Arizium

Chapter 15

"Now it's your turn, give us answers." Lucius demanded. 

 Phoenix shrugged and responded "What do you want to know? There's no point hiding things from the Vlivians." 

 Amaria spoke up "Why is everyone linked with a common creature while you have a magical one?" 

Phoenix laughed "You think I know a bloody Phoenix?" 

 "Raven said that you were all named after the species of your beasts except for Madelina." Amaria explained defensively. 

 She laughed again "Well yeah, but linking to a Phoenix? You seriously thought that I could link to a creature as powerful as that?" 

 Amaria flushed hotly and countered "Then why is your name Phoenix?" 

 "That is my animal's name." She explained "She's a woodpecker, but ever since she escaped a forest fire against all odds, she thinks she has somehow become a Phoenix. I thought it was cute, so I adopted her newfound species." 

 Amaria stared at her "Your animal is a woodpecker." She said in her most condescending tone. 

Phoenix stared at her and grinned. Amaria saw Phoenix's eyes flash mischievously  before a small bird suddenly flew from the trees and started pecking Amaria's leg. 

 "Ow ow ow!" She exclaimed and swatted at it as hard as she could. 

 Phoenix smiled smugly and said "Alright alright, you can back off Nix." The bird looked at her and seemed to nod, but Amaria was looking through a haze of pain as her gown started to show splotches of red around her leg. 

 She was beyond angry at this annoying little demon. First, she acts as if she's more powerful than me, and then she salts it with her ridiculous halfwit songbird. She thought angrily. 

 Sister, calm down. Lucius could feel her anger.

 Amaria stared at Phoenix and felt more anger than she had ever experienced at that moment. Who is she to- 

 Amaria 

 -just act all high and mighty. This... this homeless peasant believes that just because she can control a bird- 

 Dear sister. 

 -she can control me. Impossible. A princess cannot be controlled. A princess is not ruled by... by PEASANTS. 

"AMARIA AMARANTHEA VLIVIAN!" Amaria snapped her eyes open at the sound of her twin's desperate cry, and found that she had somehow freed herself from her bonds sunk her teeth deep into Phoenix's arm. Blood rushed into Amaria's mouth as Phoenix screamed and smacked at her in a vain attempt to get her to let go. Amaria's eyes lit up triumphantly as she noticed that Phoenix's powers were next to useless in the night. 

 Amaria felt pebbles whack against her back with inhuman force and her mind urging her to stop, knowing full well that these were the doings of the others. 

  I'm in the right here, not the wrong. She's the one that disrespected me, she deserved to be punished. Amaria thought angrily as her mouth grew accustomed to the metallic taste of blood. 

 A cat yanked at her gown and finally succeeded in tearing her away from Phoenix's now red flesh. Amaria screamed and cried and swatted at the beast until it finally trotted back to Lynx. She sobbed into the dirt. Everything is wrong. Wrong wrong wrong wrongwrongwrong WRONG. I was supposed to go into the forest. I was supposed to come back in a couple days. I was supposed to bring the news to my father. I wasn't supposed to fail. It wasn't supposed to go this way. I was supposed to make Father proud to prove that I was capable of ruling. All I managed to prove was that I was pathetic and weak enough to get captured by peasants. She shivered and suddenly missed Lucius's wolf cloak. 

 Amaria felt her brother embrace her, protecting her as she melted, he must have somehow escaped his bonds as well while she was busy being pathetic. 

 Phoenix looked down at her and spit next to her. Red liquid was still running freely down her arm. "Madelina, put them asleep. Lynx, you and I will find a place to put them for the night." She said with a voice devoid of emotion. Amaria could see a vein popping out on her forehead through her veil of tears. 

 Lynx stared at Phoenix's arm in shock and didn't move an inch. Phoenix snapped "Lynx!" 

 Little Lynx flinched and looked at her fearfully, but nodded anyway. 

 Amaria's mind slipped as another took over and eased her into a deep sleep.

(A/N: I'm sorry all these chapters are really short. I try to make them 1k words long but sometimes they end up being 2k and then I have to cut them in half and usually one half ends up being 700 words while the other is like 1.3k. Hopefully the next chapter is a bit longer. Gomen ;-;)