《Where the Ashes are Kept》 Chapter 1: Rise from Your Ashen Womb The sky cracked as the forest below was caught up in a living blaze. The lightning bolts held a field of sentient energy that ceased the flames below. The armies on both sides saw their gods clash, and understood that the legends they heard did not do justice to them. In a burst of fire which blew the trees flat, the Phoenix forced her old enemy into a form of flesh and split the storm above. The spurs of the flaming bird whose crest reached to the tops of where the forest once stood cut into the flesh of the Fulminavis; each of its cries shook the earth below them. The people below only saw a bright light among the black clouds, then a singular flash that filled the air with the scent of ozone for miles. The Fulminates fled, fearful of the Immortal God of Flame. The Fenixians cheered, their battle cry drowned out by their god¡¯s crowing. When the enemy army was out of sight, she finally let herself rest. The battle was hard fought, and not without cost. Her burning blood set the blackened trees to cinder as she laid in a hastily made roost. The immortality which she had been known for had reached its limits, and she closed her eyes for the last time. Each was their own daughter, each was the beginning and end of their bloodline, a species of one who was many. The Fenixians came to find their dying god. Each drop of blood reduced trees to ashes, yet the area was cold. Her absorption of heat wasn¡¯t enough to maintain her any longer, perhaps another forest would be enough she thought, but that was nothing but wishful thinking. The men cried out, praying for her safety. In the three hundred years of life which was granted to the majestic creature, she had come to deeply love the humans that she watched over, and she felt remorse at leaving them to her child. Yet still, she also understood that she must leave a child for them, they were so fragile, they needed a guardian, a watchful eye. Her body shrank as she cooed, leaving a black egg and a mountain of ashes. They camped out around the corpse of their god; it was still much too hot to bring back. There was much weeping from the soldiers, yet Pyren, High Priest of the Phoenix, remained dry eyed. His skin was smooth as a newborn despite his long white hair, he was after all the closest friend of their god. ¡°General Pyris, have the men break down their carts, bring anything flammable really.¡± ¡°The men are tired, the carts will be needed to carry the wounded.¡± ¡°Please.¡± The general could only sigh and listen to his old friend. ¡°Oh, and ask my grandson to come here, bring his alcohols.¡± The general yelled out his orders, and the men went to work with confusion. It took the entire afternoon, but there was now a giant pile of lumber next to the priest. ¡°Start throwing everything at the egg.¡± ¡°A funeral pyre?¡± ¡°Something of that sort.¡± The general once more shook his head and gave the order. The timber caught quickly, yet the flames did not rise high into the sky, rather, they began to sway in and out, then swirled as they were pulled into the ashes. The men looked on in amazement at the life that remained even in their dead god. Centuries had passed, not even the priest at 146 years of age had seen the supposed rebirth of a Phoenix, yet he had read the scrolls left by his forefathers, and understood the process. Had she died in a forest not already ravaged, it would¡¯ve been set ablaze to feed the child, so he had to make do with what he could. There was another crying, not out of joy at the signs of divinity, but of worldly loss. ¡°Soldier, please smack my grandson across the back of his head.¡± The man did as asked without question. ¡°Ow. What was that for?¡± ¡°Stop your whinging over wines and whiskeys.¡± ¡°Some of those bottles are worth-¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Alcohol dulls the mind and weakens the spirit.¡± The young man maintained his whine, and his grandfather shook his head. ¡°Within each flame, your parents watch on, do not let them see you like this.¡± The entire group sat in silence, watching as nearly everything they had burned to ash. In the morning, they ran out of wood, paper, alcohol, and spare clothes. ¡°General, pull up the tents and burn them.¡± ¡°Are you-¡± He stopped himself when the old man handed over his walking stick to be tossed into the pyre. ¡°Hold faith.¡± He sighed and gave the order. Pyren sat there on the ground, giving up the stump he sat on as well. Night fell, and there was little change, the pile of ashes had somewhat shrunk and darkened in color, forming a second molten shell over the egg, yet it seemed no closer to hatching. ¡°The men are growing restless. We can¡¯t even heat our pans to cook.¡± ¡°Hold faith.¡± Pyris shook his head and the men had to eat the tough dried meats meant only for emergencies, not even able to boil them in spiced broth for flavor. When dawn came for them, the shell of charcoal and ash began to crack. The men once more prayed for some sanctuary from their current predicament, yet though the cracks glowed bright white, the egg would not hatch. Pyren stroked his clean shaven face, he had cut off all of his hair the night prior to toss on the fire. ¡°Might I have a sword?¡± ¡°What for?¡± The priest said nothing more, and the general gave up his own blade to him. Pyren grabbed hold of it and made his way toward the shell. He thrust the sword inside, using it as a lever to pull apart the egg. Liquid spat forth from the opening, and Pyren¡¯s skin began to bubble and blister as it touched him. Still, the old man kept pushing and pulling, helping the life inside come out. When a large chunk finally came off, the priest fell to the ground, nobody dared move closer to the heat. Then from the opening, a new fire came out. The flames stretched far into the sky, and cawed out a warning, a new life came into existence. Yet what stepped from the black egg which stood twice as tall as the men was no larger than a chick, its down still wet from the molten embryonic fluid. It looked at the man below it dressed in thick brown robes which had been treated to protect him from fire, and it smelled something familiar. Pyren had been granted several feathers from his god, which he used to burn messages on wooden plates. She took this scent to mean that the man who once had white hair was a friend. The chick hopped down from the shell and crawled into his robe, finding the warmest spot to be his armpit. Pyris gave the order to retrieve Pyren¡¯s body, and his grandson, Flerovius, was in shock, believing that he witnessed him giving his life for the thin and ugly little creature that was supposedly their god. Yet Pyren stood on his own, his blisters fading and his skin returning to its newborn smoothness. He reached into robe and pulled out the little chick. ¡°Oh great Phoenix, I welcome your return to this world.¡± She didn¡¯t understand what he was saying, but she still squawked and flapped her nearly bare wings. The men had once more been reduced to tears, not only had they witnessed the rebirth, but Pyren began to bring the chick around to the wounded and sick, and just a touch of her divinity brought them to health once more. ¡°Now we may march home.