It began millennia ago, when the stars gave birth to the Sun and her brother, the Phoenix. This was before the birth of Azeria, the world in which our story takes place, and long before the creation of Ra, the Protector of Mortals. Back then, in the deep chill of space, the silent Sun and her flaming sibling danced in starlight, floating through the endless universe in awe and wonder.
When Azeria formed, the stars tasked the two of them: the Sun, with watching over it, and the Phoenix, with protecting it. Back then Azeria bubbled with boiling magma, tossing and turning in its primordial throes. Swarms of primeval fire elementals slogged across its surface, revelling in their primal playground. This worried the Sun, who knew Azeria needed a proper balance of the elements to sustain life. But it pleased the Phoenix, who ruled proudly over his flaming horde. This, the Phoenix believed, was Azeria in its most natural and perfect state.
But of course, it could not last. The rains came, and then there was land, and soft gusts of wind, and thunderstorms, and snowy ice caps, and plants bursting through the soil, and life wriggling in the grass, and soon all the elements had convened to create a harmonious world of unlimited wonders. But this angered the Phoenix, who watched with disgust and scorn as his once proud race withered to ash. So he watched, and he waited. And waited. And waited. And he began to plan.
Caught In The Flames
***
Jandar lifted up a stray log and looked beneath it. Of course the bunny’s not here, he thought to himself. That would be too easy.
“You know, for a glowing rabbit, he’s pretty hard to find,” Jandar announced. Jandar’s wife, Namia, ignored his sass, like usual. She was too busy scanning the forest’s horizon for any sign of her bio-luminescent pet bunny, Glo.
“I don’t see what good this is doing Nam,” Jandar said. He removed his wool tracker hat to let his head and ears breath a bit. His scalp, mostly bald with patches of peach fuzz surrounding the crown, glistened with sweat. He shook his head, sending the perspiration flying. Jandar was a short and lean man - thin, but not scrappy. He had a huge mouth, likely because of all the time he spent running it off. Now cooled and relaxed, he spit, then stuffed his cap back on over his head and ears, shook out his sweat-soaked flannel, and continued plodding around in his tall brown boots.
“Go home if you need to, Jand. I’m not leaving until I’ve found him,” Namia said. Like her husband, she was olive-skinned and fit. But unlike her husband, she was rather tall. Also unlike her husband, she had chosen more sensible clothing: a pair of green shorts, compact hiking boots, brown gloves, and a matching brown vest. Her shoulder length brown-hair was tied up in a convenient bun. She always used this outfit for hiking. It was comfy and efficient. And she was always prepared: a small sack of important provisions dangled from her hip. “He couldn’t have gone far,” she said, looking around.
“He’s a rabbit! He could be anywhere in these woods!” Jandar said.
Namia gave him a look that said you’re really testing my patience. With a resigned sigh, Jandar followed her as they trudged their way ever deeper into the forest. The trees towered over their heads, and everything smelt of pines. Occasionally the movement of a small animal broke the lonely air, but it would quickly return to just the sound of snapping twigs and crunching leaves as Jandar and Namia plodded along.
They had been walking for hours. When they left from their home at the edge of the woods, the Sun hung high in the sky, beating her rays down onto the backs of their necks through the forest’s scattered canopy. By the time they reached the river, the Sun had relaxed, casting her fiery orange rays across Azeria as she set.
“It’s hopeless,” Jandar said, standing by the edge of the small cliff that overlooked the river. He looked down at the Kolynos river as it lazily lapped against the rocky riverbank. If he was careful, he’d probably be able to jump down to the river from the cliff without injury.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this Jand, but you might be right,” said Namia, sighing. She stood by the edge of the cliff, gazing out forlornly. Jandar brightened. But his joy and relief mellowed when he saw the pained resignation on his wife’s face.
“Nam - we’ll look for Glo again tomorrow, okay?” he said, hugging her.
“Okay,” she sighed.
They lingered there for a moment. When Jandar stepped back from the embrace, he felt his heel trip over a rock. And then he was falling.
