Ember (9 page)

Thoran waited for Cornelius to reach him then
put a hand on his shoulder.

“My friend, there are some things I think I
am ready to leave for the next generation.”

“Yes, well . . . I know of a couple that do a
fine job of it already.”

Thoran half nodded in agreement, before they
both turned to look at the dead beast.

After a moment a smirk crossed Thoran's
face.

“Can you imagine what those two would had
been like if that girl had stayed around?”

Cornelius’s face contorted, but before Thoran
could notice a silky voice drifted from on top of the wall.

“Well, look what we have here.”

The two men turned up, all humor
forgotten.

“Sylvanus.” Thoran uttered the name like a
curse.

“Nice to see you too, Thoran. Cornelius.” He
nodded to each in turn. “I'm going to have fun telling Demian about
how I found you two standing over the corpses of an entire camp.
And with a healthy young Kelkar as well.” He regarded the creature
with a half-cocked frown, then began sauntering back and forth
along the wall.

“You know bloody well we're within our rights
to attack a camp this far out, Sylvanus. And unless you want a
sword through your gut, I suggest you get across the boundaries as
fast as your decrepit legs will allow.”

Sylvanus stopped his pacing and leaned his
head towards Thoran. “Is that supposed to scare me? You wouldn't
dare!
”

Thoran's voice grew louder. “Just get out of
my sight, Sylvanus! I have enough of your exploits to bring up at
the next meeting to get you expelled from the council as it
is!”

Cornelius held out a staying hand to
Thoran.

Sylvanus laughed wickedly. “Oh . . . you're
talking about that
girl!
I figured you'd found her after I
came across the dead scouts near her scent. She was a pretty one,
wasn't she? In fact that's why I'm out here. I couldn't quite get
her off my mind, so I went to Tiver to check in on her. Imagine my
surprise when I found that she wasn't there.”

“So, what? Are you guys just keeping her
locked up in your little cabin for entertainment?”

Thoran's eyes shifted to Cornelius for a
moment then back to Sylvanus.

“Let's go. This worm can stay here and
rot.”

As they headed out of the camp, Sylvanus
yelled after them.

“It's a shame I lost the girl when I did. We
would have had so much . . .
fun.
”

He didn't stop laughing until the two men
were out of sight.

*

Somehow I found my way back to the lodge and
delivered the package to Sophie, who in turn forced me to eat a
small snack. It wasn't until I was back in the secluded study that
I remembered a certain creature had latched onto me back in the
woods.

“Oh my God!”

I instantly jumped up and started checking my
clothing for a smashed little ball of fur.

After a few seconds of searching I decided
that he must have jumped off a while ago and plopped back onto the
couch.

When I left Sophie it was twelve-thirty, just
half an hour till one. I started twiddling my fingers nervously
around each other.

I wonder if I could just hide for a while
and pretend I forgo
-

My body flinched. Something behind me had
just made a chirping sound.

I turned my head around, expecting to see a
stray bird. But the study was empty. Nothing could have escaped
since the only entrance was the hall door which was currently
closed.

I shook out my head to clear my mind and
suddenly the chirping began again, this time it didn't stop.

I stood up and turned around a few times
before I realized the squeaking was following behind me. I reached
towards the back of my head and felt down into the hood of my robe.
Sure enough my fingers grazed a patch of velvety hair that I knew
belonged to the creature from the woods.

Before I could think of what to do the little
guy went crawling up around my arm, onto my head, and soaring off
in a gliding leap through the air. I barely saved him from hitting
the ground before he went leaping off again, this time onto the
bookcase.

He landed and, with what seemed like a last
defiant action, turned his large eyes towards me, chirped loudly,
and disappeared into the wall of books.

I just sat there, dumbfounded once again.

Between the old man and this crazy creature I
was starting to look forward to seeing Jaden.

