#REN3: Phoenix Tears, Part 3
The adventure continues! Didn't quite have time to polish this, so excuse the mess…
Prompts used: The impending misfortune foreshadowed in the 1st prompt comes to pass, but one or more characters laugh at it; betrayal is in the air; relationships unravel or strengthen; a long-kept secret is revealed.
—
Phoenix Tears, Part 3
Rene slumped against the cliff side, breathing hard.
"Need another break?" Cortez asked, clambering up a rock face.
"N-no thanks." It annoyed Rene that the man hadn't even broken a sweat.
"We're near the peak," Ana said, wiping her forehead, "and there's still no sign of a Phoenix. No sign of any life, for that matter. You sure we're on the right track?"
"Yes." Rene set his mouth in a stubborn line. "We have to be."
"Shh…" Cortez hushed, sniffing the air like a predatory wolf. "You smell that?"
Rene frowned, straining his nostrils. Then he detected it: the faint, yet distinct, earthy sweet smell.
With a renewed burst of energy, Rene tackled the next steep incline. The combination of the excitement and the thinning air was making him giddy. As he reached the peak, his mouth fell open. There, perched atop a rocky crag, was a nest, as large as an eagle's aerie.
Built entirely from cinnamon sticks
"Get down!" Cortez pushed him to the ground. He looked up just as a magnificent bird soared overhead, gliding on the air currents. Paintings of the creature did not do it justice; the Phoenix's red-orange plumage glowed in the light of the setting sun, its fiery tail blazing a comet trail across the purpling sky.
"Click for picture source)
"It's real," Ana whispered, breaking the awed silence.
"How do we catch it?" Rene asked.
"Be quiet," Cortez climbed slowly to his feet. He had a bolas in his hand. Swinging it over the head, he released it just as the Phoenix flew past. The balls of the snare spun through the air. The cords connecting them wrapped around the Phoenix, entangling the bird in mid-air. With a shriek of surprise, it dropped to the ground. Cortez pounced, grabbing the bird and shoving it into a metal cage. The Phoenix screamed its distress, a shrill but musical cry. Rene cringed. It seemed a rather brutal way to capture such a majestic creature, but he supposed it was effective.
As Ana set about snapping pictures of the Phoenix, Rene approached the cage. The Phoenix squawked, ambers eyes sparkling – not with fear, but with some ancient, profound intelligence.
"Cry for me," he whispered to the bird. The Phoenix stared back. He was sure it understood him. "I need your tears. Please…just a few drops." Pitchy notes of desperation crept into his voice.
"You know," Cortez said, "I have ways of making it cry." He flicked out his serrated hunting knife.
Rene swallowed, aghast, and backed off. "I-it can wait."
* * *
Rene awoke to the first rays of the sun clawing over the horizon.
Cortez was gone.
So was the Phoenix.
Rene rushed to the overhanging ledge. Far below, their guide lugged a cage on his back. Their eyes met across the distance. Cortez gave him a salute, and walked on, his laughter bouncing off the bare rocks in a cruel echo.
"What happened?" Ana asked, rubbing her sleep-filled eyes.
"Cortez, the bastard! He took the Phoenix!"
"Oh my God," Ana said, waking up quickly.
"We have to go after him!"
"What? Rene, we're stranded on a mountain, in the middle of nowhere! And that creep is dangerous. What's more important is how we're going to get out of here."
"No!" He cried, his intensity surprising even himself. "We need the Phoenix! I need it!"
"You've gotten what you came for: we have photos, proof of its existence." Ana's eyes narrowed with concern. "Why do you still need the Phoenix?"
Rene uttered a tearful sigh, unable to hide his emotions any longer.
"I'm dying."
—
Click HERE to check out everyone else's entries!
