Victory's Price

Phoenix - Wolf (Part Seventy)

Chapter 70

Wolf's knuckles whitened on the windowsill as he watched another platoon march beneath their room.

"They won't see us." Phoenix breathed, lazily watching his fervor. "Don't bother exciting yourself."

"I don't care if they see us." He growled, keeping his back turned. He had become a lot more aggravated of late; it was the Stars in him, the success. Six Stars had made him confident, they had made him passionate. Twelve would make him unbeatable, they would make him a cornerstone of history.

"What then?" The question slipped from her lips before she had even realised. And once it was gone there was nothing she could do about it. She was disgraceful, to allow herself so close, to allow him her weakness. Dragon had made her watch him, more even than she had done before, and she had begun to find that she knew even the subtlest of nuances in his behaviour. She knew when he would doubt, for it was the new that upset him, or a break from the norm. If he followed in a patterned outcome or what he expected of his new position, then he was happy. It was the differences that irritated him and she had started to spot them even before he had begun to react.

But that wasn't the worst, though, the worst was the way she had started watching him breathe. Oh how she despised that, when she caught it happening. Only Yellow Cat's beating heart had mattered so much. Slowly, his continued life was starting to mean more to her than a simple requirement.

"Why are we even here?" Wolf spat. "Why are we playing? We should be back with my brother, preparing for war."

"This is more important than the arrogance of politics." She soothed, pulling herself up from the bed. The morning of the third day had already begun and they were late to the Stars.

"How is this more important? We have all the time in the world for fighting imaginary monsters."

"Careful what you call imaginary." She cautioned, running hands through her tousled hair. "The Stars do not appreciate impudence."

Wolf turned from the window, his face contorted beneath the pressure of this new found morality.

"I want to save my world." He declared, holding out the scar on his wrist. "Mollen's Wolf, remember." He snapped. "At your insistence. I don't know what you are, but I keep to my vows."

"Relax." She crooned. "You want to save your world, well I'm giving you that. I'm in the process of giving you everything, Wolf."

"How? How can the Stars save this world?"

She was starting to watch the rise and fall of his chest again. Already. It was ruining her patience.

"You will see."

"I don't want to see. I want to be told. Now."

Phoenix hissed.

"If you want to save your beloved city, despicably weak as it has become, you will follow me."

"I don't need to." He announced, crossing his arms. "If we have you, we don't need to do anything. You've destroyed armies before, all on your own, just do it again. If you wanted, if you were not so selfish, you would have already done so. None of this would be an issue right now if you even had the slightest tendency towards care."

"It does not work like that." She snarled, fingers aching for a sword.

"Why?"

"I am not alone."

She could not allow her care to ruin this, it was so tenuous already. She could tell him no more, no matter how much she desired it.

Phoenix looked into his angry gaze, wondering for the first time if what she was making was good, and then strode decisively from the room. She needed to escape the temptation.