Page 104 of Dance of the Phoenix

There, in the dumpster I had hidden behind what felt like ages ago, were the bodies of CJ and Jada, hugging one another, their faces peaceful.

Trembling all over, I stepped away and turned around to see a silhouette heading my way. The silhouette was that of a man with shoulder-length hair and a trench coat, and I knew it was Ragnor.

But the silhouette also had a pair of large, feathery wings.

The silhouette suddenly froze, and between one blink and the next, it was replaced with the body of wingless Ragnor lying in a puddle of blood on the asphalt, a gaping hole in his chest.

“No,” I said out loud, needing to hear myself, “this is not real, Aileen. This is not real.This is not real!”

Let me, Child of Kahil.

I froze. “What?”

You are too young and inexperienced to deal with this magic,the Phoenix murmured in my head.Let me handle this for you, Child.

Tears falling down my face as I stared at Ragnor’s dead body, his eyes glassy, breaking my heart for the second time, I knew I had no other choice.

My knees lost their power, and I fell to the floor. “Just ... make him pay,” I said quietly, defeatedly. “Do to him what I promised I would do.”

The Phoenix did not respond.

Instead, I felt its warmth taking over my entire body, heating my blood, my bones, everything, until I was nothing but fire and flames.

Chapter 55

Ragnor

Ragnor saw his fears come to life when Aileen ran across the arena frantically, pale with eyes full of tears, seeing things only she could see. Things that Atalon dug out of her memories and used against her. To weaken her. To beat down her will.

Because unlike many others, Atalon would not be satisfied by a quick kill. He could’ve killed her at any moment since he used his magic on her to force her into this trance. But he wanted to break her first.

Only then would he complete the hunt.

“You can’t interfere,” Eliza said over and over again, her own voice pained as she, along with the entire audience, watched Aileen crying and running around like a madwoman. “You can’t take all the Lords together. The Association will hunt you down for breaking the rules. You’re not above the law, Ragnor.”

“My Alara Morreh is going to die!” he snarled, holding the railing so hard, his knuckles turned white. “She’s going to die, and I’m just standing here, letting it happen!”

“Please, Ragnor,” Eliza begged, wrapping her arms around him. “Please!”

Ragnor could not stand it anymore. He pushed Eliza off him and away, climbed the railing, and prepared to jump—

But then Aileen suddenly stopped. She stood in the middle of the arena, frozen.

Then her eyes rolled, showing the whites.

Ragnor’s heart dropped.

And Aileen exploded.

Out of thin air, fire erupted, engulfing Aileen’s body. The smell of smoke filled the arena, as ashes and flames circled around the tornado of fire that took over Aileen. The temperature in the arena rose in response to the fire sucking up the oxygen, and Ragnor could feel it was becoming harder and harder to breathe.

Atalon coughed, stepping back, staring, like everyone else, at the fiery storm that had taken over the arena. His eyes grew impossibly wide when the tornado suddenly disappeared, revealing not Aileen, but a giant bird made of fire.

“The Phoenix.” Eliza’s whisper made Ragnor’s skin crawl.

But as much as he wanted to deny what Eliza had just said, he knew it to be the truth.

The Phoenix was here.