Page 119 of Phoenix's Fire

He nodded. "My third. Well, the first time I got to pull a cart, so I'm not sure if that really counts."

"Half-way counts?" I offered. "Means you got to see the surface at least."

"There's that," he agreed, and for a bit, we trudged on in easy silence.

The sound of so many feet shuffling through the leaves and sticks was louder than I remembered. Then again, there were a lot more hunters than gatherers, so that probably made a difference. It had to be why all the animals were gone too. I took the chance to glance around, aware there weren't even birds in the trees or bats skimming through the sky.

"So..." Sylis said, finally breaking the silence. "Callah, huh?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Kinda hoping I get to see her again."

The young man pushed out a heavy breath and nodded. "No kidding. You heard what happened last time, right?"

"The things I heard don't make sense." I glanced over. "You were there?"

He nodded. "I was in the first wave. We got one and hauled it back just as everything went crazy."

I lowered my voice a little more. "They said it was the Phoenix."

He nodded. "Remember that girl who got thrown out? The first one?" He looked over and his eyes were a little too big. The kid was scared. "She had agun."

"How?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, but I saw it. She was with a brown one - and shooting at us."

"I thought they just had bows."

"So did I," he agreed. "Most of us died last time, and the reserves are almost gone. If we don't get some meat this time..."

"Yeah, I was told. What about the Wyvern?"

"You'll never see him," Sylis said around a wry chuckle. "The veteran hunters say that if you see blue, you've already been hit. You simply hope someone drags you back."

"I'll drag you back," I told him.

He made a point of looking me over. "Yeah, I have bad news, Tobias. I might not be able to return the favor."

"I'll be fine," I promised.

"That's what my last partner said. He's dead."

I gripped my gun a little tighter to keep my hands steady. I wasn't sure I'd be fine. In truth, I was terrified I wouldn't make it back, but I couldn't admit that. Men didn't show fear. We pushed through it. If we couldn't, we weren't meant to be hunters, and I needed to be out here.

"Malcus says he's good at taking them down," I tried next.

Sylis rocked his head from side to side. "He's usually at the edge of things. Not sure if that counts as good, though. But if you don't make it back, is there anything you want me to tell your girl?"

"You'd do that for me?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I don't have a girl, but if I did, I'd want someone to let her know."

"Just tell her the Phoenix didn't get me," I decided. "I don't care if that's true, but tell her? She was scared about it."

"She knows about the Phoenix?"

I nodded. "She saved Jamison. He was screaming about it."

"Ah." He nodded. "Does she know who that is?"

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