Ember (50 page)

I stood at the steps, mouth agape.
Wow.

When a group coming down forced me to move, I
made my way into the back room. The band wasn't there any longer,
but the fireplace was, a long couch was open right in front of it.
It reminded me of my favorite spot in the lodge library.
How
lucky.

I headed over to it, very cautiously . . .
All of these people were more than a little intimidating. I kind of
wished now that I'd waited for Ikovos and Jaden. . . .

After sitting down for a while and watching
the fire, I opened up my pack and tried to get Tanis to come
out.

“Tanis,” I whispered.

He didn't move.

“Tanis, please come out and keep me
company.”

Still nothing.

I tied it begrudgingly. “You're such a
lackluster friend.” Then I crossed my arms grumpily and looked back
to the fireplace.

I made no other motion till I felt someone
sit on the other side of the couch. Then my eyes slid over. It was
a boy. He was looking at me. I widened a bit, then turned back,
ignoring him.

When he moved closer and addressed me I had
to acknowledge.

“Pretty crowded, aye?” He gestured
around.

I turned to him, smiling shortly. “Yeah.”
Then back.

He continued. “That was some pretty crazy
weather we had last night. . . .”

I didn't reply this time.

“So, are you from here?” he asked.

I looked over at him. He had dark hair and
blue eyes. He seemed like a nice enough fellow, but he was giving
me an obviously interested smile.

I winced then dropped my head in closer to
him. “You better go,” I whispered.

He chuckled at this. “Huh? Why?”

I bit my lip, glancing around. “I'm sure you
mean well, but if you stay here any longer and my friends come
they're going to get the wrong idea.”

He laughed openly now, moving closer to me.
“I think I can handle mysel—!” His face went wide when a hand
wrapped around the back of his shirt, lifting him out of his
seat.

“Alright, fun's over.” It was Ikovos. He had
a placid, intolerant expression on his face.

I just winced.

The boy took a step back immediately, eyeing
him. “Jeez, okay. I didn't mean anything by it.”

Ikovos nodded disapprovingly to him, then
walked past to face me in front of the couch.

“Good morning,” he said sweetly.

“Good morning,” I replied, then looked to the
boy and back to him. “He really was just being nice.”

Ikovos shrugged apathetically. “You're just
lucky it was me instead of Jaden. He's gonna kill you for coming
down alone again.”

“What?” I made an innocent face. “It's
daytime.”

His head shook, then he put out his hand.
“Come on.”

I grabbed it, lifting up and pretty much just
feeling very glad to be with him.

“So how did you sleep?” he asked, starting a
conversation that continued all through breakfast, where Jaden
joined us, and on until we were walking down the road towards the
parts shop.

~ ~ ~

“OKAY, SO AFTER that, you take ten steps?”
questioned Jaden, attempting to understand a game I'd been
describing to them.

“Yeah.” I nodded. “And, you know, whoever
gets there first, wins.”

“That's how it usually goes,” commented
Ikovos.

Jaden shook his head. “I don't get it. . . .
Where do you learn all these games anyways?”

I looked down. The cobble street we were
walking was brightly lit.

“I don't really know . . .”

He smirked, then stopped suddenly. “Be right
back,” he said, before disappearing inside of a tall shop right off
the sidewalk.

I noticed now that the river was running
alongside us, past the buildings to our left.

“Is that the part shop?” I asked, looking to
Ikovos lightly.

He nodded. “Yeah.” He was wearing the same
white t-shirt as yesterday. Lucky for him the rain had stopped in
full force. Now the sun was shining down like a death beam.

“It might be a while,” he continued. “Do you
wanna go check out the river or something?”

I nodded happily, then followed after him
down a path that led to the water’s edge. The river itself was
about six or seven feet below ground level,
very
wide
across. It sparkled quite beautifully, almost
glowing
with
the sun’s light, and reflecting the puffy-cream clouds above.

The whole scene reminded me of something.

“Ikovos, have you ever heard of something
called a Gaeln?”

“A
Gaeln? . . .”
one of his eyebrows
lifted contemplatively as he glanced out over the water “. . . I
don't think so. Is it a type of animal or something?”

