Read Phoenix Rising for Free Online

head. “Cow!” Then he threw his die towards the sea as hard as he could.
    Toby rose and the four of them watched as it disappeared from view.
    “You owe me a die, Crocker, and you won’t be playing with us again.” Dee shook her head. “You’re a louse.”
    “No,” Crocker shook his head. “I’m a man . And there ain’t no one can argue with that .”
    Crocker marched off, his bow legs joggling beneath his windcheater.
    Toby turned back to the others. “I—”
    “It’s all right, Toby.” Dee pressed his arm. “One day you’ll be bigger than he is, then you can whip him frombow to stern and no one will say a word about it.”
    “His brother will,” Toby swallowed.
    Dee pressed a little harder. “By then you’ll be able to take him, too.”
    “Right.” Toby glowered down at his feet, too big for his legs; his legs, too lanky for his body; his wrists, too thin for his arms. His shoulders were starting to broaden but everyone still thought of him as a boy. Even Marcus, and Toby had saved his life.
    “You know –” Uma’s voice came from above him – “I think I’ll forfeit. I’m not into the game any more.”
    “Me, too.” Dee smiled down. “Here, Toby.” She reached inside her windcheater behind her back and pulled. Toby gasped as her hand came round clutching a short sword. “Take it.” She offered it to him and he blinked.
    “You’re forfeiting?” Toby hesitated and Dee nodded, reversing the blade so that the pommel faced Toby. “It’s yours.”
    Toby’s hand closed on the rounded handle. He gave an experimental swish and Polly whistled.
    “Ha, I believe your parrot’s impressed.” Dee laughed. “It’s just like your belt knife really.” She guided his hand. “Callum can give you pointers next time you have combat training with him.”
    Toby nodded, eyes bright. “This is brilliant.” The bladewinked at him in the sunlight; Dee had polished it to a high shine. The pommel was wrapped in leather. Toby lifted the blade to see it more closely. “Is this…?”
    “A phoenix. Well, the best picture of a phoenix I could do with a chisel.” Dee laughed.
    “It’s wonderful. It really looks like a phoenix should.” The tail feathers swooped around from the blade into the pommel and the head was held high, beak pointing up to the point of the sword. “She’s wonderful.”
    Uma nodded sagely. “Will you give her a name?”
    “A name?” Toby blinked.
    “Every great weapon has a name. Ask the captain if you don’t believe me.”
    “Like what?” Toby frowned at his sword. “Betty?”
    Dee folded in half. “No,” she said when she had stopped laughing. “Like Excalibur, Mjölnir…”
    “Or Siegfried’s Nothung,” Uma put in. “Although I quite like Betty.”
    Dee glared. “I’ll have her back first.”
    Toby stroked the blade. “How about … Nix. Short for Phoenix .”
    “Nix.” Dee tilted her head. “Which means: ‘to make something become nothing’. I like it .”
    “And in my own country,” Uma smiled, “a nix was a water spirit. It’s a wonderful name, Toby.”
    Toby couldn’t take his eyes from the sunlight glimmering on the sword blade. He twirled it. “Nix,” he said. “She’s perfect.” He tore his eyes from his prize to look at Dee. “Thank you, Dee.”
    The captain burst through the hatch beside him, propelling Polly skyward.
    “That salvage,” he roared, looking for Toby. When his eyes fell on his son, they gleamed. “That salvage is … wonderful. Enough fuel left in her to get the old engine running for a while and some excellent machine parts. Suitcases full of clothes and –” his beard split in a wide grin – “best of all, she was a Médecins Sans Frontières plane.” The crew cheered and Toby breathed out with a blend of relief and joy. “They must have been taking medical supplies to one of the principalities after the war. They had vaccines, penicillin, bandages, painkillers, anaesthetics. There’s stuff I haven’t