Spark (Legends of the Shifters) (21 page)

I
looked up at him, stunned for a moment. “What are you doing in
here?” I asked. Roland didn’t have a boy apprentice and
he didn’t live in these dorms. He lived in the tents like Kurt
did. The only reason he could have is a meeting with the headmaster,
but he had been headed out of the building.

Roland
glanced around the foyer. “I’m just…looking at my
old dorm. Haven’t been in here for a while.”

His
excuse sounded a little off.

“
You
don’t sound very sure about that,” I said.

He
looked away.

I
furrowed my eyebrows. “What are you
really
doing in here?”

He
sighed and pulled me out the door. I followed, but at a distance. We
went to the side of the building, where people rarely went.

“
I’m
going to tell the truth, but you can’t be mad at me,”
Roland said.

I
waited for him to begin.

“
I
was spying on your conversation through a vent in the wall. Gibble
allows people to do this if we pay him good money.”

I was
speechless for a few seconds. “Why would you do that?”

“
Well,
it’s a good thing I did. If I hadn’t made you say my
name—”

“
Wait,”
I said, holding my hand up. “You made me say your name?
...Why?”

He
sighed deeply. “Because I knew that I could help you. I’ve
gone on plenty of quests before, and I can be more of an asset than
any of your other friends could. They haven’t been on any
quests, but I have.”

“
And
what if I was going to say that I wanted Kurt to come with me?”
I asked.

“
The
headmaster wouldn’t have let him. He values Kurt more than
Niko.”

I
nodded. “I guess. To tell you the truth, I’m not
completely angry. It makes sense for you to come with me…But
there is one thing that we haven’t considered. What is your
second form?”

He
smiled, relieved. “You don’t have to worry about that,”
he replied. “I’m one of the fastest creatures out there.”

I
raised an eyebrow.

“
I’m
a sea serpent… And although we may have to take an indirect
route, it’ll only slow us down by about two days.”

“
Let's
hope it's only two days,” I said. I started to back away. “I
guess I'll see you early in the morning...”

He
shook his head. “I think it is unwise of the headmaster to send
you out so soon after having your cast taken off.”

“
To
tell the truth, I'm not very thrilled about it either.”

“
We'll
have to be careful for the first few days,” he said.

“
I
know.” I glanced around, but it seemed that Roland and I were
still undiscovered. “I'd better go,” I said.

He nodded. “Me
too.”

I
gave him a half-smile before we parted ways, me going to the front of
the building, and Roland headed around the back. I looked around the
side of the building first to make sure that no one was watching, and
then continued to the training arena, feeling the need to train some
more before leaving in the morning. The new girl that I had seen Grix
picking on earlier was still being made to train even though it was
free time. I felt sorry for her, remembering how hard it had been for
me on my first day.

I
wandered through the stands aimlessly, deep in thought, when I
spotted Liana. It looked as if she was searching for someone. When
she caught sight of me, she hurried over.

“
I
saw the headmaster pull you away. Is something going on?” she
asked.

I
smiled at her. “You know he’s been doing that about every
week, right?”

She
nodded. “I know, but now that you have your cast off, it’s
making me a little more worried.”

My
smile faded. I realized that I would miss her. “I leave early
tomorrow morning.”

Her
face crumpled. “He didn’t even give you enough time for
your arm to recover,” she objected.

“
I
know. It’s very sudden, but I’m not going alone.”

“
Oh?”
she asked.

“
Roland
is going to be coming with me.”

She
raised her eyebrows. “How did you ever manage that?”

“
I
told the headmaster that I wouldn’t go unless someone went with
me,” I answered.

“
And
you didn’t want me to come along with you?” she said,
disappointed.

“
I
didn’t want you to be in danger.”

She
shrugged. “I don’t care about danger. But I understand
your choice. Roland is talented at many things. He could keep you
safe better than I could.”

“
You
are also very talented. But he’s been on many quests and has a
lot of experience.” I found it odd that I hadn’t even
chosen Roland on the quest, and yet I was backing him up. It made me
think back on what Kurt said about our friendship.

She
studied me, her mouth pressed into a worried line. “Well, it’s
almost time for dinner, so let’s go ahead and make our way
there.”

We
found a table together. I didn’t think that I had ever been on
a survival test without Liana, except for the first time, of course.
She always sat next to me, no matter what. I found it comforting that
I had found a good friend. A couple of them, actually, more than I
ever had at the orphanage. Roland and Natalia were also good friends,
and even though Natalia mostly kept to herself, I found myself
trusting her. I’d thought that Grix was a good friend, but
after the bullying that I saw today, I wasn’t so sure. Roselle,
of course, was always a good friend, right from the start. I missed
her.

