Book 2: Chapter 94 (1/2)

It didn’t take long for Tafel and the phoenixes to arrive at their mother’s nest. It resembled a beehive more than a pigeon’s nest with dozens of trees stacked against each other in a spiral pattern, leaving a hollowed out center with hundreds of entrances. “Mom!” Emile shouted from one of the tunnel-like entrances at the base of the nest. The phoenixes huddled around Tafel, holding their breaths.

“Are you nervous?” Tafel asked, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you wanted to see her.”

“No,” one of the phoenixes said. “We just like huddling. You didn’t realize that yet?”

“I mean, I did, but…” Tafel shook her head. “Never mind.”

“Mom!” Emile shouted again, dragging out the word this time. “Mommy! Ma! Momma!”

Flames roared out of the nest, causing Tafel’s hair to fly parallel to the ground from the gust of hot air blowing against her. She squinted and shielded her face with her arms while the phoenixes hid behind her legs. “You’re the fire resistant ones,” she muttered to the baby birds, but they acted like they hadn’t heard her.

The phoenix matriarch soared out of the nest, heading towards the sky. She looked down and screeched before diving towards Tafel, landing in front of her while folding her wings. “You’re back,” she said, arching her neck to count the phoenixes behind the demon. “All of you. And uninjured. That’s good.”

“I’m sorry it took so long to come back to check on you,” Tafel said, a wry smile appearing on her lips. “They wanted to explore the outside world more and wouldn’t let me return.”

“That’s not true!”

“Not true at all!”

“We wanted to come back to see you, but she wouldn’t let us.”

“It’s her fault.”

“We love you, Momma. Why would we want to stay away from you?”

Tafel’s mouth fell open at the baby phoenixes blatant betrayal. “Y-you guys!” she said and glanced at the matriarch, who was glaring at her. “I’m being bullied by your children. I swear I wanted to come back before they did.”

“Nuh-uh!”

“If you’re going to blame us, we’re going to blame you!”

The phoenixes nodded in agreement, separating from Tafel while moving closer to their mother. Emile looked at the phoenixes before turning his gaze onto Tafel. He shrugged. “Sorry,” he said and hopped over to his brothers’ and sisters’ sides. “I missed you, Mom.”

The phoenix matriarch sighed and patted Tafel’s drooping head with her wing. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I believe you. I know these brats are troublemakers through and through.”

Tafel exhaled. “I’m glad,” she said. “I’m also glad you managed to stay safe. What happened?”

“About that…,” the phoenix matriarch said, her expression turning odd. She rubbed her beak a few times with her wing while staring at Tafel. “Why didn’t you tell me your husband was a dragon?”

Tafel blinked. “Huh?” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Don’t tell me you met him….”

The matriarch nodded. “He’s very strong,” she said. “Very, very strong.” She paused and tilted her head. “But weak to alcohol.”

“You fought him?” Tafel asked. She bit her lower lip. “And drank with him? Can you explain things clearly, please?”