Surviving Prophesy: The Immortals

by Frances Howitt

  ‘Schubert,’ Megan said in warm welcome, having quickly gone to meet him as he strode fast down the aisle. One light touch on his arm and she’d encased his mind in a privacy shield. His anxiety had clearly made an already strong aura pulse overpoweringly with magic. ‘Are you ok?’

  ‘Am I? Of course. You didn’t come out when everyone else did. Damn Zach, you’re white as a sheet again. Are you in pain? Sorry, forget I asked, of course you are.’ He glanced about the room; every eye seemed to be on him. ‘Where’s your wheelchair?’

  ‘Didn’t use it. With my arms as weak as they are, I can’t push it along myself.’

  ‘You walked? Damn, no wonder you look a sight. Come on lad; let’s get you out of here. Brendon?’ He helped Zacharias to his feet and wrapped an arm about Zach’s waist, while Brendon did the same on his other side so he was evenly supported. Megan led the way, quietly and politely clearing a path for her three abreast companions. Her position, just in front, also helped hide Zach from clear view without seeming deliberate. She was well aware Zacharias felt vulnerable out here amongst so many unknown wizards and since he was the focus of every eye, his nervousness was understandable. Externally, his face showed none of his fear or pain, aside from being pale, but she knew he was suffering.

  ‘Aren’t we going the wrong way for sickbay?’ Brendon asked her once they were clear of the crowd still lingering outside the room used as the court.

  ‘We don’t need to be in the same corridor as angry wizard parents, or face the thugs directly after their punishment procedure,’ she told him.

  ‘Good thinking,’ Schubert responded. ‘I like your girl Zach.’

  ‘Mine,’ Zacharias told him. He hadn’t breath to spare for speaking further and glared when Schubert burst out laughing and even Brendon snorted.

  ‘I don’t think anyone doubts that,’ Schubert assured him. ‘Megan, I’m sorry to say, but you seem to have a cave-man here. Sure you wouldn’t prefer a suave sophisticated man instead?’ he asked, waggling his brows.

  Zacharias growled something rude.

  ‘Schubert, stop baiting him. He might not be able to hit you right now but there’s nothing stopping me.’

  ‘Ooh, mama bear’s gone all protective again,’ Schubert teased irrepressibly. ‘Sexy.’

  Zacharias’s drooping head went up at that last, but Megan merely rolled her eyes at Schubert. She knew Schubert was using idle banter to distract Zacharias from his pain and it was working, but only to a point. As they exited the school building to start across the wide paved courtyard that led to sickbay, they saw Tommy rushing out of sickbay pushing a wheelchair.

  ‘Let’s wait for him, shall we?’ Megan suggested, heartened by the sight. Zach hung rather limply, his weight almost entirely carried by Schubert and Brendon now. Megan was very glad they had such strong men they could trust to call on.

  ‘Thank you Tommy,’ Megan said and watched him position it where Zach could be lowered into it.

  ‘Dad said he’d walked to the hearing,’ Tommy said and shook his head at how pain filled Zach’s features now were.

  ‘Yes, someone summoned him but didn’t stop to help him get there,’ Megan told him and knew Tommy would pass that information on. ‘I was on the stand giving my testimony at the time and Brendon was in class. I had no choice but to call him to help. Thank you once again Brendon. I hope you didn’t get into any trouble with your teacher?’

  ‘Your call was more important,’ Brendon said with a shrug. ‘I think the teachers were expecting there to be some disruption with the trial going on. They understand a wizard summons is usually a drop everything and come immediately kind of thing.’

  ‘Can you bring him slowly so he’s not jarred further,’ she said to the two animus men. ‘Schubert, I need you,’ she added and tugged his sleeve.

  ‘Ooh invitations. Hear that Zach? But I bet you just want to stick a needle in me,’ he groused but lightly and followed her jog.

  By the time Zacharias was wheeled into his sickroom and helped back into bed, Schubert was sitting in the chair watching his blood drip out into a small bottle. Zacharias fell asleep once Schubert’s blood had been transfused into him; obviously the pain had sapped his remaining strength.

