Chapter Thirteen Words that should never be spoken

Chapter Thirteen

Words that should never be spoken

 

 

Michael

 

Michael lay on his bed, wondering if he had really done the right thing by betraying the supernaturals. He had hated having to fight Cassie, she should never have chosen them over him. He told himself he wouldn’t be feeling this twinge of regret if she hadn’t. he regretted that he now had to kill her as well. He had no other choice, she had chosen Light, even her wings now proved that. The sparkling deep blue was now interspersed with white, the way his wings were interspersed with black. He wondered idly if her wings would change, should she turn to Darkness. He would go to her tonight, try to convince her to turn to Darkness instead. But then, a Phoenix/human had never chosen one side and then changed to the other. It would no longer be possible to convince her to come to the side of darkness.

He had thoroughly enjoyed the killing. The only thing he regretted, the only thing he wished he hadn’t done, was to fight Cassie. He even would have loved to have killed Aly or Mark, that would have been the ideal end to his day, but Seyton had insisted that they were his to kill. Yet, he had killed neither of them and Michael wondered if he was deliberately keeping them alive as a game. To continue to torture them. That wouldn’t be at all unlike Seyton, but it was maddening. As long as they were alive he stood no chance of gaining the power he wanted so desperately. Well, Mark and Aly would be dead soon enough, as would Seyton.

He decided his lack of surety was do to the fact that Cassie had been there and he had been forced to fight her. He had loved her. Once. Before she had betrayed him. No. he had betrayed her. But she should have been on his side, instead she had chosen to fight against him. He could no longer love her. It would never be allowed. He would never allow it.

He felt the pain in his heart, the desire to go to Cassie and apologize for everything but he knew he never could. To go back now would be suicide and he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to face her again. To see the accusation in her eyes.

He frowned and closed his eyes, desperately wishing sleep would overtake him and give him a relief from this pain.

 

 

Aly

 

I was horrified by the idea of a mass burial. Burying all of these people in one grave seemed so wrong to me. Especially burying the dead bird people with ours. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time for separate burials, especially since we had to get out of there in a hurry. We couldn’t let Seyton and his minions find us here again. We had lost enough in the first battle. A second would finish us.

Tears were running freely down my face as I looked around me, taking in the bloody horror around me. I felt like I should be in some lame horror movie, waiting for a bad guy to come after me with knives on his hands or something.

I felt strong arms wrap around my waist and tilted my face up to see Mark looking down at me.

“Hey,” he murmured into my ear.

“Hi,” I answered, fighting against the tears. He had enough problems of his own without worrying about me.

“I’m sorry you had to be a part of this. That your first day as alpha had to be this traumatic.”

“Is it always like this?” I asked. If it was, I didn’t want to stay in this town.

“Always like what? This dramatic when someone new takes over as alpha? No, it isn’t. Always this dramatic in general? Yes.”

“Wonderful,” I groaned.

He chuckled humorlessly. “I’m sorry it has to be this way. I never dreamed the war would start right after you were forced into the position of alpha.”

I frowned. It made perfect sense to me that Seyton would have attacked when he did, if there was no leader confusion would reign and his victory would be assured. Or so he thought. He probably hadn’t counted on Mark and I taking over so quickly. “It wasn’t your fault. Mark…” I hesitated, deciding if the question I had wanted to ask him would be ok. I couldn’t bear to hurt him any more and I wasn’t really sure I wanted to know the answer.

“Yes?”

I shook my head. “Never mind.”

He rolled his eyes at me. “Just say it,” he sighed. “You know you can always tell or ask me anything.”

“Do you still blame me for what happened to our parents, especially to your father?”

“No, of course not. I’m still not sure exactly what did happen, but if you say you had nothing to do with it, I believe you.” He sounded so sure, so convinced.

“Thanks.” I smiled slightly. I still wasn’t convinced I felt like it was my fault. Somehow, all of it was my fault, especially what had happened on Halloween.

“You’re not convinced it wasn’t because of you, are you?” he asked, tilting my face up so I had to look him in the eyes.

