^.^;; Believe it or not, I meant to have this chapter out the day after I put
up its previous half. But at the last minute I stopped myself and ended up
rewriting huge chunks of it. For better or worse, I'm not sure. We'll see, I
guess.
Thanks be to the recent reviewers, you know who you are! It
always floors me when writers who I absolutely adore come and say they
like what I'm doing. And if it weren't for the ceiling, I'd float away in
ecstasy of finding out people keep coming back for more! ~.^;;
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
The Casting of Shadows
By Phoenix Cubed
Chapter 9b: Old Faces, New Dilemmas
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Torch of Spirit sought through five;
Fighting always to let Destiny strive
Drinking strength from immortal fire
Willing the light to never tire
Darkest prison sheds the light
Let the wisdom be forever bright
Churning beneath a swirl of salt
Abilities to bring enemies a halt
Burning within a throne of rock
Strength and justice no one will mock
Floating among the eyes of ages,
Triumphant in all of history's pages
Unmarred in the sea of the sky
Forever loved by the Spirit Fly
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
It took an hour with the six of them working; three on each paper, to fully
write down all of the letters and words the teacher had circled. It was
difficult, as many words were incomplete and had to be filled in with their
own letters. Rowen made a quip that perhaps what had not been circled
were the mistakes, causing Sage and Kento to chuckle, until they saw the
dark expressions on Wildfire's and Torrent's faces. When all was said
and done, though, a sizable letter had developed from the pages.
Looking it over, there could be no mistake about the content or the
intention.
"Cye," Sage said. "Why don't you read it out loud, make sure we got it
all."
"All right." She picked up the letter and cleared her throat, "here goes."
::::'Cye of the Torrent and fellow Ronin Warriors,
I apologize for my actions, but I will be brief. Speed is the key to
which you must act. I know not whether you do or do not know the
true source of your Armors, but I ask you to do this regardless. Of the
new students received, six of them are an evil greater than any realm
could contain. They are the vilest of creatures on the run from the
wrath of the Shadow. They covet a stolen prize-one that will die
soon if not saved from their clutches. If she is still in the control of
Jamten at the end of the fourth month, all is lost, including your world.
Do not wait for help. I cannot assist.
Estuana niche,
Lt. Naiso Chillice, 3rd Dv. Fate's Hand--Disgraced::::
For a very long while, the only sound that could be heard was the
crackling pops of the fire, licking the air from its permanent place in the
brick chimney. White Blaze watched his young charges from his place by
the flames. Their faces were awash with emotion, and very few of them
positive. He stood and shook himself, then walked over to Ryo and
Rowen, who sat next to each other while the letter was read. Settling
down once more, he curled his body around the two and began to
methodically lick Rowen's cheek, as a tiger would do for a cub. At first
Rowen tried to move away, but the ancient creature was smart, and
pinned the boy between Ryo and himself to continue the motherly bath.
The others watched in fascination as the tiger and the boy contested, until
finally Rowen gave in, closing his eyes and burying his face deep into
White Blaze's furry shoulder. The tiger whined softly in sympathy and laid
his massive head down, embracing the warrior of the stars.
One by one the remaining three came and found a spot to lie near the
tiger. It was a moment of sorrow and great understanding for the five.
The answers they had been so looking for the last month had suddenly
dropped in their laps with the aid of a ton of bricks.
Mia's face was long and drawn in worry. She didn't know much of this
Phoenix creature, but, seeing their reactions, she didn't need to. And
poor Rowen. She had no words for him or the others. Maintaining the
silence, she gathered up a few blankets and placed them over the six
somber creatures lying on the floor. Heading for her own bed, she dearly
hoped that tomorrow would dawn a better day if not a brighter one. She
entered her room and made her way to her bed, crossing a beam of
moonlight. Tracing the shaft of milky light to the window, her eyes settled
on the calendar that was tacked on the wall. A green pen inked out
tomorrow's date, and on Yuli's last visit, he had made four leaf clovers
and drawn little leprechauns for decorations around the house. It would
have been a happy occasion, but tomorrow's March holiday would bring
no joy in tolling the time. Not even two months left. What were they to
do?
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"Absolutely nothing."
Ryo slammed his palms flat on the table. "Rowen! This is not the time for
your family feud!"
"This ain't a family feud, Ryo, there's none to have one with!"
"You're not being reasonable."
"Reasonable?" Rowen was incredulous and his temper was rising swiftly.
"What's there to reason with? That letter told us squat. There ain't
nothin' in it that we didn't already know, besides the date. We're still
stuck in square one. The smartest thing to do is sit back and wait this
out."
Ryo of the Wildfire was burning. He had not been this angry with Rowen
since the days of Talpa, when the two were duking it out on what to do
about their captured friends. The two of them had such different styles of
doing things that it was a small miracle anything had been accomplished
at all. But truces had been made, and a great friendship had formed
because of the events that had taken place. It would never be broken,
Ryo knew, but strain was a frequent visitor.
"Is that what you do for everything, Rowen? Wait it out?"
"It's done a damn fine job of getting me this far!"
"Guys!" Sage raised his voice and came between the two. "That's
enough!"
The two cut off their arguments to stare at the interloper. "We're fine,
Sage."
"No," he disagreed, "you're not. You squabble like children and bicker
like old goats. I'm tired of it. You're both right and you're both wrong.
End it there. Today we go to school like nothing's happened. We ignore
them like we have been. But out of school, if we have an opening, we
need to take it."
Rowen wasn't satisfied, "that's still incredibly illogical. You're going to
attack someone just like that?"
Cye entered the conversation, "of course not. We have to watch for the
prize. The girl the professor mentioned."
"You don't even know who that is!"
Sage turned on his friend, piercing Strata with fierce eyes. "No, but *you*
do."
"What?"
"Don't play games, Rowen. You've known from the beginning. The
dreams, the allusions to your past, that girl that we keep seeing here and
there." Sage stalked over to his friend and backed him against the wall.
"*You know.*" He hissed, "you've just kept silent because you're still sore
with her. Well its time to put your petty quibbles behind you, Rowen.
She's a busy bird, and doesn't have all the time in the universe to pad
your ego. So GET OVER IT!"
Sage's words were a slap to Rowen's face. He stared at the blonde, not
believing what had been said to him. Then, snarling, he shoved the
warrior of Halo backwards. Without looking at the others, he walked out
the door.
"I'm headin' in with Mia."
The tension was thick as they watched him walk out the door to Mia, who
had left moments before the argument had ensued. Ryo growled and
smashed his first into a pad mounted on the wall for that specific purpose.
His tiger-eyes flashing, he was about to chase after the retreating Ronin
when Sage's voice called out.
