Ch 16: The Phoenix Cradle

In the backwater palace, the servants were stirring. Oden Steedock of the Phoenix Spearhead had received an emergency summons. His steps were brisk and uneven, causing his heavy, scarred armour to rattle. Glancing past the tense faces of the servants in the room filled his heart with unease. The whole city was the same—antsy and on edge.

“Yes, your reverence,” The man clad in armour said, kneeling before the throne.

“The Library was attacked.” Bold and dignified, she spoke with an unparalleled beauty. Her striking scarlet-red hair, intricately woven into a half-up braided style, was adorned with jewellery glistening in the sunlight from the mosaic glass windows.

The Forgotten Library was attacked. Though Oden had already known, word had spread far and wide within hours of the ordeal. A publicity stunt. One that was a major topic taking Scaria by storm. To, of all places, target a location as dangerous and as high-risk as the library was simply unheard of in this age among terrorist organisations, nevertheless, a religious organisation. The Shadow Coven had garnered all the attention of the masses.

Holding a sheet of paper in her hand, the woman covered in jewellery spoke again.

“The strange movements of the cultists, the mass disappearances across all of Scaria, and now secret organisations popping up out of nowhere?” Displeasure was written all over her face. Rightly so. With everything going on, she had the fate of her people to worry about.

Oden's eyes wandered to the floor. Was it all a coincidence? Or was each event connected somehow? The pit in his stomach dug deeper with each passing day. Something was brewing in the shadows, and tensions were rising. He could feel it even when passing through the streets. The people were anxious.

Now more than ever, he had to keep a stoic expression, raising his shield—a symbol of hope and power. He had to uphold the sense of safety, protecting the people from panic. There was no telling what could happen if the people began rioting.

“It’s only a matter of time till the Scourge reaches us,” Oden added. Everyone knew it was coming, and they knew they wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop it. It had taken the Barrens, and now the neighbouring lands were next.

“The gears of war are turning. We must prepare everything we have. And right now, we could do with the extra hands. I have two individuals who managed to hold off Shell. One with classified data and one missing from the system. Whoever they are, they certainly aren’t some ordinary mercenaries.”

Oden’s eyebrows twitched. Classified data was one thing, but to be missing from the system entirely? To be alive but have no record of your existence, he had never heard of such a case. To trust such figures into the Spearhead, Oden gathered that the situation was dire.

Being a seasoned warrior, he was a veteran in all senses. Serving the Syndicate for over thirty years now, he was no stranger to the battlefield. There were very few in his line of work who managed to survive this long. Yet when the word, war, reached his ears, cold sweat began to weep from his palms. A game he knew all too well. A game that had no winners, only survivors. Maybe it was the unexplainable pit that settled in his stomach, but this one seemed…different. There were too many strange occurrences one after another.

“Oden. I want you to keep a close eye on the two of them. Welcome them to the Spearhead, but if at any point you are sceptical…”

Before she had even finished the sentence, he nodded, running his fingers across the handle of the brutish axe on his back. The axe that had been nicked, chipped, then re-sharpened over and over. Who knew how many souls this one blade had taken? Oden had certainly lost count many moons prior. He wasn’t known as the Executioner for nothing.

One with classified data, and one not on the system, huh?

The possibility that they wouldn't need to be taken care of was low. Maybe even extremely unlikely. Their backgrounds were too suspicious, but it didn’t matter; to Oden, it was just two more bodies to dispose of.

                                                                                     ***

The Barrens - 2 days later

BZZZ. BZZZ. BZZZ.

Ace rubbed his eyes. If the light beaming through the gaps in the curtains hadn’t woken him up, the buzzing definitely did.

Who’s awake this early in the morning?

Reluctantly, he turned over to silence the buzzing phone before returning to the sofa, feeling for the cold part of his pillow.

BZZZ. BZZZ. BZZZ.

Releasing a heavy sigh, he picked up the phone.

"Hello?" His tone was passive-aggressive, the consequence of being woken up from a deep slumber.

“So you must be Ace.”

The words instantly wiped away any sleepiness; his heart rate sped up, and he straightened his posture. The responding voice was deep and resolute—that voice, and the fact that he only heard Hiro communicate with one other person.

