by Martha Carr
“Don’t use it unless you need to, right?” Deacon arched his eyebrows and nodded at her. “I had that one under control.” The rainfall was almost deafening. “Geez, I hope it lets up at least a little bit.”
“No kidding. I’ve gotta go; school awaits. I’m going to sprint to the house so I can change into dry clothes.”
“Well, I guess I’ll enjoy the rainfall on my own. Thanks for the help today, Raven.”
Running across the ranch, Raven kept thinking of Deacon’s comment. You don’t know what you’re stepping in. Her feet splashed in what she hoped was mud, and it clung to the sides of her shoes. No time to think about it now.
She leapt onto the front porch and went under the roof overhang, then paused to catch her breath, stomping her feet to knock off the excess mud. The rain roared even harder off the metal overhead. She kicked off her shoes and stepped into the house.
Connor Alby was sitting in the kitchen, watching out the window as rain soaked his ranch. He sighed. “I have a feeling today is going to be a slow one.” He shook his head in disappointment. “Hard to get a whole lot done when this much is coming down.”
“No kidding. Sorry, I’m getting the floor wet.” Raven tried to wipe some of the dripping water with the bottom of her foot. She left a brown smear instead, her eyes widening.
“You’re fine. Just go get changed. You can wear my old waxed overcoat on your way to class. That should keep you reasonably dry. Hurry, time is getting away from you.”
Raven went to her room and emerged shortly in a fresh sky-blue tunic and dark-brown pants. Connor pointed to the long, heavy brown coat hanging by the door. “Hang onto it. It’s one of my favorites.”
“I know. You say that every time.” She pulled the coat on, then rolled up the sleeves until her hands poked out as she walked back to the kitchen. “What do you think?”
Connor looked away from the window and let out a snort of laughter. “Good thing that coat is short on me, or you’d be dragging it through the mud.” He looked back at the falling rain. “Shame we can’t spin up a spell to take care of this. All the power in the world and we’re still at nature’s mercy.”
He smirked as he lifted a mug of steaming tea to his lips. “If healing a wound can almost knock me out, I bet stopping the rain would kill us all. And then it would just rain again after we were all gone.”
“Way to be upbeat, Grandpa. Great vision for the day.”
He smiled and looked at his granddaughter, who was staring out at the rain. “Maybe not my best send-off. Rain has a way of doing that to me. You look a little perplexed yourself. You okay?”
Raven drew the oversized coat closer. “Yeah. Just thinking about, you know, what happened at the Harvest Festival and all the looks I got.”
Her grandfather let out a sigh. “These things have a way of working themselves out, particularly when we get out of the way.”
“I love you, but half the time, I have no idea what you mean.”
He laughed, patting his chest. “Put one foot ahead of the other and see where it takes you. You’ll figure out your familiar.”
“I want it to be a dragon. I mean…” She turned and looked nervously at her grandfather. “William, he…” She took a deep breath and spat out the words so she couldn’t take them back. “William said he’d teach me to work with dragons.” She held her breath, every muscle tense, waiting for him to tell her she was a mage in training. Same old song.
Connor gazed at her with steadily, a look she couldn’t quite place in his eyes. “So much like your mother. Same fighting spirit.”
Raven’s mouth dropped open and she snapped it shut, amusing her grandfather. “Did you think I didn’t know you might notice a dragon or two at the Moss Ranch? Follow your heart. It’ll never lead you astray.”
She leapt at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, the large raincoat swallowing her up. “You’re the best! You’re blowing my mind. Just when I think I know exactly what you’re going to say.”
“Good! Keeps you on your toes. Are you nervous about going back to the Moss Ranch?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? I mean, I’m excited, don’t get me wrong. Getting to work with a dragon is a dream come true. I don’t know why I feel so…” Her voice trailed off.
Connor Alby put his arm around Raven’s shoulder and pointed through the window to a small wooden bridge that spanned a twelve-foot creek cutting through the northeast corner of the ranch property. “You remember when I had you build that bridge out there?”
