"Silver Phoenix Chaptre 8" by Audrey Youko.Greywords M.

“What, what was that all about?” I asked, still in shock. Gilga had stopped having to drag me and Phoenix trailed close behind me with a look of concern on his face.

“Watt, are you going to be alright?” He asked. “You look ill.”

“Yeah, I think I might be okay.” I shuddered again. “It’s a good thing that distraction came up or else we wouldn’t have gotten out of there.”

“And who can you thank for that, hmmm?” Gilga leaned over to me with a smug look on his face.

“What? You??” I shouldn’t have been surprised. It was Gilga after all. Still, I said, “Can’t you go anywhere, you spoony elf, without causing an uproar?”

                He just laughed. I supposed I should be thankful, though. He had saved my hide back there. Not to mention getting my clothes back for me.

“Thanks.” I said, softly.

“What? I couldn’t hear you.” Gilga mocked.

“Don’t make me say it again.” I griped. He just laughed.

“Watt, where are we headed now?” Phoenix interjected.

“We’re still trying to get to my master’s forge, Phoenix! This isn’t some epic journey, you know.” He looked at the ground, wings slumping in disappointment.

“Your master must live terribly far away. How did you get out here?” Gilga sounded almost serious.

“I have no idea. I went into the forest using the same path I always use, but there was a clearing along the way that had never been there before. That’s where Phoenix and I met.”

“Your owner just left you in some clearing in a forest?!” Gilga said this, again to my hip, but I assume it must have been directed at Phoenix. “Such irresponsibility! Didn’t he know what you are?”

“You’ll hold your tongue when speaking of my dead wielders!” Phoenix rasped. His voice frightened the living daylights out of me.

“Yikes! I meant no ill! But you,” and at this he turned back to me. “You should know better than to go pulling out strange swords in clearings that magically appear!”

“What was I supposed to do?! I couldn’t just leave him there! He was miserable!” I glared into those slanted, blazing blue eyes as they twisted in puzzlement.

“How can you tell what a sword feels?” His question was scathing.

“He was-“ I paused. Would it embarrass Phoenix if I told Gilga that he had been sobbing uncontrollably? Gilga was right about that. It was hard to tell how a sword was feeling. “He was crying.” I finished.

“And just how does a sword cry?” Gilga leaned back with his arms folded over his chest, waiting for me to answer.

“He’s not always a sword, fool!” Could he honestly not see Phoenix as a human? Was that why he always spoke to him as though he were lashed to my belt? “Don’t you see a difference?” Angelica had seen him change. Why couldn’t Gilga?

“My eyes see only what is truly there. I cannot be dazzled by tricks or confused with magic. I see only a sword.” He glared at me in seriousness while I thought of something to say.

“Well, I’m sorry.” I finally spoke. “He’s a rather interesting-looking creature.” My remark was of the same tone of humor that Gilga’s were always spoken in.

“Yay!” Phoenix cried. I looked at him and laughed. I guess that he took that as some kind of compliment. Gilga laughed, too.

“Fine, whatever.” He smirked. “But I’ll have you know that if we keep heading in the direction we’re going now, we’ll soon be in the mountains. I, for one, would rather not end up there.”

“Why not? I mean, any other reason besides the mountains being dangerous and inhospitable and full of deadly monsters-“

“And dwarves.” Gilga added, pausing his steps.

“Ohhh…” I got it. The elf that had held me captive when I met Gilga had mentioned there being a war going on between dwarves and elves. Come to think of it…”Gilga, does steel bother you?”

“What? Why the sudden interest?” He quirked his eyebrows and gazed at me from the corners of his slanted blue eyes.

“Well, the other elves were really opposed to phoenix, but you seem to get along with him rather well.”

“Yes,” he laughed sarcastically. “But you’ll notice I’ve never touched him.”

“Why? I thought they just didn’t like steel because of its connection to dwarves.” I asked.

“Not really. It’s closer to say that they- and by ‘they’ I suppose I mean ’we’-don’t like Dwarves because of their connection to Steel.” He added emphasis to the words hoping that I would get his meaning as it flew over my head.

“Isn’t that what I said?”

He rolled his eyes at me and sighed in exasperation.

Phoenix piped in, “The touch of steel is a fatal poison to elves, much like silver to werewolves and mercury to humans. Every race has their tolerances and poisons.”

“Well put.” Crowed Gilga.

“Well then, what are dwarves weak to?”

“Who knows? What are dragons weak to? Who knows! I for one don’t feel like going in to find out either answer.” Gilga sniped.

“Calm down, you spoony elf. We aren’t going into the mountains! We don’t have the supplies, means, or equipment to survive in the mountains.”

                ~~~

“And how –if you don’t mind me asking- did we end up so far into the foothills?” Gilga growled at me.

“Actually, I think it’s safe to say that we’ve left the foothills and are in the actual mountain range now.” Said Phoenix, looking back down the slope.

“Shut up, both of you!!” I was so tired of climbing that I was ready to pass out.

“Watt?” Phoenix sounded hurt that I had snapped at him. Fine! Who cares? He hadn’t been walking this whole time!

I fell down and stayed down.

“Watt! Are you alright?!” Phoenix knelt down beside me. I swatted his hand away in anger and flailed in frustration.

“This is so stupid!!” I screamed. “How do we accidentally wind up on a mountain?! I mean, my sense of direction isn’t that bad!”

“Stop that! You’re acting like a spoiled brat! Be quiet before something hears us.” Gilga snapped at me.

“No! I’ll yell if I want to! This is so utterly stuu~piid!!” I’ll admit. Throwing a tantrum was probably the worst thing I could’ve done. Gilga was right. I should’ve just been quiet. Maybe then I could have gotten a little rest or something. Instead-

“Uhhhh, Watt? We seem to be surrounded by very burly, angry men carrying a wide assortment of weapons and dangerous tools.” Phoenix said. It was an understatement if anything could be. Gilga sneered at me from the rock he was sitting on. Most of the weapons were focused on him and consequently, he had his hands up in an unarmed gesture.

“Told you so.” He quipped.

“Now’s not the time.” I growled as I sat up. In sitting position I was about as tall as the nearest man. Although, looking at the heft of his weapon and the unfriendly look in his eyes, I felt justified in believing that size wasn’t so important anymore.

“Oh I’m sorry!” Gilga feigned an apology. “When would be a better time for you? Maybe we could discuss this over tea or something!” Did he always need to be so sarcastic?

“Listen you-“ I wasn’t able to finish.

One of the smaller men shouted out something in a language I couldn’t understand. Gilga looked shocked by whatever it is they said and remained shocked as they quickly lowered their weapons and filed away. They seemed to melt into the very rock itself. I wasn’t able to watch them very long as Gilga roughly yanked me to my feet and started to run from the place we had been momentarily held hostages.

“Why did they leave?”

“Bad things!” Was all Gilga said as we ran down the slope. We hit a wall of rubble.

“We’ll need to go back the way we came.” I said.

“Well, we can’t.” He yelled at me.

“Why not? The dwarves left. I don’t get it. Are we saved or not?” I asked. There was a deafening noise overhead, accompanied by a wind so strong that it slammed me backward like a fist.

“Not” He answered. I turned around to see what it was; knowing in my gut that it wasn’t anything that I wanted to see.

I should listen to my guts more often.