Spark (Legends of the Shifters) (17 page)

“
Ivy!”
Grix shouted as he made his way across the training field. “What
did you do to get a Level Eight?”

“
That’s
exactly what I wanted to tell you,” I yelled in reply. I
climbed off the beam, and waited for them to come closer.

“
I
beat Niko in sword practice yesterday,” I said with a smile as
soon as he and Roland were close enough to hear.

Roland
clapped me on the back. “I told you it would work, didn't I?”

“
What
would work?” January questioned suspiciously.

“
Your
weighted sword. We figured that practicing with it would make
handling a regular sword easier,” answered Roland.

Her
eyes narrowed. “Glad I could help,” she said in a
dangerously quiet voice. Then she walked off to get a sword of her
own.

“
We
should start practicing with something else,” Roland said,
breaking my attention away from January.

The
idea surprised me. “We should? Why?”

“
You
can’t complete every mission with a sword,” he said.
“There are many other tools you'd need. Knives and arrows and
staffs and poisons. Hammers and slingshots. Not to mention the
double-sword.”

“
Double-sword?”
I asked.

“
That’s
where you fight with two swords instead of one. But that’s not
what I suggest for our next lesson. You need to know how to wield a
smaller weapon. Something you can use when you’re sneaking. You
don’t want to lug a sword around on quests that require
stealth.”

“
Then
how about the knife?” I offered.

He
nodded. “Exactly what I was thinking.”

Knife
fighting was much trickier than I thought it would be. You had to be
fast and agile so that you could dodge and lunge without getting
stabbed. Roland had us start with the wooden training knives, and by
the time the trumpets sounded, I had bruises everywhere. So far, the
knife wasn't my strong suit.

Everything
seemed to be back to normal. Regular survival tests, and Niko
resorting to obstacles again. The only thing different was that I was
starting to like training, just like Roselle said some people did. I
crammed it into every free hour I had, only stopping to sleep. Pretty
soon I could hit the bulls-eye almost every time. I perfected knife
fighting, the smooth rhythm of the double-sword, and aiming with the
slingshot. Staff fighting was a little harder for me to grasp, but I
got the basics.

Two
more months passed in a flash, and snow was bound to start falling
soon.

Unfortunately,
no matter how many weapons I learned how to use, Niko only ever put
me through the obstacles. It was bothering me quite a bit. I didn’t
see how I was going to graduate when he only focused me on one thing.
It was like he refused to see my other abilities.

Roland
was catching on, too. “Why hasn’t Niko advanced you to a
Level Nine yet?” he asked one day when we were almost done
training. “Compared to the others, you’re skilled enough
to graduate…but only because of me.”

I
shrugged. “Maybe he knows how much I hate it here,” I
said glumly. I looked over at January and Grix. They were far enough
away that they wouldn't hear our conversation.

“
Or
maybe he’s waiting for something. You might've forgotten, but I
had Niko as my trainer as well,” Roland said.

“
And
what did you do to end it? What was your grand finale?” I
inquired.

“
A
challenge,” he said. “I challenged him.”

I
stared at him, surprised. “How did you beat him?” I
asked. “He’s a wizard!”

“
I
am too,” he said. “Not very trained, I admit, but I know
how to defend myself.”

“
I’m
not.
I don’t see how that could work for me.”

“
It’s
simple really,” Roland said. “Magic hates peace, because
magic is created by the father of mayhem. Just imagine the most
peaceful place in your mind, and Niko's magic is useless against
you.”

“
A
peaceful place?” I asked.

He
nodded. “Mine is the tree house that I used to hide in when my
father would get mad at me. I would stay up there for hours before
coming back down.”

I
knew what my place was. The clock tower in the orphanage. That’s
where I sought out stillness.

“
So
let me try out a simple trick on you, and see if it works,”
Roland continued. “If it doesn’t, you’re doing it
right. If it does, the opposite.”

I
imagined my clock tower. The dusty gears, the cold, gray light, the
silence. Then, all of a sudden, I was blown off my feet. I yelped and
flailed my arms before I landed on my back, stunned.

Roland
was doubled over, laughing. I heard January scoffing from behind me.

“
It’s
not funny!” I yelled angrily as I got up and brushed my pants
off.

He
straightened and tried to paste on a serious face. “Of course
not. And, uh…you didn’t do it right.”

“
But
I imagined a peaceful place!” I shouted, angry.

“
No.
You have to imagine the
most
peaceful place that you
know,” he said. “Let’s try again.”

I
glowered. “Wait until I say I’m ready,” I said. I
closed my eyes and searched my mind for the most peaceful thing I
knew. Then, up came the thought of my mother, putting the flower in
my hair with her kind smile.

“
Hey,
it worked!” Roland said, bringing me out of my memory.

