Page 27 of Phoenix Chosen 2

“Those two police officers. Don’t hurt them, but put them out of commission. And get me a phone.”

“A foan,” he repeats. “The glowing stones? How many do you want?”

“Only one.” I look back. They’re coming our way.

11

KALISTRATOS

Istop the current of time and walk out to where the two guards are locked in step. I recognize one of them—he’s the same man who captured me when I was first transported to this world. My powers, though still dulled, feel stronger than they did before. It’s because of that delicious nectar Tyler gave me. Ever since drinking it, I feel sharper and faster. My mind is racing alongside my heart. I take a moment to step around them and examine their gear. All of it is strange and unknown to me—except for one thing: the wrist shackles they keep at the back of their belt. I remove a shackle from its pouch, fasten one man’s ankle to the other’s, then take the keys and hurtle them into the nearby fountain.

I smile to myself, then hurry back to Tyler.

Oh—the foan.

There’s a woman sitting at a nearby table with a plate of some unknown food, and she has one of the magic stones in her hand. On its glowing polished surface is the perfectly replicated visage of the dish in front of her. I wave my hand in front of the foanand give myself a shock when I see my hand captured on its surface. A shiver goes down my spine. I don’t want my soul to be sucked away into this dark box.

I grab a paper cloth from the table and toss it over the foan, then pluck it from the woman’s hands and return to Tyler.

Time returns to normal.

“Take it,” I say, holding the foan out to Tyler.

I hear the two men shouting.

“What did you do?” Tyler asks, and he goes to look.

The two guards are flat on their stomachs. One tries to get up, then falls as his ankle twists against the other’s. A group of people begins to gather around them, and another shiver goes down my spine as every one of them draws a glowing foan from their clothes, holding them silently in front of them as the guards stumble around, cursing and shouting for help.

“Like damn soul reavers,” I mutter.

Tyler grabs my hand and pulls me through the door at the back of the dark hallway.

“Nice job. That should buy us some time.” He taps at the foan and presses it against his ear. “Come on, pick up. Pick up, you—Jeff! Jeff, it’s me. We’re in some shit right now and we really could use your help. You know that empty lot across the train tracks behind the Plaza Mall? Yeah, past the business park. We’re going to try to be there in ten minutes, alright? Can you get us?” A pause. “Thank you. Don’t call this number back, alright? It’s a stolen phone.”

I can hear Jeff’s muffled voice floating out from the foan as if he’s been trapped inside of it.

“Stolen!” Tyler says back. “Hurry, or you’ll be seeing me on the nightly news.” He sets the foan on the ground. “Alright, let’s go.”

“Do you not need it?”

He shakes his head. “Not gonna risk it. They might be able to track it. C’mon.”

I follow him down the passageway and through another door. We’re outside again, this time facing the road. Tyler grabs my arm and pulls me behind a bush.

“Jesus Christ,” he says. “This is serious.”

There’s a line of the same black and white kah beasts that were there when I was first captured, all waiting along the road.

“Are they all here looking for us?” I ask.

We watch as the guards leave the kah beasts and rush into the market, then Tyler and I leave our hiding spot and sprint across the street and pass between two buildings, where there is a stable of several sleeping kahs gleaming in the sunlight. We split through them and ascend a small dirt slope to a fence that appears to be made from a line of sarissa pikes bound together by a long iron rod.

“We need to get over this,” he says.

I point to the nearby tree growing against the fence. Tyler runs to it and effortlessly pulls himself up onto the lowest branch and makes it to the other side of the fence. I follow his lead,tucking into a roll as I hit the dirt. These new garments are surprisingly easy to move in, despite how constrictive they are.

A shrill wail carries through the air from some distance—the cry of one of those guard’s kah beasts. Tyler ducks instinctively and runs with his head down. I do the same. I don’t understand how the eyes and ears of these men work—Tyler says they can hear and see us from great distances. They are equipped with powerful magic, but their limitations and abilities are unclear to me. How could they possibly know where we are, unless they’ve made spies of the birds and creatures around us?

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