“Jand!” Namia screamed, watching over the side of the cliff as her husband tumbled through the air like a rag doll. He landed on the rocky river bank with a loud thud. Namia rushed down the cliff, arriving at her love’s side in seconds. Her mind was already flipping through the pages, trying to find the proper healing spell.
She took off her gloves and opened her small travel pouch. She pulled out a small black sphere. It sparkled, full of little dots of light, like stars. She held it in the palm of her right hand, and gripped Jandar’s head in her left. She could feel a steady trickle of blood flowing from some open wound. His hair was already soaked with it.
She closed her eyes. “By the Red Star and the sprites of the sky, be healed,” she chanted. She felt a familiar and powerful energy flowing from the orb and through her, into Jandar. She focused, fighting hard to keep the channel of energy open and flowing into her husband’s wound.
After a minute of heavy silence, Jandar gasped awake. Namia opened her eyes, dropping the orb into the sand and exhaling. She put the orb away and put her gloves back on. Beside them, the weak river let off faint sounds of trickling water.
“By the Sun,” said Jandar. “What happened?”
“You fell,” Namia said. “From the cliff.”
Jandard looked up to the cliff, breathing heavily. He inspected himself. He had bruises on his left arm and his right leg, and a thick paste of blood in his hair and on his back. His workman pants had ripped in two spots, and his hat had flown off, almost dropping into the river. “I’ve gotta say Nam, I’ve never been so happy that I married a cleric as I am right now,” he said.
Namia smiled. “You’re still quite injured. My more advanced treatments are back at home. It’ll be difficult getting there. Can you walk?”
Jandar carefully raised himself up. He wobbled, uneasily balancing on his own two feet. He collected his wool tracker hat. “There you go,” Namia said. “C’mon.” It was then that Namia looked up and saw it. She froze.
“Jand,” she said.
“What?” he said.
“Look.”
There, sitting only a few paces from them, was a white rabbit radiating a faint, ghostly light. He had a familiar and unmistakable nick in his left ear.
“Glo,” they said in unison.
Hearing his name, the bunny finally noticed them. He stared. Then, he turned his head and ran towards the cliff.
“Follow him!” said Namia, dashing off after her pet.
“Ow,” said Jandar, taking a step.
“Kanker!” Namia cursed, eyes darting between her husband and her pet. “Hold still,” she commanded. She put her hands behind Jandar’s back and knees, and in one swift motion, scooped him up into her arms.
“Ow,” said Jandar.
“Suck it up!” said Namia. “We have a glow bunny to catch!”
***
The Phoenix stewed for eons, concocting a plan to cook Azeria in flames. A plan to burn it clean of its excess and return it to its purest state: a ball of fire, a twisted facsimile of the sun. The Phoenix began to assemble an army. One by one, he convinced the fire elementals that the land the Phoenix had been created to protect was rightfully theirs to destroy.
The Sun witnessed the Phoenix’s scheming, but was powerless on her own to stop him. Appealing to the stars, the Sun birthed from her own blinding core a counterpart to the Phoenix; a brother bent towards justice. And so Ra was born to protect the mortals of Azeria from the Phoenix.
Even as the first humans drew on the cave walls of Azeria, a war was brewing. To counteract the Phoenix’s forces of fire, Ra assembled a holy legion of light elementals. And so two brothers prepared to fight: one of fire and of light, two sides of the same coin that is the eternal Sun. One standing for unbridled fury, the other, for glorious justice.
It would take many years to come to fruition, but there was no avoiding a battle between the elements.
***
Namia raced through the forest after her rabbit, all the while carrying Jandar in her arms.
“Aren’t you getting tired?” Jandar said, impressed and confused by his wife’s strength.
“Trust me, I’ve carried people heavier than you farther than this. Every cleric in the Red Star is expected to help transport the injured. Though I must admit, I haven’t carried someone while running before,” Namia said.
