Dragon Aster Trilogy

40: FALLING ROSES



The Phoenix rose from the Keol just outside the Sanctus, igniting the empty fields with its fire. Then with a downstroke of its wings, it sent a wave of fire at the temple itself, igniting everything attached to it that would burn.

But there were no cries of terror or fear. Nor were there any dying screams. There was only fire, and the crackling and burning of what it could make answer to it.

The Phoenix slithered like a snake across the ground with its torso and wings upright, using the claws of where its wings folded to pull itself up to the pinnacle of the temple. It coiled itself around it, enough to crush the stone and cause the building to collapse. But instead of landing on the ground, it caved in entirely into the basement. It landed in the Chamber of Light, where Gei waited.

The specially made golden Threads ignited, but held as the creature struggled to escape, only making its entanglement worse.

“Solar, it has been a long time.”

“RELEASE ME!”

“I intend to,” Gei said, as he avoided the Phoenix’s tail that lashed out at him like a whip. His trap had caught enough of her soul’s Threads, and he quickly caught the ones connected to it and pulled them free.

All at once, the Phoenix’s fire went out, leaving a bird-like snake in the net, and a young, naked woman on the floor before him.

Solar rolled to her side and got on her hands and knees. “Do you honestly think you’ve won? Even without my Phoenix, the Falls will crush your pathetic army.”

“Perhaps. But you have proven one thing for sure.”

“And what’s that?” she hissed back.

“That your gift of foresight cannot see what we will do next.” Gei raised his paw, then used his claws to catch the memory Threads in her mind. He snapped all of them, except for the ones of the life she had on Aster, before the enemy recruited her hate to their cause.

The Phoenix began to ignite back into flames and struggle again. Gei carefully picked up Rose behind his canine teeth, and fled the Sanctus with her. The room exploded with the fire serpent that was now enraged from having its host taken from it all over again.

Its flames sent sparks flying with every Thread that connected with it, until they erupted in an explosion that sounded for miles.