Sleeping Phoenix

Prologue 1813 Keep running, just keep running. You’re almost there. Don’t think about your constricting lungs. Even though it feels as if they are about to collapse in on itself.  No! Focus! Put the splintering pain shooting up your thighs in the back of your mind. Keep running, just keep running. You’re almost there. Mila kept repeating the same sentences over and over as if her life depended on it; and if the dream that woke her from a deep sleep meant anything, lives may very well depend on it.  Normally, Mila didn’t put much credence in a dream, would just brush it off as insignificant; but that nightmare, in particular, seemed entirely different. She felt more than saw the dream as it progressed. She could hear the calls of her sisters in her flock pleading for help.  Without another thought she sped from her private little cottage, that had become a home away from home, and raced into the forest that separated her from The Sanctuary. Though the forest was dense and the trek was far on foot she wouldn’t get lost, she knew the way like the back of her hand. Even as the brambles and bushes tore at her floor length skirts it did nothing to deter her from her pursuit. She simply hiked her skirts higher and picked up her already grueling pace. Her only saving grace, if it could be called much of one, was her doe skin breeches she always insisted on wearing under every dress. While her skirts were being torn to bits the breeches saved her legs from the abuse.  She rounded a tree just as a northern breeze shifted into her path. She was gasping for air from her exertion when it hit her. The very scent that had been ingrained into her head to loathe and destroy since the moment she was claimed into the Collegium volcucres Ignis: Sisterhood of the Birds of Fire. That scent in the air also made her the biggest target in the middle of the forest, alone.  Mila’s heightened senses kicked in, alerting her to the fact that she was being followed. She could practically taste the creature’s determination now that they had spotted her. The hunt was on, and she was their prey. A faint whistling noise pierced through the quiet, late night, forest air and it took her a moment to realize what that whistling was.  Letting her survival instincts take over, she dove over a toppled tree. Instinctively, she tucked her body over into a roll a mere second before an arrow flew by her head. It grazed her temple as it flew by, slicing through skin and hair. The shock of the arrow threw her off balance, and sent her rolling in the dirt a few feet. She came back up into a crouched position, on the other side of the fallen tree, where she spotted the black arrow protruding from the tree standing in front of her.  Only one species used those types of arrows, and she would have bet her eventual immortality that if her emotions weren’t running high she would have already noticed the burning sensation in her skull and the black ooze dripping from her small wound instead of blood. Her imagination hadn’t gotten the best of her after all.  She bolted through the trees and foliage trying to stay ahead of the creatures trailing her. The thud and vibrations running through the forest floor announced they were hot on her trail. By her count there were at least three of them, and they were gaining on her, if the rising putrid smell of rotten flesh were any indication. The muscles in her neck contracted, her stomach rolled over, and threatened to spill the contents within. She attempted to maintain her focus on the trail in front of her, because any more distractions could prove fatal.  Pumping her arms and legs harder, that nearly had her buckling from the strain; she shot through the trees in a serpentine motion hoping to throw them off. Luck was not on her side. She glanced back, for a mere moment, to gauge just how close they had gotten and lost her footing. The overgrown path became more tangled with foliage the farther she ran. Her foot caught a tree root that pulled her to the ground. Her head struck a rock, on the way down, that was sticking up from the ground. The taste of blood was instant from a split lip. There was no mistaking the feeling of blood tracking down her cheek from, she was sure, an open wound. More arrows blew past, barely missing her. A harsh reminder that if she didn’t keep running she may not make it out of the forest.  Jumping up she pushed herself harder than she ever had in her life. She was rewarded with the line of trees that signaled the end of the forest, and the beginning of The Sanctuary’s protection spell. However, the sight that awaited her killed her hopes and nearly brought her to her knees in despair. Not only was the spell down, but her home, Phoenix Calling, a place of gathering and protection for those of her kind was under attack by the very same creatures that sent them into hiding centuries ago: Ghouls.  