"Let him go, Ryo. He's got some things to think about."
Ryo ground his teeth and punched the wall area again. With a sigh, he
sagged against it. "We can't keep doing this."
"Cye?"
"Yeah, Kento?"
"Row's gonna be okay, right?"
Her aqua eyes glittered slightly; "I hope so."
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
It was cold in the gardens. Rowen hadn't bothered going to class that
day. There was too much of a chance he'd run into the others. Rowen
wasn't worried about finding Jamten's horde, but he worried about his
friends. He didn't want to face them just then or any time in the near
future. Over and over again in his head Sage's words swooped and
pecked at his insides. The shove the empath had given him into reality
had been brutally harsh. Rowen wasn't sure he could handle it.
So he wandered the school gardens, seeking comfort in the perennials.
All he found, though, was the chilly set of spring. Thankfully he had
brought his jacket. Zipping it up to his chin, he tucked his hands in his
pockets and made his way to the Oak. Usually it wasn't as cold as this,
but a cold snap and worked its way through the island, and had made a
stop over Rowen. The normally green and lush plants were wilted
slightly, but the trees still stood tall and proud, leafing out their lush
branches to the sky. The boy smiled slightly and lifted his head to gaze at
the mighty tops. They were defiant year round, growing ever higher in the
quaint gardens of the high school.
Winding his way down the manicured path, he stopped in front of the
Oak. It was as green as always with its bark deep and healthy,
beckoning the youth to climb to the peak. But the memory of his dream
still lingered fresh in Rowen's mind. Not that long ago, there had been no
leaves on his favorite tree and no beautiful bark to run his hands down.
Walking away, Rowen tried to push the vivid images of animal corpses far
from his mind. Perhaps he would come back to the tree later. But for
now, he continued walking, deciding to visit the far wall and walk along
the ivy coves.
Rowen stopped. Just ahead of him on the path he heard voices
indicating people headed his way. Hoping it to not be a teacher, he
ducked behind the Oak and waited for them to come into view.
Who came around the corner surprised Rowen beyond all thought. It was
Jamten, and he looked to be in a foul disposition--worse even than Ryo
had been during breakfast. Walking with two others, Jamten rounded the
corner and spat out his words on the dirt raked path.
"We should end this now, Fillip. Either kill her or hand her over, the
Master's getting pissed."
"You think I don't know that?" Fillip snarled, backtracking a few feet to
reach behind him and catch the wrist of his other, more reluctant
companion. "Damn Pigeon, get over here. Do that again and I'll break
your hand."
Rowen's eyes widened considerably, though bruised and dirty, he would
recognize that face anywhere. It was her! Jamten and Fillip were
walking down the path, dragging the girl they called Pigeon behind them
and talking about her death like everyday conversation--which Strata
guessed probably was with a pair of cretins like those two. Rowen bit his
lip to keep from growling in disgust and tried to clamp down on the raging
need that was building inside his stomach, demanding immediate action in
rectifying the situation before him. Only the deeply ingrained routine
of looking before he leaped kept Rowen from springing from his hiding place
and liberating the familiar figure that trudged dully behind the evil
beings Professor Naiso's letter had warned him about.
"It's far too late to simply give her up, now, Jamten. Master Cromer has
already set the time and place to hand her over. The punishment for moving
on would be worse than if we failed. And killing her is out of the question,
that would bring the holy fires of *everything* on us."
Jamten halted his walking for a moment, his expression sour. His dark
eyes turned on the girl that walked between the two boys. With a speed
too fast to follow his hand shot out and grabbed her hair, pulling the girl
down to her knees. A knife appeared in his hands and he pressed it to
her throat.
"Would it?" He inquired. "I doubt that very much. Look at her. Sniveling
wretch doesn't have enough power to even cry properly. She's broken,
Fillip, the Phoenix is no more. Nothing of her remains but this sniveling,
broken-winged Pigeon. No one would know if I used this. It's made of Iron;
she'd never heal the wound. One little knick and she'd bleed and bleed until
the last of her life soaked into the ground, never to be seen again."
"Just like ours would do if Master Cromer ever found out we killed her
instead of bottling her aura when she fades away." Fillip shook his head,
"put it away, Jamten, and forget about it."
Jamten snarled, pressing the knife closer to the girl's throat. "I will not!
I have been humiliated by this pigeon once too often! She will die!"
"Jamten!" Fillip intercepted the knife and pushed the girl roughly aside,
"don't be a fool!"
Fillip had done a good job in pushing Jamten away from his threat, but at
the expense of the girl, whose arm was caught in Jamten's grip. His
fingers lessened enough for her to roll away only after the wet crack of
breaking bone shattered the air. For a breath of moments, the Pigeon lay
gasping in pain on the ground before the boys' feet, taking in the biting
injury as she stared out of glazed eyes at her dangling arm. Then, as if
driven by some unseen force, she turned one fearful eye on her captors
before struggling to her feet and bolting away.
Jamten rounded on the other boy. "Now look what you've done. You idiot!"
The girl ran awkwardly, her left arm caught in her right hand to prevent it
from swinging uselessly at her side. Ragged breaths burned her lungs as
she flew through the garden, trying to lose her pursuers. Looking behind
her shoulder, the girl failed to notice a tree root jutting out of the ground
until her foot connected with it and sent her tumbling into the only Oak in the
garden. She struck the firm bark of the tree head on, slumping noiselessly
to the ground to lie deathly still, tangled amongst the above ground roots.
Jamten stalked up to her, knife once again in hand and rage clouding his
face in a violent storm of fury. Fillip was conspicuously absent.
"How dare you?" He spat out the words as he raised the knife high. "I
won't kill you, but I'll certainly teach you a lesson you won't soon forget!"
"NO!"
Rowen swung out from behind the tree and kicked his foot high into the
air, knocking the knife from the attacker's hand and sending it into a patch
of tall grass. Encased in his sub armor, Strata landed in a defensive crouch;
his body deliberately placed between the raving boy and unmoving captive
behind him.
*Sage!* He mentally cried out, *I need you in the gardens!*
Hoping his telapathic plea was heard, Rowen launched himself at Jamten.
He threw at the soldier the might of Strata, balling his fists and throwing
them full force at the surprised face of Jamten. The immortal boy, however,
reacted quickly, managing to throw up his arm just in time to block a hard
left to his chin. Just as fast, he dropped to the grass and swept his legs
out, trying to pull Rowen to the ground, but the Ronin jumped, avoiding
the blow. In mid air Rowen shifted his body so that it would fall on top of
Jamten, feet first. Jamten reacted and caught Rowen's metal encased feet,
twisting them around and unbalancing Rowen so that he spun unexpectedly in
mid air. Rowen fell roughly to the ground, eating grass for an instant
before he rolled his body left, avoiding a mean kick to his stomach.