“No, I’m not,” I agreed. “I feel like it’s all my fault.”

He pulled me close and I leaned into him, loving the comfort I felt in his arms.

“It’s not your fault, darling,” he murmured.

I tried to pull away, surprised when he wouldn’t let me. He always let me go if I that was what I wanted. Why not this time? I shouldn’t let myself feel so comfortable with him, I’d caused him to lose too much. I was the worst thing that could have happened to him.

“You can’t continue to blame yourself. I suppose it does seem like you’re the reason for it. Either that or whoever is doing this is targeting you, haven’t you noticed, everyplace that’s been targeted is somewhere you were at the time or your home?”

I frowned, he was right. Someone was targeting me, which meant I needed to stay away from anyone else at all. I didn’t want to endanger my friends or the pack or, most importantly, Mark. But he’d said he needed my help with this. What should I do?

“Aly, what is it?” he asked anxiously as I tensed.

“You’re right. Whoever is doing this is targeting me. I am the cause of all of this. I should go. I shouldn’t be around anyone. Someone will get hurt.”

 “Aly, please, don’t go,” he pleaded. “I can’t lose you. Not ever.”

“I’m sorry,” I answered. “There isn’t any other way. I need to protect the people I love, especially you. I have to go.”

I was shocked to see tears in his eyes. “I can’t do this without you,” he whispered. “I don’t have the trust of the pack like you do. I don’t have the confidence anymore.”

I had never known him to show such vulnerability before. “Mark, you have the trust of the pack. You may not realize it, but they know you’re not your father, nor are you any other of your ancestors. They trust you to lead them into victory, not death. You can do this.” I smiled softly at him. “You don’t need me.”

He shook his head. “You don’t understand,” he said softly, desperately. “I’m nothing without you, nothing! My life is in shambles, it always has been, I had nothing until I met you. You’re the only good thing that’s ever happened to me. Remember how you were saying before that you felt the need to prove yourself to your family? That’s what it’s like for me. I’m never good enough for them. Nothing I ever do can be good enough for them. I just want to be good enough for once.” His shoulders fell just a little and I realized just how much more damage I would do by leaving. It was so hard to decide which was the better course of action. Disappear quietly, protecting the people I loved, or staying here, giving Mark the confidence he needed to be alpha. Either way would probably save lives as well as cost them.

“You’re good enough for me. And for the pack. That should mean something to you. Doesn’t it?”

“Of course it does, Aly. I just wish that I could ever feel like I was good enough for my parents. But that doesn’t matter right now. You can’t go. You’ll be killed!”

“Better me than you, or anyone else,” I argued.

“Please, you can’t do this to me. To us.” The desperation in his eyes made up my mind  then and t here. I couldn’t go anywhere.

I smiled at him. “I love you, Mark, that’s what’s important. But I’ll stay, for you.”

“Thank you.” He sighed in relief.

I smiled softly at him and he kissed me.

 

 

Michael

 

He waited for the pain of his betrayal to fade away and leave him in peace. He almost regretted his choice. He wanted to be powerful, but he wanted Cassie too. She had made it quite clear that he could not have both, but there was no going back on his decision, it was a well known fact that once a Phoenix hybrid chose good or evil, there was no going back. It was a life decision. Something he could never change, no matter how much he regretted his choice. Cassie was far too important for him to lose. He wished he could have known in advance how she would react. He wondered what he would have chosen if he had known. Would he have chosen good over evil then?

Thinking back, he decided he would have chosen differently, Cassie meant much more to him than the power ever had. Why, oh why, hadn’t he talked to her first? He was such an idiot.

The despair flooding his mind receded slightly when his phone rang and he saw Cassie’s number on the caller ID. Why would she be calling him, though?

“Hello?” he asked, almost reluctantly. He really wasn’t sure he wanted to hear what she had to say.

“Michael,” he heard Cassie’s broken voice come over the line. It was obvious she was trying to sound calm and indifferent.

“Yes?” he asked coldly. He was hurting inside and the coldness helped. The coldness only crept into his voice when he was turning his pain into anger and hatred.

