Phoenix13: Redemption (Phoenix13 Book 2)

Part #7: The Judgement of Zephyr: Chapter Five

Chapter Five

"You'd do well in prison, Prince. Even one such as Carceris Caeci."

"I can't tell if that was a compliment or an insult." Jason flashed Rosetta his most devilish smile. Stepping down from the Starscraper's cockpit onto the mossy forest floor, he slammed the hatch shut behind him. "I'm gonna go with compliment."

Rosetta's mouth twisted up at one corner. She stood a few paces away beside a large dark pine. The tree's bark had been singed black; the Starscraper's landing blasters had singed half the needles off its branches. "Take it as you will," she replied, examining her red-tipped fingers with detached disinterest. "It was merely an observation."

The city of Jyith was only a few minutes' walk from the hidden glen where Jason had landed the jet. Dark moss-coated ruins lay between newer buildings, stark reminders of the now-dead civilizations of Old Alaska. Smoke rose from the city's center, thick and clotting as it joined the thunderclouds hanging threateningly low overhead. The smell of industry was heavy in the air; Fafykrnamnr was renowned all across Monterra for its expert metalworkers.

"Name and purpose," the guard at the entrance to the domed city of Jyith asked, smoothing the front of his fur-lined autumn coat in an attempt to appear more professional. "Why do you want to enter the fair city of Jyith?"

Jason made a noise at the back of his throat. From the city's dark, gothic architecture and design to its cruel and unyielding laws, Jyith was a far cry from 'fair.'

"I am the Lady Rosetta Callista of Nathandria," Rosetta replied, all sugar and charm. "And this is the brother of King Skyler Callista. His name is Prince Kylen Callista."

The guard surveyed them as if deciding which pieces to chop off first. His eyes were cold, his expression shrewd. He glanced down at something in his palm—a phone, Jason realized—and grunted. "Clearance granted, Lady Callista of Nathandria. Prince Kylen." He touched the tips of his pointer fingers to his temples and jerked his head up and down. The Fafykrnamnrysh way of greeting royalty. "You may enter whenever you wish."

The gates of the great dome slid open, revealing a strip of battered pavement between two rows of equally decrepit concrete buildings. Despite the protection the electric shield offered, nature hadn't yet abandoned her destructive rampage against civilization.

"That was easy." Jason stepped into the city, running his fingers through flight-mussed hair. "I was expecting a brawl. At the very least."

"We don't always get what we want, Captain McKinley," Rosetta replied. "Although you may still find a fight in this den of liars and thieves."

"Watch it, Lady Callista. These assholes are our allies."

"Skyler's allies," Rosetta corrected.

"Y'know what? You're right. Fuck these traitorous scumbags." Jason kicked a rock. It skittered down the street and into a clogged gutter. "Let's go find that fight."

Unlike Nathandra, Jyith didn't have a citadel at its center. Instead there was a single small building leading to a deeper system of tunnels and offices where the city officials and royalty were housed. Outside the tunnels was a massive fire pit, the thin metal scorched and twisted by a towering inferno that burned year-round at its center. In places the charred metal was so warped it resembled the exterior of a wrecked racecar. Smoke trailed black fingers of ash and grime across the lighter concrete and tiles of the surrounding buildings, painting the city dark gray.

When Jason and Rosetta arrived, it was to find a huge crowd of Jyithites gathered around the fire, all bundled up in thick cloaks of wool and fur. Their eyes shone eerily over scarves and handkerchiefs. Thick billows of breath escaped their flared nostrils.