Scrambling to his knees, Rowen lashed out and managaged to catch Jamten
on his side, giving him no chance to correct his balance and forcing him
to tumble roughly into the tree.
Jamten grunted as his face slammed into the grooved bark. He leaned
against the tree for a brief second, then slowly pushed away from it and
turned to face Rowen. Though his face betrayed no change, Rowen inwardly
reeled--the scene was fast playing out to be entirely too much like his
dreams.
The left half of Jamten's face was scraped from his ear to the tip of his,
and a large well of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. "Well
well," Jamten spat, swiping his chin to clean off a forming blood trail.
"You must be one of the fools the Pigeon's been in contact with."
"Better a fool than a humpbacked dog laughing at bad jokes."
"So you know who I am, do you?"
"You'd be surprised at what I know." Rowen replied, moving in to
strike again. But Jamten was ready for him. Fate's servant feinted a
low blow to his middle, then came up fast and hooked Rowen in the chin,
sending Rowen for his turn against the Oak tree.
The boy gave a lecherous grin, showing his blood-flecked teeth,
and laughed at the irony of the situation Rowen had thrown himself into.
"All we need now is a carcass. Would you like to volunteer yours? No?"
Jamten shook his head and let the smile fall from his face, "you should
have kept running, little Ronin."
Rowen had too much adrenaline running through his system to be surprised
or afraid of Jamten's comments, instead opting to stand up and shake off
the physical and mental blows. "Who says I'm not?"
Jamten narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the young warrior in front of
him, "what do you mean by that, whelp?"
Rowen smirked, "watch."
Gathering up what little extra energy Rowen could muster without donning
his full armor, he sent a rush of power to his hand and threw it high into
air. The dark blue energy surged skyward before it exploded with a loud bang,
crackling to earth like a miniature fireworks display.
"What was that?"
"Over there!"
Jamten whipped about, hearing the new voices, trying to locate and
identify them. Students and teachers were running in their direction,
pointing and waving wildly. Deciding to end the spat, he turned back to
the tree to take the girl and disappear. But she was gone, and Rowen
was nowhere to be seen.
Jamten spit out a single, indecipherable word, and vanished.
Rowen breathed a sigh of relief and sagged against the hearty trunk. He
was high up in the Oak, nearly thirty feet above the ground. It was as
high as he could safely go without endangering the extra burden that now
rested securely in his arms. When Jamten had been distracted, Rowen
had grabbed Ivory and jumped blindly into the air, counting on finely
honed skills to take them from danger as fast and as quietly as possible.
And it had worked well. Jamten hadn't known if Rowen had managed to
teleport out of the garden or simple vanish into the bushes.
Now all Rowen had to do was wait out the crowd that gathered at the
base of the tree, looking for signs of suspicious activity. He lifted
his gaze from the ground to the girl that was now shivering in his
lap. Cursing softly, he took off his jacket and carefully wrapped it around
her, using the sleeves to brace her injured arm. Then, leaning back
slightly, he took a good look at the mess he had gotten himself into.
She was shorter than he remembered, and much thinner. Her
cheekbones were too well defined for what was normally a full and
smooth face, circles as dark as his armor collected under her tightly
sealed lids--and then there was her hair. What had happened to the
silver tresses that he used to pull and twist while dangling on fire raptor's
lap?
"Oh, Auntie," he whispered into the twilight bruised evening air, "what's
happened to you?"
*Rowen!*
Rowen's head snapped up, *Sage?*
*Where are you?*
*In the Oak.*
There was a brief pause, then, *not seeing you.*
*Look up. Way up.*
*...Oh.*
A few moments later, there was a slight cracking in the lower branches.
Rowen shifted his position slightly to see a blondish mop making its way
up the tree limbs. There were a few soft oaths as Sage made some
unexpected descents, but he managed to finish the climb unscathed.
Thanks largely, Rowen suspected, to the green sub-armor he was clothed
in. Halo was not used to the grand Oak's deceptive branches.
Sage settled a branch just to the left of Rowen's. He opened his mouth to
say something, then closed it right away and looked curiously at the
bundle still wrapped securely in Rowen's arms. Hooking his feet around
his branch and leaning forward onto Rowen's, Sage carefully peered into
the jacket. His eyes became curious, but respectable. Halo did not
gawk; it was not his nature.
"So this is the legendary Phoenix."
Rowen nodded.
"I always imagined her as somewhat bigger."
"We grew, I guess. She didn't."
Satisfied, Sage moved back to his limb and settled. "What happened
Rowen? And where have you been all day? Ryo was going nuts."
Rowen shifted his weight once more to better talk to his friend. "I've been
in the gardens all day. I guess I had a lot to think about. Anyway, I'll tell
you when we get home. We let her stay out here any longer and she'll go
into shock."
Sage nodded his acquiesce to the idea then let his eyes settle on the
branches below in a meaningful gesture.
Casting a long glance at the ground, Rowen quirked an eyebrow. "Well, I
jumped up here, but I don't think I wanna jump down. How about you and
me hand her off for a few levels."
"All right." Sage began to climb down a step, "let's just hope she doesn't
wake up."
The blue Ronin snorted, "wouldn't that be great. Find the Fire only to
drop her to her death." When he was ready, Sage reached up and
Rowen passed the unconscious form into Halo's awaiting arms. When he
was sure his friend had the girl, Rowen made his own way down,
stopping just below Sage. "Ready."
The process went on for three-quarters of an hour. Their work was slow
and deliberate as they descended the thirty feet to the earth's floor. The
last ten feet Rowen could see the others waiting impatiently on the
ground. They gazed up through the leafy tops, their eyes sparkling with
curiosity and wariness. At the last limb, Kento stretched up and gently
took the still form. He blinked owlishly as the weight settled into his
muscular forearms.
"Hey! She's the girl I saw in the hallway yesterday!"
"That's impossible Kento," Cye shook her head, "this is the girl from my
morning Chemistry class, and she hasn't been seen in school this week."
"I swear it was her."
Ryo leaned over his hefty friend's shoulders; tiger-eyes alight with fiery
curiosity. As Kento had recognized the girl as yesterday's apparition, Ryo
knew her from earlier in the month, the girl he had helped find her way to
class. He remembered the strange happenings that day, and deep within him
Wildfire stirred with the feelings that had been awoken within from the
encounter. But Ryo quickly shook them off and returned his attention to his
friends.
"Let's get her home to Mia's," spoke Ryo softly. "I don't want any more
excitement tonight."
