Ice Phoenix (19 page)

"We have a problem," said Lorn. He was lying on the grass next to the lake, throwing a ball into the air and catching it repeatedly. Mikin was sprawled out next to him.

"What's that?" Mikin didn't sound too happy.

"Terrana met the prince."

"Why's that a problem? She probably wanted to return his coat."

"It's a problem, Mikin, because I met them outside her room. She was wearing his coa
t
— agai
n—
, they were both soaking wet, and ... she wasn't wearing anything else under the coat!"

"Oh."

Lorn sat up and looked at Mikin. "Oh? Just oh? Miki
n
— she was naked! What's wrong with you?"

Mikin sighed and sat up. "You're right. She's been acting strangely this past week. Whenever I ask her if anything's wrong, she just snaps at me."

"Hmmm. Anyway, what's wrong with you?"

Mikin sighed again. "It's my assignment. We've been asked to hold an image as part of memory training but I can't seem to do it. Everyone else has managed to some extent, but I can't even hold it for more than a second."

"Ah ..."

Having a photographic memory was a crucial step to weaving, and it was the first subject students were taught at Minda Yerra. Like multiplication tables, image weaving was the foundation of every subject, and if Mikin was struggling to learn this, then he was really having trouble!

"Here, let me show you," said Lorn, as he pulled out a small, slim tablet from his pocket. "Let me guess. As soon as you get one part right, you lose it when you build on it?"

Mikin's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

"Experience. Let's see ... I'll create a fizzy can."

A blob of reddish light appeared over the tablet, and as Mikin watched, it unfolded like the petals of a rose.

"Instead of creating, for instance, a can from something sharply focused, try working from a fuzzy image."

The blurry shape of a can appeared.

"It doesn't have to be perfect, which is the whole point of this exercise. Once you have the image, you can add other stuff to it."

Fuzzy white lines appeared across the can.

"Right now it doesn't look like much, but what's important is that you have everything in front of you. And because you're not focused on the details, it's easier to hold." Lorn rotated the image so Mikin could have a close look.

"We know it's not going anywhere, leaving me free to work on the rest of it."

Mikin watched in amazement as the can narrowed slightly at the top, forming an aluminium rim.

"Next is the name. Avoid focusing directly on the lettering, which is detailed and requires more thought, and instead, bring out the background colour. In that way, the name will come into focus on its own."

The red background sharpened considerably and, as he had said, the name of the drink formed clearly without extra effort from Lorn. It looked so real that Mikin could have reached out to grab it.

"Now we have all of it, we can alter certain elements as we please." The lettering on the can changed colours as Lorn passed them through a palette. He made it look so easy! "Why don't you try it?"

Mikin grabbed the tablet from Lorn. His ears flapped a little as he concentrated, and soon he was able to create the little blob of reddish light. Following everything that Lorn had shown him, he wove the can exactly as the older boy had done. Minutes later, the complete image of a can rotated slowly above the tablet.

"I, I did it," stammered Mikin. "Lorn, how can I ever thank you?"

"That's easy. Tell me how I can get Terrana to stop seeing the prince."

Mikin thought quickly. "Well, you could take her to the city. She hasn't been out yet."

Lorn clapped him on the back. "Good idea! We could go tomorrow because it's a free day."

"Can I come too?"

"Sure. You can pay for brunch."

"Huh? My allowance doesn't stretch that far."

"That's okay. You don't have to eat."

Mikin's face fell. Lorn stood up, looking decidedly cheerful. "C'mon, let's go tell her." They started walking back towards the school.

They had reached Terrana's corridor and were almost at her room when something furry and fast slid around the corner. To their surprise, they recognised Kazu, Terrana's kitten. To all eyes, he looked like he was chasing something. He slid to a halt when he saw the boys approaching.

Lorn leaned forwards and stretched his hand out invitingly.
"Here puss, puss. Come here, Kazu."

Upon hearing his name, Kazu stared suspiciously at Lorn.

"What are you doing out anyway? Did Terrana let you out for a run?" He was close enough to pick Kazu up, but before he could do that, the kitten leapt onto his head, startling him.

"Hey, get off me, cat!"
Kazu's feet slipped. With his front paws clinging to Lorn's head, and his stomach smothering the boy's face, Kazu refused to let go, even though Lorn was trying to pull him off. The harder Lorn tried, the deeper Kazu buried his claws into the boy's head.

Mikin attempted to help but was too short to reach. He briefly succeeded in pulling
Kazu's tail, which resulted in Lorn screaming and Kazu hissing. Approaching footsteps tapped quietly across the floor, and as they came around the corner, the person bumped into Lorn and Kazu. A hand reached out and picked up Kazu by the scruff, holding him at a safe distance. Kazu's ears flattened, but he was helpless to do anything.

Lorn stared into the eyes of his rescuer, and his face hardened. Mikin, on the other hand, groaned inwardly. Standing in front of them and looking amused, was Prince Gil Ra Im.

"Your cat?"

"No, he belongs to Terrana," blurted Mikin before Lorn could reply.

The prince turned Kazu around, still holding him by the scruff. What he saw was a scrunched-up face and evil eyes that promised vengeance. The prince's eyes gleamed. Then without a word, he started walking to Terrana's room.

Lorn chased after him with Mikin following closely behind.

"That kitten is my responsibility. Return him!"

The prince ignored him, so Lorn cut in front, blocking his path. Their eyes met.

"Return the kitten," Lorn said in a steely voice.