¡± He put the god back in his robe, who nestled close to his heart, letting only her head poke out. It was three days back to their city, the last bastion of the Fenixian people; the Fulminites had pushed far into their lands. Phoenix and Fulminavis had clashed in the past and during the course of the war, yet this was an unprecedented incident where they came at one another with their full strength. ¡°We should travel through the Blackwood.¡± ¡°Without tents? Without torches? We used all of our pitch on reviving her, we¡¯d be turned around and killed in an hour.¡± ¡°Hold faith.¡± Pyris wanted to deny the order, but Pyren had not turned him wrong thus far, and going through the Blackwood would take their trip down to just another day, less if it distorted in their favor. ¡°CHANGE MARCH.¡± The Blackwood surrounded the entity of Fenix, the capital city, it was a place where day and night had no sway. If one was without light, inside or out, the forest would shift, and the wanderer would never return. ¡°Pyris, please ask them to stop.¡± ¡°HALT.¡± Everyone was already on edge, they had to walk hand in hand just to keep the forest from splitting them up. The ground shook, something was coming right at Pyren. Phoenix was granting them a light forward; despite her small size, she was like a bonfire in this place. It was moving fast, and each step came from a different direction than the last. Finally, it stopped, and barely lit up at the front was a massive snout. Her instincts, born from the strong feelings of her mother, told her that this was a friend. The serpentine wolf brought its nose to her and sniffed; Pyren held her in his hands. The inhale nearly pulled the chick into its nostrils, but all she lost was a few pieces of down. These proto-feathers became lodged in his nose, and they irritated the membrane inside the beast. It made rapid inhales, then finally sneezed. It had the sense to turn his head, otherwise the priest would be reduced to little more than gore. The sound was like thunder, and they heard the snapping of branches and the twisting of tree trunks as they were blown away. It shook its head, then sniffed again more gently. Once it had confirmed that this was the daughter of his old friend, he howled. The darkness split, and the men were granted a clear path of light directly through the spatial distorted forest. ¡°Thank you, Fenrir.¡± The wolf looked at the priest, and Phoenix roosting in his robes, then faded back into the darkness. ¡°We may begin moving again. And you may stop holding hands.¡± The priest''s words had brought them to the plains outside Fenix days before they expected, and despite how long they thought they had been walking, it was still barely past noon. Pyren asked to rest, and the men, full of renewed faith, had no issues with this. ¡°Flerovius, come.¡± ¡°Yes, grandfather?¡± ¡°I need a nap, one which has been coming for some time.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Tell Pyris that I would like logs to be gathered.¡± ¡°Do you want us to camp here? We can nearly see the city already, just over the hill we may find the walls.¡± ¡°Hold faith.¡± Pyren held her grandson¡¯s arm warmly. ¡°And do remember our duty.¡± Pyren found a patch of soft ground where he rolled up his robe and used it as a pillow. After an hour, Pyris came to wake the old man. His body was cold to the touch, the Phoenix saw no issue with taking his heat once his heart stopped beating. Chapter 2: Downy God of Dawn There was no need for Pyris to close Pyren¡¯s eyes, he passed peacefully in his sleep. ¡°FLEROVIUS.¡± The young man had taken to napping under a tree just as his grandfather had. The general had to kick him awake. He jolted awake in a panic. ¡°Take this.¡± Pyris tossed Pyren¡¯s robe at him. ¡°Grandfather¡¯s robe?¡± ¡°You are now High Priest of the Phoenix.¡± He looked at the old brown robe with confusion. ¡°He is retiring?¡± ¡°Nobody retires from that role. Put it on.¡± ¡°He¡¯s dead?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Flerovius didn¡¯t cry, he didn¡¯t whine, but he didn¡¯t accept it either, not until he knelt down and felt him. The soldiers understood why Pyren had asked for firewood, and began to construct a pyre for him. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that he wanted to be cremated out here.¡± ¡°Do you see the tree that he died under? Old and knotted, a gnarled thing.¡± ¡°What of it?¡± ¡°He met your great grandmother under that tree.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Maybe. He only told me the story once, that she and him met outside the city, near the edge of the Blackwood under an ominous tree.¡± The general had never known Pyren as a young man, he had been the wise elder since before he could swing a sword. ¡°I think that he knew he was going, and he wanted to be with her again.¡± Pyris climbed the tree, gathering a few dead branches. Yet he was not a young man anymore, he hadn¡¯t been for nearly a decade. He lost his footing on the way down and broke his leg. He was a stoic, and that meant that he would just pretend that nothing had happened even though everyone who saw him try to put weight on it knew that it was broken. The not yet old yet no longer youthful man sat down on the ground to check the damage, and the little chick hopped onto his leg. ¡°You want to help?¡± He pulled the dagger from his belt and cut open his pant leg. It was black and blue with a large lump on it where the bone had nearly punched through. Phoenix cocked her head to the side, then jumped on the lump. He winced and nearly passed out when the little bird pecked at the wound, trying and failing to hide the pain under coughs. ¡°You know how to help, don¡¯t you?¡± She looked at him, cocked her head to the side again, then went back to pecking. He wouldn¡¯t dare blaspheme against her, but he was starting to wonder if she was trying to help at all. After some time, something in her mind clicked, and she roosted on the lump, which gradually receded. Not only was Pyris¡¯s leg healed, but the calluses on his hand faded away as well and his bald patch began to regrow. ¡°FLEROVIUS.¡± The man had been kneeling at his grandfather¡¯s body, stuck in the shock of grief; he was alone again. Yet he came when called. ¡°Yes, General Pyris?¡± ¡°Take these branches, use them as the starting point for the fire.¡± ¡°I hardly know how to-¡± ¡°Then ask one of my men where it is best to set them.¡± Flerovius felt the little god picking at his leg; she knew the scent of the robe and wanted back in. Pyris and Flerovius worked together to lift the priest¡¯s body into the pyre. ¡°Please, grant him his last rites.