Seizing the moment, Felix scrambled to his feet. He threw himself toward the door, desperate to reach safety before the phoenix's beak could come down on his soft flesh. As soon as Felix's feet started to pound on the stone floor below, a piercing shriek filled the damp air of the terrible cell, followed by a flash of golden light. Felix heard the phoenix's sharp talons scraping against the the floor and it felt as thought the air began to boiled behind Felix. Felix could make a good assumption that the phoenix's breath was what was rushing past him which meant the phoenix was close behind with an open beak edging closer to him.
Felix didn't look back once, but he kept the image of a monstrous bird, beak open wide, chasing him to give him encouragement to run faster. Felix to the door with the beak inches behind him. He had no idea he was going to make it to the door in time until...
SLAM! Lord William had actually taken Felix's hand and pulled him in just before a guard slammed the iron door behind Felix. The phoenix collided with the door hard, but the strong iron didn't budge despite the bird's strength. It was obvious that the impact was going to either leave a bruise or a bump on the phoenix's head. Felix whirled around just in time to see the bird wreathed in golden light. The spectacular yet frightening golden light flickered across the feathers, breathing life into the colors of the plumes. Felix gaped at it for a moment before bending over and breathing frantically to try and catch his breath. He had never ran that fast in all his life!
Lord William only chuckled and dusted off his hands. "Pull yourself together, slave!" he snapped, "The thing's too young for real fire."
Felix nodded, trying hard to catch his breath before Lord William decided to slap him. Felix thought about Lord William's actions. "He had saved my life," Felix thought. He had thought that the wicked man had finally done something nice for a change, but then reality hit him. "He just used me as bait. He threw me in there to distract the phoenix long enough for them to get the cage out of the cell!"
"You used me as bait," Felix muttered.
"It's better loosing a slave than one of my guards or soldiers," Lord William informed Felix.
"He hasn't changed one bit," Felix thought.
"Now, you'll be feeding it twice a day. Get the meat from that fat woman up in the kitchen and bring it down here. All you have to do is throw it the scraps, got that? Right through the bars," Lord William told Felix, "The only thing you can't throw through the bars is the water. However, you could just fill up a bowl and put it in while it's distracted with the meat."
The human sized door was made of tough iron bars that Felix could easily slip his hands through. It would have been easy enough for Felix to throw things through the bars. (That's probably why Felix was chosen out of all the other slaves.) Felix nodded again. As long as he didn't have to completely enter the cell again he'd be fine with taking care of the phoenix.
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Several days passed, and Felix dutifully brought the pail of meat scraps from the kitchen every morning and night. It was unnerving to toss the slimy strips into the dark, listening to that razor-sharp beak snap them up, but he was glad to keep a safe distance. The only time he actually had to open the door was to fill a bowl of water for the phoenix. He would first toss the meat so that the phoenix would be distracted while he opened the door and filled the water. Luckily, the phoenix kept the bowl near the door.
Lord William seemed pleased with the bird's progress, and Felix had so far avoided getting beaten for any imagined negligence. It was, of course, his main concern - that the creature thrive so no one would have anything to blame him for.
Things might have continued on in just this way, but one evening, just as he finished throwing the last scrap, he heard the telltale rustle of the phoenix moving. The guards paid no attention. They didn't even hear the rustle because they were at the dungeon entrance on the other side of the door. Felix stood still and watched the creature approach. It stared at him through the bars, then slowly leaned forward.
A feather was held in its beak.
"Is it offering this to me?" Felix wondered. The bird looked at him with shiny eyes and held the feather still, just within reach.
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