Courting the Phoenix (2 page)

She was wearing a flame red gown with silver and gold trim tonight. As she strode off to the edges of the party, she sighed mentally. The dress was going to be a write-off.

Terric was near, and with every step, her connection to him grew closer until she entered a copse of trees and found the clearing where Terric was being held.

Overkill seemed to be the wisest course of action for them. Terric was wearing piles of chains and crystals and medallions of confinement were everywhere.

Three elf guards were watching the woods.

Wow. This is going to be tricky.

Terric’s head came up, and he cast a quick glance in her direction. They may not be linked yet, but he could sense her now.

The creepy elf had threatened him but not her family. As head of the dragons, Terric had plenty of folk who could come to his rescue, but no one knew that he was in trouble.

Elly concentrated and sent a coil of air under one of the medallions. It quivered and slowly lifted up and away from Terric.

She set it down behind him, checked to see if the guards had caught on and went back in for a second crystal.

The elves looked her way when one of her air columns got too close to their legs. She concentrated on thinking breezy thoughts and sent a curl of air past them from the other direction. Using air magic this precisely was exhausting, but she only had two more charms to go.

The elves were starting sweeps to find her, so she timed herself and rolled past them and into the area they had just scanned. She bit her lip as she felt her dress give way.
Damn
.

Elly teased and untangled the last two amulets. She was wiped out.

Terric tested the chains, and instead of snapping them, the metal heated and melted away from him. With a crack like lightning, Terric’s wings came out of his back, and he got to his feet.

The elves threw spells, and Elly kept her head down. In a few seconds, the guards were on their faces or backs.

When the coast was clear, she got to her feet and approached him.

He stepped toward her. “Eilinora, why did you come?”

She extended her hand to his, and he brought it to his lips for a lingering kiss.

“I didn’t want to turn myself in on your behalf. I do apologize.”

“I am a little upset that you have risked yourself, but I thank you for your efforts.”

“Well, you haven’t begun your courtship, and I would not deprive myself of something to look forward to.” She grinned.

“Shall we join the party?” He smiled.

“Yes, and while we do, you should explain to me how they got the jump on you to begin with.”

He wrapped her in his arms and his wings flared out. With a tremendous shove of his legs, they were airborne and Elly was holding on for dear life.

She was surprised by how far she had walked in her heels. With him flying them, they landed at the edge of the party in moments.

“You wore red today.”

“It is a colour of celebration.” She smirked. “Now that I know you are watching, I will be avoiding your colours for a while.”

“Why? I like you in my colours.”

She chuckled, “Because you have not won me over to your side.”

“So, you are going to make me work for this?”

“Of course. Nothing worthwhile is not worth winning through hard work.” Elly smiled, “My grandmother was good with sayings but always made them longer than they had to be.”

“I can see that.” He took her hand and escorted her back into the throng.

She imagined that they made quite the image. He was wearing the scuffs and grime from a fight and she was in a grass-stained gown with a rip over the hip.

The elf from earlier was nowhere to be seen as Terric returned her to her family.

“Lord Terric, I see you have found Elly. Thank you for returning her to us.” Her mother smiled and invited him to sit.

“She has found me, and I would like to take this opportunity to ask you for permission to call upon her.”

Elly watched her mother carefully, and when she nodded nervously, Elly sat back with a sigh of relief. It wasn’t like she would refuse Terric, but there was always a chance.

Her sister sat with her mouth open, “But why?”

Terric grinned, “Because I have been looking for her all my life, and now that I have found her, she is not getting away.”

It would sound sinister to anyone else’s ears, but to Elly, it was the sweetest sentence she had ever heard. Her dragon was coming courting.

They swayed together on the dance floor. “So, who do you think it was?”

He leaned down until he was whispering in her ear. “I know who it was or rather the organization they belong to. Many magical folk believe that in the time of the Nexus, if the dragon and phoenix get together, it will mean the death of an entire magical species.”

