by A E M
“As soon as we say goodbye to Beau.” Bliss answered.
“He’s outside waiting. Will you see us out?” Wynn asked.
“Of course.” Charlotte followed them to the back lawns, where Beau stood, gazing up at the sky.
“Hey stranger.” He greeted Charlotte with a half grin. “I’ll get to you in a bit, though.” He broke away to give his goodbyes of hugs and quiet words to his parents and sister.
“Till we meet again,” Beau yelled as they flew away. They responded with the same.
Charlotte watched as his family flew away. She reached for Beau’s hand, then clenched her hand and stepped back.
He turned to Charlotte. The wind whipped his hair into disarray and goose bumps covered his flesh. “Would you care for a stroll?”
She nodded. “We haven’t talked much this week.”
“You haven’t talked much this week.” He corrected.
She walked by his side silently then. They zigzagged through the orchid. It was true that Beau had talked to her plenty off and on through the week. Everyone had. But she had kept her distance from them all.
“I’m not trying to shame you,” he said as he pulled her into a hug. “You’ve been through a lot and needed the sleep and time to process what happened. Are you better?”
Charlotte tried to step back, but he grabbed her bare hand and pulled her closer.
She looked at him with wide eyes. “Beau, am I burning you?”
“No.” He shrugged. “You are still hot, but I no longer notice it.” He gently placed his hands on her face and rested his forehead on her forehead. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out as slowly as she could, lest her emotions get the best of her. Still, she shivered at each touch of his hands. He let his hands fall to her shoulders, down her arms, and rested them on the small of her back.
“We are touching.”
“Yes.”
“I’m not burning you.”
“No.”
She opened her eyes and grabbed his arms. He didn’t flinch, and she didn’t see any burn marks where they had touched when she lifted her fingers away. But she could see the tiny, white flame scars on his arms from her transformation.
“Don’t focus on those,” Beau warned her.
“It’s hard not to when I can see them. I wish I could erase them.” She slowly ran her hands over his arms. “When I saw your family packing, I thought you were leaving. I thought maybe you wanted to leave. I thought you might be relieved to have an excuse to leave.”
Beau raised his eyebrows and shook his head at her.
She looked into his eyes. “But you didn’t leave me.” She reached up to kiss him. It was a slow kiss, a kiss that melted into more kissing.
“Of course I didn’t leave you.” he said when they finished. “We are in this together.” He played with the hair that had come loose from her braid. “I’m sorry about everything you have lost, Charlotte. I know you must feel as if your whole world has been shattered.”
“Thank you,” she said quietly before running her fingers over his arms again. “I’m sorry I burned you.”
He pulled her into a hug and rested his head on her head. “I would do it all over again. I didn’t even really feel anything; I was worried about you.”
“Beau.” She pulled away from him. “I don’t want you to worry about me. I don’t want to worry about me.”
He smirked and grabbed her hands. “What are you talking about, Lottie?”
“I want to train with Zorach.” She insisted. “And I want to know what you think of that, even if it doesn’t matter what you think.”
Beau laughed. “You think things are going to change that much between us?” He lifted her chin and kissed her lips. “You know how we work. It’s what I love about us.” He tucked her into his side and headed away from the orchid. “May I ask you why you want to train to fight?” He asked.
“I think you know that answer already.” She replied. “I’m willing to bet that it’s the same as yours.”
Beau looked unflinchingly back into her eyes and smiled. “You don’t want to hide anymore, right?”
“No,” Charlotte nudged him in the ribs. “I’m training in case I need to save your hide someday. I assumed you were training to save your own hide someday.”
Beau laughed. “And you think I would leave you.”
“There’s something serious I need to do some day.”
“Get married to me?” Beau winked.
Charlotte slipped her arm around his waist. “I want to find out who did this. I want to help stop what’s going on.” She held her breath and searched his face for emotion. Would he think she was crazy? Would he go along? Would he try to persuade her to leave such ideas alone?
Beau merely smiled in a serious way. “I would expect nothing less from you.”
“Partners?” She asked.
“Partners.” He replied.
They walked back to the kitchen, where Sebastian had joined the crowd they left. He waved them over. “I want to see your arms again, Beau.” He patted the stool next to him. “Run everything that happened when she changed by me one more time. Every detail you can remember, no matter how insignificant you think it is. I want it down on paper this time.”
“The situation is curious.” Sebastian stated once Beau was finished.
Lodestar shrugged. “It’s unique and new, yes, but it fits together nicely. He held her during the transformation. The fairy clothes protected him enough to be around the energy surging through her skin and body.”
“Look at her eyes and the streaks in her hair.” Basil pointed out. “She even looks a little like a bronze eagle now.”
“I wonder.” Lodestar crossed her arms in front of her chest and narrowed her eyes. “A power transfer?”
“Did the fairies instruct you both to wear that clothing?” Sebastian asked.
“Of course they did.” Lodestar said. “The fairies must have had suspicions of what might happen. I say they know much more than they let on.”