“
I
told you to wait!” I said with a frown. I was surprised,
however, that that was my peaceful memory.

“
It
was so funny the first time, I wanted to do it again,” Roland
countered with a shrug.

“
Should
we practice a few more times until I’ve got the hang of it?”

He
raised his eyebrows. “After you’ve done it once, you’ve
done it a thousand times. All you have to do is think about it. Do
you have to practice thinking?”

“
No,”
I said with a shrug.

“
Then
you’re ready to go up against him. Plus, you’ve got more
skills than I did when I graduated. Unless he’s gotten a lot
better, he doesn’t stand a chance.”

I
nodded nervously. “When should I offer up the challenge?”

He
smiled. “The sooner, the better. I’d say this morning is
a good time. Before you even start to train.”

The
trumpets sounded, as if on cue. “Then perhaps I’ll be
your equal in a week.”

He
chuckled and shook his head. “Not possible. It took me a while
to get this position. You’ll have to go on many quests before
you get where I am.”

I
sucked in a breath and blew it out slowly. “I wish I had a
simpler life,” I mused, staring off into the distance.

“
Don’t
we all…” Roland replied. We exited the arena after Grix
and January.

Breakfast
was easy, but I made sure not to eat too much. I didn't want to throw
up in the challenge cage. It would give Niko enough time to eat me
alive.

As
soon as I walked into the arena, he fell into step beside me. I
looked over at him, and then forward again, pretending to study the
students that had already begun training. “I challenge you,”
I said, my voice bold.

He
snorted. “Been talking to Roland lately? That won’t work
twice.”

My
bravery withered into chaff. What could I do now? My mouth spoke up
before I could think any further. “I meant, I challenge you
and
your brother. Together, at the same time.” I winced. What was I
thinking?

“
He’s
not my brother,” Niko growled.

I
stayed quiet.

He
scrutinized me. “Fine. I take you up on your offer. We’ll
fight after break time. Until then, I’ll let you prepare
yourself.” He walked away, no doubt to find Kurt.

My
heart flopped wildly inside my chest. I needed to find Roland. I
searched almost the entire arena before I found him. He was training
Natalia. I'd had no idea that he was her trainer. I waited at the
side of the training area. When Roland saw me, he ended the fight by
knocking Natalia’s staff out of her hands.

He
gestured for her to run a lap around the arena, and Natalia gave me a
calculating look before sprinting off.

“
How
did he take it?” asked Roland.

“
He
didn’t,” I replied.

Roland
seemed taken aback. “And what did you do? He’s not with
you right now, so I’m guessing you said something to change his
mind.”

I bit
my lip. “I said that I would fight him and Kurt at the same
time.”

Roland’s
eyes widened. “Do you know what you’ve gotten yourself
into?” he asked.

“
Not
really,” I said with a sigh.

“
Kurt
has never lost a match.
Never
.
The headmaster knew that he was special when he picked him up off the
streets. The headmaster started training him immediately. He placed
him in the school after his trial. I think the headmaster knew that
his own son would never measure up. Niko is only a snake.”

My
throat went dry. “And what is Kurt’s second form?”
I asked, something I probably should’ve considered before I’d
made the offer to Niko.

“
A
griffin. Half lion, half eagle. Imagine six hundred pounds dropping
on you from above.”

I
shuddered.

“
What
should I do? Is Kurt a wizard also?”

“
No,”
Roland replied. “You got lucky there. I know how to block out
one wizard, but two could probably overtake you.”

“
Do
you know what Kurt’s strength is?” I asked.

“
Besides
his second form? I think he’s just a well-rounded guy, but I
heard that he was really good at the slingshot even when he first
started.”

I
would have to go with my gut. And if I lost, I guess I’d be
staying a few extra months in captivity.

Snow
started to fall.

I
looked up in surprise. The first snowfall. I wasn’t expecting
it today. The sky had been clear this morning, but now when I looked
up, there was a light dusting of clouds. On the horizon, thicker
clouds announced harsher weather on the way.

I
glanced over as Natalia came running up, breathing hard. “Okay,
what’s next?” she asked Roland.

I
took that as a signal to leave. I muttered a good-bye and walked away
from them. I had no idea where I was going until I was there. I
grabbed a few knives from the knife station, and turned them over in
my hand. I walked thirty paces away from a target and aimed.

The
first one missed the bulls-eye slightly, but the second one hit, and
so did the third.

I
practiced a few more times, and then moved on to the next stand,
which was the spear. I worked my way down the stands of weapons until
break time.

I
couldn’t eat anything, so I just sat at the table, trying to
bridle in my nerves. They were bucking around in my stomach like a
wild horse. Liana sat with me, but didn’t say anything until
the end. “Do you have another challenger?” she asked me.