Soldiers Descendants

Phoenix Weapons

The rest of the week, the boys and Jenna were careful around me. I was not forgiving when Adrain let Stayne and I out of the pantry after three hours. Stayne doesn't seem to regret anything that happened in there. Of course he left his marks on me, that I can't cover up. Luckly, he didn't go far enough for me to want to stay away from him for good. 

    "Evie, you look like you are debating on life." Jenna said slowly.

    "You have no idea." I said.

    "Land ho!" One of the crew shouted. Sighing in relief, I looked to where some were pointing. There, stood a large island. It was covered on trees and just looked like any old island. Nothing special about it.

    "I wonder why this island is so important." Jenna wondered. I shrugged. "This better be worth my time."

    "Better be worth all our time." I growled.    

    The captain walked over to me and handed me a paper. "This is a map. It will lead you to where you need to go. I wish you good luck. Some of my men will take you to shore. Be careful." With a firm nod, we boarded into the boats and they took us to shore.

    "So, who knows how to read a map?" Tarrant asked.

    "I do." I replied. Everyone looked at me in surprise. "I did have to hide from my family from time to time when I was a child. Honestly, there is some things you guys don't know about me. Somethings are better left unsaid. Somethings indeed." Shaking my head on intruding thoughts, I focused back on the map. "It shows that there is a path somewhere along here. Look for two oddly shaped stones."

    We began walking to our right in search of the stones. Jenna had ran ahead of us with a skip in her run. "How does she have so much energy?" Jared asked. "And am I the only one who saw Miranda and Jenna flirting before we left?"

    "You saw that too? I thought I was going insane. I think that was the first time in a while that she has shown interest in anyone. Our sister has always ignored advances from other people."

    "I FOUND IT!" Jogging to Jenna, we paused to see two rocks and several broken plants. We looked at her curiously. "I may have lost my patience with the plants and destroyed them trying to get to the rocks."

    "Jenna, I swear, sometimes you worry me." Neil declared. She only shrugged and then looked to me.

    "Right. So baicsally the map is simple from here. Mostly a set and stoned path. A straight walk that seems to last a while. Looks like we will have to pass over a bridge." Jared beckond me to lead the way.

    "A straight path. That's a little too easy." Stayne said. I nodded in agreement. "There has to be some trick to this."

    "We'll find out." Neil said. Tarrant got in front of me as the forest became denser. He swing his sword, making the path clearer. "Damn, you know for sure that people haven't this way for a long time."

    "Indeed." Drowning out their conversation, I studied the map, trying to see if I had missed something. That's when I noticed that down at the bottom were words. "To see is not too see. To fear is not to fear. Face the trial of the soul." I muttered so they wouldn't hear. More appeared onto the map, followed by warnings. "What the actual f**k? What messed up s**t is this?" Everyone paused and turned.

    "What is it?" Erick asked, looking over my shoulder. "None of that stuff was there before."

    "I know! I said these words on the bottom, which, by the way, doesn't make any sense, and this happened!" I explained. "What kind of f****d up ancestors did we have?"

    "Who knows. Don't touch the purple with black spot flowers. They let off a smell that makes you see things. The bridge isn't seen. You must have faith to walk over the ridge?" Erick looked ready to turn back.

    "We are going to die. None of this makes sense!" I said. "DON'T TOUCH THE FLOWERS, JENNA!" Jenna jumped and looked at me scared. "Just...just don't touch anything. At this rate, nothing is safe."

    We spent the next hour walking until we got to a river. Double checking to make sure that there are no warnings, I began to look for a way across the river. Spotting a large log, I walked to it to see if it was sturdy enough. "Is something going to pop out or are we safe?"

    "We're safe for the time being." I replied. We quickly made our way across the river, get closer to our destination. "The bridge isn't far from here. It should be just past these trees."

    The trees were dense, but I was right about the other side. The was the ridge, but not a bridge. "Great. Someone is playing us. Is this some sick joke?" Joseph shouted. I read the words carefully as the others began to argue. The bridge is hidden. If we can't see it, that means it is invisible. Therefore, we must brave the thought of death. The map shows that it is right in front of me.

