Fireheart

Chapter 15

The door opened up to a snowy field, flat with huge ice spikes jutting from the ground. They were dark blue and had some glowing aura around them.
"Muz ice spikes." Phoenix said, pointing to each of them.
"They're to protect from wild dragons. Very common in the Shamol territory."
I gaped and looked at them as we walked. Muz could tame nature. Maybe this was part of that power.
"Now, they said they used explosives." Garnet said. "Fyre, do you think you could..."
"Smell them?" I finished for her.
She nodded her head.
"Don't be afraid to ask." I said. "I don't mind using my abilities to help."
I let go of Phoenix's hand, and we all split up. I took deep breaths, only smelling the freezing wind. Scales, like fish but not like fish, also permeated the air. It was a nice smell, actually. It had a tang of fire to it. Dragon, I guessed.
I walked around each of the spikes, smelling for explosives and looking for damage. My nose was numb by the time Phoenix yelled.
We all walked to him. There was a large spike, one of the largest I had to guess, that was broken near the bottom as if it was chipped away rather than exploded. The word Thanom was burned into it.
"Do you smell anyone, Fyre?" Phoenix asked when I got there.
I took a deep breath and tried to smell past the ice and dragons. There were normal smells, stone, and leather, probably from shoes.
There was something extra there. Death, and the special brimstone smell only Yong'in had. Strangely, it was neither male nor female.
"It was a Yong'in," I said. "But no one I personally know. But I could tell you who it is if I encounter them again."
"Let's see if we can ask the Shamol who was here."
We walked back to the fort and found the Shamol members. They were only able to recall seeing a large man in traditional Yong'in the getup. He had some people following him, one of whom had been captured and was being held in the basement. Bingo.
Garnet stayed behind, saying she didn't like the Fort's basement. I wanted to stay, Wolf was bucking at the idea of going someplace underground that wasn't a den, but Pheonix talked me into going down with him.
"Just keep your eyes and nose alert." He told me, laughing at his little joke.
We followed a Shamol member, who led us into a nonsleeping underground part.
The smell of blood and illness made me gag. Phoenix looked at me, his brows bunched. I must've looked off.
"He's in here." The Shamol female told us.
We entered a carved out room, that smelled of fresh blood. The door closed behind us.
A man, a Yong'in he smelled like, was sitting in a chair. His face was beaten and bruised.
"Clan Leader." The male said, his accent very northern. "Fancy seeing you here."
"What is your name?" Phoenix asked, kneeling in front of him.
"Croxic." The man replied. So he was very northern.
"What have they been doing to you?"
"They have beaten me." He said. "They want to know who Thanom is. I refuse to say."
"Will you tell me who he is?" Phoenix asked. Croxic looked at me before replying.
"He is man who wants to keep her kind from living."
Phoenix pulled his head back towards him.
"You don't look at her." He said, growling. "You need to tell me where I can find this Thanom. We have questions for him."
Croxic shook his head.
"It would be disgrace for you to go to him. He must go to you."
Phoenix's eyes blazed.
"I don't need, riddles, Croxic. I should denounce your Clan protection and allow Jimmin to feed you to Mana."
Croxic flinched.
"I cannot. Thanom would kill me."
"Tell me."
"No." Croxic said. Phoenix started to hunch over, his back tight. I walked to him and laid a hand on his back.
"Will you tell me who he is?" I asked, focusing on Phoenix. I made sure my voice shake.
In the wild, when a male gets into a fight with another male, female wolves would act scared, and try to hide under their mate, being sure to cover their mate's throat. If the other male leaped, she'd have a chance at his throat. At least that's how Wolf justified me stepping in. Something about Croxic was making Phoenix lose his quick, and fast.
"No." Croxic said, quickly.
"Just know he wishes to kill you. Nice and slow."
Phoenix shot from under me. I gasped and stepped back, pressing my back against the rock wall. Phoenix had a hand on Croxic's throat.
"First things first," Phoenix said through clenched teeth. "Is that no one is going to lay a hand on her. Second of all, you better talk before your Clan protection is removed."
Croxic's eyes were wide and scared as Phoenix spoke.
"We came to a fort with a large man. He tell us as Warriors of Thanom, it is our job to make sure the Shifter knows she is not safe. We attack Shamol guarding fort. They are burned very finely. Scattered among wind. He then breaks large ice spike, and burns Thanom into spike. Says it is message for whore Shifter. She is not safe, even with you."
"Who was the man?" Phoenix asked.
"I cannot say." Croxic replied. "Just know that human race will be clean, one way or another."
Phoenix snarled at him. He then grabbed Croxic's arm, and pushed. A gross crack filled the room, then Croxic's yelling. I hugged myself and tried to appear small.
"Who is he?" Phoenix growled.
"Powerful man." Croxic replied, still not giving up a name. I closed my eyes and whimpered, not knowing where the next crack came from.
"Tell me who he is." Phoenix said.
Croxic remained silent. Another crack, another yell.
"Now." Phoenix growled.
"Leader of. Thanom church." Croxic said, out of breath. That seemed to be what Phoenix wanted. I didn't hear him approach but felt his arms around me.
"Come on, Fireheart." He whispered, picking me up.
"Consider your protection revoked." Phoenix said on the way out. I heard no noise from Croxic.
The entire time up the stairs, Pheonix was kissing me, and apologizing for his behavior. I returned the kisses and said it was okay. He had to do what he had to do.
We got back up to the hallway we came in. Garnet was still waiting for us. Night had fallen, and it was time to retire. She didn't ask what happened down there.
A Shamol male led us down a different set of stairs. Our room came first. We waved goodnight to Garnet, then stepped in.
It was large, with blue banners hanging on the wall. A small dresser sat against a wall, with a large four poster bed across from it. Another door, leading into the bathroom, was next to the bed. I stood in the middle of the room as Phoenix went and sat. Neither of us spoke for a few minutes.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Phoenix eventually asked.
I shrugged.
"Shaken up, I guess." I said. "I never expected to see you like that. You're just so... gentle."
"I'm sorry." He said. "But he was talking about hurting you. I guess I lost it. But as a powerful Clan Leader, I'm kind of expected to, you know?"
He got up and crossed the room to me. He pulled me against him, and rocked.
"I love you, Fyre." He was saying as we rocked. I told him I loved him too.
I gave him a kiss, which he returned with great energy. I wrapped my arms around his neck.
"Let's forget the last couple hours." I breathed into his ear.
When the ride was over, Phoenix laid on the bed with his sweaty head between my breasts. I ran my fingers through his messy hair.
"Fyre." He said.
"Yeah?"
"I'm lucky to have you. I spent all of my Leadership so far thinking of ways to have you. If I didn't have that release, I may have gone crazy."
"Don't most Clan Leaders go through that?" I asked. "That's why they wed so early."
He nodded.
"Usually within a week. I guess for nights like tonight, it's a good idea to have a female distraction around. Not that you're not good for other things."
"I know what you mean." I said, smiling. "But don't you also have concubines?"
"They're not allowed out of the Neutral City. And now that I'm in a relationship it seems, I need to disband their services."
I smiled.
"I could fight them off for you."
He looked up at me.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you, wolfy?"
I gave him a wolfish grin and watched him pull himself up with me. He faced me, and kissed my forehead.
"When we get back, we gotta work on your Raising."
I groaned.
"I'm going to find a way out of it." I said, making sure to raise my brows. He shook his head.
"Not gonna work, Fireheart."
I smiled a sleepy smile and laid my face on his shoulder. I took his death and brimstone smell as I drifted off to sleep.

