Page 56 of Tiger's Destiny
I drew my knees to my chest and inquired, “What would you do, if you were in my place?”
“And what place are you in exactly, young woman?”
“You know better than anyone. How do I get past my fears? Make a life for myself? Risk loving someone? When death is all that waits for you, what’s the point in trying to have a life?”
The bird flapped its wings and then folded them and hopped into the nest beside me. “Do you know much about the life of a Phoenix?”
“Not really. Most of the myths I study end up being wrong.”
“Most stories are fictionalized, but a careful reader can always find a smattering of truth. Would you like to learn about my kind while we wait for your young men?”
“They’re coming here?”
“Undoubtedly. I released them from the diamond cage. They saw me fly off with you, and it’s only a matter of time before they seek out my nest. They think you’re dead, you see.”
“But why would they seek you out if they thought I was dead?”
“Because,” he laughed musically, “they want to kill me. I read the truth of their intentions in their hearts. The blue-eyed one regrets the act but is determined to kill or be killed and the brawnier one thinks only of wringing the life from me with his bare hands.”
I picked up a turquoise egg and polished it gently on my shirt.
“Do I see regret in your heart?” the Phoenix asked gently.
“Did . . . did they hear everything I said?”
“No. They could only see what happened to you.”
I sighed with momentary relief.
“It would have been easier for you if they knew.”
I changed the subject. “Tell me what it’s like being a Phoenix.”
The majestic bird shifted in the nest, tapped on a ruby egg with its beak, and listened intently. After a moment it began to speak.
“A Phoenix can purify poisoned lakes or streams by dipping in its beak. With a blast of fiery breath, we can cleanse the earth, making wastelands fertile and thriving.”
“Have you done that?”
“Regretfully, no. But I’ve seen it done through the eyes of my ancestors.”
“How does that work, exactly? Do you have all their memories?”
“When a new Phoenix is born, the life-spark of those who came before enter its body. A Phoenix is born with the knowledge and the abilities possessed by its forebears. For example, I can cure illness, bring luck to those who glimpse me as I fly past, and I know every language of Earth, even those that have faded away over time. With a flap of my wings, I can level a mountain. I can sing men and beasts to sleep with my song. I can turn living creatures into stone or ash, though I’ve never had reason to do that. The less altruistic Phoenixes of the past have dried up lakes to dine on fresh fish and carried off elephants to eat, but this is the extent of our mischief making.”
“How do you eat an elephant?”
“We eat the same way other raptors do. If the animal is alive, we carry it up to a great height and then drop it.”
“Holy cow!”
“Exactly. In my mind, I’ve watched the destruction of the world and its subsequent rebirth three times. A Phoenix possesses the knowledge of the ages that has been passed to each of us with the expectation that we will guard it and grant wisdom to humankind only when they have proved their merit.”
“Mr. Kadam sure would’ve liked to have had a conversation with you.”
The Phoenix shook its head and ruffled its crest before relaxing.
I ventured, “So are you really born of the flame? I’ve heard that a Phoenix can live for a thousand years before dying and being reborn.”
