“Such a beauty!” Gerome exclaimed and stopped his horse.

”Where?” Peto was surprised. He and Belrigan stopped too. They were riding right in a middle of a narrow valley. It was dry, almost free of vegetation except for pale-green grass that grew among the rocks and foliage hanging from above. The view looked dull, and there was nothing particularly notable here.

“Look, it’s up there,” Gerome raised his hand.

They saw a small creature crawling on the rock thirty feet above them. The beast resembled a strange blend of a lizard and a miniature pig. With its six legs, it held onto the steep rock without much effort.

“It’s a tourkan,” Gerome whispered. “They are quite common here.”

The creature noticed them too and froze, pretending to be a part of the rock—and that was precisely what brother Gerome would need from it. He always had a charcoal stylus and paper with him. He immediately took them out of his bag and started to sketch.

Their guide—a son of a local shepherd—was quite unhappy with the delay, and Peto suggested having a short halt and sharing some food with the boy.

“Who knows if we will have time for this later in the evening,” Peto said.

“Agree,” quickly nodded Gerome.

In days of his youth, brother Gerome studied science and arts in the royal academy. He was a diligent student and got both a good education and a good belly. His waist was not nearly as big as brother Viraz’s, but if one could say that the belly of brother Viraz encompassed a vast ocean, then brother Gerome had a sea inside him. Gerome was hilistian by blood, his hair was dark, and he had a round face with a happy expression usually seen on it. Studying magical beasts was not only a passion of brother Gerome but also his job during the expedition. He drew images and made notes of all the unusual creatures they encountered on the way.

Their third companion—brother Peto—was born in a peasant family and always preferred to act rather than talk or study. Yet he had received some basic education as his family was free and rich enough. He long passed his thirties but was a little younger than Gerome. Despite his age, Peto had a strong constitution that would match a farmer or a smith. He had curly hair, straight features, broad shoulders, and big hands that were not tuned to any delicate work.

Shepherd’s son thanked them for the bread, but that words were almost everything they heard from him during the whole day. He was not a chatty person but did his job well.

It took half of a day for the brothers to get from Tar-Fanesh to the Chipped Mountain. They found a place to stay in a nearby village, and in the morning, one of the local shepherds agreed to send his son to show them a way to the phoenix mountain for a small reimbursement. They took the road around the Chipped Mountain, far away from the teheni camp. About midday, the rocky peak with the phoenix’s nest was right ahead, but the shepherd’s boy started to show fear and looked like he was thinking of the best way to return back home.

Water and bread sated them well enough while horses were chewing the low grass, and Gerome was finishing his job. Brothers were still eating when he stopped making notes and joined them.

“Brother Gerome, remember that we came here for the phoenix, not this six-legged pig,” reminded Peto with unhidden sarcasm.

“But aren’t all magical creatures equally fascinating? They are something that the gods did not initially plan to happen, and thus they need our special attention. Besides, they are the sign of the changes, brother Peto. And you know what this means. The Great Plan has begun to unfold, and we need to act in accordance with it if we don’t want to be left aside in the end. I’m still puzzled, what was the intention of the Five; why did they send these creatures on earth?”

“Did they?” asked Peto skeptically.

“Of course they did! Nothing enters our world without the permission of the Five.”

Peto was also examining the rocks above while eating.

“Look, brothers, there is a house there,” he said.

There was indeed a ruined structure far on the top of the hill. It was partially hidden from view by bushes.

“Many people lived here in the time of our fathers,” nodded Gerome. “Magical beasts had driven most of them away.”

“I would also run if six-legged pigs started to roam next to my house,” Peto said. “Not to mention the phoenix.”

“The bird settled here only recently,” Gerome shook his head. “Creatures like turkan or stone pango came right from the wildness in the heart of the mountains or were born, as it seemed, right from the rock. But phoenixes came from the southeast, from overseas lands. This place is the most northern site where one of them is known to live.”

“So, what do we know about the bird’s powers?” asked Peto biting a big piece from his loaf.

“Not much, unfortunately,” sighted Gerome. “Yet I do have some experience with it, as you know. I had time to examine the phoenix on our last journey with brother Viraz.”

Gerome was eating more gallantly as if he wanted to emphasize his high-born status.

“Yes, I heard about your adventure,” said Peto. Neither he nor Belrigan accompanied Gerome and Viraz at that time.

“It was a thrilling endeavor… that taught us an important lesson. First of all, it turned out to be surprisingly easy to find a place where the phoenix lived. The bird has a peculiar property of emitting bright light twice a day: in the morning and before dusk. In the morning, the light is accompanied by flames and extreme heat, as we know. Since the bird rarely changes its nest, that light could guide you right to it. However, no one dares approach the phoenix’s nest, as people living nearby are too afraid to do so. Not without reason, I would say. Some even start worshiping phoenixes as gods,” Gerome became thoughtful. “What else… it is a bird of an average size, like a goose but not as clumsy…”

“Maybe, like an eagle then?” put in Peto.

“No, it does not resemble an eagle,” Gerome quickly disagreed. ”I would say it is more like a peacock but without a long tail. The light that the phoenix emits is so bright that you ought to close your eyes when you are near. We spent many days watching the bird. Most of the day, it spends outside of the nest. Flying up high in the clouds, sometimes, as it seems, it travels pretty far away and returns only at dusk with a prey.”

“A prey?”

“Yes, it never eats it immediately. Instead, it leaves it in the nest. At dawn, the phoenix wakes up in a bright burst of a flame that deep-fries his victim. Only then the bird enjoys the meal,” Gerome stopped, thinking if he did not miss anything important.

“That is is gross… ” Peto shook his head.

