Chapter 2
Phoenix Fire
"I think I've got it, Knoll!" Lyon announced a few days later. The twins were studying with Father MacGregor, and he had been using his free time to catch up on his own studies… The four of them, Knoll, Lyon, Eirika, and Ephraim were already very close friends. It was as if they had known each other for years, rather then days… "…Oh?" Knoll said, glancing up from the pile of ancient manuscripts he was reading. "Yes… It seems that occasionally, when a person is about to die a death that can be prevented, their soul flees their body to find help." Lyon sighed. "…Sadly, I don't know what to do about it…" Knoll murmured sympathetically. "Don't worry… I'm sure you'll figure it out." Then he raised his head and sniffed the air, and Lyon also looked about uneasily. Several of the other Royal Mages glanced upwards, also sensing that something was wrong. Although Lyon and Knoll did all of the summoning, the other shamans were still invaluable, as they would pour over old documents and find useful information for the crown prince and his cousin. "…Is something burning?"
"I don't know-Ah!" Lyon rushed to the library's window, Knoll and everyone else in the library, including the librarian herself, close behind him. A huge pillar of towering black smoke was being lazily fanned about by the ocean breezes. "A fire! Near the dock-" Without another word, the two mages teleported to the source of the turmoil, leaving behind their less talented magical companions, and a scene of mass chaos greeted them. An entire house was in flames, the blazing structure licking greedily at the air and surrounding buildings. Men were rushing to form bucket lines, because while the house was doomed, the fire couldn't be allowed to spread. Lyon's eyes widened in shock, and then he saw the most tragic thing of all. A furious man and screaming woman were being restrained from entering the house. "My baby! My baby girl! Let me go!" The mother sobbed. "Please, lady, it's too late, you'd only get yourself killed…" The man holding her back said sadly. Lyon turned, regarding the blaze for a long moment. "Oh no, you don't!" Knoll cried and lunged for his cousin, but Lyon agilely sidestepped out of the shaman's reach and sprinted inside the inferno.
Lyon coughed, putting his sleeve over his mouth so that he wouldn't breathe in the toxic smoke. Despite his watering eyes, he forced himself to look around. Timbers were hanging loosely at odd angles from the ceiling, creating a maze of charred and burning wood. He shouldered his way forward, heading for what looked like a child's bedroom. Paper drawings of rainbows and smiling animals curled up, their edges crisped and flaking. Glowing embers showered down around him as he pushed through what remained of the door, and then he heard the sound he'd been listening for… that of a small, frightened child sobbing in despair. "It's alright, I'm coming! Where are you?" Lyon called, his voice hoarse from the carbon he'd inevitably inhaled. The whimpering noise sounded again, and he pinpointed a location on the far side of the bed. He nimbly darted out of the way as a blackened plank fell to the floor, and headed towards the sound Beads of sweat stood out on his forehead, and he was profoundly thankful that he hadn't worn robes today, either. An ominous creaking sound came from the floor above him, and he knew he had to move quickly. He finally reached his destination, and saw a small girl, covered in soot, huddled on the floor. She wasn't moving. Lyon carefully picked her up, leaning protectively over her to shield her from any falling fragments, then raced towards the door as the ceiling started to give way.
"Why, oh why does he have to get himself into these situations?" Knoll groaned. If there had been any hope of saving the girl, then he would have gone with him… but this, this was pointless suicide! He prepared to chase after his wayward relative. But at that moment, Lyon shot out of the doorway, smashing into Knoll and bowling him over. The two lanky teenagers landed a few feet away from the building, which, with an ear-splitting crash, collapsed upon itself. The woman who was the girl's mother gasped in sudden hope and ran towards her daughter. But then Lyon looked up, his face drawn with grief. The child had no pulse. The lady stopped, unwilling to believe the terrible truth as he shook his head in a negative gesture, tears dripping down his face and onto the small, burnt body. The woman let out a shriek of infinite anguish and fell to her knees, blubbering brokenly, as her husband roared in angry helplessness. "You were… very brave." Knoll said awkwardly, laying a hand on his cousin's thin shoulder. Lyon was about to give up, walk away, when suddenly he thought of Eirika... Then he looked up, an idea forming in his mind. "The Sacred Stone…" he breathed, almost not daring to believe it. Then he quickly whispered an incantation. A soft blue glow enveloped the girl, and the woman looked up from her hands, her eyes widening. The child's body slowly regained a normal, non-burned color, her hair returning to a pretty tint of scarlet. Her eyes flickered. The mother let out a happy screech and charged towards her offspring, but not before Lyon realized something. "Kili…?" He asked, in dawning comprehension. "Lyon friend!" The girl said, smiling in delight, and hugged him tightly.
"I… I can't believe it!" Lyon said in exaltation. Knoll grinned from underneath his cowl. "You saved her, cousin. I knew you would be able too…" Lyon smiled weakly, embarrassed by the compliment. "Yes… The power of the Sacred Stone is incredible. I hope that we can figure out how to use its magical strength more effectively soon…"
"Indeed. The spirits we summoned haven't been very helpful, have they?"
"No, unfortunately… Oh! Father…" Vigarde had just entered the gardens, frowning. He was having a heated conversation with his attendant and some of the other officials that helped keep the law throughout Grado. Knoll bit his lip. Vigarde had once been a wonderful father and uncle… but after his wife's death, he had wrapped himself up in political matters, and thus spent almost no time with his son, much less his nephew. Lyon waited patiently for a break in the conversation, and Knoll braced himself for the inevitable words that would banish his cousin's joyful mood. There was a pause in the exchange of words between the men, and Lyon spoke up. "Father! You won't believe what happened today-" Vigarde absently waved a hand at his son. "Please… Not now, Lyon. I'm busy…Ugh!" Vigarde suddenly staggered, his face contorted with agony. Lyon jumped forward, concerned. "Dad! Are you alright-" Vigarde straightened, his face pale, but without pain once again. "I told you, son, not now." Lyon's face fell, and without another word, Vigarde and the men resumed arguing as they paced towards the doorway on the further side of the garden. "Oh… okay, father…" Lyon said weakly, knowing all too well that his father couldn't hear him.