Gold Blood

Chapter 26

Chapter 26 - Phoenix

Phoenix helped Acelynn onto her horse. She gave him a small in thanks before settling into the saddle. He strutted over to his own horse and climbed on. Brianna stood in front of them already on her own horse.

"Ready?" Phoenix asked looking at both of the girls. Acelynn nodded her head hesitantly and Brianna turned her horse around and started walking behind the rest of the army. Phoenix sighed and nudged his horse to follow. Acelynn allowed her horse to walk beside Phoenix's. He knew that she had no control over her horse, but he found it really cute. They walked in silence. Islea wasn't far from their border and Phoenix and Brianna hadn't been able to come up with a plan.

"Brianna I have an idea," Acelynn whispered leaning forward in her saddle. Brianna slowed her pace until she was on the other side of Acelynn. "Would you be willing to go ahead and warn the Islean people that we are coming, just explain to them everything?" Acelynn asked quietly. Her eyes darted around making sure that no one was listening. Brianna nodded her head and soon she disappeared into the shadows. Brianna was a shadow. Nobody would be able to catch her especially now. They walked together in silence as they anxiously waited for Brianna to come back. Phoenix could feel his anxiety build as the minutes turned into an hour, and an hour turned into two. Out of nowhere Brianna appeared beside Acelynn. Her face was pale and her hands were shaking. Acelynn reached her hand out for her to hold. Graciously Brianna took it and squeezed Acelynn's hand tightly.

"There is no way that they can win. They are too unorganized and are not ready for a battle," Brianna wheezed out. Acelynn nodded her head and squeezed her friends hand comfortingly. Phoenix took in the information and shook his head. What could they do?

"Tonight could you sneak us over to meet with their leader?" Acelynn asked Brianna. She thought about it for a moment and then nodded her head.

"Yes, I can do that, we need to leave at the darkest part of the night. It'll be easier to hide you two then," Brianna muttered under her breath. Acelynn nodded her head and looked over at Phoenix. Her eyes looked sad and he knew she was thinking about what his dad had said.

Before they knew it night had fallen and Brianna was dragging them away from camp encased in a dark shadow. Phoenix held tightly to Acelynn's hand while Acelynn held tightly to Brianna's. Brianna snuck them across the border and into a large tent in the middle of a town square. She let the shadows disappear and they stood in front of the Islean council.

"Hi," Acelynn squeaked not letting go of Phoenix's hand. Phoenix smiled and waved awkwardly. "I'm Acelynn, we're here to you know try and stop the impending war," she stuttered as all the eyes stared at her.

"Are you Phoenix? Son of Orion and Isa?" A tall woman demanded standing up from the end of the table. Phoenix nodded his head slowly and pulled Acelynn behind him. If they were going to attack him they were not getting at Acelynn.

"I don't want this war to happen, my father is forcing us into this," Phoenix spoke confidently to the older woman. She nodded her head and walked towards them. She had long white hair that came to her waist, her eyes were a stunning colour of grey and her skin was almost as white as her snow coloured hair.

"I'm Queen Rani of the Islean people," the woman told them sticking her hand out towards Phoenix. Phoenix placed his hand in hers and they shook. She had a strong grip and her hands were tough from labour.

"We need to stop my father, but we don't know how," Phoenix told her placing his hand back in Acelynn's.

"Do you think that you could kill him?" Rani asked. Her face was serious, there was no hint of joking in her face as she said this. Phoenix felt his heart drop. It didn't matter that his own father would kill him without a second thought, he was still his father. How could he kill him? Slowly Phoenix nodded his head.

"It could be done,"Brianna replied for him. He nodded his head in thanks and squeezed Acelynn's hand tightly. Rani nodded her head and thought for a minute.

"It would need to be done fast. I know you have been blessed with metal bending, but can you do anything?" Rani asked nodding towards Acelynn. Acelynn slowly nodded her head and stepped out from behind Phoenix. "Are you willing to show me?"

"I can, but it is hard for anyone to see. It has to do with time," Acelynn responded shrugging her shoulders. Acelynn quickly explained her ability and Rani and Phoenix started to come up with a plan.

"If she could hold him, I could kill him," Phoenix finally whispered, his heart pounded in his chest. He was trying to avoid having to kill his father himself, he knew it was going to be him.

"Could you?" Rani asked. She stared sympathetically at him. Phoenix knew that she understood. He had heard the story of how she became queen. Before Rani was the queen her mother had led Islea. Rani wasn't supposed to become queen, she had an older sister. Their mother had killed her so that she could stay in power and Rani was going to be next.

"Yes," Phoenix replied numbly. His father had done nothing for him, he could do this. The king would have killed him without a second thought.

"They are going to attack tomorrow, we will kill the king as quick as we can but I don't think that we are going to be able to stop the army until the attack has already started," Brianna explained stepping towards where they sat at the table.

"We can hold them off for a little," Rani told her. Brianna nodded her head and stepped back towards the wall.

"We need to head back before anyone notices that we're missing," Acelynn whispered placing her hand on Phoenix's shoulder. Brianna grabbed Acelynn's hand and Acelynn clung to Phoenix's and they traveled back towards the camp in the cover of the night.