The Phoenix's Fire

Chapter 12

Core:

My arms were wrapped around Carena's waist, hanging on for dear life. We are, at least, seventy feet from the ground and every time I glance it felt nauseating.

"How can you do this?" I asked, my voice muffled by her coat.

She glanced back at me with a weary smile, "I can fly with my air magic. This is nothing."

Aurum vulted a sharp left and my stomach dropped. Carena laugh. I poked my finger in her side and she yelped. I did it again and she yelped again.

"Are you're sides ticklish?" I asked her.

She elbowed me in the gut. "I am not."

I laughed, "You are a horrible liar."

Aurum huffed his agreement, "You keep saying that." He barked at Carena.

She flicked one of his growing horns. Unlike the body, Aurum's horns were only an inch long and growing so slowly. Aurum shook his head. His way of waving off Carena's hand. My heart twists and I have to catch my breath.

Carena looked back at me concern written all over her face, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." I muster out, "I'm fine."

She looked disbelieving but didn't push. She never pushed anyone to say anything until they were ready. Not me or Avol or Aku or... Sain. We always went to her though. We went to her to tell secrets we would never tell anyone else.

"I wish I still had Avar." I whispered to her and risked a glance below. I saw Kuma bounding at full speed next to Avol's stallion.

Carena waited a moment before speaking, "Why did you never ask for another beast?"

"I thought about it." I admitted, "I loved Avar. He was the best and I knew deep in my heart that Avar would have been alright with me getting another beast. I just couldn't. I was afraid. Afraid that the same thing would happen to my next beast. No beast should be torched in that way."

Carena brushed her hand over mine and I looked up. I didn't realize I was still staring at Kuma, hundreds of feet below. Her expression was the same as Phoenix's. The gentle understanding eyes. The loving smile that I had never been given before.

"It wasn't your fault." She disagreed.

I look away again, "It was. I left him in the library that day. I was meeting a girl. Not Sabrena. The person I was then would never have even looked once at her. She is cruel and mean and hated animals with a passion all on its own. No, this girl was sweet and kind. She had barely survived the venom and was getting bullied out of her mind. I liked her. She would always say nice things to others, no matter who they are. She was soft spoken and shy. I left Avar in the library to chase after her when Sabrena bitched at her." My breathing hitched, "I came back to an absent Avar and thought nothing of it. I thought he went back to our room. It was before Avol was gathering a circle. That's when I saw what happened."

I closed my eyes and rested my head on Carena's back, "They had strong him up like a piece of meat at the botchers. There was so much blood. So much. A boy was there smiling like he had just been give a toy. When he saw me his smile widened and said, 'You like what I've done? Better than any pelt.' I snapped. That boy snapped all that was left of my deasesy. I beat him until he was a bloody pulp. He screamed and whimpered and told me all the names of the people who helped. I killed him than and left him there. Than over the next week I hunted down each person who did it and killed them, one by one, leaving them in the exact same spot each time. Right under where, Avar was strung up. Each one told me whose idea it was. Two people had the idea. Sabrena and, what most called, her devil. I went after the devil. He was smarter than the others but fell just the same. But by that time, the teachers were all looking for me. Or the killer. Avol caught me. I was shoving a blade through the devils ribs just grazing his artery when Avol yelled out and surprised me. I hit the devils artery."