Page 32 of The Searching Songbird

“I was livid, drawing my sword and charging in like a madman. I managed to kill one and injure another before they were able to pin me down and disarm me.”

A soft sob distracted him from his story, and he realized Lily was shaking as she held him, her tears wetting his hair as she pressed her face against the top of his head.

“Please tell me you killed every last one of them.”

The whispered words were a stark contrast to the gentle ministrations, so filled were they with hatred and bite. Something told him this was a woman who would have gladly done the job herself, despite her small frame and kind heart.

“I'm afraid I can't claim that honor for myself, but I can promise you they got the ending they deserved.”

He straightened, leaning back just enough to reverse positions, pulling her into his arms and cradling her against his chest as he ran a hand over her hair.

“They tied me to a large tree out in front of the house, where they started throwing rocks at me. They were drinking – Granite Ale, of course – and were making a game out of it. Five points if they hit me, ten points if they drew blood, and so on. They would have killed me if he hadn't shown up when he did.”

“When who showed up?”

“The man with the silver tongue, the boss. He never said his name. He just came strolling down the road, whistling like a damn jaybird. It was odd, because he was coming from the north, and there isn't all that much north of us aside from a few neighboring homes. After that, there's nothing but mountains, and no one with half a brain wanders into those. But there he was, just strolling along without a care in the world.

He wasn't a big, burly man, either. He was tall, sure, but extremely lean. Like he hadn't had a solid meal in over a year. There was absolutely nothing intimidating about him, really.

Until he spoke.

It was as if he were weaving some sort of spell just by making simple small talk. He commented on the weather, asked them what they were drinking, and could he try some, too? And those bastards, they fell all over themselves offering him this and that. You would have thought he was the king himself, the way they fell at his feet.

Before I knew it, he had them removing the ropes from around me and tying them around themselves, instead. I mean, what the hell was that about? It seemed ludicrous to me, but there they were, wrapping the ropes around their own bodies – with pleasure! They were grinning, the idiots.

He tied them to the same tree I'd been bound to just moments before and picked up a large rock, tossing it up and down in his hand before he brought it back and whipped it at one of their heads with incredible accuracy, killing the man instantly.

He offered me a stone, but my head was too muddled to make any sense of it, so he just shrugged and took out another, then another, until all five of them were nothing more than bloody corpses.

When he was finished, he turned to me and asked if I'd like a job, and I said yes. I've worked for him ever since.”

Draven let his head fall forward until his forehead was pressed against the top of Lily's. His entire body felt lighter, as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

“I've never told anyone that before,” he whispered. “You're the first.”

Her hands grasped each side of his face, and she pulled his head up until they were face-to-face, their noses practically touching they were so close. Her eyes were still watery from crying, but there was an intensity behind them that made his breath catch in his throat and stay there as she slowly lifted her lips to press a kiss against his forehead.

Her hands fell to her sides as she continued to hold his gaze captive, that same intensity still burning there as she studied him. Her teeth bit down on her lower lip, and her fingers curled into fists as she watched him, her face torn with indecision. Finally, she spoke.

“There's this being, a celestial beast, that lives inside of me. A red phoenix, as you saw the other night, named Suzaku, though I call her Suzu for short. She was created by the sun goddess, Luxeos, over two hundred years ago and placed inside my ancestor in order to defeat the demi-god, Bade, who threatened to destroy all of Lehi. She's been passed down from female to female within my family, where she's been dormant until a few years ago, when she finally awoke inside me.”

She paused, watching him with cautious eyes. “And I'm not alone. There are three others, Shendri warriors Luxeos called us, who have celestial beasts inside them. I'm friends with one of them, the hellcat Shendri, but I've never met the other two. Even so, we're connected, bound by our shared bond. And it's because of that bond that I'm here right now, on this ship, traveling to Flores. Not for my career as a musician, but for something far more important – to save my Shendri sister.”

She searched his eyes, for what, he wasn't sure. Maybe she was worried he thought her crazy, and, perhaps, he might have, had he not witnessed the phoenix's appearance just the other night. She must have been satisfied with what she saw, as he could see the tension ease out of her shoulders and a glimmer of hope flash in her eyes as she looked up at him imploringly.

“Will you help me?”

Chapter Sixteen

“Well, that's it.”

Kenny gave Lily's worn traveling trunk a little pat. “You can jest leave it here with the others. The cap'n will have it sent on to The Siren's Call. No need to drag it all about town.”

“Thank you, Kenny.” She threw her arms around the gangly youth, giving him a quick squeeze. “I'm just sorry I won't be able to see you after today. Do you all really need to leave so soon?”

He blushed, tugging the brim of his cap low over his face, as if that could hide the bright red that was lighting up his pale face like a beacon. “The cap'ns pretty antsy to be gettin' back to Eldour. I 'spect it has somethin' to do with that run-in we had with those Sea Snakes. Wasn't normal, ya know? Probably wants to report in to the harbor master.”

“That's probably for the best, although I'll miss seeing you all everyday. You have to promise me you'll look me up next time you're here.”