Glo dashed behind a tree, then emerged on the other side, taking a sharp right turn. Namia pivoted as quickly as she could, digging her heel into the tough soil before bouncing back into a jog. She sucked in deep breaths of air. Glo darted to and fro, pulling ever farther away.
“We’re going to lose him,” Namia said.
“Wait!” said Jandar, “Don’t you still have the treats?”
“Oh yeah!” said Namia. “Good thinking!” She stopped and put down Jandar. He emitted a faint “ow” as his back met the rough bark of a tree. Namia pulled a bright orange carrot from her travel sack. It reeked of fertilizer, vinegar, and rabbit urine. Jandar immediately began to gag. The repugnant scent made Namia want to vomit up her lunch. Both of them quickly held their noses to block it out. But as soon as Glo got a whiff of the enchanted carrot, he stopped and turned to face Namia. He was enthralled with the smell.
Namia crouched down, dangling the carrot in the direction of the rabbit. Glo approached slowly, with jagged movements: step-pause-step-pause-step. Namia stood perfectly still, watching him advance.
“Here glowy-glowy. Come to mama,” she called. As the rabbit got closer, she laid down the carrot only a few steps from her feet.
“Nam,” said Jandar.
“Shh,” said Namia.
“Nam, look behind you,” Jandar whispered.
“Not now,” she said. “I’ve almost got him.”
“No really, you have to look,” he said.
She did. She didn’t like what she saw. There was, only a tree’s length away, a gorilla. A white-furred, angry-looking gorilla. Huge. Brutish. Powerful. And she was staring at them, sniffing the air, with the same dazed and enchanted look that had possessed Glo’s eyes just a moment earlier.
Namia’s heart thumped like a drum in her ears.
“The carrot,” Jandar said. “Give her the carrot.”
Namia reached down to grab the carrot. Glo was so close that she could almost reach out and grab him. She picked up the carrot and held it in the air for the gorilla to see. The gorilla’s eyes followed it.
“I thought the enchantment was only supposed to work on rabbits?” Namia said between her teeth.
“I must’ve used too much vinegar,” said Jandar.
Glo also followed the carrot, appearing on the other side of Namia, patiently awaiting for her to give him the treat as she had so many times in the past. When the gorilla caught sight of Glo, her demeanor changed. Her eyes filled with a bright, violent red. She opened her mouth, revealing her teeth, so sharp that they looked like a set of knives. And then she roared.
The brutal sound echoed among the trees of the forest. The gorilla lifted one fist from the ground. As it rose to its vertex, the blackened hairs on the fist began to smoke and ignite.
“It’s a fire elemental,” Jandar whispered. “We’re completely boned.”
The gorilla brought her fiery fist crashing down onto the forest floor. Beneath it, scattered foliage began to burn. A bright spark leaped toward Glo, igniting the ground at his feet.
And then, the gorilla charged.
Namia dropped the carrot and jumped out of the way as the gorilla barrelled towards her. Glo excitedly picked up the carrot and bolted, disappearing into a nearby thicket. The gorilla bowled over a tree beside Jandar’s tree, lighting it aflame.
“We have to run,” Namia spat out, reaching a hand down to Jandar. He grabbed her hand, just barely able to stand. He felt like his back was full of needles and that his head was about to fall off. He took a step, but stumbled.
“Let me carry you again,” said Namia, putting her hands behind him.
“No,” he said, “I can walk, just help me up.”
“But Jand! The -”
The gorilla emerged from the now-burning fallen tree. She eyed up Namia and Jandar, her body now fully ignited. She came running towards them.
Hopelessly tied up in Jandar’s limbs, Namia panicked and closed her eyes. In the moment where she waited for the gorilla to attack, she thought how strange it was to die here, in this way. She’d been through numerous war zones with the Red Star, healing soldiers with missing limbs, eviscerated guts, and endless bleeding. She’d been shot at before. Once, even, pushed off a flying bird. And yet it would be here, she thought, that she would die? So close to her home, clutching her husband’s bloodied back? She knew life was strange, but always forgot its capacity to get stranger. So she let it come. She waited.
And waited . . .