It had to be him, the one Hiro answered to, the one who knew that Ace would show up, and the one who needed him for some ulterior motive.

"Y-yeah. Whose speaking?" Immediately, Ace corrected his tone. If it was a man who could strike fear into Hiro, he sure as hell didn’t want to overstep.

“You can call me the Commissioner. Where’s Hiro?”

“Sleeping,” Ace replied, his voice slightly shaky, while the Commissioner spoke with utmost confidence.

“I see. Well, I have good news. Transport is coming from the Syndicate.”

It looked like everything was going according to Hiro’s plan, meaning that despite the ruckus that had gone down at the Library, the outcome was what they needed. Even from his tone, the Commissioner seemed quite pleased.

“Can I ask you a question?” Ace tensed his fists, waiting for the reply.

“I’m listening.”

“Where’s Cecilia?”

The world paused.

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure who you’re referring to. Is it someone who has been a part of the mass disappearances?”

Lies.

Ace gritted his teeth. While he may not have known her whereabouts, he would at least recognise the name. Though this was the first time Ace had heard of any disappearing phenomena.

Whatever you’re hiding, I’ll drag it out of you eventually—both you and Hiro.

“People have been going missing across Scaria with no cause identified. For you to ask out of the blue, they must be someone of great importance.”

Ace swallowed his rising spit. “Are you…sure?”

The air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Was he pushing his luck? He wanted to take this opportunity to get as much information as possible, but he didn’t want to raise suspicion.

The man gave a light chuckle, releasing the tense atmosphere, giving Ace a strange sense of relief.

“Well, how’s this? If you ever find yourself in a situation with something I can help with, you can call this number. I will ask you two questions to confirm your identity, reply with 'The Break', and then the second question you answer, ‘Bartholomew’.”

The phone was cut off.

Finally, the rapid beating of his heart was beginning to quell.

The Break?

Ace didn’t know what it meant for the commissioner, but he did know what it meant to himself. Was it a coincidence?

Ace placed the phone back on the table.

                                                                                 ***

The two circular turbines above whirred, violent and juddering.

Using his palm to try to block the wind, Ace narrowed his eyes. The architecture of the passing buildings were becoming increasingly ornate, contrasting with the minimalist, slim buildings in the Barrens.

They should be arriving soon. The sun was slowly setting, its golden glow illuminating the fractured grey horizon. Split in the middle, a singular spike penetrated the sky, becoming obscured by the clouds.

Mount Ekna, a dormant volcano with a humongous crater at its base —The Phoenix Cradle. The place the Phoenix Syndicate called home.

Commanded by a revered fire mage, Hellia, the Queen of Flames, it was one of the three most prominent organisations in Scaria alongside the Nexus Legion and Cult of Celestia. It is rumoured that with a single spell, she turned the busiest merchant town in Scaria into a pile of ash. Thus, the Phoenix Cradle became the next trading hotspot—a beautiful city with rich and fertile volcanic soil.

The hovercraft began lowering altitude, diving past the steep crater walls bordering the cradle. Distant orange lights flickered, shimmering with life.

“Hey, we're almost there.” Ace gave Hiro a light shake.

Hiro mumbled, his words drowned out by the whirring. Still half asleep, he reached into his pocket for a cigarette. Of course he did. What else did he ever do?

Building torrents of wind, the hovercraft lowered onto the ground. A short distance from the spectacle of lights, the surrounding buildings appeared lifeless. Ace wondered if there had been a mistake. Shouldn’t they have landed in the city centre? Instead of the dreary quiet side of town?

Hiro stepped out of the vehicle without a care in the world, walking briskly forward. Ace followed, glancing at their surroundings. Unlike the high-rise buildings in the Barrens, the ones here were much lower to the ground. It gave the impression that it was less developed, even though the Barrens were derelict.

“Hey, do you know where you’re going?” Ace asked.

“Don’t sweat the small stuff,” Hiro replied, quickening his step. The twigs and leaves crinkled beneath his black boots.

CRASH!!!

A bulky frame slammed into Hiro, sending him crashing into the bushes.

Before Ace could even make a noise, he was propelled backwards, landing face-first in the dirt.

A familiar mage with coloured hair stood over him, several figures emerging from behind her.

“Welcome to the Phoenix Spearhead.”