¡± He tried to recall the words, but he wasn¡¯t certain. ¡°Before us lay the keeper of fires, the¡­ priest of¡­¡± Pyris nearly struck the boy for failing to listen to his grandfather, for shirking his duties and instead drinking away his sorrows. What a pitiable little milksop the general thought; he never knew his parents, yet he rose to the challenges of life without whining ¡°Oh Great Phoenix, your servant of mortal flesh and limited light lay before you, keeper of fires, send this soul to cinder, this priest of your flock, who has lived his life longly by your will. May he reunite in your blazing glory when the wick of our lives reaches its end, and shall we wish to burn as brightly in life as this man did.¡± The last rites did not need to be exact, but the most important part was to speak them with confidence. He hunched his shoulders in shame, this man, he should be the priest, not me, thought the young man. ¡°Flerovius, as his last living family member, please, send his soul to Inferno.¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡® Nobody handed him a flint and steel, and he aimlessly looked around for the solution, which came in the form of a chirp. He looked down and saw the chick in a pocket inside the robe, perfectly sized for it, and it looked up at him. ¡°Right.¡± He pulled it from its favorite spot and set it on the nest of dry branches gathered from the ancient tree. But minutes passed in uncomfortable silence without her lighting the fire. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. She just stood as tall as she could and began to caw at him. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± She couldn¡¯t understand him, so she just kept making loud sounds. He racked his brain, trying to remember what a newborn Phoenix ate, then finally he checked the pockets of the robe, and found a small vial, barely even a thimble of thick black pitch. He took the cap out and she hungrily shoved her head inside. Yet still, she refused to start the fire. He picked the chick back up, and thought once more about what to do. His grandfather could handle a Phoenix easily, and there were tricks to making one shoot fire. He remembered when he was a boy, and his grandfather first showed some of his duties towards their god. Flerovius rubbed Phoenix under her neck, and she spit up a ball of thick fire which burned his hand, yet most of it had fallen where it should, causing the dry branches to catch quickly. There was no gathering of ashes or bones, these things would remain where they were. Just as the forest burned by her in her battle against Fulminavis, these ashes would one day help to grow new plants, returning to the cycle of life. During the entire burning, Phoenix had rested on the chest of the priest, passively pulling in some of the heat, but she allowed the full burn before she devoured her dinner. When she stepped from the pyre, her down was much fuller, she was no longer thin and sickly looking, but a rather puffy little deity. Phoenix ran back to the robe she loved, which happened to be attached to Flerovius. ¡°It is time that we returned.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it? 140 years, and he dies in his sleep, the only witnesses are a bunch of soldiers?¡± ¡°He died peacefully in his sleep after witnessing the grandest of divine events one could hope to see, that is what we should all strive for. To die brightly does not mean to die in a blaze of glory, it means that you have kept lit the lives of those around you, that your warmth spread to them and kept their flames high. Your grandfather was the light of a hundred lives.¡± Pyris patted the young man on the shoulder and then turned to walk away, to lead his men back to their city as heroes, victors, honored warriors. The victory march was sadder than any had expected, many of the soldiers traded stories back and forth about their meeting with Pyren, yet Flerovius had few compared to Pyris. When the first sentries saw them, they rang the victory bells which played a triumphant sound that shook one''s bones. By the time the army of what was once well over 50,000 men from a half dozen cities walked through the gates, the people had prepared their flowers, orange and red marigolds that seemed like flames themselves. Though Pyris had led the army, it was Flerovius who led the parade. He held out their god in his hands, and though worry was part of rebirth, that they had returned at all was a great sign. Had the Fulminites won, had their god survived, surely these men would not walk slowly and wave. He wore his best fake smile, he was a people person, or at least people put up with him, but Flerovius felt none of the joy that he should¡¯ve felt having returned from war alive or having witnessed the death of a god and the rebirth of another; he was without family, again. There was drinking and dancing and more and more cheering when they confirmed that Fulminavis was dead, the great thunder beast had fallen by the spur of their god. It was a shame that they couldn¡¯t recover the body which, as it turned out, left no body behind. Flerovius may not have been as overjoyed as he seemed, yet he still took part in the debauchery of the festival. In the morning, he awoke in bed with a woman whose name he couldn¡¯t remember, and with a god pecking him on the nose, begging for breakfast. When he refused to wake, she began pecking at his hair, plucking and then burning it one piece at a time. He groaned awake after a time, waking his lover along with him. She began to laugh as soon as she was conscious. ¡°What?¡± She couldn¡¯t stop laughing, and instead she pointed at his chin. The chick was satisfied only after his face was nearly entirely clean shaven and his hairline was cut back a few inches. He looked like an old man, yet Phoenix looked quite satisfied sleeping in her pocket once more. ¡°YOU.¡° He balled his fist, yet she looked at him with such innocent eyes that he couldn¡¯t help but forgive her. He half groaned and half laughed as he laid back down, one leg planted on the floor. She jumped from the bedside table where he had tossed the robe and landed right on his face. ¡°Are you still hungry?¡± She made no sound, and instead roosted on his forehead. Suddenly his hangover was gone, and he had fully forgiven her for having eaten most of his hair. Since he was now awake, he decided to go to the temple. His grandfather had cared for him since his parents died a decade ago. He didn¡¯t resent the Phoenix for this, they had quickly become sick while she was away holding back Fulminavis, but he was never really the same after losing both of them at such a young age. The priestesses had mourned not their leader, for they knew he was in Inferno, the home of their god. ¡°High Priest, how wonderful to see you this morning.¡± Flerovius was confused for a moment. ¡°High Priest? Are you hungover?¡± He didn¡¯t know her name, but clearly the woman knew of him. ¡°No. I just expect my grandfather when I hear someone call out like that.¡± ¡°Yes, we all do.¡± She hadn¡¯t yet directly insulted him, but he was certain that it was coming. ¡°Are you here to look over the scrolls? To¡­ refresh your memory?¡± ¡°Do I know you?¡± He looked around at the few other priestesses, but none of them were willing to step in, each wore their scorn more openly than this woman. ¡°You don¡¯t spend enough time in the temple to know me.