My eyes turned back out disappointedly. “No.
Well, I don't
think
so . . . They're supposed to be able to
talk.”

He looked over then. “Talk?”

I nodded.

“But they're not human?”

“Mnm-mm.”

His head tilted quizzically, obviously
skeptical. “And you heard about guys where?”

I pursed my lips, still looking forward. “In
a book.”

“Oh, so it's a fictional creature. . . .” He
seemed relieved. “Like an elf or something.”

My brow knit, considering it. “I don't know .
. . they didn't
seem
fictional. Everything else in the book
was real.”

“Well, what are they supposed to be like?” he
asked casually.

“Umm . . . good . . . and kind . . .
Protectors, sort of. Very strong,. And ah—” I put my hands out “—in
their appearance, they're very light, almost glowing, and
creamy.”

“Creamy?” he repeated with a smirk.

I gave him a look. “You know what I mean,
like the color.”

He gazed back out at the water, so obviously
not buying it.

“The Meoden were in the story too. The Gaeln
fought them in it.”

His attention perked. He looked back at me.
“What book is this?”

“I don't know,” I said, shrugging. “It
doesn't have a name . . . Adzamaruha gave it to me.”

“Oh. . . .” He went back to staring ahead.
I’d lost him again with the mention of the old wizard. Still, I
could tell I'd at least hit a nerve.

“Think about it,” I urged. “It makes sense. I
mean . . . the Meoden are evil, right? Shouldn't there be good
creatures too?”

“You really believe this, don't you?”

I felt a bit taken aback at his words. I
guess I
was
trying to convince him, but . . .
did
I
believe it? . . .

My eyes tightened once, but then I shook out
my head dismissively. “You're right. It's pretty far-fetched. I'm
just letting my imagination get the better of me.”

He smiled. “Happens to the best of us.”

I smiled too, then we both looked out.

After a moment he shrugged. “Nice idea though
. . .” The words drifted wistfully.

I considered them, then had to put a hand to
my mouth to cover a laugh. It still escaped.

“What?” he asked, looking over curiously.

I giggled again. “I've got you believing it
now.”

His eyes narrowed playfully. “Don't assume
everyone's as impractical as you.”

I folded my hands behind my back, rocking
forward. “Not everyone, just you.”

“Hey!”

I laughed again, trotting off evasively.

“Don't just insult me then run off, come back
here.”

He chased me around until we ran into Jaden
who stopped us abruptly with his condescendingly incredulous
eyebrow raise. Still, as we made our way out of Rizenn, his
attitude started to lighten. I think maybe at first he was a bit
wary about last night, what things would be like now because of
it.

I think we all were.

But the morning, the afternoon, it was quite
cheery despite it all. We talked a lot while we traveled, more than
usual. Plenty of laughing as well. Ikovos and I even got Jaden to
play the game I’d been explaining earlier.

About half-an-hour into it I was ahead by
about twenty feet, followed by Ikovos, then Jaden last. It was all
quite the opposite of the normal. I would have to get them to play
this again.

“I am
never
playing this game again,”
said Jaden.

My face flattened.

We'd just gone another round and Ikovos and I
had both done rock, while he'd gone scissors, which meant we took
five steps and he stayed put.

Ikovos smirked at me as we counted off.

Paper. Paper. Rock. . . . Jaden stays back
again.

“That's it -I'm done.” He left his spot to
walk towards us.

“Sore loser,” joked Ikovos. We continued
playing.

“Do you realize how much longer it's going to
take if we keep playing this?” asked Jaden, catching up to our
stalled pace easily.

Ikovos moved forward again, without me this
time. “You can't just refuse to participate in every game you won't
win at.”

We hit off gain and I smiled without
thinking. “Wouldn't be very many, though.”

They both froze. I started turning red.

That . . . wasn’t an okay thing to say. . .
.

Ikovos saved me with a casual smirk. “You're
really helping my case here, Evelyn.”

I looked back ahead. “Sorry.”

Then Jaden passed me, glancing with what I
thought was the smallest smile.