Darn it, I can't just leave it in there, it
could wreck Cornelius books. . . . Then I'll be the one in trouble.
They’ll kick me out, never let me come back, and I'll end up dying
an old, miserable, spinster.

I have to find that little fuzz ball!

With dire determination I began to stack the
books onto the floor and hunt for the creature.

After clearing out the bottom shelf, I leaned
into the floor and laid my head on the ground to see if I could
spot my furry friend.

It was at this point, the worst of times,
when I heard a forced cough behind me.

My eyes rolled into the back of my head as I
remembered who I was meeting at one.

I instantly wanted to join the creature
hidden safely in the bookcase. Instead, I cocked my head around and
followed brown laced boots up to dark solid eyes hidden beneath a
shroud of pieced hair.

. . . This position pretty much summed up how
I felt around Jaden all the time.

“Having fun down there?” he asked coolly.

I smiled, mostly because that's what I do
when I'm nervous.

With a smirk, he threw out a hand to help me
up.

I studied it. I knew what was coming, a long
chat about how I
wasn't
capable of doing magic. He was
starting to make me feel vulnerable, and I don't like feeling
vulnerable.

I took his hand to lift myself up, but let go
immediately.

He looked even more amused at this. “Why
don't we go sit down.”

I had no reason to argue and, tired or not,
he still intimidated the heck out of me.

We both sat and his face became solemn.

“Look.” He held out his hands. “I think we
both know why I needed to talk to you.” My eyes turned down. “The
fact is, if you could use the magic that Ikovos was trying to teach
you, you already would have.”

Knowing hadn’t helped, it hit me hard all the
same.

“I . . . we only tried for a few hours
yesterday. Maybe I just need more time.” I looked into his eyes
pleadingly, but found no condolence.

“No. If you can, you can and vice versa,
that's how it works. You're just wasting Ikovos’s time if you
continue.”

I pressed on. “Maybe it's different for me,
maybe because I'm older or . . .”

“Or maybe because you're a girl you're
incapable.” He stared hard as he said this, only the slightest hint
of humor left visible. My heart rose high in my chest.

“
Incapable?
I'd watch who you call
incapable considering I just beat you yesterday at sparring!”

Oh, he didn't like that.

“
You,
beat
me?
” He leaned
forward in his seat. “I wasn't even trying! . . . not to mention
you shouldn't have even been sparring in the first place.”

“Excuse me!?
You
were the one that
asked!”

“Yeah, but I didn't think you would say yes.
Why don't you act like a normal girl and go clean or something, or
better yet go fix that crazy hair of yours!”

My eyes narrowed wildly. “You know I
understand that you don't want me here, that you
haven't
wanted me here since the beginning. But that doesn't give you the
right to say whatever you want to me!” I stood up till I was
looking down at him. “And as for Ikovos, he seems plenty happy to
be spending time teaching me!”

Jaden jumped up and pointed a finger. “I
think I know my best friend a little better than
you
do!”

“Is that so? Well, then, maybe you should
take some pointers from him! How about noticing that I'm in a new
place, with a bunch of people I just met, trying something I've
never done before, and possibly offering a little support?!
No!
Instead you just test me, ignore me,
insult
me,
then tell me I can't do anything just because I'm a girl!”

He grabbed my shoulders. “Look! The only
reason I had you meet me here in the first place was to tell you
that I think you can use offensive magic!”

I opened my mouth to argue until I realized
what he had just said. He just stood there staring at me, inches
away from my face.

My chest was heaving drastically and my heart
was racing, I could still feel his hands on my shoulders.

In that instant the door creaked and we both
turned our heads to see it open.

I didn't get the chance. Jaden practically
knocked me over letting go of my shoulders and widening the space
between us. He adopted a cool face and cleared his throat as the
door opened, when it did all signs of serenity left him. I looked
over and saw why.

There in the doorway stood Thoran. A look of
utter annoyance backed by determination resided on his face.

He turned first to Jaden. “Go get the horses
and bring them to the side door.”

