The Last Phoenix (4 page)

He read aloud:

Michael put down the map and sighed. “Something tells me this is going to take more than a quick trip to the store.”

Fenella nodded wisely. “It will take magic, ingenuity, and a good deal of courage.”

“So is this why Skribble told you to find us, Fenella?” asked Milly. “He wants us to help you get all these things?”

Fenella nodded. “I'm a little bit on the forgetful side, as you might have noticed, and me and maps, well—we just don't get along. I don't stand a chance of gathering all those things, not with time pressing the way it is.”

“And so Skribble said we'd help,” said Jason.

Michael nodded glumly. “Cheers, Worm.”

“Of course we'll help!” Milly exclaimed.

Fenella preened herself. “Well, if you do, you won't find me ungenerous. I'll pay you…in gold.”

Michael gasped. “Gold?”

“Special phoenix gold.” Fenella nodded proudly. “Magical stuff, spun from the sunlight.”

“Is it worth something, though?” Michael pressed her eagerly, “Like real gold?”

“It puts real gold in the shade!” the phoenix cried. “I've seen men fight to the death for a speck of the stuff in the markets of old Cairo. Rarer than an eagle's tears and brighter than the polestar, it is.”

“Gold…” Michael's eyes were agleam. “I can see it now—move over Rick the Slick, there's a new millionaire in town!”

“Shut up a minute, Michael.” Jess looked searchingly at the golden bird. “Fenella, you said something about time pressing. What did you mean by that?”

Fenella sighed. Her body seemed to deflate a little. “I'm nearing the end of my life, dearies. In this old body, anyway.”

Milly frowned. “What?”

“I've come to know the signs, you see,” the phoenix went on. “Feeling the cold, losing my way, overheating. In a matter of days it'll be time for my next rebirth—and without all those magical ingredients, my egg will never hatch.” She sniffed. “And this is my last chance, Skribble said so. He told me it is written in the prophecy that only the body that laid the egg can hope to hatch it—and that I will never lay another egg!” Tears glittered in her eyes again. “Oh, dearies, I always got by just fine on my own…But now that I know there's a chance to have a chick, if I blow it I'm not sure I can go on as the only phoenix in all this big, wide world.” She cradled her unlikely egg and looked imploringly at the Worthingtons. “Can you help a tired old bird, lovies? Can you make my only dream come true?”

Jess looked at Jason, Michael, and Milly in turn. “Do we need to talk about this?”

Milly hardly seemed to hear her. “We get to do magic!”

“We get to go to all sorts of cool places,” said Jason.

“And we get away from all the normal boring problems in our lives,” added Michael. “All that and gold, too!”

Fenella crossed her wings and closed her eyes. “Then…what do you say?”

“What
can
we say?” Jess smiled and looked at the others. “Except…yes!”

“Y
ou mean it?” cried Fenella. “You'll help me?” She whooped loudly and took off into the air. The egg went tumbling. Jason dived forward to catch it. He missed, and it landed with a
thunk
on the carpet.

“Oooh!” Fenella flapped down, scooped up her egg and pressed her beak against it, cooing softly. “I'm sorry, pet, so sorry…”

Jason was cringing. “Why am I rubbish at anything sporty?”

“That didn't look like anything sporty to me, mate,” grinned Michael. Jess gave him a shove.

“Is the egg all right?” asked Milly anxiously.

“Right as pie, I'm sure.” Fenella held the egg to her ear and shook it vigorously. Then, apparently satisfied, she tucked it firmly under her wing. “And with you lovely little quacklets questing away for my special ingredients, so bravely…” She shot a loving look at Michael. “Well! I've got a real fighting chance of hatching it!”

“You can stay here while we're away,” declared Milly. She liked the idea of having a pet phoenix in the den.

“It's a bit chilly, lovie,” Fenella said kindly. “And as I get closer to my next ‘becoming,' I'm going to need as much heat as possible for the egg and me.”

“We could wrap you in blankets?” Jason suggested.

“Or get the heater down from the attic,” said Michael.

Fenella gave a tinkling laugh. “I'm talking about real heat, my dears.
Fiery
heat!”

“What about an oven?” Milly suggested.

