JOURNEY INTO THE REALM: The Spell Master (Journey into the Realm Series) (18 page)

***

“This is bad,” Brielle reminded us.

We had all gathered for lunch after school: Brielle, Nathan, Aimee, Ellie, Tavis, Daran, Reid, Janie, and me. We didn’t usually have lunch all together, but today was an exception. Everyone was upset about the school closing.

“What’s going to happen to us? How will we know everything about our powers?” Reid asked.

“We’ll have to teach ourselves,” Aimee suggested.

“How? We won’t know what to do,” Tavis said.

“It’s hopeless,” Janie said, resting her cheek on the table in dismay. Reid laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

I was surprised; Janie was usually the one who was optimistic and supportive. In her defense, our only source of learning was about to vanish completely. The news had affected her deeply, as it had all of us.

“Maybe we can all get together and help each other out,” Daran suggested.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Tavis agreed.

“Yeah, and we can look up information about our powers in books,” Ellie added.

While the others decided what to do when school closed, Nathan and I remained completely silent. We sat across the table, our eyes locked, not saying a word to each other. I didn’t even pay attention to his eyes, a first for me, because I was so distressed.

We both knew what school closing meant for us. Even if we created our own little school, I had a feeling Zora would make me stay home to avoid seeing Nathan every day, just because she could. I pictured her wide smile as I told her school would be closing. I could tell Nathan was thinking the same thing.

I lowered my arm and put my hand underneath our table. I felt Nathan’s fingers join mine a few moments later. He gave my hand a tight squeeze, as if to tell me that everything was going to be all right, even though I knew he doubted the fact as much as I did. I felt tears begin to form in my eyes.

“It’ll be all right, Ramsey. We still have the tree.” He smiled.

I smiled the best smile I could manage at the time. “Okay,” I choked.

But even the tree wouldn’t be the same. Behind our fake smiles and empty reassurances, we both knew that. If I wasn’t allowed to join in the learning environment, my time with Nathan would be severely limited.

Fortunately, the others didn’t notice our personal exchange. They were still gabbing on about the new school idea.

“Then it is decided. The nine of us will meet every day once school closes, for two hours from ten to noon. One hour will be for our powers and the other for self-defense. We will help each other in whatever way we can. Aimee has books she can bring, and so do I,” Brielle said.

“Daran, Nathan, Reid, and I can get ahold of equipment to practice with for self-defense, right, Nathan?” Tavis asked. When Nathan didn’t respond, he looked over to him. “Nathan? Hello?”

Nathan jumped a little and then turned to his annoyed friend, dropping his hold on my hand in the process. “Yeah, sure,” he replied.

I looked down, afraid someone would realize why Nathan wasn’t concentrating on the group.

“All right then. I think we can do this,” Aimee said.

“We can start right after winter break,” Janie proposed.

Everyone nodded in agreement and we split up after finishing lunch. I hadn’t eaten much; neither had Nathan. We weren’t as optimistic as the others, and I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Zora. I knew she would have something to say about the school closing…and it wouldn’t be good.

“Zora is going to be upset. You know that, Ramsey.”

“Yeah,” I agreed quietly.

“What if she doesn’t let you come to our new school?” he asked.

“I’m very afraid that’s what she’ll decide,” I admitted.

“I don’t want to stop seeing you.”

“What can I do, though? She’s my sister and she loves me. She believes what she does is protecting me. She’s the only real family I have.”

He was so distraught. I wished I could say something to make him feel better, even to make myself feel better, but I couldn’t.

“And what do you think is going to happen when Stellan shows up? Will he take your side…or Zora’s?” Nathan asked.

“I don’t know. I hope he’ll take my side…but you never know. Maybe Zora will finally decide to start speaking to him again and use the opportunity to tell him all about you,” I said angrily.

“She still cares about him,” Nathan inferred.

“Yes, I know she does. She is too hurt to admit it to anyone, though.”

“Do you think she will try to get him back?”

“Zora wouldn’t do that to me,” I assured him.

“You can’t know that for sure.”

“I do,” I said sternly.

Nathan nodded. “All right.”

