Starr Academy: Year Three

Starr Acadmy: Year Three- Chapter 21

Twenty-One

~~Hope's Point Of View~~

Scanning around the base of the tree, my hand clenching the small little gardener shovel. "Where did the journal say exactly the ashes were?"

Gilliett chuckled as he came over and knelt down to one spot. "Right here where I said yesterday."

I sat down beside him and looked to the spot that was between a root that split into two. The ground wasn't clear as I would expect. Growing up from the soil was a single flower. A strange looking flower with sun yellow tips and a blood red center.

"This is an ash flower. It only grows over the ashes of a phoenix that never rises again. The flower never fades after it blooms the first time."

"Will it die if we take some of the ashes?"

He shook his head turning and sitting on the other side of the root next to the flower. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a small flower pot. "I thought you might like to have it for your room."

"But I couldn't take it."

He placed the pot down and gestured to the flower. "Another will grow in its place and a newly risen phoenix loves the smell of an ash flower. It's like the scent of a mother or father to them. The comfort of home."

I looked back at the flower and touched the orchid like flower. With one last pause, I started to remove the flower from the soil. Gilliett helped me tend to the plant and place it into the little pot he brought for it. The flower looking just as healthy in the pot as it had in the ground.

Then Gilliett smirked. "When you have your phoenix, don't be shocked it goes to the bathroom in the soil. It's only natural for it." He chuckled at the look on my face. "You'll never have to water or fertilize this little flower because your phoenix will do that instinctually for you. As you and your phoenix will have a bond, t will also bond to this flower because it knows where part of itself came from. Right here."

"Oh. So there's more to this beautiful flower than at first glance."

"Didn't you read about this from your ancestor's journal?"

I shook my head. "Not yet. That's on my agenda for the next month. I want to be fully ready to care for my phoenix when I create her."

He helped me unearth the ashes below the soil. "Now you don't need much, just a small vial of the ashes. Don't want to fully break the enchantments that are still tied to these ashes."

I nodded pulling out a small glass potions bottle. It wouldn't hold more than ten drops of any liquid which made it perfect for holding Melerick's late phoenix's ashes. I hadn't used t for anything yet, and had no plans for it so this worked out. I needed a fresh bottle that was untouched and I had one.

We covered up the remaining ashes with the now disturbed soil. A few sprinkles of water and we were completely done. Gilliett held the flower as we walked back. The small bottle in my hand.

"Have you thought about a name for your phoenix?"

I smiled shaking my head. "I don't want to think of just coming up with a name. I want to look into my phoenix's eyes and have her tell me what her name should be." Looking at him, he was smiling back down at me. "That's how Melerick did it, and I like that tradition."

He held out his hand. "Here, lets put the bottle with the flower. It'll keep the bottle safe and you'll be the only one to retrieve it." When I gave him the ashes, he placed it on a leaf of the flower. It curled it's leaf around the tiny bottle and tucked it next to the stem.