Aymeric.
“Hello?” I asked hurriedly, straightening up and ready to run out of the house. Aymeric never called me. It had to be because of Lola. Was she hurt? Was she—
“Wow, no need to yell boy,” Aymeric's calm voice said. “You left me a message a couple of hours ago, rambling about weird books and the Archives lady, and if I knew anything about firebirds and Dinosaurs’ extinction? It didn’t make a lot of sense, so I thought I’d call and make sure you were alright.”
“Oh.”
Right. I did that. I could have called anyone else who once had ties to humans, but as I read, I remembered that Aymeric had told us stories about birds of fires. Maybe he read about Phoenixes.
I checked the time on the clock above my desk. Nearly 7:00 a.m. A quick glance outside showed that the sun was up behind the thick dark curtains.
I read all fucking night. No wonder I felt exhausted.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call you back earlier, but some people do sleep at night.” He chuckled warmly. “Now what’s going on? You sounded frantic in your message. I’ve been worried you were overdosing on that disgusting plant you sometimes smoke.”
Shit. My use of datura was well known. But the voices have been strangely quiet ever since I had Lola’s blood, and I didn’t smoke in a week.
“Yeah, sorry about that,” I mumbled. “I didn’t realize it was the middle of the night. I—I’ve been going through some strange books recently, and I remember you talking about birds of fires once and…I don’t know. I thought you might be able to tell me more.”
There was a long pause and the faint rustling on his side of the line stopped, like he was trying to open something but my request had distracted him from his task.
“Firebirds, yes,” he mused. “It’s old legends, I’m sure you’ve heard of Phoenixes before, right?”
Ihadn’t. Not as them being more than myths, anyway.
“I…not really.”
He hummed under his breath. “Alright, prepare some tea, I’ll be there in five minutes.”
I jumped to my feet, looking at the mess around me. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean—It’s not urgent. I was just—”
“Carter,” he interrupted, voice kind but firm. “You left me a message in the middle of the night about this. I’m not opening the bakery for another two hours and you obviously haven’t slept yet. Right now is the perfect time for a little bedtime story.”
He hung up, not letting me refuse or even argue. My eyes roamed over the mess once again. Was I even allowed to show these books to someone else? They were hidden in the Archives for a reason. So well hidden that I never even knew they were here. The last thing I needed was for Margaret to come after my ass.
“You know I brought them for you to eat too, right?” Aymeric grinned at me from the dark red armchair facing mine, the coffee table between us filled with pastries and our cups of tea, the books and notes placed next to them in a neat pile. “Whatever is it that has you so preoccupied?”
I scoffed. “Where should I start?”
His warm smile widened, unnerving deep blue eyes glinting. I was glad Arc was a neat freak; I barely had to tidy up the room before Aymeric got here. The books were all on the shelves, the furniture free of dust, his favorite whiskey bottle replaced and no trace of the broken one. The potted plants scattered around the room had seen better days, though…Lola had taken up the habit of watering them in the few days she spent here.
Too bad they were cactuses and succulents and now looked like they’d been water-boarded.
“You mentioned birds of fire a few months ago,” I started, still ignoring the treats on the table. My stomach was too knotted to eat anything for now. “Were you somehow referring to Phoenixes?”
He nodded. “I was.”
I waited, but he didn’t add anything.Great.
“Do you know anything about them?” I continued. Maybe he had the answers I was seeking. “Apparently, Phoenixes and other things—Astrals—were a big deal a really long time ago. I don’t—I don’t know how I never heard of it before, it’s all—”
“Because they were a tale, and the stories have been forgotten,” he says calmly. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I was brought back by the Divines, but the legends say they did a lot of bad things to get the power they hold now.” My shoulders sagged, head tilting to the side slightly. “One of those things was allying themselves with the Hellrisers to weaken the Astrals, slowly erasing them and their influence from the humans’ memories.”
I frowned. How didheknow about them if people had forgotten? He seemed to notice my confusion as he resumed.
“One of the ways they did it and that had worked for centuries was to make humans worship them. Of course, Christianism and any other religion started way earlier, but it took time to spread, especially in the areas where each Astral camp had settled.” He paused, leaning to grab the small leather book I had yet to read and looked at the title. “I can’t read old Korean, but that’s where the Dragons were rumored to be. Where did you find this?”
“The Archives.” My throat bobbed. “How do you know all this? If most humans have forgotten and Divines don’t speak of it…”
