Chapter 081 – Fire and Blood

[296 AC]

The earth trembled and shook under the feet of Phenex and his thirteen, as they saw the Dothraki horde drawing nearer from the distance.

With a smooth motion, Phenex unsheathed Eclipse and Dawn, while the Feathers also readied their weapons, doing so in silence and with focus.

Looking up, Phenex saw Sapphire and Jade dancing impatiently in the sky. Normally he and Rhaella made sure that their aggressive side was somewhat tempered, but at this moment he did nothing to curb their predatory and destructive instincts.

"There will be no glory in this fight, no honor in what we are about to do.", he whispered, his words echoing in the ears of every Feather clearly despite the galloping horde that was heading their way.

"Fire and blood will be our reward and burden.", Phenex ended quietly, before flaring forward.

Dark flames danced around his figure, as the grass under his feet turned to ashes.

The Feathers followed behind equally ablaze, while Sapphire and Jade dove down onto the Dothraki army, maws flickering with blue and white fire.

…

Breathing in deeply, while the scent of blood, burnt flesh, and death nearly overwhelmed his senses, Phenex' expression still remained impassive as he stood in a field of mangled corpses.

His bare feet sank slightly into the now muddy ground of the former grassland, as the blood-soaked earth had transformed the former beauty of this place into a hellish landscape.

Thousands upon thousands of dead bodies, men and horses, were spread over the land as far as the eyes could see, the only ones left standing were Phenex and the thirteen he had brought with him.

Less than a thousand Dothraki had managed to escape this massacre, as Jade and Sapphire had rained fire upon everyone that tried to leave, and only the luckiest ones had managed to avoid a fiery death.

Their escape was of no consequence though as the Dothraki were a thing of the past from this moment forward.

Watching his Feathers approach him with relatively calm looks, only Obara looking somewhat pale now that she saw the destruction they had wrought, and were capable of, Phenex sheathed his blades once again.

They arrived before him silently, none of them knowing what to say, but Phenex did, as he whispered quietly: "Fire and blood will be our reward and burden."

A deeper understanding bloomed in the Feathers' hearts as they looked at the battlefield. There was nothing to say, nothing further to do, as they had fulfilled their task and had received the fruits of their labor.

With a wave of his hand, Phenex turned all the dead on the vast expanse of land into ashes, leaving behind only their weapons for the Red Temple's soldiers to collect at a later date.

"Let's go home.", Phenex announced as he brought them back to the small courtyard that he had inhabited when he had first come to live in Volantis. It was the same mansion he had brought the Feathers to after he had saved them from greyscale.

The next few hours passed in relative silence. They cleaned themselves in the great bath of the mansion. They did so at the same time, not bothering to hide themselves from the eyes of their brothers and sisters.

Afterwards, they prepared a meal together and listened to each other's stories, as smiles and life slowly returned to them, while the tenseness and shock slowly faded from their minds.

They didn't talk about what they had done, not because of guilt or shame, but simply because all they would find by going back there, even in the silence of their own mind, was fire and blood.

…

[296 AC]

For the next few weeks, a hush fell over Essos in the aftermath of the event that had taken place on the newly dubbed 'Field of Ashes'.

In one day, the Red God, the 'Feather Demons', and his two dragons had destroyed the Dothraki. They hadn't subdued or defeated them, but had truly decimated them to a point, where it was certain that they would not rise again.

What made this event even more shocking was that of the few Dothraki that had managed to flee, some had reached Saath, Norvos, or even Braavos, but those that did were somewhat broken.

It was as if they had gone mad as a result of sheer fear alone, screaming and begging when they even saw the smallest flicker of flames. One of those that had reached Norvos had even cut his own throat in overwhelming terror in broad daylight when he saw a Red Priest walking down the streets.

The fact that Qohor had fallen under the Red Temple's rule only days later just added to the tense atmosphere in Northern Essos.

…

[296 AC]

Inhaling the calming scent of Phenex' skin, Kinvara slowly relaxed while her body was basically draped over his, as they rested on a couch that stood to the side in the big living room of the small courtyard.

The Feathers too were present, as they were scattered all over the room. Some of them were also resting on different pieces of furniture, while others played cards or other games together. Some others were just chatting and joking with each other.

Here they weren't the invincible warriors and personal guards of the Red God, they didn't have to be. They just spent time together, their care and affection for each other unmistakable.

Than, for example, rested his head in Ruyu's lap, while napping as she softly brushed through his hair with the fingers of one hand and played a game of cards against Obara, Atas, and Belio at the same time with the other.

Obara on the other hand sat on the floor, her back resting between Mera's legs and leaning against the couch, as the female leader of the Feathers helped the newest addition to their family in exposing Belio's bluffs, while also making fun of Atas' poker face.

Feeling Phenex' hands caressing her back and brushing through her dark locks, Kinvara immersed herself in the harmonious and peaceful atmosphere all around her.

It was moments like these that made her realize, that the centuries of suffering and scheming she had endured, had all been worth it.

Pressing her soft lips against his neck for a soft kiss, Kinvara continued to soak in Phenex' tender care and calm presence

…

"I have met an interesting man while taking care of things in Qohor.", Kinvara mentioned a few hours later, as she sat between Phenex' legs while they were stargazing in the backyard, her head resting comfortably against his chest.

"You have?", he asked mildly intrigued.

"Jorah Mormont.", Kinvara revealed, "He had apparently been working as a mercenary in the city for a few years now. You know that the Qohorik started to employ sellswords in order to preserve their Unsullied forces after the Red Temple had started to move against the pirates and slave merchants around the Summer Sea."

"It seemed they had been anticipating the conquest of Slaver's Bay and the eventual destruction of their source of Unsullied. Anyway, Jorah Mormont was one of the many mercenaries they had hired to avoid losing their Unsullied soldiers in minor conflicts. And he had apparently done well for himself in Qohor."

"A member of the Hidden Flame had been attacked by him, after a successful assassination of the noble that had hired the disgraced Lord of Bear Island for protection, which had cost Jorah an arm and an eye. Though he managed to keep his life thanks to more guards appearing in time to aid him."

"I had him arrested after arriving in the city and hearing the report from the member of the Hidden Flame and brought him back to Volantis when I left Qohor.", Kinvara retold the events, before she asked, "Do you want to meet him?"

"No.", Phenex answered calmly, "There is no reason to. He is a rather boorish and foolish man, besides the fact that the Spider has him in his pocket and that he is a former slaver. Just have him brought to Mantarys. Even a man with one arm should be able to work in a mine."