“Yeah, I can see Dad and Ann asking a phoenix to shift every time they put in dinner!” Michael said.

“Oh, they wouldn't see me if I didn't want them to,” Fenella assured him. “I can make myself completely undetectable to anyone I choose.”

Michael was impressed. “You can?”

“Truly! It's a little knack I have evolved,” Fenella confided. “Being a unique and magical bird, I attract all kinds of interest, and not all of it welcome. Hunters, tourists, cults of phoenix worshippers…they've all pursued me over the years. So I've learned to hide myself from those I don't want to see me, while staying in plain sight for those I do.”

Jess smiled uncertainly. “You can't, can you?”

Fenella's eyes twinkled. “A little demonstration, lovie?”

“Hey, she's gone!” Jason declared.

Michael frowned. He could see Fenella plainly. “No, she hasn't!”

“She has, though!” Milly laughed, and Jess nodded, reaching out with her hands uncertainly as if she really couldn't see Fenella.

The phoenix hopped quietly out of the way of Jess's fingers and winked at Michael. “They can't see me and they can't hear me either!”

“What, really?” Michael watched the others' faces for any signs this was a wind-up, but found none.

Fenella chuckled. “And now you can't either!”

With that, she disappeared.

“Whoa!” said Michael. “Where'd you go?”

The beanbag shifted on the floor a little—and suddenly Fenella shimmered back into sight. “Here I am!”

“Wow,” said Milly. “That's amazing!” Michael, Jason, and Jess nodded eagerly.

“Shame it doesn't really solve the problem of where we can hide you,” said Jess, thoughtfully. “Even if you're not noticed, people would keep turning off the oven.”

“If only we had a spare oven,” said Jason.

“I know!” Milly gasped. “Mr. Milton's old workshop! It's got a kiln that gets ever so hot—and he never uses it—that's why he let Ann and me use it instead!”

“A kiln!” Fenella beamed. “For firing pots? One that people hardly ever use? Sweet heavens in flight, that sounds right up my airstream.”

“And I'm supposed to be taking Milly there today in any case to pick up those pots she and Mum did.” Jess realized with a grin. “That's a perfect excuse to go there.”

“So what are we waiting for?” said Michael. “Let's go!”

“Ooh!” Fenella swept one wing to her breast. “Such energy! Such resourcefulness! Such courage!”

“Er…Michael!” Milly called.

“Yeah, what?” he said, stopping, his dressing gown flapping around his legs.

Milly grinned. “Maybe we should get dressed first!”

 

Half an hour and four bowls of gulped-down cornflakes later, the Worthingtons stepped out of the house into the midmorning sunshine.

“With weather like this,” said Michael, “we'll have no trouble finding a shaft of sunlight from tomorrow.”

“I hope we can start today,” said Milly longingly.

Jason nodded. “
I
hope this kiln place works out okay for Fenella.”

“Where is she?” Milly wondered. They'd left their new friend to make her own way out of the den window.
“Perhaps she's turned invisible?”

The phoenix suddenly flapped into view. She landed heavily in a tree, sending two plump woodpigeons clattering from its branches. “Sorry, lovies!” she called after them.

“Or perhaps not,” said Michael.

“Oh, but I
will
be invisible, my little goslings,” Fenella called. “To anyone but you. Come on, then, lead the way!”

Jess looked at Milly. “You do remember the way to Mr. Milton's, don't you?”

“I went in the car with Ann last time,” Milly recalled, “but I think if we go up the road away from town and then cut through the churchyard and out along the footpath that should get us there.”

They set off, Fenella flying above them, her egg held in her feet, belting out a song about an oak tree.

“I love singing too!” Milly called. “I'm hoping to be the star of a show. Only a local one…”

“Milly, shhh!” Jess looked around anxiously. It was hard to believe that passersby wouldn't notice the big, golden turkey-shaped bird flapping along, singing at the top of her lungs. “Michael,” she whispered, lagging behind Jason and Milly. “You do think Fenella's invisibility charm is working, don't you? I mean, she's a bit scatty, isn't she?
What if she's got it wrong?”

