Fly, Phoenix, Fly - Herobrine x Reader

Chapter Eight - Charred Bones

"There." Herobrine whispered, crouching down just beyond the crest of the hill. About twenty feet away was a skyroot tree, under which sat his brother, reclined against the trunk and munching on a golden apple as he studied the book in his lap.

Kayden crouched down beside him, frowning. "You're sure you can hit him from here?" He whispered back.

"'Course I can." Herobrine told him proudly. "You just be ready. Watch." Straightening up, he took aim, then pitched a pebble at the unsuspecting Steven's head.

Just before it made contact, however, the pebble was knocked harmlessly out of the air by an invisible force, and Steven's blue eyes flashed as he turned to face him.

Herobrine scrambled back with a gasp, only to nearly lose his balance when rock jutted out of the ground and clamped around his ankle. He teleported free, but a second spike caught his other ankle, and this time he fell straight on his face. Under the tree, Steven got up and started to approach, and Kayden immediately took off. "Hey!!" Herobrine shouted after him, trying in vain to muster the strength to teleport again. "Traitor!!" He struggled for a moment longer before giving up, looking up sullenly as Steven stopped before him with a smug look on his face.

"What exactly did you think was going to happen?" Steven asked. "Throwing rocks at me." Herobrine just glared at him.

"Let me go, or I'm telling Notch."

"Yeah?" Steven arched a brow. "You wanna tell him how you ended up in this mess?" Brine opened his mouth, then shut it.

"You started it." He finally protested.

"YOU started it." Steven countered. "Unless you're denying that you trapped a dozen aerbunnies in my room."

"No, I'm definitely taking credit for that." Herobrine assured him. "But I only did that because YOU sabotaged the strength potions I was brewing. And don't try to deny it!" He added as Steven opened his mouth to protest. "Lila saw you slinking around!"

"I wasn't SABOTAGING, I was just curious." Steven tried to defend himself. "What did you need strength potions for, anyway?"

"I told Tobias I could beat him in a fight." Brine said nonchalantly.

"So you were trying to cheat."

"No, I STILL beat him." Brine argued. "The potion would just make it easier. And nobody said I couldn't use a strength potion."

"It's common sense, Brine, it's called being sportsmanlike." Steven sighed, sinking down cross-legged in the grass beside his trapped younger brother. "What was the plan behind throwing a rock at me, anyway? And what was Kayden doing here?"

"Kayden was here to help me with step two of my plan," Brine informed him, trying again to wiggle his ankle free. Steven hiked up a brow.

"...which was?"

"I'm not going to tell you." With that, Herobrine finally managed to teleport free, scrambling upright and taking off running away from his brother.

"HEY!!" Steven jumped to his feet to give chase, and Herobrine cackled as he sprinted across the island to make his escape.

**

Meryl tipped her canteen upside-down, frowning as not even a single drop of water fell from the spout.

"I have a little left," The queen told her from where she watched. "But not much." Meryl blew out a frustrated breath.