Phoenix Magic: Prologue

Varen watched the storm across the bridge with great interest. The lightening, a dark red in color stuck the ground in volleys cruelly aimed at the small village of Kiram. Black smoke already choked the sky. Only one man would use such a weapon. He looked up against the darkening sky at the top of mount Laurs. Just barely he could make out the silhouette of a man.1

A hand reached up to his shoulder as his attention snapped backward towards the weary woman in a grey cloak. "I have to go after him." Said Varen emotionlessly.2

"I know." Replied the woman softly. "Just be careful. He is not one to be taken lightly. He is not afraid to use Maurgic and that can kill even you."3

"I know but it must be done." Said the man. He quickly bent down and gave the woman a quick kiss before turning and sprinting across the bridge. The later he waited before the transformation the more power and time he would have to fight the man with. He recalled the words of his mentor. "A phoenix is not just a bird. It has a gift that when it dies it can be born again." The powers of the phoenix were awesome. Unfortunately the evil man's powers were a vastly worse.4

The bridge now stood behind him as Varen stopped and look up at the sheer cliff. He could no longer see the man, but that didn't matter. The man would not run from him. Not this time. He held forth his arms slowly as he chanted strange words in the air. His hands made invisible circles in the air.5

Suddenly he could feel a difference. Now for perhaps the last time Varen spread his arms out with all his strength. When they reached their limits they continued to stretch. His body started to glow an iridescent orange. A sharp beak rose on his head as he expanded quickly in all directions.6

Varen lifted his head and let forth a loud hooting sound that reverberated off the cliff. The lightening over the village in the distance suddenly stopped. Varen flapped his massive wings a few time as if trying them out. Then with no further thought he launched himself skyward straight up parallel to the cliff side as streaks of orangish flame followed in his path.7

As he cleared the top of the cliff he could see a man standing their waiting for him. "Varen, I am disappointed in you. You dawdle with your wife while I lay waste to three of your beloved villages." The phoenix hovering in front of the man sniffed significantly as he glared down at the man. "No matter. Your gift will benefit you no more. You will not come back from your ashes this time foolish man."8

The man began chanting words as Varen dove towards him. At the last second the man made a gesture in the air and the phoenix bounced off some invisible wall landing hard on the ground. The man cackled as he continued chanting. The phoenix let out a piercing scream as it buried its head to its chest and a ring of flame shot out from it in all directions. This flew across the ground scorching all in its path as it passed to the man who momentarily caught on fire, but he put that out with another word and gesture.9

"Die you stupid bird!" Shouted the man still in pain with black remnants of his clothes clung to him. An explosion filled the mountain top as a burst of pure red light from above struck the phoenix. Varen screamed in pain and it sounded much as an eagle might sounded but much, much louder. The man smiled while momentarily plugging his ears against the deafening noise.10

The phoenix bled forth torrents of flame but this just passed around the man harmlessly, it was the phoenix's life blood. The bird's eyes gleamed with pain and hate. It knew its fate thought the man. Dreaded maurgic could not be healed and such a death was final even for a phoenix. As the man drew close to the massive bird it lunged forward with great effort and tremendous speed. The blow it landed on the man was stunning. Most of its damage was impact but the bird's beak also raked a harsh line of red across the man's arm. The man flew backward smashing into the back of a tree and lost consciousness.11

Exhausted and beyond its endurance the phoenix laid down its head for the last time as the flame in its eyes extinguished and its body slowly burned itself up into ashes. Painful moments later the man came to and barely able to stand looked over at the smoldering pile of ashes that had been the phoenix. The maurgic had worked its charm. Even the eternal spark of a phoenix able to light it back to life was not to be found amongst the ashes. The man tiredly spoke a few words and disappeared from the hill top.12

Chance, against all chance beneath the dead ashes remaining from the phoenix, just barely ablaze was a tiny pine needle curling up as the fire caught.13