“Michael, we have to end this forever. Right now.” She suddenly sounded so calm. Almost like this no longer bothered her. She had succeeded in her efforts.

“Of course,” he agreed. “Mount St. Helens. Sundown. Tomorrow.”

“Right.” She hung up.

Michael glared at the wall across from him. He hated that he would be fighting the girl he loved tomorrow. He knew, instinctively, that this would be a fight to the death.

 

 

Cassie

 

Cassie glided easily through the air on her new wings. She still couldn't get over the most recent turn of events. Michael's betrayal. His transformation. Her transformation. The fact that she was about to fight the guy she loved to the death. It broke her heart. She wanted to cry out all of her anxiety and fear. But most importantly, and confusingly, she just wanted Michael to hold her again. She wanted to feel the safety of his arms wrapped so tenderly around her again. The knowledge that this could never be a reality again tore at her heart like white-hot knives. She knew Michael was beyond reason. When a hybrid like her or Michael chose their side, they could never go back.

It just wasn't fair!

She hated herself for falling for him. She hated herself for hating Michael. She hated the Wolflords for their role in this. She knew, deep in her heart, that she should not blame the Wolflords for the most recent turn of events. It wasn’t really their fault he had turned evil. It was so easy to blame them. So easy to say this never would have happened I the Wolflords hadn’t gained the lapis of power so many hundreds of years ago.

I'm so confused, she thought brokenly.

Cassie's thoughts were interrupted by something she caught in her peripheral vision. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a white-capped mountain in the distance. At long last, her destination. Mt. Saint Helens. It was definitely still an active volcano. Cassie could feel the power radiating from it. Even from this height. Being part phoenix, Cassie was automatically attuned to all things having to do with fire. Volcanoes had long been home to the phoenix. She could sense that the volcano had a humble power and a gentle spirit. When provoked, it could destroy everything for miles. It was fitting that Michael had chosen this as their rendezvous point.

She folded her wings and dived, loving the incredible speed and the feeling of wind gently rustling her feathers. Her magnificent blue and white wings unfurled when she reached the volcano. She glided effortlessly to a stop and silently touched down. She was at the top of the volcano. She could see and hear the magma rumbling inside it's crater.

"So, you came." Michael's voice was like death.

Cassie turned slowly to face him. His red, orange, and black wings were spread leisurely around his body like a cocoon. But when Cassie glared at him, they folded into his back and he smirked at her.

Her heart, already so broken, shattered even more when she saw how completely evil he’d become. Black mist floated around him, sticky, greedy, desiring blood. Her blood.

"Yes," she replied evenly, thanking her lucky stars that her voice came out even. "I came."

"I was beginning to think you'd stood me up." He said the words like they were on a date and he was her boyfriend. He had been once. Before evil had taken over.

"The others can take care of themselves. I came here to stop you."

At this Michael threw back his head and laughed. "You think you'll win? My kind ruled even before the Wolflords! And now we're going to take back this world. But you side with them," he sneered. "With good!"

"I sided with good because…"

"Because what? Because it was the right thing to do?" he asked mockingly.

"No!" she shouted, barely checked tears sparkling in her eyes. "I sided with good because I thought you were good! I wanted to stay with you!"

That broke Michael's mask of evil and hatred. Cassie saw his eyes flicker with pain. After only the briefest of moment a cold cruelty filled them again. His hands began smoking.

"You came here to kill me. Let's get this over with. I have more important things to do."

"I'll do what I must," Cassie replied sadly. “No matter how much it may hurt me.” Her hands glowed white hot.

"Good luck,” Michael sneered “You'll need it."

Quicker than Cassie could've imagined, Michael brought his hands up towards her, palms out, and shot a stream of black fire at Cassie. She rolled to her left to avoid the blaze and brought her foot up in the form of a roundhouse kick. White flames shot from her heel and, as a spinning ball, exploded towards Michael. He raised his hand and black fire danced into existence in front of him, creating a shield that exploded on contact with Cassie's flames while protecting him from harm.

