Phoenix was amazed at Patry’s hostility to the demigod but when she spoke of it the only response she got was a forced smile and a vague, “To are thinking too much of it.” So she discarded the issue and continued with her life. For while, she put off talking to the goddess about her decision to go back to the kingdom but when she could barely hold it anymore she spoke with Patry who encouraged her by telling her that goddess would not think her ungrateful for wanting to go back home. So Phoenix made the decision and in the sixth month of the second year of her stay in the pantheon, she approached the goddess. Hung up her armor in the room she put her fighting tools and made her way to the hall. But Goyre was not there neither were any of the servants of Pyr. The hall was completely empty except for the pale dragon that slept beneath the foot of Goyre’s throne. Phoenix backtracked and headed to the goddess’s chambers. She had just pushed open the door when she stopped

Basten spent the past two years visualizing changes Phoenix would have undergone by the time he came back from war. He had expected a few changes but what he had not expected when he left the rest of the soldiers heading towards the king’s castle was the goddess standing by the bank of the stream pacing from one end of it to the other. If she hadn’t called his name he would have sworn that it was a different person. She arrived at the water earlier than he did, he had expected that he would have a few moments to make himself presentable before she showed up. But when he saw the figure running through the thick of the forest towards the location he had told Teo and Dan to tell her he knew he could not wait for a moment to put himself in order before seeing her. When he called her name, unsure of whether or not she was actually the one standing there even though she was calling out his name, he was surprised to see how different she looked. She was taller, exactly the same hei

Phoenix stared up at the elegantly carved ceiling. There was a cold cloth pressed to her head. The servant taking care of her worked silently as she pressed the wet cloth against her forehead, returned it to the bowl of ice-cold water to wet it again but to Phoenix it felt as though every move she made was amplified by some strange powers in a hundred folds. The image of Uruel standing in the room donned in his armor after the brilliant light he had caused dimmed was imprinted in her memory. She remembered how her breath completely stopped from the shocks of one night. What was Uruel doing here and why had the king said he had intentions of marrying her? Surely there must be some sort of mistake, she thought. She started to rise but the maid held her down gently. “You must stay down, princess.” The word Princess was beginning to grit her nerves! She didn’t want to stay down, she wanted to stand up and find answers to the sudden events. “What time is i

She fought against the stronghold on her hands. Something was sliding along her legs, soon she felt something stronger hold her legs and hands together. How had she or any of the other soldiers lost guard? They were supposed to have at least sensed the invaders! One moment she was looking at the bodies of the soldiers tied upside down and the next moment a strong hand was clamped so tight around her mouth that her screams were stifled. She saw with horror the ruthlessness of the invaders, how easy it was for them to slit the throats of the men nearest her. When they dragged her away she couldn’t see Basten or Teo and Dan but the men of Eyrotia were already aware of the attack at this moment and were fighting back. None of them even knew that she had been dragged off. After all, she wasn’t of any importance to the army or any of the men there. Would Basten know she was missing? Was he dead? Dread seized her heart at the horrifying thought. Suddenly the men’s transport

“What do you mean my son is arrested for treason?!” Rudo demanded. Merea walked away from him. She had ordered the guards to throw Basten and Phoenix in the dungeon and sent some other soldiers out to look for Teo, Dan and Styx. Rudo hastened his footsteps to match hers. “It pains me to say this but your son was found with Barigo’s precious daughter,” she spat with malice. “And it seems that she has bewitched your son like she did the king. They were planning to disband from the army, it may also please you to know that it is rumored that Phoenix and her band of friends seek to overthrow the king and install her as queen even before his demise.” “Does the king know about this?” Merea stopped walking, turned to him and smiled. “He does, and he has given me the freedom to do as I like with them. The king is on my side, are you Rudo?” He looked down at the ring she twisted between her thumb and index finger. He understood her question, in fact, h