Chapter 4 - Meats

Lilly descended to the city again, holding the heart and phoenix in her hand. Many eyes were on her, looking nervous or worried.

When she was close enough for people to hear her, she started briefly explaining the situation. “Everyone, there’s no need to worry. An old phoenix came to me, ready to be reborn. I’ll be raising this little guy for a while, so please don’t be alarmed if you see it in the city. And please let me know if it causes any problems.”

Some people nodded, and she felt the message would spread well enough from this. Lilly returned to the window she had left from, on one of the towers of the Aether’s Echo.

“Lilly, what the hell is that?” Mia asked worriedly, seeing her bring a large heart with a bird on top into the room.

“It’s Beak, of course. Myndia’s pet phoenix. He came here to be reborn and also to give me this heart for enchanting the staff again. Would you mind raising a phoenix, Mia?” Lilly asked, feeling slightly nervous about the answer. She had assumed it would be fine, but she should have asked first.

Mia knitted her eyebrows. “Raising it? Well, sure, if you think it will be fine. But… do you know anything about phoenixes?”

“Mmh, not more than most people, I guess. But I could sort of understand what it was trying to tell me. Do you know anything, Gallus?”

Gallus seemed taken aback by the sudden development but quickly found his bearings. “Well, I know they mostly eat meat and that they usually reside in very hot places. I have no knowledge of actually raising one, but you might be able to find something in the library.”

“The library? Do I have access there?” Lilly asked, recalling how hard it had been to get in to research her amulet. It seemed like a stupid question, but she hadn’t heard of getting free access earlier.

Gallus laughed. “Hahah, not only are you the Lady Protector of the city, you’re the descendant of the ones who built it. Even the king would find it hard to deny you access if he wanted to. And why would he?!” He spread his arms out with a smile like it was a ridiculous notion.

Lilly smiled bitterly, but she also nodded to hide her reaction. She had debated letting Gallus know about their plans for the king, but there didn’t seem to be a good enough reason. She did trust him, but not beyond reason.

“Then I’ll have to visit it soon. Are there any good ways of preserving a phoenix heart, then?”

“It can easily last a few weeks without any problems, but if you want to store it for longer, I can take care of the preservation for you. Either way, I can get you a jar to keep it in.”

Lilly nodded in gratitude. “Then a jar would be great; it feels unpleasant to carry.”

As Gallus left the room with a short nod, Mia approached her to study Beak closer, looking at him with an ecstatic expression. “Aww, look at his little wings! He’s so cute! A little fluffball!”

She tried petting him gently, but the little bird seemed nervous and leaned closer to Lilly. Mia seemed a bit distraught but quickly recovered after seeing Lilly smiling at her.

“I’m sure he’ll get closer to you soon enough, Mia. Phoenixes are very intelligent.”

Mia was still studying the little guy, smiling. “Do you think his memories are still there? Or do they come back after he grows a bit?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure. He might have his memories while being controlled by his instincts. I wonder what would happen in my case…” Lilly imagined becoming a little baby again, forced to cry whenever something was wrong because she couldn’t speak.

“Let’s try to avoid that,” she concluded. The thought of being carried around by Mia was slightly tempting, but not so much as to make up for the negatives.

“Agreed,” Mia replied, also seemingly finding the thought unpleasant.

Gallus returned after he had retrieved a jar to put the heart in and handed it over to Mia since Lilly had her hands full. They gently stashed the heart inside, while Beak sat on Lilly’s chest, safely tucked under her jacket. He seemed to like it there.

“Thank you, Gallus. We were discussing the price of the finished cuirass when we were so rudely interrupted. Would you be open to discussing it again after we finish it?”

“Of course! You can come to me for any advice, and if you need help selling it, I believe I can assist. The ball will start rolling as soon as you start earning a reputation, and I don’t think you’ll need to wait long.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Lilly smiled and nodded. “Then we’ll be back before long. I’ll be enchanting on the day of the full moon, so you can expect us after that. I’ll see you later!”

Gallus waved at them both as they left the room. “I’ll be looking forward to it!”

Lilly and Mia left the emporium, with Mia carrying the jar filled with a rare phoenix heart and Lilly carrying Beak in her hands while the staff was floating behind her. Beak had started chirping on their way out, making people stare.

“Can you understand him now?” Mia asked, glancing at him as she walked.

“Mmh, it sort of feels like he’s hungry. You don’t get that feeling at all?”

“Well, that’s what I assumed. But I don’t feel anything concrete, no.”

Lilly looked at Beak again, wondering if normal meat would be fine. “Do you think he wants meat filled with mana? Meat from beasts?”

