“If things were different, I’d be a Phoenix Rider.” Veronyka’s rage was shifting, twisting and swirling, spreading like wings inside her chest. Xephyra’s face flashed in her mind, and Veronyka pushed the dark feelings away before they engulfed her. “But I’m not.”
“Hey, Nyk—is everything okay?”
Veronyka spun around to see Tristan standing a few feet away, approaching them hesitantly. How much had he heard? His expression seemed mild enough, if a bit concerned—their tense body language made it obvious that Veronyka and her sister were arguing.
“Everything is fine,” Veronyka said, hating that he was here, within her sister’s eyeline. “This is my sister, Val. And, Val, this is Tristan, one of the apprentices.”
Tristan nodded, frowning slightly as he considered them. Veronyka knew they looked nothing alike, and she could only hope Val never crossed paths with Beryk or Elliot.
Val was looking at Tristan, too, no doubt measuring his worth and deciding what way he could best be used to her advantage.
“Why do you not allow females to train as Riders?” Val demanded without preamble.
Veronyka squeezed her eyes shut, stifling a groan.
“Well,” Tristan began, gaze flicking to Veronyka as if wondering how much she’d told her sister. “We didn’t have a lot of eggs, in the beginning. So we had to be, uh, selective.”
Val tilted her head, and Veronyka could sense the magic spill from her, almost see the way she poked and prodded into Tristan’s mind. Veronyka felt sick being witness to the violation and even worse that she didn’t know how to stop it. “But you do have female phoenixes, don’t you . . . ?” Val whispered, almost to herself, distracted as she searched his thoughts.
“In the breeding enclosure,” Tristan said.
“Breeding enclosure?” Val repeated, her voice dangerously flat.
“Can we have some time alone?” Veronyka blurted as Val’s eyes sparked with anger.
Tristan nodded, looking slightly hurt at the quick dismissal. She wished she could tell him it was for his own good, that she was protecting him, but all she could do was smile encouragingly.
“Nice to meet you,” he said to Val, and turned around, hands in pockets as he strode back up the street and toward the stronghold. Veronyka felt even worse knowing that she’d kept him from the rest of his friends only to abandon him now in the middle of the festivities.
Val’s breath was heavy when she spoke, her face twisted with indignation. “Females imprisoned. You’d better watch yourself here, xe Nyka. If they find out you’re a girl, you might wind up in a cage next. How they dare, when Ignix herself might be among them.”
Though most famous phoenixes had their deaths noted in the history books, no such record existed for Ignix. It was part of why phoenixes were always treated as sacred beings—there was no way of knowing for sure just who they had been, or how long they had lived.
“I doubt they’ve captured and caged the first phoenix in existence, Val,” Veronyka said, her voice weary. She hated the breeding enclosure too, but Val’s dark paranoia knew no bounds. “Surely Ignix would come forward and make herself known.”
Val’s voice was oddly hushed as she replied. “Maybe she is afraid. Maybe the world has changed too much.” Seeing Veronyka’s confused expression, she cleared her throat and shrugged. “Or perhaps she’s not here at all. It’s the principle. One does not cage or breed a phoenix, any more than one would cage or breed a queen.”
Distantly the bell rang for the feast, evening slowly descending around them like an ink stain on paper.
Crowds of people headed in their direction from outside the village, laughing and singing as they made their way through the growing twilight toward the dining hall.
“Why do you stay here, xe Nyka?” Val asked, when the last villagers disappeared around the corner. She was fighting to keep the disgust and disappointment from her voice—and failing. “You’ve seen for yourself how they treat females. You will get breasts eventually,” she said unkindly, eyeing Veronyka’s bound chest, which was relatively flat with or without the extra fabric. “You can’t be Nyk forever, and then what? You think they will accept you and release the phoenixes from their cages? You think they will give you—a girl and a liar—one of their precious eggs? Even you can’t be so foolish as that.”
Veronyka didn’t answer, but her eyes flicked back to the stronghold, where Tristan was no doubt seated with everyone else, enjoying food, drink, and entertainment.
Val understood at once. “You think he will save you?