Every Witch Way but Fiend (Magical Misfits Mysteries Book 7) by K.E. O'Connor

Author:K.E. O'Connor [O'Connor, K.E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: K.E. O'Connor
Published: 2023-03-05T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Mama cat

“You sure you want to do this?” Micah led me up the staircase in the house. “Phoenix chicks are fussy and hard to keep alive. They often ignite, and you have to start all over again before you get a stable one.”

I bounded up the cold wooden staircase behind him. “Positive. And an infant phoenix needs tender care and constant companionship. You shouldn’t leave him alone at such a delicate time.”

“I had to get out of there. Smoke keeps setting me on fire. That’s why I stink. And I had to fireproof my bedroom. The whole place would have gone up by now if I hadn’t been drifting a containment spell everywhere. It’s tiring. I’m really not ready to be a parent.”

“Was Smoke due to regenerate? He was old?”

“No. He wasn’t that old. But he exploded at unusual times. I always thought he was faulty.”

“Those could have been stress-induced regenerations,” I said. “And being a witness to what happened to your father must have been too much for Smoke to take. I imagine his mental state was already fragile, given his incarceration by Erig.”

“Yeah, Dad didn’t treat that bird well.” Micah glanced at me, a guilty look on his face. “It’s why I kept him after he came back. I felt an obligation to give him a better chance at life.” He led me into a tastefully decorated pale blue bedroom with navy accent cushions. Sitting in a large cage on a charred piece of cloth was an adorable tiny crimson and purple phoenix with faint stripes of pale blue on his tiny feathers.

Smoke squawked when he saw us and flapped his stubby wings to get our attention.

“Get him out of that cage,” I instructed. “Phoenixes don’t thrive by being imprisoned. If you don’t give them freedom and plenty of mental stimulation, they perish.”

Micah’s cheeks flushed as he pulled keys from his pocket and unlocked the cage door. He shoved his hands in and grabbed Smoke, dropping him on the floor, when a tiny fireball shot out of Smoke’s beak and burned a hole in Micah’s sweater.

“Handle him carefully!” I dashed to the phoenix and gently rested a paw on top of his head. Fear and agitation pulsed out of the tiny bird. “Greetings, little one. We’ve met before. I’m Juno, and you rather spectacularly burned my tail to protect Erig.”

“The bird won’t remember that, will he?” Micah examined the burn in his sweater.

“Phoenixes retain all their memories. It’s what makes them such magnificent birds. Some have lived thousands of years and have experienced extraordinary things. It’s what makes them so valuable.” I gently petted Smoke’s head.

He gave another squawk then waddled over and leaned against my side.

“He likes you,” Micah said. “If you want him, he’s yours. I hope you can help him see that life can be decent. It used to make me so angry when Dad mistreated him.”

“Did you ever defend Smoke?”

“Once. Never again. I was disciplined.” Micah focused on his feet.

“Locked in a barn like your other siblings?”

He lifted his gaze, his eyes wide.

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