    Not bothering to tell them what I was going to do, I let them continue to argue. I folded the map and put it in my boot. "Well, might as well see what will happen." I muttered. I walked to the edge and looked down. Nothing but rocks. I looked back at the others and then back at the ridge. "Well, here goes nothing."

    I backed up and prepared myself. Taking off in a sprint, I jumped a few feet off the edge. "I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" Jenna screamed and the boys let out shouts of fear. I sudenly landed on somthing. I opened my eyes and looked down. I was standing on nothing, yet something. "Hey, I'm alive. Cool."

    "EVIE, YOU ARE SUCH AN i***t!" Jenna screamed. I laughed and nodded in agreement. I beckoned for them to come to me. Slowly, but surely, they began to walk to me. Jenna slapped me as soon as she got to me.

    "In my defense, you wouldn't have known if I hadn't said what I did." I told her. "Either way, someone had to do something, and the lot of you were just arguing over stupid shit." I said as I got to the other side. "The cave we need to get to is this way, so let's go people. No being slow and no stopping to look at things."

    We got to the cave rather quickly. "This place is creepy." Adrian said. Silently agreeing, I walked to the cave. "Can't I just stay out here?" Jenna grabbed Adrian and dragged him behind her.

    "Welcome to the Cave of Fire." A dark skinned woman stepped out of the shadows. Tattoos covered her body and her hair seem to burn. Her eyes are completely white and seemed to stare straight into my soul. "I would like to know who the leader of this group is." Jared pushed me forward. I glared at him as the lady looked to me. "I am the Lady of the Firebirds. Who are you?"    

    "My name is Evie Moon." I replied. 

    "All of you, follow me." She ordered. Why do I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen to me, or it might be something I do not like. Perhaps both.

    We enetered a dome like area. Carving are on the walls. They seemed to tell stories upon stories. In the middle laid a pond like area. The lady walked into the water. "Lady Moon, please come to me. The rest of you are to stay where you are at. There are enchantments to keep you there." 

    I walked into the water. It wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm either. "Here you will be tested as a worthy leader. Your friends are connected to you. If you are worthy, then so are they. Do you understand child?"

    "I do." I replied. She took my hands and she beagn to chant. I wasn't able to make out the words, but I was suddenly plunged into darkness.

    It was like watching a movie, but it was my life. It showed memories of me protecting people I didn't know. I was five and saving a dog from an abusive owner. I was eight and running from bullies while trying to help a young friend. In middle school and trying to test my friends to see if I can trust them. Then it paused on an all to familar scene. My grandmother sat on the floor holding me as I cried. I wanted to move but I couldn't. 

    "It will be alright my, nipotina. The ambulance will be here soon and everything will be okay." She shushed me as I screamed in pain. Blood was welling underneath me and it was torture to watch. I watched my grandfather open the door as the ambulance pulled up. The next thing I knew, I was in the hospital room. I was holding my little girl. She was only alive for ten minutes before she died. I had held her the whole time. 

    "My little Sapphire." I whispered. I screamed at the world. I cursed my ex, who I blamed for all my pain. I blamed myself. I couldn't save her. My little gem. The light of my world. The Sapphire I held so deeply.

       I opened my eyes, gasping for breath. I couldn't breathe for what I sae. The very thing I wanted to forget. "You have faced many trials in your life. You have lost such a sacred thing." The lady whispered. "The magic has found you and your friends worthy. All of you who are from the other world, step forward into the circle." Erick and Neil helped me up. I got my strength back and looked at the woman. "The cave shall gift you the magic your ancestors once held. You will be known as the Phoenix Soldiers from this day forward. You will be gifted with swords, bows and arrows, knives, and magic. Bless you and may your blood and hearts reign true. Suddenly pain errupted throughout my whole body. I was once again pludged into darkness. Not able to call for my friends.