Like most that live in the hidden world of monsters and myths, they were all born into it. They were not created from a bite as most human stories would have you believe. However, most species are capable of turning humans, it just doesn’t always work. To become immortal the human in question must die, making the odds of it working slim. Ghouls, however, are different. They operate in poisons and toxins that change their victims. They are the most prolific species, by far.  A turned Ghoul was a nasty Ghoul. Those who were not born of the species remembered their lives before they were turned, but are unable to fight the overwhelming urge to consume flesh, living or dead, and spreading their contagious virus to those they don’t deem as food. Turned humans also never revert back to their human form after the transformation takes hold, but the same cannot be said of those born into it. So, in essence, turned Ghouls hate being who they are, but are unable to change anything- making the beasts very temperamental bastards.   Mila stood frozen in time as the scene from her dream unfolded in front of her. They found us, she thought to herself. The stench was indescribable, with so many of them congregated outside of the fortress walls clawing to get in. Others fired poisoned arrows over the walls and into the air at the birds circling above.  Mila watched with pride as her sisters of the Phoenix torched all those who got in their way. But she also watched in horror as many were taken down with arrows and then set upon by the ravenous creatures. She would never forget the sounds of terror coming from those of her kind. Knowing their death was imminent, but would be slow to come. She yearned to set the whole field ablaze. To dance around the flames with undisguised glee, as the cretins screeched in pain while their flesh turned to ash before their eyes; but, at best, she might succeed in lighting a quarter of the field on fire before they would eventually reach her.    Mila exited the forest that faced the front of the castle, and realized she would never survive fighting her way through to the front entrance, on the ground or in the sky. There were just too many of them. Even if she did survive, she would only let in the attackers that her sisters were fighting hard to keep out. So lost in her thoughts about how to get in she forgot about the three Ghouls that were chasing her, and didn’t have time to defend herself as they set upon her.  The first one knocked her to the ground with all of it’s body weight. It straddled her hips to hold her down. He grabbed for, and immobilized, her hands faster than she thought possible. The other two crouched beside her on both sides waiting for their turn to feast on the prize they captured. The ghoul’s bright yellow eyes glowed with triumph watching Mila struggle on the ground. She tried to free her hands from it’s punishing grip; unfortunately, her only line of defense, at that moment, was to kick and scream. “You horrid son of a w***e, I will incinerate you the first chance I get,” she howled.  “You may try,” it hissed while flicking it’s tongue out to taste the outer rim of her ear. Mila couldn’t hide the revulsion she felt as the ghoul’s eye’s seemed to glow with undisguised hunger and delight at it’s catch. She didn’t hold back the gag this time that forced it’s way through her throat, nor could she control the shiver of disgust that racked her body. This creature of the utter most repugnance lay atop her with it’s drooping green molted flesh oozing pus that dribbled off it’s body onto hers. She felt as it’s black slimy saliva slid down the side of her neck into her hair.  She really hated Ghouls, not just because they became mindless-flesh eating-virus spreading whoresons, no, she also hated them for the fact that they were all so unrepentant. But how could a mindless being be repentant? They’d have to feel something other than single-minded need to consume everything, but she supposed that wasn’t completely true. Born ghouls, as unbelievable as that concept seems, can transition between their beastly and human shell at will. Supposedly, it took years of training to maintain either appearance for long durations; but, thanks to immortality, they had all of the time in the world to work at it, literally.  A Phoenix is the only being in the world that can cure the ghoul virus, once it is administered through a bite or the exchange of bodily fluids; inevitably, that put a huge target on their backs. They were forced into hiding and their isolation prevented them from doing so much good in the world, so yes, she really hated them. Even worse, Mila’s blood, and the blood of others of her kind, is addictive to them. Capturing all of the occupants of the castle would be a tremendous advantage for them; they’d wipe out the only thing that could truly decimate their species, which would send them into extinction, and have a never ending supply of blood that is impervious to the virus they spread.   