Sage dropped out of the tree then stepped aside for Rowen. "It'll be a
tight fit, Ryo, with all of us."
Ryo chewed on his lip a moment, "then Kento and I will stay behind.
Take Rowen and Cye, they'll be more of a help to you than us."
"Thanks, man." Kento grumbled, "I love you, too."
"Sorry, bud," Ryo replied, "We'll just have to hike to the University and
see if Mia's still about. Even if she's not, it's only an hour's run."
"Only."
The five began to make their way to Sage's vehicle. It was an easy task
to pick the flimsy lock that separated the garden and the parking lot, then
creep along the dimly lit walkway to the lot. Reaching Sage's SUV,
Cye opened the back door and climbed in, the motioned for Kento to
hand over his load.
Three doors slammed in the fading light as Sage turned the key. "Hurry
back," he said to Ryo before shifting the gears and driving out of the lot
and into the night.
"Wasn't that exciting?" Kento harrumphed and crossed his arms.
"Thanks again for volunteering me, Ryo."
Ryo smiled and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Come on, Kento, I'll
buy you dinner."
"All right! Food! Can we go to Vila's?"
"Let's not."
"How about Chong's?"
"You were just there last week."
The conversation faded away with the day and the two boys made their
way down the streets, carefree with the fist sense of accomplishment that
they'd had in many days.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
The drive home was quiet. Sage drove carefully the fifteen miles to the
Koji Mansion, avoiding as many potholes and speed bumps as he could,
but driving as fast as he dared. Shuffling the girl down the tree had given
him a good idea of the injuries she had sustained. Of those, most need
immediate treatment. With what healing abilities he coveted, the arm
could be mended and the ribs sewn, but the rest would depend on her
own recuperating powers.
Cye hummed tunelessly in the backseat, bracing the injured girl against the
often jarring road.
"You know," she murmured, "for someone that's supposedly immortal,
she doesn't look that old."
"There are definite advantages to be had in eternal youth, Cye." Sage
replied, glancing back briefly in the rear view mirror to check on the girls
before flicking his gaze to the Ronin riding shotgun. "Rowen?"
"Hm?" Rowen turned from gazing out the window to fix his blue eyes on
the driver. "Yeah, Sage?"
"What's her name?"
Rowen blinked in confusion, "what?"
"What's the Phoenix's real name? You didn't spend your childhood calling
her 'Phoenix' or 'Fire' did you?"
A look of slight amusement crossed Rowen's face as he noticed the
earnest curiosity dancing about Halo's face. "And how long have you
been waiting to ask that particular question?"
"A very long while."
"I see." Rowen turned back to the window, not immediately answering.
"Mother always referred to her as my aunt. It was all I ever knew to call her
before she took me to the nest."
A heavy silence hung in atmosphere for a few miles. Rowen never talked about
family.
"Aunt Fire?" Cye rolled the name around her tongue, breaking the quiet.
"Somehow, it doesn't have that ring I was expecting."
Rowen let out a watery chuckle. "That's not her name, Cye, it's just
another position she holds. Like Torrent or Strata. She's got a real
name."
"Well then, what is it?"
Rowen's good humor faded. He turned back to the window and was
again quiet for so long his companions feared he would refuse to answer.
"Ivory, call her Ivory."
Cye blinked at the answer and dropped her gaze to the girl, "Ivory," she
tried out; it nearly fit.
"The teachers called her Pigeon." Sage supplied.
"The teachers are stupid." The corners of Rowen's eyes tightened and
his face became taught with anger. "The name's derogatory. Like calling
a dolphin a fish or a horse a glue bottle. They did it to beat her down."
There was no question of who 'they' were.
The car slowed and turned into the twisting drive of the Koji place. Sage
risked a glance at Rowen, feeling the negative waves of energy falling
from him and wondering how much longer Rowen's mood swings would go on.
"Ivory is good for now. We'll go to the school later and see if it
we can't change her file."
Rowen shrugged, "whatever you say," and turned back to the window
once more.
Five minutes later they were at the house, and the two boys immediately
jumped out, trying to figure the best way to get their new guest into the
house. Easing out of the vehicle, Cye decided that Rowen should carry
Ivory while she and Sage went ahead to prepare a room.
"Fine, " he agreed, "but hurry it up."
And hurry they did. Their sub-armors lending speed to their feet, the two
zipped about the house, gathering fresh sheets and medical supplies for
the wounded Ivory. Meanwhile, Rowen treaded cautiously up the flights
of stairs and into the prepared bedroom. Cye barely finished primping the
pillows before Rowen bustled in and deposited the long missing Phoenix.
Sage came in soon after with White Blaze on his heels. Both were
carrying bandages and antiseptics by the cartload.
"Rowen, could you get me some hot water, please? Cye, help me with
the bandages."
Cye nodded and Sage immediately set to work. "Let's get a damage
assessment, take off the jacket."
"Right."
Ivory still had not regained consciousness, so Cye had to sit her up while
Sage unwrapped the jacket from around the girl. Fully removed, he let
the broken arm fall gently to her side before standing back to get their fist
good look at the legendary Phoenix.
Sage swore. Cye swore louder with much more fluency.
Below her neck there wasn't an inch of her pale skin that wasn't bruised
or the sickly yellow of recovery. Numerous scrapes and scars decorated
her limbs and torso in ugly, malicious patterns. There was a bump rapidly
rising on her head from where she had connected with the tree, but there
were also several more that had no explanation. Nearly half her fingers
were swollen and unbendable, and none of her joints had effective radial
turns.
"How in the hell is she still alive?" Sage asked incredulously. "She didn't
look like this at the beginning of the month."
Cye faced Sage square on, not wanting to look at the patient any longer.
"She hasn't been seen in school for the last week and a half. There's an
equal amount of fresh stuff covering the old here."
There came a sharp intake of breath from the doorway. Rowen stood
there, his face a flood of emotions as he stepped into the room. Strata
set down the steaming water by the bedside and looked at the wretched
form that sat precariously on the bed. Kneeling down, he slowly lifted a
trembling finger to the girl's jaw and lightly traced a very faint scar that
carved its way along her dirty jawline. His eyes softened slightly, then he
straightened and shook his head. "Should've kept running," was all he said
before he turned on his heels and exited the makeshift ward.
Sage and Cye looked at each other. "What was that about?"
Cye turned away from the phantom footsteps of her brooding friend, "I
guess there are still some issues he needs to work out."
Sage turned back to the patient. "Let's hope he works them out quickly.
We were lucky today, but I doubt that Fillip and the rest are going to give
her up without a fight."
Cye began tearing strips for the casts, "heaven help us."
"Someone around there, at least."
