The Phoenix Born (A Dance of Dragons #3) Read online

  THE

  PHOENIX

  BORN

  A Dance of Dragons #3

  By Kaitlyn Davis

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright 2015 Kaitlyn Davis

  Cover Art: Manipulated by Kaitlyn Davis from attribution licensed flickr creative commons photos by Zaraut B, gorchakov.artem, Les Haines, and Soren Niedziella, a DeviantArt brush by XResch, and a photoshop pattern by Obsidian Dawn.

  World Map: Illustrated by Sarah Faith Morris (Sylva Knight)

  The right of Kaitlyn Davis to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

  This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the author, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be direct infringement of the author's rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

  This is a work of fiction and any resemblances between the characters and persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  ALL WORKS BY KAITLYN DAVIS

  A Dance of Dragons

  The Shadow Soul

  The Spirit Heir

  The Phoenix Born

  A Dance of Dragons – The Novellas

  The Golden Cage

  The Silver Key

  The Bronze Knight

  The Iron Rider

  Once Upon A Curse

  Gathering Frost

  Withering Rose – Coming Soon!

  Midnight Fire

  Ignite

  Simmer

  Blaze

  Scorch

  To my family for their unconditional love,

  my friends for their overwhelming support,

  and my fans for their incredible enthusiasm.

  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  All Works by Kaitlyn Davis

  Dedication

  Table of Contents

  World Map

  1. Jinji ~ The Gates

  2. Rhen ~ The Gates

  3. Jinji ~ Rayfort

  4. Rhen ~ Rayfort

  5. Jinji ~ Rayfort

  6. Rhen ~ Rayfort

  7. Jinji ~ Fayfall

  8. Rhen ~ Fayfall

  9. Jinji ~ Brython

  10. Rhen ~ Brython

  11. Jinji ~ Brython

  12. Rhen ~ Roninhythe

  13. Jinji ~ Roninhythe

  14. Rhen ~ Roninhythe

  15. Jinji ~ Roninhythe

  16. Rhen ~ Roninhythe

  17. Jinji ~ Roninhythe

  18. Rhen ~ Roninhythe

  19. Jinji ~ Roninhythe

  20. Rhen ~ Rayfort

  21. Jinji ~ The Shadow Realm

  22. Rhen ~ The Gates

  23. Jinji ~ Northmore Forest

  The A Dance of Dragons Novellas

  More Books by Kaitlyn Davis

  About The Author

  (Back to Table of Contents)

  1

  JINJI

  ~ THE GATES ~

  Jinji opened her eyes to a changed world.

  The sky ahead was clear, empty, and it meant Rhen was truly gone. Vanished from her life, swept away on the back of the fire dragon he had just awoken. She knew where he was traveling—Rayfort. To his family. To his people. To save them from the rebels and the Ourthuri currently attacking his home. To save them with his fire. Jinji knew Rhen better than he knew himself. And she knew something else, something she was deathly afraid to admit—that nothing would ever be the same.

  The next time she saw Rhen, it would be over.

  The next time she saw Rhen, the lie would begin.

  The next time she saw Rhen, they would no longer be on the same side.

  And it was all because of the man in her arms.

  Janu.

  Her brother. Her twin. Her family. But deep inside, ensnaring his soul, was the shadow. A murderer. A killer. And the one thing Jinji had vowed to defeat but no longer could because the two of them were one. Jinji couldn't destroy the shadow without destroying her brother, so her only option was to let them both live—something Rhen would never forgive her for. People would die because of her inaction. The shadow was going to call forth his phantom armies—it was inevitable. And when that happened, hundreds would perish. It was an unavoidable truth. Every moment the shadow lived was another moment that left the world shrouded in dire danger. And if Rhen were there, he would end it all right now. But that was something Jinji could never do. Not now. Not to her twin.

  Janu shifted beneath her arms, pulling back, and Jinji broke her gaze with the bleak, empty horizon. She could never go back. The decision was made. The only direction to move was forward.

  "I don't know where to begin," Janu whispered, voice raw with emotion.

  Jinji cupped his cheek, marveling at the golden hue that she never thought she would see again, one that perfectly matched hers, as though they were one and not two people. Her gaze shifted to his eyes, warm and full of life, brown with golden flecks, darker than hers but almost the same. Her thumb stroked his skin just once, stretching the moment. Jinji wanted to hold on to this, to this one second where everything seemed right in the world. Her brother had come back to her, and nothing else mattered.

  "Ka'shasten," she murmured. My family, my loved one, my brother.

  "Ka'shasten," he said back, and it was perfect, a sound and a word Jinji had never dared hope to hear again.

  "Come," she said, standing and tugging on his hand. Jinji didn't want to look at the sky any longer. It was too vast, too expansive. She led Janu from the balcony, back into the castle nestled into the peak of the Gates. Though the walls were white and mostly bare, they thrummed with life. The spirits lived within this rock, within these stones. Jinji brushed her fingertips along the wall, feeling the spirits move beneath her touch, attuned to her every thought. And for the first time in a long time, a place felt like home.