“I say they may be using her as a battle pawn.” Zorach said as he placed his cup down on the table hard. “I bet they know who is behind all of this.” He and Lodestar exchanged many different looks across the table. Basil and Josef sat silently at the table, Basil stirring his soup absentmindedly and Josef staring out the window.
“I will not be a pawn.” Charlotte sat back in her chair and crossed one leg over the other. “Zorach, tomorrow morning I train.”
“By doing so, you may be following the direction they want you to take.” Josef advised.
“It’s different,” Charlotte insisted. “It’s different because I choose this. Tonight we take a look at the discs that Barnabas left and we form our own plan.”
“But the Maguard has a plan.” Basil argued.
“There’s a reason Barnabas left the discs. I think he wants us to look into it on our own.”
“There’s something I haven’t mentioned, Sebastian.” Beau looked over at the hob. “Others can touch her through fabric, but I can touch Charlotte skin to skin without being burned.”
“A side effect of being with her during the transformation?” Josef asked.
“Perhaps.” Lodestar said. She looked back and forth between Beau and Charlotte. “There’s much for us to learn.”
“How long do you think it will last?” Charlotte asked. She lay her hands palm up on the table.
“Oh, child. I wish I could give you an answer to that.” Lodestar stared solemnly at Charlotte. “You may be the only one who can find the answers you seek.”
12
The Girl Up A Tree
Her small form ran across the field, clutching the straps of her bag.
Huge hands grabbed her and lifted her up in the air.
She kicked and fought, but he held her in the air until she stopped.
He settled her in the crook of his arm when she was done.
She glared at him. “I’m leaving to find my magic.”
“I’ll tell you a long story about the stars before I take you back.” He offered.
Her eyes softened. “I’d like that.”
Charlotte slowed to a walk. The warm colors of the sunrise shoved the cool colors of the night back across the sky. She loved the quiet stillness of the early mornings, but it was harder now to enjoy them completely. The quiet meant that she could think more, and it was hard not to think about her parents and her uncertain future. She looked up to the sky where Beau flew overhead. He refused to let her run alone, and had insisted that he needed the exercise anyway. She had relented, but mainly because she knew that she wasn’t ready to be on her own against an enemy magani. She turned down the driveway and gave one last sprint to where he had landed on the lawns.
“Morning.” Beau greeted her with a kiss and tucked her into his side as they walked up to the castle.
“Do you have separate training now?” She asked. “The last couple of weeks have been fun together.”
“Yes.” He answered.
“Can I train with you, then?” She teased.
He laughed. “I didn’t know you were interested in advanced combat training while flying.”
“A girl has got to have some variety in life, don’t you think?”
He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. “Breakfast date?”
“Of course.”
“After training I’ll meet you for a lunch date.” He played with her fingers. “If you’re lucky, there will be a supper date tonight.”
“You mean if you’re lucky.” She corrected him. He grinned and winked.
Charlotte waved him off and ran up to shower and change. She stopped at her dresser and let her fingers glide over the items perched on a silver tray. A rose rock. An old coin. A piece of lace. A sea shell. Every meal for two weeks had been a date. They sat at the end of the table every night, and every night Beau brought her a gift. A pinecone. A flower. A rock with a heart drawn on it. Her eyes drifted and settled on her nightstand where the second week of gifts was collected. A ribbon. A pretty pen. A tiny book. She stepped out of her shoes and kicked them under the nightstand. She would need a new pair soon; all of the training was wearing them out. She touched the next three gifts. An old piece of castle wallpaper. A sprig of dried mint. A purple marble. She brought the last one, a wooden flute, to her lips and blew gently.
She set it back down carefully and stepped through the mess of books and workout clothes. She had forbidden the hobs to come into her room, but now she was faced with having to clean up after herself. She kicked some clothes into the growing clothes pile and hurried into the shower. She grumbled to herself over the clothes pile. She kept trying to wear normal clothes, but she had incinerated all of them so far. The pile on the floor was actually a mixture of charred remains. How long she could wear the clothes varied, but always at night she would burn what she wore. By now she had resigned to wear the fairy clothing most of the time. She slipped one outfit on and hurried to the kitchen.
Beau sat at the table joking with Matches and Tomas and Crispin. Charlotte thanked Basil for the steaming bowl of oatmeal and settled on her usual stool. She slowly inhaled the brown sugar and cinnamon goodness while she stirred.
“Get her to let us clean her room.” Crispin nudged Beau. “We can smell it from half way across the castle now.”
“She could clean her own room, you know.” Beau responded.
“She doesn’t have time for that right now.” Basil argued.
Charlotte ignored them all. Hours of working out each day left her with a constant appetite, and she knew she only had so much time before Zorach bounded in the door and demanded her presence.
“Well, I still think she should do it.” Beau said.
“Like you have any room to talk.” Josef snorted from across the table.
Charlotte looked up. “I’ve never been to your home, Beau.”
Beau blushed and played with the food on his plate. “Someday soon.” He winked at Crispin. “You have my permission.”
“Beau!”
“Time to go!” Zorach yelled from outside the door.
Charlotte pushed her bowl towards Beau. “Thanks for cleaning for me.”
