The Island

Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Zain

I saw Kirklyns shoulders sag in relief when I told him we were almost home, Hanna now riding with Lance beside us on her horse. Tillie was back in our cart, sleeping with Zoie, her night terrors long gone.

We'd gotten them both back, Mark in a wagon surrounded by our soldiers, the girls and boys that he'd forced to work for him sitting in wagons and on horses, some walking. Lance hadn't said anything about his sister, I assumed that he hadn't seen her yet.

"How do you think Tina's doing at the palace?" My sister asked, trotting up so she could look at me,

"She's the most organized out of all of us, I'm sure she's fine."

Kirklyn was tracing a finger over the lines on a map, trying to figure out where we were,

"Tillie need proper treatment for her injuries, and she probably hasn't eaten in a while, Zoie could use a check-up too," he said, glancing back at the two girls, still asleep and holding each other close, "not to mention all the people that will need homes,"

He kept talking, but I didn't hear him. Instead, I felt something cold brush against my head, but it wasn't my own wind.

"Did you feel that?" I asked, passing the reins to Kirklyn, looking around,

"Feel what?" He asked, crumpling the map behind him as the cold brushed by me again. I stood up and opened my wings, flying toward it, Kirklyn calling after me, but I had to know.

I landed by a small creek, surprised to find it frozen, even more, surprised to find ice coating the plants around it. Ice scattered around it and looking like broken glass.

"Hello?" I asked, excited to finally meet another Ice Phoenix,

The only warning was a cracking branch, luckily I blocked the flying icicle that was thrown at my neck. I walked to where it came from, shocked to find the owner curled into themselves,

"Please, don't hurt me." They whispered, flinching away from me as I knelt down to them,

"Hey, it's okay. I'm like you, see?" I said, making a small snowstorm swirl in my hand, they looked up, and I felt a sharp pain in my chest when I realized how young they were,

"You're just a kid."

Those bastards sent kids to the Island.

"What's your name?" I asked holding my hand out to pull them up,

"Lily, I'm Lily"

"Well Lily, why don't you stand up, and I'll take you to my friends," she nodded, grabbing my hand and standing, her wings sparkling in the sun, shaped like a butterfly,

"I like your wings," she said, grazing a finger over the jagged spikes,

"Yours are beautiful, I like the shape of them." We walked into the clearing, I was still holding her hand, "do you know how to fly?" Lily nodded, our wings opened as we soared back to the wagons, Kirklyn still looking for me, spotting me and waving.

We landed, Kirklyn instantly hugging me,

"I thought you weren't coming back, don't ever do that again." I kissed his forehead, still holding Lily's hand.

"Zain, you have a child attached to you," Hanna said, clearly confused about where she came from.

"This is Lily, she's an Ice Phoenix, that's how I found her."

"She's a kid!" Kirklyn exclaimed,

"I'm nine," Lily stuck her tongue out, making me snort. She reminded me of Hanna when we were younger.

We decided that she could sit in the back of the wagon with Zoie and Tillie, who was still asleep, so she went to the other side. When we started riding, she saw me get rid of my wings and asked how,

"Just think about it, then think about bringing them back."

A tiny gasp told me she did it, followed by excited giggling. Zoie woke up, gently nudging Tillie awake, startled by Lily's sudden appearance.

"What is it?" Tillie asked, grumbling and curling into her,

"Max's sister."

Tillie shot up, wincing as she stretched the stitches on her back.

"Tillie!" Lily cried, jumping into her arms, "What happened? You have horns! And wings! I have wings too, see?" She made her wings appear, and Tillie turned to face me, worry flickering in her eyes.

"How did you get here Lily?"

"This strange lady told our school we were going on a field trip. They gave us this medicine in a needle, and I woke up here."

One of the soldiers up front shouted they could see the wall, and Tillie scrambled up to see it, a wide smile spreading across her face as she saw the farms, even wider as we drove up to the gate, the tow bustling in the late afternoon, so we took the back route, the rest of the caravan taking the normal way in. The guards at the back door bowed deeply when Tillie came into view, welcoming her back and opening the doors as she nodded her thanks at them.

Tina was standing in the back of the stables, along with Cassidy, who had trays of food ready.

"Cassidy!" Lily cried, running toward her and jumping into her sister's arms, showing off her wings and powers while Tina walked to me and Hanna, food in her hands,

"Did you get her?" She asked before Tillie got out of the wagons, an arm wrapped around Zoie, who helped her walk over to us, Kirklyn close behind.

"Oh. You got Zoie too." She said as Tillie sat on a bench to eagerly eat the food Cassidy brought, Zoie also taking a tray.

When was the last time they ate?

Kirklyn walked up and gripped my hand, Hanna explaining as she walked by to tie up her horse, making Kirklyns face turn slightly red.

"Zoie and Tillie need a check-up before anything else, Tillie was whipped." He said, glancing at the two girls who'd finished their food and started talking to each other in the calm way they had since waking up.