Phoenix Gift

Chapter Eight

“Look abu, I’m on the purple one!”

Xavier watched Alexis ride the carousel from a garden bench. Three days had passed since his wife’s burial, three days since he last thought about anything except Alexis. Every day he spent in the company of his daughter and cared for nothing else, except for the company of his wife. Beside him, Cadmus dozed in the warm sun, one eye slightly open.

The carousel halted and Alexis hopped off the horse. She skipped along the edge of the carousel before climbing onto another horse. The carousel started again as Alexis giggled. She patted the polished hide as if to encourage the horse to move faster. The carousel’s speed remained constant.

“Look abu, I’m on the green one!”

Xavier smiled as he watched her, if only Akina could be here.

“Your Majesty!”

Xavier did not look away from the carousel as a pair of knights and a red-haired woman approached. He recognized Kendrick’s voice and knew that Park and his wife, Natalia, were not far behind. They never were. They were his most trusted friends for more than twenty years. Kendrick stood in front of him and bowed. Park and Natalia followed suit. Xavier gave no outward acknowledgment as he watched Alexis.

“Forgive the interruption, Your Majesty, but the Council requests your presence,” Kendrick announced.

“A wise woman once said, I am not a wizard,” Xavier answered. “If I listened, I could have spent the day feeding the swans with her.”

“Absalom has convinced the Council it is time to fill the empty seat,” Kendrick continued.

“That seat has been empty since the Great War.”

“Your Majesty,” Park stepped forward, “Absalom is convinced that this will help to halt the draining of Nuwa’s magic.”

“Look abu, I’m on the pink one!”

They turned to the carousel to watch Alexis ride. Cheery notes issued from the spinning structure, but none felt themselves uplifted. Alexis giggled, swinging her feet and leaning back as the horse rose and fell. She alone seemed capable of simple joy.

“Your Majesty?” Park prompted.

“This is a Council matter.”

“They would like you to witness the appointing ceremony,” Kendrick said. “It is your right and duty as King.”

“I’ll watch her Royal Highness,” Natalia finally spoke.

“The Council can proceed without me.”

The knights shot sidelong glances at one another. They had hoped to stir Xavier into action. Since the Queen’s passing, Alexis was his only interest. Not a moment of her day was idle, less it gave her time to dwell on her mother’s absence.

Without Alexis providing him a distraction, Xavier was unable to focus on even the slightest task. After she went to bed, he was more like a ghost than a living being, aimlessly wandering the castle grounds without companionship. No one was sure how much he even slept, if at all. Some of the servants reported him in deep conversation with himself, abstractly questioning an imagined entity named Artac. Yet, no one could believe their King would succumb to madness.

“If you will not attend the ceremony at the request of the Council, will you do so at the request of a friend?” Kendrick stepped forward. “Please Xavier, do something.”

Xavier looked up at the tall, black-haired knight in surprise. Since joining the Milagrian Court shortly before Alexis’s birth, Kendrick had always maintained court etiquette. While many gave into casual speech, the knight was careful to maintain the separation of rank in mind. He had never referred to Xavier by name. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Xavier felt threads of anger at the sudden change, but it quickly faded as his attention returned to Alexis’s laughter.

“You do not sleep. You barely eat. Akina would not want to see you this way,” Kendrick rambled on. Now that he had started, it seemed unwise to stop. “You cannot take care of Alexis in this state.”

“What makes the Council think that if they appoint a new member into their ranks that they will solve everyone’s problems?” Xavier said, feeling anger rise in him again. “Will it bring Akina back?”

“No one said it would,” Kendrick answered, letting out a forced breath. At least, he had gotten through. “Park, Natalia and I, above all others, know how deeply you loved Akina, but wallowing in your grief will not bring her back any more than a new Council member. The dead must be remembered, but the living must continue.”

Xavier sighed. He was silent for a long time, thinking over Kendrick’s words. The knight was right, of course, and Xavier knew it. He also knew that Akina would say the same thing, if more poetically. Alexis’s laughter drifted to his ears. For a moment, he thought it was Akina. His gaze studied the young Princess, contentedly riding the spinning carousel. There was no doubt about her parentage; so much had been passed. Have I really lost her at all?

Finally, his attention returned to Kendrick. Nodding, he stood and called Alexis as the carousel slowed and stopped. She was reluctant to leave but hopped down and ran up to him. He picked her up as she reached him and led the others out of the garden. Cadmus followed at his heels.

Silently, the watcher perched in the tree. He was in no hurry. He could appear wherever he wished, whenever he wished. Xavier was correct. A new Council member may indeed be beneficial, but it would not be the solution. Still, the watcher was glad the knight had managed to spur the King into action. He yawned and the gentle breeze stilled. Pink orbs emerged from hidden places. They drifted among the flowers, sending weeds back to ground, healing ill plants and tending blossoms. He watched the orbs with a combination of happiness and longing.

The orbs avoided the places where the dragon had lain as they flitted about. One passed near the watcher’s hiding place and paused before it hesitantly approached. He knew it sensed his presence. There were many creatures from which he could hide, but this was not one of them. Without a word, sound or signal, he disappeared from the tree so that the orb found nothing.

* * *

Alexis danced around the Council, knights and her father, laughing as the two Castle Dragons chased her. In addition to the Council, the island’s other conjurors were present: Erich, the dwarf warlock, and twin magicians who performed during feasts. Though none possessed power equal to the Council members, they, like Xavier, were there as witnesses.

“What needs to be done is quite simple, Your Majesty and honored Council,” Absalom said, passing in front of them, “to find out why magic is dying on Nuwa, we must have a full Council, all six seats must be filled. Only then can you seek the answer to the riddle.”

“And if we choose another like the Dark One?” M’zuzi asked. His face seemed to have paled since the elder wizard began.

“M’zuzi,” Absalom shook his head, “the Council does not choose its members. The Divine Sisters appoint them. They appointed the Dark One. So much worse that he was once your apprentice, just as you were mine. I did not have control over what you became, just as you did not have control over his actions.”

“We can guide, instruct and help others, M’zuzi. We cannot make their choices,” Rhi’ana quietly added, hoping to ease his mind.

M’zuzi stared at the witch. Despite her long years written in the lines of her face, she still appeared kind and generous. Her dark eyes seemed almost pools of empathy and understanding. The wizard looked away, feeling unworthy of her concern.

“Rhi’ana is right,” Absalom said, “it is time.”