War of Magicians

The Birth of the Phoenix

Chapter 7

Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun followed Kerberus over the Mongolian plains. The various magical barriers prevented them from entering within the borders of China directly, so they had to move in steps. Kero, extremely worried about his guardian, kept on groaning at the insistent interruptions, but the other two were more concerned about the said nymphs that had decided to attack a normal prince.

" They're extremely simple." Spinel commented to himself. " Exceedingly simple. But they won't go for mortals, prince or not."
" I told you, the kid is not mortal!"
" I know." Ruby Moon sighed as they stopped right outside Tibet. " The thing is, he must be a powerful sorcerer if they actually bother to get him."
" I thought we had this discussion already." Kero groaned. " Now Yue stuck under sand trying to keep the boy from falling into the hands of those...brats. I don't want to keep him there all day."
" It gets cold at night." Spinel agreed. " We'll have to find an opening here, someone put a barrier right at the tip of this river."
" Freakin' devils," Kero was muttering to himself. " How do we get past this thing?"

The guardians stood at the river for a long time pondering.

" Just like Yue to take the Book of Clow when I am the one that needs it." Kero muttered.
" I guess we'll have to blast the thing." Spinel peered at it.
" Wouldn't that alert whoever is here?"
" True, but what else can we do? Take the long way?"
" That would not be wise." A new voice said. The guardians whirled around, alarmed. Two figures stood before them, a man and a woman, clad in dark robes and pale as snow.

" Who are you?" Kero growled.
" I am Cordelius. This is Maladrië. We are Half Mortals." Cordelius answered. " And we are here to help you."

" There is no Jade Emperor, but there is a Clow Reed," Julan shook his head. " It's too much." He muttered under his breath. " And nymphs! Nymphs!"

Yue listened intently, feeling that the nymphs should not be there still.

" I have magic too."
" Yes."
" That was why I was able to tell they were nymphs."
" Perhaps."
" Why can't you get rid of them?"
" They're not exactly alive. It's hard to kill what's not living."
" Not exactly alive?" Julan snorted in an unprincely fashion. " Define life."

Yue realized with a rush that he couldn't define it.
" Ah, there we go. As far as I know," Julan began, " The nymphs are moving, probably breathing, beings. If we can stop them from moving, cut their Qi, it should be easy."
" They're all Qi."
" What?"
" Nymphs are strange anomalies."
" I sense your friend close by." Julan suddenly stated. Yue frowned. Sure enough. It was Kero, and...what?

The ground opened, though Yue was not the one to do it. Julan looked out bravely and composedly when he and Yue emerged.

" What's this?" Yue asked Kero.
" Half Mortals." Kero answered.
" What are they helping us for?"
" Dunno. We had to accept, there was something blocking us at the border."
" Just like that?"
" Well, we had someone to worry about here!" Kero snapped. Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun stared at Julan.
" Yes, I am the prince." Julan answered almost sarcastically. " I see no point in denying that, as I trust the social hierarchy of the magical realm is quite different from us mortals."
" What did he just say?" Spinel asked.
" This is too strange." Julan muttered, trying to bring logic to the image of a talking panther with wings, even if the panther spoke in a language he completely did not understand.
" He said he is the prince, in case there's any doubt." Yue answered. " I think he knows you're skeptical, even if he doesn't know exactly why. There's more than one person here then, that believes you're readable."
" They can't speak Han?" Julan asked Yue. " What can they speak?"
" English. French. Some Slavonic language. It doesn't matter." Yue answered. " Who are you?"
" That's Maladrië and Cordelius."
" You don't say!" Julan stepped back. " Maladrië and Cordelius? What kind of names are those?"
" What did he just say?" Ruby Moon asked.
" He knows that's Maladrië and Cordelius. He thinks the names are ridiculous." Yue thought so too. " And I think it's time to go home. If you do anything funny," he warned the two half mortals, despite the fact that they are much more powerful than Yue. Whatever the facts were, the half gods said nothing.

The Emperor was very thoughtful after hearing the magicians, and did not say anything for a full minute. There was something about the mortal that made the guardians feel very nervous. He didn't look angry. He simply looked displeased. And that look often meant trouble for the lords.

The half mortals weren't fazed though, and waited with patience for some sort of reaction from the sovereign, who stared at his wooden table. The servants shouted outside.

First Prince was with Julan, fussing over him. Julan patiently tolerated the childish displays of relief and happiness, and comforted his older brother enough to let him alone. Meiling and Che'er then tore Julan away from his brother, much to the eldest's chagrin, and began remonstrating him. Julan took this all in good humor.

" Will you protect him?"

