The Phoenix Stone

Chapter Twenty Five

Chab had just walked around the side of a tent when Efia stopped moving and looked for him. He glanced around apprehensively before disappearing into a tent.

Efia slapped her palm to her forehead. "Of course it would be that one!" she exclaimed under her breath. "It's the biggest one!"

A few seconds later there was a cry of outrage and a loud thump. The two guards standing outside Nalrae's tent rushed in. They came out about a minute later dragging an unconscious Chab.

"Ok," Efia murmured, thinking out loud. "She's obviously not in a very good mood if she knocked him out. I should be cautious." She looked around one more time before slipping almost soundlessly from the bushes. Creeping between tents without being seen by the few guards proved to be a more difficult challenge than she'd first anticipated. The guards were more regular than she'd observed and maybe they were using magic to sense things in the air because Efia could swear that the same guards had walked past her hiding places at least a hundred times by the time she got to Nalrae's tent.

Without stopping to think through the consequences, Efia sprung from her last hiding place and strode into Nalrae's tent, ignoring the very suspicious looks from the tent guards.

"Nalrae!" she shouted, walking right up to the very surprised woman.

The Phoenix Stone was in her hand, glowing as brightly— if not more brightly— as ever.

"Oh!" Nalrae exclaimed, turning as she heard Efia's footsteps behind her. "I wasn't expecting to see you here." She looked at Efia like she was a pile of mud that she didn't want to get on herself. With a disgusted look on her face she turned back to examining the Phoenix Stone in her hands.

Efia's jaw dropped. "Hey!"

Nalrae turned her head to look at Efia through one eye. She didn't look very impressed with her. "What is it, girl? Can't you see that I'm busy?"

"I—" She stopped abruptly.

Nalrae had turned back to her work but had now picked up the Phoenix Sword and begun turning it over, now examining it as well. After a moment she picked the Phoenix Stone up and placed it over the hole in the sword's hilt. The entire tent glowed with a blinding light as the Phoenix Stone slid into place in the Phoenix Sword's jeweled hilt.

Without thinking, Efia sprung forward but just as she was about to close her hand around the gem, a popping sound from behind her made her turn around.

Standing behind her was a figure shrouded into quickly dissipating black smoke.

The figure stepped from her shroud and revealed her face. It was Nyx.

~ ~ ~

Nyx

As soon as I'd caught the first glimpse of the inside of Nalrae's tent my heart rate increased significantly. I hadn't thought out my plan thoroughly. In fact, I didn't really have a plan at all. I was just going to go for it and see what happened.

Nalrae wasn't paying attention. She hadn't even noticed that Efia was standing right next to her, reaching for the Stone. She was solely focussed on slotting the Phoenix Stone into the Sword.

Efia looked at me and I nodded slightly to acknowledge that she was there but when I looked away again she reached for the Stone again. I squeaked and waved my hands around, trying to get her attention.

She glanced at me and I gestured for her to come back to me and leave Nalrae for a second. With a longing look at the Phoenix Stone she crept back to me and together we walked from the tent.