Jaden gave a curt nod then walked out of the
room past Cornelius, who was standing behind Thoran. It must have
been because I yelled, but I felt upset when I saw him go . . .

Ugh. Focus, Evelyn.

“And now to you.”

I turned my attention back to Thoran. The
fight I'd just had with Jaden leading straight into this was all a
bit much for me. I felt like I was in a daze, or maybe I was just
trying to deny the inevitable.

“I am not going to play games with you,
child. It is time for you to go home. “

My heart sank. “What am I doing wrong? Why do
I have to leave?”

Thoran sighed. “This is no place for you. It
should never have been an option.” He spared a glance at Cornelius.
“It was unfair for some to let you think that this was ever a
possibility.”

I looked down again, then quickly back up to
search Cornelius’s face for support.

There was nothing but sorrowed
acceptance.

After all the fighting, all the close calls,
it was over, I was going home.

*

Moments later I found myself outside with
Thoran and Cornelius. I guessed we were waiting for Jaden to bring
the horses. The weather was nice, contradicting my own condition.
It was a few hours past midday and the wind was cool.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned
around to see Cornelius.

“It will be alright, my dear, you will see. I
know that there is a great destiny ahead of you.”

I glanced back up at him and forced a smile.
“I hope so. . . . Thank you, Cornelius, for everything.” Before
emotion could overtake me, I turned around to face the forest.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Jaden
approaching with two horses. The smaller one was from the day
before. The other was different, speckled with grey and silver.
When they were close enough, Thoran hopped onto the latter.

Part of me didn't know why I was giving in so
easily. Maybe because I didn't think I stood a chance with Thoran.
Maybe after arguing with Jaden I felt that everything was just too
much. . . .

I walked over to the horse. Jaden offered a
hand up. I took it, flipped onto the saddle, and grabbed the
reigns. Thoran was talking quietly ahead with Cornelius.

“Well, it looks like you got what you
wanted.” I glanced back at Jaden after I said this, but his face
was expressionless, he wasn't even looking at me.

I heard Thoran clap his heels and, in that
moment, was all the happy to follow.

I shouldn’t have said that . . . I think I
was being too hard on him.

We moved briskly into the forest. I didn't
look back once, I just concentrated on keeping pace with
Thoran.

Of course I was being too hard on him! I
only said that to protect myself.
I still couldn’t believe he
came today to tell me he thought I could use magic. . . .

Forget it. It doesn't matter now.

For the next couple of hours I tried to keep
my mind clear, concentrating solely on following Thoran. But my
thoughts started up again when Tiver came into view.

We were on a hill high above the little city,
about half a mile away. The sun had set just moments ago and the
warm lights of Tiver appeared welcoming against the cool blue
landscape.

Thoran slowed his pace to a stop on the
hilltop. I came up beside him.

“You know, there is a lot of good to be done
down there, a lot of people that need help.”

I stared down absently as the wind blew my
hair. “Maybe there are . . . but no one in Tiver wants help . . .
especially not from me.”

Normally I would not be so honest with my
feelings, but there was nothing to lose. I doubted I'd ever see
this man again.

Thoran sighed heavily. “There just isn't a
place for you in our world. I could never guarantee your
safety.”

I looked back at him. “I don't want safety. I
want a reason to live. Do you know what it's like not to have one?
“

There was a pause. The man turned down.
“You'd better get going before it gets dark. I'll watch from
here.”

That's it. No more arguing, Evelyn.
I
leaned to get off the horse.

“No, you can take it. Just leave it in the
stables.”

I nodded once then began the descent towards
Tiver. It wasn't until I was lying in my own bed that I realized I
never said goodbye.

~ ~ ~

I WOKE UP TO the sound of clanging dishes.
Instantly I knew where I was. Partly because of the way I slept.
Restless. Disturbed. But mostly due to how I felt now. Completely
passionless about the upcoming day.

I knew everything that was going to
happen.