  Back in the hall, Janu took the lead. How long had he been trapped here? How long had he been waiting for her to come save him? How long had he been alone? Yet not alone, Jinji realized, thinking of the voice in her head—the spirit. Janu had a voice of his own—the shadow. His only companion. And Jinji shivered thinking about the whispers the shadow had put in her twin's head, thoughts from which there was no escape.

  They stopped beside two empty chairs. Janu fell back, weary and weak. Jinji couldn't help but scan his frame, much taller than hers but much thinner too. Unhealthy and so different from the man she used to picture in her dreams, from the image she used to weave in the clearing of the forest. In her mind, Janu was a hunter—strong and fierce. But in reality, he had been hunted. Caught and dying a slow, agonizing death.

  Jinji shook her head.

  Too dark. All her thoughts had recently been too dark. And today was a magical day. She had found her twin again. He had come back to life. No matter the circumstances, it was something to celebrate.

  She smiled, peeking at him with her eyes wide in excitement. Janu scrunched his brows, gazing at her with apprehension, before giving into a grin of his own. Energy filled the space between them, electric, buzzing with joy that neither sibling wanted to contain. Just like old times. Though now, it was Jinji who was behind the surprise and not her brother.

  "Watch this," she said and closed her eyes, envisioning the table by her knees. The spirits heeded her every whim, and now that Jinji had fully embraced her strength, using her powers felt as eas
y as breathing.

  Janu gasped.

  Jinji opened her eyes, taking in her brother's dropped jaw, heart singing as his eyes sparkled with joy, so similar to the boy in her memories.

  "How?" He barely got the question out.

  Jinji bit her lip and shrugged, holding back a giggle. "A lot has changed, Janu, but right now all that matters is I'm starving."

  And then her gaze dropped to the table, and her chest swelled with a whole mix of emotions—nostalgia, longing, sadness, love. Resting on top of the table was a feast—an Arpapajo feast—something she never thought she would ever be able to enjoy again. Freshly roasted deer and rabbit. Steaming baked bread. Aromatic bean soup. Berries newly plucked from the bushes. Herbal tea, the one her mother used to make.

  For a moment, Jinji was overwhelmed taking the spread in—the sights, the smells. If she closed her eyes, Jinji could picture the faces of her people around her. Her father at the head of the table, blessing the meal with her mother by his side. Leoa bouncing her legs, impatient for the festivities to begin. Maniuk across from her, watching protectively, knowing this would be his role in the future. The children playing with acorns in the dirt, unaware they were supposed to be listening. And the chair always empty on her mother's other side, in remembrance of her brother, the future leader of the tribe taken too soon. How odd that now they were all gone, and it was Janu who was the only one left by her side.

  Jinji didn't realize a tear had spilled down her cheek until Janu reached out to wipe it away. His hand rested on her face for a moment longer than necessary, lingering while they shared a knowing look. The memories she had buried were crawling back out, fighting to be relived. And for the first time in a long time, with Janu by her side, Jinji felt strong enough to visit the past and pretend, at least for a little while.

  She gripped his fingers, noticing the water gathering in his eyes, and smiled. Then she shook the sadness away and dug in, using her fingers to rip the meat from the bones of the rabbit, licking them after taking a bite, just like she used to when they were children. There were no words necessary—no words that said enough, not even in the old language—so they ate in silence.

  At least, they started to. But not two bites in, Jinji fell to the ground, screaming as an agonizing vision ripped through her.

  Fire.

  Everywhere.

  Screams. Pain. Chaos.

  Jinji tried to make sense of it, but the raw heat of anger, of heartbreak, was too overpowering. So she let it come in an onslaught, wave after wave, until she realized what it was. The view was from above, of flames engulfing the city below. Fire swallowed Rayfort and its enemies with it. But they weren't her enemies. And they weren't her dragon's enemies. And soon, Rhen would realize they weren't his enemies either.

  Slowly, the vision faded. Brilliant, bubbling orange gave way to somber gray, and a face filled her eyes instead. Janu watched over her in terror.

  "Jinji!" He shook her shoulders. Her head was in his lap. How long had she been out?

  "I'm all right," Jinji said, sitting up, gripping his hand fiercely to let him know she was okay. "But we must go."

  "What was that?" he asked, fear not yet gone from his voice. Fear for her. Fear of being left alone again.

  "My fire dragon," she murmured, still not quite able to believe it herself. The voice had said the dragons were part of her, were pure elemental spirit magic, but Jinji hadn't quite believed it until that moment. The beast was like another one of her limbs. Even now, she sensed it out there in the distance somewhere, crying out in pain to not be forced to kill the very humans it was created to protect. And it had called to her for help. Jinji sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "Oh, Rhen."

  The dragon was not the only one who would need her help.

  "Who's Rhen?" Janu asked, an edge to his voice.

  Jinji's heart skipped. There were too many possible answers to that question, so Jinji answered with the first one that came to mind, the truest and the simplest. "My friend."

