Phoenix of the Sea

Copyright © 2023 by Madalyn Rae All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. ALSO BY MADALYN RAE Birth of the Phoenix-Adria’s Origin Story-Click the link for a free download. Phoenix of the Sea-Elementals Book 1 Guardian of the Sea-Murphy’s Origin Story Spring 2023 Ashes of the Wind-Elementals Book 2 Summer 2023 Embers of the Flame-Keegan’s Origin Story Fall 2023 Fire of the Sky-Elementals Book 3 Winter 2023 For Mom, * * * My ride or die reader, who devours all my stories and thinks everything I write is good… even when it’s not. Books are a uniquely portable magic. Stephen King CONTENTS Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Newsletter Sign-Up Acknowledgments About the Author CHAPTER 1 The smell of rot and death hits me as soon as the door opens. It’s a smell I’ll never get used to. No matter the amount of training I’ve done in this building, or the number of recruits I’ve followed inside, it’s the smell that hits the hardest. “What are we supposed to do?” my newest recruit asks as the door closes behind us. I don’t remember his name. Bill, Will… it doesn’t matter. Even if he survives training, he won’t make it another six months. They rarely do. He’ll be another casualty of whatever the hell it is we’re fighting. My entire body runs into his back. I shove him forward. “Never stop. Keep moving no matter what you hear or see.” My tone is monotone and flat. He continues moving through the dark hall. “Why do I have to lead?” His voice sounds shaky. “Shouldn’t you be in front?” “I won’t always be there to lead you. You have to do this on your own. This is one of the final steps to complete your training. You’ve got to get us out of here, alive.” I follow him through the wide hallway. “What’s in here?” He keeps moving, but his voice is low and quivers more than before. “You’ll find out.” I keep watch behind us. Bill or Will, keeps his weapon facing forward. I fight the urge to roll my eyes at his lack of common sense. “Danger doesn’t always come from the front,” I hiss, turning my back toward his, and guarding the rear as we creep through the darkness. “We’re just about there,” I whisper, a weak attempt to reassure him. “Where?” His question is so soft, I have to strain to hear. “Just don’t stop. If you stop, she can get you.” He keeps moving until a loud scream explodes through the darkness. I push hard into his back, forcing him forward. “I said, don’t ever stop!” We enter the large room where she spends most of her time. A scream pierces the stillness once again. “What the hell is that?” “She’s a lesser fire elemental.” The energy emanating from him is toxic. His fear will be his downfall. “You can’t let her know you’re scared. The only way to survive is by not showing fear.” He continues moving. “A lesser? Aren’t they the mean ones?” “They’re all pretty mean in my books, but the lessers do the dirty work so they have the worst reputation. Shine your light to the bottom right of the room.” She’ll be in her favorite spot. “Shit,” he whispers. “Pretty, isn’t she?” I fight to keep the smile from sounding through my words. “Listen carefully. It’s about to go down. She’s going to try everything she can to touch you. No matter what, you can’t let that happen.” “What the hell?” “Just keep moving. Maybe we’ll be lucky, and she’ll be in a good mood.” I shine my light around the expanse of the room that was built to mimic a sixteenth-century castle. I don’t know what it was used for before, but the intricacy in the surprisingly clean woodwork tells me it was meant to be more than a prison for a fire elemental. The twenty-foot ceiling is the only thing not covered in soot. Windows nearly touch the ceiling and line each side of the room, reminding me of a once magical ballroom. Now it’s something from a nightmare. The boarded windows are protected from the outside and covered with ice and constantly flowing water to prevent her escape. What were once curtains, are nothing more than hanging shreds of fibers, evidence of being repeatedly burned through the years. Ornate furniture rests in piles of ashes, placed sporadically throughout the room. The only intact item, an old piano, sits in the back, right corner, the place I knew she’d be. It’s where she always is. Bill, Will, whoever’s breathing is shallow and uneven. He’s about to lose his shit. “Listen to the sound of my voice,” I whisper. “Just because she can hurt you, doesn’t mean she will. I’ve been through this building more times than I can count.” My light catches on what looks like charred skin hanging from a chandelier and I fight the urge to cringe. “Why?” “It’s how I train you to go out and save the world from elementals like her.” I pull my light away from the skin. “No, why has she allowed you to live?” His breathing has evened out slightly. I don’t answer. Instead, I push his back even harder to get us through the room. Truth is, I don’t know why she’s allowed me to live while others die. I’ve wondered the same myself. This room is full of decomposing recruits and trainers who weren’t as lucky. I’ve only lost one person to her, a year