“Ugh.” Raven groaned at the memory. “Longest four months of my life. I wasn’t allowed help from any of the ranch hands. You wouldn’t even let me use any magic to pound in a nail. I learned that spell when I was six.”
“That’s right.” He nodded. “And why did I do that to you?”
She cocked an eyebrow. “I figure you just wanted to keep me busy. Or I mouthed off or something—some kind of teachable moment to get me to listen. You never explained. I was just building a bridge in the middle of nowhere to get me to nothing.”
Connor laughed. “I provided you with the materials and the hand tools to build that bridge, and then I left you to do it on your own.” He kept his eyes fixed on the bridge. “No matter how much sweat you spilled, I leaned on you to get you to finish the job you started.”
Raven shuddered at the memory, looking out at the bridge. “It felt impossible. You weren’t my favorite person then.”
“Yeah, you gave yourself away when you named the newest donkey after me. Very clever way to call your old granddad an ass.”
A smile crept slowly across Raven’s face. “Didn’t think you caught on to that one.”
“Not that slow yet. But after about two weeks, you stopped trying to quit. Instead, you put your head down and finished it with your own two hands. No spells, no tricks. Do you know why?”
“I was tired of fighting?”
“No. Because you’re stubborn.”
“Gee, thanks, Grandpa.”
He let out a belly laugh. “I mean that in a good way! When you set your mind to something, nobody is going to stop you. Now, look at that bridge again. That is some heavy-duty rain pelting that wood. And the creek is starting to rise and push on it from below, too. That bridge ain’t going anywhere.”
She squinted to see it in the distance through the sheets of rain coming down from the sky. “Did a hell of a job, didn’t I?”
Connor raised a finger. “Yes, but you also learned something. When you finished that bridge, you learned the power of not giving up and that you have more than one way to get something done.”
“We’re back to the weapons and magic lesson, aren’t we?”
“Now that’s real magic. You instilled in yourself the ability to see something through to the end. That’s why I made you build a bridge out there in the middle of nowhere.”
Raven folded her arms across her chest. “This isn’t building a bridge, though, Grandpa. This is training a dragon.”
He shrugged, unimpressed. “What, you’re afraid it’s going to be hard?”
“That thing could kill me!”
He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. “You won’t let that happen. I know you won’t.” He let go of her shoulders. “Just like your mother. Fighter. Now, get, child! You’d better get walking. Henry’s probably getting angry waiting in the rain.”
Raven didn’t say a word as she turned to walk out of the house.
Maybe he’s right. Maybe I can do this, after all.
She stopped under the cover of the front porch and pulled the hood of the jacket over her head, tucking her red hair inside. Holding the strap of her satchel across her chest, she stepped off the porch and jogged over to the gate, where Henry was waiting with a smile on his face.
“You ready?” Rain soaked his head, plastering his thick hair to his forehead. Still, he was smiling.
“You get hit by lightning? What’s with the goofy smile? Or did you run into Jenny
?”
“Good burn there, Alby. Come on, can’t it just be a good day?”
“You didn’t bring anything to cover yourself up?” Raven asked in surprise. “You’re going to be soaked the rest of the day! Not a good look.”
“Nah.” He waved her off as they began walking through the rain that was settling into a steady downpour. The lightning had passed, and the thunder was reduced to a distant echo. “I have a plan,” he said, tapping the side of his head. “I’m sure somebody has a spell that can dry me off when I get there. They won’t want me sitting there dripping on their nice furniture the whole day.”
“Weirdly genius, Derks.”
He nodded and tilted his head toward his right shoulder. “Have you met Maxwell?”
Raven looked closer at his shoulder. Squatted there was a large toad with eyes as black as ink and shimmering green skin peppered with yellow stripes.
She gently patted the toad on the head with two fingers. “Hi, Max!”
Henry shot her an annoyed glance. “Not Max. Maxwell.”