Yue hesitated before answering. " It seems to be the only choice we have." He answered. " We're not sure why they're after your son though."
" Because he is powerful." Li answered simply. " He was always powerful. He always knew more than others. He knew, even, that you were coming, though I didn't understand at the time. He knew you will bring with you a chance for him, though recently, I think he was beginning to doubt that." Yue thought of the prince's words when they sat together at the board game. " Do not all creatures crave power?"

Yue frowned. " It is rare indeed for a child his age to have foresight. I've only heard of three with that ability, and none of them were able to do it without training."

" I am a King, not a sorcerer." The Emperor answered. " My duty lies with the Great Han, not with the beyond. I do not understand these. If Julan's destiny lies with more than this Empire, it is not my place to interfere. He is my child though, the son of my flesh and blood, and his duty is, even if not completely, with this country. If anything goes wrong, magic or not, I trust that your skins can still be pierced by a sharp edge."

Wonderful. The Emperor is giving them a warning, and not a nice one. Yue remained impassive. He would not die by the edge of a sword, he would get hurt though, and Julan would just love that. He wasn't sure how to answer this particular statement, and neither did his fellow guardiansthey did not understand a single word. Julan came in at this time, calling to his father, whose face softened at the sight of his son alive and well.

" Ah, Taizi," The Emperor greeted almost warmly. In truth, it was about as warm as the royal family could get. " I trust you have comforted your cousins?"
" Are you remonstrating Mr. Ride?" Julan blinked. " He is, after all, the one who saved me."
" Yes, yes, of course." The Emperor replied smoothly. " I would like to mention, however, that myself and this family owe you much for protecting the Crowned Prince till now."

" Where were you two?"

Qenrle and Vilyan muttered a little. " We ran into some stray enchanters. They didn't recognize us, but they were doing so many things, we couldn't keep track and slip through."
" You understand that the nymphs attacked the Phoenix today?"
" They did?" Qenrle blinked. " Already? So soon?"
" And in addition, the guardians of Clow Reed had to expose themselves to the mortals." Cordelius frowned. " We also have to explain to them exactly what we are dealing with."
" And what would that be?" Li had just come out, with Julan close by him and the guardians following humbly behind.
" That your son is the Phoenix." Maladrië answered. No one had any idea what had happened to the language barrier, but somehow the half mortals were speaking Chinese. Li was not interested in how that happened, nor was Julan, so no questions were asked.

Li frowned. " Come, let us to the gardens. It is quiet there."

It was quiet here, but the gardens have a thoughtful effect, and the half mortals did not complain.

" Are you two half mortals?" Yue asked.
" Yes." Vilyan answered. " We are. We have come to protect the Phoenix."
" I thought they are birds." Li answered stiffly.
" To an extent." Qenrle answered. " There is much history to this, your Majesty. Long ago, this world was connected to three other worlds, and there are three types of magicians: Sorcerers, Enchanters, and Clerics. At one point in time, a young girl, no one knows who, found a phoenix egg in the middle of a forest and took it home with her. It hatched, revealing a small phoenix. No one knows the details, only that the Phoenix somehow had all the powers of the beginning of the world. There was a terrible war years later and the girl was killed. The Phoenix, to thank her for taking care of it, or rather, to avenge her because she had taken care of it, cast a curse on all three worlds and separated them into three realms. No one knows what the curse is, nor has anyone felt it. Some believe that the curse is death, others believe the curse to be all that is evil in human nature. Nevertheless, it was claimed that only the Phoenix could break the curse, and as sorcerers broke into nymphs, dryads, druids and prophets, and Enchanters broke into wizards and witches, the Phoenix disappeared. Some believe it died and was waiting to be reborn again. Others believe it passed into the paths of time. But whatever the actual story is, the Phoenix is here, in this realm, in this Han Empire, in the shape and blood of your son the Heir of the Han."
" I've heard of this tale." Yue answered. " I heard a different version though."
" It does not matter." Li's instincts spoke out to them. " What matters is, these nymphs have tried to take the prince. And undoubtedly, the Enchanters and Clerics will as well."
" We will have to prepare to fight them." Yue said. " And it can't be done with your soldiers."
" No, I suppose not."
" And Liu Julan will have to do some of the fighting."

Li did not answer to this. Julan, who was standing behind him, frowned at Yue.

Qenrle and Vilyan bowed a little. " We offer our services, your Highness."
" As do we." Spinel Sun and Ruby Moon added. If Li thought a talking panther offering services was bizarre, he offered no indication of it. Instead, he only nodded, breathed a deep sigh, and stroked the stubble of beard on his chin.

" I always knew you were different." Che tried to lighten up the mood. Julan smiled, but it was half hearted.
" So what happens now?" Che asked. " I mean, with all the soldiers of the Han, none of them could stand against whatever strange evil you speak of. Is there no one that has the same powers as these foreigners?"
" Most likely, if I have powers, maybe my brothers do too. Maybe you two have powers, even if it's only a little," Julan replied hopefully. " I never used any of my powers before. Maybe we just need to realize it."

