Chapter Twenty
Born From the Ash
The small village of Volcaringuard was nothing like Lillian had imagined it would be. She was not even sure what she had imagined it might look like, but what lay before her exceeded anything she could have dreamed. A huge tower of stone rose above her. It sat in the center of a tall stone wall. The only way past the wall was an iron gate that sat just beneath the tower.
“For a town on top of a mountain, it sure is heavily guarded.” Lillian thought aloud.
“Perhaps that is why is hasn’t been attacked in nearly a century.” Victoria replied.
Nothing else was said and silence once again filled the space between the five of them. Which was all right by Lillian. It was not that she didn’t like Victoria. She did not even know her, but something about her irritated Lillian. Maybe it was the fact that she was cold and hungry and needed sleep badly. She tugged at her thick braid, something she often did for comfort. It helped sooth her when she needed calming.
As they approached the large gate, she observed the two guards stationed outside. They were older men with bushy grey beards. One of the men nodded and gave her a toothy smile. She thought he was probably old enough to have been her grandfather. They greeted Victoria warmly, and made a joke about seeing her on the ground. The five of them passed through without a second glance.
Lillian stopped and stared in awe at the village that lay before her. Every single building was made of stone. Stone so smooth and shaped so finely you would have thought someone had melted it and molded it with their hands. The whole of the village could not have been more than a mile. It sat neatly in a small valley at the top of the mountain and looked as if it had sprung up from the earth its self.
Directly in the center was a large building that reminded her of the Great Hall in Ferrentri. It was a simple square shape with pillars in the front. Intricate carvings decorated the pillars, along with its enormous stone doors. To the left of the building were rows of housing. Each house made up of stone bricks, of varying color, layered in such a way that her eyes sort of dance over them pleasantly.
To the far right were fields, but she could not tell what was being grown. The earth was dark, the way it is when freshly plowed. In fact, she could smell the newly upturned earth lingering in the air. Suddenly she was itching to get her hands dirty, to help something grow and bring life into the world. Behind the large stone building was a town square in which carts and small shops had set up and displayed their goods.
There were not many people out, but she suspected that was probably because the sun was completely behind the horizon and torches led their way. Victoria led them to a large home and a grey haired beauty came out to great them. It was obvious the woman had worked hard all her life, but her beauty never faded.
“This is Gail, she will provide you with a place to sleep tonight, and anything else you may need. I will be back in the morning and then we will discuss what our plans are next.” Victoria said.
“Wait. Where will you stay?” Alex asked.
It was the first thing Lillian had heard her say all evening.
“I have some things to attend to with the dragons. Then I will retire to my house with my mother.” Victoria said.
“May I come with you?” Alex asked, then blushed and added, “To see the dragons I mean, not to your house.”
Victoria agreed pleasantly and bid the rest of them goodnight.
Gail was a wonderful host and fed them each a steaming bowl of stew before showing them to their rooms. There were two extra rooms, two beds to a room. Ryhan chose to bunk with Evangeline, which gave Lillian some time to herself. She was not entirely sure she wanted to be alone and hoped that sleep would find her quickly. It did. She slept like a rock, so hard that she had not even noticed Alex come in later that night.
When she awoke the next morning, she felt like she had slept a hundred years. After a bath and a big breakfast, she felt like a new person. The four of them exchanged small talk with Gail around the kitchen table and patiently waited for Victoria to return. They did not have to wait long.
“So who is up for a tour?” Victoria asked as she entered the room.
Lillian was in the middle of a conversation with Alex, who stared at Victoria with a huge grin. Alex was all but glowing. Victoria returned her smile and gave her a tiny wink before glancing around at everyone else. Lillian felt like she had to pick her jaw up off the floor and wondered if anyone else could see what was happening between them.
Ryhan rolled her eyes and looked annoyed as usual, so that wasn’t really any indication that she could see what was going on. However, Lillian caught Evangeline’s eye as she gave her a small nod of the head. She was a bit relieved that she was not just making things up in her mind.
“I’m not sure we should be wasting time with a tour, shouldn’t we be leaving?” Ryhan asked.
Victoria responded understandingly, “I know we don’t have much time. I knew who you were before I even laid eyes on the four of you. The closer I got to you, the more I could sense you and feel your energy.
“It was like it was reaching out for me. Now that we are all here together, I feel stronger than ever. I agree, we should leave as soon as possible, but my mother wants to speak with you before we do anything.”
“Then let’s go see her.” Ryhan said impatiently.
“Unfortunately she is in a very important meeting with our town council right now, but we can meet with her later for lunch. So for now, why don’t I show you around?” Victoria said.
Ryhan looked as if she might agree, until Alex spoke, “You all have to come see the dragons it is amazing, you won’t believe what else there is.”
