Phoenix Rising by Ephie Risho & Celia Risho

Author:Ephie Risho & Celia Risho [Risho, Ephie & Risho, Celia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781734974102
Published: 2020-05-27T22:00:00+00:00

14

Forming a Plan

THEY ALL STOOD WATCHING EACH OTHER in silence for a moment. The trio was too shocked to say anything . . . the old man appeared to be assessing them sharply.

Finally, Theo spoke. “Are you Sage? We’ve been told to find you.”

The stern brown eyes softened, and the old man smiled. “Indeed? Now who would do such a thing?” He spoke with an accent none of them recognized, as if from a far-off land.

He was exotic—slightly slanted eyes and darker skinned than those in their communities. His jacket had an unusual design unlike any they’d ever seen, barely perceptible swirling circles, with six large fabric buttons in the front and sleeves that billowed.

Amber felt her tongue finally come unglued. “It was Old Mr. Thompson. He said you might be able to help.”

“Ah!” Sage nodded slowly. “Well then, you’ll want to get the tour!”

Theo looked at Amber with wide eyes and mouthed, That was easy!

She smiled and followed Sage downstairs to the main floor. The first thing he showed them was a large black telescope they hadn’t noticed earlier. “This magnifies what you’re seeing ninety times,” he said proudly. “One of the best of its kind.” He glanced at Amber. “The spyglasses used by your folks in Seabrook only magnify fifteen to twenty.” He patted it happily.

She watched him in awe, not because of his fantastic telescope, but because he knew where she was from.

That made her wonder: Was that because I mentioned Old Mr. Thompson? But he lives a long way from Seabrook. Just what sorts of things do wizards know? If he can know things about me before he’s even met me, he must know a lot about everyone.

“Let’s see,” Sage mumbled, making a few adjustments to some knobs on the telescope. “There! Take a look.”

The wizard stood up and gestured with an open hand.

Amber peered into the glass and gasped. “Look at all the goblins!” She turned to Sage. “What are they doing?”

As the other two peered through the scope, Sage said, “As far as I can surmise, they have come out of their mountain home and are preparing for some rather unappealing effort against humanity. You see those large tents?”

Basil squinted through the scope. “The big brown ones?”

“Indeed.” Sage gestured purposely with his hands. “Goblins tend to live in caves, and they very much don’t like to be in the sun for long. By the size of those tents, I believe they are gearing up for a longer excursion out among civilization.”

“War?” Theo asked.

“Indubitably.” Sage nodded grandly. “But against whom and to what purpose, I haven’t a clue. You see, goblins don’t have any real desire to live in human cities, so why bother attacking them unless it’s part of a bigger plan, with more moving pieces.”

“What are all those red marks you’ve made on your map?” Amber asked.

“Ah, yes.” Sage walked over to the table. “I’ve been tracking significant occurrences of an unusual nature.”

“Um. What does that mean?” she asked.

“Dragons, a phoenix, and more, all coming out in greater numbers than we’ve seen in many a year.

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