Spark (Legends of the Shifters) (11 page)

I
collapsed in the chair that I usually sat in. The one I had sat in
almost every day before my life was pitched into confusion. “How
late is it?” I asked.

“
Three-ish,”
he said. “I hadn’t had the time to eat lunch, so I
settled for an early supper.”

It
had taken me three hours to get here? “I only have a few
minutes to talk, and that’s only if I hurry back,” I told
him. I rushed to say the next thing I had been waiting to mention.
“But first, I want to tell you that I was forced not to say
good-bye. The man I was with was a wizard, and he controlled my
actions. I so desperately wanted to say good-bye.” I held my
breath even though I really needed it at that moment.

Ayon
frowned, and I worried what he was going to say next. “I know
it wasn’t you,” he said, allowing me to heave a sigh of
relief. “But I despise the fact that you weren’t allowed
to talk to us, even for just a second.”

I
didn’t reply, thinking back to that day that felt like months
ago, but happened to be a little less than a week ago.

“
I
never got to give you your birthday present,” said Ayon,
filling the silence.

“
Oh?”
I said, grinning at him. “Do you have it with you?”

He
lifted a finger and walked into the horse stall that he’d
turned into his bedroom. He came back holding a velvet cloth,
something we never saw at the orphanage for its expense.

“
Velvet?!”
I exclaimed. “Where did you get that?”

“
I
had to save up for it, that’s all,” he said. “But
there’s more.” He folded back part of the fabric,
exposing a simple, but beautiful ring.

I
stepped closer to study it. There was a small, red gem, twinkling in
the streams of light that shone through the cracks in the walls.

“
Ayon,
you don’t mean it,” I said, disbelieving. “That’s
too much.”

He
shook his head. “No, its not. I wish I had something better,
something worthy of you.”

My
smile began to fade as I realized what was happening.

He
barreled on before his nerves betrayed him. “I want you to have
it because...I love you.” He took two long strides forward and
grabbed my hand. “Will you accept my gift? Will you marry me?”

I
looked down at my feet and slipped my hand out of his. I had known
Ayon for a long time. We used to meet in the yard every day to play
with each other. To me, Ayon is like a brother. A friend. He’s
someone that I’ve never thought of romantically. Plus, after
everything that's happened, there was no way that I could think about
something like that.

“
Ayon…”
I started.

His
eyes darkened.

“
I
don’t know how to say this, but…things have happened
since I left. Things are not the same, and because my life has gone a
new direction, I'm afraid that I can't... I can't marry you.” I
felt my face turn bright red at the prospect.

He
turned away.

“
I’m
sorry,” I whispered.

“
It’s
fine,” he said, perhaps a little too aggressively.

My
heart sank as I realized that things would never be the same. I would
always feel awkward around him now.

I
took a step back, my eyes watering. My best friend, now just an
awkward acquaintance.

He
glanced at me just before I turned to go. “You can’t feel
anything at all? I could love you and make sure you're safe. Always.”

I
shook my head. “I just don’t feel that way,” I
said.

He
looked away again.

I
sighed heavily. “I'm afraid I don't have time to go see Elna.
Please tell her that I said hello and that I miss her.”

After
a while of silence, I said, “And I'll miss you too, Ayon.”

When
he didn't reply, I turned and hurried out of the stable. Out of all
the things to expect out of today, this was not one of them. I got
back into the air as quickly as I could, and circled my old home,
memorizing the way it looked before I had to leave. Down below, I saw
Ayon watching me. I was almost angry at him for ruining our perfect
friendship, but it turned to sadness as quickly as it had come.

I
sang a somber farewell, and then started toward the conservatory. My
mind was somewhere else as I made my way back. When I was only
halfway there, I was starting to feel faint from over-exercise. I
needed a rest, and fast, before I fell to the ground. I soared low,
searching the rough terrain for a good landing spot. Up on a hill,
there was a lone tree surrounded with the wiry yellow grass of
winter.

I
landed clumsily and stumbled. The insensitive weeds snagged my
feathers. I sunk down into them, uncaring, and tried to steady my
breathing. Before long, the weeds seemed much more comfortable and
warm compared to flying. I told myself to get up, but my body argued
stubbornly with my brain. I was soon asleep.

*****

I
woke up to the sound of sniffing. The sound of an animal.

I was
instantly awake, and before I did anything else, I changed back into
first form.

I,
like everyone else in my kingdom and the surrounding kingdoms, had
heard many tales about the unfortunate people who had been killed in
their second form. That’s why people who turn into smaller or
hunted animals rarely transform for fear that they’ll die.

The
animal was a wolf, it's coat a dusky gray, its yellow eyes staring at
me hauntingly. I was surprised that it hadn't already taken a chomp.

The
wolf jumped back, and tilted his head, confused by the sudden
transformation and bright light. I watched him, trying to pinpoint
whether or not he was tame. A wag of his tail put my mind at ease.

