by Shay Laurent
Dom continued through the tree line, only slowing a little as the trees became denser. He came to a stop once he reached a rippling stream and I followed suit. A small smile rose on my face at finding this little treasure; I was sure it was the one I’d heard on my first day. I bent down and put my hands into the icy-cold water, forcing it to part around me to continue its journey.
I turned and looked up at Dom. ‘Thank you. For bringing me out here.’
He nodded. ‘Do you think it’d help to talk about it?’
I looked away. Would it help? Can’t hurt to try... can it?
As I watched the water trickle by, I took a deep breath in through my nose then released it slowly. ‘I’m just so upset and confused. I feel really betrayed by both of my parents. I can’t understand why my dad would lie to me about my mum! It’s just crazy. Every time I’ve tried to bring her up, he won’t even talk about her. He gets upset. Is that why? And my mum... I thought she was dead. Is she dead? I don’t even know. She disappeared when I was little, so I thought she was dead, but maybe she just went back to be with the Sorceresses. I don’t even know what to think about her. And I am just so angry with Dad! He could have told me anytime in the last, like, almost thirteen years! And now, Salvatore knows what is going to happen when it’s time for me to Shift! Will I even be able to Shift? Gah! No wonder Dad was talking to Miss Stone about something maybe going wrong. I can’t believe him! How could he not have warned me. Everyone is just going to hate me, I won’t fit in anywhere. Am I Shifter? Am I Sorceress? Am I just some weird hybrid cross-breed who no one will like or talk to, with crappy parents who obviously don’t love me?’
Panic kicked in and I started taking deep, gulping breaths. I sensed Dom move closer and sit by my side. He snaked an arm around my shoulders as tears began to build and then fall.
This is too much. How could they do this to me?
Eventually my breathing started to slow and the tears dried up. I looked up at Dom.
‘Do you feel a little better?’
I huffed. ‘Maybe a tiny bit to have said it all, but I don’t think it solved any problems—’
‘Well, hold on a minute. First up, I may not know all about your mum and dad, but I do know that your new friends aren’t going to hate you. Harper will be fine and there’s no way I could hate you! You can’t choose who your parents are.’
I sniffed. ‘Well I guess I know you two won’t hate me, but can you imagine what Natasha will say when she finds out? And her friends? I’m sure she’ll make a big deal of it. Hell, it is a big deal Dom! I don’t even know what I am.’
I jumped up from the ground and started pacing along the stream, trying to calm myself down again.
‘Elita?’ I looked back at him. ‘I’m sure your parents still love you. You said your dad was talking to Miss Stone or something before you came. I’m sure he only did that because he was worried. I don’t know what happened with your mum, but I’m sure she had a reason. Maybe the best thing to do would be to just speak to your dad? Or send him a letter with one of the crows?’
Motionless with thought, I watched the water ripple down the stream.
Am I being over-the-top? Surely this reaction would be normal if anyone else actually had this problem, which I doubt they do. Send Dad a letter. I guess I should give him a chance to explain. What about Miss Stone?
‘I guess you’re right. I could at least give Dad a chance to tell me his side of things, though I really don’t see what he could say that would make this right.’ I sighed. ‘And I think I should go and see Miss Stone, too. She knew my parents when I was a baby. I think they used to be friends. Maybe she knows more than she was letting on. Actually, I want to speak to her now.’
I turned around and started walking briskly back towards the Academy.
Dom hurried to catch up. ‘Hold on. Now? It’s the middle of class!’
‘So? I think she would understand. This is important.’ I jerked to a halt and looked at him, frustrated and doubtful. ‘Isn’t it?’
‘Oh, well, yeah—’
I turned and kept going, once again on a mission to get answers.
He rushed back to my side. ‘But, considering, you know, that this is about Sorceresses, shouldn’t you wait till her class is finished?’
‘Fine,’ I grumbled. ‘But I’m going to tell her I need to see her urgently.’
‘Yep, okay. Sounds like a good plan.’
Dom trailed just a little behind me once we made it into the Academy. At Miss Stone’s classroom, I rapped on the door three times and tapped my foot impatiently.
Miss Stone opened the door and looked at me. ‘Elita, hello. Can I help you? Shouldn’t you be in class?’ She glanced behind me. ‘And you too, Dominic?’
‘Yes. But I need to talk to you urgently. About... my parents.’
Her brow furrowed. ‘It can’t wait until this evening?’
I felt the heat rise in my face.
Unbelievable.
‘No.’
She nodded. ‘Very well. Meet me in my office after this class.’ She looked back at Dom. ‘I trust you can show her the way. Then you can return to your lesson.’
I glanced at Dom in time to see him nod and then looked back just in time to see a shadow of worry cross Miss Stone’s face.
Good.
I turned to Dom and waited for him to lead the way to the level where the staffroom was. Once we were on the right floor, he led me past three doors and then stopped and pointed to a pale wooden one. ‘This is her office.’
I nodded. ‘Okay. I guess we wait.’
He shifted his weight and scuffed his shoe against the floor.
A pit started forming in my stomach again. ‘Did you... Did you want to go?’
He looked at me for a moment, then shook his head. ‘Nah, it’s cool. I’ll wait here with you.’
Eventually, light footsteps sounded along the stone hallway and I looked up towards the corridor entrance to see Miss Stone staring at the pair of us.
‘Dominic, what are you doing here? I told you to return to class after you showed Elita the way.’
I cut in before Dom could speak. ‘I want him here.’
‘Do you really think that is the best idea, considering what your father said before we left for the Academy?’
I gritted my teeth. ‘I don’t care what he thinks. Dom is my friend. Besides, he knows anyway.’