And then she opened her eyes. It hadn’t come. She was alive, desperately clutching Jandar. They were trembling. He was looking over at something. She looked where he was looking. There, on top of the blazing gorilla, was a brilliant neon purple panther wrestling it to the ground. As Namia’s hearing returned to her, she heard the elementals howl and gnash their teeth at each other, locked in combat.
“Nam! Nam,” Jandar said, shaking her out of her stupor. “Now’s our chance. We have to go.”
Together they hobbled as fast as they could away from the battle. Behind them, the forest shot up in plumes of red flame, extra bright against the darkening night sky. They could hear the forest creak and groan as tree by charred tree collapsed. The scent of pines faded, replaced instead with the scent of ash. They ran for some time - Jandar was not sure how long, but it felt like hours - until they couldn’t hear the fighting. With both of them desperate for oxygen and covered in aches and sweat, they stopped, collapsing for a moment on the forest floor.
In between hurried breaths, the first thing Jandar said was “What in the world is going on?”
“Does it look like I know?” Namia said, coughing.
“I’ve never seen an Elemental like either of those around these parts,” Jandar said. “And I’ve been all over this forest chopping wood. Something’s wrong. We have to leave. Now.”
“Glo,” Namia said. “We lost Glo again. We can’t leave without him.”
“Nam, we almost died back there! I know how much Glo means to you, but we have to get away. Far away. If we sit here for much longer, the wildfire will consume us,” Jandar said.
Namia shook her head. “Glo could be in that fire. He could be in danger.”
Jandar’s blood boiled. “Nam, listen! Who do you love more, me, or the rabbit? Because I’m about to crawl my way out of this forest if I have to!”
Namia looked back at the forest. Already it was brighter behind them than before. The flames were getting closer.
“You’re right,” she said. But she thought of the day she met Glo. She was two. Glo was so tiny - he fit right in the palm of hand, like a little pea. She loved him then like nothing else in the world. Before she knew it her muscles were growing tight and she was crying.
Jandar’s heart sank. Seeing Namia cry broke his resolve. “Nam - I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” Jandar said. “Come here.”
He held her. For a brief moment, the chaos around them disappeared. The noise and the fire and the darkness and the leaves all faded away. It was just them, him holding her as she quietly wept. He loved her like nothing else in the world. And she, him.
“Listen - let’s go back. Let’s get the rabbit,” Jandar said.
“No,” Namia said, shaking her head and wiping away her tears.
“No, really, let’s get him. We can still do it,” he said.
“No, no - you were right before. We have to go,” she said.
“. . . Are you sure?” he said, frowning.
“Yes,” she said.
She stood up, brushing herself off and wiping away more of her tears. She helped Jandar up. She held his hand, scanning the horizon for a direction to run.
But their pause had betrayed them. In every conceivable direction, hot red tails of flame danced on the trees. Beneath them, the ground began to rumble.
“An earthquake? Really? This is the kind of day we’re having?” said Jandar.
“No - look!” pointed Namia.
Something was emerging from the ground. The scorched foliage parted, letting a beast unlike any they had seen before climb through, rising from the depths. It was red. Horned. Clawed. It slobbered a slimy and poisonous spit from each of its three fearsome heads. And tongues of flame spilled from its jaws.
They had come face-to-face with a cerberus.
***
The Phoenix addressed his troops, ready for battle:
“For too long we have failed to take back what is rightfully ours. Today, we will right that wrong.
“Millennia ago we rightfully ruled the land as is bubbled with hot magma. We alone were those fit to survive those most primal conditions. It was nature in its purest state, untainted by frivolity and sentimentality. It was strong. It was bold. It was brave. But things have changed. Over millennia we have grown soft and complacent, willing to surrender our proud domain to those too weak to take it for themselves. Our enemy speaks of justice - but how is it just that the strong be enslaved to the weak? Today, we will be bullied no longer. Today, we will harness the true power of the Sun. Today, we will fight!”
At the same time, on the same eve of battle, Ra spoke to his legion:
“Justice is the guiding principle of the universe. Today, we will stop an affront to justice.
