From the Ashes: Ch 9

Instructions

Chapter Nine “Um, creepy.” Lina snorts. “Just because she has her fancy flame-feathers doesn’t mean she’s destined to save the worl-ow!” Gisele whacks Lina with her wing, looking furious. “Why can’t you shut up for one minute, Lina?!” Gisele snaps. “Because she’s a mindless freak who never was taught to respect her elders!” Vole calls out from her perch. Thunder silences her with a stern glare. I feel a stab of pity for Lina. It must not be easy for her, being a hybrid. Maybe that’s why she’s so mean and rude. Because she needs to take her anger out on someone. “Listen, Lina Blackfeather,” Councilor Thunder booms. “And I will tell you a story. All of you a story.” He takes a deep breath. “Ash’s birth mother was, as is somewhat obvious, not Mother Owl. In fact, she does not have a mother at all. Ash is a phoenix, after all. When phoenixes are ready to die, they burn to a pile of ashes and leave a single egg behind. A phoenix egg. It’s an endless cycle of death and rebirth.” “Wait!” Wisdom yelps. “Does that mean Ash is hundreds of years old?!” “Not necessarily,” Thunder says. “However, she is a direct copy of her ancestors. Every feather on her body is identical to them.” He huffs. “As I was saying, Ash's…predecessor, her name was Ember. As was the tradition, she lived with a family of snowy owls in the tundra, but her heart longed for the warmth of the south. So one day, she said goodbye to her owl family and left.” *** “Ember!” Mo called. Ember turned back, blinking her gray-red eyes. “I know you want to go on an adventure, but the real world is dangerous, Em. There are humans and monsters and they will want to hurt you, Ember. Just be careful, okay?” “Oh mouse bones,” Ember rolled her eyes. “Stop acting like you’re my mom, Mo. You’re not any older than me. Besides, I’m a flapping firebird. What could they possibly do?” *** “She was so confident,” Councilor Thunder sighs. “But things didn’t exactly go as planned. We’re not exactly sure what happened, but we know that something went wrong in Potentia, the land of the humans. “She contacted her friend Mo after a year or so after she left. She was frantic. All we know is that she had a treasure that was very valuable-and if Adara found it, it would mean the end of the pheonixes. She gave it to Mother Owl before she died, who hid it in a very special place. Only she knows where it is. She had plans to give it to Ash when Ash was old enough to fly.” I check my pinfeathers. They are almost fully developed now. This year should have been the year when Mother Owl would have given the treasure to me. But Mother Owl is missing.