The Phoinix: Age of Demigods by S. L. Mancuso
Chapter 38
Fire in the Sky
An eagle swooped down and dug its talons into Bre’s back, causing her to yelp in pain. The bird tried to lift Bre, but she put all of her strength into staying on the ground. She would not let the bird take control of her, not like last time.
Bre dug her nails into the dirt, hoping a physical connection with the elements would cause a magical lock in her mind and prevent her from being possessed again.
The bird had other ideas. The eagle dug its talons deeper into her back and flapped its wings, causing Bre to hover inches above the ground, the earth just out of reach. Bre hung her head in defeat as the warmth of her blood dripped down her back.
“To the cave,” ordered Elpis.
“Bre!” multiple voices shouted.
Breanna heard the voices calling her name, but hope flooded out of her body with the blood as it dripped from her back. With what little mental strength she had left, Bre sent a message to Brian, There is nothing more you can do. You are safer away from me. Gather Cailean and Lysandros and let me go.
“No,” Brian screamed as he raced towards Bre. A clone stepped in his path and smashed his fist into the side of Brian’s cheek. Brian crashed to the ground as Eversor jumped on top of him and held his sword to Brian’s throat.
Before Eversor could cut into Brian’s throat, the tip of a blade poked out from his chest and the clone disintegrated into black smoke. Romulus stood over Brian with a dagger in his hand. He nodded at Brian and ran over to help another soldier pinned down by a clone.
Leave. You need to be safe, Breanna begged.
Brian did not have time to respond. He heard his brother call out for help and saw that Eversor had magically bound him to the wall and formed an energy ball in his hand. Torn between helping Bre or Cailean, Brian froze, looking back and forth between them, unable to leave either until Bre confidently whispered in his mind, It’s alright. Save Cail, I can handle this.
The eagle flapped its wings again and Bre whimpered. Its talons wiggled beneath her skin as it flew to the nearest cave. Once inside the damp cave, the eagle released Bre and then flew to the highest point, carefully watching her.
A flash of green light flew past Bre and into the cave wall. The green mass slumped to the ground and did not move. Bre winced from the wounds on her back as she sat up to get a better look. Anath lay on the ground, wrapped in glowing green chains.
“You are strong, Princess,” Elpis conceded, seeming mildly impressed. “It would be an honor to take you as an apprentice. If I wasn’t about to kill you, that is.”
“Then do it. Why sit here and discuss it?” Bre inched closer to Anath.
“Because it is not enough to kill you anymore, dearest Breanna. I want to drive every ounce of pride and strength you have out of your body. I want to shred every emotion you have, so the fibers of your being throb with agony. I want you to beg for death. You crossed a line when you tortured my parents back there. Now, all of their suffering will be yours. You will watch as my husband slays your friends, and that pathetic group of farmers you call an army.” Elpis walked over to Bre and lifted her chin to look into her eyes. “I want to see the light of hope fade from your eyes.”
Bre’s eyes were defiant as she glared back. “I will kill you, Elpis. I will shred you and your ungodly husband apart with my bare hands.”
Bre glanced at Anath out of the corner of her eye for a mere second, but long enough for Elpis to notice.
“Oh, no, Princess. There is no hope for her. My Grandmother sealed her fate many centuries ago. I...” Elpis stopped talking and smiled brightly down at Bre. Elpis was truly a beautiful woman, but ill intent turned what should be a sweet smile into malevolence. “I won’t have to do a thing. You will.”
Elpis snapped her fingers and the gold eagle perched itself on her shoulder. The bird stared Bre in her eyes as Elpis commanded, “Take her.”
The eagle spread its massive wings and released a bone-chilling screech. Bre closed her eyes, trying to remain in control of her mind, but every nerve urged her to return the eagle’s hypnotic gaze. Dizzy and drowsy, her mind started to slip into the dark abyss of the eagle’s eyes.
Desperately trying to maintain control, Bre focused on the stinging wounds in her back. Her body went numb, and she was overtaken with a sensation of floating. She had nothing physical to focus on, until her powers burned in her chest. Her powers unnaturally raged in her veins as they flowed through her arms and legs, turning numbness into fiery agony. Instead of a safe extension of her body, her powers boiled beneath her skin, burning her alive.
Bre screamed and clawed at her skin.
“The more you resist the more it will hurt!” Elpis laughed.
Bre burned as if she was tied down to a bed of red-hot coals. She curled into a ball on the ground and shook.
The same voice from the last time Elpis possessed Bre entered her head. Let it happen. I promise you will feel much better once you do. Let me in, I can help you. Collapse into my power, I can care for you, better than anyone else. I know what you need…what you crave…
“Noooooo,” Bre said through gritted teeth in defiance.
“Breanna, you can fight this! You are the granddaughter of War. You can’t get more stubborn than that,” cheered Anath.
“I won’t fail…I can’t fail.” Bre closed her eyes and a tear pinched out from between her lashes, sizzling and evaporating on her cheek.
