Courting the Phoenix (5 page)

Tali was sobbing uncontrollably.

“Its fine, Tali. You couldn’t have known.” Her mouth was dry and her head ached. Tali had always been more charitable toward their father. She had been his favourite.

“I should have. The timing was stupidly obvious.”

“How is Mom?”

“Still asleep.”

“Wake her up.”

“How?”

“Air. Send a column of air through her lungs. She will wake up for that.”

“Right.” Tali knelt, and soon, Andora was sitting upright.

“Cut off the air, Tali.”

Talinora blinked. “I am not doing it, Elly.”

Elly closed her eyes as tendrils of air came toward her. She knew that magic.

With concentration, she picked the lock to her cell and it swung open. “Stay here where it is safe. I am going to have that father-daughter chat.”

Andora scowled. “You shouldn’t face him alone.”

“Fine. You pick that lock with a whistle, and I will be happy when you arrive.”

Elly walked through the halls, following the air magic. When she made it out of the maze, she was in the centre of an arena filled with scowling faces and a central dais. “Hello, Garth.”

“Eilinora. You are looking well.”

She walked toward him, the sand under her feet made her aware that she was wearing her sleep shirt with the howling wolf on it and nothing else under it. Her father’s involvement explained how the kidnappers got past the wolves; they simply teleported into their house. “If you wanted to see me, you could have called.”

Garth Dyanhart got to his feet and came toward her. “I wasn’t sure you would speak to me. You always did take your mother’s side of things.”

She crossed her arms and watched him come. “You are an asshat who preyed on Andora’s good nature and who trapped her in an endless cycle of providing you with money. Very tacky, Garth.”

“I had obligations and I needed my family where I could find them when this was all over. I never guessed that the phoenix had come to reside in my own daughter.” Garth reached out to touch her shoulder, and she shifted to one side.

When he lunged forward, she blasted him back with a column of air that carried him into the air and down to the sand with a thud.

Muttering went through the crowd of hundreds in a wave.

In her pyjamas, she stood and waited for her father to get to his feet.

He staggered upright, and she saw the features so similar to her own twisted in rage. He struck out at her with his magic, and she deflected it easily. He fired at her over and over again, and each attack was simply turned to the side.

“What are you trying to accomplish, Garth?”

“I want you on your knees.”

“Oh, that isn’t going to happen.” She wrapped a column air around him and pulled him to his knees. She heard a chirp from above, and to her surprise, her pixie fluttered around her head before disappearing.

The distraction let her father get one leg under him, but she quickly pulled him back into position.

“Now, tell me what I am doing here.”

The crowd shifted, and she was tired of it. She stole their air, and one by one, they dropped to the ground.

“How did you do that?” He was both fascinated and horrified.

“I have good self-control, and I know how to use my element. I would have thought you would have known that, being a concerned father and all.”

“I…there were greater matters at hand.”

“Like what?”

“The phoenix was coming.”

“I was already there before you left. You just slunk away in such a cowardly manner that I was never able to tell you.”

His cheeks darkened. “Can you release me?”

“Yes, I could. I am not going to.” She asked, “Why does this society fear the coming of the phoenix?”

“You will destroy one race. It has happened before.”

“Oh, you mean the island of Hualo when the phoenix lit a volcano that wiped out the only volcano goblins? That was the only evidence of an entire race being extinguished.”

“How do you know that?” He scowled. Fanatics hated being called on details.

“The dragons and phoenixes have kept records, charts, books, scrolls. They were all very literate. The joining has caused tectonic reactions, weather fluctuations and some forest fires. It is always an unpredictable moment, but what you are actually seeing in your histories was not the joining.”

Garth struggled in her grip. “What was it then?”

She felt the reaction start on her body. “Why, it was the true coming of the phoenix. It is about to start here and now. I hope this ground is stable, because there is no holding it at bay.”

“What?”