“It was by our hand - by our rationality, by our careful planning, by our piety - that we built society. Yet it is our enemy that calls us weak? Our enemy, who in their childish rage wishes to destroy millions of years of progress towards a more peace and just existence? They speak of strength, but have not the strength to restrain themselves from selfish and destructive action. We know we are the strong ones, for we are strong not just in body, but in also in mind. In our hearts, we will be guided by the holy, life giving power of the Sun, but in our minds, lets us be guided by the light of the moon - calm, serene, and intelligent. We must win. There is no other way.”
Speeches concluded, the armies mobilized. The forces of fire clambered from their subterranean lair to the surface, emerging at the Kolynos woods - the greatest forest in all of Azeria, a fitting first site for their glorious campaign. Spies had told the holy legion of light of the attack plan, and so they flew from their domain in the clouds to the battlefield, determined to save the forest, and those innocents within it.
Within hours, the battle was consuming the woods, with whole branches of the forest submerged in fire. In the sky, the fearsome flame dragon battled with the huge lernean hydra, and its angelic liege. On the ground, blaze gorillas tackled neon panthers, as the two fought for supremacy of the jungle. Even Ra himself clashed with the Phoenix, the two matching each other blow for blow, creating bright explosions in the night sky. And a wicked darkflame cerberus eyed down its first two victims - two weak, plump, and tasty mortals . . .
***
Namia and Jandar shook at the sight of the beast. Its gruesome visage reminded them only of gibbering, blanket-clutching nightmares.
It approached.
“Jand, I think we’re done for,” said Namia, clutching her husband. “We’ve got nowhere to run.”
“It was nice knowing you,” said Jandar. “Promise to visit me in the afterlife?”
She gulped. “I promise,” she said, and she held him tight.
The cerberus raised its middle head. Namia and Jandar saw flames spilling out of its jaw. It spat a huge fireball at the two of them.
For the second time that day, Namia closed her eyes, hoping to meet her end quickly. And for a second time that day, it didn’t come. She blinked. A tiny, hairy, big-footed, floppy-eared elemental had leapt in front of Namia and Jandar and absorbed the blow, and was now staring down the beast.
It was Glo!
Namia gasped. Glo looked different. Even among the bright flames, Glo’s normally faint glow was amplified to a brilliant, stunning aura of light. The normally aloof look in his eyes were replaced with a kind of fierce determination. He no longer looked like an adorable pet, but like a warrior.
Namia and Jandar watched in amazement as Glo battled the beast. He shot a ray of pure, powerful light straight at the cerberus. But the beast summoned a wall of flames to defend itself.
They neared one another. Glo tackled, but the beast dodged. The beast tried to clutch Glo between its ferocious teeth, but Glo was too nimble, darting between its legs.
“Go Glo go!” shouted Namia, her spirits lifting.
I can’t believe, after all my complaining, that this bunny rabbit is going to save us, thought Jandar, feeling embarrassed. But his brief embarrassment was quickly eclipsed by his relief to be alive, and by his blossoming hope.
“Glo! Send that demon back to where it came from!” he shouted.
The cerberus reared up each of its three heads, each one producing a white-hot fireball. It launched the three attacks in a single, unified blast of flames so great that it melted the very dirt beneath it. And Glo, dodging a stomp of the beast’s feet, didn’t see it coming.
Direct hit.
Glo tumbled, his shining white fur enveloped in fire. His magical aura had absorbed some of the attack, but not enough. He faltered, unleashing a pained, high-pitched screech.
“Glo!” howled Namia, feeling her stomach sink into her feet. Gripped by terror and concern, she ran out onto the battlefield to hold her companion. She picked up his limp body and desperately patted down the flames.
“Glo! Glo! Come on! Please Glo! Wake up!” she pleaded. She reached for her sack of supplies, but it wasn’t at her hip. She looked back at Jandar. It had fallen off, and lay beside him.
The cerberus, only a few paces away, licked its three sets of lips. It approached, step by step.
