Spark (Legends of the Shifters) (31 page)

I had
family. It felt good to know that.

*****

The
next day after lunch, I couldn't find Roland anywhere. I searched
below decks, in the storeroom, and even knocked on the door to the
captain's quarters only to receive no answer and no sign of Roland. I
was about to circle back to the kitchen when I spotted movement from
above.

The
sun made it almost impossible to see, but I recognized Roland's tall
form and naturally relaxed stance. He was acting as a lookout. I gave
a heavy sigh, and started climbing the ladder, not even considering
whether or not there would be room for both of us up there.

Only
when I had nearly reached to top, did he finally realize that I was
there. He turned and looked down at me with surprise. “Ivy?
What are you doing up here?” He moved to the side, and pulled
me up onto the platform.

“
I
need...to tell you something,” I said as I tried to regain my
balance. The platform didn't allow either of us much room. A few
boards were missing and the rocking of the waves made me feel dizzy
at this height. I leaned against the railing, but it was weak and
nearly gave way. Roland caught my arm again to steady me, and pulled
me away from the edge. We were uncomfortably close.

“
You'd
better tell me what it is before you pitch yourself overboard,”
he said.

I
blushed and smoothed my hair back, trying to recover my composure.
“Kurt and I have decided that tomorrow night will be the best
time to leave.”

“
I
figured that would be the case,” he replied.

“
Are
we going to tell anyone else of our departure?” I asked.

“
I'm
sure Burton has already guessed that we're going to leave soon. As
for the others, I would prefer it that no one else knew. I don't want
to blow your cover. If news of you reaches the ears of the enemy, it
could be bad for us.”

“
What
about Sophia?” I asked.

He
thought about it. “If you think she's trustworthy, go ahead and
tell her. Make sure she knows that it is a secret, though.”

“
Of
course.”

Roland
studied me for a long time. Just as he opened his mouth to say
something, a sailor popped his head up from the ladder. “I'm
back, so you can return to your former duties,” he said
gruffly. He seemed to notice me for the first time. “My
apologies. I didn't know you were up here, miss.” He raised his
eyebrows at Roland.

I
felt my cheeks grow hot.

The
sailor hoisted himself up, making the mast creak as I tried to wedge
myself past him to get to the ladder. The awkward moment stretched
out for a few seconds before I finally managed to get to the ladder,
and climbed my way down to freedom.

I
didn't wait for Roland to join me. We both had chores to do, and I
didn't want to keep Sophia waiting any longer.

She
didn't seem to mind my absence, humming happily as she did the
dishes. She nodded at me as I entered.

I
started helping her dry them. I figured I would skip to the point.
“I'm going to be leaving soon.”

She
looked at me out of the corner of her eye. “I know that, silly.
Every passenger leaves the boat eventually.”

“
I
mean that I'm going to leave sooner than we dock. Tomorrow night to
be exact.”

“
Oh,”
she said, frowning as she stopped scrubbing a plate. “Why?”

“
Roland
and I are on a quest. We want to get it over with as soon as
possible.”

She
sighed. “I suppose that's understandable.”

“
You
can't tell anyone else about our plan,” I said. “We're
going to be leaving when everyone else is asleep.”

“
But...why?”

I
stopped drying the dish and faced her with a serious expression to
show the importance of what I was telling her. “To keep my
identity a secret.”

She
squinted her eyes. “Your identity? Most of the crew already
knows that you're from the conservatory.”

“
I
know,” I replied. “But not everyone knows what my second
form is.”

“
Your
second form must be pretty important...Is it so important that you
can't tell me?” she asked.

I
hesitated, but eventually answered, “Not really...I'm a
phoenix.”

She
shrugged. “I don't even know what that is.”

I
smiled. “I didn't either at first. But other people might, and
bad things could happen if they found out.”

She
smiled. “You can trust me,” she said. “I won't tell
a soul.”

“
I
know,” I replied. “That's why I told you.”

Her
smile widened. “I'm glad that we've become such good friends,”
she said, as she scrubbed another dish with her sponge.

“
Me
too,” I answered.

*****

The
next night, we waited for everyone to go to sleep before we dared to
venture out of our own bunks and onto the deck.

I was
surprised when I was the first one on the deck. Then, Burton came out
of the hatch, followed by Kurt and Roland. Sophia came out of the
kitchen holding a lantern, closing the door softly behind her.

“
Are
we ready?” Roland asked Kurt and me.

“
Wait,”
I said.

Sophia
and Burton stood off to the side. Before we left, I had to say one
last goodbye to both of them. I ran up and hugged Sophia first.
“Thank you for your friendship,” I said.

She
smiled after the hug. “And thank you for yours...and for
helping me out in the kitchen.”

“
That
was nothing,” I said with a smile.