“What?”

“It is our version of a doomsday cult. The dragon and phoenix get together so infrequently, there are bound to be some myths and legends about them.”

She chuckled. “I haven’t been able to do as much research as I would like to. There isn’t much that I could access without sending up warning flags.”

“I have some books and scrolls you can borrow. They show the histories of couples past.”

Elly blushed at the idea of being part of a couple. “I would like to read them.”

“Then, you shall have them. So, what do you do with your days?”

“I teach public speaking to corporate representatives.”

He blinked. “That is not what I expected you to say.”

“Why?”

“It seems such a mundane task for you. I had imagined you reigning as queen over an empire.”

She laughed. “Not these days. I enjoy helping folks get over their fears and making their point. I have taught doctors, lawyers, educators, and each one has come out of it with more confidence in their speaking abilities than before they started.”

He swirled her around, his wings forcing the other dancers to give them plenty of space.

“Do you think that the organization is going to try again?”

“I believe they will. Do not worry. This courtship will proceed at your pace, but know that I am not leaving you unprotected. You will have guards around you at all times.”

She stopped, and he paused with a curious expression.

“You are not going to put guards on me.”

“Not on you, near you. I want you safe, and while I can handle attacks on my person, I cannot abide the idea of you being in danger.”

Elly poked him in the chest with two fingers, and he stepped back. His tux was scorched where she had struck him. “I am not the one who had to be rescued in the woods.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Not my finest hour.”

“How did they get you?”

He put his arm around her waist and escorted her to a table in the prime seating of the reception.

She was surrounded by creatures. The Minotaur, gorgons and other mythical shifters were sitting at a variety of tables and socializing.

Terric sat her at a table full of dragons, and she felt right at home. “Gentlemen, this is Eilinora Dyanhart. Eilinora, this is Weller, Argus, McNaro and Dorwin. They are the dragon elders. Well, they are the eldest next to me.”

Dorwin grinned, showing sharp fangs. “Don’t mention your age, Terric. There is nothing like the reminder that you have lived beyond the lifespans of their great grandparents to send women of this generation screaming.”

“I am made of sterner stuff.” She grinned. “I know he is ancient and decrepit.”

Terric snorted and fire shot out of his nose.

“That is the weirdest thing.”

Argus leaned forward, and his crimson hair swung in a long sheet. “If you think that breathing fire is strange, wait until the wedding night.”

Elly’s cheeks pinked at the mention of a wedding night. “It is a little early to be thinking along those lines.”

The dragons at the table laughed. Those with wings out flared them.

Terric sighed, “They laugh because there is only one person you could be and because I have been thinking along those lines since I knew you walked the world.”

“Ah. So, they all know?”

“That you are the phoenix or that I think you are? Yes. Does that bother you?”

She shrugged. “I have spent enough time hiding, I suppose I have to change gears and start planning to be in the light.”

The moon was bright and a tiny piece of starlight fluttered in and landed on her shoulder. It was the pixie again. She chirped and started pulling grass and leaves out of Elly’s hair.

“You have been adopted, it seems.” McNaro’s voice was thick with a heavy accent.

Elly smiled. “At least there is someone here to tell me that I have grass in my hair.”

The men looked at each other. Terric laughed. “We didn’t notice.”

She sat while the little creature groomed her and listened to the voices surrounding her. Mages rarely poked their noses into creature gatherings.

It was just like being at a mage table but everyone was taller and much, much scarier.

When her little pixie friend hopped on the table and began to shove a goblet of water at her, Elly took the hint and hand something to drink. It had been a while and she was quite thirsty.

While the dragons chatted, she looked around. She was getting a little bored, and in her state of exhaustion, it was very dangerous. Elly nodded forward and jerked in surprise as she caught herself. She gripped the table and smoke suddenly appeared.

“Oops. Sorry. I am a little tired.”

Terric winced. “I apologize; I should have realized that you would be tired from your exertions.”

