Dododex

ARK: Survival Evolved & Ascended Companion

(The first book starts in achatina and continues in abc order and then the second and third follow it)

Riddles of the Phoenixes series

The War of the Phoenixes.

Chapter nine: A close encounter (Or was it…)

Jay began to open a portal for each of them to go into. There was one for Sylvia and Nora, one for Jack, and other for Jay. Jack gently freed his hand from Cyra’s. “I’ll be back.” He said. Cyra bit her lip nervously and nodded. He walked past Jay toward his portal. “I guess I’ll see y’all later?” Jack asked. Cyrus snorted. “We will be waiting.” William said. Jack stepped through his portal. He locked eyes with Cyra just before the portal closed. Her bright teal eyes stared back at him. And the portal closed.

Jack turned around to see the front of Cole’s house. He knocked before realizing that Cole was not home. He was at the dark Phoenix castle. Jack opened the door. The house echoed with emptiness. He walked, past the kitchen, toward the back bedrooms until he came to Cole’s room. It was a very neat room. A large bed sat in the middle of it and a desk beside it. Jack went straight toward the desk and opened the cabinet. A face stared back at him from inside the drawer. Jack started before realizing that it was a photo.

Jack pulled it out. It was a photo of a woman with golden strawberry blonde hair and bright hazel eyes. She was wearing a white wedding dress and veil. Her smile was bright and sweet. The edges of the photo were worn from being handled frequently. It was Arianna, his mother. Jack blinked. Why did Cole have a photo of Jack’s mother? Jack shook his head and set the photo aside. Beneath it were other photos. A photo of Arianna and James at their wedding. A picture of a group of teenagers playing instruments, some sort of band. And a picture of a woman with blonde hair and bright blue eyes and a man with slicked back black hair and green eyes.

Jack set all the photos aside. There was nothing else in the drawer except a dagger and a white ribbon from a wedding dress. Just then Jack heard soft footsteps echoing from close by in the house. Jack slammed the photos back into the drawer, squeezed it shut, and hurried into a closet filled with dusty old jackets and dog toys. The person was muttering to himself. The door opened and the person entered the room. Jack watched from a tiny crack in the closet. The figure wore a black cloak and had a sword by his side.

“Come, my love, be one with the sea. Rule with me for eternity. Drown all dreams so mercilessly and leave their souls to me.” He sang in a low icy voice, as he sliced at one of the curtains on the window. It fell to the ground and released a puff of dust, so close that Jack accidentally sneezed. “Ahh choo!” Jack sneezed. The shadowy figure paused and cocked his head. Jack sat quietly, holding his breath hopeful that he hadn’t been heard. His hope was in vain. “I can hear you…” The shadowy figure said in a sing song voice.

Jack’s heart was thumping so loud that Jack was pretty sure that it could be heard as well. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.” The shadowy figure said rounding the corner. He suddenly moved at lightning speed and sliced the large storage cabinet open. The photos fluttered to the ground. The figure studies the photos for a second and then said, “Hmm..” and turned around toward the closet. “I can hear you.” He said. “You can’t run from me. I will find you and your precious dark Phoenix queen. She knows everything. She knows what I want. What I need.” Jack gulped.

How did he know that Jack was with the dark phoenixes? “Your fear gives you away. You’re pathetic.” The shadowy figure spat. He moved closer to the closet doors. Closer and closer. ‘This is the end.’ Jack thought and clenched his eyes shut. But there was only silence. Empty silence. Jack opened his eyes and peaked through the crack in the closet. The shadowy figure was gone! Jack pushed the door opened and looked around. Sure enough, he was gone. Nowhere to be seen. Jack sighed with relief and then headed for the back door. He needed to get out of here. Before the shadowy figure returned.

On top of the roof of Cole’s house, the shadowy figure knelt, his sword drawn. He watched as the man(Jack) headed out of the house. He let a small smile creep into his face. Perfect. Just as he suspected. Now all he had to do…was simple. And that foolish little man would never realize what he was doing.

-SunnyFox57