I wouldn’t say anything else to him after that. We were both too dismayed to speak rationally. I didn’t want us to fight, especially not at a time like this.

And in the back of my mind I wondered if Nathan actually
wished
Zora would try to get Stellan back. That just made me feel even worse.

***

When I walked into the house later that day and found Zora sitting at the dining room table sipping tea, my stomach clenched and I swallowed a lump in my throat.

“Hi, Zora,” I said calmly.

“Hello, Ramsey. How was school?” she asked, surprising me by speaking to me so naturally. Usually she ignored me or said very little.

I poured myself some tea and then sat down next to her. “It wasn’t very good,” I admitted.

“What happened?” she asked in a motherly tone.

“The school is closing because of the war. I won’t be returning once winter break ends.”

I watched her lips pull up into a slight smile, then she realized I was watching her. She forced a frown and nodded. “I was expecting that,” she said.

“Really?”

“Yes. I received word from Addison that the war was heating up more and more every day. The school’s closing was bound to happen.”

“I guess,” I said.

“That means you will be home every day. You can come and help at the orchard and maybe spend more time with the dragons. You will have more free time,” she told me.

I could hear her pleased tone as she told me what I was to do with my time. I took a deep breath and told her the next piece of news I had.

“Actually, my friends and I have decided to meet every day after break from ten to noon. We are going to teach each other about our abilities and self-defense. Aimee and Brielle have books that can help us.”

I saw Zora’s lips tighten and her eyes widen. “Interesting idea. But how will you teach each other things none of you know?”

“We will do our best and the books can help,” I told her.

“You will need some kind of adult teacher. Maybe I should help.”

“No, Zora. You are far too busy for us,” I blurted.

I didn’t want her to even think about being our “teacher.” I knew what she was thinking. She wanted to keep an eye on Nathan and me. Since we wouldn’t be at an actual school, she probably thought we would start making out during the day. She was so delusional.

“Then maybe you shouldn’t go either. I could always use some help around here.”

“What are you saying? Are you trying to deny me an education or something?” I asked.

“No, Ramsey! I just….”

“You just don’t want me hanging around Nathan. Well, too bad. I’m not going to stop seeing him just because it makes you ‘worried.’ We’re friends. Got it?”

I turned around and ran out the door. I had predicted that things with Zora would turn out wrong, that she would act like this. Yet it still made my heart ache. I saw the dragons behind the house and walked toward them. Two piles of shiny gems and trinkets sat in front of them, and it appeared as though they were discussing jewelry shares, even though most of the jewels I recognized were Zora’s.

Kalani turned, and seeing how upset I was, she trotted over and nudged me. I put my arms around her and hugged her neck.

What’s wrong?
she asked in Dragon Tongue.

“It’s Zora. She keeps telling me not to be friends with Nathan,” I told her.

Kalani sighed and looked over at Razi. Razi shrugged as if to say,
I have nothing to do with it
.

“It’s not Razi’s fault, Kalani. This is all Zora,” I told her.

Kalani snorted, and as usual, smoke rings came from her snout. I even saw a little fire, which worried me. I didn’t want Kalani to lose her temper. Dragons were known to do that sort of thing when something upset them.

She looked at Razi and flapped her wings. Razi nodded and flew off. I guessed Kalani told Razi to leave so we could have a more private conversation.

Are you okay?
she asked.

“I don’t know. Not really.”

Kalani moved the jewelry piles against the house and covered them with a nearby blanket. Then she returned to me and turned around, her back facing me.

Go ahead
, she seemed to say.
It will make you happy.

“What?” I asked. Kalani touched her back with her tail. “I can’t go for a ride. You’re not fully grown yet,” I pointed out.

So?
she wondered.

“It wouldn’t be safe.”

Trust me.
Her eyes were serious and unquestioning. I walked closer and climbed onto her back. I slipped a few times, but when my arms were fastened around her neck I felt secure.
Ready?
she asked.

“I hope so,” I told her.

I saw Kalani nod before I closed my eyes. My heart pounded with fear. I braced myself and held Kalani tighter. My body lay on her back, and my legs rested just above her wings. We sunk closer to the ground and then Kalani pushed off and into the air.

