Page 23 of A Flame of the Phoenix

Faythe couldn’t be certain when the fleeting hours she’d captured here and there were riddled with unrest. But with Nik here, his scent soothed the ache within her just enough to want the deep sleep.

“She needs it more than any of us,” Nerida said.

“Come on.” Nik pulled her gently with him as he left the booth.

Faythe groaned, almost reaching to grip the table in a childish display of protest. Nik was swift, hooking her around the middle until she stood. The song wasn’t over, and she was enjoying it.

Come fly the Phoenix, come soar the sun.

Nik steered her toward the stairs.

Fall a monarch’s reign, another will return.

“We’re going to get them back,” Nik said to her.

Faythe nodded, though he didn’t see it.

Come fly the Griffin, come rally the night.

“I have something I need to tell you,” she mumbled sleepily.

How would he react to the revelation of her soul’s long past when she didn’t even hold the full memory of it?

“Save it,” he said. “I’m not disappearing through the night.”

This was it. The sound of war that had always been background noise now came to terrifying life as a crescendo of pounding drums she felt in her chest.

Answer all and stand as one, together they will fight.

CHAPTER SIX

Zaiana

When Zaiana’s eyes flew open to a crack of lightning, she knew immediately her consciousness wasn’t awake in the real world.

No. This can’t be happening again.

It had to be a nightmare. A cruel punishment plucked from her worst memories. She stayed down, curling into herself, since she couldn’t stand to find the face of King Agalhor that would come out to taunt her after infiltrating her mind.

Even with him dead, and whatever he’d discovered about her burning with him, she was unable to forget the violation of his intrusion into her mind. Even awake, she carried a new shame as if the world now knew her twisted mind, and nothing of her was safe anymore.

Zaiana whimpered at the presence that grew stronger. Approaching to stalk its feeble prey, submissive on the ground.

This wasn’t her—she didn’t yield like this. Yet in here she didn’t have to pretend she wasn’t afraid and tired. So very tired.

“How are you awake?” the male asked with a fascination she didn’t expect, in a voice that wasn’t familiar.

Zaiana uncurled herself, raising a hand against the stormy wind that dragged her hair across her vision. She could barely make out the tall figure cloaked in the darkness of her mind and concealed in an oversized hood.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“More fascinatingly…who are you?”

Zaiana knew this game. He spoke in taunts she was all too used to parrying with.

“You already know that if you’re here.”

“You got me there. Though knowing of you and wanting toknowyou are two different things.”

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