Page 7 of Phoenix Chosen 2
“Why?”
“Can’t a man make friendly conversation? Kids don’t know how to act these days. Jesus.”
“Cheesus,” I repeat. “Is this a common word here?”
“A common word?” he says. “Buddy, where in the world are you from where they don’t have Jesus?”
He pulls up the front of his tunic and shows me his ribs. There’s a rather gruesome tattoo there of a man being tortured. “Jesus,” he says, patting the tattoo.
This only leaves me more confused.
“Kalistratos,” I tell him. “My name is Kalistratos.”
“I knew it. European. Nice to meetcha.”
I sit on the bench and return to my thoughts. I keep seeing Tyler being swallowed by the darkness.
Where was he taken? To this world, or some other realm?
The thought of my mate imprisoned somewhere I can’t reach him is excruciating, worse than any physical wound. To think I’m supposed to be some kind of “Guardian of Fate.” I was completely powerless to prevent him from being taken. I’d failed. If the Great Phoenix selected me for this mission, then perhaps he chose poorly. Perhaps I’m not worthy of finding him.
But I willnotgive up on Tyler. It doesn’t matter if I’m in the underworld. I will defeat the titans of hell and swim the River Theoheles to whatever realm he’s been taken to. I will burn through my life force to keep him safe if I have to.
And then I will find the one responsible for tearing us apart.
“Hey, John Doe!” a guard shouts through the bars. “Miss Piggy! I’m talking to you, Kermit Beater!”
I turn around. The guard gestures for me to stand up, and there’s a loud buzzing noise. Several of the guards enter and shackle my hands behind my back.
“You’ve got a visitor.”
I’m unable to get a clear look at the table when they use the magic gemstones to open the door, and when they escort me out through the hallway, I’m too overwhelmed by the barrage ofeverythingto make any useful observations. I’m inside some kind of labyrinth. There are no windows, yet there is a blinding light that shines from slashes overhead. It’s not sunlight. It’s cold and lifeless, like the light of the underworld.
Left, right, down a long corridor. I catch a glimpse into a room where several guards are gathered around what appears to be a long glowing window or some kind of portal. They’re observing something that I can’t understand or explain, a view into an even more bizarre world. Everything here is chaos and madness. Sounds and noises are floating from every direction. Shrill bells ringing impossibly fast. A disembodied voice booming from above, but no one around me seems to notice it or care. And all around, these guards are moving prisoners shackled like I am. I’ve not seen a single member of any other clan other than Anthropos. Everyone here is human.
The guards stop outside a door. One of them stares at me in an unspoken challenge. I glare back. If it’s a battle of wills he wants, he is going to lose. He’s a big man, but I know he’s no alpha. There’s fear and uncertainty in his heart, and I can see it in his eyes. I’ve dealt with plenty of stronger beings, in even more limiting circumstances.
There’s a loud buzzing squawk, and I hear the door mechanism click. The guard blinks and looks away.
“Get inside,” he grunts, pushing me by the shoulder.
The room is small, with empty walls except for another door, and a table and chair sitting in its center. It’s similar to the room they put me in when I was first brought to this place. The chair clatters loudly against the floor as one of the guards drags it out for me to sit. Almost everything here appears to be forged from impossibly featherweight metals.
After removing the bindings from my wrists, both men disappear and leave me alone in the room. I close my eyes, trying to recount the pathway I took from the cell to get here, and any clue to escape. This place could be as vast as a city, for all I know. It could be underground, or under the sea. The only chance I have to escape is with my powers. The risk is getting stuck somewhere, depleting my energy and losing consciousness in the process of escape, which would certainly mean being held even deeper in the bowels of this place. I need to be certain. I cannot be hasty.
When I was first brought to this place, I was interrogated for a time by a man who was dogged in learning my name and origin. My fear was he would learn I was Phoenikos, but he never once showed any interest in my clan. All he cared about was something he called aneyedeh, and whether or not I was a citizen ofMehrika.
I’d not answered his questions. Now, I assume I’m going to pay for it. Whatever torture they have in store for me, I will weather it.
That terrible sound, like the deafening hum of some monstrous insect’s wings, blasts into my ear again. I hear the door’s lock turn.
“Alright, remember the rules. No physical contact except for a brief hug and kiss and the beginning and end of the visit. Physical contact beyond the aforementioned is considered excessive and may result in immediate termination of the visit.”
“I understand.”
My eyes fly open at the sound of his voice. I can’t believe what I’m seeing. It’s Tyler, but he’s wearing the same odd set of clothes he’d been wearing when we first met. Is this some illusion or trick?
His smile is one of wild relief, and I immediately know that, no, this is real. He’s alive, and he’s here. He’s safe.