Phoenix Chosen #3 (The Phoenix Guardians #3)

10. Tyler

10

TYLER

“ H ohfuck! Jesus motherfucking Christ !” I scream.

In one moment, I’m a million feet in the air about to be turned into bird food, then suddenly I’m sitting on the ground, covered in hot blood, with two severed talons hanging from my arms like some bizarre fashion accessory. Kalistratos is kneeling next to me, breathing hard. Behind me, it sounds like a goddamn avalanche, like a mountain is coming down around us.

“You didn’t kill it,” Airos says.

We look up. The giant bird monster circles with blood spraying from its leg wounds. Its cry is shrill and piercing, like nails on a chalkboard. It makes a slow turn. Maybe it’s fleeing.

It’s not. It goes into a dive straight for us, and when it falls out of the harsh backdrop of sunlight, I see that it’s not a bird at all, it’s some kind of mutant freakshow monster with a human top and a bird body. But then it screeches again, and I scream in straight-up horror when I realize the entire human torso is actually the thing’s head . There’s nothing partially human about it at all. It’s like one of those deep sea creatures with a lure built into their body.

“Airos,” Kalistratos says. “Do you have enough in you for one more?”

“It’s all I have,” Airos says, leaning on his staff.

Kalistros holds up his hand. “Then wait. Wait…”

The monster is coming at us like a fighter jet, and just before Kalistratos shouts, “Now!”, I can see its wide black pearl eyes set just below the “human” neck, and its mouth, filled with a row of sharp alligator-like fangs, open right along the torso’s chest like a torn ragdoll. As I turn and shield the egg with my body, Airos steps forward. All the rocks across the shattered ground pull together and shoot upward like a Vegas fountain. Then, I feel a deep pressure vibrate my chest. For the briefest moment, I can feel Kalistratos using his powers, like I might be able to reach out and enter that sphere of time dilation he created. Then the feeling vanishes, and so does he.

The monster splits in half and careens in two directions to the left and right of us. The rocks all slam back to the ground, along with Kalistratos holding a sword dripping with bright red monster blood.

Airos drops to his knees, panting for breath.

Kalistratos hurries over to me. “Hold still.”

He pries off the severed talons and pours water from his water skin over my shoulders, washing away some of the monster’s blood. There are two long cuts along my side, just beneath my armpit.

I groan as he pours more water over them. “That’s going to leave a mark.”

“It’s not bad, thank the Gods. It could’ve skewered you.” He kisses the side of my head, ignoring the fact that I’m still covered in blood.

“Kalistratos, I’m disgusting,” I protest.

“Do you think I care? I thought you were done for, Tyler. Gods .” He hugs me. “You need to be more careful. This isn’t Gaea.”

“I know, I just, I thought…”

Here I was, getting myself worked up about pulling my weight, and I nearly got myself—and all of us—killed. I hadn’t even considered that taking a few steps away would be dangerous.

I raise my arms to hug him back and realize they’re shaking. The shock is starting to settle in.

“I’m sorry,” I say.

I feel so useless. I feel like I failed my first test as a parent. I put my family at risk.

“I’m alright, in case anyone was wondering,” Airos groans from the grass where he’s lying.

Kalistratos and I go and help him up. I know the symptoms—he’s used up all his phoenix energy.

“Thank you, Airos,” I tell him.

He nods and waves his hand like a marathon runner too exhausted for an interview.

“I guess we know what that hunter was doing here,” Kalistratos says, looking off toward the stone tower. “Hoped to take home a prize and instead became dinner.”

“We don’t…we don’t have to worry about another one of those things coming, do we?” I ask. “A mate? Or a flock?”

“Harpyiai are incredibly territorial,” says Airos, and then gestures for me to lift my arms. “Let me see. I know some healing magic.”

He picks up his staff and places his palm near the cuts. It itches and prickles as the wound closes up and scabs over.

“I’ve read their essence is quite valuable,” Airos adds. “Same with their eggs. Perhaps we shouldn’t let this kill go to waste.”

We approach the carcass lying cloven in two on the ground. That cotton candy smell is nauseatingly strong.

“What is that, anyway?” I cover my nose with my hand, but my palm smells like blood. I need a goddamn bath.

“That’s their essence,” Kalistratos says, leaning down with his sword. “Meant to lure in the curious.”

Seeing the thing close up, it’s more obvious the upper section is just some kind of biological mimicry. The human “face” has no actual anatomy. It’s like those caterpillars with faces on their asses.

“These are a delicacy where I’m from,” says Airos. “The legs and the wings are wonderful when turned over a flame.”

“That is so fucking gross,” I say.

Kalistratos slices the monster’s chest where the feathers begin. “Where are you from, Airos?” he says.

“The Isle of Tassos. It’s been many years since I’ve left.”

“Are there more Phoenikos on Tassos?” Kalistratos asks as he works on the monster.

It’s impressive to watch, despite how disgusting it is. Without hesitation, he stuffs his hands inside the carcass and starts rooting around like he’s searching through luggage for a spare toothbrush.

“As far as I ever found, I was the only Phoenikos on the island. Tassos is like anywhere else. I never knew my birth parents.”

“We have this in common,” Kalistratos replies. He grits his teeth and gets elbow deep into the creature. “Ah… there.” He yanks out what looks like a chunk of amber. “This is it. Harpyiai essence.”

Airos pours a bit of water over it, cleaning away the drips of dark blood. It sparkles brightly in the sun.

“It doesn’t really smell like anything,” I say.

“In crystal form, it’s odorless,” Airos explains. “But a small shaving heated over a flame can be overpowering.”

“It’s worth a good weight of drachmae,” Kalistratos says.

“It may be useful, given we don’t have much in the way of resources,” Airos says. “Give it to me, I’ll keep hold of it.”

Airos tears a strip of cloth off his tattered robe, wraps up the little stone, and tucks it away.

Kalistratos flicks off the blood from the end of his sword before returning it to its sheath with a quick twist of his wrist. He looks feral, covered in blood up to his forearms like a pair of crimson gloves. It’s kind of fucking hot.

“The nest must be up there somewhere,” he says, holding his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun. “A harpyia egg could also be pretty useful.”

“Also a delicacy,” Airos points out.

“Ugh… really?” I say.

Airos points to the feathered carcass. “It’s naught but a giant bird. We could eat well tonight.”

“Reminder… you guys are giant birds. And you know what I just remembered, Kalistratos? We ate chicken that first day in Aelonos, remember?”

Kalistratos gives me a look I can read perfectly. “Do not tell Airos I transformed into a chicken.”

“You get accustomed to the idea after a while,” Airos says, shrugging.

“I’m going to get us an egg,” Kalistratos says decisively, and he breaks into a jog for the rock tower arches. Airos and I follow him.

“Wait, you’re not going to climb that thing, are you?” I call.

“Phoenix form is too conspicuous,” he says. “I think we’ve already put ourselves on display enough. Besides, it’s an easy climb.”

That’s an easy climb?!

The base of the formation, sure, but it quickly becomes a sheer vertical face up to the top of the arch. But Kalistratos is already traversing it, wedging his feet into cracks and pushing himself up the wall like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible II .

“You’re not impressing anyone!” I shout.

I know if he falls, he can just shift into phoenix form… but I still can’t bear to watch.