A
girl and a boy that I didn't recognize joined us at our table, and
then the numbers were brought in.

When
we got to our tent, number 26, it felt so good to finally change and
get to stretch out my wings, although if I strained them too hard, it
would start to hurt. I felt like the tent system was being
quite
ironic today because it set
our scene in the middle of the ocean. I would be traveling over the
ocean a lot in the days to come.

I
caught a few fish that were jumping out of the sea, and a seagull,
although I’ve heard that those can be quite chewy. They were
still a source of food, and in real life, I would have to eat it, but
right now, the food that I caught turned into normal food that the
cook produced in the kitchen. I had learned during my stay here the
kitchen was under the dining hall. Nobody dared to go there because
if someone were caught sneaking anywhere near it, they would be
punished.

I
went to bed as soon as possible because I knew I would be getting up
earlier than I was used to. It would be about the same time that I
used to get up when I went to train with Roland.

Oddly,
I wasn’t able to sleep until everyone else was in their beds
and snoring. My mind was racing, anticipating the freedom of
tomorrow.

Strangely
enough, when I got up the next morning, I felt like I had been
sleeping for days. I was energized and ready to go, jumping out of
bed and jerking on my clothes.

I
was ready in less than five minutes after my eyes had opened. My mind
was racing, but I stopped for a moment to look back at my friends,
Natalia and Liana. I hoped that I would see them again. They were
sleeping peacefully in their bunks, so I didn't want to wake them to
say good-bye.

After
that brief pause, I rushed to the headmaster’s office. I
noticed for the first time since I'd been here that Gibble’s
desk was empty. I knocked on the door, but there was no answer. When
I tried to open it, it was locked.

I
sighed and sat down in Gibble’s chair to wait for everyone to
catch up with me. It must have been ten minutes before Gibble came up
the stairs, rifling through a few papers in his
hands. He
looked up at me, and was so startled that he dropped his papers.

“
W-what
are you doing at my desk?” he sputtered. He lurched forward,
stepping right over the mess he made. “No one sits at my desk
except for me. N-no one!”

I
stood up quickly and backed away from the cluttered mess he called a
desk. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”

Didn’t
know what? That a crazy man would come in and yell at me for sitting
in his seat?

More
steps echoed through the hall, and we both looked over to see the
headmaster. “Really, Gibble, get a hold of yourself. She sat at
your desk for a few minutes.”

“
B-but…”
he protested.

The
headmaster cut him off with a sharp look. Gibble’s shoulders
slumped. “Yes, sir,” he said grudgingly.

Headmaster
Drake waved his hand over the lock and the door opened. At about that
time, I heard more footsteps approaching from behind, and turned to
see Roland's grinning face. The smile was wiped from his face when
the headmaster ordered in a harsh tone, “Both of you, inside.”

I had
no choice but to comply. He went around his desk, and took a book
from his bookshelf. “Sit,” he commanded.

We
sat.

He
began rifling through the pages of the book, his brow creased in deep
concentration.

“
Ah,”
he finally said. He slapped the book down on the desk and pointed at
a picture. Both Roland and I craned our necks to see it. The plant of
eternal life. It was beautiful, but simple. “This is the plant.
Memorize its appearance.”

As we
looked at it for a little longer, he continued with his lecture.
“There are natives that guard it, but against you two, I'd
hardly call them a threat. It should be easy for you to get to the
plant. I believe it to be in the center of the island, up the
mountain, although I don't know its exact whereabouts.” He
turned to the next page and pointed to a map of the kingdoms. H
e
traced his finger along our route, sweeping it around the coast of
Ginsey. “
It shouldn't take you more than a few weeks to
get back here with the plant.”

“
What
happens if we can't find this plant?” Roland asked, leaning
back in his chair.

Headmaster
Drake didn't even look up from the book. “There will be severe
consequences.”

I
swallowed my nerves.

The
headmaster finally looked up and clapped the book shut with one hand.
He reached into his pocket and brought out a small bag, tinkling with
coins. He tossed it our way, and Roland caught it. “In that bag
are fifteen gold coins for both of you to share during the journey,
but keep your load light or your pace will slow,” he said.

As he
walked around the desk, Roland and I stood. He led the way out of his
office and down to the doors of the boys' dormitory. Just before he
opened the doors, he stopped and turned to face us.

“
One
more thing,” he said, looking straight at me. “During the
quest, you should keep your second form hidden. If anyone finds out
that you are the phoenix, bad things could happen.”

I
raised my eyebrows. “Why is that?”

He
twisted his mouth up into a smile. “I might tell you when you
graduate.” He then turned to the door again, and opened it for
us.