The Phoenix Stone: On Wings of Light, #1

By Tesha Geddes

Cursed with the form of a dragon, Prince Liam searches for the legendary Phoenix Stone. Rumored to be able to break any curse, this mythical stone is his only hope of regaining his humanity ... and his life.
Then he meets Ryn, the adopted daughter of a nobleman. Unlike others, she doesn't run screaming when she gets a good look at him. Instead, she offers him the hand of friendship and an absolute readiness to throw hands with anyone who treats him as less than.
Suffering from a curse that slowly steals her life, Paladin Eminent Taeryn hides in plain sight. The Light sent her on a deathbed mission with no instructions.
Arriving at the palace, Ryn finds a reviled prince in desperate need of a friend. Perhaps her final mission will be to show the prince just how much he's worth, and maybe she'll get to punch a few people along the way. She prays she'll live long enough to help him before the curse takes her completely.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Runetome Publishing
• Release date: Feb 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9781963233131

Tesha Geddes

Has anyone ever mentioned that it's weird to talk about yourself in third person? Trust me, it is. I love books (obviously). I've always dreamed of being an author and I'm super excited and nervous to share my crazy imaginings with you. I love to bake and spend lots of time looking up recipes, only to realize I don't have the ingredients and I'm too lazy to go to the store. If you want to keep informed on upcoming books and whatever's going on, go to my Facebook page, Tesha Geddes Writes.

Book preview

Prologue

Ryn

I took in the grim expressions around me, matching them with my own. An elf, a dwarf, a draekyn, and a human stood in front of me, and they all looked like they were going to a funeral—mine.

How long? I asked, sitting back in my chair and folding my arms.

A couple months, maybe a year, if you’re lucky, the elf replied.

The dwarf snorted. Tha’ don’t sound like luck ta me.

I silently agreed with him. None of this felt lucky.

And we can’t reverse it? I asked, though I already knew the answer.

Not without the stone, the human replied somewhat testily.

I shot her a look—if anyone got to be testy here, it was me.

I will check every cavern, every chest, every cliff until I find the stone for you, the draekyn vowed, pressing his blue-scaled fist to his chest and bowing his horned head.

I shook my head. As touching as the offer was, I couldn’t let him do that.

No, I said firmly, the cause comes first. I can’t dictate what you do in your spare time, but you won’t abandon your calling for something that might not exist.

You can’t damn your soul for me.

He looked like he wanted to protest but wisely kept his mouth shut.

I dismissed them shortly after that. Everything that needed to be said had been—anything else would just make moving forward harder.

I leaned my head back in my chair and closed my eyes, waiting for the sound of footsteps to fade. A single tear leaked out of my eye, and I made no move to wipe it away. Eventually, I stood, removed the circlet from my brow, and hung my robes of office. I straightened them, brushing out the wrinkles in a habit born of decades, but there was a finality about this time that hung heavy on my soul.

I slipped out of my office and ghosted down the hallway, keeping out of sight. I quickly reached the room I sought and found it blessedly empty. I knelt in front of the altar and bowed my head.

Why me? Why this? Why? What do I do now?

I silently pleaded with the Light, begging for answers. Though no sudden revelations came, a feeling of peace stole over my soul, soothing the raw edges of pain. I felt the urge to leave, though no destination came to mind.

When I regained my composure, I stood and left. I fetched a satchel from my room and filled it with travel rations and other supplies. I had to keep it as light as possible—I wouldn’t be able to rely on my powers to help me out.

A few minutes later, I stood on the beach, the waves lapping at my feet. I looked back at the Citadel I had just left and raised my hand in farewell. I knew it was just a building, and yet, somehow, it felt like an old friend. It had been my home for more than two centuries now, and I doubted I would ever see it again.

I faced forward and took a deep breath—I had a long journey ahead of me. Light willing, I’d make it to the end. If not, my two months would be over a whole lot sooner than anticipated.

Chapter One

Liam

How sure are you that we’ll find the Phoenix Stone here? Thorn asked as we picked our way around a few large boulders.

I shrugged. "There’s a pretty good chance—better than any of the previous places anyway. I found a reliable account of a miner that stated another miner from this town found ‘a remarkable glowing gem’ one day. Even if we don’t find the gem here, we’ll probably find more information about who did have it. If not, we might be able to use census records to figure out which miners lived here during that time. Then it’s just a simple matter of tracking them all down and figuring out who it was and where the stone went."

"Riiight ... simple ye say, Murin grunted. I’ll leave the research to ye. Jus’ lemme know if ye need any tunnels dug or rocks moved."

Don’t fret Murin, we all know using your brain isn’t your strong suit, Thorn joked, earning him an elbow to the gut, courtesy of Murin.

"I’ll brain ye if ye keep tha’ up," Murin grumbled.

So, what’s the first thing you’ll do when we find this miracle stone? Thorn asked as we turned the final bend to our destination.

I could hear the doubt in his voice. He didn’t believe the Phoenix Stone existed. But I believed—I had to believe. If it didn’t exist, then I would have no hope. Curse breakers had failed me—the Phoenix Stone was my last hope for breaking the curse that kept me locked in this monstrous form. I’d been dreaming about my return to humanity for years, and I knew exactly what I’d do first.

Hug my family.

It got quiet as Murin and Thorn shared sympathetic, pitying glances with each other. I took a deep breath and let it roll off my back. I didn’t need their pity—I needed the stone. I’d followed every rumor and whisper of the stone with nothing to show for it, but I wasn’t about to give up. This was the best lead I’d gotten, and I’d see it through to the end.

