Ignite (Phoenix Chronicles Book 1)

Chapter 18: Take it All Away

Phoenix sat at Maverick's bedside waiting for him to wake up again. She'd carried him back through town, leaving him in Finny's care and going back for her parents' bodies. She'd carried each of them the long way back to Finny's home. Though tears streamed down her face, she kept her jaw set, her gaze raised, daring anyone to come forward or say anything. The cowards remained shut in their homes, away from her sight.

When both Norman and Claire had been carried back, Phoenix wrapped them in linens Finny provided her, and prepared them for the journey into the next life. Maverick remained unconscious, though Finny said his wounds didn't seem quite as mortal as she'd originally believed.

Just as Phoenix covered Claire's face to keep her clean and dry until the funeral rites could be done, Finny called out to her. Phoenix had been sitting at Maverick's side ever since.

As he stirred, Phoenix straightened, moving off her chair and kneeling beside him. "Mav?"

He groaned. "Where am I?"

"You're at Finny's. You're safe."

"Mom. The fire." His eyes snapped open and he lurched up, grunting and dropping back down into the pillow, sucking air through his teeth.

"Lie back." Finny put her hand on his forehead, her wrinkled lips pursing. "Your fever broke." She shifted her attention to Phoenix. "He'll live."

Phoenix didn't look away from her brother. While he might physically recover, the haunted look in his eyes as he turned to her would be harder to overcome. 

"They're gone?" His voice cracked as he asked. Phoenix nodded. "Are you...are you Laina?"

Phoenix frowned, scooting closer to his bedside. "Of course it's me. Did the fire affect your eyesight?"

Finny cleared her throat. "Your transformation is complete, Phoenix."

Stomach lurching, Phoenix glanced back down at her hands, the marks unfaded. "I guess I already knew that." She turned back to her brother. "Mav, it's me. This is me."

His brow furrowed and he turned his head so he stared up at the ceiling. "Everything has changed." He shifted the sheets, glancing down at his side. "And none of it's a dream."

"Can you tell me what happened?" 

Maverick's throat bobbed as he swallowed, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. "After you left, Mom and Dad told me things weren't going to go well with the Army, but to trust them. They said everything would happen how it was supposed to happen, and I wasn't to react."

"They knew?"

He nodded. "I asked them what they meant - why I shouldn't react. Dad said reacting would only get me killed, but if I trusted him, it would all be okay." Maverick shut his eyes. "I thought he meant for all of us.

"When the Army arrived, things seemed...wrong. Eric didn't act like himself, and one of his men took charge, asking aggressive questions. He knew about Mom and Dad's meetings in town, who mom was, and who that meant I was. Eric wanted them to be treated with respect, but-" he shook his head, tears spilling down his cheeks.

Phoenix knew what he meant. After she brought them out of the fire, Phoenix hadn't really looked at them. After Maverick was safe at Finny's, Phoenix was able to see the damage that had been done. Whoever had given the death blow had chosen the most painful locations to stab Claire repeatedly, and Norman had been slashed across the chest. Both left to die, forgoing the tradition of a quick, clean death.

"He didn't care about them. He didn't just want them dead. He wanted them to suffer." Maverick's eyes were open again, but he didn't look at her. "He attacked them like a savage, and I didn't have time to react."