The Pyromancer Chronicles-Chapter Three: Phoenix

I let out a sigh as I watched the sun rise in the east. Mountains were spread out before us, their peaks looming above our heads threateningly. So far, we hadn’t encountered any of the monsters said to guard the path to the legendary Dragons’ Den, but it was just a matter of time. Calypso rose from her pile of blankets and stifled a yawn.1

“Where’s Nala?” she asked, sitting down beside me.2

“She went out to find something that she could eat. Apparently, she doesn’t like wizard food,” I explained. Calypso nodded.3

Several days ago, we had left the safety of Ravenwood. Headmaster Ambrose had given us everything we would need—he even gave me a new wand, as if I would actually remember how to use the stupid thing until we got to the Dragons’ Den and I got my memories back. I couldn’t cast a single spell at the moment. And I needed spells in order to kill that necromancer, Malistaire or something.4

A loud cry came from behind us. I jumped up, turning to face the threat, whatever it was. Nala was flying toward us quickly, her eyes wild with fear. She let out another warning call to us before soaring over our heads and continuing on. I hadn’t any idea why she was so worked up, but I’d learned to never distrust Nala during the few days I remembered knowing her. Quickly, I shoved Calypso’s blankets into her pack and she set it on her shoulders, just as a herd of flaming Fire Cats raced over the hill. Wow, did we have some great luck, or what? 5

The two of us sprinted after Nala, frantically trying to outrun the Fire Cats. Stealing a glance behind me, I realized they were gaining more ground than we were.6

“Calypso! Teleport us out of here or something!” I screeched to her.7

“I can’t! There are spells on these mountains, so you can’t just teleport into the Dragons’ Den,” she yelled in return.8

“Who’s the idiot who thought of that?” I muttered while urging myself to move faster.9

"This way! There’s a cave over here," Nala cried, slipping into a small crevice. Calypso and I struggled into the cave after her. Looking back at the opening, I saw the herd thunder past the entrance to the tiny cave and breathed a sigh of relief.10

“That was...kinda close,” Calypso gasped, and I nodded in agreement. "Close" was an understatement.11

“C’mon, we should keep moving,” I rasped, closing my eyes for a moment. “We need to cover as much ground as we can. We’re halfway through our food supply already, and it’s only been—what, a week or two? Let’s go.”12

Calypso groaned in reply, but she stood up and exited the cave with Nala and me. We began moving again, the sun in our eyes, toward our goal. 13

***14

I was NOT happy.15

My stomach was growling- and our food was gone. Cursing under my breath, I forced myself to keep walking, even though my feet hurt, I had a headache, and I was starving. Yeah, I wanted to remember all that stuff about my life- but I also wanted to just get to the freaking Den already!16

“Calypso, we almost there?” I asked, glancing up at the sun, high in the sky. 17

“I don’t know,” she snapped, which was odd. From what I knew about Calypso, she didn’t really have much of a temper for a Fire wizard. If it weren’t for her red and orange clothing, I’d probably have thought she was a Life wizard when she freed me- that is, if I’d remembered what a wizard even was. But I didn’t know Calypso that well, so perhaps I’d been wrong.18

Then again, this stupid trip was enough to make anyone mad. The evening sun was still glaring down at us, already having given the two of us terrible sunburns, and this morning the poor girl woke up and found a baby scorpion in her boot. Scared the hell out of her. I might have laughed had my throat not been too dry for me to even speak.19

Nala glided around lazily. Sighing, I smiled a little at her. At least she was happy. The dragon seemed to like the heat, and also appeared to enjoy the thrill of having to catch her own prey. Perhaps that was the solution to our food problem- we could hunt for it. But I’d asked Calypso about that the day before, and she said it would take too much time. I had snorted at that- taking a little more time than planned was a lot better than starving to death. But Calypso hadn’t been in a very good mood that day, either, so I just let the subject drop.20

A terrifying screech pierced the air, and I looked up quickly to see a huge phoenix swoop down upon us. A scream built in my throat, but before it could be released, I was in the air. The phoenix’s talons sliced into my sides, gripping me tightly. Fighting the flaming bird was useless- its grasp was too inflexible for me to wiggle free. The scream built up again, and this time I let it out. The sound echoed across the land, bouncing off of the tall mountains. I managed to turn my head far enough to look down, and I suddenly felt nauseous. Forcing myself to look for Calypso, I saw that she was gaping at the bird angrily, and Nala was flying as fast as she could towards me. And then she was there.21

Nala’s claws ripped and the phoenix’s talons, but they only tightened. Its wings flapped faster, and soon it threw Nala off. I can’t quite describe what I felt at that moment. Much more than anger.22

“Nala!” I screamed, but she was spiraling down, down, down. My arms were locked inside the talons of the phoenix, so I couldn’t move. I was phoenix-food.23

We were flying upward, rising higher and higher. My eyes caught a glimmer of light, and then I gaped at where it was coming from. A mile off, a single cave in the tallest mountain was shining like a purple light bulb. And we were heading right for it.24

I fought more, twisting and turning in the phoenix’s grip, but it merely tightened its talons and flew faster.25

“Could yeh please stop tha’?” a gruff male voice complained. “Ambrose’ll kill me if I drop yeh.” I gasped at the sound that came from the phoenix’s beak.26

“I-I....Sorry,” I stuttered, and then I gasped. “You work for Headmaster Ambrose?”27

“Yep. Wants me to take yeh to that ol’ Den, er somethin’ like tha’,” he replied.28

“The Dragons’ Den?!”29

“Err...yeah, I think so.” I let out a sigh of relief. “He figured yeh’d be runnin’ out o’ yer food soon.”30

“What about Calypso and Nala?” I asked worriedly as the sun sank below the horizon. The world became dark.31

“Don’t worry yerself ‘bout ‘em. They’re gonna be fine, Ambrose said he’d send a message to ‘em.” Again, I was relieved. But then, as we got within a hundred feet of the cave, something went wrong. 32

We were falling.33

The phoenix’s talons released me and I screamed for the second time that day as the phoenix and I plummeted toward the hard rock far below. It seemed nothing could save us- we were doomed. The phoenix’s wings, for whatever reason, had locked as soon as we neared the cave. And then I guessed why- someone must have charmed it, so that anyone who flew close to it would fall to their death. How clever. What a way to die, I thought bitterly.34

The phoenix didn't move, merely tucked it's wings as it dove downward, almost as if it had meant to do this. But at the moment, that wasn't important. I waited pathetically for my death.35

Finally, we reached what I had thought would be ground. Of course, I thought wrong. I plunged into a lake headfirst, the water warm, but not comforting at all. Fish wriggled away as the phoenix’s inextinguishable light illuminated the darkness of the underwater world.36

Frantically, I swung my arms around, trying to remember how to swim. Could I even swim before? It didn’t matter now, as I was slowly drifting downward. I wished I could escape the crushing power of the lake, but there was no way. My lungs were on fire, screaming for air but not getting any. Another minute and I’d be dead.37

Slowly, my eyes began to close no matter how much I fought to stay awake. The phoenix’s light was beginning to dim, but I wasn’t sure whether he was dying, or if it was just me. It didn’t matter now. Nothing really mattered to me at that moment, except for the fact that I had failed and everyone would die. All because of me.38

Then again, I was stupid to expect that there was a chance of me actually succeeding. There wasn’t any chance of that, none at all. All I could do was fail at this impossible mission.39

Those were the last miserable words I thought in that wretched, darkening lake.40