  Schubert leaned back in the chair watching Megan soothe Zacharias with gentle hands. Even he could see the frown of pain smooth from Zach’s brow and as his blood was accepted and utilised, Zach’s colour improved and his rapid breathing slowed. The tension slowly left Zach’s body and he relaxed properly.

  ‘Thank you once again Schubert,’ Megan said quietly, turning to face him. ‘I thought you’d gone with Yolanda and Julius to see her friends?’

  ‘I escorted Yolanda there yes. She’s nervous of travelling alone now. Julius had some things to do in town instead, so will be back later. I thought you and Zach might need me so I came straight back.’

  ‘You were right. Again,’ she added with a sad smile.

  ‘What happened at the hearing today? I only arrived after it had finished.’

  She settled on the edge of the spare trolley bed and related the day’s events.

  ‘So, justice has been served,’ Schubert observed. ‘And furthermore, it has been public enough that the perpetrators are unlikely to be able to hide the crime from their peers. But it has put you and Zach squarely in the public eye. That worries me.’

  ‘It does me too,’ she admitted. ‘But until Zach’s healed we can’t travel.’

  ‘Did he damage anything walking today?’

  ‘No, he was careful although he did put more stress on leg bones that were in hundreds of pieces a few days ago than he should have done. Mainly it’s the soft tissue that’s causing him so much pain. My manipulation inevitably added more bruising and it’s swelling up again all around the bone.’

  ‘Last I saw, you both had horses. Surely they would be doing the walking instead?’

  ‘You know that sitting astride a saddle requires the legs to bend and grip,’ she reminded and then noticed his small smile and knew he’d led her deliberately. Damn, it was like permanently being at school! Realising he was trying to get her to think beyond the obvious, she stopped to do so. ‘You think we should get a wagon and leave right away? You think that would be better than waiting a few days for him to heal more?’

  ‘He is a sitting duck here, especially now everyone knows. I really didn’t like the way all those people stared at us earlier; they made me very uneasy.’

  ‘I know what you mean,’ she responded. ‘But where could we go? I’d rather not be aimlessly wandering in a country I don’t know.’

  ‘You’ll come with me. We’ll go first to Brookdell where Yolanda is staying with friends. We can make further plans there.’

  The door opened and Brendon came in bearing a tray. ‘I thought you’d all be hungry,’ he began then eyed them both. ‘I’ve interrupted something. Do you want me to go?’

  ‘No, you deserve to know,’ Megan said, but gestured at the open door. Brendon set down the tray and wordlessly closed the door before waiting expectantly. ‘Schubert thinks it’d be unwise for Zach and I to linger. He felt rather uncomfortable with some of the looks that followed us earlier. What were your impressions?’

  ‘Threatened somehow,’ Brendon said slowly. ‘I agree. Much as I hate to admit it, I think being amongst so many wizards is no longer as safe as it once was. Will you wait for Zach to heal more?’

  ‘No, we don’t think that’s wise. He’ll be ok travelling in a wagon.’

  ‘Where will you go? You’ve not finished your training. Will you find another academy?’ Brendon asked.

  ‘I don’t know what we’ll do yet, but I think given how well known our names have become amongst the wizard community, we’d be foolish to enrol somewhere else straightaway. Being here wasn’t a career choice, it was just a means of learning to better defend ourselves. Unfortunately we let our guards down and didn’t learn the skills quickly enough to avoid becoming a target and Zach’s suffered the
consequences. All we can really do is leave quickly and hope to escape notice.’

  ‘Stop talking and eat Megan,’ Schubert interjected before she volunteered too much detail. ‘Brendon’s very kindly brought us a whole load of goodies that won’t be so nice once they’re cold.’

  Megan woke Zacharias to put a laden plate before him. He certainly looked considerably better than he had on his arrival earlier and as he ate, more colour and strength flowed into his body.

