They watched the fires be lit, the bodies of the dead after the battle burning in the night sky.

"I'm going down for her," Altair said, light shrouding his body. "She'll wake up soon."

"You're sure?" Castor no longer hid his face, his eyes red and his whole body on edge. He wasn't sure how he'd face Eric. After getting him to safety, the Commander's body seemed to shut down. Eric had sat down cross legged in the little cottage Samson had found in the country, staring at the wall and saying nothing.

"I'm sure. The more pain she felt, the more I suspected."

"And you didn't tell me your theory because..."

"Because I couldn't be sure if I was right or wrong. I didn't want to risk getting your hopes up. She was dying, I could sense it. Burning from the inside out after her rapid transformation. Adonai confirmed it."

"Did he confirm that she wouldn't remain dead? That she'd rise from the ashes?" Castor shot Altair a disbelieving look. "Or is that more of your suspicions?"

"She's born of fire. She'll be reborn of fire. You should get back to Ares, get him away from Osha. Helena is about to scour the countryside for any Army remnants--including Bainon."

"No one has found him yet?" Castor asked. "He's still in hiding?"

"He managed to get away."

"And Finnestra? Is she keeping Maverick and Gwen safe?"

"I certainly hope so," Altair said, and Castor heard the concern in his voice. "I haven't heard from her since they left. Have you?"

Castor shook his head. "I'll be going."

"We'll find you as soon as she's ready." Altair started down the hill and Castor vanished into the night.

#

Canya stopped in the middle of a field, lifting her head to sniff at the air.

Fire. They were burning the dead.

A smile spread across her lips, a shiver running through her body. Good. It would only be a matter of time now. She tugged at the collar around her neck, trying to give herself enough room to move. The voices started in, chanting in her head, not waiting to take turns.

The bodies are burning. The girl will rise. Fire blaze across the skies.

Move! Move now! Must go. Can't be caught. Take the key away from the lock. Not ready. Go. Go. Go.

Time is running out. Tick tock. The stars aligning. Traitor is here. Hells are coming.

Audra.

Canya's eyes flew open, a moment of clarity quieting the voices. She glanced down at the eight-year-old boy at her side. His eyes were wide and afraid, likely because he wasn't used to moving the way she'd made them.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. He nodded, but his fear didn't abate. "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. You knew that."

"You hurt her." Trey's voice was quiet, barely a whisper as he dropped his gaze.

Canya sucked in a breath and dropped down to a crouch before him. "I had to."

"Why?"

"Sometimes to live we have to let other things die. I helped her do that."

Trey reached out, touching the metal collar around her neck. "What's this?"

"A problem." Canya touched it herself, hating the restriction--the slavery.

But she'd shown them.

"Where are we going?" Trey asked.

"Away for now. To keep you safe. To get this off." She tapped her throat. "As far as we can go."

Trey's head dropped, his shoulders slumping. "They killed my friend."

"I know." Canya pulled him into a hug. "We'll make them pay. I promise."

"You seem different."

"Sometimes things are clear." Canya pulled back, looking him in the eye. "I'm going to try to stay clear. I'll do all I can."

Audra.

#

Noelle sat against her cell wall, pain pulsing as the healer inspected her face. Aundreya had sent him, not willing to risk Noelle dying of an infection and ruining her fun.

"This isn't pretty," the old man said. "But it should fix most of it. You'll have a scar, of course, but I've stitched you up. I'll bandage it now and we'll check on it regularly." He had a kind smile and a concerned gleam in his eyes. "I have a hard time believing you did this to yourself."

Noelle found him with her gaze, unable to speak past the pain. She knew he could see it in her expression though, as his changed.

"Don't you worry," he whispered, patting her gently on the arm. "I'm going to take care of you. We'll get through this together, and then we'll deal with everything else. One step at a time, my beauty."

Noelle closed her eyes against the words. Beauty. She'd never be considered beautiful again. Not after Aundreya's attack with the knife. She hadn't seen what her sister had done, but the horrified looks of everyone who came into contact with her after the attack said plenty. Noelle could still hear Helen's screams in her ears.

"What have you done! Get back. Get away from her! She's your sister!"

"I wanted to be an only child," Aundreya replied, staring coldly down at Noelle. "But I'm not getting that wish. Not yet. This doesn't bother you. You're fine with it. You don't care what happens to her."

"No, I don't care," Helena agreed. "Mygel, call the healer. Tell him to come tend to this wretch."

#

Phoenix sat up, confused by any number of things. Flames surrounded her, licking her skin. She was naked--if she'd been wearing clothes, they had burned up in whatever this fire was. She couldn't remember how she got there or where she'd been before.

Shifting her weight left her unbalanced, and she set her hand down beside her and felt something bizarre under her fingers. Glancing down, Phoenix saw bodies beneath her, their flesh burning away.

Shrieking with horror, she launched up and toppled sideways, rolling down a rough surface until she came to a stop in the grass. Flat on her back, she could see the base of the pyre she'd woken upon, knowing it meant one thing.

I was dead.

Sitting up again, she scrambled back, away from the flames, grass cutting at her bare skin. A bright light glowed above her and she looked up just as something thick came down and wrapped around her.

Cloak. This is a cloak. Phoenix clung to it, shocked by her skin, blackened by ash and smoke.

"You're safe," the voice said as two strong hands clasped her shoulders. "Can you stand? We need to get you out of here."

Stand? She allowed him to help her to her feet, but her knees wobbled as soon as her weight redistributed. He caught her as she fell sideways, keeping the cloak wrapped around her for the sake of her modesty.

"I'm going to have to carry you," he said. "But you can trust me." His blinding light burned her eyes and she twisted away.

"Too bright."

"What? Oh. Right. Hang on." The light dimmed, leaving a strangely familiar face she couldn't place. "Do you recognize me?" Phoenix shook her head. "That's all right. It'll come with time. First, let's just get you somewhere safe and out of sight."

She rested her head on his shoulder as he marched off. Her mind whirred and stirred, trying to place who she was and what she was doing there.

Phoenix. My name is Phoenix. I am...I am...someone. I have...family. Friends? I have...who am I?

She stared up at the man carrying her. Who is this?

Allowing her eyes to close, Phoenix wrapped her arms around his neck, hoping he could help her put the pieces of her life back together.

WE'RE BACK!
Didja miss us?

We've seen half of our characters in this first chapter, and we'll see the rest along the way! Phoenix is alive, Noelle is...well, not deat, and Canya is on the run!

What do you make of our first few scenes? Let me know in the comments. Also tell me what you're hoping to see next! Who do you miss most?