It made me lighten brightly and lose all
correlation with what I was doing with the game. Apparently Ikovos,
who was coming up beside me now, had given up on it anyways.

“Well, if we're not going to play anymore, we
should do some other sort of travel thing.”

“Like what?” I asked, after a few moments of
contemplation.

Ikovos pursed his lips thoughtfully, then
shrugged. “We could sing?”

My features lifted.

“We're only like fifteen minutes away,” said
Jaden, gesturing ahead.

I studied forward. It did look rather like
the woods surrounding the lodge. The sun was still shining
violently, pouring rays here and there between the branches.

“So?” countered Ikovos. “Perfect amount of
time for one.” He smiled contentedly.

I did the same.

But when I turned to Jaden and his eyebrows
were raised skeptically, I suddenly got hit with a jab to the pit
of my stomach.

Music. The band last night. I'd asked him if
he had ever wanted to play something and . . . his parents . .
.

That's why he didn't answer.
I
darkened.

“I already played your silly hand game,
there's no way I'm going to sing,” noted Jaden. His tone was
bothered, but still light. I guess he couldn't always let the past
get him down.

I tried to reign in my own feelings so that I
wouldn’t remind him.

Ikovos frowned. “Why not? You're the only one
who knows the words to anything, plus you have the best voice.”

My attention couldn't help but perk, but
Jaden's gaze turned down to me instantly, so I had to feign
disinterest.

I don't know if it worked . . .

“Drop it, Ikovos,” he said, looking back
ahead.

The blond boy laughed shortly. Then he eyed
me once, and with a wicked smirk leaned in. “You know how I told
you that you sing when you’re alone?”

I blushed. “Yeah . . .”

“Well, he does it too. He’s just more
careful.”

My eyes rose.

Ikovos’s smirk grew to a full out grin.

Jaden's head shook, downcast, but when it
came back up he had a vicious smile.

“Now I'm going to kill you,” he said,
wrapping around me to grab for Ikovos, but the boy was already
off.

I watched on anxiously at first. But it only
took a while of seeing them going round in circles for me to relax.
I think Ikovos was using a spell because he was quite a bit faster
than Jaden.

They were still heading somewhat in the
direction of the lodge, so I just followed at a steady pace on the
road. When I first saw the tall building through the trees, Ikovos
ran up to me huffing.

“I'll see you inside. I'm not gonna last much
longer. Bring him back for me, will ya?” He looked back then,
darting off just in time to Miss Jaden. In seconds he was out of
sight.

Jaden sighed, hunching over with his hands on
his knees. “Dang it.” He looked back at me after a moment. I'd
stopped. “He was using magic, you know,” he said through
breaths.

“I figured.”

He turned back down and I bit my lip
mischievously.

“But that wouldn’t really be considered
cheating, would it,” I added, walking past him.

He let out a heavy breath, almost a chuckle.
I smiled too.

After a second he followed up beside me and
we walked together into the lodge. With no idea how much everything
was about to change.

*

“Jaden. God, there you are.” That was Tirk, a
fifteen year old boy I’d seen a few times around the lodge. As soon
as Jaden had followed me through the door of the lodge he’d run up
to us, expression anxious.

Jaden, who’d been cut off in the midst of
laughing at something apparently humorous I’d said, dropped his
eyes to him, hand out. “Whoa, Tirk, relax. What’s wrong?”

“Right.” The slight boy took a breath then
nodded assertively. “I can’t say now . . .” his eyes grazed me
uncertainly “. . . but you’re needed in the council chamber.”

Jaden’s expression dropped suddenly.

“Did you tell Ikovos?” he asked, tone cold
now.

“Just,” replied Tirk. “He’s probably already
there. I’ve got a couple more people to grab. You should go on
without me.”

Jaden nodded to him then began to turn
towards me. He was going to tell me to head back to my room or
something.

No.
No.

“Am I allowed to go with him?” I asked,
turning to Tirk.

The younger boy seemed a bit panicked. “Ah .
. .” His eyes flicked between both of us. Jaden was narrowing on
him darkly. I went with something softer. “I . . . I’m n-not
sure.”