"I am returning it — to its
owner
. From what I saw, you were hardly taking care of it."

"Being a prince, you're way too high to recognise a bonding moment when you see it. My interaction with Kazu is part of his training. Now return him."

Mikin looked on, chewing his trunk nervously. He hoped they wouldn't fight. The prince flashed Lorn a condescending look, took one step, and jumped over him. He landed on the floor up ahead and continued walking, much to Lorn's outrage. Even as Lorn and Mikin chased after him, the prince turned the next corner and disappeared from sight.

When they finally rounded the bend, they skidded to a halt. Standing with the prince outside Terrana's door, was a man they didn't recognise.

He was tall — nearly two metres, and built like a warrior. His white hair was braided, and silver eyes stared back at them. He wore a loose shirt made from a light material, lightly tucked into his gaten. There was a bag slung over his left shoulder.

Baneyon had been walking down the corridor when he saw the young prince standing outside Terrana's door, holding the kitten. The prince had
recognised him, but revealed no surprise at his presence. Baneyon was not pleased to see him, and was even less pleased when he saw two more boys appear from around the corner. His eyes narrowed when the one with the cocky swagger approached him.

"Only students and members of staff are allowed down here," Lorn said to Baneyon. Then he tried to snatch Kazu from the prince but Gil Ra Im quickly held the kitten out of reach.

Baneyon's lips pressed into a tight line. From Terrana's descriptions, he already knew who they were. Mikin, the Nipponian and Lorn from Daiphus. They had been with her when the ice-phoenix had appeared.

"I have clearance," he said. He eyed Kazu, who was waving his paws about, trying to get his attention. "Is that Terrana's cat?"

"Who wants to know?" said Lorn.

"Her guardian, Baneyon Ondur."

Lorn looked surprised but Mikin paled. Baneyon held his hand out and Kazu slipped from the prince's grasp into his. Baneyon stared at the boys, his gaze unwavering.

After a few seconds, Lorn spoke. "Okay, I can see we're not wanted."

"You see well," said Baneyon. He watched the three of them leave. As soon as they disappeared around the corner, Baneyon knocked on the door.

"Terrana, it's me.
Baneyon."

He didn't have to wait long. Seconds later, the door slid down and she stood in front of him. Her hair was uncombed and she had dark circles under her eyes. Startled to see him holding Kazu, she snatched him into the safety of her arms. Kazu wrapped his paws around her shoulder and meowed, complaining of all the indignity he had just suffered.

"Why are you here?" she asked sullenly.

Baneyon sighed and ushered her into the room, shutting the door behind them. He took a seat at her desk, gesturing for her to do the same. However, she remained standing, staring at him.

"Headmistress Marlinformed me about what happened last wee
k
— your fight with the prince and how you turned into someone else."

Terrana remained quiet. She wasn't surprised.

"You're still mad at me for not texting you last week?"

Terrana didn't answer but her eyes practically shouted it.
You were supposed to text me back!

"I needed to speak with you but you weren't there," she said. "You could have at least had the decency to say you were busy." To her horror, tears crept into her eyes. She blinked them away quickly.

Baneyon's face darkened. "I know. Degra told me. I'm sorry I wasn't around to
—
"

"
Next time text me!
" she shouted suddenly.

Baneyon reeled back from her rage. It was the first time she had ever yelled at him.

"Terrana, you know that if you ever need to talk to someone, Headmistress Marl and Master Drummik are always there t
o—
"

"
And how am I supposed to tell them that I killed my family
?"

Baneyon felt as if the floor had risen and punched him in the face. He rose from his chair and went over to her.

"Terrana, how could you say that? Your house burned dow
n
— it wasn't your fault."

"How do you know for sure?"
She backed away from him, still carrying Kazu.

"Terrana, what's gotten into you? Why are you talking such nonsense?" The wild look in her eyes freaked him a little.

"Did the headmistress tell you
how
I attacked the prince? Even the prince said s
o
— I was another person. Someone dark and cruel. How can you be sure it wasn't
her
who started the fire?"

"Dear Dartkala," muttered Baneyon. "Is that what she told you?
Your other personality?"

"Don't call it my other personality!" she snapped. "She's not part of me!"

This was worse than he had thought. He had to speak to Headmistress Marl about getting a counsellor for Terrana as soon as possible. She was being consumed by conflict and rage, and it was changing her. He hadn't realised it earlier, but the circles under her eyes and her scruffy appearance told him she hadn't been sleeping well.

"Terrana," he said softly. "You need to rest. It's affecting your mental state. Your power is clearly unstable, and by denying yourself rest, it could get worse."

"I never asked you," she said, "because I didn't want to, but the night Master Drummik sent you to rescue me, the night of the fire ... did you find out how it started?"

Baneyon turned cold. "Terrana, why are you asking this now?"

"I thought about it, and I know the fire didn't start in the kitchen because I remember Archie and I walking past it. It was my parents' room that burned first, followed by Archie's. The fire came to my room last. How did the fire start in my parents' room? They had no candles and the generator was switched off, like it was every night."

Baneyon took in a deep breath. This was what he had been dreadin
g
— that she would eventually work it out herself. He could lie to her, but at this stage, he didn't think it would help. She had figured out enough.

"Well?" she demanded, her eyes glittering. "I can see you're hiding something. You brought me here, you must know something!"

Kazu growled, sensing her anger.

Baneyon walked to her bed and sat down. He gestured for her to do the same, and this time she did.