Page 14 of Phoenix Chosen
“I’m not being dragged around on a leash.” I slug back the rest of my wine and slam the cup onto the table. “It’s my choice.”
And isn’t that a depressing realization? I’ve been trapped in this situationship for half a decade, and it’s pretty much entirely on me. Jeff was clear with me what he wanted from the very beginning and I was more than willing to go along with it.
We make our way out of Aelonos and Kalistratos doesn’t say much about where we’re going until the town is behind us and the road is empty of traffic. The sun is dipping below the horizon, and the sky is painted in a vivid orange-purple. Birds whirl overhead like fighter jets, chasing after insects in the waning light, and the smell of sweet grass and wild herbs surrounds me. But I can still smell that damn swamp. It’s on me, in the mud caked onto my clothes and body. I’m uncomfortable as hell, but absolutely set on my decision not to get rid of my clothes. Having tasted the food of this world and a little bit buzzedfrom the wine, I feel like I’m quickly slipping further and further into this dream, and I need anything I can get to keep me anchored to my reality.
It's hard when every direction I look there’s something that pulls me in deeper—like a strange stone monument on the side of the road wreathed in wilted flowers, or even something as simple as the way the fabric of Kalistratos’s tunic falls across his back as he walks in front of me.
He’s nothing like Jeff. There’s no way Jeff would survive in this world. And even though their builds are similar, I know Kalistratos could snap him in half with one hand.
I don’t know how that makes me feel. I don’t even know why I’m comparing them.
We leave the road and head into the rocky hills. Kalistratos cuts a seemingly random route through the brush, to the point where it feels like we’re going around in circles. I’m exhausted, but he reassures me that we’ll be at the hideout soon and I don’t want to waste any energy arguing with him. So I trudge on, one foot in front of the other, following a man—an alpha—who I hardly know and yet for some reason trust with my life.
The sun is now just a glowing band settling behind the hills, and the lights of the town are no longer visible from how far we’ve walked. We’re walking without anything to light the way, but I’m surprised by how much I’m able to see once my eyes are adjusted. Then I catch a view of a small animal perched up on a rock, silhouetted against the navy sky. Seeing a swish of a tail, I realize it’s Alyx.
“We’re here,” Kalistratos says.
Their cave hideout is nestled into the giant rocks on the hillside and nearly impossible to see unless you knew exactly where to look. The entrance is tucked behind a large boulder so that no firelight can be seen from a distance. It’s small but cozy, and it doesn’t seem like they’ve been here for very long.
“Best place we’ve found yet,” Alyx says as he hops onto a rock so that he’s at eye level with me. “Close to town, well hidden.”
“And you’re gonna like this,” Kalistratos says. “Just a few paces up the hill are hot pools.”
“Are you serious? I can finally stop looking like a fucking bog monster?”
“Follow me,” says Alyx.
He leads me to the back of the cave where there’s a narrow hole leading outside. Alyx quickly jumps out, and I scramble up the canted passageway and emerge in an area just above the hideaway where a stream is flowing from a small outcropping amongst the rocks. I can smell the sulfur.
“Thank you again for helping me back in the swamp,” I say. It feels very strange to talk to a cat, and even stranger to get a response back.
“If you’re here because of the Great Phoenix, then it’s a good thing we were the ones who found you,” he replies.
“Kalistratos told me you guys are looking for the temple. He seems to think it’ll be a way to get me home.”
“Well, at the very least, you’ll get some answers. The Great Phoenix’s powers are immense.”
“So you two are thieves, huh? Is that why you’re looking for the temple? Some reward? Treasure?”
Alyx looks back at me as he walks, and even though he’s a cat, I can see the flash of annoyance in his eyes. “We take what we need from those who have more than enough to spare. And the only treasure we’re looking for is answers to questions, just like you are.”
I remember the way Kalistratos looked back at the restaurant, that distance in his eyes.
“What answers?” I ask.
“It’s not for me to say,” he replies. “I’m here to support my friend. Anything further than that, you’ll have to get from him.”
“You guys are so secretive,” I say. “Sneaking around, wearing disguises, a hideout in the hills. You live as a cat. What gives? This can’t all just be because you’re Phoenikos.”
“This morning you were nearly sold into slavery,” Alyxreminds me. “This world is dangerous, especially for our kind.”
We follow the stream for a while until we reach a small dark pool hidden amongst the rocks. I almost slip on the mossy rocks and fall into the steaming water because I’m too distracted by the light show going on up in the sky. The stars are out, and I never realized it was possible to see so many blanketing the darkness. They’re twinkling like the lights of the city skyline back home, and what’s even crazier is the deep purple hue of a nebula or galaxy that shimmers through it all like a river. It’s like those photos of the Milky Way, except even more vivid.
Alyx sits on a rock and cranes his head to look. His ears flick and he licks his paw. “The River Theoheles. Pathway to the world of the gods.”
“That’s wild,” I say as I gawk, nearly slipping again. “Absolutely amazing.”
“These are the hot pools,” he says. “The small one is very hot. The one below it is much more manageable. Shout if you need anything from us.”