Naga and the Phoenix

    Naga ducked her head and kept walking past the windows that were lit brightly. Their warm, cheery light bled out onto the newly fallen snow and the young woman pulled her hood a little tighter over to head so as to not be washed in its infectious joy. Muffled sounds of revelry filled every street in the party district of New York City, for it was New Year’s Eve; the biggest celebration of the year for the place that Naga called home. 

A falcon watched the young woman with its head cocked sideways. It seemed strange to the magnificent bird of prey that one human alone was not joining in the celebrations. It knew it should keep an eye on the female, its master would want to know of this suspicious behaviour. The falcon flitted over the next rooftop, keeping its sharp eyes peeled, but where the woman should have been; stood nothing but a mangy stray dog. Frustrated, the falcon flew around in wide circles until it grew tired of its futile search and headed back to roost in Central Park. 

Naga stood up straight and continued her trudge, brushing the excess fur off of her coat. She continued up the street, avoiding as many party-lit windows as possible. She’d known she was being followed, of course. The city was full of his henchmen. They’d been watching the women’s shelters especially well ever since her last encounter with him. Since then, Naga had kept on the move even more than usual, only spending the night in various shelters if it was absolutely necessary. If the weather didn’t prove too bad; she didn’t mind transforming into the stray dog and spending the night in a cardboard box in an alley. The only problem with that was the dog catcher. Naga shivered and pulled her worn coat a little tighter around her shoulders. The dog catcher was almost as bad as him, almost.   

After what felt like hours of walking, she finally reached her destination, which turned out to be nothing more than an old, run-down bar that bore a sign reading “closed until further notice.” Still, she knew this was where she’d find him tonight, and as much as she hated him, as much as she wanted him dead; it was imperative that she made him see reason before midnight. 

Knock, knock… Knock knock knock… Knock knock. She rapped out quickly the pattern that she knew gained entry into the underground pub. 

“Business?” a gruff voice questioned through a flap that had opened in the door. Naga gave a puff of breath, trying to blow away the smell of ogre breath that seeped through the gap. She’d never agreed with him partnering with ogres, of course, she’d never agreed with anything he did. 

“I need to see Phoenix,” she stated back in a firm voice. Ogres only responded to confidence. 

“Do ye have an appointment?”

“You know very well who I am and I’m sure you know what I’m capable of, it would be wise to let me in.” Naga pulled her hood back slightly for good measure, revealing her strange, startlingly grey eyes though the slit in the door. After a beat the door unlocked with a loud click and swung inward. The ogre was nowhere to be seen once inside, but Naga knew where to go. The ground level floor looked abandoned, but there was a tunnel at the back of the room that led to another New Year’s Eve party Naga didn’t want to be attending. The crowd in the underground club looked at first glance like any other party taking place tonight in the city, but if one were to look a little closer they’d notice a rather short man here, a giant there, a man with horns and animals scurrying around underfoot. This was no surprise to Naga, she made her way to the very back of the room, where he stood; Phoenix. Phoenix was of course a nickname given to the man who had burns covering his otherwise attractive face. His dark eyes widened and he stood. 

“Naga.”

“Phoenix,” Naga replied, without missing a beat. 

“I thought my falcons saw you heading this way.” 

“It seems your falcons aren’t completely useless then.” The man called Phoenix stood, evaluating Naga for what felt like forever. Finally he smiled and gestured to the empty seat next to his.

“Have a drink.”

“Whiskey, neat,” Naga replied, settling herself carefully into the stuffed armchair. A man, faun by the strange way he walked, went to fetch Naga’s drink and Phoenix leaned a little closer. 

“So what can I do for you… Darling?” Naga hid a shudder and drank down the whiskey that had just arrived. 

“You know what I want Phoenix, call it off.”

“Oh ho! So I got your attention have I? It’s a sad day when a man has to threaten an entire city just to bring his wife back home.” Phoenix studied the young woman, swirling his own drink. It was clear that he was enjoying this. Naga however, turned slightly crimson and her grip on her glass tightened. 

“I got out fair and square.” The words sounded choked, restrained from the fury that Naga felt. 

“Out of my service perhaps, but that did not cancel out our marriage my sweet.” Phoenix reached for Naga’s hand and she yanked it away, out of his grip. Standing quickly, flushed in anger she stared him down as the whole room began to shake. 

“Stop,” Phoenix ordered, all playfulness gone from his eyes. Two minotaurs stepped behind Naga, she saw them from the corner of her eyes. The stench of the monsters reached her nose and her fists tightened, ready to fight. 

“There will be no need for that,” Phoenix continued. “I’m glad you came to see me, you know I hate when innocent lives are lost. I will call off my attack on one condition; you come back to work for me.” Naga stood there watching his face. She knew it would come down to this. All around the party raged as she thought out her options. She could try to stop the attack but she didn’t even know where it would happen. According to the clock behind the bar it was nearly midnight, she didn’t have the time either. She could let those people die and walk free, maybe finally leave this horrible city for good, leave Phoenix for good. She could give in and come back to his employ, saving all of those people. Surely she could find a way out again after some time, she did it before. 

“TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN…” The crowd around her began to roar the countdown to midnight, to the start of a new year. The determination set in. There was one other option, though Naga knew she wouldn’t leave here alive, neither would he. 

“SIX, FIVE.” The ground began to shake.

“FOUR, THREE.” The minotaurs made a grab for Naga but she leapt out of the way and summoned her garrote, slicing off two bull’s head in one clean sweep.  

“TWO.” Half of the crowd cried. The other half were realizing what was going on and scrambling to get out of there. 

“ONE.” 

“Happy New Year,” Naga snarled at Phoenix. His face was slack in shock, he was reaching out to her, trying to grab hold of her coat. Naga felt the familiar power pulsing through her but this time she didn’t restrain it. This time she pulled on it, drawing from her rage and determination. In one moment everything seemed still, the party, Phoenix, her beating heart. The next; chaos. Her body ripped apart as the force of a bomb exploded from her core, blasting the club, with everything she hated, into nothingness.