The Adventures of the Junior Phoenixes, Part 1: The Pendant of Life

Chapter 30: The Pendant of Life

Chapter 30

     Rain Fox watched as the others all ran into the room called the Death Chamber. She was about to do the same when she realized that Leech was not in the room. She could feel it. She could sense his presence. She could not describe how she knew where he was, but she knew. Her Pendant gave a faint blue glow.

     She drew her blades and ran off away from the group, upwards on the winding stairway. She remembered it well from the last time she had been there. “This time,” she thought, “There’s no sticky piece of Sherman’s tape to hide me.” She ran upwards and onwards, her breathing paced and her heart pounding in her chest.

     A pair of Parasites came walking around the corner of a room. She jumped and struck them both, slicing at them with her blades. They glowed blue as she leaped, and when they cut the two Parasites, the blades flashed. The Parasites fell, unconscious, and crumpled to the floor.

     She kept running, her breath invigorated by the growing sense of Leech’s presence. She could feel him nearer with each step upwards. The Pendant on her chest bounced and danced around, swaying to and fro with each step. It began to glow blue of its own accord, brighter and stronger. It calls to the other one, she thought.

     A pack of four Parasites were at the top of the winding staircase, guarding the same door that she knew was the door to Leech’s upper chamber. The guards were surprised to see her, and even more surprised when they saw her glowing blades rise and arch down upon them.

     Rain Fox leaped again, and swung her blades. She bore down on the Parasites, hitting one of them as she descended. The blades flashed again, and the unfortunate Parasite was cut and blasted on the spot. He flew to the door and hit it hard, sliding down and the guard moved no more.

     She twisted just in time to catch two curses on her blades. The curses sparked off her blades and she swung them, cutting one Parasite’s wand in two and narrowly missing the other. The third Parasite shouted an obscenity and ran back down the stairway, a coward.

     She twisted again as the second Parasite, with his wand still intact, shot curse after curse towards her. She flicked her blades at the curses, deflecting them away. One of the curses flew and hit the wandless Parasite right in the chest. He was thrown back down the stairway and rolled for some time before hitting a wall with a thud and stayed there.

     Rain Fox moved towards the last Parasite, deflecting the curses he continued to shoot. She sliced his wand, then spun and stabbed him in the leg. She twisted the blade, making the Parasite scream. She then slapped him hard with the flat of her other blade. The blade flashed as it hit his face, and he fell over, bleeding and unconscious.

     She put both blades in one hand and drew her wand, pointing at the wound on the fallen Parasite. “Plagafascia!” she spoke. A bandage appeared around the wound she made on his leg.

     “No one else dies tonight,” she said to herself. “Just Leech. Just Leech dies.”

     She kicked aside the Parasite that was slumped against the door and she took a deep breath. The Pendant was glowing blue, brighter than she had ever remembered it glowing. Her heart was beating so hard against her chest that it was ringing in her ears. She grabbed the handle and opened the door.

     Leech stood in the center of the room. He didn’t seem to be surprised at her appearance. The green of his Pendant glowed bright on his chest. He wore his black coat, the collar large and upturned. His cane was gone. In his right hand he held a sword. His left hand held a wand. The sword looked like his cane; adorned with a wolf’s head at the hilt. His wand was the same; where the handle ended was carved a wolf’s head.