Mila fought against the creatures hold harder as the Ghoul sitting on top of her was readying to bite into the main artery in her neck. She was just about to contemplate her death when an unknown blast rocked the grounds. A sudden and powerful force, similar to a gust of wind, sent the Ghouls flying across the clearing and away from Mila. She didn’t even give herself time enough to thank whichever gods blessed her with such luck. She forced her body into action and ran back into the line of trees. As much as she wanted to stop and breathe she just couldn’t risk it. Although she was a part of an immortal race, she had yet to reach her immortality and was very much able to die.   Making her way around the castle in the cover of the forest, and further away from the frontal assault on the main entrance, she decided to sneak into the castle through the hidden tunnels. It took some time but she finally found the hidden chamber door that led under the grounds and straight into the dining hall. Even with her superior strength she struggled with opening the door that had gone many years without use. It took more effort than she’d like to admit, but it finally gave way. If she were immortal already that door would have been no challenge at all with the added strength and agility. Unfortunately, the fates choose when you reach your highest level of skills and no longer need time to grow into your gifts. And at eighteen, apparently, Mila wasn’t there yet. It was different for everyone, some turned at eighteen others at the age of twenty-eight, and some in between. So all that is left to do is to wait and let nature take it’s course.  Mila descended in to the dark tunnel only too thankful that she could see fairly well in the abysmal darkness. She had only been through the tunnel once in her entire life, which certainly had her hoping there wasn’t too much of a maze winding underneath the castle; because she didn’t have time to waste getting lost. When she came to the first fork in the tunnels she did the only thing she could think of, follow her nose. Coming from a family lineage of werewolves her sense of smell was slightly better than that of her sisters. Her nose led her through three different forks in the tunnels before the air began to warm up and smell like the kitchens. She knew she was almost to the end of the tunnel.  She went several more yards through the darkness before she reached the wall panel that popped out into the dining hall. She felt around for the lever but came up short when it wasn’t there. Feeling around again left her just as empty-handed. She began pounding on the wall hoping to just knock it open, but found even less success with sore and bruised hands. Until, the castle was rocked by another blast of energy that Mila couldn’t wrap her mind around. The force against the panel was enough to push it open from the outside. She shoved her way in to the dining hall. The sight that she came across stunned her, if she could be any more stunned than she already was at that point. Standing before her as if the walls weren’t literally falling down around them was her teacher, her leader, and the closest thing she had ever had to a mother; the oldest of them all at nearly twelve hundred years old, Serena. She was unbelievably beautiful, but coming from the original family of witches it was kind of expected. She was as beautiful as she was tall, and just as intimidating. With long white blonde hair, and lithe form, she was a female every male drooled over, and that made females of every species envy and hate her with equal measure. But what made her truly beautiful was her heart. She bore a genuine kindness and love for everyone that was rivaled by none and it made everyone around her want to just be near her. When the time had come to choose the new leader of the flock it was not hard for the sisterhood to name her, it was unanimous in fact. Granted Mila wasn’t there for that vote, but she had been told the story and she could only hope to be half the Phoenix that Serena was. And under her tutelage she was told she was on her way. “Late as usual, my dear,” Serena said to Mila with a sad smile. That smile held many emotions Mila never wanted to see on her adopted mother’s face.  “I’m so sorry. I tried to get here as fast as I could. I didn’t hear the call. It seems I am doomed to fail ten times over this night,” Mila responded with true regret. Usually in times of distress a Phoenix can send out a telepathic beacon, they have come to refer to as the call, which only other Phoenix can hear. That night Mila heard no such call.  “You misunderstand child,” Serena began and it never ceased to amaze Mila that this woman was twelve hundred years old when she had the visage of a woman no older than twenty-one. “I did not call for you, in the hopes you would not know of the troubles that have befallen us, and then come to help.” “Why? I may not have grown into my immortality yet, but I can help,” Mila said passionately.  “You are correct Mila, more than you know in fact,” Serena told her, “Follow me, we cannot stay here. It is no longer safe.” Mila couldn’t agree more with the crumbling walls and the screeching noises of the Ghouls penetrating from the outside moving in.  