Page 75 of A Phoenix Reborn at Christmas

“Percy, is that you?” Jack called from the front area of the bakery.

Percival came around. Briar served a dwarf at the counter. Jack stood with a woman and man in dark-red robes.

Jack gestured to them. “These are the two sorcerers I was telling you about. They want to talk to you.”

Chapter

Thirty-Five

Wringing his hands, Percival sat with the two sorcerers at one of the tables.

At present, no customers sat in the bakery. He glanced to the back area, searching for Leo. But of course he wouldn’t be back yet.

“I am Sorcerer Astor, and this is Sorceress Sable. We have been hired by Master Blaize to investigate your death.”

“Master Blaize? You mean Avery?” Percival asked.

“Yes.” The sorcerer smiled and steepled his hands together. “Master Blaize informed us you have lost your memories of how you died. Is that correct?”

“Yes. I don’t remember anything before my rebirth.” Percival glanced between the sorcerers. “You’re not ice sorcerers, are you?”

Sorcerer Astor scoffed. “Of course not. We are obviously fire sorcerers.”

Percival wasn’t sure how he was supposed to know that. Perhaps it was the dark-red robes with black embellishments sewn onto them.

Sorceress Sable leaned across the table. “And I should point out that just becausesomeice sorcerers have been hunting down phoenixes, does not meanallice sorcerers do so. Most sorcerers behave within the confines of a strict code of ethics.”

Sorcerer Astor nodded.

“Those who don’t abide by these codes will find themselves facing the wrath of the Sorcerers Council,” she said. “Sorcerers cannot just run around killing anyone they want.” She laughed.

“No. Indeed.” Sorcerer Astor laughed along with Sorceress Sable. “The Sorcerers Council would not tolerate that. You’ll be pleased to know that many ice sorcerers have faced justice at the hands of the council for permanently killing phoenixes.”

Percival wasn’t sure if he was pleased to know that. He didn’t like the fact thatmanyice sorcerers had permanently killed phoenixes regardless of whether they had been punished for it.

“Now, onto your case.” The light glinted off Sorcerer Astor’s glasses. He pulled out the drawing of the sigil Leo had copied.

“We went to the alley where Master Blaize told us you had been killed. We examined the location of the attack and this sigil.” He cleared his throat. “This is clearly frost magic and was most definitely cast by an ice sorcerer and?—”

“Wait! No. That can’t be,” Percival interrupted. “It can’t be an ice sorcerer.” His heart thudded in his chest. “If it was an ice sorcerer, I would have died and not been reborn. But I was reborn.”

Percival looked between them. “I mean, maybe this sigil was just there by coincidence. Maybe it had nothing to do with me. Maybe I was just killed by thieves or something random!”

They stared at him a second. Then they both laughed. They laughed!

Percival’s shoulders drooped.

“No,” Sorcerer Astor said, wiping tears from his eyes. “No. This is clearly frost magic cast by an ice sorcerer, and based onthe resonance of the lingering magic in the air and the timing of your attack, we are quite certain this was used to kill you.”

“Yes. We can also sense the resonance of the spell in the air around you.” Sorceress Sable’s eyes flicked over him. “There is no doubt that this spell killed you.”

“But I’m alive!” Percival protested. “If it was frost magic, I should be permanently dead! Shouldn’t I?”

“And that is the interesting part.” Sorceress Sable studied him with her eyes as if Percival were some puzzle that she desperately wanted to solve. “Why aren’t you dead?” She leaned right across the table, practically rising from her seat.

Percival leaned back.

“You should be dead.” Her fingers tapped the sigil on the paper. “This was meant topermanentlykill you. But yet you live. So what happened? How did you survive? You must tell us.”