“Glo, come on!” she yelled, shaking him. Her legs were paralyzed, gripped by panic. The beast roared. “Glo, you were fantastic! You can do it! Glo!”
It was upon her.
She held the rabbit close to her chest. Her tears had returned. “Please Glo,” she choked out. “Please . . . you’re our last hope . . .”
The cerberus reared its three heads and opened its jaws. But instead of Namia’s flesh, it ate a huge blast of phantom fire, as powerful and terrifying as its last attack. It reeled back, howling in pain, unable to extinguish itself.
Namia looked down. One of Glo’s eyes opened. She kissed his head. Glo had imitated the cerberus’ attack!
Namia watched as the beast collapsed, defeated by its own attack. She ran over to Jandar, cradling the injured Glo in her arms. She set down Glo besides Jandar. Looking at the two of them softly breathing, she realized that her two favorite things in the world suffered from near-fatal injuries. And it was all her fault. She pulled out her black orb and, with the last of her strength, healed Glo. Even if the fires consumed them, she wouldn’t let him spend his last minutes suffering.
Jandar, hazy eyed and nearly passed out, could feel the heat all around him burning his skin. But he didn’t care. Here he was, with Namia, who finally had her rabbit, now healed and softly breathing. That was enough.
The fire grew high around them, reaching into the pitch-black sky. What could they do? Namia looked up, spotting two twinkling stars, together. Not knowing what else she could do, she wished upon them for a way out.
It only took a minute, but unlike ever before, her prayer was answered. It happened quickly. A magnificent, overwhelming flush of feathers. Two huge talons. A calm voice, measured and soothing, telling her it would be alright. And before she knew it, she was up in the air above her home, clutched in the talons of a huge purple bird with her husband and her pet. They were flying away from the forest.She looked back at the chaos. Everywhere in the land and sky, elementals clashed. She released a sigh of relief, choosing to instead watch the cold nights sky ahead of them.
***
In the end, Ra was forced to retreat. Finding his legion easily overwhelmed in the kindling-rich forest, he ordered his troops to hold their ground while he evacuated the imperiled mortals. Hearing a desperate prayer, he swooped in to transport two humans and their pet to safety.
With them rescued, the legion of light retreated, leaving the Phoenix’s forces to consume the forest. As they left, the Phoenix laughed, watching them scamper away with their tails between their legs. The forces of fire had suffered heavy casualties, but they had won the battle.
Yet Ra remained confident that justice would prevail. Although he had lost the battle, he could win the war. But his forces, too, had suffered heavy casualties. And he needed more soldiers if he was ever to save the world from the Phoenix. He looked at the tired and heroic glow bunny that he carried in his talons, thinking.
***
Ra landed at the coastline, releasing Namia, Jandar, and Glo onto the soft sand. Above them, a million stars twinkled in the night sky, and the crescent moon dangled just above the horizon, silently watching.
The gentle lapping of the ocean calmed them. Jandar was happy just to be out of the heat. Namia immediately cupped some seawater between her hands and brought it to him to cool him off. Glo sat in the sand, recuperating, once more returned to his regular, soft glow.
“Are you okay?” spoke Ra. Namia jumped, newly surprised that the bird could speak. But then she remembered his voice so clear and calm in the burning forest, and she relaxed.
“Sorry,” she said, “I’m not used to talking to giant birds. What . . . what are you?”
Ra laughed - a loud, booming squawk. “I am a being made to protect those like you from the fire creatures back there. They are an army led by a vile villain - the Sunborn Phoenix, bent on destroying Azeria. You two became caught in the middle of our battle.”
Namia cocked an eyebrow. On any other day, she would’ve asked more questions, been more flabbergasted. But this news was no more crazy than everything else that happened that day. “Well, thank you,” she said, “for saving our lives. We’re eternally in your debt.”
Ra seemed pleased. “They call me Ra,” he said.
“Namia,” she said. “This is my husband, Jandar.” Jandar was busy feeling the cool sand run between his fingertips, still half-delirious.
