Spark (Legends of the Shifters) (33 page)

Kurt
came in after him, seeming reluctant. He sat in the seat ahead of us.

“
Ready?”
the man asked, picking his pole back up. He didn’t wait for an
answer before he pushed off the side of the canal and we were forging
forward. We went fast enough for a soft breeze to blow on my face.

Kurt
glanced back at us every now and then, and I wondered why he felt so
tense. I watched the city as it went by. The market was as crowded as
the one in Achron, but much better looking. Plants were displayed on
each stand even if that wasn’t what they were selling. Light
blue was the main color. It added a certain charm that the Achron
marketplace just didn’t have.

A
cheerful man leaned down and placed flower necklaces over each of our
heads. Kurt's miserable expression made me laugh out loud, and Roland
started laughing with me.

I
then realized something that made the smile disappear from my face. I
was being sucked into the thoughtlessness of the Nallans.

Roland
noticed my change of face, and appeared concerned. “What is
it?” he asked.

“
I
just realized that I was forgetting about my problems,” I said.

“
It’s
so easy, isn’t it?” he asked, staring straight ahead.
“...To forget about things while you’re here.”

“
Snap
out of it, Roland. An easy life is not what we were called to have,”
Kurt growled back to him.

Roland’s
face screwed into a scowl. I could tell already that he and Kurt were
going to have a hard time getting along for the rest of the quest.

The
canal started to widen and soon we were among a whole group of boats
heading for the same place.

“
Where
are we going?” I asked.

“
Well,
I thought that once this was over, we could resume our journey, so
we’re headed to the end of the canal, to the northernmost part
of the city.”

I
didn’t answer him. I saw the end of the canal. It ended in a
circle. Stairs led down into the water, stopping just where the water
reached. Here, the main color was light green, although the stones
that made the pavement were still their normal gray and brown.
Flowers grew abundantly in window boxes and raised beds and vines
climbed up the sides of most houses. It was beautiful.

If
you haven’t already guessed, this is where the wealthy live,”
said Roland.

The
boat drew close to the edge, and I got out in a daze, still taking in
my surroundings. “It would be very easy for me to live here,”
I said sadly. But inside, I knew that what Kurt had said was true. We
weren't called to live a life this simple. We had a mission to
complete, and we needed to move ahead with it.

Roland
tipped the boat man before we continued walking. Even though I wanted
to marvel at every house that we passed, I kept my head down until
the stone pathway suddenly stopped, replaced by worn dirt. While
there were still a few houses here and there, we had finally reached
the trees. The ocean wouldn't be too much further, and then we would
be traveling swiftly around the coast.

*****

We
didn’t exhaust ourselves too much before calling it a day.
Because we weren't anywhere near a city, we would have to build a
camp. The conservatory had taught us how to catch food, but it didn't
go into much detail on building shelters. Kurt stayed behind to form
some kind of structure and Roland and I went in search of firewood.
The climate had cooled considerably since we left Nalla. It seemed
almost as cold as Forlander would be at this time of year.

I
changed into half form and was greeted warmth as heat surged through
my veins.

“
You
know, you are especially beautiful when you’re in half form,”
Roland said from behind me.

I
blushed deeply and distracted myself with finding another broken
branch. “I’ve never seen your half form,” I
deflected casually.

He
was quiet for a while and I fought not to glance at him for the
longest time, but then my curiosity got the better of me. I looked
and jumped back suddenly.

His
half form was threatening. He was still wearing the same clothes from
before, but they seemed to melt into his skin. Golden scales lined
his arms and his incisors were pointed, like the fangs of a sea
serpent.

“
I
know,” he said, studying my face. “It’s
intimidating, but it’s the reason why everyone wanted me for
their quests. You see, if I coat my scales with mud, I’m hard
to see in the dark, and I can climb walls because my hands have a
good grip.” He held up one hand. The scales ended at his
fingertips, which were still like a normal human’s. It reminded
me of the white lizards we had in Forlander than would venture out
during the summer.

I
hadn’t looked at him for more than a few seconds before he
changed back into his normal self. His clothes were similar to the
ones he had on when he changed from full second form, but a row of
knives was strapped to his side as well. He continued to pick up some
sticks like nothing had happened and I wondered how he could possibly
act like that.

Then,
I realized why. Kurt was just visible through the pines about fifty
yards away. It would look suspicious if he saw us in deep
conversation rather than gathering firewood like we were supposed to.
I walked a few feet away from Roland and started back on the job.
Soon, I had almost more than I could handle. I headed back to the
camp. When I got there, Roland was waiting for me, and Kurt was
nowhere to be found.

I
could see that he had started to construct a shelter with pine
branches, and I wondered where he had been heading when he passed us
earlier.