¡± Phoenix looked up from her pocket, and the woman held her arms in a cross pattern, right hand on left shoulder, and so on. ¡°Oh Immortal Phoenix, you bless me with your presence.¡± She held her hands out, and Phoenix jumped in them. The priestess was trembling with joy, and tears ran down her face, yet Phoenix just cocked her head to the side and then hopped back into Flerovius¡¯s pocket. ¡°I shall guide you to the scrolls.¡± He hadn¡¯t actually asked, but the woman walked away from him anyway, looking back after a few steps and ordering him to follow with her eyes. One might expect the room to be dusty and full of cobwebs, but the records room was one of the most well maintained parts of the temple, only the Phoenix Throne was better kept. ¡°Here are the scrolls related to caring for a newborn Phoenix, which I am sure you need only skim to remember the contents of. Did you know that Pyren could recite any scroll here from memory? And that he expanded the library by nearly a quarter? Ah, but of course, surely you knew that, you are his grandson after all, the High Priest of the Phoenix by blood right.¡± ¡°Did I do something to you?¡± ¡°Oh, of course not, you never did anything at all.¡± ¡°What did I do that you hold such spite for me?¡± ¡°Whatever do you mean? I am simply here to help guide you through your library, since you are the High Priest of the Phoenix. You made sure to preen her this morning, yes?¡± ¡°I¡­ I was busy, I haven¡¯t done it yet.¡± ¡°Of course, you are surely quite busy, so busy that you missed the morning message. Did you know that Pyren hadn¡¯t missed a morning message in 90 years? Even when he was away, he made sure to send letters with addresses for the day.¡± ¡°You seem to know a lot about my grandfather.¡± Her eyes and nose twitched with fury. ¡°Yes, he was a great man. I¡¯m sure you will live up to his every expectation.¡± Flerovius had never been made to cry by a woman, yet she was coming very close. He spent his day pouring over every scroll, running out on occasion to gather items from the temple. His grandfather had not just written many scrolls, but he made addendums to the ones already there, giving instructions on which things should be placed where. Each shelf, drawer, and room had been clearly marked, along with the bottles and boxes. When the sun had set, and he was nearly ready to go back to his home, the priestess from earlier placed a cup of hot hibiscus tea on the table. ¡°Thank you. But I didn¡¯t ask for tea.¡± She jolted back, twitching with anger again as she realized how she moved through routine that no longer applied.. ¡°Apologies, he drank a glass every night.¡± He took a sip, finding that it was perfectly cooled to a drinkable temperature, yet he didn¡¯t like floral teas and cringed after drinking it. Flerovius pulled a small waterskin from one of the robe pockets and poured it into the tea; she could smell the alcohol. She rushed away holding the plate so tightly that her knuckles were white. He however, barely paid attention to her leaving, instead savoring the taste of the old whiskey which was given to him as a gift for his promotion. Flerovius passed out from a bit too much savoring, but Phoenix was wide awake and chirping for food. He awoke to find himself once more with a splitting headache, yet what he didn¡¯t find was his small feathered ward. Chapter 3: Morning Message Flerovius searched the room in a panic, perhaps she had just hopped from his pocket and was looking around for something to burn. His fear rose like the flames he hoped wouldn¡¯t be coming from these records kept since before his great great grandfather. ¡°Phoenix, Phoenix, where are you?¡± He didn¡¯t want to yell, if word got out that he lost his god within a day of starting his job he¡¯d never live it down. Once every corner and shelf was checked, even a few shelves that were hidden by false bricks, places that he knew around the room and had hidden bottles of alcohol in during his youth, he went down the hall; he had never taken a second look at the hidden scrolls that he didn¡¯t remember being there when he was younger. The priestess who looked at him like a pile of pig slop was right outside the room. ¡°Is there anything I might do to assist you?¡± ¡°What? No, It¡¯s just¡­ I need to go somewhere.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m certain you are quite busy with your duties, after all, the morning message is nearly due.¡± He froze in place and gripped his head, thinking about the risks. ¡°Phoenix hopped from my pocket while I was sleeping and I don¡¯t know where she went.¡± She started walking without a word. In a boiling bird bath, Phoenix was being watched by the other priestesses. They stared at him with less venom than the day before. The oldest of them, who was 90 but didn¡¯t look a day past 60 due to the treatments by the last Phoenix, approached him. ¡°I am glad to see your sense in allowing young Caecilia to be the Henmother like Pyren would¡¯ve wanted. There was some¡­ worry, when you didn¡¯t ask us any questions about our positions here. Did he explain before his passing?¡± He looked at the elder and then to the younger woman. ¡°Hold faith, as he always said.¡± The woman gently smiled and nodded her head. ¡°Phoenix is nearly done with her bath, then Caecilia will preen her. Have you prepared a morning message?¡± He hid it well, but he was terrified about giving the address for the day. ¡°Were any letters delivered that I need to look at?¡± ¡°Yes, many of them. We¡¯ve sorted them as Pyren wanted. You are keeping his system, yes?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Despite his inclinations, Flerovius was a bright mind, and what he read the day before had kept with him. Pyren let the priestesses read each letter that was brought to him and then they sorted them. It was not by importance of the person, many times he had ignored the letters from city leaders, but by what they were requesting and why. Pyren often spent most of his day writing out these replies. In his youth, he would agonize for hours, barely getting any work done but sending back the best letters he could, but after some time he could glance over them and then write a reply without pause. Flerovius, was not his grandfather, and the mountain that had piled up while he was away on campaign with the army seemed insurmountable. ¡°Blessings of a good harvest, kind words for my grandmother, what is all this?¡± To the young man however, this system seemed to be nothing but discord. He skipped past the letters that wouldn¡¯t have taken more than a few minutes to reply to, and he instead looked at the letters from men of importance. Caecilia set a cup of tea on his desk and asked the temple guards to step outside and close the door behind them. ¡°That isn¡¯t what he would¡¯ve done. These are only kept so you can feed them to her.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t tell them that you passed out drunk. I told them that you slept in the records room because you were tired after a long day. You have no idea what you are doing, but it doesn¡¯t need to appear that way.