The Black Phoenix

Chapter Fifteen: Tamandani's Ruby

The bank morphs from a behemoth skyscraper into a tiny toy in seconds. Snow diverts away from me from the sudden gust of wind from my wings. For a second, I am suspended in the sky once again, alone, high above the city.

The snow on the roof disappears once more as I slam down. I blast some hurricane spheres towards a snow covered skylight, revealing the large glass pane underneath. I peer through and see it's dark inside. I can't see anyone. Maybe the White Crown Soldiers are posted by the doors on the outside of the chambers. That would make things much easier for me.

I bang on the glass with my fist. There are several slanted panes layered on top of each other, creating a mosaic of light to grace the seventh floor. I'll have to fly through it at an angle. I hover above it, studying the skylight.

When I'm satisfied, I shoot back down and Glass Jump through, landing into the middle of the room. I brush myself off and notice I narrowly missed a glass column.

A green stone tiara glitters. I wonder if I would have broken the column instead of going through it. I hadn't noticed how close it was to my projection. Close call.

Glass columns are all around me, each of them requiring a key, a passcode, and a thumb-print to access them. Or, you know, the ability to go through glass.

I walk up and down the aisles, looking for Tamandani's Ruby. It doesn't take long. I find it just a few feet away from the main doors. It sits on a small gold pedestal: fat, red, and gleaming through the glass.

Grinning, I reach towards it, my fingertips on fire again. "Whoops," I say, and shake them. I concentrate, then stick my hand through the glass. I grab the heart and yank it out of the column. It's heavier than I thought it would be.

I hold it in both hands. The ruby glitters in brilliant gold and yellow sparks. Maybe it's my adrenaline pumping, but it even feels like the heart pulses in my hands.

All the lights go on.

"Drop it."

Princess Jaisla stands by the door in her bright magenta-violet PowerArmour, minus her helmet. It's almost comical how menacing she's trying to look. Her hazel eyes are narrowed, her mahogany hair tied in a high ponytail, her short bangs pinned back. She's taking this seriously. Usually, she's not the sister who sacrifices form over function.

I grin and wave. "Hey, cutie."

Her look of complete and utter shock, with the wide, round eyes and lips puckering into an 'o' as if she's about to tell her mother on me, makes me laugh harder. She stares at the ruby in my hands and her face hardens. Her expression switches to furious almost instantaneously. "Drop the ruby. Now."

I hold it in one hand and turn it, as if I'm going to drop the ruby onto the glass floor. "Oh?"

Jaisla puts her hand on her e.Rifle. "Don't you dare."

I laugh again. "I need this more than you do." I turn to leave, but then can't resist one more little jab. "I like your hair, by the way. Those bangs were ridiculous. Glad you got rid of them."

Her arm twitches, but otherwise, she doesn't move. Her eyes flicker with uncertainty. She doesn't have her next move figured out.

Something reckless in me takes over. "Where's the Head Captain? If it's a princess that's going to fight me, it should be someone who's actually a match, you know. Fighting the future queen is one thing, but a little girl—OOF!"

The stars in my eyes mock me. Everything is fuzzy, the only thing I know is that I still have the ruby tight in my grasp, but Jaisla also has a pretty good grip on my throat. I barely have time to comprehend what's happening when Jaisla smashes her free fist into my face.