Roland
built up the fire, starting with smaller branches and ending with the
larger ones.

He
smiled at me when he was finished. “Would you do the honors?”
he asked.

I
returned the smile. “I can try.”

Before
I could change form, however, I heard a boom sounding from deep in
the woods.

Both
Roland and I spun around to where it had come from, the same
direction that we had been only a few minutes previously.

Kurt
had gone that way. He was in danger.

A big
puff of smoke rose above the trees. I immediately started sprinting
toward it.

The
forest was a blur as I hurriedly changed form, leaving Roland behind.

“
Wait!”
I heard him say, but I didn’t want to. I couldn't let the last
person left in my family get hurt.

I was
at the site of the explosion in seconds. Black tents crowded in an
unnaturally green glade. One of the tents was smoking, but oddly
enough, there were no flames.

There
was no one to be seen, so I changed back into first form and
continued onward cautiously, toward the smoking tent.

I
listened closely before I peeked inside. I could tell that there had
been a small campfire in here, but there was no sign of an explosion.

Almost
as soon as I peered into the tent, I was shoved hard from behind. I
let out a surprised cry and tumbled into the tent, landing on the hot
coals. I felt a slight sting tickle my hands, but nothing more. I
hurried to get back to my feet.

“
I
thought I could get you here,” a woman's voice said coldly.

When
I turned, I saw that she was middle-aged. Her hair was graying at the
roots and wrinkles lined her face in a way that made her seem
permanently unhappy.

“
What
does that mean?” I asked angrily, brushing off my dress. “What
do you want?”

She
glared at me. “It’s not what
I
want. It’s what our leader
wants. I’m just the one to finally catch you.”

I
wanted desperately to get out. I lunged toward the woman, hoping to
surprise her, but my movements were stopped by an unseen force. My
limbs were frozen in place, with my hands stretched out and only one
foot touching the ground. I couldn’t even breathe.

I
tried to call for Roland or Kurt, but my voice only came out in a
quiet squeak.

Outside,
I could hear sounds of struggling. “Let me go!” roared
Kurt’s voice.

There
was shouting of several people and then, silence. Kurt must’ve
been taken out.

Another
squeak came out and I tried as hard as I could to move, but I didn’t
manage even the slightest twitch of my pinky finger. My eyesight was
darkening and I could feel myself starting to slip away. I tried to
recall the memory of my parents, but the woman was already
controlling me.

The
woman smirked. “I can feel you pushing against my power, but
nothing you can try will work. I will, however, loosen my grip on
your throat. I want you conscious for now.”

My
chest unfroze and I gulped in air, the fogginess fading from my
sight. “Who is your leader?” I questioned furiously.
“What do you want with me?”

She
started to circle me like a mountain lion circling its prey. “Well,
who do you think it is? And why do you think we want you?”

“
I
will not give you the satisfaction of answering your questions,”
I spat.

She
laughed, a harsh sound that grated on my ears.

A man
came into the tent. “Sheena, we have no time for that. Our
leader has arrived.”

She
looked at him out of the corner of her eye, still facing me. “Yes,
I suspected he would right about now.”

I
took advantage of the moment she took her eyes off me and pushed
against her power as hard as I could. Her control over me snapped,
and I fell to the ground, breathing hard.

“
Move
aside, Joel,” said a hauntingly familiar voice from outside the
tent.

I
looked up to confirm whether or not the voice belonged to who I
thought it did. My breath hitched in my throat as Roland stuck his
head inside the tent, his familiar brown eyes flicking around the
room and resting coldly on me.

Time
seemed to freeze for a second as we studied each other. I clenched my
fists, and fought not to feel nauseous.

“
You?”
My voice cracked. “You…betrayed me?”

He
narrowed his eyes, and turned to Sheena. “Shoot her,” he
ordered.

Before
he left, however, he gave me one last look. I caught a glimpse of
something in that look. Regret, perhaps?

Then,
as I stared after him, I felt a prick in my neck. I was gone before
my head ever hit the ground.

I
woke up when I slammed against a wall. I thought I was back on
Burton's ship again, but then I heard the clopping of hooves and
realized that we must be in the back of a wagon that had turned
sharply.

Nearby,
Kurt was sleeping, and I noticed something was protruding from his
neck. I reached forward and pulled out a thin stick.

My
own neck felt sore, but when I reached back, there was only a small
bump, like a mosquito bite. Perhaps it had come out when I had
tumbled into the wall.

There
had been a poison station at the conservatory, but I'd never really
worked with it. Even so, I could only guess that we had been forced
unconscious with an herb of some kind.

Memories
started flooding my mind. Roland, who had only ever regarded me with
warmth, had frozen me with his icy stare and his betrayal. The
thought made me shiver. Of all things to expect on this trip, that
had to be the last.