Rebirth, prologue
#1 of The Cycle of the Phoenix: Rebirth
This story is here partly as a teaser and partly because I need some feedback to get motivated. It is called "The Cycle of the Phoenix: Rebirth" because it is my attempt to start over and clean up the original one I wrote on another site.
This story is also available on Wattpad.com under the same username, which is where I will post first.
There were no windows in the passageway, and the enchanted torches provided barely enough light to see by. They were called hell flames by the soldiers, but only a handful actually knew what they were. One such man walked the passageway alone. He wore a dark robe with a black hood over his clothes, while on his face he wore a mask which looked ready for equal parts masquerade and assassination. His disguise was perfectly crafted, both to impress and intimidate without giving a single hint to his identity. Even when half-hidden by the shadows cast from the torches, he had a powerful presence.
He walked silently to his destination, a small metal door with several locks that could only be opened from the outside. The guard standing by the door regarded the masked man for an instant before unlocking the door and letting him through. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness inside the room, the masked man observed three figures; two guards that each held a bucket of water, and a man, beaten, bruised, and chained to the floor in the center of the chamber.
"So this is the best the Emerald Hunters can muster?" The masked man spoke in a deep, magically altered voice. The prisoner gave no indication he even heard the rhetorical question.
"Kalthorn is an old fool," the masked man began. "He cannot hope to stand up to my army."
"He has lead his kingdom well for thirty years!" The prisoner sat up quickly, pulling on his chains.
"Yet he is still a fool." The masked man paced slowly around the room. "He thinks we would not notice a group of scouts trying to sneak their way into our castle?"
"Even if you kill a thousand soldiers, the phoenix will still bring you down! The prophecy says-"
"I am aware that the time of prophecy is approaching, soldier." The masked man suddenly whirled around to stare directly at the prisoner. "In fact, I am counting on it."
"Oh, and why is that?"
"The world is not yet ready to know my plans, as much as I wish I could reveal them." the masked man replied calmly. "Besides, the focus here is not on me, but on you. You have suffered through every type of torture we know of, and yet have not given us a single piece of information."
The soldier looked directly at the masked man before speaking, his eyes full of anger. "I'll never betray my king to someone like you!"
The masked man regarded the soldier for a moment. "No, I don't think you will," he said simply.
A quick movement, a trickle of red, and it was over.
The masked man knelt down before the dead soldier, folded his hands, and softly spoke. "May you find peace in the next world."
"What was that sir?" One of the guards looked questioningly at the masked man.
"Nothing. Clean up this cell and take your leave for the night."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
The masked man walked out of the room, then turned down the hall and headed back into the darkness of the labyrinth.