The Rising Pheonix

Chapter 28

Emily POV

GASP!!

I awoke with a jolt, gasping for air as if I hadn't breathed in days. I sit upright to find I'm in some sort of dark room. Slowly, my eyes start to adjust to the darkness and I see an outline of something on the ground. I slide my body down to the floor and reach my hands forward.

When I feel a body, I withdraw my hand quickly, scared I just touched a dead body. My breath quickens and I sit back on the seat. Then I hear a little whine.

Could they have taken Elnora as well?

With that thought, I push my fear down and make my way to the other side of the room. Careful not to step on the body. Once on the other side of the room, I discovered we are in a fairly tight space with seats on each wall, which made me believe we are in a carriage and not a house. Using my hearing more than my sight, I can tell she is right beside me. I look down and I see what looks like a little basket, which is where I hear her whine.

Reaching inside, I'm relieved when I pick her up and she stops whining. Trying not to disturb her too much, I feel her body for wounds. Once I was satisfied with her lack of injuries, I started rocking her gently, to keep her calm.

It was only then that I noticed the sound of fighting. Wanting to understand the situation, I looked for a window. It didn't take long for me to find one, but when I looked through, the view was blocked. I thrust my hand forward to feel what was the barrier, and I was surprised to find it was earth.

Prince Jacobe must have built it to keep us safe! I surmised.

I felt a little less anxious now that I knew Prince Jacobe was near. So that must mean the body must belong to an ally. I knew it didn't belong to an enemy, because Prince Jacobe doesn't show his enemies mercy. Nor would he put them in the same room as his sister.

Listening to the battle sounds made me anxious once more. It sounded like an army was attacking us. I don't know how many men Jacobe brought along, but I know it wasn't many, and one is even injured. Thinking about all the possibilities of what could go wrong exhausted me.

I started feeling dizzy and weak, as well as hot. It took all my strength to not pass out; however, in the process, I did have to stop rocking Princess Elnora, much to her dismay. She immediately began whining, and I was almost brought to tears because I was not able to soothe her.

Then suddenly, she began to emit a soft pink and purple glow. As the seconds passed, the soft glow turned into a bright light, that enveloped everyone in the carriage. Briefly, I was able to see the interior of the carriage, and that's when I saw a young man on his stomach.

He wore regular clothes, but it looked like he was strong enough to be a guard or knight. Then I noticed his shirt was covered in blood. There were three holes where the blood was seeping out. For the most part, the bleeding had stopped, however, it still bled a little.

That was all I was able to see before the light became too much for my eyes to beat. Even after my eyes were closed, I could still see the pink and purple lights dance across my eyelids.

After a few moments, the lights started to fade. Then I heard a sharp inhale of breath that made my eyes fly open. I pulled Elnora closer to me and trained my eyes on the man on the floor. At least, I tried to. My eyes had to readjust to the darkness that now surrounds us once more.

This time, it took longer to adjust to the darkness. However, at that time, I did not hear any movement. Once I was able to see again, I saw the man was still unconscious on the floor. I relaxed a bit and that's when I noticed I no longer felt exhausted or dizzy. However I still felt hot and clammy, but that's something I can deal with.

I looked at Elnora in amazement and hugged her. I don't know how she did it, but I feel better and I bet that man is no longer on the verge of death.

Then after a few minutes of rocking Elnora I hear, before I see, the earth barrier starts to go down. The carriage rocked a bit but nothing different from when it was moving. I take a peak out the window and see several men that I do not recognize.

Quickly sitting back, I brace myself, getting ready to defend Elnora and run away from them. However, I do not do that, as it was Jacobe who opened the door. Judging from his shocked face, he didn't expect to see me up and holding Elnora.

Before I can say anything, two people, a man, and a woman, rush inside to check on the man on the ground. Then Jacobe comes before me and gives me a once-over before speaking.

"How do you feel?" He asks with genuine concern lighting his eyes.

From the state of his clothes and the blood on him, I should be the one asking him that. However, not wanting to be insubordinate I answer.

"I'm feeling better, Sir," I respond, and in a hushed tone I add.

"How shall I address you? Shall I stick with the original story of me being your caretaker?"

"Yes, I've made it known you are my maid that takes care of Elnora. I have not told them her name as of yet. But my name is Everett. I have a lot I need to catch you up on." He responded in a hushed tone.

"Great. I have news of Elnora as well. I will tell you when we speak. In regards to my name, is it the same or did you change it?"

"I have not called you by name. I've had no need as of yet. However, now that you are awake we will need to change your name. We can do that later. For now, we need to get ready to move. Do not say more than you need to and stay in the carriage. We will be traveling with a caravan shortly." He said then he took Elnora from me and checked her for injuries.