The volcano rumbled.

Cassie spread her wings and took flight, soaring above Michael and pelting him with fireballs. She landed on the ground behind him and jumped into a flying front kick aimed at Michael's back.

Michael spun around, impossibly fast, and grabbed her ankle before she could kick him. He tossed her aside, almost casually. Cassie collided with a boulder and gasped in pain as the breath was knocked out of her. Michael walked slowly to her and picked her up by the throat. He began to increase the pressure slowly.

Spots danced in Cassie's vision as she began suffocating. She brought her knee to Michael's stomach and back flipped away from him, landing on her feet, trying to catch her breath.

Michael was doubled over, but he straightened up quickly and looked at Cassie. He was smiling. Michael swung his arms around, almost like a windmill. Wherever his hands went fire danced into existence and followed his fingers. Cassie watched, transfixed. She had never seen this before.

Only when Michael pushed with his palm out towards Cassie and the fire followed did she understand. Michael had created a tunnel of black fire that was aimed straight at her. Cassie waved her hand instinctively to manipulate the fire away from her, but it didn't respond. Cassie felt a moment of sheer terror before remembering a trick, one that Michael himself had taught her before turning evil.

She closed her eyes and white fire wrapped into a sphere around her just as the tunnel reached her.

The white and black flames exploded on contact again, but Cassie was left unharmed.

"Hm," Michael said thoughtfully. "It seems neither of us can manipulate the other side's fire. Interesting."

Cassie glared at him. She wanted to hit him, but there was ten feet of red hot magma between them, making that an impossibility for the moment.

The volcano rumbled again, louder this time. Cassie reached out to it and discovered that the volcano was angry. Hers and Michael's presence was agitating it. That was bad. If the volcano became too agitated it could blow the way it had in 1980, destroying many thousands of miles worth of land and killing hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

Cassie had been so intent on listening to the volcano that she didn't see Michael until he had already punched her in the face. She staggered backwards, taken aback that he would actually hit her!

Her eyes burned like ice blue flames and the air around her vibrated with power and rage. She barely noticed the black mist around Michael writhing with excitement.

Cassie leapt into the air towards Michael. She spun in a corkscrew mid-flight, bringing her foot up until it connected with Michael's jaw. He was knocked off his feet and flew into a boulder. The force of Cassie's kick was so great that he bounced off the boulder and landed at the edge of the crater, his face pointing in the direction of the magma.

Cassie planted her foot on his back, pinning him to the ground.

"Going to kill me Cassie?" Michael asked tauntingly.

His words shattered the red haze of her anger. "No!" she cried in denial. But she nearly had! She knew she had to, but she didn't want to.

"Too bad," Michael sneered. He grabbed Cassie's foot. With a flick of his wrist, he tripped Cassie and she fell to the ground. Michael the rolled on top of her, pinning her arms to the ground above her head. "Because I don't have a problem with killing you."

Cassie gazed at him sadly. "I think you do," she whispered.

He glared at her. "What makes you think so?"

"Because you're not evil." She kept speaking the words that came to her, hoping, praying that something would click within him. "Your mission was to spy for Seyton. You were his agent. But you fell for me the way I fell for you. You didn't expect it to happen. I can see the pain in your eyes whenever you look at me, but you try to mask it with anger and hate. But you're not angry at me. You don't hate me. You're angry at yourself. You hate yourself for the evil things you’ve done. For betraying those that counted you as friend. Because of you, Mark is dead."

“Mark is dead?” Michael asked, shock showing in his features.

“Yes, he was killed in the battle.” Cassie was afraid he would call her bluff. She lied, hoping he wouldn’t see through her. If she could just make him realize how much he truly cared for his friends…

The red fire in his eyes dimmed slightly. "Even if that is true, I can't go back. I can't join you. Everyone knows that once a phoenix hybrid chooses a side, they can never go back. It's never been done."

"Maybe that's because no one ever dared to try," Cassie replied evenly.

