Chapter 85
Zalian was quiet. The streets devoid of life. The silence so loud it echoed. Phoenix observed from a safe distance like the predator she truly was.
There would be no more idling around.
No more waiting.
She knew quite well that the longer she took to strike the stronger Flame got. And the higher her chances of winning in the end. She looked at the small house build in the middle of the field. The crops surrounding it completely. Its inhabitants hidden safely within. If she listened close enough she could hear their heartbeats.
Four of them... beating steadily.
She had seen Flame associate with the girl who lived there,knew that there was a certain level of closeness between them. And she decided that if she couldn't beat her physically then the only option was to use the fairy's emotions against her. And she had had a feel of those emotions herself. Knew that the fairy felt with intensity. That she might as well have been built on feelings.
And that would be a great advantage.
In a swirl of darkness she moved, made her way between the crops until she got close enough to the house, then she stopped, looked around and smiled. She wasn't completely heartless, if she was then she would have made her way into one of the houses while she had been weak and fed from a local. But instead she had gone through all the trouble and the struggle of moving to Umallen.
Because in those houses loved families, and had she made her way into one and satisfied her hunger, then she would have been forced to kill everyone else as well. And she had plans of becoming the queen.
She would need subjects, so it made perfect sense for her to spare a few lives, lest the beings fear for her continued to increase with each passing second. Leaning against the wall of the house she basked in the afternoon sun. Feeling it as it warmed her skin. A welcomed feeling after being trapped in that cave for so long. She stood there for a while. Not at all in a hurry for she knew her targets weren't going anywhere. She actually only had use for one of them. That would be the key.
That was how she would get the fairy to willingly give her blood. Emotional manipulation was the only option she had left.
And she was surprisingly excited. After she felt warm enough she walked over to the door. Deciding for once to do the polite thing and knock. Although etiquette had nothing to do with it.
Phoenix had the mind of a psychopathic killer. She always had. And she took joy in things such as those because she knew she had the upper hand. Her targets had nothing against that. They were completely at her mercy.
She knocked then listened in. A couple of hearts gained speed but two were completely normal. There was no response. The occupants must have chosen to believe that they were hearing things.
Phoenix knocked once more. Then she took a step back and waited, she heard a pair of footsteps. Then the owner of the footsteps stopped on the other side of the door but didn't say a thing, didn't move either. With a most sadistic smile, Phoenix knocked once more.
'What fun!' She inwardly thought. An evil joyful laugh on the verge of coming out, but she contained it.
" Who's there?" Asked a male voice. Firm....but leaking with fear. The male was scared, Phoenix could feel it in the beats of his heart that were almost impossible to keep up with.
" I fancy your garden. Such a beautiful place you have, " Phoenix said loud enough for the being to hear her. And the second she uttered those words she heard a shocked gasp.
By then everyone in the kingdom was aware of her return. They all knew she was the one that had been draining those poor victims, and so the male's fear could be understood.
But he must have still possessed a tiny speck of hope because he went ahead and asked her who she was. Chuckling, Phoenix trailed her fingers across the door, imagining all the different ways she could make her entrance.
" I'm your queen of course, " She said as if it was the most obvious thing. Then she began tapping her fingertips on the door's surface. Creating a sort of rhythm that sounded ominous to the male's ears. She could hear him as he stumbled back then he ran. Probably to get his family to safety.
The angels were supposed to protect the beings, yet they hadn't considered the small aspect of her being able to reach them even in their houses.
" Oh come on little farmer...." Phoenix drawled out the words humorously. Then she laughed and began to make her way around the house. Getting to a window she stopped and breathed out. The smile still intact. There was a curtain on the other end so she couldn't see past it. But she knew that at the moment the family was somewhere in a storage room.
She heard the father as he assured his two daughters that everything was going to be okay.
Love was such a peculiar thing.
Phoenix knew so because she was also in love. With her power that is. Her mate was simply the source of it and so she had no choice but to stick by him and to hold a certain fraction of affection for the god. But the only thing she truly cared for was her power. She reached forth with her index finger and tapped on the window with as little force as possible.
She tapped once, twice, three times before the construct splashed in a spray of glass and steel. It was mostly for fun and a little dramatic effect. Giggling to herself, she summoned her darkness and felt the thrill as it carried her through the opening and into the home of that happy family. Once she was back to her physical form she sighed and looked around. Deciding to tackle the situation from a hide and seek point of view. What was the point of power if you couldn't have fun while using it. She smacked her lips together and called out to the male. ' Little farmer' she referred to him. Deciding to play unaware despite knowing quite well where all the four beings were. She walked on quiet feet until she got to the narrow hallway leading to the storage room. And she began making her way towards it. Then she felt a slice of pain and clenched her teeth before she slowly turned around.
The farmer was standing there with a knife in his hand and a desperate look to protect his family in his eyes. His skin of dark chocolate now coated with a layer of sweat and his hand shaking even as he struggled to hold the knife in place. He had literally stabbed her in the back. Yet she stood as if all he'd done was scratch her. He looked at those dark eyes and in them he saw the end. He saw death.
Phoenix took a singular step towards him and he stepped back. Then back again.
" I'm not scared of you, you wretched serpent!" He spat the words out. But Phoenix was aware of what he was trying to accomplish. He didn't care if she killed him as long as she let his family be.
" Fear not, " Phoenix said casually. Almost shrugging as she did so, then she took a second to glance back at the door to the storage room before she eyed the male once more. He was breathing heavily, and she knew he was deciding on whether or not to just strike at her and stab her over and over until he couldn't anymore.
" You're aware of who I am, " It wasn't a question but rather a fact. The male shit him a disgusted look and eyed her up and down.
" You're a killer, " was all he said.
" And a goddess...surely you mustn't forget to mention that bit, " she added with a bored roll of her eyes. Her ego taking over.
" Your daughter, the dressmaker. I'm in need of her, " she added and the male looked completely shocked. Trying to stop himself from looking at the storage room even if he knew Phoenix was aware that his family was in there.
" What?" he asked. Wondering why she would be asking specifically for Sheila. Knowing that whatever the answer was, it wasn't a good one.
" This tall..." Phoenix said, leveling her hand to indicate Sheila's height.
" Dark hair, lovely smile....happens to be acquainted with that little fairy you call your queen, " she added. Then she arched a brow and waited for the male to tell her he had no clue of what she was referring to. After which she would make things a little more interesting. He swallowed nervously and looked around. Then he told her that she wasn't around. Phoenix smiled the darkest of all smiles.