Her large wings started beating immediately as we climbed higher into the sky. I gripped my hands together around her neck to keep from falling as we flew. I opened my eyes and gasped as I looked down. We were hundreds of feet above the city. Everything looked miniature from where we were flying. I felt my legs scrape against Kalani’s rough scales as I held on tighter. I winced in pain but did my best to ignore it. I wanted to enjoy the experience.

Kalani flew in circles and then past the city and over Aubrey. We flew above the forest that surrounded Birchwood and over the many fields that spanned out over the Realm. The wind slapped against my face, and my hair blew back behind me. I had to close my eyes a few times because the wind made them dry and fuzzy.

After a while, I began to truly enjoy myself. I laughed and whooped with joy as Kalani twirled and flew through the fresh air. I couldn’t believe the sense of freedom surging through me. I wanted to remember this feeling for the rest of my life.

After more than an hour of flying, Kalani gradually made her way to the ground. I could see us heading toward a large pond that looked to be about a few miles south of Birchwood and just before the forest. In a few short moments, I heard Kalani’s feet thump to the ground. I still held on, afraid my legs wouldn’t be strong enough to hold me up. Kalani turned her head and looked at me quizzically.

“Is it safe to let go?” I asked.

She nodded, so I removed my hands from around her neck and unsteadily eased myself off her back. She allowed me to grab her tail and use it to balance. After a couple of panicky minutes, I was safely on the ground. I was right about my legs; they were wobbly and weak. I looked down to see a series of scrapes on my knees and calves. I gasped at the bruises already forming.

I’m sorry about those,
Kalani said.

“It’s okay. Just a few cuts. I can get Aimee to heal them tomorrow.” I flopped down onto the soft grass and lay my head back.

Kalani curled up next to me and rested her head near mine. I turned to look at her. “Thank you for the ride. I didn’t know flying would be so much fun. I thought it was difficult to ride a dragon for the first time.”

Kalani nodded.
It is difficult,
she told me.

“What am I, some kind of natural?” I asked.

Kalani blinked.
Maybe.

I sighed and closed my eyes. I heard Kalani begin to snore. Knowing she was asleep, I kept my eyes closed and decided a nap couldn’t hurt me. I needed to relax after my argument with Zora anyway.

Soon I was dreaming….

The beautiful meadow appeared before my eyes once more. The sun was glorious in the clear blue sky and birds sang as they flew through the air. Even though I wasn’t a big fan of the dream, I decided to deal with it and enjoy the beauty that surrounded me. Everything was the same as it always was. I felt like I was looking at a moving picture. Everything was perfect.

Then I saw something that didn’t belong in paradise.

On the ground, nestled between a pink wildflower and a medium-sized rock, was a piece of paper. Music notes ran across the parchment in lines. I knew right away that I was looking at sheet music.

I woke up gasping. I remembered Lady Celine’s words as if she were saying them right in front of me: “
You know when a fairy has come into our Realm when you find a piece of sheet music, or any kind of instrument, just lying on the ground where you usually wouldn’t find any.”
I shivered and realized Kalani wasn’t beside me anymore.

I got up slowly, my legs still sore from riding, and looked around. It was dark out, almost ten. I had slept for a few hours, longer than I had planned. My stomach grumbled; I hadn’t eaten since lunch with my friends. Even then, I hadn’t eaten much because I was upset about the school closing. My head ached from the nightmare. I needed to get out of here.

I started walking forward when I heard something more than grass crunch below my feet. I looked down to see a crumpled piece of paper lying on the grass. I froze in place.
It can’t be…,
I thought.
It just can’t be.

But I wasn’t convinced by my thoughts.

I picked the crumpled ball off the ground, nervous and afraid of what I would read. I held my breath as I unfolded the paper.

Sure enough, it was the sheet music.

I dropped the paper, screamed, and fell backward onto the ground. Then I kicked the paper away with my legs and hugged my knees tightly to my chest. I rocked back and forth, scared speechless, in full panic mode.

Kalani returned seconds later. She saw me and flew over quickly.
What happened?
she asked frantically.

“Where were you?” I asked quietly, my voice shaking. My eyes were still staring at the sheet music, which was now torn and dirty on the grass.