The Black Phoenix

Chapter Three: The Last Dragon

I give the case a light touch with the pads of my fingers, half-expecting gold sparks to melt it down and wake the Knight-General. "Well, we found him. Now what do we do?"

"What did you do when you found Suzaku?"

I hesitantly tap the glass. Nothing. "Suzaku was this weird wind and rain phoenix woman. She, like, flew through me and disappeared and then that night I dreamt about her. I told you this, did you forget? How did you forget something so weird?"

Dog rubs his eyes. "I thought you made that up."

My jaw drops. "Wow."

The music grows louder. The hush of the river is no longer a soft background noise. It sounds like it's closing in.

I turn to Dog. "You hear that, right?"

Dog peers behind him towards the chasm. "Maybe you should check it out. I don't think being here would cause a flood or anything, but better see what's going on."

I gaze into the glass. Knight-General Tamandani looks peaceful, though I know his end was anything but that. The official story is that he died in battle biding King Cillian time to reach safety. Suzaku told me the truth. It's accurate that Knight-General Tamandani held to his last so King Cillian could get away, but he wasn't the Knight-General fighting Commander Brenton Hall when he did it. He was the Dragon defending the Raven from the Eagle.

"Maybe we're supposed to smash it."

Dog snorts. "Of course that's the first thing you come up with. You're so typical."

"Oh, shut up, like you weren't thinking the same thing."

He doesn't reply, which tells me I'm right.

I stomp my foot. "What else can we do?"

"How is breaking a glass coffin gonna help? Look at him, it's like he hasn't aged at all in there, he still looks like he's in his thirties. He was in his thirties, right?"

"How should I know? They 'forgot' to transfer most information on the Champions of Irela when they went all d.Tech through the empire."

"If anyone would be able to find out, it would be you."

"You'd think, wouldn't you?"

"Just go check the damn abyss."

"I'll throw you into the abyss."

"What?"

I extend my wings. "Nothing."

Dog grimaces at me and watches me leave. "You are getting way too..." he trails off, eyes scanning behind me, wider than I've ever seen them. His jaw drops and he makes an odd sound, a cross between a choke and a gag.

My body tenses. I watch Dog's expression, afraid to turn around. "What?" I hiss. "What is-"

A furious, rumbling roar overwhelms the sound of the rushing water, the twinkling music, and even the shimmering light from the stones in the cavern walls.

I whirl around, wings stretched so far they hurt, spanning out as far as they can go, shielding Dog as much as possible Fire erupts on my skin, sheathing my arms and hands. Electricity dancing between my fingertips, but I'm still not prepared for what I find facing me.

Water and earth swirl together in the form of a dragon. Whirlpools and sediment are in constant flux. Its eyes are sparkling gems, its bones limestone, its scales glass. Amethysts and sapphires glow along its belly, topaz and jade line its marble wings. Within its metallic ribs and chest, there is nothing. A hollow chest.

The Dragon has no heart.

Its mouth opens and I think of hurricane spheres, but instead of attacking, the Dragon speaks. The sound reminds me of the rapids at Phoenix Falls and the rumbling of a thunderstorm. It reverberates throughout my body and the cavern with the strength of the earth.