"We're on opposite sides. We'll always be enemies." Though the words were said as if he truly believed them, his voice lacked the conviction it had once held. Judging by his tone of voice, he'd given up.

"Try," she pleaded. She was no longer talking to him to distract him from killing her. That didn't matter. She was talking to him because she wanted to be with him. She wanted Michael to realize that he was good. That he had always been good. And if he didn't…well, he would probably kill her. That didn't bother her. She didn't want to live in a world without Michael.

"Look inside yourself," she begged. "Realize that you are truly good. Please!" Michael was still on top of her. He moved his hand back to her throat. Cassie closed her eyes. She prayed. Not really to a deity, she was just sending her thoughts out into the open air in the desperate attempt that someone would respond.

Please…I want him back…PLEASE!

Cassie opened her eyes and blinked. Michael had moved his face closer to hers. She could see his soft brown eyes looking at her with a mixture of confusion and anger. But she also saw a deep, agonizing pain. And something else… It was something faint, buried beneath his complex emotions and temperament. Adoration?

Cassie hoped she was right, because the next thing she did was exceptionally stupid. If she was wrong she would surely be killed immediately.

She kissed him softly. Then she pulled back and gazed at him. His eyes were wide with shock.

"Michael?" She asked tentatively.

Michael launched himself away from her. Cassie slowly got to her feet, afraid she'd made a mistake. He was silent.

The volcano belched, and both of them stumbled as the ground beneath their feet trembled.

Michael opened his mouth to say something and Cassie froze. She didn't blink. One wrong move could set him off and change whatever he was about to say. She only hoped he was going to say something to change his choice. That he was rejecting the darkness.

"I-"

The black mist around Michael's feet suddenly reared like a snake and dove into Michael's flesh. His face twisted in pain and his eyes grew dark. He smiled that cold, cruel smile again and Cassie wanted to cry. She'd been so close, and she lost him. She’d lost him!

Michael raised a hand straight up with his palm pointing towards the heavens. Black fire spiraled into existence and he threw the ball of fire at Cassie. She dodged the attack but did not attempt a retaliation.

The volcano rumbled for a fourth time and Cassie and Michael were knocked down by its shaking. Magma sloshed back and forth inside the crater and cracks began to form in the rock beneath their feet.

Michael and Cassie ran at each other.

They met at the same time, their hands slamming into each other, trying to force the other down to their knees.

At the same time they touched, the volcano erupted, sending lava straight into the air. The molten rock rained down all around them. If the hybrids had been singed, neither of them noticed or made any indication of such. They were putting all their strength into the struggle, so they didn't see the lump in the magma inside the crater. Something was inside.

"I loved you," Cassie screamed at him over the noise of the eruption. "And you betrayed me!"

"I didn't have a choice!" Michael cried furiously. They both ignited their palms with fire and the resulting explosion blew them apart. Michael slammed into a boulder decimating it, while Cassie landed into the ground, hitting her head against the rock. Michael got up. His shirt was torn almost completely off and he had cuts and bruises everywhere. Despite these things he still looked ready to fight. Cassie could see the tattoos on his stomach, a picture of the sun rising. He radiated power. It was unthinkable that anyone could exhibit so much raw energy.

Then the volcano erupted again, and Cassie realized that Michael wasn't the one secreting power. There was something inside the volcano that was giving off all this raw power.

The volcano spewed lava once more, and a gigantic form exploded out of the crater and landed between them. It was covered in lava but that didn't seem to bother it. It was huge. Nearly nine feet tall. Then the lava slid off the creature, revealing jet black feathers and long, deadly talons. Cassie couldn't prevent the startled gasp from escaping her.

The bird's feathers were a beautiful, shining black, but when it spread its wings, intricate glowing orange lines were visible on the wings. It's beak was built like a hawks, designed for ripping anything . Its talons could probably cut Cassie or Michael in two, and its eyes glowed a bright orange with black pupils that revealed intelligence far greater than any other animal. This creature was clearly sentient. Despite the fact that its mouth was built like of a bird of prey, the rest of the bird was shaped like a peacock. It lacked, however, giant tail feathers like the colorful bird often seen in zoos. The bird looked at Michael and Cassie. It nodded, as though one of them had said something. But they both were so shocked that speech was impossible.