Giving in to The Power is not failing, Breanna. It is accepting who you are, the voice whispered.
Bre desperately fought against her rising fever. Beads of sweat covered her body as she clung to dirt from the floor in an attempt to drag her body closer to Anath. Another wave of power burned her veins; she tasted the charred flavor of singed meat from her throat.
“Fight it, Breanna. I need you. Everyone outside needs you,” Anath begged and pointed to the battle.
Unaware of how hard she had been fighting, Bre opened her eyes and was surprised to find herself on her hands and knees. Her nails bled from digging into the ground, her back muscles were rigid, and the veins popped out of her neck. Unable to breath from the heat pressure in her chest, she collapsed, succumbing to the soothing black-abyss.
“No,” Anath whimpered, hanging her head in defeat.
Elpis laughed at Anath’s heartbroken shock of losing Bre. “I now control your last line of defense. Are you scared now, Grandmother?”
When Bre woke again, she wore a black strapless dress with white rope wrapped around her waist. Bre appeared tranquil, but The Power inside rushed through her veins like vengeful river rapids, itching to claim a life.
“You are a queen, Breanna. You should start acting like one, or at the very least, start dressing like one.” Elpis rolled her eyes and drew a circle in the air around Bre’s head. A crown made of silver twigs that matched Elpis’ gold one appeared on top of Bre’s hair.
Elpis walked around Breanna, watching her carefully in case the possession did not work. With her back to the entrance of the cave, Bre sensed the war outside. She squeezed her fists together and rocks tumbled from the highest points of the pass down onto the battlefield, killing several Roman soldiers.
“There. Now that is how our power is to be experienced. Not controlled, but unleashed with the fury of the elements as its weapon. It’s bewitching, isn’t it?” Elpis gloated.
“Yes, it is,” Bre smiled wickedly, drunk with power.
Anath shuttered at the evil on Bre’s face. She wore a smile more devious than Elpis’. For the first in millennia, someone scared her more than Elpis.
Bre inhaled deeply and turned to leave the cave, but Elpis barred her exit.
“Not yet. I will let you kill them later. It is the gods’ time to be punished for their crimes.” Elpis lightly touched Bre’s elbow, guiding her back to her restrained grandmother. “Start with her, and then we will storm the gates of Mount Olympus together. We will destroy the pantheons, bloody a
Elpis’ eyes narrowed as she focused on Anath. “You are a sorry excuse for a war goddess. Or is it love goddess? I mean, you did make my parents fall in love with each other, and then forced them to conceive a child you would try to manipulate.”
“Your parents did not need my powers to love one another. They fell in love on their own. All we did was provide direction. Although, we should have known a child born in the House of Ares would turn out to be the destruction of mankind.” Anath rolled her eyes at Elpis.
“You destroyed mankind, Grandmother. You ensured its destruction by killing its only protector all those centuries ago.” Elpis tried to remain calm but her anger grew too wild. She squeezed her fist and the chains tightened around Anath’s body. “Besides, look at this beautiful creature born into the House of Mars: my puppet and key to ridding the universe of the almighty gods.”
Bre smiled at Elpis’ sarcasm. The same hatred and anger towards the world’s pantheons toiled in her mind.
Elpis grabbed Bre’s hand and thrust the dagger’s handle into her palm. The evil emanating from the small blade vibrated through her bones, edging her subconscious towards death and destruction. Bre closed her eyes and slowly inhaled, succumbing to the addictive nature of evil. She then pricked her finger on the tip of the blade, and the knife absorbed her blood and the power that thrived within it.
Anath pleaded with Elpis once more to drag her away from her malevolent goal, but there were no words left. Elpis showed no remorse or pity for what was about to happen. She waved her hand dismissively and said, “Kill her.”
Bre walked towards Anath, and the goddess begged for her life, “Please. You were prophesized to be the savior of the gods. You can fight her. You have a pure heart. Do not let her consume you. Think of the great civilization that will be lost if you kill…”
“Silence,” Bre said softly and the green chains wrapped around Anath’s mouth.
Bre gripped Anath’s hair and yanked her head back to look her in her eyes. When she hovered the dagger over Anath’s chest, the chains separated, revealing bare skin over her heart.
Elpis’ and Bre’s hearts sped up as their powers sensed Anath’s heart rate increase. Anath’s eyes widened in fear as Bre drew her arm back. Elpis triumphantly smiled as her grandmother’s muffled cries filled the cave. Bre thrust the blade into Anath’s heart, and the hilt of the dagger pressed against her breast.
Bre slowly pulled the dagger out, but before the tip left Anath’s chest, the handle grew too hot, forcing Bre to let go. A fire burst out of the goddess’ chest and quickly consumed her body. The fire grew, and before anyone could take cover, Anath exploded like a jar of Greek Fire, sending Elpis and Bre crashing into the cave walls. The dagger flew out of her chest and wedged itself between the wall and stone debris.