“Ooookay. Does he normally ride on your shoulder like this?”
“Yeah, he likes the rain. It refreshes him. We have a good thing going so far. Bella won’t be the only one with a familiar by her side today!”
Raven scowled as she stuck her hands into the warm, dry pockets of the oversized jacket. “No, I’m sure most are going to have their sidekick all ready to go. Except me.” She took a deep breath, remembering the encouraging words of her grandfather. “Just like my mother,” she muttered. “I don’t have one for now. That’s going to change.”
Chapter Fifteen
They entered the town as the rain continued to pour, not saying anything. Raven jumped over a puddle, her foot sinking into the mud. She gently stepped into the next puddle, swirling the bottom of her shoe.
“I’m rubbing off on you, Raven. That’s my kind of genius thinking.”
Raven began laughing. “First, my mom, now you.”
“What?”
“Nothing.” She looked at him, rivulets pouring down the side of his face. “Is there a spot anywhere on your body that is not soaking wet at this point?”
Henry stopped walking and tilted his head to let the rain run off. “Nope. I am head-to-toe drenched. I’ve got water pooling in places that I’m pretty sure violate hygiene. Better be a pretty good spell at Fowler.”
Raven held up her hands. “Okay, okay. No need to go any further. I get the point. You know, for someone who just started working with his familiar, I’m impressed that the little guy is hanging tough on your shoulder like that. Pretty good control.”
Henry smiled as he turned his head to look at Maxwell. The toad remained motionless and stared straight ahead. “I think he’s just content at the moment. No need for him to go anywhere.”
“Watch out!” A cart came barreling past them, piled high with belongings. Terry Powell, a fellow new student at Fowler was shouting warnings from the seat behind horses, grimacing while steering the cart. His family was huddled underneath blankets behind him, and their possessions piled high behind them. A tarp was stretched over all of it, tied down by ropes with the legs of a small chair sticking out in the back.
Henry and Raven jumped to the side, water splashing on them.
“Sorry! Hard to steer in all the rain!” A broad-brimmed brown leather hat was keeping the water out of Terry’s eyes enough to help him see a few feet ahead, despite the waterfall running down the sides of it.
“Sorry again!”
“Heck of a day to move.” Henry gave a salute as they went past. “See you at school!”
“Hey, Henry, where’s Maxwell?” Raven pointed to his now-empty shoulder.
Amidst the commotion, the toad had jumped off his shoulder and began scampering across the road. Panicked, Henry scanned the area until he saw the toad moving toward Samuel Jones’ butcher shop. “Aw, shit! No, don’t do it, Maxwell! Frog legs! Frog legs!” He took off after his familiar, Raven pursing her lips in concern.
“That toad has about as much sense as Henry. Huh, maybe his theory is right.”
Two elderly women stood under the dark green canopy of a cottage across the street from where Terry Powell’s cart had slowed to a stop. He climbed off with a somber look on his face, his eyes searching the horizon like he was looking for something.
Henry ran past them, his arms outstretched to scoop Maxwell up.
Raven took cover under the canopy next to the women, who were huddled together, deep in conversation. “…bound to happen. The Powell Ranch was one of the last ones out there.” The woman closest to Raven shot an annoyed glance at Raven as the two took a few steps away from her and lowered their voices.
Fine. Raven pulled one of her hands out of her pocket and waved her fingers, whispering a spell under her breath to pull their words into her ear so she could hear the conversation. She lowered her head to hide her face, hoping nobody would notice.
“Such a shame. The Powell Ranch has always supplied the best meats to the kingdom. Grade A! Such marbling!”
“Well, what do you expect? They can’t be out there beyond the wall these days anymore. I heard they lost a quarter of their pig supply.” The woman shuddered, pulling on her scarf. “About time they got within these walls before something happens to the family!”
“Powell did the right thing. That boy of his just starting at Fowler, and those two little girls would be no match for whatever’s is roaming out there. Gotta be raiders.”