It was a phoenix.

“I have felt your presence since before you touched down on my home,” the bird said. Its voice was musical, and clearly female. The voice seemed to be heard but in their mind and by their ears at the same time.

“Daughter,” she said, looking at Cassie. “I feel your pain. You have suffered the trauma of a broken heart, which is not something our kind can get over easily.

And you, son.” She fixed her gaze on Michael now. “You have pain too. But you also have the power to heal both your hearts. Sadly, you believe yourself to be lost.”

"No one has ever changed sides. It is impossible," Michael said flatly.

“It is impossible because everyone before you who tried to change sides, good or bad, attempted to do so for their own benefit. Selflessness is the key to salvation. The temptation of power and greed is the only way to Change, but it also will bind you if you do not accept your limitations.”

"What are you talking about?" Michael demanded angrily.

“You loved her.” She pointed her wing at Cassie while keeping her gaze on Michael. “And she loved you. Despite the fact that you were a double agent, you fell in love with your sworn enemy. Your allegiance is divided, even now, though you think otherwise. That division enables you to make another choice. You must understand, our kind are usually like Seyton: violent, angry, and corrupted. There hasn't been a hybrid on the side of Light in over three millennia. Their greed and quest for power went from a civil war to a genocide. The Wolflords did not steal the lapis of power. They seized it because they believed they could lead better than any of our kind ever had before or ever would again. And they were right, for the most part. But, if there were a fair hybrid, things might have worked out differently. They might still. The two of you are special. You are the only hybrids to have ever been allied with the wolf.”

"Why are you telling us this?" Cassie asked curiously.

“Because it is important for Michael to know that he still has a choice.” The phoenix looked at them both a moment longer. “Choose wisely.” Then she spread her wings, leapt into the air, looped once, and dove back into the magma of the volcano.

No one spoke. Cassie had no idea how the phoenix knew everything she had told them, but she trusted its judgment. She turned to look at Michael and saw that his face was twisted in pain.

"Michael?" she asked worriedly.

Michael screamed and fell to his knees. A blinding light was wrapping around him, the black mist twitching and shuddering, as though in pain. Cassie stared open-mouthed as Michael shrieked. The shriek was echoed by the black mist as it was flung from his body. The light died and Michael stood up, slowly and shakily.

Cassie gasped in shock.

Michael's tattoos were gone. In their place were two new ones. Or one big one, depending on how you looked at it. Ivory wings spread out from his navel and wrapped around his ribs to connect with the tattoo of a girl on his back. With a jolt of realization Cassie saw that the girl was herself. On his navel was the same image of her. And Michael's wings �" his wings were now interspersed with white. The black had not entirely disappeared, however. The white feathers were edged in black, an eternal reminder of his choices.

"You've Changed," she said softly.

He nodded. "I'm sorry," Michael whispered. He stepped closer to her and she did the same to him.

"I know."

"Forgive me?" he asked, watching her with pain-filled eyes.

"I do," she replied softly.

"I love you."

"And I you."

When they kissed Cassie could feel his strength and beauty and goodness. She reveled in his touch and the knowledge that he still loved her and that he was on her side once again. The kiss deepened, and Cassie reached up to twine her fingers through Michael's hair. He pressed closer against her and kissed her back just as passionately.

There was a small rustling sound as Michael slowly folded his wings around her. Cassie broke the kiss slowly. She sighed in contentment and leaned her head on his chest.

"You saved me," he told her softly. "I was supposed to trick you. But then I fell in love with you. And it was the best thing I've ever done. I'm going to make it up to you. I'm going to stand with you. And I'm going to do all that I can to help. The Age of the Phoenix has passed. The Age of the Wolf must survive."

She blinked back tears and smiled happily at him. "Then we'd better get a move on."

Together they spread their wings and took off, leaving the volcano, the last phoenix in existence, and Michael's evil far behind them.