She shrugged and he rose to his feet, making polite goodbyes to the other dragons.

Elly turned back as he escorted her to her family’s table. The dragons were examining the scorch marks she had left, and Dorwin and McNaro were tasting the char with tongues that flicked out a solid six inches. Elly blinked back a wicked smile and kept hold of Terric’s arm.

The table was empty, and a quick check of the area rendered the inevitable conclusion. The Dyanharts were gone.

“I think I am going to have to find my own way home.”

“I will take you.”

She blinked. “Uh, I can find a cab or a relatively sober transporter.”

“It is not necessary. I can fly you home through stone.”

That didn’t sound good at all. “I beg your pardon?”

“Do you trust me?”

She thought about it. “I suppose I do. I am guessing that I always will.”

“Then, hold tight.”

He lifted her, bent his legs and took off, his wings beating heavily away from the fading reception and toward the largest block of rock he could find.

Elly shivered uncontrollably when they emerged near her home. “That is not a way I enjoy travelling.”

He squeezed her tight as he landed in her family’s yard. “It takes getting used to.”

She swallowed and squirmed to be put down. “I think I am going to hurl.”

He eased her to the ground but held her tight. With a look of focus, he blew a column of smoke into her face.

She should have coughed, but instead, she inhaled a vapour that sent off the nausea, stabilising her limbs. “What was that?”

“Ancient dragon secret. You are not the first maiden who has not enjoyed a trip through the rocks.” He winked. “There is a reason that my kind are rarely caught, and now, you know it.”

“Rocks to rocks. I just wish you had warned me that the first deposit was underground. The dive nearly gave me a coronary.”

He smiled. “You are home now, safe and sound. I will see you to your door and set about contacting a guard for you.”

“Using more dragon secrets?”

He delved into his pocket and pulled out a small object. “I thought I would use a cell phone.”

She grinned and fished her house key out of her handbag before going up on her toes and kissing Terric briefly. Sparks flared between them as he wrapped an arm around her and held her tight. Her skin got hot and the fabric between them started to smoulder.

It may have gone further, but her mother flicked the outdoor lights on and off. It was time to back away. She kissed him once more and then sighed. “I have to work tomorrow, but I am guessing I will hear from you soon. I expect to be swept off my feet in the figurative sense.”

He grinned and inclined his head. He watched her until she was safely inside.

With her hand pressed to the interior doorframe, she whispered, “Good night, Terric.”

She heard his voice answer, “Good night, Eilinora.”

* * * *

“So, you mean to tell me that you had her in your arms and you let her go? Why didn’t you use the seduction charm?” The leader of the Reckoning Society shouted.

Rihadu bowed. “She was impervious to the charm. The scent had no effect on her; it was as if it simply didn’t register.”

The room was full of representatives from all the races. They were concerned that the combination of magic from the Nexus combined with the dragon and phoenix reuniting would cause a cataclysm that would end the world or at least one species entirely.

“And, you, how did the dragon get out of your grasp?”

The three elves who had been watching the woods winced. One of them spoke up, “We didn’t know she could command wind. She took the charms off him from a distance.”

The leader sighed and rubbed at his forehead. “She has been raised as an air mage. She can control wind. Make a note of it.”

The elves bowed again and cleared the space in front of the leader’s chair.

The leader rubbed his forehead again and wondered,
How could one insignificant girl be the terror they had been waiting for, and what was stopping her transformation?

It was the sort of thing that kept him up at night.

The alarm came far too early, but Elly hauled herself out of bed and stomped to the shower. A brisk blast of water and she was partially awake.

Out of the shower, she dried off in a column of air, adding a little heat to it. That was a mistake; the heat almost knocked her out again.

Elly made her way back to her room and got dressed for work. Many of the people had stayed at the hotel the night before, but Elly and her family had normal jobs in the human world. With three ladies in the house, they had to make a living.