Exiting the destroyed dining hall heading towards the east wing Mila followed Serena down the hallway. She had to hike up her tattered skirts and nearly run to keep up with Serena’s long hurried steps, but she did so dutifully. She assumed they were heading to Serena’s personal chambers she had be-spelled with wards to keep out all those who would seek to harm her or her sisters. The spell could only be taken down by Serena herself or those she trusted enough to let into her inner sanctum. However, when they went right past her door and went further down the hall Mila couldn’t help but ask, “Serena where are we going?”  Without pausing to look at her she replied, “To the solarium.” That stopped Mila in her tracks. Sensing that Mila was no longer following her Serena stopped, and turned to look at her. “Is there a problem?” “No one is allowed in the solarium. Why would we go there?” Mila asked.  “Because, my dear, your future begins tonight where the Sisterhood meets it’s end,” Serena replied.  Mila couldn’t breathe. “What do you mean the Sisterhood meets it’s end? We could still win.” Serena’s lack of emotion on her face spoke more than if she had flatly told Mila that they were all going to die. “Come. I will explain as much as I can as soon as we are in the solarium. You will know what I know. Does that sound fair enough for now,” she asked.  Mila could tell that Serena was becoming impatient by the jerkiness in her normally fluid movements and the tightness in her mouth, but being Serena she refused to be rude. So Mila followed her further down the hall all the way to the doors that led to the solarium. Mila could feel an energy pulsing from the huge double doors and was naturally drawn to it. Just as her hand was about to brush against the beautifully carved wood Serena snatched her hand away from it snapping Mila back from an almost trance that had seemed to wrap around her.  “Do not touch anything unless I instruct you to otherwise. Do you understand?” Serena demanded still holding Mila’s hand away.  “Yes, I understand,” Mila responded.  “Good.” Without another word Serena waved her hand in front of the doors and magic pushed the ornate doors open. They stepped into the one and only place truly forbidden to all in the castle. With the exception of the chosen one who is said to be the keeper of the key that unlocks the divide between the living and the dead. Who, up to that day, had yet to make an appearance.  Mila’s first steps into the solarium left her speechless. The eastward facing room was made entirely out of shining resplendent glass that left Mila mesmerized. She could see beyond forever through the walls of the room, and the way the glass itself was crafted seemed to draw in every bit of light shining outside and then casting it into the room. Even the waning moonlight as dawn approached lit the room in a silver glow that made her feel as if she were in a dream.  Mila felt lost in the room; as if Serena and she weren’t the only ones there. Even though her eyes told her differently. The longer she stood in the room the louder a constant buzzing in her ears grew. At first she attributed it to the intense quiet the room held as if all noise was wiped out leaving only a ringing in her ears, but as the noise grew the harder it got to convince herself that she wasn’t hearing . . . voices.  “Mila,” Serena fairly screamed in the quiet room causing Mila to nearly jump out of her skin from the suddenness and tone of her voice breaking up the quiet. Not to mention, she felt as though she were slipping away from consciousness as the ringing increased in her ears.  “Yes,” she squeaked in acknowledgement.  “Did you hear them?” Serena asked.  “Hear what?” Mila asked in response even though she had a feeling she knew what she was speaking of.  “Those who have been,” she said.  Mila couldn’t breathe as an invisible force shot through her center nearly knocking her off her feet. “What was that?”  “That, my dear, is your calling,” Serena said.  “I don’t understand.” Mila gasped out as she steadied herself.  “I know, but I’m about to explain.”  Mila went silent waiting for Serena to continue. “Where do we come from?”  Baffled that Serena wanted to give a history lesson Mila knew her face had to express her bewilderment at the situation, but she answered anyways, “We are an all-female race born from any immortal species. What makes us what we are, is determined by our birth dates intersecting with the light of a blood moon eclipsing the sun during the summer solstice. We are created in fire and light here to set balance against those who nature found unbalanced, Ghouls. We also are guardians of the gates to the afterlife, created to forge the gates themselves, and protect the path to the hereafter.” “Very good, I brought you here to do what I must to protect you. There have been secrets kept from you and I regret that more now than ever, because what that means is you will move forward with your life and purpose alone. I never wanted that for you, but I also wanted you to have some semblance of a normal life before your true purpose was set before you. I did hope to keep this from you until you grew into your immortality, and to some extent I guess I succeeded in that sense. I know you are confused and all will come to light before this night is over. All that I ask is that you listen in silence until the very end,” Serena ordered.  “I will do as you ask,” Mila agreed.  Mila watched as Serena took in a deep breath almost like she was readying herself to release a hard truth. “Everyone is told the story of the chosen one. It was pre-ordained millennia ago, even older than I am, that a child will be born that bridges the gap between those who have been, those who are, and those who will be. She will be born stronger than all of us and will lead us into freedom and peace for our kind where we no longer have to live hidden from the world in run down castles that no one can see, but us. It was foretold she would be born to wolves and there she will be kept in happiness, but not without sacrifice. In order to find peace,” Serena paused a moment as if the next part was going to be the hardest to relay, but Mila couldn’t begin to figure out what could make this telling any worse than it already was turning into. If Mila was able to guess correctly she had a suspicion she knew where this story was leading, but didn’t quite know how she felt about it all. Her world was thrown farther into chaos when Serena finished telling the prophecy, “In order to find peace, the first generation must die to welcome the next. Unfortunately, there was more to the prophecy but it has been lost over time. I have a feeling that it shall show itself to you sooner or later.”  “I. . . I,” Mila was as lost for words as the weight of her statements took root. “What,” was the only whole word she could force out between her frozen lips. She had to touch her face that had suddenly gone numb to be sure that it was actually still there. She felt so overwhelmed and scared and couldn’t even find something intelligent to say or do. She thought to herself that if she’s supposed to be the chosen one she surely isn’t coming up with a strategy. Her mind was nothing but a blank void.   Luckily, Serena being the ambivalent leader that she was already had everything planned out. “You know my story. I come from the original coven of witches and because of that I retained some of my natural talents instead of converting fully to my Phoenix.” “Yes, so what does that mean for me,” Mila asked just before another ground rocking force shook the castle, “What was that? What is happening?”  “It seems the Ghouls have discovered a weapon that works to their advantage, but we do not have time for that, dawn approaches and you are running out of time,” Serena told Mila. “I am just so confused by all of this. What is to happen to me, to you, and the flock? I just feel so lost,” Mila cried.  “Oh my dear, if only I could see the future and tell you without doubt that everything from here on will be nothing but blue skies and happiness for you; but that is outside of my abilities. What I can do for you, is to make sure you are not found or taken until it is safe; but in order to do what I have planned you must be immortal.”  “But I am not immortal yet, and there are no guarantees that it will happen before dawn Serena,” Mila told her.  “That is correct, but there is a way to force your immortality to come before dawn,” Serena commented. “The only way to do that would be if I aged rapidly, very rapidly until my immortality took root.”  “Precisely, I am going to age you until I feel your immortality take you.”  “What would that do? Why must I be immortal? This plan seems very dangerous.” “I won’t lie, it is; but it is also your only choice. My plan is to cast a sleeping spell that will make you almost inanimate, as if you were frozen in time. That is to prevent Ghouls from finding your hiding spot before it is safe. Are you ready?” That question felt so loaded that Mila wasn’t quite sure how to respond. That wasn’t exactly a new feeling for her. Serena must have taken her silence as acceptance, because as she continued to contemplate what all of this meant, in the background she heard quiet chanting. Her contemplation came to an end when the force of an anvil slamming into her chest brought her down to her knees. The invisible blow made her breath rush from her body. It took a moment for Mila to get her bearings, but by that time she began coughing up blood. She fell forward onto her hands placing her on all fours as blood trickled past her swollen lips, but that was only the beginning. She could literally feel time move through her veins stretching her skin and bones as it ripped through her. The intense pain made her arch her back as if her body was instinctively trying to get away from the pain. Her screams of horror fell on deaf ears as Serena continued to chant and moan out the proper incantations.  