“He would have picked a fight and sacrificed himself right alongside his girls if anything happened to them.”
“I hear it’s rogue dragons.”
Raven started, her face warming. She cleared her throat and looked away, watching Henry cuddle his toad while she listened to the two women.
“Nah, we would have seen something like that flying overhead. For the love of… Can you imagine? I hear it’s an army from beyond the swamps.”
“Betty tried to tell me it was gnomes, but those haven’t been around for a hundred years. And what would they do, bite our ankles?” The woman snorted, shaking her head.
“Which one do you think is better? Dragons or an army?”
Her friend shook her head. “Neither one. Whatever it is, I hope they pass us by.”
“If they don’t, it is going to get out of control and fast. We’re going to lose all our satellite ranches because of those little shits.”
But what little shits is it? Before Raven could get any more gossip, Henry popped up out of nowhere and pulled her by the arm, breaking the spell.
“Let’s go. We’re going to be late!” He clutched Maxwell in his hand, just his little green head poking out.
“Henry!” Raven came out of the shelter of the porch and caught up to her friend. “That family is the Powells, from the Powell Ranch in the outlands.”
“I know. You saw me say hello.” Henry didn’t break his stride, trying to power-walk through the town to get to the gates of Fowler Academy on time.
“So? That’s it? Did you notice they were carrying most of what they owned?”
Henry looked over his shoulder. “That did seem excessive.”
“Henry, that family was doing really well out there. They were one of the more profitable ranches. Now they’re moving in the middle of a thunderstorm and walking away from generations of pig ranching to move into town? Doesn’t make any sense.” She jogged to keep up with him, the coat flapping around her.
“It might not be forever, Raven. Maybe they got tired of talking to each other and needed to increase their circle of friends.”
“You have been hanging out with Jenny. I knew it!”
“What? You don’t know everything, Raven. Focus on your own life. We’ve got work to do, and obviously, Maxwell needs more of my attention. I lose him, I’m screwed.” They strode into the normally bustling courtyard, the rain still coming down.
Henry tucked his toad under his jacket and broke into a jog. “I’m not the
only one who needs to focus on his familiar, girl. If you spent as much of your energy on that as you do keeping up with the town gossip, you’d probably have a dragon here right now.”
Raven ran to catch up to him, and they marched up the steps of the main hall together. “I don’t even know how a dragon reacts to rain. It is a good thing I don’t have one with me today.”
“Or any day. It’s a dragon. They’re the size of a pub. Those are classrooms. Think smaller, Raven.”
“There has to be a way.”
Henry rolled his eyes as he reached for the ornate brass handle, holding the ancient wooden door for her. “Someday, your motto is going to get you into some serious trouble, which means me too. You know I’ll be right next to you.”
They stepped inside the main hall where scores of students in various states of dampness were congregating in groups, comparing notes from Professor Ridley’s class. A few boys turned to Henry, shivering and dripping water onto the tile floor, puddles forming around him.
“No umbrella, Henry?”
“At least wear a coat or something, dude!”
Henry slicked back his damp hair with his free hand and held up Maxwell. “At least I’ve got my familiar with me today! You guys are all empty-handed.”
“Yep,” Stanley Upton, another new boy, agreed. “But we’re also dry. I feel like that’s going to be a little more important today.”
Henry took on a defiant tone as he walked down the steps to the front of the hall. “We’ll just see about that.” At the front of the hall, on the stage, Professor Ridley stood with perfectly curled hair around her face as if there was no rain at all.
“Professor?”
She looked up from her notes, eyebrow arched as she peered at Henry. She tilted her head one way and then the other, glancing at the puddles that had followed him down the center aisle. “Mr. Derks? You appear to have had an arduous day already.”
“Ma’am, I did not take proper precautions today with the rain. I thought I would spend my energy and attention on my familiar, who appreciated the rainfall, but now I am quite wet.”