.
The next thing Phoenix knows, her head is throbbing. When she returns to her senses, Alexandra is on top of her, straddling her.
Phoenix looks up to see a face twisted with envy and loathing, and a fist slamming down towards her, right between the eyes.
YOU ARE READING
The Chronicles of Phoenix Bloodheart I: Turning Red
FantasíaRise of the Phoenix: Born in the enchanted elven kingdom of Quel'Thalas, Phoenix is unlike other high elves: she has never had an affinity for magic. Raised by a prostitute, she quickly grows disillusioned by her mother's profession and drug use, m...