Sometime in the night, I hear growling. I sit up, realizing Phoenix isn't with me. I listen for the growling, which is coming from the floor.
Phoenix is hunched over, fur rippling along his back. It takes a moment, but it clicks in my head.
He's Shifting.
I jump out of the bed and kneel on the floor with him.
"Fyre." He says, losing his voice. His green eyes are becoming more intense.
"Just let it go." I say. He groans as his fur bursts over him, his face stretching into a snout. Of course, I knew this happened to me, but I'd never seen it happen to another person. It was surreal. Bones and muscle moving, Pheonix melting and leaving his human form behind.
At the end of it, Phoenix had transformed into a large, silver wolf. The same wolf that chased me out of my den so many weeks ago.
"You dick." I said, laughing. "No wonder you were mad I didn't tell you. You wanted a packmate."
He whined and licked my hands. I ran them through his fur. He smelled wild. Wolf bucked and demanded to be let out. I clamped down on her and focused on making sure Phoenix was comfortable. I tried to coax him in the bed, but he wasn't having it.
"You're right, I guess." I said when he curled up in the floor in front of the bed. He could leap at anyone who came in the door. I still threw a pillow at him.
"You'll appreciate it as a human."
His wild fur scent filled my nose as I once again fell asleep. Sometime in the night, human Phoenix joins me, his skin smelling of sweat and shame.