The White Phoenix

Chapter 3: Retrieving the Wretched Ring

After leaving the Duke’s mansion without Karina, the first thing I did was head off to a nearby inn with a stable and look at the horses.

“How can I help you?” asked the stable boy as he fed a horse some hay. The moment we met eyes I gave him a grin. Not because he was handsome, though he is, but because his bright green eyes gave away his secret. Maybe normal humans wouldn’t notice that his eyes were too green to be normal, but I being a witch and such knew that he was a green wizard. Of course, my eyes definitely gave me away, so the boy about my age smiled back at me.

“Well, for starters I would like a horse. I needed your fastest one,” I give him a sly smile as I leaned against the wooden stable.

“The fastest, hmm? Well, you’re in luck. We recently got a wild stallion; he can be a little rough but you seem like the kind of girl that prefers it that way,” the boy flirted. He let out a whistle and a black horse came galloping into view. The horse stopped in front of the green mage and I realized that it made sense that a green wizard worked for a stable. Green wizards specialized in nature and shape shifting. They naturally got along well with animals and had a knack for growing plants.

“How does he deal around snow and fire?” I asked.

“Ebony is the bravest horse we have, he does fine with both,” said the boy proudly.

“Alright,” I said, handing the boy twenty gold coins, “I’ll take him.”

“For you? No charge,” said the boy with a wink. I smiled at him graciously and he handed me a bridle while he saddled up Ebony. I climbed on and gave the boy one last grin before riding out.

My next stop was a mystic’s shop. I tied Ebony to a post while I headed inside. A grey mage greeted me when I stepped in. Usually, shops are owned by either blue magicians—which specialize in alchemy—or grey magicians—which specialize in steel and gems and can make both regular and enchanted weapons—because they both create things and can sell them for a fair price.

I searched the shop until I came across what I was looking for: a cloak. It was a fine black cloak made of a silky material that came down to the floor, past my hands, and the hood covered my entire face in a shadow. It was perfect. I brought the cloak to the counter and gave the lady five gold pieces. We said our ‘thank you’s and I went on my way.

Now that I had a horse and I had a cloak to hide my identity, I was ready to start my journey to Elysium. It honestly wouldn’t take me long, it was only a day’s journey, but since I started in the afternoon, I had to stop and rest for the night. I wasn’t really tired but neither was I the one doing the running. The next morning, before the sun even rose, I saddled Ebony and we took off. Later that morning, probably about 10 o’clock, I had reached Elysium.

The large stone castle was set in the middle of a large town and was on the top of a slightly elevated piece of land so the castle overlooked the town. The castle was grand and only had the finest of items decorating it. The town surrounding it was just as beautiful and extravagant. I made my way through the streets while still riding Ebony, but once I got close to Elysium, I tied Ebony to a post outside of a store because I can’t take him with me inside Elysium. I walked towards the front gates and noticed the first pair of Occultists.

Well I better get this over with.

I approached the Occultists, but before they noticed me I froze them solid but without forming ice around their bodies, which would give away that they are frozen; instead I used their blood to freeze them from the inside out and without being noticed. This allowed me to casually stroll into Elysium with no problems. Continuing this process throughout Elysium while I made my way up to the third floor, this was where the Archmage lived.

You might be wondering why I know the inside and out of Elysium and how I know that my ice magic works on them. Well, let’s just say, this isn’t my first contract involving Elysium.

When I had gotten to the third floor and entered the Archmage’s room, I knew I had timed my entrance perfectly due to the sound of the water running. I approached the Archmage’s bathroom door and slowly put my hand on the knob. I gently twisted it and the door opened silently. The Archmage’s bathroom wasn’t too large, but still larger than most bathrooms; it had a counter in the closest to me and on the opposite side was the Archmage’s shower and glorious bathtub. I was glad that the Archmage’s shower had a curtain and was not just glass; one because it made it easier to sneak in, and two because I dint favor seeing a naked man in his 40’s.

I made my way over to the counter and found what I was looking for: a silver ring with a large purple stone. I snatched the ring and made my way out of the bathroom. I continued down the many halls and stairs until I was finally at the entrance and making my way through the field that wrapped around the perimeter of the castle. That went a whole lot easier than what I was expecting… or so I thought until a familiar boy with black hair and purple eyes appeared.

“Anna! I know that’s you under that cloak!” called Alistair.

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Hello everyone, it's LupaII (only one of the members of AnythingButSane)! Thank you soooooo much for reading. Though this book doesn't have many reads yet (while I'm writing this there is only 38), I enjoy seeing the number of reads go up. Since this is ExquisitelyUnique and I's first book together, we deeply appreciate any advice and pointers you guys and gals can give us. AnythingButSane will be posting Chapter 4: The Fight (sorry about the not very creative titles.... I need to work on them) next week (maybe earlier if I can't hold back). You guys are awesome and all of you silent readers please follow AnythingButSane! XD

By the way, I'm sorry for the shorter and slightly rushed chapter!