Tempting Darkness

That was it? He wasn't even going to attempt to explain what he meant? The loss of their presence was instantly felt. The coldness of the bond slowly evaporated into the air, and I sighed, wondering if I would ever get used to it every time one of them stormed out. It was making it increasingly difficult to hate them when the bond played havoc constantly when they were around. Darius's words made no sense. Why would he have to protect me from my own parents? I knew what I saw, if only briefly. There was no doubt in my mind that he was the reason they were dead. I tried to remember that night, but nothing stuck out or showed that my parents had anything to do with the fire. Stoking the fire, I got up before picking up the plate that I had purposely eaten slowly, wanting to save some of the meat for the phoenix. My eyes moved to the door. With a glance over my shoulder, I walked over to the main door and twisted the handle, and my heart leaped with joy when I noticed it was unlocked. It was odd for them to forget to lock me in. Usually, I would wake up to the door being unlocked, but they always locked it when they went to sleep.

As quietly as possible, I rushed around the room, grabbing my supplies. I grabbed a tissue and wrapped what was left of my dinner in it before retrieving my old bandages. Grabbing one of my pillows off the bed, I snuck over to the door, listening for any noise out in the hall. When I thought the coast was clear, I turned the knob slowly so it didn't grind. My heart hammered in my chest at the thought of being caught sneaking out.

Once in the hall, I glanced down the dimly lit hallway toward the stairs. I rushed to them with hesitant steps and only stopped at the top to look back the way I came for any sign of them. They hadn't noticed, and I slipped down to the bottom level. It was clear everyone was tucked safely away in their dorm rooms because I saw nobody wandering about. The place was dark, and I noticed the glow of the door handles that led outside in the foyer area. They glowed a fluorescent orange, and I wandered over to them. It took only seconds for me to recognize them for what they were: wards. Darius's magic emanated from them, and I wondered if he spelled the castle every night. My head turned back to the stairs, and I reached out before pausing as I went to grip the door handle. I wanted to see if I could siphon it, but I also didn't want to risk him noticing. I also wasn't sure if I would be blasted like an intruder by touching it. Definitely worth investigating later on, but I needed to check my phoenix for now.

The doors to the mess hall were closed as I approached the cellar door leading to the cells. With a pull, the door opened, and I descended the steps while feeling for a light switch. It wasn't until I reached the bottom that I found it, and I quickly flicked the light on. The bird cawed a yelp before calming when he noticed me.

"Shh, it's only me," I whispered to him as I stepped into the cell. He observed me carefully, and I knew he was unsure of me. Phoenixes were brilliant birds and could sense power. Even without magic, I could tell he knew something was different about me being a harmony fae. They could feel it. Phoenixes were almost drawn to the white fae, making me wonder if he had sensed me here, wherever here was. Just like Darius and I, phoenixes were a dying species. They were killed off by the dark fae and considered pests because they hated the dark fae and were known for attacking them. So, most were killed, which was sad because they were amazing creatures. They were just a little temperamental when it came to the dark fae, but they were still amazing despite their hatred for my brethren.

Sitting beside him, I opened the tissue and pulled out the cut-up meat. I tried to wipe some of the sauce off, but he didn't seem to care, pecking at my open palm, wanting to eat it. I held up a piece to his beak, and he pinched it before tossing his head back and gulping it down.

His beak nudged my hand, wanting more, so I continued to feed him. I was hoping to gain its trust because I wasn't looking forward to being bitten after watching its beak slice through the beef like a knife through butter. Its snake-like tongue slivered out, turning the beef strip this way and that as he hungrily ate.

"Do you have a name?" I asked it. The phoenix tilted its head to the side. I tapped my chin, trying to think of one.

"What about Flame?" The bird tilted its head the other way.

"Scorch?" It shook its head.

"Ember?" It appeared to huff, puffing out its chest and making the feathers stand upon his head.

"How about Ryze, with a 'z?"" I offered, and it blinked at me before nudging my face with its giant beak.

"Ryze it is then," I chuckled.

"Now, are you going to bite me when I try to wrap your wing? If you are, a warning would be nice, but I will try to be gentle," I told him while scratching the top of its head. The phoenix watched me unravel the bandages, and I carefully plucked him from where he sat on the bed, placing him on my lap. He whimpered, and his snake-like tongue slivered out to lick at my hand placed under his chest.

"I'm sorry. I am trying to be gentle," I told Ryze. I bandaged him up, placed him on the pillow, and tucked my jumper and pillowcase around him to keep him warm.

"I need to go, but I will be back in the morning. You have to be quiet, though." I told him. Ryze fluffed out his remaining feathers before ducking his head under his good wing. I sighed and rushed out of the cellar and slipped back into my room.