“Maybe we should visit a butcher on the way back to test it out. I’m not sure if they would have beast meat, but they would probably know where to find it,” Mia reasoned.

Lilly nodded in agreement. “That’s a good idea. I know of an old butcher nearby, one of the people at the funeral. He can probably help.”

“Then lead the way!” Mia exclaimed, clearly excited.

Lilly walked in front for a few minutes, bringing them to the old butcher in one of the narrow but crowded streets near the center of the city. It was an open stall, showing him working on some meat while the finished parts were on display. He recognized Lilly in an instant, having known her for a long time.

“Ah, the little miss Baker! Or I guess it’s Lady Baker now, huh? How are you holding up?” he asked, studying her closely. He kept working the meat as he spoke, clearly having a lot of experience.

“Greetings, old man Silver! I’m doing fine; Gramps left me in good hands before he left.” Of course, she was still sad, but it could have been a lot worse.

Silver smiled, hearing the truth in her words. “Oh, I trust that he would. So what brings you to this corner today? Are you considering picking up the meat pie recipe again?”

“Not quite yet, but the day might come. We’re here for this little guy,” she replied, holding Beak up for Silver to see. He kept chirping, still hungry.

“Aha, does this relate to the giant phoenix we saw in the sky earlier? A new pet?” He seemed less surprised than Lilly expected, but as a man with a lot of experience he might not find it all that incredible.

“Indeed it does; he’s an acquaintance of my ancestor. He came here to die and needs someone to raise him as he grows again. I have no experience with raising phoenixes, but I’ve heard they eat meat at least. So we hoped you could help us test what he likes.”

“Aha, then you’ve come to the right place! You can let him try this tenderloin of cattle first.” He cut off a small part of the piece he was working on and held it out on his carving knife for Lilly to take.

Lilly held it over Beak’s beak, seeing him nearly jumping to reach the tender piece of meat. She lowered it slowly.

“Uh, Lilly? Don’t newborn birds only eat chewed food? I’m not sure he can chew it on his own,” Mia noted, stopping Lilly before Beak could start eating.

“Oh, is that so? Do I… do I have to chew it first?” She looked at the piece of raw meat, not feeling very tempted. “Can I cook it first?” she asked, looking at Mia hopefully.

“I don’t think a phoenix will mind cooked meat, so I guess you could try.”

“It’s safe to eat raw, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Silver chimed in.

Lilly was already in the process of cooking the meat in her hand, sending her flame into it and cooking it thoroughly in an instant. “I prefer cooked, but if he doesn’t like it, I can try raw…”

She put the meat in her mouth and started chewing, feeling quite uncomfortable with this entire situation. ‘You better appreciate this, Beak!’ she thought, recalling how Myndia had called him an ingrate while talking about him.

When the meat was thoroughly chewed and minced, she opened her mouth to spit it into her hand. She looked at it for a moment before turning to Silver. “It was very good.”

Silver laughed, looking at her bitter expression. “I’m sure you’ll get used to it, My Lady. There’s a lot more where that came from.”

Lilly ignored him, holding her hands together now to see Beak’s reaction. He seemed very interested in the meat, and after smelling it for a moment, he started pecking at it. His movements were a bit feeble, but he managed to eat it just fine.

“It’s working! He’s eating!” Lilly cheered quietly, restraining her excitement so she wouldn’t scare him.

Mia was also smiling as she watched him eat, pumping her fist. “I think we’ve overcome this first hurdle.”

“I’m guessing you’ll be wanting some more tenderloin, then?” Silver asked, holding his knife ready.

Lilly nodded. “I don’t think he’s as picky as we feared, so we can probably try some other kinds as well.”

“Then I’ll prepare a few pounds for you, and don’t you dare think about paying for this!” Silver had a firm expression, pointing his knife at Lilly to make his point.

“Silver, I’m not exactly poor…”

“I’ll throw any gold you give me to the streets! I’m not poor either, and you need to know how the people of this city are cheering for you!”

Lilly felt warm again, and couldn’t help but smile. She could hear several people around them stopping, so she looked around. People of all ages were looking at her with wide smiles, clearly having heard Silver’s words.

Mia also put a hand around her shoulder and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I think we might have to accept the meat, Lilly.”

Lilly felt her cheeks turn hot, sensing all the support the people were giving her. ‘How could I not wish to protect this city? How could anyone?’

It was nice to know that her anger at the king was so justified, and that it kept burning within her. She looked forward to Princess Adelia’s next visit, and to the arrival of the royal investigator.