Phoenix13: Redemption (Phoenix13 Book 2)

Part #12: The Thirteenth Hour: Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

"Do you believe in the afterlife, Zephyr?" Neveah started up at the gleaming stars high above. They flickered dimly between patches of dark clouds. The full moon's bright light cast Stonehenge's shadow across the snow-dusted moor, adding a new layer of contrast and mystery to the structure. "I mean really believe in it. I know your kind knows it exists. But what do you think it would be like to be there?"

"Please tell me this isn't foreshadowing." Kalligan let out a nervous laugh. His breath billowed before his face in the freezing air. "No really, I don't know. I guess I know what I want it to be, but I haven't thought that much about what it will be. There's no way you can tell me, is there? Might be a comfort around now. With the eleventh hour approaching and all."

"Of course I can tell you." Neveah smiled like a child at a water park. "The Land of Beyond is strange and wonderful. Or at least you mortals and demi-mortals would think so. It's whatever you want it to be. It's like living in your mind. Which, for those who have done terrible things, can be terrible. But for people who have good hearts and lived good lives, it's a good place to spend eternity. I would know, because I'm the facilitator. The Nexus. I see all, and know all. But you know that." Her bright blue eyes flashed with a hint of mischief as her smile widened.

Kalligan couldn't help it—her smile was contagious, and he found himself grinning like an idiot. Tucking his chin between his bent knees, he pulled his hood down to cover his face, burying his nose in the fabric of his Defense League pants. The heat of his breath filled his gloves as he blew into the wrists, warming his half-numb fingers.

Seven days had passed since Kalligan awoke to find himself in the strange circle of stones. Seven days of waiting and pacing, pausing only to eat the food Neveah created out of thin air or sleep in the tent she had built in the blink of an eye. Of watching over Roxanne's peacefully sleeping body, which was currently wrapped in blankets and stowed in the tarp shelter like some sort of cocooned hibernating bug. Neveah had repeatedly reassured Kalligan that she was fine—"Just sleeping. She won't need anything until she wakes up. You'll see."—and yet Kalligan couldn't help but worry. Of course that amused Neveah to no end.

"Do you need to check on Roxanne?" Neveah's smile faded slightly as she watched Kalligan's attempts to warm himself. Her eyes shimmered in the patchy moonlight. "I could light a fire, if you need it."

"You know she's fine."

"But you don't. I don't mind. You have no reason to believe me. I know because I can hear everything in your mind. You should try to calm down, Zephyr. Everything is going to be okay."

Kalligan lifted his head. He was just about to reply when something caught his eye: a blue light in the sky, growing steadily brighter at an alarming rate. "Neveah," he said slowly, "what's that?"

She turned to look. Her eyes widened slightly. In a flash she was on her feet, bare toes curling in the snow. "Oh," she said. Unlike Kalligan's, her breath left no trace as she exhaled. "It's time, Zephyr. She's here. The final move has been made. The Queen approaches."

Kalligan felt the air leave his lungs as all the muscles in his body seized at once. His throat closed, his eyes stinging as he struggled to inhale through his nose. "No," he managed to gasp through his panic. I'm not ready! he screamed in his head.

Turning away from the approaching light, he ran as fast as he could toward the tent. He passed the outer circle of stones and skidded onto his knees outside the shelter, lifting the flap with shaking hands. Sliding inside, he scrambled across Roxanne's immobile form and reached for the slender, elegant scabbard and hidden blade resting beside his sleeping pad. Lifting it in both hands, he launched himself back through the entrance and into the frigid air outside.