Raising Wonders

Chapter 17: The end for now. (Part 1)

Chapter 17: The end for now.

By the time Chloe and the Handler reached Mask, a sheet had been laid over Paladin Johanne's body. Beside the sheet were his possessions. From the armour that now had a gaping hole, to small rings and even a pouch of coins. They had been neatly arranged in several rows.

As Chloe neared she couldn't help but spur into a run and jumped into Mask's body, "You're okay."

"Yeah I'm okay," he chuckled. "Didn't I say before that we'd win?"

"I know..., but I was worried. It looked like you died."

"If you used your eyes you probably would have seen I was fine."

Chloe paused. He was right. She had never used them in that way, but with them she could probably see through all his illusions.

The Handler cut into their moment, "So what did you find?"

Mask held out several items, "Communication device, the phoenix crown feather and, this ring." He purposefully showed the ring, "See the symbol inside it?" Though quite small the inside of the silver ring was engraved with a pair of wings shaped into an upside down V with an arrow pointing up beneath the arch.

"It's the same symbol that the City Lord kept drawing," she took the ring for a closer inspection. "It also looks like whatever he was using to fake his Titles. What about the feather?"

"Like we thought, the chain was written with a powerful subjugation spell."

Chloe turned her head curious, "Why is the feather important?"

Mask held out the feather towards her, "This is a Phoenix's crown feather. The wearer is immune to almost all poisons and even diseases, it can also be consumed to heal fatal wounds. To defeat Johannes I had to separate him from the feather, thus why I had to fight him directly."

"So if he had that feather...."

"He'd still be alive and I'd surely be dead," Mask nodded. "Phoenix feathers are already precious as healing remedies but a crown feather could buy you a mansion in a Capital city. They are rarely gifted and only those with pure hearts can wear them, supposedly at least."

The Handler continued, "Part of the Paladin's fame comes from how he was gifted the feather by a dying Phoenix. The entire story probably has a much darker reality. The feather contains part of the Phoenix's soul, and in this case it's been tied to this chain."

"He really was a terrible person," Chloe grit her teeth. Though she still wasn't comfortable with death, she had come to realise that in this world it was necessary. "Can we free the feather?"

"Well...," the Handler hesitated. "It is worth a lot of money."

"But," Mask glared at her, "it's more important that we also grant it freedom. Here Chloe undo the chain."

The feather and chain was pressed into her hands and immediately she felt it beat. The feather was not only beautiful but full of life and warmth. Its stem connected to the chain however felt cold. It was an awkward lock, but her small fingers were somehow able to pry apart the connected metal. As soon as she did, the feather lit up brightly. It spun in the air, transforming into the image of a small bird. The light it shed made it hard to visualise as it flew circles around Chloe and after rubbing its head against hers, it took off to the sky, vanishing.

The Handler sighed, "What a waste. That thing was basically like a second life."

"It wanted to be free...," Chloe stared up at the sky and smiled.