Meiling looked sullen. " Didn't Ridi already sense that you have great powers?" She pointed out. " He never mentioned the rest of us, in fact, he thought it odd that you, born of royalty, had such power."
" Still," Julan refused to be swayed, " Even if we don't have any other magicians in the family, perhaps there are others in the Han. Surely, this empire, the largest in the east, ought to have someone or other that is willing to fight?"

He knew he was acting too much at this point, but Julan was getting more and more terrified. This new threat, a threat that regular soldiers or diplomacy cannot withstand, a threat that history never remembered, is coming for him, and him alone. The knowledge that he would possibly have to fight this ambiguous threat by himself was not comforting at all. Sensing this, the other two stopped trying to suppress his hopes. Julan knew they were possibly fruitless anyway.

In truth, Julan thought, as the three sat in silence, he always knew he might die. In fact, deep in his heart, he knew he will die. It was more of how that he was afraid of. He was young, a child, not even close to being a man. He knew of courage and honor but he lacked the maturity and knowledge to face it without fear. Honor he knew how to weild. Courage is something unfamiliar. He had been afraid he would die of poison. Poison was not so bad. He had been afraid he would die from sickness. Sickness was not so bad either. From the axe, from a sword, these deaths were not alien. History saw and remembered many cases like these. But this new threat, the Enchanters and Clerics, how will they kill? Will they make it long and painful? Will they rip his soul to shreds?

Clearing his head of these morbid thoughts, Julan focused on the here and now. He rose without a word and went out, his mind searching for someone. He wasn't sure who exactly he was looking for.

" We'll set up a fort here." Yue told Kero. " The Emperor agreed to send out notices to all the lords to announce. Who knows how he's going to do it, but I told him he must do it with as much cunning as possible. Not all Chinese are faithful, after all."
" I don't like this at all." Kero answered. " For mortals, it's a great area. For Wizards and Clerics, it's easy enough to take over. Not even Clow could guard this with all his cards."

Yue paused. " It's not like we have much of a choice." He answered. " China has land, certainly, but it does not have that much magic in its soil. If it does, it's in the mountains towards the west, where there are few inhabitants."
" We'll move there." Julan interrupted. Yue nearly lost his wits. He refrained from shouting out in surprise.
" Your Highness certainly has a sense of stealth." Yue remarked uncomfortably.
" Call me Xiao Lang." Julan said quietly.
" Pardon?" Yue blinked.
" With magicians," The boy pointed out wisely, " I don't suppose bloodlines matter."

It was a great display of trust on the prince's part, Yue knew. Only those extremely close to Julan called him Xiao Lang. It was a name that will not last; once Julan grows older it would lose its charm and become an insult instead. For now though, Yue felt, Julan was looking for some affection. Affection he could not get safely from the Emperor. Yue was perhaps the most powerful person Julan trusted, if Julan trusted him at all.

" Come, such talk is not for children." Yue said quietly. Any other child would have protested, but Julan just looked at him wearily.
" We had many wars, my lord." The boy answered. " Children watched their mothers die and their fathers whipped till blood flowed enough to grow rice. Such sights were not for children. I am no younger than they."

Yue touched the boy's shoulder gently. " Worry not for the future." He answered. " Worry only for the present. We are here to help you. For now, there is peace. Rest while you still can."
" Walk with me." Julan suddenly said.

" Someday all these will be gone." Julan looked around. " Someday all these will be gone."
" Why do you say that?" Yue asked.
" I see it." Julan answered. " I know it."

Yue didn't know if he ever met anyone more pessimistic than the prince.

" We should still fight though." Julan went on. " Just so..." He looked at Yue sadly.

" Your Highness?"

Julan went on walking. He could hear many whispers, whispering of war and fire. There will be bloodshed, the earth would soak and drink it like it drank rains and rivers until it could drink no more. The blood would flow above the grass like a red marsh, silen and sour in the air. Julan shook his head of that image and edged a little closer to Yue's side.

" You are immortal."
" My prince?"
" I am not your prince." Julan said quietly. " Are you immortal?"
" ...yes."
" Odd, how a man can create an immortal being when he himself never found the way to cheat Death."
" He did not choose to."
" Ah." Julan nodded. " And why not? Do not all humans desire immortality?"
" I cannot say."
" Of course not." Julan smiled bitterly. " You do not desire immortality, do you, Yue?"

Yue remembered how lost he had felt when Clow Reed died. He couldn't exactly disagree with the the prince.

" When this is over," The prince said quietly, " You will desire it less."

Yue was not sure what he meant. The prince began walking again.