  Brendon joined them companionably since he’d brought enough. He idly mused at how empty his days were shortly going to become without the live-wire that was Zacharias. Lessons had suddenly become interesting when Zacharias joined the class, especially the ones which pitted them against one another in physical contests. He would miss Zach and now he was friendly with Megan and even the daunting Schubert, he’d miss them too. Each of them were constantly doing something interesting or talking about things they’d seen or done that boggled his mind. Brendon had only joined Sunnydale because it was one of the last places that accepted animus people for training. To make his way in the world he needed to acquire skills to enable decent employment. As an orphan, he had no family business to fall back on or father to teach him a useful trade. He was on his own.

  ‘Ah, that hit the spot,’ Schubert remarked with a nod of thanks to Brendon. ‘I’m going to go into town now and look for a wagon. Zach, will your horse tow?’

  ‘You want to use my horse to pull a wagon?’

  ‘Yes. You’d do better sitting than riding astride,’ Schubert told him.

  ‘We’re leaving right away then?’ Zacharias asked absorbing the meaning.

  ‘As soon as we can be ready, yes. What about Megan’s horse, do you think he’s ever towed anything?’

  ‘To be honest I don’t know. My horse has, so no worries there. I don’t know what training her horse has had, but he’s an amenable sort, I’m sure he’ll learn soon enough.’

  ‘Mine can, if hers proves awkward,’ Schubert added with an unconcerned shrug and then rose to leave.

  ‘Schubert, I don’t know if you noticed, but those wizards were eyeing you as much as Zach,’ Brendon remarked. ‘Perhaps I should come with you into town to watch your back. I know where the wheelwright’s shop is; I can take you straight there,’ he added noticing Schubert’s hesitation and surprise.

  ‘What of Zach’s security?’

  ‘Megan will be here and I can get a pair of the team to stand guard while we’re gone. It’ll be as safe as we can make it.’

  ‘You do make sense. Go get yourself organised then,’ Schubert ordered and Brendon disappeared out the door. ‘Is it me or is that lad trying to make himself indispensable?’

  ‘Doing a good job of it too,’ Megan agreed. ‘So, we will need to pack and also advise Master Tarquin that we’re leaving.’

  ‘Yes. I think it’s best to be ready to leave before we tell him though,’ Zacharias said. ‘I don’t think he’s the type to make our leaving public or be awkward, but equally he may be watched by the less scrupulous.’

  ‘Schubert suggests we go to Brookdell first, where Yolanda is visiting friends. Any thoughts on where we should go from there?’ she asked Zacharias while Brendon was still out of the room.

  ‘I’ll have to give it some thought. We’d probably be better to keep our plans, particularly our ultimate destination at least, from Brendon. I don’t like to, but he’ll understand why it’s not safe to confide something a wizard could so easily pluck from his mind.’ Megan and Schubert nodded agreement with his assessment. He’d noticed they’d said little of specifics while Brendon was in the room so they’d clearly come to the same conclusion. The necessity saddened him. ‘Can you get us packed, love?’

  Megan simply nodded and left the room. Whether they were able to leave this afternoon or not, she didn’t want to leave without her newly acquired medical supplies. Everything else could be replaced more easily. She’d left the shield in place around Schubert’s mind from earlier. Now even she, accustomed to listening out for his powerful presence could no longer distinguish him and thus his location, from everyone else. It was safer for him to be less noticeable and traceable, especially as he was now heading into town. It didn’t take her long to pack. They’d only brought what would fit into their saddlebags and had not acquired much more than books since which would remain behind. So, less than an hour later, she’d tucked her own and Zacharias’s bags into the cupboard out of sight, locked the bedroom door and returned to Zacharias.

  19

  The two animus lads on guard duty were full of questions when they saw her. Knowing through their link that Zacharias was safe and indeed was dozing, she stopped to tell them a little about the hearing. She was rather anxious to discover that the trial was all anyone was talking about. It was hardly surprising. Stripping a wizard of his powers, so he effectively became an ungifted human, had startled many. A wizard, used to a life of privilege and social standing would face some harsh realities, discarded by his peers and forced to make his own way as an ungifted commoner. She was assured however, that most students, and this apparently included the wizard ones, thought the punishment entirely justified. No-one should be above the law and the cold-blooded attempted murder of a fellow student had shocked and appalled everyone. She thanked them for standing guard then went into Zacharias’s room.

