A Flawed Alliance

Chapter 10- Phoenix Hunters

We pushed past the clearing, toward the area beyond the trees and to where the shack was. I sucked in a breath. We were getting closer to that area and being so near, away from the others made me insecure, especially in the night. There was nothing here besides Aaron and Mr. Hrodvitnir. But I willed myself to continue forward. Aaron wouldn't do anything to me while I was near everybody else. But could he? He certainly allowed someone to drink Chimera's blood-

"Come on, I don't like to be kept waiting," Aaron called out. His voice was deep and hollow as the words rang out beneath the trees.

Aaron led us inside the shack. The inside of the shack looked no different than from the outside. The roof looked ready to collapse with its rickety shafts. Brown rust piled in excess on each tile and the smell of it along with pine needles permeated with each inhalation. Moonlight peered through the scattered holes in the walls and was the only light that lit the place up.

All around were wooden chairs with a tiny table in the center which could only hold about a book or two.Before I could step in the shack completely, I caught sight of hundreds of cracked wine bottles on the ground and leaking broken pipes.

I sat down on one of the tilting chairs with Ace sitting down on one next to mine. Aaron sat on a chair in front of us, the chair sliding across the ground with a scratchy sound.

"So," I started. "What kind of jobs can I get for a phoenix?"

Aaron laughed. "Always about the jobs and the future, huh?"

"Then what is this supposed to be?" I asked, sliding my chair closer to the table.

"We can talk about that later. First, I have to discuss the history of your animal. I'm sure you'd like to hear more about that. Don't be so hasty." Aaron locked his fingers together and regarded me curiously. "Afterall, Iridian, knowledge is power is it not?"

"What about Ace?" I mentioned, nodding to Ace's direction. He tilted his legs to give himself more room, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"Don't worry about him," Aaron said, shooing Ace with a hand. "He'll be important to you later on."

I sat on the back of my chair carefully, trying not to break the fragile part. I squirmed around with arms at my side until I got into a comfortable position.

Aaron cocked his head a little and placed both his legs on the table with hands behind his neck. The back of the chair looked ready to snap by his pressure.

"For starters, Phoenix Auxiliaries don't come by very often. We haven't seen one in the last ten years."

"I've heard something like that," I mentioned, remembering Logan's conversation with Veronica right before I took The Evaluation.

"People's personalities never line up with a phoenix so whenever they take The Auxiliary's Evaluation, people get everything but the phoenix. Phoenixes are proud, confident creatures, very difficult to pair up with any Auxiliary. It is extremely rare for an Auxiliary's Phluid to be very strong with a phoenix. Just imagine the mental and physical capacity you must have to be bonded with a phoenix."

There was a pause. "Then what job is capable with a phoenix if they're so unpredictable?"

Aaron didn't answer my question. Instead, "Do you know how phoenixes are born?"

Was this guy kidding?

"No," I answered honestly.

I felt an intense heat rising in the air. Quickly, I glanced at the palm of my hands. They were starting to gleam with sweat. I could see the glisten of them from the bright light of my phoenix symbol.