The Destiny Heirs: Chapter 3

Chapter three:

Livanna sat on a hard stone boulder outside Dublin city, looking out upon the country side. She was eating a loaf of bread she had taken from a shop. The country side was beautiful. Different types of flowers grew, all bright all cheerful. The birds chirped cheerily, singing a merry song. She was in awe.  The blue stone lay on her lap as she ate. Livanna wondered why Arax had given it to her. She wondered what the voice was. She had so many questions that she herself could not answer.  She finished off the loaf of bread and sighed. The chain dangled off her lap, swinging slightly. Livanna picked it up and put her head through the chain, letting it fall onto her chest.  She glanced at the sword in her belt and picked up a satchel bag she stole in town and opened it. It was empty, as if now but she thought best to hide the sword in it. So, she did. Livanna jammed the sword to the bottom. She tied the bag shut with a piece of string.

       Livanna then looked back on the city and saw a huge black shiny carriage leaving the gates. There were six white horses pulling it. Livanna recognised it immediately as the carriage that stopped the men in black suits following her. She stood up and gasped at it, staring straight at it, then stupidly walked onto the middle if the road.

      The driver of the carriage, a man named Phoenix, rode on despite the blonde teenage girl in his way. He snapped the reigns and the horses gained speed, galloping, in perfectly synced strides.  Phoenix wore a silver suit, a matching top hat and a white frilly blouse. A cane lay beside him in the carriage and a monocle sat perfectly around his left eye.  He smiled mischievously, snapping the reigns more and more, making the horses go faster. Livanna was about six feet away from the carriage.  She had second thoughts about standing in the middle of the road, but stayed there. The horses had just about reached her, when Phoenix pulled the reigns and they stopped. Livanna could feel the horse’s warm breath on her face. Their nostrils flared when they let breathed.

     Phoenix looked at her curiously. “You’re brave girl, you’re very brave.” He remarked.

Only then, when the horses were fully up close, Livanna recognised their beauty.  The horses were pure white and had thick gold manes. They were majestic, standing tall, about four feet high from the ground. She raised her hand to touch the horse nearest her, but the horse batted her hand away. Livanna looked at the man in the cart and asked, “Why do you think that?” Livanna spoke curiously. She looked around and saw nothing but fields and flowers. She sighed and looked back to the so-called Phoenix.

    Phoenix smiled and nearly chuckled. “Anybody that does know me, well, they would think twice before standing in front of a carriage driven, by… me. Everyone knows I’m on the verge of mental insanity. But, I’m not. You’re very brave.” Phoenix nodded and smiled.

   Livanna thought very differently, but smiled in agreement. Another carriage left the city of Dublin, a big oak coloured one and headed down the road Phoenix’s had.  It was travelling slowly, being carried by only two small black horses, not strong enough to go any faster, trotting at their own painfully slow pace.

  Phoenix looked back and smiled, looked at the horses on his carriage and then towards Livanna again. “It’s going to rain soon.” He said as a matter of fact.  

   Livanna peered at him strangely, seriously wondering if the man in front of her was alright in the head. He was a strange being and she had to give him that. She liked strange. It was different. Livanna liked that. Then, true to the Phoenix’s word, the sky darkened and it rained. First small droplets spilled hopelessly in a light drizzle and soon it gave away to thundering rain. Livanna yelped and looked at Phoenix.

  “Do you want to take shelter in the carriage? I’ll take you to the next town. You probably want to get away, don’t you?” Phoenix’s voice was muffled by the thundering rain.

    “How did you know it would rain?” Livanna shouted.

     “I’m friends with mother nature! Now, get in!” Phoenix demanded.

 Livanna walked to the carriage door and opened it, looking in. The interior looked expensive and extremely comfortable. There were red leather seats with gold rivets holding them in place. Red curtains covered the back and side windows. Livanna climbed up and got in, seating down. She opened the curtains and looked out the window. She saw the carriage with the small horses approaching ever closer, slowly.  Then something caught her eye. Something moved just underneath the window on a small ledge. She leaned against the glass and saw a scrawny boy, lying on the ledge wrapped in a woolly blanket, getting wet.  She smiled softly. Livanna called out to Phoenix.

   “Hey, do you know there’s a boy asleep on the back of the carriage?”

  Phoenix dropped down hanging upside down, smiling happily. The reigns of the carriage were tied around his legs. He laughed and said, “Yeah, of course I do.”

   Livanna looked at him. “Do you want me to wake him?”

   “No,” he replied simply.

    “Why?” Livanna asked.

      “It’s because I have plans for him, plans for him and you.” Phoenix muttered, swinging back up onto the seat and whipping the reigns. The horses pulled forward and began into a hard, fast gallop kicking up dirt as they went. The horses soon were well away from Dublin city, smashing through the heavy, dark rain.