Chapter 22 Chapter 22: The Firebird

Chapter 22 Chapter 22: The Firebird
∆§∆ LUNARA'S POV ∆§∆

I was going to die. The wind screamed past my ears as I fell—trees and rocks speedily at me. The darkness below closed in on me closer and closer.

Rora had pushed me off that cliff. My own twin sister did this to me. I couldn't believe it. But why couldn't I?

Rora had never hidden her jealousy of me. When we were younger and my parents still saw me as someone important, they had praised me, lavished me with gifts and even done more for Rora with the excuse that I should be more understanding since I was going to be queen someday.

When people complimented my hair, Rora drugged me and scraped off my hair. My parents had played it off saying it was just teenage jokes at age twelve.

Whenever she couldn't get something that was being given to me, she destroyed it such as sending my uncle to the borders because he didn't treat her the way my parents did.

Tears streamed down my face because of the wind. I couldn't even cry properly while dying. Maybe it was better that I just die.

If only I had a wolf. If only I weren't wolfless. I could shift right now and survive this.

But I can't. I'm nothing. Just a human falling to her death because my sister wanted everything I had.

The ground was rushing up to meet me. I could see the jagged rocks now. This is it. This is how Lunara Throneborn dies.

Just when I had given up, I felt something hard in my pocket. My hand desperately grabbed at whatever it was and pulled out.

It was the red jade whistle, Mr. Kaf had given me. His words echoed in my head. "If you are in any kind of trouble, blow the whistle."

And I'm pretty sure falling to my death counts as trouble.

I brought it to my lips with shaking hands. Almost dropping it. My fingers were numb from the wind.

I used my last breath to blow as hard as I could.

No sound came out.

For a second, I thought it was broken and that I was going to die holding a useless piece of jade.

However, the whistle exploded in my hand. Red light burst from it. So bright I had to close my eyes.

The fragments of jade dissolved into pure fire. Crimson mixed with gold flames engulfed me yet it didn't burn my skin.

The flames expanded and grew larger, before my eyes, it took shape. A massive bird made of fire erupted from the broken whistle.

A phoenix.

It was bigger than any bird I had ever seen. Its wings stretched wide, each feather burning with red and gold fire.

A cry that reverberated through the entire forest. It dove toward me at impossible speed.

I barely had time to scream before it reached me.

Sharp talons wrapped around my waist. The heat from its body surrounded me but didn't burn.

It felt more like a weird shield. I stopped falling. The phoenix's wings beat hard, pulling us upward.

I looked down and saw the rocks I would have hit. Twenty feet. Maybe less. Fuck! I just almost died.

My hands gripped the phoenix's feathers desperately. They were soft despite being made of fire.

"What are you?" I screamed so he could hear me.

The phoenix didn't answer. Obviously. It's a bird. Birds don't talk. But it screeched again. As if he had heard my thoughts.

It started flying. Not toward the academy, rather it was going deeper into the forest.

I looked back at the cliff and saw Aurora still standing there. Her face was frozen in shock. Her mouth opened.

She probably thought I would have died but now, she's watching me fly away on a giant firebird.

She looked shaken, if it wasn't too shaken I would have flicked her off.

The phoenix flew faster. The deeper we went into the forest, the darker it became and foggy.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked.

Again, there was no answer. I decided to just be quiet. We flew for what felt like forever. I lost track of time.

Finally, the phoenix started descending, and we landed in a big field, with no grass, or moss.

At the center of the field stood an old-looking stone temple. The field had no grass or moss but the temple was covered in vines and moss.

From the height we were in now, I could see that the surface of the temple had carvings of wolves, full moons.

Also, symbols I didn't recognize. Silver light was coming from inside the temple.

The phoenix gently released me. I stumbled when my feet hit the ground. My legs are shaking badly.

I took a long breath to steady my blurry vision. I looked at the Phoenix standing close by looking at me.

"Thank you," I whispered.

The phoenix bowed its head. Once again, I thought it understood me.

He gestured with his head toward the temple entrance. I didn't understand what he was trying to say but he kept doing the gesture until I understood he wanted me to go inside.

I stared at the dark entrance and felt my skin break into goosebumps.

"You want me to go inside?"

The phoenix screeched softly. I sighed, willing to do it for the bird after all, it just saved my life but I was sensing danger inside and I didn't like it.

“ Come with me,” I prompted hoping I could use the flames on him to light my path.

But the Phoenix which I have come to realize understands me shook its head.

“ Thank you, for saving me but it's too dark inside…”

The Phoenix suddenly looked angry as it pushed me with its head towards the entrance.

“ Why? Why are you doing this? Did you save me to kill me here?”

It stopped and then screeched angrily. It looked offended that I was assuming he saved me to kill me.

For a moment, I thought I saw the bird pouting. “ Fine, you can stop looking angry. I will go.”