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@j-a-penrose Okay, guys, new total!! (Sorry I blinked out of existence for a few days. I caught the flu, and just now got better. As a result, my total is slightly smaller than what it was projected to be. But I still did quite a bit today, at least)

My total is: 30,718 words!!!

Favorite section: Her brother took her silence for grim acceptance, and slowly opened the bag he held between them. “I brought these back with me from killing the phoenix,” he said, and his voice held honor and reverence. “Perhaps they will aid my research.” From the bag, he carefully withdrew eight curved, ivory-colored objects, although they were splattered with blood on some pieces. A few of the edges were jagged, and the pieces were each about the length of Rona’s hand.

Rona’s eyes widened. “They look like…phoenix claws!”

“That’s what they are!” Vorok grinned with excitement and looked at Rona, his eyes glittering. “Sister, I took these from the phoenix we killed!”

Rona wanted to be sick. In her shock and dismay, she couldn’t speak.

“And that’s not all I took.” Vorok withdrew several long, thin feathers, colored auburn and fiery red. He showed them to Rona, fingering their soft edges. “These came from the tail of the phoenix. I found that they are stronger than the strongest cords we can make! Imagine if we could use these for sewing, or for making rope! They could even be used for defenses somehow, I’m sure of it!”

Rona swallowed. She refused to touch the tail feathers.

“And last of all…” Vorok ignored Rona’s hesitance. After laying aside the feathers and claws, he slowly reached back into the bag and withdrew something bigger than both his fists put together, something red and fleshy, which smelled like venison, but with a more rancid tang. And it was the source of the blood Rona had seen on the bag and everything else it held.

The heart of the phoenix.

Rona backed away, covering her gaping mouth with the back of her hand. No, no, no, no…he was supposed to burn it all! “You were supposed to burn it!” Her thoughts suddenly burst from her mouth, and Rona shrieked at her brother. “You were supposed to burn it all! Not bring it home! Not touch it! Not use it! It’s Sescapa Mordoc’s dark power! It’s evil! It’s evil! It’s—”

Vorok suddenly put the heart down on top of the bag, and lunged forward and grabbed Rona, clamping his hand over her mouth. “Not so loud!” he hissed. “Father’ll hear you!”