I
ignored him then, looking around. If he was out here, there was bound
to be some sort of homestead out here also. Wild wolves were much
skinnier than he was. Sure enough, I caught sight of a small cabin,
painted white, farther down the hill. It was far enough away that I
was sure no one would see me.

“
Go
on!” I shouted. “Get!”

He
just tilted his head the other way and sniffed the air.

I
didn’t have time for this. I knew I needed to get back.

I
stopped my thoughts. People knew I was missing already. They would be
searching for me, and I might even be put into prison like the girl
that had had my bunk previously. Why did it matter how fast I got
back anymore? I turned the other way, toward potential freedom.

Which
way should I go? Left or right? Captivity or freedom? I was tempted
to run away, but my reasoning put an end to the idea. They would
search for me until they found me. I would always be running away. I
would always have to keep hidden, and that wasn’t a life I
wanted for myself.

I
started to walk toward the school, hoping that the dog would stay
near his home, so that I could transform safely. I was startled when
a voice spoke up, stopping me dead in my tracks.

“
I
was wondering which way you would go,” it said.

I
spun around. The wolf was gone, replaced by a middle-aged man. His
face was pinched, his hair blond, and his eyes a fading blue. He
looked familiar.

“
Who
are you?” I asked. “And why do you care?”

He
gave me a sly smile and started to walk past me, motioning for me to
follow. “I believe you’ve met my son, Niko,” he
said.

I
frowned. So that's why he looked so familiar. “Yes, I have.”

“
I’m
the headmaster.”

I
nearly tripped over my feet. I turned and stared at him for a second
before asking, “What will happen to me? Will I be put in a
prison?”

He
gave the notion some thought. “No... You are much too important
to us for that. But you
will
be punished.”

My
heart thumped in my chest. What kind of punishment? Was it the kind
that left scars like the ones on the side of Kurt's face?

We
came upon a road with two horses tied up to a tree branch. One was as
white as snow, standing tall and proud, whereas the other was a dingy
brown and smaller, it’s ribs showing faintly beneath its coat.

The
headmaster climbed up onto his steed, gesturing for me to get up on
the lesser one. Luckily, I already knew how to ride a horse. After
Ayon had become a stable-hand, he’d taught me how to ride in
his free time. It was one of the things we looked forward to on the
weekends. However, one thing I did not know how to do was ride
side-saddle. I was always in trousers whenever we practiced.

I
straddled the horse, blushing furiously when my dress came all the
way up to my knees. After rearranging it, I got it to stay down at my
ankles. Once I was situated, the headmaster started off at a brisk
pace. It took some persuading, but I finally got my reluctant mount
to follow behind. It seemed as if they had picked the worst horse to
serve me for the journey.

The
headmaster didn’t seem to notice that I was shivering. My
dress’s sleeves only came to the elbow, and my arms were
turning red with the cold. My nose, ears, and cheeks were freezing.
The only warmth I got came from the horse, who finally proved useful
for something.

When
we got to the school, things seemed irregular. A few people wearing
leather padding were walking alongside the buildings, keeping an eye
on things. I didn’t remember it being like that before.

The
headmaster seemed to notice what I was observing. “I put them
on duty when we heard that you were missing. We wanted to make sure
that no one else got out, but even after they were put into place,
someone
did
get out. A girl named Roselle. My son told me he’d seen you
both together.”

It
felt like a hand grabbed my throat, choking my breath to a stop.
“Yes, I do believe we’ve talked a few times,” I
said haltingly.

The
headmaster raised his eyebrows. “By what my son said, I’d
think you were thick as thieves.”

I
shrugged and looked away, my gaze involuntarily flicking to someone
moving closer to us. It was Niko. The headmaster slowed his horse,
motioning for me to continue toward the stable. I did as he wanted,
but before I was out of hearing range, I heard:

“
There
has been some news…”

“
What
is it?”

“
The
girl is back. And we’ve no proof that she left in the first
place.”

“
Then
make some.”

After
that last sentence, the words were too quiet for me to hear. I
reached the stable and dismounted, trying hard to keep my dress down.
I tried not to react to the news. I couldn’t yet, otherwise
Niko and his father might know that I had heard. I had to warn
Roselle before she was convicted for doing something that she might
not have done, or if she did, it was for my sake.

I
placed the reigns in the stable girl’s hands, and hurried to
get to the arena, where everyone would probably be at this time.

Everything
seemed normal. Students were working with their trainers and a
challenge was going on inside of the fence. There was nothing
different in here, but when I tried to find Roselle, there was no
sight of her. I finally found Liana training with a staff. I was
surprised at how good she was. Her trainer was big and burly, whereas
Liana was tall—at least, taller than me—but skinny. In
the end, her trainer had his staff pressed against her throat, but he
was out of breath and had almost lost the fight.