“Most of our observations we made in the night.” continued Gerome. “When it sleeps, the phoenix covers itself with its wings and turns into a stone that looks like a large egg. It is heavy and hard. Phoenix’s slumber is strong. You can poke it with a stick or wrap in the cloth and take it from the nest—the bird does not awake. But you should never touch it with your bare hands….”

“I heard that part,” nodded Peto.

“That was a lesson for all of us. Poor brother Lukas did not make it…” sighted Gerome. “Who knew, who knew.”

“Do you think it will be different this time?” asked Peto.

Gerome hesitated.

“Speaking honestly, I don’t believe brother Viraz expects us to succeed.”

“Why did he send us then?”

“I think he is more worried about his visions and wants to know who are those others who came here after the bird. He wants us to look around and examine the place. If we capture the bird—it’s perfect. If not—we must at least prevent those others from capturing it.”

“The visions…” Peto screwed up his face with disapproval but said nothing more. He was the first to mount his horse. However, the shepherd’s son did not agree to continue the journey, to their surprise. Instead, he started to hastily explain something to Gerome as he was the only one in their company who fully understood the local dialect of hilistian.

“What did he say?” Peto was short in waiting.

“He insists that we go further without him,” explained Gerome. “He says that we shall continue to follow this trail, and we will soon get over the hill and see lakes on the other side. Next to one of them, near the waterfall, begins a path to the top of the peak where the phoenix lives. He thinks we will manage to get there alone while he must return home before the dusk.”

“Sure!” Peto laughed.

Brothers exchanged looks, and Gerome sighed and opened his bag. “I guess we don’t have another choice…” he said.

A silver coin quickly changed the young boy’s mind; his eye sparkled with aspiration. After feigning the hesitation, he agreed to lead them to the lakes. Soon the road started to climb up and became hard for horses. Shepherd’s son was riding a slender and agile nu-nu, and his mount was a perfect match for the hill travel. However, the brothers had to dismount and walk with their steeds on the lead.

As long as Belrigan remembered himself, mountains were always somewhere around, but these were always somewhat different mountains. He was born in the land of high and snowy peaks. Their summits were black and menacing. The valleys hidden between them were vivid green and filled with mystery and beauty. Dense forests covered the mountains’ sides, and cold rivers full of sparkling fish ran at their foot. When Belrigan joined the Black Brothers, he again lived in the monastery that stood at the foot of the mountains. But those mountains were gray and bushy. Instead of dense pine forests, pleasant groves and gardens with delicious fruits decorated their slopes. The land was fertile, and many villages were scattered around the valleys. However, the mountains of Rim Ridge were unlike any other Belrigan had seen before. First of all, they looked so old that they probably witnessed the creation of the world itself. Second, they did not look like mountains at all. The Chipped Mountain itself and a few neighboring peaks were high and rocky. However, the rest of the mountains resembled large uneven hills with sloppy, grassy slopes. The land looked wild and untouched by humans or teheni.

“Eventually, we will have to leave our horses somewhere,” said Peto, “for the wolves to take them.”

“I heard that stone pango ate all wolves around the Chipped Mountain,” Gerome chuckled.

“That way or another. There is a good chance we will need to return by feet.”

“I think it is best if we leave horses near the lakes,” suggested Gerome. ”And one of us can stay there while others climb to find the nest.”

“By that one, you mean yourself, brother?”

“Yes, this is a reasonable choice. Your power, brother Peto, is needed to control the phoenix, while Belrigan could scout ahead. I will be mostly useless, and my constitution will only detain you.”

“As you say, brother.”

“I will tell you everything I know, don’t be afraid!” ensured Gerome.

The sun hid behind the rocky summit long ago, and the valley was lying in the dim shadows. However, Belrigan's feelings told him they had plenty of time before the sunset. The path climbed over the hill, and they saw another valley in front of them. A blue lake lay between the rocks not so far to the right. Their guide turned his nu-nu to it, and the pathway dived into a narrow and shady pass surrounded by stones. The place looked perfect for an ambush, but nothing hinted at the trouble ahead. The lakes were close, and the shepherd's son looked like he was finally ready to leave their company when suddenly a stranger went out on the path before them. A tall man was holding a crossbow. At the same time, someone from above shouted to them to stop. Belrigan recognized the sand speech. He looked up and saw a man looking down at them. He was also armed with a crossbow.

While the brothers exchanged anxious looks, the young shepherd did not hesitate to act and rushed backward. To his fortune, the path there was still open for retreat, but he did not get too far. A crossbow bolt wounded his nu-nu, and the animal threw the boy to the ground and ran away. The boy did try to run away, but two figures jumped down from the ledge. After a short struggle, the shepherd’s son was captured, and strangers surrounded the brothers.

“I feel that this could not end well…” mumbled Gerome raising his hands to show that he is unarmed and does not want to fight. His horse neighed and backed away.

“What shall we do, brother?” Peto lost his confidence for a moment. He groped the rope around his neck and took out the small glass vial hidden under the cloth. The vial was glowing with a pale, barely visible light. Peto grasped the vial firmly in his fist.

It was so long since Belrigan had a real fight. His heart jumped hard inside his breast when he touched the shadows behind him. Shadows were right there, moving eagerly, quivering and pulsing, ready for the action. Why didn’t they warn him?

“Carefully, brothers, these people are well armed and seem quite intemperate,” said Gerome with an unnaturally calm voice. “We don’t know how many of them there are, so we better be polite.”

“Brothers must know,” said Peto and crushed the vial in his hand.

Gerome cleared his throat and continued, using the sand speech: “We are humble pilgrims. Please don’t kill us. You can take our horses, but we have nothing else of value!”

Dark figures approached them in silence.