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Whew, that was long. ^.^;; Review me!
up its previous half. But at the last minute I stopped myself and ended up
rewriting huge chunks of it. For better or worse, I'm not sure. We'll see, I
guess.
Thanks be to the recent reviewers, you know who you are! It
always floors me when writers who I absolutely adore come and say they
like what I'm doing. And if it weren't for the ceiling, I'd float away in
ecstasy of finding out people keep coming back for more! ~.^;;
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
The Casting of Shadows
By Phoenix Cubed
Chapter 9b: Old Faces, New Dilemmas
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Torch of Spirit sought through five;
Fighting always to let Destiny strive
Drinking strength from immortal fire
Willing the light to never tire
Darkest prison sheds the light
Let the wisdom be forever bright
Churning beneath a swirl of salt
Abilities to bring enemies a halt
Burning within a throne of rock
Strength and justice no one will mock
Floating among the eyes of ages,
Triumphant in all of history's pages
Unmarred in the sea of the sky
Forever loved by the Spirit Fly
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
It took an hour with the six of them working; three on each paper, to fully
write down all of the letters and words the teacher had circled. It was
difficult, as many words were incomplete and had to be filled in with their
own letters. Rowen made a quip that perhaps what had not been circled
were the mistakes, causing Sage and Kento to chuckle, until they saw the
dark expressions on Wildfire's and Torrent's faces. When all was said
and done, though, a sizable letter had developed from the pages.
Looking it over, there could be no mistake about the content or the
intention.
"Cye," Sage said. "Why don't you read it out loud, make sure we got it
all."
"All right." She picked up the letter and cleared her throat, "here goes."
::::'Cye of the Torrent and fellow Ronin Warriors,
I apologize for my actions, but I will be brief. Speed is the key to
which you must act. I know not whether you do or do not know the
true source of your Armors, but I ask you to do this regardless. Of the
new students received, six of them are an evil greater than any realm
could contain. They are the vilest of creatures on the run from the
wrath of the Shadow. They covet a stolen prize-one that will die
soon if not saved from their clutches. If she is still in the control of
Jamten at the end of the fourth month, all is lost, including your world.
Do not wait for help. I cannot assist.
Estuana niche,
Lt. Naiso Chillice, 3rd Dv. Fate's Hand--Disgraced::::
For a very long while, the only sound that could be heard was the
crackling pops of the fire, licking the air from its permanent place in the
brick chimney. White Blaze watched his young charges from his place by
the flames. Their faces were awash with emotion, and very few of them
positive. He stood and shook himself, then walked over to Ryo and
Rowen, who sat next to each other while the letter was read. Settling
down once more, he curled his body around the two and began to
methodically lick Rowen's cheek, as a tiger would do for a cub. At first
Rowen tried to move away, but the ancient creature was smart, and
pinned the boy between Ryo and himself to continue the motherly bath.
The others watched in fascination as the tiger and the boy contested, until
finally Rowen gave in, closing his eyes and burying his face deep into
White Blaze's furry shoulder. The tiger whined softly in sympathy and laid
his massive head down, embracing the warrior of the stars.
One by one the remaining three came and found a spot to lie near the
tiger. It was a moment of sorrow and great understanding for the five.
The answers they had been so looking for the last month had suddenly
dropped in their laps with the aid of a ton of bricks.
Mia's face was long and drawn in worry. She didn't know much of this
Phoenix creature, but, seeing their reactions, she didn't need to. And
poor Rowen. She had no words for him or the others. Maintaining the
silence, she gathered up a few blankets and placed them over the six
somber creatures lying on the floor. Heading for her own bed, she dearly
hoped that tomorrow would dawn a better day if not a brighter one. She
entered her room and made her way to her bed, crossing a beam of
moonlight. Tracing the shaft of milky light to the window, her eyes settled
on the calendar that was tacked on the wall. A green pen inked out
tomorrow's date, and on Yuli's last visit, he had made four leaf clovers
and drawn little leprechauns for decorations around the house. It would
have been a happy occasion, but tomorrow's March holiday would bring
no joy in tolling the time. Not even two months left. What were they to
do?
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"Absolutely nothing."
Ryo slammed his palms flat on the table. "Rowen! This is not the time for
your family feud!"
"This ain't a family feud, Ryo, there's none to have one with!"
"You're not being reasonable."
"Reasonable?" Rowen was incredulous and his temper was rising swiftly.
"What's there to reason with? That letter told us squat. There ain't
nothin' in it that we didn't already know, besides the date. We're still
stuck in square one. The smartest thing to do is sit back and wait this
out."
Ryo of the Wildfire was burning. He had not been this angry with Rowen
since the days of Talpa, when the two were duking it out on what to do
about their captured friends. The two of them had such different styles of
doing things that it was a small miracle anything had been accomplished
at all. But truces had been made, and a great friendship had formed
because of the events that had taken place. It would never be broken,
Ryo knew, but strain was a frequent visitor.
"Is that what you do for everything, Rowen? Wait it out?"
"It's done a damn fine job of getting me this far!"
"Guys!" Sage raised his voice and came between the two. "That's
enough!"
The two cut off their arguments to stare at the interloper. "We're fine,
Sage."
"No," he disagreed, "you're not. You squabble like children and bicker
like old goats. I'm tired of it. You're both right and you're both wrong.
End it there. Today we go to school like nothing's happened. We ignore
them like we have been. But out of school, if we have an opening, we
need to take it."
Rowen wasn't satisfied, "that's still incredibly illogical. You're going to
attack someone just like that?"
Cye entered the conversation, "of course not. We have to watch for the
prize. The girl the professor mentioned."
"You don't even know who that is!"
Sage turned on his friend, piercing Strata with fierce eyes. "No, but *you*
do."
"What?"
"Don't play games, Rowen. You've known from the beginning. The
dreams, the allusions to your past, that girl that we keep seeing here and
there." Sage stalked over to his friend and backed him against the wall.
"*You know.*" He hissed, "you've just kept silent because you're still sore
with her. Well its time to put your petty quibbles behind you, Rowen.
She's a busy bird, and doesn't have all the time in the universe to pad
your ego. So GET OVER IT!"
Sage's words were a slap to Rowen's face. He stared at the blonde, not
believing what had been said to him. Then, snarling, he shoved the
warrior of Halo backwards. Without looking at the others, he walked out
the door.
"I'm headin' in with Mia."
The tension was thick as they watched him walk out the door to Mia, who
had left moments before the argument had ensued. Ryo growled and
smashed his first into a pad mounted on the wall for that specific purpose.
His tiger-eyes flashing, he was about to chase after the retreating Ronin
when Sage's voice called out.