“Oh, anytime.” Beau said sarcastically. “Thanks for returning the favor whenever I need it.”
“Now!” Zorach yelled.
Charlotte hurried after him to the temporary training yard on the rear grounds. Charlotte stretched as Zorach scolded her. It didn’t seem to matter if she did something right or wrong. Always he scolded her over something. Today it was form.
“You must stop tripping over your own feet.” He paced around her slowly.
Charlotte stood up and dusted the dirt off the seat of her pants. “Easier said than done.”
“I’ve never understood how humans are at least twice as clumsy as centaurs when they have half as many legs.”
“You must have an incredibly long esophagus.” Charlotte bantered.
Zorach’s eyes widened and his nostrils flared. “Run, young one. I’ll give you ten minutes to get across the field and high up a tree before I hunt you down.” His eyes flashed. “It better be a study branch.”
Charlotte fled towards the forest line. Keep mouth shut. She scolded herself. Just say it in your head and nobody gets hurt. Two, maybe three minutes passed before she passed the tree line and slowed so she could identify the right tree. Zorach could snap the really thin ones with his hands. He could knock the medium ones down with a few back kicks. And she would have to be high enough that he couldn’t reach her. The horse part of him spanned at least a good six feet from hooves to shoulders. His human half probably added another three feet. Raising his arms added couple of feet. If he reared, then he could reach even higher. She gulped.
Finally, she spotted a tree with a wide base and favorable elevation. She jumped and missed the lowest branch. She caught it the second time, but her grip wasn’t good enough. Finally, she managed to get a hold of it and propel herself up. Branch by branch she climbed until she was a good twenty feet away from the ground. She wrapped her legs around the branch she sat on and reached up to wrap her arms around the branch above her.
“Dane-weaver!” He called. She rolled her eyes. Why did they insist on calling her that? Of course, what else were they to call her? Nobody knew what she was. She kept silent and steadied her breathing like he had taught her. Nearby a tree fell with a crack and mighty thump. “I hope you found a good tree, because Josef requested firewood. Of course, that means that you need to make sure that you don’t burn the wood before it even gets to the castle.” His laughs barreled in between the trees.
Charlotte closed her eyes and tried to focus. He was baiting her. She heard his thundering hooves pounding the dirt and leaves. He was close. She opened her eyes. He would see her soon. She might as well return his gaze.
“Ah, there you are.” He circled the tree. “Good eye, Charlotte.” He thumped the bottom of the tree with his hind legs. “This tree will provide the castle with a decent amount of firewood.”
Zorach paced below her and hit the tree on occasion. Charlotte held tight. The sun rose higher in the sky. She waited patiently while Zorach continued his routine. Sooner or later Josef would pop up for sword lessons.
“I have a busy schedule, Zorach.” Josef finally popped out of thin air below the tree. “I expect to find you in the training yard as scheduled, when scheduled.”
“My apologies.” Zorach said. “Charlotte is having an extended lesson. There will be no need for sword practice today.” He chuckled. “Cancel her last set of morning lessons, as well. She’s finally showing some endurance.”
Charlotte’s heart fell when Josef vanished. She had hoped that if she lasted the hour, then Zorach would let her come down. She stretched her legs out quickly before wrapping them back under the branch. Zorach stood still below her. She couldn’t believe how much she missed sword training. Josef had turned out to be quite the secret swordsman. They would practice
until Charlotte’s sword began to heat, take a break, and then start up again with a new sword.
The hour of training after that usually rotated each day between survival skills, hand-to-hand combat, and training with other weapons. Tactical training with Zorach was next, and then Basil would take over and teach her his favorite weapon, the quarterstaff. Charlotte sighed and looked down at Zorach, who looked relaxed as he lay down in the dirt under the tree.
“Are you going to tell me the objective of this training session?” She called out to him sweetly. “Or is this punishment for injuring your feelings? How long am I to sit up here?”
Zorach laughed. “Feelings? Do you really think that centaurs have feelings like you humans do?”
“I’m not human anymore, remember?”
“Ah, but Charlotte, for all the dramatic transformation, you are still very human.” He looked up at her and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
“Being magani doesn’t mean that you don’t have feelings.” Charlotte said. “Haven’t you spent any time with the mermaids?”
He grunted. “I try to stay as far away as I can.”
They sat quietly between bouts of Zorach tormenting the tree with punches and kicks for the next hour. Charlotte tried to rest her muscles without letting her guard down. The branch above her now wore small burn marks in the shape of her hands. The branch she sat on had leg shaped burn marks. She had managed to calm down enough to put out the fires, which was a first. She squirmed and regretted the second cup of tea at breakfast.
“Had enough?” Zorach asked.
Charlotte didn’t answer. Just what was his intention with this exercise? She scanned the trees. If she held out long enough, would Beau find her? She frowned. She had nothing in her pockets. She didn’t have any powers that she knew of, yet. She only had the burning that she couldn’t control.
Her bladder won out. “Zorach, I’ve got to use the restroom.” She admitted. “I’m done.”