Being a Phoenix made her impervious to fire, in fact she gained strength from it, and as such she had never experienced the feeling of burning, but in that moment she felt fire course through her and burn a fiery path through her body. It wasn’t at all pleasant. She watched in terror as her arms, torso, and hair grew longer before her eyes. She couldn’t say whether her legs were growing considering she couldn’t see them; but she certainly felt every part of the experience. Even worse, the more she grew the more intense the pain grew and pressure built in her to the point she felt blood vessels burst in her eyes and felt as the crimson liquid ran from her nose, eyes, and ears. Until finally, it was as if the dam burst and the pain was released to be replaced with a rush of an ice cold liquid flooding her body.  Mila collapsed to the floor in exhaustion, but found a little bit more strength to roll over onto her back to look up at Serena. “Rest easy now child. For your future looks bright,” she told Mila with that same sad smile from before as she crouched over her. Mila felt the gentle brush of feathers against her face, that had an amazing calming effect, just as more chanting picked up around her. Mila could hear distant sounds gathered right outside the door to the solarium just as her world went dark and her life changed forever.  ~*~  As Serena glanced down at the now sleeping Mila she could no longer hold back the tears or sobs that have threatened to escape the moment Mila had stumbled into the destroyed dining hall. She truly loved this child like her own and truly hated the fates for forcing her hand in this. Serena wasn’t sure why she thought she could change the course of this night, and keep Mila away from the castle. Looking back on the situation she realized it was her just being hopeful. If she were being honest with herself she would admit it was all so she didn’t have to do what needed to be done to ensure Mila’s safety. Serena bent down further to give her beloved daughter of her heart one final good night kiss on her forehead, and in that kiss left her one final message to be opened at a later date.  Serena could hear that the attackers had finally broken into the castle and their final defense had fallen. Hot tears poured down her cheeks in rivulets as the truth hit her, and realization set upon her. She felt as the last of her strength and magic began to drain from her weakening body. She knew both of the spells would take her life, but in her mind it was better to give her life up from the use of too much magic than to have those retched Ghouls to capture her in order to drink and eat from her flesh forever more. At least through death she wouldn’t be privy to their lecherous ways personally, or as impersonal as having your dead body consumed as it could be. One last spell to do and then her part in the prophecy would be done and with just enough magic to do it. Serena watched the sun crest over the eastern hills in a burst of oranges, yellows, and reds one last time; basking in the glow before muttering the final incantation.  She was able to watch the magically protected doors to the solarium morph off of their hinges to create an ornate wooden box, which was eerily similar to a coffin, before collapsing to the floor. She watched even further as it shifted around to pick up Mila from the ground, before levitating off the floor, and flying through the now opened glass panel of the furthest eastern window. That box carried their last hope away to safety. It took Mila from the only home she ever really knew and into a world she will have to travel and navigate alone. Serena held out as long as she could to watch the flying box disappear over the horizon into the still rising sun before finally giving in to the pulling force of death wrapping around her. She felt her soul slowly tearing from it’s physical anchor before letting go completely lying on the floor of the holiest place of her species. Even then, in her most despairing moment, could not bring herself to regret anything from her long life. She died complete with a small knowing smile on her face that told all who saw her that they may have lost this battle, but with a spit fire like Mila on the loose there was no telling how the future would turn out. She but prayed that when all comes to light every Gods damned Ghouls are present for Mila’s wrath and burning fire.   **** Silence descended that night as nature recognized a great imbalance. The largest Ghoul attack ever witnessed murdered it’s way into history. As that night was concluded, it would be an event that would forever be taught to all in the supernatural world as the night the light was extinguished. Little did everyone know that on that very same night a strange flying box carrying the salvation of a species, and possibly the world, crashed landed exactly as the spell demanded. She was to be kept hidden until a time she would be the safest. Serena could not have predicted that the spell would be so literal, or that the safest she would ever be would rely on the presence of one person who has been seeking her for centuries.