"Let him go, Ryo. He's got some things to think about."
Ryo ground his teeth and punched the wall area again. With a sigh, he
sagged against it. "We can't keep doing this."
"Cye?"
"Yeah, Kento?"
"Row's gonna be okay, right?"
Her aqua eyes glittered slightly; "I hope so."
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
It was cold in the gardens. Rowen hadn't bothered going to class that
day. There was too much of a chance he'd run into the others. Rowen
wasn't worried about finding Jamten's horde, but he worried about his
friends. He didn't want to face them just then or any time in the near
future. Over and over again in his head Sage's words swooped and
pecked at his insides. The shove the empath had given him into reality
had been brutally harsh. Rowen wasn't sure he could handle it.
So he wandered the school gardens, seeking comfort in the perennials.
All he found, though, was the chilly set of spring. Thankfully he had
brought his jacket. Zipping it up to his chin, he tucked his hands in his
pockets and made his way to the Oak. Usually it wasn't as cold as this,
but a cold snap and worked its way through the island, and had made a
stop over Rowen. The normally green and lush plants were wilted
slightly, but the trees still stood tall and proud, leafing out their lush
branches to the sky. The boy smiled slightly and lifted his head to gaze at
the mighty tops. They were defiant year round, growing ever higher in the
quaint gardens of the high school.
Winding his way down the manicured path, he stopped in front of the
Oak. It was as green as always with its bark deep and healthy,
beckoning the youth to climb to the peak. But the memory of his dream
still lingered fresh in Rowen's mind. Not that long ago, there had been no
leaves on his favorite tree and no beautiful bark to run his hands down.
Walking away, Rowen tried to push the vivid images of animal corpses far
from his mind. Perhaps he would come back to the tree later. But for
now, he continued walking, deciding to visit the far wall and walk along
the ivy coves.
Rowen stopped. Just ahead of him on the path he heard voices
indicating people headed his way. Hoping it to not be a teacher, he
ducked behind the Oak and waited for them to come into view.
Who came around the corner surprised Rowen beyond all thought. It was
Jamten, and he looked to be in a foul disposition--worse even than Ryo
had been during breakfast. Walking with two others, Jamten rounded the
corner and spat out his words on the dirt raked path.
"We should end this now, Fillip. Either kill her or hand her over, the
Master's getting pissed."
"You think I don't know that?" Fillip snarled, backtracking a few feet to
reach behind him and catch the wrist of his other, more reluctant
companion. "Damn Pigeon, get over here. Do that again and I'll break
your hand."
Rowen's eyes widened considerably, though bruised and dirty, he would
recognize that face anywhere. It was her! Jamten and Fillip were
walking down the path, dragging the girl they called Pigeon behind them
and talking about her death like everyday conversation--which Strata
guessed probably was with a pair of cretins like those two. Rowen bit his
lip to keep from growling in disgust and tried to clamp down on the raging
need that was building inside his stomach, demanding immediate action in
rectifying the situation before him. Only the deeply ingrained routine
of looking before he leaped kept Rowen from springing from his hiding place
and liberating the familiar figure that trudged dully behind the evil
beings Professor Naiso's letter had warned him about.
"It's far too late to simply give her up, now, Jamten. Master Cromer has
already set the time and place to hand her over. The punishment for moving
on would be worse than if we failed. And killing her is out of the question,
that would bring the holy fires of *everything* on us."
Jamten halted his walking for a moment, his expression sour. His dark
eyes turned on the girl that walked between the two boys. With a speed
too fast to follow his hand shot out and grabbed her hair, pulling the girl
down to her knees. A knife appeared in his hands and he pressed it to
her throat.
"Would it?" He inquired. "I doubt that very much. Look at her. Sniveling
wretch doesn't have enough power to even cry properly. She's broken,
Fillip, the Phoenix is no more. Nothing of her remains but this sniveling,
broken-winged Pigeon. No one would know if I used this. It's made of Iron;
she'd never heal the wound. One little knick and she'd bleed and bleed until
the last of her life soaked into the ground, never to be seen again."
"Just like ours would do if Master Cromer ever found out we killed her
instead of bottling her aura when she fades away." Fillip shook his head,
"put it away, Jamten, and forget about it."
Jamten snarled, pressing the knife closer to the girl's throat. "I will not!
I have been humiliated by this pigeon once too often! She will die!"
"Jamten!" Fillip intercepted the knife and pushed the girl roughly aside,
"don't be a fool!"
Fillip had done a good job in pushing Jamten away from his threat, but at
the expense of the girl, whose arm was caught in Jamten's grip. His
fingers lessened enough for her to roll away only after the wet crack of
breaking bone shattered the air. For a breath of moments, the Pigeon lay
gasping in pain on the ground before the boys' feet, taking in the biting
injury as she stared out of glazed eyes at her dangling arm. Then, as if
driven by some unseen force, she turned one fearful eye on her captors
before struggling to her feet and bolting away.
Jamten rounded on the other boy. "Now look what you've done. You idiot!"
The girl ran awkwardly, her left arm caught in her right hand to prevent it
from swinging uselessly at her side. Ragged breaths burned her lungs as
she flew through the garden, trying to lose her pursuers. Looking behind
her shoulder, the girl failed to notice a tree root jutting out of the ground
until her foot connected with it and sent her tumbling into the only Oak in the
garden. She struck the firm bark of the tree head on, slumping noiselessly
to the ground to lie deathly still, tangled amongst the above ground roots.
Jamten stalked up to her, knife once again in hand and rage clouding his
face in a violent storm of fury. Fillip was conspicuously absent.
"How dare you?" He spat out the words as he raised the knife high. "I
won't kill you, but I'll certainly teach you a lesson you won't soon forget!"
"NO!"
Rowen swung out from behind the tree and kicked his foot high into the
air, knocking the knife from the attacker's hand and sending it into a patch
of tall grass. Encased in his sub armor, Strata landed in a defensive crouch;
his body deliberately placed between the raving boy and unmoving captive
behind him.
*Sage!* He mentally cried out, *I need you in the gardens!*
Hoping his telapathic plea was heard, Rowen launched himself at Jamten.
He threw at the soldier the might of Strata, balling his fists and throwing
them full force at the surprised face of Jamten. The immortal boy, however,
reacted quickly, managing to throw up his arm just in time to block a hard
left to his chin. Just as fast, he dropped to the grass and swept his legs
out, trying to pull Rowen to the ground, but the Ronin jumped, avoiding
the blow. In mid air Rowen shifted his body so that it would fall on top of
Jamten, feet first. Jamten reacted and caught Rowen's metal encased feet,
twisting them around and unbalancing Rowen so that he spun unexpectedly in
mid air. Rowen fell roughly to the ground, eating grass for an instant
before he rolled his body left, avoiding a mean kick to his stomach.