  When the bell went for lunch, she pushed Zacharias out the door in his wheelchair. She’d helped him bathe and now he’d had some sleep, he was feeling more able. Zacharias’s guards immediately took over pushing the chair for her and the four of them went into lunch. She was aware of a lull in conversations as they came in, but there weren’t the hard stares they’d endured from the adult wizards earlier. Zacharias had suggested they join everyone for lunch today rather than hide in his room as though ashamed. Everyone knew he’d walked to the hearing; it would look like he was playing for sympathy if he stayed in sickbay where others had to wait on his needs. His driver didn’t bother to ask him to get out of his chair onto a bench, instead he was parked at the head of the table, where there was space. The talk was a little stilted at first; how did one share a table with an Immortal who’d been around longer than your great grandparents and whom had barely survived a murder attempt? He might be in a wheelchair and still look pale and skinny, but he had no grey hair and otherwise seemed just the same as the classmate they’d previously accepted. Zacharias cracked a few jokes, mainly at his own expense and most relaxed quickly, treating him almost as they had before.

  Megan was highly relieved. Zacharias grinned often now and even laughed a few times as he and everyone at the table exchanged gossip. Through their link she felt his desire for a dish out of his reach and got it for him. She was also able to privately chide him for trying to take it from her when it was really too heavy for his newly healed arms. She knew full well he wouldn’t want to be reprimanded in front of these animus men. It was bad enough that they watched Zach closely and would see what still caused him pain. Brendon’s advice to firstly show no weakness, and certainly no fear, still held true. So she placed the heavy serving dish close enough to him that he could spoon extras himself without drawing any attention to the process that had taken place beforehand and thus his dignity remained intact.

  ‘We’ve got weapons practice now,’ Rufus said. ‘I went up a rank last lesson. Are you coming to watch today?’

  ‘Oh, that was well done,’ Zacharias said. ‘Watching practice does sound considerably more interesting than going back to sickbay,’ he admitted but silently asked Megan’s approval first. She nodded and there were some sniggers that he’d had to ask permission. His body language really must be obvious. He didn’t care what they thought though; keeping Megan happy was all that was important to him.

  ‘Is everyone ready?’ Rufus asked the table at large. ‘We’ll need to allow a few extra minutes to get the chair across the grass,’ he added meeting Zacharias’s eye.

  Megan was struck that not just their ta
ble, but the two adjacent ones, which also had animus diners, all rose to leave together. She rose with them and manoeuvred Zach’s chair out from the table in readiness.

  ‘We can take him, Wizard Megan,’ Rufus told her. He towered over the slight young woman but she stood her ground eyeing him directly in assessment for a long moment before relinquishing control of Zacharias’s chair. He gave her a small nod of respect and turned to lead the way.

  ‘Do you usually go to class in one group?’ Megan asked, walking with Rufus and thus maintaining her place beside Zacharias.

  ‘We didn’t used to,’ Rufus admitted. ‘It feels safer now to take the odd precaution.’

  ‘This nervousness is because of me,’ Zacharias said grimly. ‘I’ve brought danger to everyone.’

  ‘No. Animus people must always remember to be on guard around others, especially wizards. No offense lady Megan.’

  ‘None taken. I’m disgusted too by the offenses perpetrated by just a few wizards and which tar the rest of us.’

  ‘You are a gifted wizard healer,’ Rufus said. ‘We hold healers in high regard for they are usually self-less and not prone to attack others. We know what you did for Brendon too, when you did not have to,’ he added warmly.

  ‘He more than earned anything I could do for him.’ She glanced round; nearly twenty animus people were following them, the majority of whom were men. ‘Can you stop for a moment?’ she said ignoring the annoyed stares and concentrated her senses beyond their group. ‘Has someone been left behind?’

  Many turned to look, saw no-one, but since she hadn’t moved, but continued to wait, some of them looked round again.

  ‘It’s Alesha,’ someone said of the figure that had just rushed out of the school building’s door and was now running across the grass after them.

  ‘How did you know?’ Rufus asked. ‘We didn’t hear her nor see her from in the school.’