Chapter 10 The Archer
The temple is filled with treasure. Slor looks around trying to find what she is looking for. “Hmmm, where would a phoenix feather be?” she asks herself. She sits resting and rubbing her still hurting leg, looking around. Something catches her eye: sticking out on a tall wall is a glowing feather with fiery red and gold hues. Feeling drawn to it, she gets up and tries to reach it but is way too short.
Frustrated and looking around for something for her to stand on, she piles random treasure together and makes a high enough mountain to jump and grab the feather.
When she touches it, Slor feels a wave of warm energy and stumbles back; the feeling goes into her hurt leg, and it suddenly feels better.
Surprised, she stands up and feels no pain; all her cuts and bruises are healed as well. She looks at the glowing feather in her hand. “Cool!” is all she could say about that.
She gets back to the entrance and looks at the trials and gowns. “Don’t tell me I have to do all of that again,” she pouts. “Man, I wish I could fly like those parrots.” The feather flutters from her hands, creating a glow that engulfs her back. She covers her eyes, only peeking out once the glowing seemed to disappear. To her amazement, a pair of blue-and-red Phoenix wings had sprouted from her back.
Shocked Slor stares at the wings in disbelief she moves them around to get a feel of them and to make sure they were real she tries to fly with them but ends up landing on her face she feels the bruise on her head heal right away.
She keeps trying until she flies up and away.
“ She is taking forever!” Aurora gowns. Inocta has taken them to a restaurant in the village “Well the trials are supposed to be hard right?” Dyani asks.
Inocta nods “Hard.”
“ I just wish we could help her.” Jnoque huffs.
Inocta orders rainbow fruit platters and a side of leaf chips with flower tea for everyone.
The food comes.
They get jungle fruits such as passionfruit, papaya, dragonfruit, starfruit, and bananas sliced and arranged in intricate, colorful patterns and drizzled in nectar and thin slices of edible leaves, brushed with jungle oil and sprinkled with crushed spices.
They eat.
The leaf chips taste crunchy and slightly bitter with a spicy kick. And the fruit platter tastes like a medley of sweet, tangy, and juicy flavors.
They get the tea and they each get a different flower to put in it.
Aurora gets a rain lily; it makes her tea sweet and light with notes of melon. Dyani gets a jungle jasmine that makes his tea sweet, floral, and lightly perfumed. Jnoque gets a hibiscus that makes his tea tart, slightly citrusy, with a deep red color. Dponá gets a fireblossom, which makes her tea spicy and warm with a hint of cinnamon.
“Mmmmm” Dponá smiles and looks at Jnoque who hasn’t really touched his food “ You ok Jn?”
“I want to wait for Slor to get here so she can have some..” He sighs.
“Oh. Well you need to eat to” she pushes her plate to him “ we can share mine.” she smiles. Jnoque smiles back.
They then see the Core and the Solar Crest glow confused; they look around and see Slor flying to them.
“Guys! Guys!”
“Slor! You're flying!” Jnoque smiles as she lands near them.
Her wings turn back into the Phoenix Feather and go in her hair still glowing. Dyani smiles “ You found it!”
“Yup it was not easy to get.” She sits down with them.
Jnoque pushes the plate of food to her “ I saved you some food.” “ooo thanks!” Slor smiles and eats. Slor gets her own tea; she puts a fireblossom, wild marigold, and starry bellflower that gives her a warm, spiced, and slightly fruity with a golden-red tint flavor.
Popping out of the Phoenix Feather is a lean and agile man with short, spiked hair that’s a mix of red and black, like burning cinders caught in the wind. His skin is tanned, with red patterns running across it like wildfire trails. He wears lightweight armor, and a bow with flaming arrows on his back.
The other spirits pop out too.
He opens his eyes and is in an instant panic “Wha-! Where-!” He looks at himself and then sees the others.
“Emberion! It’s ok, you're safe!” Ignis says going next to him.
“I-Ignis..?” He looks at him still a bit dazed as Solaris joins them. “Emberion, what is the last thing you remember?” “ T-The spell, the fight.. and sealing the sword away..” he says calming down.
He then sees the kids. “ hello!” Slor waves to him. Emberion waves back still a bit confused Aurora chimes in “ Ok long story short you’ve been asleep for two thousand years and the Frostbite is back and my chief is going to use it to freeze everything so that’s why we are trying to find all of the pieces of the Emberstar.”
His eyes widened and he is freaking out again. “We should get going now!” Aurora says impatiently “Wait Aurora let him process everything!” Dyani butts in Aurora stays quiet.
Inocta pays for their food as Dyani pulls out the map “ it looks like the next piece is just across the big river.” That leaves Aurora with a worried expression.
Inocta squeaks and points in a direction “ Is that the way to the river from here?” Dponá asks. Inocta nods “Here to the river!” she confermes.
They thank her and she leads them through the village.
Emberion looks around “ This place is very different now…”
“ It has been two thousand years, friend..” Ignis says, looking at him.
“ So our homes are gone..? Friends and family are gone..?”
Solaris nods sadly.
The kids stay quiet.
Emberion sighs “ the others are not going to take this well either.” Dyani looks at him “ you're talking about the other pieces right?” He nods “ I don’t see how anyone could take this well..” Aurora replies.
Inocta leads them to the edge of the jungle and points. “Thank you so much for your help” Dyani smiles as they get on Dponá.
Inocta chirps and waves as they take off.
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