¡± ¡°Is that why they didn''t look at me like I was a rat in their grain?¡± ¡°Do what you will, I will care for her and do the duties which you will not. This stack here, these are from people who need to be replied to. From front to back is the order of importance. Start here, this girl¡¯s handwriting shows she is young, that and the flowers she drew on the paper. Her grandmother passed recently, though she doesn¡¯t mention it here.¡± ¡°But this one is from the city councilors. And this one is from Pyris.¡± ¡°Pyren never once replied to Pyris when I was here, he would speak in person if he wanted.¡± ¡°Then why does Pyris write him?¡± ¡°If Pyris never wrote to his friend and High Priest, the people around him would question why.¡± ¡°I should at least write back to the councilors, right?¡± ¡°Only these three, the rest are in the burn pile.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Councilor Byron lost his son in battle. Councilor Aurelius¡¯ wife has been sick, and Phoenix needs to be brought to her so she may be healed. Lastly, Councilor Filoni is a lonely old man without any remaining family, he needs these kind words to brighten his days.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°The people pay taxes that keep this temple kept. The general protects the people and keeps the councilors in check. The councilors keep some order by creation of laws and merchantry, but they are not our greatest focus.¡± ¡°That seems like a rather cold way to look at it.¡± She upturned her lip in a sneer. ¡°I thought how best to explain it in words even you would understand.¡± Flerovius wrote only two replies before she removed him from the seat and took over. Phoenix was set in a blackened stone box, and when she chirped that she was hungry, Caecilia would set one of the scrolls in the box with her. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. He stood there with some amazement at her quick quill strokes, and what he read of her writing, she never replied the exact same thing twice. ¡°Did you take the quill from me because-¡± ¡°You would¡¯ve told these people all the same hollow words. Now, don¡¯t distract me, the morning bells shall ring soon, and the message must be delivered after.¡± He silently watched her mouth the words she read, sometimes smiling or frowning, then stopped for never more than a minute before she wrote out the reply. Pyren worked like a machine, not having the stops she did, and she knew this, but she would never rush her duties. One put a treated wick in the candle so it burned with a mindful pace, letting one savor the scents mixed with the wax. Flerovius¡¯ method was more like tossing the candle in a fire because technically it was meant to burn. With the ringing of the bell, Flerovius picked up Phoenix and put her in the pocket made for her. ¡°Stop.¡± ¡°What now?¡± She brushed off a few stray pieces of ash and hair from his robe. ¡°I will correct the rest of it later, you aren¡¯t quite as tall as Pyren was, and you are dragging the robe across the ground.¡± ¡°I need a drink before we go.¡± She handed him the tea and he drank it down without a thought, though he hated the taste of flowers. Suddenly it was like he was ten years old again, peeling oranges for them. The sweetness he so loved was nothing but pith to him now. She cocked her head to the side much like Phoenix did when she saw his gaze had hardened, and he seemed nearly ready to vomit. ¡°Do you dislike it? You said before you didn¡¯t want floral flavors, so I-¡± ¡°Never bring me anything with oranges again.¡± Before she had a chance to process his sudden change and apologize, he was already walking down the tall stone halls. Morning message was a short thing, the intent wasn¡¯t to spend hours going over old stories, that happened at a different time, and didn¡¯t always involve the High Priest, whose job was primarily to care for Phoenix. A series of magical pipes carried the voice of the High Priest throughout the city; an artifact of what was no longer. Perhaps it was in his blood, but no matter how scared he was of speaking, he could always put on a face. He didn¡¯t need to clear his throat, there was no awkward silence before he started and there would be no pauses he didn¡¯t intend for in his speech. ¡°I am certain you¡¯ve all heard, but Pyren, my grandfather, has passed away. He lived a long life, even for a High Priest, 146 years of age, but he was no immortal. While his flesh went with the pyre, his soul has lit the flames of hope in many thousands of people, his warmth has reached deeply in this city and its people. I am certain you¡¯ve also heard that Phoenix has been reborn.¡± He held her high in his palms, and she seemed to have some understanding of what was happening, Phoenixes were very intelligent, more so than humans. So she raised her wings high and spit forth a small fire, causing gasps and some tears in the crowd. Had she been a week older, it could¡¯ve been far more impressive. ¡°Pyren died of the flesh, but his soul lives on, Phoenix died of the flesh, yet her soul remained. As my grandfather so loved to say, hold faith. Here I hold ours.¡± He stepped back and went inside. The people didn¡¯t cheer, that wasn¡¯t customary, instead they prayed in silence for however long they felt was right. They often left in groups, some said only a quick prayer, some stayed for a dozen moments, and some stood for minutes on end. Nobody complained, there were no looks of confusion, and many of the people stayed for quite a while, so he considered his speech a success. Yet Caecilia eyed him like a hawk as he came in. The other priestesses went about their business, keeping the temple maintained, tending to the duties assigned to them such as reading the letters that came in, checking the mouse traps, teaching the children of the city both the faith and of the more normal classes to live one''s life, basic addition and subtraction, writing and reading. For Caecilia, she was to be the teacher of Phoenix. She couldn¡¯t speak, regardless of what she was viewed as, she was a fowl, and her throat would never be able to make the sounds of a human. So instead Phoenix would need to learn to write. Her mother learned to carve fire into the air, but for a younger Phoenix, the common way to communicate was through a series of wooden plates. ¡°A, this is A. Now, which one of these plates is the A?¡± Phoenix cocked her head, trying to digest the instructions, then she picked the wrong plate. ¡°I don¡¯t think she understands. What I read yesterday says that until she is at least two weeks old, she is unlikely to be able to figure out letters. Right now we should be focusing on getting her to understand our words so teaching her other things is easier.¡± ¡°I am not teaching her letters, I am teaching her to associate my words with something. I just happen to be using letters to do this.¡± ¡°She will understand objects, things that are clearly different, better than plates with symbols on them.¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t realize you had become an expert overnight. He taught me many things before he left for the war, and of them was how to care for her when she returned.¡± He furrowed his brows. ¡°Did you know?¡± ¡°Of course, I was the only one who did.¡± ¡°Why would he tell you?¡± ¡°Because he trusted me with everything. Have you ever thought about why I, who is far more suited for the role, and who has lived with him for nearly a decade, being groomed for my work, isn¡¯t allowed to be the High Priest?¡± Flerovius shrugged his shoulders, it was what it was, that is all he thought about it, his nonchalance bothered her, but she already had such low expectations for him that it was only annoyance rather than anger. She decided that it wasn¡¯t even a conversation worth having with him, since clearly he didn¡¯t care, and he would still let her take care of Phoenix. When it was nearly evening, a guest stopped by the temple, he brought a guard with him, and was also guided by one of the temple guards. His armor was bronze but with golden gilding overtop, a gladius at his side and orange plumage on his helmet. They always made Flerovius uneasy, their faces covered up with masks, wearing an orange toga over their armor made to look like a naked body, all the same build, he never could tell them apart from one another. ¡°Flero, been a little while.¡± The man hugged Flerovius tightly then patted his shoulders and looked over him. ¡°You got bigger, they make you work out when you¡¯re with the army? Is this-¡± He reached down to touch Phoenix, who was sleeping in a smoldering nest on Flerovius¡¯ desk, and Caecilla smacked his hand with a swatch. ¡°Do not lay a hand on her. Smelling like a tavern, clothes from the day prior.¡± ¡°You-¡± The guard moved between them and grabbed the man¡¯s hand, the man¡¯s guard reached for his sword, but found himself frozen in fear; Flerovius stepped between them. ¡°Bellus, why don¡¯t we step outside?¡± ¡°I want an apology from this-¡± ¡°You came into this temple, and attempted to handle our god, you have no right to this, nor to any apology from me.¡± Flerovius cautiously grabbed the guard¡¯s hand, and he released him without question; they served the temple, and he was the high priest. ¡°She isn¡¯t worth the trouble, you know how priestesses are, uptight like their spines one big branch.¡± The young man chuckled and let it go, it was like his best friend said, no sense getting so fired up over some woman who doesn¡¯t know how to have fun. Phoenix jumped from her nest down to the floor and followed after them. ¡°No no no, stay here.¡± Phoenix pecked at her hand and ran to Flerovius, who picked her up and placed her into the pocket she so liked. The two men walked the streets trading stories back and forth. Bellus was the second son of a wealthy merchant, someone connected enough that consequences didn¡¯t exist, and neither did responsibility, who had lived his life knowing he was just the back up in case the first one failed. ¡°How is Dellen?¡± ¡°You know him, always with his head in a ledger, looking at maps for better trade routes. Building cities made my grandfather rich, rebuilding them is going to make him richer. So, I have a few women friends that would love to spend some time together, unless the army sucked the fun out of you.¡± ¡°HA. I wasn¡¯t a soldier, I was just tagging along with¡­ with grandpa.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wipe that sullen look off your face with booze and fine women.¡± They walked into the tavern where said women were waiting. The most well endowed of them rubbed on his robe. ¡°I¡¯ve never been with a priest.¡± Phoenix poked her head up. ¡°My, she¡¯s so cute.¡± The other two women got closer as well, then a few women at the bar came by. Were Caecilia to know what thoughts ran through his head, her words as a lady of the faith would make the most lowly women of the night blush. Chapter 4: Responsibility Phoenix grew rapidly from a chick, having both male and female traits, people would still refer to her as a hen however. She now stood over five feet tall, six if one counted her comb, and could write out what she wanted on the wooden plates. Most often, he used the smallest plates with yes or no written on them which she wore around her neck. She woke him up, six hours of sleep, again. ¡°Phoenix, let me sleep.¡± She picked up one of the wooden plates. ¡®Fun.¡¯ ¡°No, we were just with Bellus last night, he¡¯s probably not even awake yet, like me.¡± He rolled over and hoped, wrongly, that Phoenix would listen to him, but she listened to nobody and Bellus wasn¡¯t helping her by constantly inflating her childish ego with his bragging to get with women. She rolled him off of his bed and onto the cold stone below. Flerovius just groaned, but Phoenix pulled on his pant leg, unable to drag a man yet. ¡°Fine.¡± On the way out of the temple, they encountered Caecilia, who was going to grab a cup of water. ¡°Where do you think you are going?¡± ¡®Fun.¡¯ ¡°She won¡¯t let me sleep unless-¡± ¡°You are supposed to be raising her. Phoenix, you need to sleep, go back to his room.¡± She reared up and shot off a burst of fire. It was mostly light, and she was unharmed, but it scared both of them and she fell back, hitting her head on the stone floor. Flerovius tried to help her up, but she shoved him hard enough to make him fall on his rear. ¡°You should¡¯ve died instead.¡± He didn¡¯t have a reply to that. In a tavern not far from the temple Phoenix did her best dance, jumping from table to table as she did. The people cheered her on, and when she was done, she went to the bar to get a drink. The man put out a pot of boiling water for her, which she greedily drank down before going back to Flerovius. ¡°Alright, I think it¡¯s time we go then. Bellus, I¡¯ll see you another day.¡± After six months of it, Flerovius was burned out, but it was almost like Bellus didn¡¯t sleep at all. ¡®stay.¡¯ He pulled his friend into a huddle of sorts and spoke in a whisper. ¡°I agree with her, and who can argue with a god? Just a few more minutes, these ladies are about to come back to my home.¡± ¡°She should-¡± ¡°Please, we¡¯re friends, aren¡¯t we?¡± He gripped tighter on his ¡®friend¡¯s¡¯ shoulder. ¡°Ri-right, yeah, of course, how could I let my friend down.¡± Bellus was back to all smiles. ¡°ANOTHER ROUND.¡± Two hours had passed before Flerovius and Bellus walked out of the tavern. He went back home alone, feeling too tired to want to sleep with anyone; Bellus was with three women. Flerovius laid there in his bed, and Phoenix laid in a stone pot of sorts. ¡°Are you tired?¡± She shook her head and then picked up one of the plates. ¡®Fun.¡¯ ¡°I just can¡¯t keep up with you and Bellus. Make sure you wake me up for morning message if Caecilla doesn¡¯t, ok?¡± ¡®Yes.¡¯ He closed his eyes and dreamed. He saw fire, screaming. When he awoke, he was covered in sweat and Phoenix was gone. As much as he wanted to ignore it and go back to sleep, he couldn¡¯t. He wasn¡¯t a good one, but he was the high priest. She wasn¡¯t in the records room, she wasn¡¯t in her mothers nest, and she wasn¡¯t in the kitchen. Now he began to worry. The temple guards seemed to never sleep, or perhaps they rotated in such a way that nobody would notice them going to sleep. And as anxious as they made them, he went to the nearest one he could find. ¡°Have you seen Phoenix?