“Guess we won't know until someone else comes along,” said Michael grimly. A gang of boys bustled into view around the corner of the street ahead of them. “Look, we can test it…oh, no!” He broke off, stumbling to a halt and looking horrified. “No, please, no!”

Jess caught her breath. The people coming down the hill were Michael's friends Josh, Sam, and Thomas—and with them was the new boy-heartthrob, Rick. He was laughing with Sam and slapping Thomas on the back.

“This is a disaster!” Michael hissed.

“Don't be daft, Michael—my magic's still working.” Fenella swooped merrily down straight toward the gang of boys, and not one of them so much as blinked. She flew back up to the nearest tree. “Ta-daaa!”

Jess smiled. “Panic over!”

“The disaster I was talking about was being seen out with my little sister, stepbrother, and uncool older stepsister,” Michael muttered. Jess elbowed him in the ribs, but he hardly felt it. What were his friends doing out together, anyway? He hadn't known they were meeting up—especially not with Rick.

“Hey, Michael!” called Josh.

“Hi,” said Michael.

Rick threw a look at Milly and Jason. “Off on a
nursery-school outing, are you?”

For a moment, Michael wondered wildly if he could deny all association with Jason and Milly. But Milly threw Rick a withering look. “Oh, ha, ha. Very funny. Come on, Michael, we're busy.”

“Oh yeah?” said Josh. “What're you up to?”

Michael shrugged. “You know. Stuff. What about you?”

“We were just going into town,” said Thomas.

Michael felt his cheeks prickle. So they'd been about to go into town, but without him.

“We tried giving you a ring,” said Josh, looking awkward. “But there was no answer.”

Yeah, right,
thought Michael.

“Do you want to come with us then?” Rick said.

“We've got to go, Michael!” Milly insisted.

Michael ran his hand through his hair trying to act cool but it was hard with Milly tugging at his T-shirt.

To Michael's relief, Jess came to his rescue. “Hey, let's get a move on, you two,” she said to Jason and Milly. “Michael can catch up in a minute.” Michael's eyes caught hers.
I owe you one,
he told her silently.

“So, what are you doing then?” Rick said, a faint challenge in his voice. “Can you come with us to town?”

Michael gritted his teeth. “My, uh…my stepmum laid
a load of errands on me 'cause I broke so many rules this week.”

“Cool,” said Josh.

“Never mind then, mate. Another time,” said Rick easily. “Hey, I got my allowance today. How about I treat everyone to a burger tonight—end of half-term treat?”

“Cool!” said Josh again, with more enthusiasm, and Sam and Thomas nodded.

“Well, Michael?” said Rick.

Michael looked at Rick's clear, confident face and the words came out of him before he could stop himself. “I'd love to, mate,” he said with a short smile. “But actually I get my allowance too and
I'd
been planning to treat everyone as a surprise.”

Rick looked taken aback. “Oh.”

That phoenix had better be right about that gold she's going to give us,
thought Michael. “Not just for a burger though,” he went on airily. “I thought we could go to the new multiplex in Quilborough—tickets, hot dogs, and popcorn. The works. All on me.”

His friends stared at him. “But you only get a rubbish allowance,” said Sam. “You're always moaning about how broke you are.”

“Well, I got extra this time.” Michael licked his dry lips—Fenella would give him some gold in advance of
finding the stuff, he was sure. Then he could trade some in for cash to fund a trip to the multiplex. He'd be loaded! “I…er…my parents found another valuable book—
I
found it, actually—and so they've given me some of the money.”

“But I thought you broke so many rules you had to do errands?” said Rick.

“Yeah…” Michael shrugged. “Well, I took the errands over a cash deduction. You on for it then?”

They all nodded. “You bet!” said Sam.

Michael noted Rick's slightly crestfallen face and felt a surge of triumph. “I'll meet you outside the ticket office at eight, yeah?” he said, lifting his fist and knocking knuckles with the four of them. “Laters.” Then he sauntered off up the hill after Jess, Milly, and Jason.

Jess looked up as he joined them. “Everything okay?”

“For once, everything's fine,” said Michael. And he meant it. A grin spread across his face as Fenella launched herself from her branch and fluttered along over their heads. Maybe having a talking phoenix in their lives wasn't going to be such a bad thing after all….