Phoenix Flight by Jessica Khoury

Author:Jessica Khoury [Khoury, Jessica]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2022-08-02T00:00:00+00:00

“Let me get this straight,” said Gussie. “Nox died, literally died, and you resurrected him … by setting his body on fire.”

They were following Ellie’s trail of charcoal arrows out of the tunnels, walking in single file. Ellie, still bristling whenever the Falcon girl spoke, nodded tightly. “That’s right.”

“And he came back to life—after being dead—with a new set of wings.”

“Fire wings,” said Twig.

Without a word, Ellie handed the Phoenix feather to Twig, who passed it to Gussie.

“Careful,” he warned. “It’s hotter than it looks.”

Its soft orange glow lit the walls around them. When Gussie twirled it, a curl of flame leaped from the barbs.

“He’s really a Phoenix,” whispered Gussie, mesmerized by the feather. “I heard rumors, but … I didn’t know what to believe, honestly. And you have no idea where he flew to?”

“I had to stop searching when I met Prince Corion.”

She told Gussie and Twig about Linden and the Sparrow clan, feeling her rage start to boil all over again. Horror was plain on their faces as they listened.

“Will he take the wings of every clan?” Gussie asked Corion.

The prince grimaced. “I … don’t know. I would have said no way a few days ago, but … maybe I don’t know my father as well as I thought.”

“People without wings are easier to control,” Ellie pointed out, repeating something Nox had once said to her.

“But would he really go that far?” asked Zain.

“Would the clans let him?” asked Gussie. “I can’t imagine everyone sitting back and just letting it happen.”

They walked in silence, contemplating both ideas. Ellie didn’t doubt for a moment that the king was capable of such a move. The only question was, how far would he take it? Would he cut off the high clanners’ wings too, or just the low clans’ like the Sparrows? At the end of it all, would he be the only one left who could fly at all? Would the other clans rise up if he tried it, or would they surrender meekly like the Sparrows had?

She shuddered.

“So what’s your plan?” Gussie asked her.

“Why do I always have to be the one with the plan?” she snapped. “Why is it up to me at all? What do you expect me to do, face Garion’s entire army by myself?”

“Uh …” Gussie’s eyes darted to Twig, who looked just as startled by Ellie’s outburst.

Sighing, Ellie lifted a hand. “Let’s just get out of these tunnels, okay?”

Finally, they rounded a corner and stepped into a beam of sunlight shining through the tunnel’s exit. The waterfall shimmered beyond, a rainbow dancing in the spray. Ellie put up a hand to block the light, wincing as her eyes adjusted.

But then she felt a prickling along her scalp. Just as Twig started to run ahead for the open air, she grabbed him and pulled him back.

“Wait!” she hissed.

A shadow fell over the tunnel’s exit.

“Gargol,” Ellie warned. She waved at the others to go back, then chanced a peek out the side of the exit, around the waterfall’s edge.

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