Scrambling to his knees, Rowen lashed out and managaged to catch Jamten
on his side, giving him no chance to correct his balance and forcing him
to tumble roughly into the tree.
Jamten grunted as his face slammed into the grooved bark. He leaned
against the tree for a brief second, then slowly pushed away from it and
turned to face Rowen. Though his face betrayed no change, Rowen inwardly
reeled--the scene was fast playing out to be entirely too much like his
dreams.
The left half of Jamten's face was scraped from his ear to the tip of his,
and a large well of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. "Well
well," Jamten spat, swiping his chin to clean off a forming blood trail.
"You must be one of the fools the Pigeon's been in contact with."
"Better a fool than a humpbacked dog laughing at bad jokes."
"So you know who I am, do you?"
"You'd be surprised at what I know." Rowen replied, moving in to
strike again. But Jamten was ready for him. Fate's servant feinted a
low blow to his middle, then came up fast and hooked Rowen in the chin,
sending Rowen for his turn against the Oak tree.
The boy gave a lecherous grin, showing his blood-flecked teeth,
and laughed at the irony of the situation Rowen had thrown himself into.
"All we need now is a carcass. Would you like to volunteer yours? No?"
Jamten shook his head and let the smile fall from his face, "you should
have kept running, little Ronin."
Rowen had too much adrenaline running through his system to be surprised
or afraid of Jamten's comments, instead opting to stand up and shake off
the physical and mental blows. "Who says I'm not?"
Jamten narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the young warrior in front of
him, "what do you mean by that, whelp?"
Rowen smirked, "watch."
Gathering up what little extra energy Rowen could muster without donning
his full armor, he sent a rush of power to his hand and threw it high into
air. The dark blue energy surged skyward before it exploded with a loud bang,
crackling to earth like a miniature fireworks display.
"What was that?"
"Over there!"
Jamten whipped about, hearing the new voices, trying to locate and
identify them. Students and teachers were running in their direction,
pointing and waving wildly. Deciding to end the spat, he turned back to
the tree to take the girl and disappear. But she was gone, and Rowen
was nowhere to be seen.
Jamten spit out a single, indecipherable word, and vanished.
Rowen breathed a sigh of relief and sagged against the hearty trunk. He
was high up in the Oak, nearly thirty feet above the ground. It was as
high as he could safely go without endangering the extra burden that now
rested securely in his arms. When Jamten had been distracted, Rowen
had grabbed Ivory and jumped blindly into the air, counting on finely
honed skills to take them from danger as fast and as quietly as possible.
And it had worked well. Jamten hadn't known if Rowen had managed to
teleport out of the garden or simple vanish into the bushes.
Now all Rowen had to do was wait out the crowd that gathered at the
base of the tree, looking for signs of suspicious activity. He lifted
his gaze from the ground to the girl that was now shivering in his
lap. Cursing softly, he took off his jacket and carefully wrapped it around
her, using the sleeves to brace her injured arm. Then, leaning back
slightly, he took a good look at the mess he had gotten himself into.
She was shorter than he remembered, and much thinner. Her
cheekbones were too well defined for what was normally a full and
smooth face, circles as dark as his armor collected under her tightly
sealed lids--and then there was her hair. What had happened to the
silver tresses that he used to pull and twist while dangling on fire raptor's
lap?
"Oh, Auntie," he whispered into the twilight bruised evening air, "what's
happened to you?"
*Rowen!*
Rowen's head snapped up, *Sage?*
*Where are you?*
*In the Oak.*
There was a brief pause, then, *not seeing you.*
*Look up. Way up.*
*...Oh.*
A few moments later, there was a slight cracking in the lower branches.
Rowen shifted his position slightly to see a blondish mop making its way
up the tree limbs. There were a few soft oaths as Sage made some
unexpected descents, but he managed to finish the climb unscathed.
Thanks largely, Rowen suspected, to the green sub-armor he was clothed
in. Halo was not used to the grand Oak's deceptive branches.
Sage settled a branch just to the left of Rowen's. He opened his mouth to
say something, then closed it right away and looked curiously at the
bundle still wrapped securely in Rowen's arms. Hooking his feet around
his branch and leaning forward onto Rowen's, Sage carefully peered into
the jacket. His eyes became curious, but respectable. Halo did not
gawk; it was not his nature.
"So this is the legendary Phoenix."
Rowen nodded.
"I always imagined her as somewhat bigger."
"We grew, I guess. She didn't."
Satisfied, Sage moved back to his limb and settled. "What happened
Rowen? And where have you been all day? Ryo was going nuts."
Rowen shifted his weight once more to better talk to his friend. "I've been
in the gardens all day. I guess I had a lot to think about. Anyway, I'll tell
you when we get home. We let her stay out here any longer and she'll go
into shock."
Sage nodded his acquiesce to the idea then let his eyes settle on the
branches below in a meaningful gesture.
Casting a long glance at the ground, Rowen quirked an eyebrow. "Well, I
jumped up here, but I don't think I wanna jump down. How about you and
me hand her off for a few levels."
"All right." Sage began to climb down a step, "let's just hope she doesn't
wake up."
The blue Ronin snorted, "wouldn't that be great. Find the Fire only to
drop her to her death." When he was ready, Sage reached up and
Rowen passed the unconscious form into Halo's awaiting arms. When he
was sure his friend had the girl, Rowen made his own way down,
stopping just below Sage. "Ready."
The process went on for three-quarters of an hour. Their work was slow
and deliberate as they descended the thirty feet to the earth's floor. The
last ten feet Rowen could see the others waiting impatiently on the
ground. They gazed up through the leafy tops, their eyes sparkling with
curiosity and wariness. At the last limb, Kento stretched up and gently
took the still form. He blinked owlishly as the weight settled into his
muscular forearms.
"Hey! She's the girl I saw in the hallway yesterday!"
"That's impossible Kento," Cye shook her head, "this is the girl from my
morning Chemistry class, and she hasn't been seen in school this week."
"I swear it was her."
Ryo leaned over his hefty friend's shoulders; tiger-eyes alight with fiery
curiosity. As Kento had recognized the girl as yesterday's apparition, Ryo
knew her from earlier in the month, the girl he had helped find her way to
class. He remembered the strange happenings that day, and deep within him
Wildfire stirred with the feelings that had been awoken within from the
encounter. But Ryo quickly shook them off and returned his attention to his
friends.
"Let's get her home to Mia's," spoke Ryo softly. "I don't want any more
excitement tonight."