I
moved on to Burton and gave him a hug also. “Thank you for
everything,” I said.

He
chuckled. “I was already headed out to Nalla. You don't have to
thank me.”

“
Yes,
I do. You could have chosen not to take us. If it weren't for you, we
probably would have been on the same boat that Kurt was on.”

He
shrugged. “Perhaps.”

I
sighed, and turned back to Roland and Kurt. “Alright. I guess
I'm ready now.”

Roland
ran and dove over the side of the ship. Kurt and I followed. We
changed in midair, and hefted ourselves into the air with our wings.
Roland changed form right before he landed in the sea sending a huge
wave in all directions, and causing Burton's ship to rock.

I
looked back at the light of Sophia's lantern one last time before I
followed Roland and Kurt into the darkness of the night.

*****

I
glided down to the dock, landing as softly as I could, and changed
into first form quickly. I was glad that the clouds were covering the
light of the moon. We would surely be seen otherwise. Kurt landed and
transformed beside me. It surprised me that he had fared the journey
so well. Perhaps his second form had good stamina or maybe he had
just trained for long trips.

I
turned my attention away from him and searched the bay for Roland. I
didn't see him anywhere, in either form. The water was still and
everything was silent except for our breathing. Worry started to gnaw
at my insides. Had something happened to him? Then, he surfaced,
gasping for breath. He floundered for a little while before heading
in our direction.

“
Sorry
for taking so long,” he said, pausing to take in a breath. “I
went down a little too far.”

I
sighed with relief. “Thank goodness. I thought you might've
been injured.”

“
You
don’t have to be worried. A sea serpent's skin is almost
impossible to penetrate.”

“
At
least there’s that,” I said, turning away to look at the
quiet city. There were no windows with light seeping out into the
night. I only saw darkness. It must have been pretty late, maybe
three or four o’clock in the morning.

Roland,
still sopping wet, led the way. I suspected that both Roland and Kurt
knew their way around town, seeing as they'd had so many quests.

Roland
directed us toward an inn. I couldn’t make out the words on the
sign in the darkness, but Kurt spoke up about Roland’s choice.
“Shouldn’t we go to Tin Tavern? Maven Lily Inn is a bit
high-priced.”

“
I
know people,” Roland said with a smile as he opened the door.
That was no surprise. He seemed to know people wherever we went.

A
bell that hung on the door rang as we went inside. Inside it smelled
nice, like lavender and vanilla. The tables were well polished with
chairs pushed in. At the back of the room, there was a counter, but
no one stood behind it. Then again, I hadn’t really expected
anyone to be there at this time of night.

That's
why I was surprised when a woman came out in a fur-lined bathrobe,
squinting blearily in the sudden light. By the bags under her eyes, I
guessed she was used to being awoken by late visitors.

Roland
took in her appearance. “Maven?” he asked.

The
woman studied him. “Why, if it isn’t Roland! I haven’t
seen you in ages! It’s been what—two years? And why are
you soaked? You’re getting water all over my floor.”

He
looked down at his clothes and shrugged. “Sorry. Just thought
I’d go for a swim.”

Maven
studied Kurt and I before her eyes flicked back to Roland. “So,
I’m guessing that you need three rooms?” she asked.

Roland
nodded.

She
looked us up and down one more time. I was wearing my usual red
dress, and Kurt wore a loose white shirt with tan trousers.

“
You
look like a respectable group and the rooms I have left are small, so
I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you a deal…one
silver a piece.”

Roland
smiled, and said, “As always, you are very generous, Maven.”

She
shrugged, walking toward a safe. She unlocked it and took out three
little keys. “You look hungry,” she said when she turned
back. “You’re all nothing but skin and bones, especially
you, girl.”

I
flushed as she handed us each our key. She turned her back and led
the way through the kitchen and into the pantry. It smelled
deliciously of freshly baked bread and rosemary.

“
I
only finished baking a few hours ago,” she said taking out
something wrapped in a cloth. “It was an experiment, but it
turned out very good. There is also cheese and fruit and meat. Help
yourself to anything you find.”

“
We’ll
try not to eat your whole pantry,” Roland said jokingly.

“
I
don’t care if you do, as long as you restock my food stores
before morning,” she said.

Roland
motioned to Kurt and me with a mischievous glint in his eye. “I'll
make sure these two exercise some self-control so that we won't have
to.”

Maven
laughed. “I've witnessed your eating habits. It's you that we
have to worry about.” She paused and studied him. “It’s
been a long time, Roland. I’m glad to see you again.”

“
And
I'm glad to see you,” he replied.

She
smiled warmly and turned. “Anyway, I’ve got to get back
to bed. If anyone else comes to the door, tell them that we’re
full.”

She
didn’t stop to hear us reply before starting up the stairs in
the back of the kitchen.