Red Phoenix

I look like?’
    ‘Are you a snake?’ John said, voicing my unspoken question. ‘Is she a snake, Simone?’
    ‘No, Emma, you’re a beautiful lady,’ Simone said, her voice full of awe. ‘You’re really beautiful.’ Her voice softened. ‘You love us a lot. Me and Daddy.’
    ‘Stay still, Emma, let’s let Simone try by herself,’ John said, and the electricity snapped off. He let go of her hand.
    I remained still, to let Simone see me. She closed her eyes and her face went slack as she concentrated. Nothing happened.
    ‘You’re trying too hard, sweetheart,’ John said. ‘Just relax. Like you were doing the sword set. Don’t try, just do it.’
    Still no tingling.
    Simone frowned.
    John took her hand. ‘Let me.’ He concentrated, holding her hand.
    The tingling went through me, then stopped.
    ‘Now you,’ John said, releasing her hand.
    Simone’s face went rigid with concentration.
    The force of the shock knocked me over. My head hit the floor with a smack. I was held paralysed on the floor with the electricity going through me.
    ‘Let her up, Simone,’ John said quietly, ‘you may hurt her.’
    The electricity stopped. ‘Sorry, Emma,’ Simone said. ‘I don’t know what I did.’
    ‘Why did that happen?’ I said as I pulled myself back up. ‘That didn’t happen when I came in before and she saw me as a snake. I didn’t feel anything.’
    ‘She only had it half-open when we came in, but her vision was clear,’ John said. ‘This time she had it open all the way, but her vision wasn’t as clear. When you are more experienced you will understand. Are you okay? You didn’t hit your head too hard?’
    I shook my head. ‘I’m fine.’ Michael watched me with a grin of mischievous delight. ‘You will keep,’ I said. ‘We haven’t done it to you yet.’
    ‘She has a powerful Eye and she hasn’t any control over it yet,’ John said. ‘Once we have control over it, we can choose the level of effect we have on you. I could quite easily kill you if I turned it completely onto you.’ He smiled gently at Simone. ‘I wasn’t expectinganything quite so powerful out of you yet, love. It’ll be interesting to see what you can blow up with that little Eye of yours.’
    ‘Whoa, really?’ Michael said, aghast. ‘My dad could kill somebody just by looking at them?’
    ‘Once the Tiger was attacked on the Earthly Plane by a band of robbers in the West. This was a long time ago,’ John said, remembering, ‘about a thousand years ago. He was riding alone. He was attacked by a whole group of them, about twenty. He turned his Eye on them and killed them all in one go.’ He smiled grimly. ‘Humans are easy.’
    ‘He didn’t give them a chance at all?’ I said.
    John shook his head.
    ‘You were right, Emma,’ Michael said. ‘He is a bastard.’
    ‘ Lady Emma,’ John corrected.
    ‘Just Emma,’ I said. ‘He’s family.’
    ‘I suppose he is,’ John said. ‘And it’s his turn.’ He gestured towards Michael. ‘On me first. We don’t want to hurt the ladies.’
    ‘Do you want me to show you again, Michael?’ I said.
    Michael nodded. I took his hand and showed him again how to do it.
    ‘Try to open it more, Emma,’ John said. ‘That’s a pathetic attempt if ever I saw one. You won’t be able to kill anything with that.’
    I huffed at the insult, and tried to open the Eye further.
    ‘Try looking deeper inside me,’ John said. ‘Look for the Turtle. It is in there, believe me.’
    I tried hard. I managed a little more. Not very much more, though.
    ‘I suppose that’s the best you can do,’ John said, sounding slightly disappointed. ‘Oh well, humans aren’t supposed to be able to do it anyway.’
    ‘Aren’t they?’ Michael said. ‘Then how come Lady Emma can?’
    ‘No idea,’ John said. ‘We’ll find out eventually. No great hurry. We have all the time in the world. Now, Michael, you try. Look for the Turtle in me.’
    I closed my Eye and released Michael’s hand. I waited and watched him.
    His face relaxed as he concentrated. He closed his eyes. Then his face cleared and he opened his physical eyes. ‘That is the most incredible thing I have ever seen.’
    ‘ Don’t look at Emma ,’ John said sharply. ‘With an Eye like that you could easily kill her. Don’t look at Simone either, I don’t think she could handle it. Excellent,’ he added with satisfaction. ‘Well done. Close it quickly before you hurt somebody.’
    Michael’s eyes snapped back