The Last Phoenix- Book 1 of the Legends of Henge Series

Chapter 40

Asteria Glass

I was slowly becoming aware of my surroundings. The darkness of the room and the heaviness that still hung in the air. My head was pounding and I was completely exhausted. I struggled to bring everything into focus around me.

I had just controlled someone's actions. Just like Savannah Himura and the Kitsune. And the Jiuweihu.

I hadn't died, I knew that much. Someone had stopped me. And they hadn't done it to keep me alive, but to keep the child alive within me.

I became aware of yelling around me.

"You don't understand," one yelled, sounding desperate.

"What don't I understand?" another screamed back, sounding close to tears. I raised my head to see the girl I'd controlled standing across from another girl, with her twin blades pointed up defensively.

"I-I didn't have a choice," she let her arms drop.

"That's your pathetic excuse?"

Oh don't feel too bad, Lark, he whispered, chilling me to the bone. You can't expect her to deny her own flesh and blood, now can you?

"Who's there?" the girl, presumably Lark, was turning desperately towards every corner.

"It's no use, Lark," the other girl warned her. "He knows you're here. You'll never make it out alive now." Lark turned to glare at her.

"We'll see about tha-"

"She's right," the voice was truly spoken. He was here. I knew it. He'd never revealed himself before, not when I was awake and fully in control of my actions. Would I finally see the face of my captor? Lark gripped the katana in her hand tighter.

A man stepped through the door, closing it behind him. The room was only lit by a small candle in the corner, drowning in its own wax, but even in the questionable lighting, he was something you'd never erase from your mind. His skin looked rubbery and was as pale as the moon. In some places, you could almost see through the skin to the blue veins beneath his skin.

His hands were crisscrossed with blood vessels and his nails were like long yellow talons, waiting to close around their next meal. His hair, a rippling silver that one could only assume would reach the base of his neck if it weren't in a ponytail.

The smell was surprisingly sweet like syrup. He stood quietly for a moment, eyes closed and a faint smirk written across his face. Slowly he opened his eyes, red like blood. I'd never seen him before now. He'd always either hid in the shadows or outside the door, converse through my mind and sometimes choosing to speak aloud.

Lark looked as though she was seeing a ghost. Her blade strayed dangerously close to the ground. She was letting her guard down.

No one had noticed I was awake yet. If I just had a good distraction I could take her sword and the child would never be born.

As if sent by god, someone crashed through the door, flooding the room with the hallway light. An indian looking boy had come through, with his hand held katars clenched tightly in his hands. "Samar!" Lark cried in relief.

"Lark! Bailey!" he called. "Thank god you-" He stopped, staring at the man, who was currently holding on to a pillar in an attempt to support himself while he laughed cruelly.

"You children are all insolent idiots," he cackled. I inched closer to Lark's lowered blade. "You all think Bailey was your trusted friend, didn't you?" Samar glanced at Lark and I froze. "She's working for me. And you all fell for her ridiculous charade."

I was close enough to grab the katana from her loose hands and with the man's eyes turned towards Bailey, it was the perfect opportunity. You didn't think I'd let you get away that easily did you? His eyes trained on me, I felt that invisible force take over my mind and glide me away from the blade.

I had been so close! All this time and you still haven't figured out how to keep me out of your head, he gloated.

"Enough talk!" Lark screamed, though no one had been speaking. She swung her katana high in the air, eyes blazing with a rage I'd never seen before.

The flames in her eyes leaked onto her blade, lighting the room with the fire connected to her katana. The blessed blade carried the elements of the Kitsune, but that meant nothing in the hands of someone without the power to unlock it. I had been right about her being Kitsune.

She brought the sword down hard on the man. But he never flinched, didn't even move, until it looked as though he would be impaled. It happened so quickly, it was as though he'd disappeared.

But I knew he was there and the unearthly white glow on the walls only confirmed that. The lithe body of a pure white fox stepped out from behind a pillar. The eyes of the fox, unlike his human form, were a deep blue that almost seemed to bleed from his eyes as blue streaks blossomed from the corner and spread through its thick fur. It was quite like his veins showing through skin.

Fight like the animal you are, Lark Tanning, he whispered. "Bailey, take the trash out, will you?" She obediently crossed to me and shoved me out the door.

Hey guys, so I've just recently saw this thing called a Book Exchange where you send books to a stranger and receive books in return. I saw this on one of my favorite book series, the Star of Gryffindor and I'm gonna see if I'm able to participate. I got all the info and basically, if you're interested, just comment here that you are and I'll DM you all the information and instructions.

BOOK LOVERS

I'm looking for people to participate in a huge book exchange. You can be anywhere in the world. All you have to do is buy your favorite book (just one) and send it to a stranger (I'll send their details through a private message).

You'll receive a roughly maximum of 36 books back to you, to keep. They'll be favorite books from strangers around the world!

If you are interested in taking part, please comment 'IN' below and I'll send you all the details!

Anyways, I think it's a really cool idea and I'm planning on taking part. So, if you're at all interested, just comment and I'll send you the info!

Back to The Last Phoenix, how did you enjoy the description of the villain. I've been so excited to reveal what he looks like, you have no idea.

Question of the Chapter: What's your favorite book?

My Answer: That's a really hard choice, so obviously for the book exchange, I'm going to have a hard time deciding what to send. I'd say between the Harry Potter series and Ranger's Apprentice, and so many others, I don't have a real favorite above all.

See you on Monday!!!

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I reverse hate you all!!!