“The fire is burning me, inside out. I had a plan to bring it safely into our world, but you have screwed that over and the stress is pushing on me. Either I let it take over or it will burn everyone here to ash. I would recommend you begin an orderly evacuation when everyone wakes up.”

The flames started between her toes and licked up her legs. To her surprise, portals opened around the arena and dragons in half-shifted form came through. Solid black and gleaming with the charm of obsidian, Terric landed in front of her.

She released Garth. “Terric, this is Garth Dyanhart, my father and the chief jackass of this society. I would go more in-depth, but I have caught fire and I am going to be here for a while. Oh, and my mother and sister are down below, can you get the somewhere safe?”

“Of course, beloved.”

She smiled, knowing that he would take care of it. “Then, love, I will see you on the other side.”

He kissed her and backed away as the fire came up her body, burning away her nightdress and leaving her clothed in fire.
Showtime.

She paced in a circle for the first hour. Elly kept herself calm by using the same breathing exercises she used while learning air magic.

Dragons evacuated the arena, and a few trolls appeared to take members into custody.

It was strange to watch everything through the white and blue flames. She had always thought that a phoenix would have hot-coloured flames. Hers were in the cold range, which meant they burned hotter, but it felt weird.

Once her sister and mother were safe, Terric returned, and he shifted to full dragon, curling up around the exterior of the arena and waiting.

During hour two, she felt the fire turn inward, her belly warmed, her heart pounded and her lungs heaved.

Hour three changed her hair and nails to a deep blue and silver. Hour four, she felt power stream through her limbs, and she stretched her arms out and let the fire roar in a vortex.

When the fire finished its work of building on her new body, she tried it on. The feathers of fire felt right.

She wandered over to Terric and climbed on his back. He took the hint and propelled them into the sky.

She clutched the scales and hide with her claws. When he completed his climb, she stretched out her wings and called the air.

She released her grip and flew, at first tumbling end over end before she got the rhythm of flight.

Terric flew alongside her, stroke for stroke. When she gained altitude, he came to her and tangled his claws with hers before he joined their bodies. They fell together, locked in an intimate embrace until a burst of energy shook the heavens.

They parted a hundred metres from the ground, and their wings carried them up and away from the ocean beneath them.

It seemed the society had the good sense to put their headquarters on an island, which meant there was little chance that the first dance of the dragon and the phoenix had been seen.

To her surprise, he brought her to Hotel Spectre.

They arrived on the grounds and attendants came out with robes and wraps for them. It was nice to be in a place that knew how to treat a shifter.

Elly staggered when she was back on human feet. For a while, she didn’t think she could do it. “Well, I have never dive-bombed a Japanese fishing vessel before, but I guess there is a first for everything.”

“You have just reawakened the myth of the phoenix. Congratulations.” He chuckled and put his arm around her.

“I guess I should have used a concealment charm, right?” It was a standard charm that all flying shifters learned. She had never needed to know it before.

“Yes, but that can come in time. I can teach you.”

She shook her hair over one shoulder, and sure enough, she had navy blue replacing her normal locks. Silver streaks ran through it but in horizontal waves, not vertical.

“Do I look horrible?”

“You look beautiful, Elly. Now, let’s sign in.”

The desk was well attended, and the moment that Terric appeared, they nodded briskly. “Lord Dragon. Welcome once again to Hotel Spectre.”

“Thank you. This is the Lady Phoenix. She will be sharing quarters with me.”

“Of course.” The attendant nodded briskly and handed a book over to Terric. “Sign in please.”

Terric signed in and handed the book to Elly. When she signed, the letters reformed and changed into a glittering blue silver.
Lady Phoenix
– Eilinora Dyanhart.

They were given their room keys, and the request to be notified when Mistress Galfor arrived was filed. Terric escorted her to the elevator and up to their floor.

She was nervous. Their mythical bodies may have had a moment in the sky, but Elly had never been this close to a male with only a thin layer of fabric between them.