If only we’d found whoever cursed me, we could have extracted more information about my curse, but no one had seen it happen. It came on so gradually, we didn’t realize I’d been cursed until much later. As it was, curse breakers couldn’t even find the curse to break it—it was too cleverly done.

How long do ye have left afore yer father expects ye home? Murin asked Thorn, deftly changing the subject.

I only have another five days before I have to head back, Thorn replied glumly.

Ya poor prince, bein’ forced to woo a fair lady. What torture. Murin teased him.

Thorn glared at him. What Murin hadn’t figured out was that for Thorn, that was torture. That dwarf was as dense as the stone he loved.

Alright children, we’re here, I interrupted before a fight could break out.

Murin eyed me. Tha’ a short joke?

Pretty sure that was a maturity joke, Thorn replied before smiling mischievously. Though, in your case, it might be an intelligence joke.

That earned him another elbow. I rolled my eyes. As usual, my efforts had been a complete waste. It didn’t matter though—their bickering was comforting background noise.

I studied the cavern we’d entered. Most of the homes here were intact, with a few spectacular exceptions. Dotting the cavern were buildings that had been crushed by falling stalactites. The instability of the cavern ceiling was the reason this town had been abandoned almost two centuries ago. Despite the danger of being crushed to death, when I’d told Murin and Thorn about my new lead, they’d happily joined my expedition. No one else though—we worked best when it was just the three of us.

Like always, we did a quick sweep of the cavern, noting places of interest, and places best avoided. At one point, Murin left our group to investigate a trail that called to his dwarvish heart. He’d been gone long enough for Thorn and me to start worrying, when he burst back into the main cavern, his eyes glowing with excitement.

"Ya have ta come see this!"

With no further explanation, he grabbed our hands and towed us behind him. Thorn and I exchanged glances but went along with it—it wasn’t often that Murin got this excited about a discovery. The path we followed was treacherous in places, but he never slowed. I committed the way to memory, worried that Murin’s excitement would get us lost. As we walked, a steady roaring grew louder and louder.

A few minutes later, the three of us stood in silence as we stared in awe. Across the cavern, a massive waterfall fell. It started out of sight above our heads and ended in the darkness below our feet. But it was the crystals that truly captured our attention. Huge spurs of crystal in every conceivable color jutted out of the walls, ceiling, and floor of the cavern. The light of our lanterns refracted off the crystals, sending a multitude of colored lights swarming over the cavern, like a horde of rainbow fireflies, multiplied by the mist hanging in the air.

This feels like a sacred place, Murin said softly.

Thorn and I nodded silently. We walked up to the edge of the cavern, where the floor fell away into the darkness below. We stood there for a few minutes, bathing in the spray from the waterfall.

Maybe the record got it wrong, and the miner found the stone here.

We should head back now, Murin said. Got a lotta work ta do.

We spent the next few days combing through the homes, checking every nook and cranny. Murin was a handy dwarf to have along as he could sense hidden doors in the stone. Usually, those doors led to the house safe where the family valuables would be stored, and those safes were almost always empty.

It was our last house on our last day and the only thing of value we’d found was a bag of seeds. I passed the pouch to Thorn, knowing he’d appreciate it more.

All yours.

Aw, you shouldn’t have, he joked, taking the dusty pouch. He reached inside and ran his fingers over the ancient seeds. He grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "You really shouldn’t have, but I am so glad you did."

Why? Murin asked as he came over and tried to shove his face into the bag. Is it diamonds? Rubies? Sapphires?

No, you dolt, Thorn said, shoving Murin out of the way. "They’re moonbeam seeds."

He said it as though Murin and I couldn’t fail to catch the significance. We failed.

Ya can’t plant a moonbeam, Murin scoffed. E’ryone knows tha.’ Next thing ye’ll be tellin’ us is tha’ the moon’s a giant tree.

I shrugged. My brother thinks it’s made of cheese.

Murin rolled his eyes. Yer brother’s an idiot. No offense.

None taken. He wasn’t wrong.

You’re both idiots, Thorn said. "They’re from a moonbeam flower."

Lemme guess, they glow at night? Pretty as a moonbeam? Oh! And they’re super rare and will make yer garden the envy of e’ry other garden in Lynrael. Murin clasped his hands under his chin and batted his eyes.

Thorn scowled at the dwarf.

"How do ye know they’re actually these moon seeds?"

Murin was clearly baiting the elf, and he fell for it, like a bear to honey.

"Moonbeam seeds," Thorn said, squaring up against the dwarf.

I sighed and backed away—I knew better than to get between them before they’d calmed down. I’d made that mistake before, and they’d paid the price. I’d tried to separate them, but they’d brawled over me and ended up cutting themselves on my horns and wings. I never got between them again—a black eye was better than a gouged-out one.

I perused the empty cupboards while my two friends tussled behind me. From the sound of it, things had devolved into a wrestling match. I shook my head—when would Thorn learn not to wrestle a dwarf? It was only a matter of time before Murin had Thorn pinned and eating dirt.

THUMP! Thump.

The loud sound of my friends rolling into a support pillar almost masked the sound of something else falling. I looked around, but the source of the quieter thump wasn’t readily apparent. I was tempted to write it off as just another part of Thorn hitting the pillar, but that didn’t feel right.

I studied the column and followed the path up to the cross beam above my head. On a hunch, I reached up and patted along the flat