“And your other companion, over there? What is his name?” Ra said, motioning to Glo, who was sniffing a rock.
“Oh, him? That’s my pet glow bunny. His name is Glo,” she said. “He did something kind of incredible back in that forest. He saved us from this horrible fire elemental! He looked different than normal, too - stronger, somehow. I didn’t know he had it in him.”
Ra was surprised and intrigued. “Well, well. It sounds like your ‘pet’ is a mighty warrior for the light. Seeing other soldiers of the light around him, he must’ve decided to join the battle to protect you.” Glo looked around innocently, unaware he was being talked about. “What did the beast you faced looked like?” Ra asked.
Namia described it. Ra, once again, was surprised. “Well, Namia, Glo did something quite incredible back there. He defeated a darkflame cerberus - one of the most powerful elementals of the forces of fire.” Namia looked at Glo. She felt strangely proud. “Namia, our forces suffered a great loss in that fight. If we are to protect your world, we need more light elementals. More fierce-hearted warriors of justice. I know he is your pet, but I must say, Glo would make an excellent soldier in my army.”
“No!” Namia said, grabbing Glo and holding him close to her. He squirmed against her grip.
“I understand that you two are close. If Glo joins me, I would do my best to see he is safe, and that we are victorious. I implore you to think of the future of Azeria,” he said.
Namia looked at Glo. She felt a nagging sense that in spite of all her reservations, the bird was right. She stroked Glo’s hair, feeling her fuzzy companion shake excitedly. A wave of dread washed over her. After all she had been through today, she couldn’t believe that she might do what she was thinking. But duty was, beyond all else, of the utmost importance to Namia. As a member of the Red Star, she had pledged to always do right, and to always strive for the greater good, even when it was inconvenient. Even when it hurt. Even when it required sacrifice, obligation, and great, profound pain. She knew that to be true. She did her best to live her life according to those principles. And so, with great resistance, after brushing Glo on his bushy cheek, she faced Ra.
“Are you . . . sure?” she said to Ra, her face breaking into a resigned frown.
“Yes,” Ra said.
She looked at Jandar. He had sat up, and was looking at the ocean. She scuttled over to him.
“Jand,” she said, tapping his shoulder. He looked behind him, and saw Ra.
“Ah! What is that!?” he said, crawling backwards on his hands.
“Fear not, mortal,” Ra said. “I saved you and your wife from the fire. I mean no harm.”
Jandar looked at Namia. She shook her head in agreement. “Jand, you saw what Glo did back there?”
“Uh - vaguely. My head hurts. You mean with the three-headed dog - oh yeah! Glo defeated him!” he said. “I always knew he had it in him. That’s why I thought we should search for him in the first place.”
Namia ignored the brazen lie. “Jand, he wants Glo to join his army, to help stop more elementals like that one.”
Jandar blinked. “Army schmarmy! We spent all day looking for Glo, and now we’re gonna give him away!? To this bird brain?”
“I can hear you,” said Ra.
“I think-” Namia stopped. She didn’t want to say it. But she felt she must. “I know it’s the right thing to do.”
Jandar looked into his wife’s eyes. It was a mistake, because every time he did, it changed him. He saw in those soft green pools an earnest and beautiful soul. He could never win arguments when he saw that. But at least he could remember why he married Namia.
“Nam,” he started. “I just want to be sure you understand what you’re doing.”
She sighed, looked at the bird, then back at the rabbit.“I do,” she said. “It’s for the best.”
“Sometimes, Nam, I can never understand you,” he said. “But if you think it’s right, my opinion is not gonna stop you anyway. You know what to do.” She nodded and stood.
“So shall he join my forces?” Ra asked. Namia nodded.
“Excellent!” he said. “Then let him show his resolve. Let him come to me.”
Namia let go of Glo. Slowly, step-by-step, he inched towards Ra: step-pause-step-pause. He got halfway, and he stopped. He looked at Ra, with his opulent royal wings and his grand, intimidating stance. And he looked back to Namia, with her soft brown hair and her familiar, comfortable hands. And he ran to her.
