Page 47 of A Phoenix Reborn at Christmas
“I appreciate that.” Percival smiled.
They entered the back area of the bakery. They put their plates and cups by the sink where Trent was washing up. Briar and Wulfric had arrived whilst they’d taken their break.
“Percival, I read some stuff on phoenixes last night!” Briar strode over to them.
“He stayed up reading half the night.” Wulfric looked up from slicing almonds.
“We went by Avery and Jack’s place. Avery had some really interesting books on phoenixes,” Briar rushed out. “I couldn’t carry them all home, of course. But I took a few. I learnt that when phoenixes are reborn, they immediately age to a young adult. Like you did.”
Briar gestured to Percival. “From there, a phoenix will age like a human until they reach old age. Then they die and are reborn again. So a phoenix will only ever experience one actual childhood.”
But of course, Percival had no memory of his actual childhood.
“Did you read anything about phoenixes losing their memories after rebirth?” Leo asked.
Briar’s excitement dimmed. “No. There was no mention of that. I did read that some less important memories can take a while to come back. But core memories are retained through death and rebirth. Sorry, Percy.”
Percival nodded. He pressed his lips together. Briar had confirmed what Percival’s uncle had said. But then why had he lost all his memories? It didn’t make any sense. “Was there any mention of what could kill a phoenix permanently?”
Leo wrapped his arm around Percival’s waist.
“There was.” Briar pushed his glasses up his nose. “In one book, they talked about how for a long time it was believed that phoenixes couldn’t be permanently killed. Then it was discovered that magically freezing the ashes just after death means the phoenix can’t be reborn from them.”
The muscles in Percival’s body tensed. Leo squeezed him.
Briar hesitated. “Since then, it appears that there are some, like ice sorcerers, mages, and wizards, who have hunted phoenixes. The ashes from a phoenix’s permanent death are incredibly powerful in spells.”
“Fuck,” Leo whispered.
Percival touched his fingers to his throat. “I guess that explains how the rest of my family died.”
“I’m so sorry, Percy,” Leo said.
“It’s all right.” But Percival could hear his voice waver. “It’s not like I remember my family.” The words soured on his tongue.
Percival wondered what his parents had been like. He wondered if they’d been kind and loving. Or had they been cruel like his uncle and cousin? And had Percival had brothers or sisters?
Surely, at some point, he must have had those he loved and cared for. Now they were all just blank, gaping spaces in his mind.
Wulfric, who’d stopped cutting almonds, stepped towards them. “But Briar and I were talking, and we think it mustn’t have been those who use this ice magic who killed you.”
“Why do you think that?” Leo asked.
“Because if they had, you wouldn’t have been reborn,” Briar said.
Percival blinked. That made sense. “But then what did kill me?”
No one spoke. Because no one had any answers.
The bell above the door to the bakery tinkled. Trent went to serve.
“Perhaps we should go look in the alley where I found you. I didn’t have a good look around. Maybe there is a clue to what happened.” Leo sighed. “I’m sorry, Percy. I should have thought of that sooner.”
“It’s not your fault. So much has been going on.” And honestly, Percival probably should have thought of it. After all, he’d been the one who had died.
“You two can head off now if you want to check it out,” Lachlan said from the stove. “We can cover for you.”
Kit nodded. “Yes. We’ll manage.”
