Tasting Darkness

Chapter 29 

Walking to the one next to it, I placed him on the bed. At least this cell had one. The phoenix stared at me and nestled against it. His eyes looked sad, and I could tell he was in pain. I wished I had magic so I could heal him. Maybe I could try to siphon some from somewhere? Taking my jumper off, I cringed. I only had one and two changes of clothes. Hopefully, it wouldn’t get too cold, but he needed it more than me. So, I made him a make-shift nest out of it.

“I have to go,” I tell him, patting his head. He watched me and nestled into his bed but when I went to leave, he squawked and my heart raced at the noise. I rushed back, clamping my hand on its beak. “Shh, shh, they will hear. You have to be quiet, I will try to catch you some mice or find some food, but you have to be quiet,” I tell him, and it made a cooing sound but dropped its head, tucking it under its good wing.

I patted him for a few seconds on its orange-red feathers that remained on its neck before giving him a kiss. He ripped his head out from under his wing, and I thought at first he was going to bite me, but he pressed his big beak to cheek and I · brushed the few feathers on his head.

“I will be back,” I told him. He stared with eyes far too intelligent. My mother used to have a phoenix before she died, and after my father brought her back, turning her into a Dark Fae. I remembered it hated my father, constantly pecking him and snapping at him when he got too close to her, but it loved my mother. After she changed, it turned on her and attacked her, so dad killed it. I loved that bloody bird and cried for a week straight.

in my jumper, and I raced upstairs. I went quickly back to my room, trying to find anything I could to help him and to see if I could find something to feed it. I smiled when I laid eyes on the bandages still sitting on the dresser from my ruined feet. They were filthy, but I might be able to use them to wrap his wing and part of his torso. Phoenix’s grew quite large and fully

of their shirts. I always thought it odd that

into the bathroom, I noticed the glint of steel on the bedside table. I totally forgot about the scissors I smuggled,

none to pull o n; I snickered at my thoughts, snatching the scissors off the top of the dresser

go and steal some dinner from the mess hall, and

the same color hair, and it saddened me that I was about t o chop it off. But at the same time, I was sick of it being the first thing they grabbed. Grabbing the scissors, I hacked at one side. My stomach sank as I held up the handful of hair I lobbed off. Tears streamed down my face at how short it was

can do it, plus I already cut one side that looked like I tried to cut it with a fork; it was that uneven and the scissors were blunt. So I couldn’t back out now. I raised the scissors and gripped my hair at the top of my head, close to the scalp. I started chopping at it when the

you are doing?” Darius snarled as Lycus wandered on in behind him. Kalen’s voice reached my ears, but