Ryhan mumbled something about ridiculously wasting time and said she would rather stay in. Victoria pleaded with her until she agreed reluctantly. Victoria pointed out things she thought interesting as the five of them walked through town. Lillian wondered aloud what they grew in the field.
Victoria had told her mostly tubers, cabbage and onions, they were easy to grow at their altitude. She really wanted to go help in the field but the others insisted that they stick together. The large building at the front of the town was in fact a great hall as she had suspected. The town square was bustling with lots of people laughing and trading goods.
It was strange to see so many people that were obviously happy look so stony faced. There was a seriousness about them all that made Victoria’s carefree demeanor stand out. Everyone in town seemed to love her though. Every time they turned a corner, there was another person to greet her with a smile.
At the back of the town, there was a large rock formation. It stretched so high that when she stood at the base of it and looked up, she felt dizzy. Victoria led them through an opening in the face of the rock wall.
“Where are we going?” Lillian asked.
It was dark and she could barely see anything.
Victoria replied, “You’ll see, wait one moment.”
Lillian heard some rustling and Victoria said, “Ryhan, you mind?”
A moment later, a torch blazed in front of her. They followed her up a long stone staircase. It would twist or turn every now and then, but for the most part, it just went up steeply. She did not have much time to think about anything other than the ache in her thighs and the burn in her lungs.
Sensing the same discomfort in the others around her however, made her feel a tad better. Reaching the landing, she rested her hands on her knees and took a few deep breaths before looking around. They were in an enormous round room. Large open archways lined the top half of the room, allowing sunlight to stream in from every angle. Equally, sized arches lined the bottom half of the room, however they did not go through to the outside. Several dragons exited the arched rooms to greet Victoria. Circling the girls in curiosity, Lillian counted fifteen, but there could have been more. A plume of dark purple and glints of gold caught her eye. It was the same type of feather that Victoria had tied in her hair. She
noticed how still Alex had gotten and took a good look around her.
Not only were there dragons, but just as many bird like creatures. The birds stood about three feet tall and had a long tail. Their feathers were varying shades of purple and all had a shiny gold tip. Yet they looked soft like fur.
Lillian must have looked stunned, or confused because Victoria began to speak. “These are the Phoenix.”
Lillian could say nothing except, “They are beautiful.”
Aye, they are. Though not as kind as dragons. Kalinth’s voice rang through her mind.
“Can everyone hear you?” Lillian asked.
Yes, at this time I am communicating with you all.
The other creatures seemed to have gotten bored with them and busied themselves with other things while Kalinth stayed to talk with the five of them.
“Can the Phoenix speak with us telepathically, as you do?” Lillian asked.
It is very difficult, mostly they can communicate with humans through pictures or images, but even then, it is not always clear what is being said.
Victoria said excitedly, “Kalinth, why don’t you tell them the story of the first Phoenix and Dragon?”
Kalinth agreed.
They sat in a circle around a warm fire that Ryhan made and waited patiently for her to begin. Sitting peacefully together, it was the first time that Lillian had experienced the surge of power between them. It was like there was a continuous flow of energy that connected them.
She found herself wondering what abilities they might gain when they really had the time to start training together. Feeling the presence of Kalinth in her mind, Lillian quieted her own thoughts to listen.
Long ago…before man had come to Watreon. When the old country was still one land and not three. Back when the elves and the ‘long gone’ Fae still ravaged the land with war. The great Behemoth Mountain shed a tear for his land, and in that tear was born a dragon. The dragon’s name has long been forgotten and is now only known as The First Born.
The First Born inherited her father’s love for the land as well as the sky, for the great Behemoth’s home was land and sky, and she went out into the world to heal the injustices done to their land. Only it was too late. The war, which was fought with great magic, had torn open the earth and left it in ruin.
The elves and Fae ended the war with no victor, for their numbers were so few there was none left to fight it. They each went in to hiding to rebuild their race, but sadly, only the elves would rise again. Many years passed and The First Born was alone. After so much time alone, she grew sad and her despair eventually consumed her.
In desperation for a companion, she breathed all the fire out of her until there was none left and out of the fire rose the first Phoenix. Since he was created with her last breath of fire, no dragon ever born after could breathe fire. But the phoenix could and the flame did not burn either of them.
They lived a long time, watching civilizations grow and fall. When at last it was the Phoenix time to die, he embraced his love and then burst into flames. Out of his ashes rose a baby dragon. Dragons are born out of the ashes of the phoenix and phoenix are born from the breath of the dragon. So it has been since the days of The First Born and so it shall be forever more.
Kalinth paused for reflection. It was a beautiful story, sad, but beautiful.
“Are all phoenix male?” Lillian asked her.
And all dragons female. Kalinth answered.
Lillian was about to ask another question, when her grumbling stomach interrupted her. Victoria chuckled and said they should head back to town for some lunch before meeting with her mother. Lillian gave the majestic creatures before her another look, she hoped she would be able to see them again one day.