Sage dropped out of the tree then stepped aside for Rowen. "It'll be a
tight fit, Ryo, with all of us."
Ryo chewed on his lip a moment, "then Kento and I will stay behind.
Take Rowen and Cye, they'll be more of a help to you than us."
"Thanks, man." Kento grumbled, "I love you, too."
"Sorry, bud," Ryo replied, "We'll just have to hike to the University and
see if Mia's still about. Even if she's not, it's only an hour's run."
"Only."
The five began to make their way to Sage's vehicle. It was an easy task
to pick the flimsy lock that separated the garden and the parking lot, then
creep along the dimly lit walkway to the lot. Reaching Sage's SUV,
Cye opened the back door and climbed in, the motioned for Kento to
hand over his load.
Three doors slammed in the fading light as Sage turned the key. "Hurry
back," he said to Ryo before shifting the gears and driving out of the lot
and into the night.
"Wasn't that exciting?" Kento harrumphed and crossed his arms.
"Thanks again for volunteering me, Ryo."
Ryo smiled and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Come on, Kento, I'll
buy you dinner."
"All right! Food! Can we go to Vila's?"
"Let's not."
"How about Chong's?"
"You were just there last week."
The conversation faded away with the day and the two boys made their
way down the streets, carefree with the fist sense of accomplishment that
they'd had in many days.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
The drive home was quiet. Sage drove carefully the fifteen miles to the
Koji Mansion, avoiding as many potholes and speed bumps as he could,
but driving as fast as he dared. Shuffling the girl down the tree had given
him a good idea of the injuries she had sustained. Of those, most need
immediate treatment. With what healing abilities he coveted, the arm
could be mended and the ribs sewn, but the rest would depend on her
own recuperating powers.
Cye hummed tunelessly in the backseat, bracing the injured girl against the
often jarring road.
"You know," she murmured, "for someone that's supposedly immortal,
she doesn't look that old."
"There are definite advantages to be had in eternal youth, Cye." Sage
replied, glancing back briefly in the rear view mirror to check on the girls
before flicking his gaze to the Ronin riding shotgun. "Rowen?"
"Hm?" Rowen turned from gazing out the window to fix his blue eyes on
the driver. "Yeah, Sage?"
"What's her name?"
Rowen blinked in confusion, "what?"
"What's the Phoenix's real name? You didn't spend your childhood calling
her 'Phoenix' or 'Fire' did you?"
A look of slight amusement crossed Rowen's face as he noticed the
earnest curiosity dancing about Halo's face. "And how long have you
been waiting to ask that particular question?"
"A very long while."
"I see." Rowen turned back to the window, not immediately answering.
"Mother always referred to her as my aunt. It was all I ever knew to call her
before she took me to the nest."
A heavy silence hung in atmosphere for a few miles. Rowen never talked about
family.
"Aunt Fire?" Cye rolled the name around her tongue, breaking the quiet.
"Somehow, it doesn't have that ring I was expecting."
Rowen let out a watery chuckle. "That's not her name, Cye, it's just
another position she holds. Like Torrent or Strata. She's got a real
name."
"Well then, what is it?"
Rowen's good humor faded. He turned back to the window and was
again quiet for so long his companions feared he would refuse to answer.
"Ivory, call her Ivory."
Cye blinked at the answer and dropped her gaze to the girl, "Ivory," she
tried out; it nearly fit.
"The teachers called her Pigeon." Sage supplied.
"The teachers are stupid." The corners of Rowen's eyes tightened and
his face became taught with anger. "The name's derogatory. Like calling
a dolphin a fish or a horse a glue bottle. They did it to beat her down."
There was no question of who 'they' were.
The car slowed and turned into the twisting drive of the Koji place. Sage
risked a glance at Rowen, feeling the negative waves of energy falling
from him and wondering how much longer Rowen's mood swings would go on.
"Ivory is good for now. We'll go to the school later and see if it
we can't change her file."
Rowen shrugged, "whatever you say," and turned back to the window
once more.
Five minutes later they were at the house, and the two boys immediately
jumped out, trying to figure the best way to get their new guest into the
house. Easing out of the vehicle, Cye decided that Rowen should carry
Ivory while she and Sage went ahead to prepare a room.
"Fine, " he agreed, "but hurry it up."
And hurry they did. Their sub-armors lending speed to their feet, the two
zipped about the house, gathering fresh sheets and medical supplies for
the wounded Ivory. Meanwhile, Rowen treaded cautiously up the flights
of stairs and into the prepared bedroom. Cye barely finished primping the
pillows before Rowen bustled in and deposited the long missing Phoenix.
Sage came in soon after with White Blaze on his heels. Both were
carrying bandages and antiseptics by the cartload.
"Rowen, could you get me some hot water, please? Cye, help me with
the bandages."
Cye nodded and Sage immediately set to work. "Let's get a damage
assessment, take off the jacket."
"Right."
Ivory still had not regained consciousness, so Cye had to sit her up while
Sage unwrapped the jacket from around the girl. Fully removed, he let
the broken arm fall gently to her side before standing back to get their fist
good look at the legendary Phoenix.
Sage swore. Cye swore louder with much more fluency.
Below her neck there wasn't an inch of her pale skin that wasn't bruised
or the sickly yellow of recovery. Numerous scrapes and scars decorated
her limbs and torso in ugly, malicious patterns. There was a bump rapidly
rising on her head from where she had connected with the tree, but there
were also several more that had no explanation. Nearly half her fingers
were swollen and unbendable, and none of her joints had effective radial
turns.
"How in the hell is she still alive?" Sage asked incredulously. "She didn't
look like this at the beginning of the month."
Cye faced Sage square on, not wanting to look at the patient any longer.
"She hasn't been seen in school for the last week and a half. There's an
equal amount of fresh stuff covering the old here."
There came a sharp intake of breath from the doorway. Rowen stood
there, his face a flood of emotions as he stepped into the room. Strata
set down the steaming water by the bedside and looked at the wretched
form that sat precariously on the bed. Kneeling down, he slowly lifted a
trembling finger to the girl's jaw and lightly traced a very faint scar that
carved its way along her dirty jawline. His eyes softened slightly, then he
straightened and shook his head. "Should've kept running," was all he said
before he turned on his heels and exited the makeshift ward.
Sage and Cye looked at each other. "What was that about?"
Cye turned away from the phantom footsteps of her brooding friend, "I
guess there are still some issues he needs to work out."
Sage turned back to the patient. "Let's hope he works them out quickly.
We were lucky today, but I doubt that Fillip and the rest are going to give
her up without a fight."
Cye began tearing strips for the casts, "heaven help us."
"Someone around there, at least."
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Whew, that was long. ^.^;; Review me!