  Janu wasn't satisfied. A dark glint shone in his eye, but Jinji chose to ignore it. He opened his mouth, and she cringed inwardly, not wanting to explain further, to see the judgment in his eyes—a newworlder prince? No Arpapajo would ever understand, least not her brother. But none of them had been there. Like Janu, Jinji had been left alone, and she had coped with it the best she could. Instead, he just asked, "Where are we going?"

  "Rayfort," Jinji answered without pause, grabbing one more piece of bread before blinking the meal from existence. Pain engulfed the city. She could hear cries on the air, as though the wind carried them to her ears. And with her newfound strength, Jinji could make all of it go away. "There are too many people there who need my help."

  If Janu didn’t understand, he didn't say anything. And for the first time, Jinji wondered how much the shadow had told him. Of Jinji. Of the spirit. Of their shared destiny together.

  But there was no time to dwell. As she raced through the castle, feet pounding on stone, her mind traveled back to her last moment with the shadow. To the sneer that twisted his lips and the fury that alighted his eyes as soon as Rhen had awoken the dragon, as soon as that first blast of fire shot into the sky. One, he had said, you have one but you won't get the others.

  Jinji gasped, pushing her legs even faster, sprinting.

  The princess.

  Leena.

  She had a water affinity. She must be the next rider. She would wake the water dragon. And the last time Jinji had seen her was in Rayfort. What if she was stuck in the middle of the battle? What if she had never escaped? What if the shadow had left Jinji and gone straight to the princess, to kill the next rider before Jinji even had the chance to save her? Had she lost another friend? How long would it take to find another person with a water affinity, with the potential to wake that dragon?

  Jinji shook her head as they reached the front hallway of the castle. The princess's destiny wasn’t to perish at the shadow's hands. It was to ride on ice and water. Jinji would find her. She would save her. She would find all of the riders and would wake all of the dragons. It was their only defense against the shadow, the only way they might possibly defeat him—the only thing that might be able to save Janu's life.

  Outside, the sky was still clear, but her eyes were focused forward, on the staircase. She ran down taking two steps at a time, and Janu followed, racing to keep up. Moments later, they were at the base of the Gates, on that little stone platform nestled deep in the mountain—the secret entrance the spirit had led her to hours ago. And the little wooden boat she and Rhen had used was right where she had left it, stuck in the river she had frozen solid around it. They boarded. Jinji released the ice, letting it melt away, and commanded the water to take her back through the Gates, back to the world of the living.

  Janu stood next to her, shocked into silence, gaping with awe as the sea heeded her every order. The waves crashing against the rocky cliffs of the Gates paused, becoming as still as glass to let their boat glide over. The current shifted, flowing toward Rayfort. The tides rolled, carrying the boat faster and farther. The sails whipped sharply as the wind pushed against them, never once weakening. And in no time at all, it felt as though they flew across the White Stone Sea.

  Jinji saw the smoke first, an angry black cloud drawing a sharp line through the crystal sky. The closer they got, the more devastating the image became. Ships were half sunk in the harbor. Wooden bits, blackened and burned, floated atop water that was once brilliant turquoise but was now clouded by soot. The white walls of the city were crumbling into the sea, slashed with ebony burns. And beyond, houses were broken and bent, falling in on themselves, no more than rubble—the sort of demolition caused by men and not by fire. Jinji could imagine the rest—the streets covered in crushed stone, the broken populace wandering aimlessly with nowhere to go now that their homes had been destroyed, the bodies of the dead still littering the ground.

  Going through the city would take hours, far more time th
an Jinji had, considering Rhen and his dragon were nowhere to be seen. They had left, taking the fire and the soul of the city with them. But as much as she wished to follow, there were more important things she had to do here—saving the princess, finding any other riders. Rhen would find her. He always did.

  Jinji pushed the water beneath the boat harder. Janu gripped her arm, worried as the wall of the city fast approached, but Jinji paid him no mind.

  When she had left this city, Jinji was little more to these people than Rhen's traveling partner. An oldworlder. A foreigner. Someone with no respect and even less power. And the only way to change that now was to do something drastic, was to show these people she was not the same woman they remembered, to demand to be someone they could no longer afford to ignore. The Kingdom of Whylkin always answered to a king, and now that king would answer to her.

  "Hold on," she yelled to Janu.

  And then they flew.

  Jinji pushed the water beneath the boat up in a giant spout, popping them forward and into the air. The wind billowed, catching the sails and pressing against the bottom of the vessel, almost solid with its force.

  The castle of Rayfort loomed ahead, their destination. Below, Jinji heard the shouts of the people, fearful and confused. The word traveled. Bodies stopped in the street, heads flipped up, jaws dropped. And through it all, Jinji and Janu continued to sail across the sky, sinking to the open courtyard below. They landed with a gentle thud. The base of the boat skidded against the grass, coming to a complete stop mere steps from the grand entrance to the castle. An entrance now lined with red-clothed guards already defeated by the day. And yet, despite their weary muscles, their bedraggled appearance, each one stood ready to defend his king.