¡± ¡°She left.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Into the city.¡± ¡°Was she with anyone?¡± ¡°Bellus was outside.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop her?¡± ¡°I lack authorization.¡± ¡°She¡¯s basically still a child, you can¡¯t just let her do what she wants.¡± ¡°I will take this into account in the future.¡± Not once has the faceless man looked at him until now. ¡°Should I gather the forces and take her back?¡± ¡°No, that isn¡¯t needed, I can handle this.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± And so the guard returned to his normal patrol route, speeding up some to match where he should¡¯ve been already. The sun wasn¡¯t quite peeking over the horizon, but one could see the sky lighten in the east foretelling its coming. Flerovius shivered as he walked the streets, the sounds and smelled inside the homes making a song of the city as people began to awake and start their day. But he ignored that and made his way to the tavern. Worst comes to worse, he tells Caecilla that he can¡¯t make morning message and she delivers it in his stead. He pushed open the double doors, the chill of winter making its way inside, but the place was quite hot. Phoenix was dancing with two women, her wings wrapped around them as they jumped up and down in a circle. Flerovius was a little surprised that Bellus was back as well though, considering he should¡¯ve been sleeping with the women he left with; he was a voracious man. ¡°Phoenix, we need to go, you need to sleep.¡± She scratched the floor of the tavern. ¡®No. Fun.¡¯ ¡°Come on, you can¡¯t just play all the time, we have duties.¡± ¡®We ignore them all the time anyway.¡¯ At this point, the tavern keeper was getting a little worried about his floor being marked up. Flerovius sighed. ¡°And that¡¯s my fault, but we need to go.¡± She tapped at the ¡®no¡¯ with her talon. ¡°Phoenix-¡± Bellus bumped into him and put an arm around his shoulder. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be such a stick in the ass. Loosen up.¡± He was tired, cranky, and hungover. ¡°No. Get your hands off of me. Phoenix, we are going, now.¡± ¡®No.¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t be such a child, you need to be with me for morning message.¡± Bellus pulled him back and Flerovius grabbed his arm, shoulder tossing the half-drunk man over his shoulder. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He groaned as he laid there on the floor.. ¡°They teach you that in the army.¡± ¡°Yes. Phoenix, NOW.¡± The atmosphere became tense. ¡®No.¡¯ She tapped once more. Flerovius grabbed his god and started to pull on her, but she heated her body, burning his hands. ¡®No.¡¯ She looked down at him angrily. ¡°Fine.¡± Flerovius stormed off, hardly feeling the burns. At the temple entrance, he could hear a woman crying, and he ran to help. ¡°High Priest, where is Phoenix, my son, he¡¯s barely breathing.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°He said he felt ill when he woke and then fell from his chair at breakfast. He needs healing, please, please.¡± She fell to her knees, holding the weakly breathing boy. ¡°I¡¯ll bring her back here.¡± He once more ran through the double doors of the tavern. ¡°PHOENIX, YOU NEED TO-¡± Bellus sucker punched him. ¡°She¡¯s a god she can do what she wants.¡± ¡°A CHILD IS DYING YOU FUCKING BASTARD.¡± As he got up, he grabbed one of the stools by the leg and struck Bellus. He stood over him, and raised the stool again, but he had been knocked out cold. ¡°WE ARE GOING, NOW.¡± ¡®No.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t going to accept that as an answer, and he got under her lifting with his legs and putting her on his shoulders. She pecked at him and his hands burned, but his robe prevented his entire body from blistering. He didn¡¯t cry from the pain, he just kept running. Phoenix decided that since she was taken there, she would at least give the boy a quick healing. Yet he was too late; Flerovius trembled, unsure how to tell her. ¡°He¡­ Ma¡¯am¡­ Your son is gone.¡± ¡°But Phoenix is-¡± ¡°She cannot raise the dead, even the smallest spark of life is required for her to heal.¡± The woman prayed as tears fell. ¡°It must be the will of the Phoenix that he died then.¡± She shivered in the cold, having run from her home without getting ready. He wanted to try to console her, but this was his fault, he didn¡¯t deserve to hold her in this time to soothe that guilt. ¡°I will have a priestess come here to give his last rites and help with planning the pyre.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Phoenix seemed disinterested and began to walk away. But Flerovius grabbed her by the legs and dragged her back inside the temple. The woman and the guards all looked on in confusion, it was blasphemous, but he was the High Priest, so they didn¡¯t know what to do or how to take it. Her cawing brought the priestesses to him. ¡°What are you-¡± ¡°There is a grieving mother outside who needs help preparing her son for cremation, one of you needs to help her. Phoenix has been allowed to run free and shirk her duty for too long.¡± It was a little hard to hear him over Phoenix, and she wanted to rebuke him for how he was treating her, but the look in his eyes told her not to. ¡°Yes, High Priest.¡± Flerovius brought her to the chamber of the Phoenix, where her mother sat once she was too big to fit inside the smaller rooms of the temple. There was a giant mural behind the large freestanding cast iron bowl, burned into the wood by the first of the Phoenix who established the city from what was once a tribe of refugees who would¡¯ve perished in the winter. ¡°Wait here.¡± Phoenix jumped into the bowl and curled up; Flerovius had never been angry at her like this before. Caecilla found him in his room, putting bottles into a box. ¡°What are you doing? I heard that-¡± She saw his hands, then the smell hit her and she retched. ¡°Did she do that?¡± He looked down at his hands, seeing the blisters and exposed muscle underneath. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt much.¡± ¡°She needs to heal that before it becomes infected.¡± ¡°After.¡± ¡°After what?¡± He just grunted and kept packing the bottles of alcohol. She followed him to the garden, where he began opening the bottles and pouring them into the dirt where no plants were at the moment. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m growing up.¡± ¡°Oh? So you think you can.¡± ¡°A boy is dead because of me.¡± She looked at him scornfully. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Phoenix wasn¡¯t here, because she left with Bellus. She enjoys being out with him because I let him around her. I failed in raising her, she doesn¡¯t listen to you because she likes me more, and she doesn¡¯t listen to me because he¡¯s filled her head full of crap about how great she is. It¡¯s like she¡¯s not even the same Phoenix as before.