Equinox (Book One of the Firebird Chronicles) WATTY AWARD HIDDEN GEM WINNER 2015

Chapter Thirty Six: The Epiphany

A/N: Media is Lumina and her purple eyes...they're important for later! Enjoy...this is such a big chapter for me. I'm nervous to hear your thoughts!

The prison guards were under my control, but already problems were arising.

For one, I couldn't control daemons, and therefore they continued to fight. They were tough to battle, and the freed prisoners simply weren't equipped. Rather than risk their lives, I had Trina and Guthrie escort them to where we'd intended for them to hide-- among the many shanty houses of the Ruby city. Frederick and his friends had done a great job in finding out places were these prisoners could seek asylum, but apparently it had been an easy task. Angels in the Ruby city were used to neglect and poverty, but they were also a close community, ready to hide evidence and close ranks when needed.

And in a population of hundreds to thousands, unregulated by the King, it was an open invitation for a rebellion to hide.

Second was that the red guards were harder to keep control of than I'd thought. Clae's power required the user to keep firm concentration, particularly the greater the numbers under her control. I could barely stand, let alone fight. I knelt on the barracks outside the prison, overlooking the scene, protective in kindling the power I had over those with red wings.

And it took all of my control to stop them from attacking, not making them fight for me. As a result, Fabian, Scarlett, Sakura, Kirsten and Roan, plus Frederick and his men, were now facing a group of three daemons, surrounding them.

Fabian was pushing them back, wind roaring and encircling the group. His hair looked blond in the darkness, and in combination with his angry glare and set jaw, plus wings that poured from his back like molten mercury, I thought he looked like an assassin.

Scarlett was small beside him, staring up to where I was watching above them. Her short, black hair had grown longer; it had only been a curtain around her face, square at her lips, when I'd last seen her. Now it blew in the hurricane around her head, a halo of darkness.

Kirsten looked afraid, but set. She was armed with a bow, as was Sakura, who was at her side. Kirsten's gaze kept wandering towards the castle; when she had asked me about Clae, I'd lied.

'She's with Kaelan. He got hurt.'

Swallowing that lump of guilt, I flickered my gaze to Roan. Like Sakura, he seemed steady and immoveable, dual swords unsheathed at the ready.

Systematically, Fabian kept up the wind barrier whilst allowing one daemon to enter into the circle. Scarlett protected him, as he was vulnerable whilst doing so. The daemons weren't smart, and staggering their attack was our only advantage.

For the first, Sakura's aim was true. Her arrow went straight through the daemon's throat as it roared towards Roan, catching it unawares. As it tried to take off to retreat, Kirsten's arrows ploughed through its wing, causing it to stumble. Its claws slashed out, catching one of Frederick's group-- I'd forgotten the name-- and the man yelled out, stumbling.

Roan saved his life as the monster reared around to crush him, and the surly warrior pierced through the fleshy armpit of the daemon. Black blood rained across the circle, and the monster's roar became a splitting shriek, thudding towards the ground.

The second daemon's attack came after the group were recovering from the first. It was smaller but quicker than the first, and protected itself from arrows, which lodged within the creature's muscular sides, but without causing much damage. Suspiciously more aware than the last, the creature made its way towards Fabian, causing Scarlett to leap to his aid. She slashed and whirled with her knives, unable to move freely without leaving Fabian open to get hurt.