Once they were in the opulent suite, he turned to her. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine. A little naked but otherwise fine. Did we already…”

“No, not quite. We mingled magics, for lack of a better term. That just happened to take place over the ocean.”

“Oh. Good. I would hate to think that we had sex and I didn’t know.” She tried to keep a straight face, but she giggled at his expression.

He wrinkled his nose and closed the distance between them. “I promise you will be aware of it when it happens.”

She kissed him quickly, wrapping her arms around him; the feeling of being unfettered by clothing beyond the robes was a sensual treat in itself.

He had just slid his hand to her collarbone and was beginning to part her robe when there was a knock at the door.

“I ordered something for you. The first shift is hell on the system.”

Elly laughed, “You have a thing for food.”

“A well-fed dragon need never raid a village. That is what my mother always said. Of course, she died raiding a village.” He shrugged and opened the door, inviting in the invisible delivery personnel of the hotel.

Elly had stayed at the hotel before, but having ghosts with enough power for table service was quite a feat. The management of the hotel was exceptionally powerful.

When the table in the suite had the contents of the cart, the delivery staff whisked themselves and the cart out the door.

The scent of food pulled her to the dining table, and she grinned when she saw the football-style feast. Wings, pizza, nachos, a vegetable platter and soda took up the table.

“Wow. This is impressive.”

“I thought you would enjoy something a bit more casual today. If Mistress Galfor arrives, this might be your only chance at a filling meal. Get eating.”

“Yes, Terric the Black, lord of all dragons, the dragon.” She rattled off as many titles as she knew.

“I am also lord of the stones, minister of shadows and walker between worlds.”

“Fancy.” She picked up a slice of pizza in one hand and a chicken wing in the other.

“Indeed. I have a question for you. Well, several questions. The first is do you know that pixie?”

“Sure, she keeps following me around, ever since my cousin’s wedding. She pops up now and then, but she seems very friendly.”

“That she is. She led us to you and gave us entry coordinates so we wouldn’t smash together. Very smart little creature.”

“Well, she is a Nexus creation, and the Nexus made them all different. Perhaps this little one just decided that it liked me.”

“It does that. She was very panicked until we said we would follow.”

As if thinking about her summoned her, the pixie popped into the air next to Elly, and immediately, she wrapped herself in the newly blue hair making happy noises.

“That settles that. What was the other question?”

“Oh, how did you gain control of the arena?”

“I took their air. All of it. I gave them just enough to keep them alive, but I drained most of the oxygen out of it. I am or was an air mage, after all.”

“But why couldn’t your father subdue you?”

“Because he learned enough to be a bully and stopped. I learned what I needed for control and kept going.”

“Excellent. Your father will be up on trial, but as you were their sole target and they weren’t able to capture you properly, I believe he will be let go.”

“Well, I am going to force him into divorcing mom so she can get on with her life. It should only take a little bit of torture to get him to agree.”

She continued to mutter and eat, but by the time she had scrubbed her hands, washed her face and flossed, Mistress Galfor was at the door, ready for battle.

Three weeks later, Elly was ready to leave her mother’s home and join with Terric officially. She was set to begin running the corporate-training branch of Black Dragon Enterprises, and her department was increasing the ability of paranormals to blend in with humans. The business plan would kick in right after the honeymoon.

She refused to share Terric’s bed out of formalized mating. Of course, their animal forms could still engage in some mid-flight interaction but that was an instinct. They were drawn to each other in their flying forms. She could hold onto her self-control as a human…barely.

Mistress Galfor had pulled out all the stops. Elly had a full trousseau of fireproof clothing, including her wedding gown. With the Nexus’s wedding in the past, there was plenty of time for Galfor to put her four arms to work.

Hotel Spectre was honoured to be hosting the nuptials. They had arranged the catering, the transport and the music for a party that happened only once in several lifetimes.