Her resolve was waiving. He scurried at her knees, trying to jump into her lap. “No . . . come on Glo, don’t do this to me. Go Glo, go with him, come on,” she said, trying to turn him around and fight back tears. But she just couldn’t. He wanted to stay.
“I see,” said Ra, “that he wishes to stay. That’s a shame - he would’ve made one of my finest warriors. But I cannot in good conscience take him if he does not wish to go. It would be unjust to separate him from that which he loves and he chooses. We must all choose our destiny, and his is with you.”
Namia’s face lit up. “You mean . . . ?”
“Just promise to oppose the forces of fire wherever you go,” said Ra. “That will be beyond enough for me.”
Namia squeezed Glo as hard as she ever had. He emitted a loud squeak, and she realized the squeeze was too tight. She settled for letting him sit as she gently pet his back, smiling. Jandar tickled Glo’s nose. Jandar and Namia exchanged glances. “We promise,” they said.
Satisfied, Ra turned and spread his wings, preparing for flight.
“Wait!” Jandar said. “Where are we? What happened to our home in the forest? What are we supposed to do now?
“I am afraid your home must have been destroyed,” Ra said. Jandar and Namia looked at each other, scared. “I’m so sorry. There was only so much we could do. As for now, there is a small fishing village an hour’s walk down the coast from here. Perhaps they can help you. I’d fly you there, but it is best that I go unseen, and I must attend to my injured troops, as well as my own injuries,” he said, spreading his wings wide to reveal a rivulet of blood dripping from his feathers.
“Wait!” Namia said. “I’m a cleric. I can help heal you.”
Ra considered the offer. He nodded, turning back towards her. She took out the black orb from her bag, and placed one of her hands on Ra’s wing. As she had done for her husband earlier and for Glo, she now did for Ra, using the energy of the orb to mend his cuts and scars. After a minute, his wound was nearly finished healing. “If your legion is injured, I can help heal them too,” said Namia.
“Incredible,” said Ra. “Thank you. I will remember this gift, I assure you. But only elementals can enter the base of my legion, and I have taken enough from you already. We will heal our kind on our own. I must take my leave. Any more questions?”
“Yes,” Namia said, putting away the orb. “Will we see you again?”
“Maybe,” said Ra. “If this element war escalates, as I fear it will, soon much more than your home will be in danger. This whole world could suffer. Wherever the Phoenix goes, I will fight him. And if that is where you are, I look forward to fighting beside you.”
Ra opened his wings once more. “Farewell,” he said.
“Farewell,” they said. In a brilliant flash of light, he took off into the night sky. They watched him sail away until he was just a speck in the distance. And then he disappeared over the horizon.
“Look,” Jandar said, turning to the ocean. The first tendrils of morning light were creeping into the sky.
“It’s beautiful,” said Namia.
Jandar tried to stand, but in spite of his time resting, he collapsed.
“I still have to fix you and Glo up,” she said. “Hopefully they will have supplies at the village. If we can contact the Red Star, they should be able to help us. Can you still hobble?”
“No. But when has that stopped me before?” Jandar said, wrapping his arm around Namia. They stood and began walking. Glo hopped alongside them, sniffing everything in sight.
Together the three of them hobbled down the coastline as the dawn finally emerged. It was a blanket of deep purples and blues, with streaks of red and orange. The whole sky, for a second, seemed to dance, flooded with immaculate color. The Sun cast her brilliant glow over all of Azeria. To their left, they saw sparkling mountains and lush wooded foothills. There were fantastical creatures swimming through the sky, and endless pastures of grain. Everywhere they looked was bursting with life, and full of untold secrets, waiting to be discovered. A land of adventure awaited them.
Their hearts lifted. Their journey had just begun.
Sunborn Phoenix by Joan Kohorst
Glow Bunny by Lauren Crum
Blaze Gorilla by Lauren Crum
Ra, Protector of Mortals by Joan Kohorst
Galaxy Sprites by Victoria Crego