Fear Among The Shadows

Chapter XXI - Fire and Ruin

Flawless.

No other word could describe the majestic creature standing before them. It was the size of an eagle, maybe slightly larger, with a plumage that shone like fire. Its feathers were a golden orange that put the sunset to shame, scattered with soft, warm red, making it look like a living, breathing flame. Its tail was almost as long as its body, the feathers large and looked as soft as a cloud. It had a long neck, like a swan's, with one or two feathers trailing down from the top of its head. It stared at them with eyes both kind and fierce, compassionate and wise, and for a moment none of them knew what to do in the face of such unbending perfection.

Until Jonathan made to approach the beautiful bird and, so fast it looked as though the sun had sent down one of its beams, it snapped at the air in front of him, a clear warning not to step any closer. It knew what they had come for.

Without moving, Davian whispered,

"What do we do now?"

"It is still young." Eddie said, "It is still years away from dying."

"And what are we supposed to do? Wait?" asked Callum, annoyed.

"No," Davian looked to one of the soldiers, "Ryder, you have your bow?"

The soldier, who was standing behind Letitia, unslung his bow and pulled an arrow from his quiver, immediately understanding Davian's orders. Eddie's face was tight; he knew this was not right but there was nothing he could do. The soldier, Ryder, prepared for the shot. Suddenly, the phoenix flapped it wings, making its beautiful call, only this time meant as a warning, not a melody. The sound reverberated through the ruins, reaching up into the sky and washing over all of them. Even though it was a warning, it still sounded like the most wondrous thing they'd ever heard. Ryder faltered and lowered his bow, unsure whether or not to continue. He looked at Davian.

"Wait," Jonathan whispered, "it'll fly off. Lower your weapon."

None of them knew what to do. Adilah was still staring at the creature, enthralled by its captivating appearance when the phoenix turned its gaze to her.

And everything inside her vanished.

For a moment, she was not in the Ruins of Ladth, or even west of the Forest, or even on Ryev. She was not even Adilah. She felt the phoenix's soul wash over every part of her being; it dissolved in her blood, easing away the aches of the past couple of days; it encased her mind, sorting through her thoughts and quieting the jumbled mess that had been present since she'd left her family behind; it blanketed her heart, lifting all the pain of losing Eric and all other sufferings. Without realizing what she was doing, she walked towards the phoenix.

"Adilah!" Eddie hissed.

"Stop her!"

Davian held Jonathan's arm before he could pull her back and gestured for him to look. The phoenix wasn't attacking her. It was allowing her to approach. Almost without thinking, Adilah turned, giving it her back and the bird quickly used its glittering, gold, sharp beak to cut through her bindings. Adilah turned back and put out her arm and the phoenix came to rest upon her forearm. She didn't seem to notice its claws digging into her arm. In fact, all she could see, all she could feel was this creature filling up every part of her body, overwhelming her senses. She felt as though they were one.

Why? My dear reader, why did the phoenix choose her? What did it see inside her soul that pulled it to her? I know much, my friend, I know the past they all hid, the future they held but even I could not delve into the phoenix's mind to find these answers.

Jonathan was just as stunned as the rest of them at Adilah and the phoenix's strange behavior. Absentmindedly, he wondered if that had anything to do with the unnatural aura all of them could feel coming from her. But, his conversation with Davian was still fresh in his mind.