¡± She narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Do you¡­ do you not know?¡± ¡°Know what?¡± ¡°Phoenixes don¡¯t revive, they die and give birth.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± She shushed him and waved at the priestesses walking by. ¡°Did you not read the hidden scrolls?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°But I saw you search the spaces months ago when she was missing.¡± ¡°I never thought about it.¡± She wasn¡¯t even angry, she was just baffled. Flerovius hadn¡¯t had time to write anything, but he already knew exactly what he wanted to get across before the morning bells rang. Word had spread quickly among the crowd about the death of the child and Flerovius¡¯ subsequent dragging of Phoenix. He cleared his throat, not because he needed to do so, but to quiet the people so they didn¡¯t miss his first words. ¡°I have failed you all. Responsibility, that is the word we must think of on this day. I failed to take it for myself, and instead I gave my duties to the Firekeeper Caecilia. But no more, I cannot shirk what my grandfather gave to me, his responsibility, and his father¡¯s responsibility, and so on and so forth. My failure has led to bad habits being formed in our god, whose full memory has not returned since her revival in flames. I am sure most of you know me, you know that I drink with others often, that I have abused my position on HIgh Priest to bring Phoenix where she should not be, and use her for things that she should not be used for. To gain gold, to gain women. I shall not drink, I shall not go to the taverns, I will become the priest that my grandfather believed I could be when he gave me this title. My failure has led to the death of a young boy, because Phoenix was not here. For that, I cannot forgive myself, and I must hold that guilt close to my heart so I never forget what my duty is, and what I should¡¯ve always been doing.¡± He pulled one more bottle from his robe. ¡°This whiskey was given to me as a gift for becoming the new High Priest, and I¡¯ve only taken a few drinks from it because of its worth. When Phoenix was within her egg, birthing herself, my grandfather, High Priest Pyren, took all of my alcohol and threw it on the pile of ashes. At the time I complained, but he said that it held no value, that it dulls the mind. Now I see the truth in his words.¡± He opened the bottle and dumped it on the stone. Those that knew the value of it groaned, and gripped their heads. ¡°I ask now that you pray with me, for the boy whose fire faded too soon.¡± Flerovius was the last to stop praying, and as the crowd was finally gone, Bellus came with a group of his father¡¯s soldiers. They had clubs in their hands instead of swords, their intent was certainly to beat him rather than kill him. Flerovius motioned for the two temple guards near the entrance to come to him as he walked to the group of soldiers. ¡°Guards, if his men take another step towards us, kill them.¡± ¡°Orders received.¡± They drew their swords and held them with both hands on their right side, ready to cleave them men from side to side. ¡°Bellus, if you want to fight, then just you and me, no hiding behind them.¡± ¡°Fine, self righteous prick.¡± ¡°Guards, unless I am going to die, do not interrupt this fight, if his men attempt to interrupt it, kill them.¡± ¡°Orders received.¡± Flerovius wasn¡¯t a particularly good fighter, but when he was with his grandfather in the army camps, he naturally picked things up from the men, and while Bellus only ever worked out enough to keep a figure women wouldn¡¯t recoil when seeing, Flerovius was active. Bellus¡¯ stance was weak, and he put everything he had behind his first punch, which Flerovius ducked under and then jumped up, smashing his head into his chin. Bellus fell to the ground and wasn¡¯t getting back up. ¡°You always had a glass jaw.¡± Phoenix waited for him, looking properly contrite. ¡°Heal my hands.¡± She got out of the bowl and let out light, rather than heat. ¡°Today we are going to resume your studies. But first, you are going to apologize to Caecilia.¡± Phoenix nodded her head. Caecilia was soothing the headache she got the night before when she hit the floor. ¡°Phoenix.¡± He held up a wooden plate which she wrote on. ¡®Sorry.¡¯ ¡°She needs teaching, and so do I. I might know rites and tradition as I read from the scrolls and what my grandfather taught me, but I want to be a proper priest.¡± He got down on his knees and hung his head low. ¡°Please, forgive me.¡± She smirked, wanting to use this as a chance to tear into him for being so shortsighted and stupid, but as she looked down on him, she couldn¡¯t ignore his genuine want for repentance. ¡°Of course, forgiveness, to be born again free of guilt, that is the way of the Phoenix.¡± The week seemed to go well, Phoenix seemed to have learned her lesson. Yet once more, he found himself awoken by a nightmare, and she was gone. He found one of the guards. ¡°Have you seen Phoenix?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try asking one of the others.¡± ¡°We have not seen the Phoenix.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure exactly how to take it, but the voice of the guard seemed to say that it was pointless to ask questions. ¡°Fine.¡± When he got closer to the outside of the temple he could smell the smoke. He ran outside and saw where the fire was coming from. Outside the tavern, people stood and watched, but Flerovius went inside. It wasn¡¯t a large building, most of it was a single room, but the fire had spread too quickly once it caught. Evidently everyone was drinking whiskey or other distilled spirits that burned enough to catch something else on fire. Phoenix seemed to be sleeping on the floor, but at the table they normally sat at, there was a man, and he had only one guess who it was. She would be fine for now, but the man had already been severely burned in his drunken sleep. Flerovius picked up Bellus and placed him over his shoulder. No matter what differences they had, he wasn¡¯t willing to let his former friend burn to death. When he got outside the smoke had done its damage, and he began to cough until he couldn¡¯t breathe. As he laid there, wheezing through damaged lungs, he saw temple guards go inside and bring Phoenix out as if it was nothing. Their eyes were not reddened by smoke, and they didn¡¯t cough or choke. He staggered over to Phoenix, shaking her until she woke up. ¡°Heal¡­¡± He barely managed to say. When he could breathe easy again, he pointed at Bellus. Yet it was too late. She couldn¡¯t cry, her body had no tear ducts, but she could cry out in sorrow as she flashed her healing light on and off, trying again and again to save him. He wrapped his arms around her, he felt he had the right to console her. Perhaps he could¡¯ve been angry with her, he could¡¯ve talked down to her about having already given a warning. But he knew that she learned her lesson already, doing more would just be cruel to her.