The Phoenix Stone

Chapter Five

I went to bed early and that night I slept peacefully without dreaming for the first time in almost six months and I couldn't believe how much better I felt afterwards. It was strange feeling refreshed and energized for the first time in a while.

"Nyx?"

I awoke from my deep slumber. "Yes?"

"It's time to wake up." Pierretta was leaning over my makeshift bed on the floor. "Quin and I have an early meeting that we have to attend and we think you should leave before we have to. We'll provide you with any of the necessary equipment, supplies, and food you'll need for the next few weeks."

I was fully awake by then. "Thank you, Pierretta! You really don't have to."

She snorted. "From what I've heard of your story you definitely need it. Now get up, we have to leave in two hours and you have to leave soon. Quint's patience is draining fast."

They gave me so much stuff that I didn't know what to do with it all. Most of it was necessary things like bread and cheese, and some of it I don't think I would've needed in a million years! But they still provided me with a lot and I was extremely grateful towards them.

"Thank you again!" I said as I stepped out the door. "I'll never forget your kindness."

"Visit us any time, Nyx! And we'll check up on you every once and a while!" Pierretta called as I set off down the dark street. It was a little past five in the morning and the street wasn't yet awake.

The rain from the previous day had helped everything to rejuvenate and I admired the scenery as I walked home. It was dawn and the sun was just peeking its head through the treetops. So many flowers had bloomed overnight that the forest was now full of them and I saw what seemed like millions of different fungi that had spawned on dead tree trunks. The path was a little muddy from the rain but nothing I couldn't handle or hadn't handled before.

Because I was admiring all the new growth it took a lot longer for me to get home than it usually did. A typical journey from my grandmother's cottage to Duskstrand took an hour if you were hurrying which we usually were. It was unusual for me to be so slow but I was enjoying myself especially because the forest was at the perfect temperature, not too cold and not too warm.

I even stopped for a late breakfast in a nearby clearing. It was an absolutely lovely clearing with tall straight trees and lots of wild flowers. I twirled around, my burgundy dress flowing in a wide circle. The flowers were so pretty that I couldn't help myself so I picked a dark purple flower and tucked it into my dark hair.

I was in such a good mood that I almost didn't realize that I was sitting in the clearing where the accident had happened. I hadn't even recognized it. There were still faint burn marks on the trees but all the grass and leaves had grown back. Delicate yellow butterflies filled the clearing and little pink, white, and purple flowers had sprung up in a perfect circle where the burn site had been almost like a little memorial for the people who'd died. There was nothing that I was carrying with me that I could leave in memory of the people so I just sent a quick prayer up to heaven about them.

As I explored around more I found another even more delightful clearing that looked similar except for the little bubbling creek that ran around the outskirts. The creek sprouted from the ground and was protected by a small mountain of boulders and pebbles.

It took about twenty minutes to walk back to the cottage from the creek. When I came into view of the cottage my eyes filled with tears and euphoric visions of past memories appeared around the yard. Little ghostlike me and Grandmother were doing various things and brought back happy feelings but in the back of my mind I knew that I probably wouldn't ever see my grandmother again.

As I walked up the wooden porch steps I suddenly remembered the chickens! My grandmother kept chickens but I had completely forgotten about them for a whole two days! I scrambled to put my satchel inside and get some chicken feed for them. They must've been absolutely starving because when they heard me coming they swarmed the gate of the coop and I couldn't get in for fear of being pecked to death so I threw the seed in through the gate. Once they'd calmed down and stuffed themselves with feed I could get in. A few of the hens immediately went back to their nests.

"Up Peni," I said, patting the spattered reddish-brown hen gently. She hopped up with an irritated squawk. The eggs in her nest were beautiful and pale brown. I repeated the same action for every hen—about seven. I was very pleased because there were a couple of eggs in each hen's nest which meant that I could have eggs for breakfast every single day for a few days! It would be a nice break from mushroom stew.

Nothing had changed about the cottage until I went up to my room. I had forgotten to shut my window the previous day when I'd left and the storm had made almost everything in my room wet. It should've made me unhappy but nothing was going to ruin my optimism for the day and so I set about washing the soaked bed sheets and mopping up the floor.

As I walked past my grandmother's open door I failed to notice the envelope that was lying inside the room on my grandmother's desk.

About three hours later the sun was starting to set and as I sat outside on the porch eating my supper I could hear the nocturnal beasts begin to hunt. The fireflies appeared from the long grass and lit up the sky. On a whim I grabbed an empty jar from the pantry and brought it outside. I caught fireflies and placed them in the jar. The jar then served as my nightlight that night when I went to bed.

I went into my grandmother's room later that night to find something but I couldn't find it. As I was about to leave the room I heard a strange rustling sound. Turning around I saw an envelope lying on my grandmother's beside table. It was behaving as though there was a draft in the room but my grandmother's room didn't have any windows. I didn't bother looking around to see what was making the draft because I could see that it was addressed to my grandmother and since my grandmother obviously wasn't there I opened it and read it.

"Dear Alva," it started. "I hope to find you in good health. I know you already know what I'm going to ask but I'll say it one more time. This is the fifth and final time I will ask before sending some of my forces down there to physically take Nyx." I gasped and dropped the paper, not wanting to read anything more. I couldn't help myself though so I picked it back up and continued reading. "In your previous letter you informed me that she still needs more of your training but I have also heard from you that her magic is immensely powerful. If you do not respond and agree in the next five days I will prepare my troops and take Nyx away. Sincerely, Mari."

My mind was whirling as I read the letter. Who was Mari? Why was she coming to get me? And how did she know my grandmother? Desperately I checked the date that the letter was sent on but to my horror it was smudged and barely distinguishable. I squinted at it, hoping with all my heart that I could determine roughly the time she'd sent it. After staring at it for what felt like forever I thought I could make out what the date was: Day 123, Year 311. That had been ten days ago. Unless my grandmother had replied as soon as she'd gotten it they would be here any day now.