Miss Stone raised her eyebrows. ‘He knows?’
‘About my mother. We both do.’
The colour drained from her face as she opened the door wide. ‘Very well.’
I edged inside quickly, followed by Dom. Miss Stone walked in behind us and pulled the door shut. The room consisted of a packed bookshelf, a desk and three wooden chairs. She indicated that we should take the two seats across from hers. The moment I sat down, my feet started tapping.
‘So, what has happened?’ she asked.
I looked her dead in the eye. ‘I found out my mother is a Sorceress.’
She paused for a moment. ‘And how did you find that out?’
‘I found her picture in the Sorceress Records room.’
‘And how exactly did you end up in that room?’ She looked at Dom.
When I glanced over to him, I saw that he’d slouched down in his chair and averted his eyes.
‘I showed it to her,’ he muttered.
She heaved a sigh. ‘And how exactly did you know that it was Elita’s mother?’
‘I saw Elita’s family portrait and recognised her mum because I had to uh, clean the Sorceress Records room from top to bottom not that long ago.’
‘I see.’
It seemed like the small talk had given Miss Stone a chance to pull herself together, because she sat a little straighter in her chair and looked back at me.
‘What do you want to know, Elita?’
‘How this happened would be a good start. They’re our enemies! How did they even end up together?’
She stared at me fo
r a moment, her thoughts clearly churning through her mind. She gave an almost imperceptible nod, maybe to herself more than me.
‘Your father and I both used to be liaisons to the Ladies of Light for this Pack. We often travelled to meet their representatives, one of which was your mother. This job started when your father and I were quite young—around your age now. Your father and mother, over time, fell in love. Eventually, they decided to run away and be together, since they knew they couldn’t do that here, for obvious reasons. Then,’ she smiled gently at me, ‘they had you.’
I stared. Floored.
‘Do you want to know anything else?’
I needed time to think, to pull myself together, but I knew if I left I wouldn’t get such a good opportunity again. There was one thing I really did need the answer to. My stomach turned, nauseated.
Just ask. You need to know.
‘What am I? A Shifter? A Sorceress? Is there anyone else like me?’
‘I’m not certain, Elita. I have searched high and low for any sign of others like you, but there have been none. You definitely have Shifter in you, I can smell that clearly and so can everyone else. Your father definitely would not have let you attend if you didn’t smell of Shifter. But, I can also smell slight traces of Sorceress.’
I sensed Dom turn and stare at me; when I looked at him, I noticed the shock on his face.
‘But as you can see by Dominic’s reaction, it wouldn’t register to anyone who is unfamiliar with Sorceresses. And I’ll be perfectly honest, we won’t know for sure until you are seventeen, because that is when a Sorceress gets her powers. Your scent will change again if you do obtain magic.’
‘I might get...magic?’
Miss Stone nodded.
Magic. Wow.
‘What about my mum? What happened to her?’
Miss Stone shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
‘You need to tell me! Someone has to tell me! She’s my mum. Even if she is a Sorceress!’
‘Well, first, you need to understand, she is a good person. She’s not evil and she loved you a lot—’
‘Loved?’ My heart felt like it was stabbed by a sharp, hot knife.
‘I’m sorry Elita, I don’t have a definite answer for you about her now. But... I will tell you what I do know, though I am positive your father won’t thank me for it. I’ve already meddled enough by giving you that book.’ She grimaced. ‘When your mother was pregnant with you, a few of the Crone’s Sorceresses came looking for her, to kill her. Your parents managed to capture one of them and discovered they were sent there because of a prophecy about her unborn child. But the one your parents captured didn’t know much about it. After that, they moved further away from the Sorceresses and Shifters to where you live now, in the Sovereign Mountains. Your mother stayed as long as she could but knew the Crone’s and their coven could track her using blood magic; the elemental talismans she used to shield herself from The Ladies of Light would not protect her from the Crones. When you were about three, she decided she would leave and try to discover more about the prophecy. Your parents were both heartbroken. She managed to send some information back to your father about it, but no other reply came and she never returned. I believe the sketch you discovered of her was after she had left you to seek out the prophecy.’
‘So, no one knows if she is alive or not now?’
Miss Stone shook her head. ‘I’m sorry, Elita.’
‘Did anyone even look for her?’
‘They did, but she had already been missing for so long from the Ladies of Light that everyone had stopped looking. Your father couldn’t risk leaving you to go and search.’
I clutched my churning stomach.
I need to get out of here soon.
‘What about the prophecy?’
‘I honestly don’t know much about that. You will need to ask your father. All I know is that it involved the Crones.’
Dom shifted in his chair. ‘Well, that’s kind of cool. Must make you pretty special, huh?’
I stared at him blankly. ‘But I’m nobody. I’m not special. Why would I have anything to do with the Crones?’
‘Well, it sure sounds like you’re special. Half Shifter, half Sorceress. You could even have powers.’
I struggled to understand the tone in his voice. It sounded maybe a little awed.
Miss Stone interrupted my wandering thoughts. ‘Elita, you mustn’t tell anyone else about this. Your mother. The prophecy. Anything. And you mustn’t look into it. It is dangerous for you and the Pack.’
‘You must be crazy! Of course I need to know what it says!’
‘It would be safest if you just asked your father.’
‘I’ll send Dad a letter to ask for his side of things, but I won’t promise not to look into it. I need to know more.’
She nodded at me, but she didn’t look happy. ‘You can use my personal crow to send your father the letter. Just bring it to me, I swear not to read it. It will be safer than using the school crow, particularly if it returns with a letter for you. You really must be careful, if the Crone’s discover your existence here, they will come for you as they did for your mother. I’d say the only thing that has stopped them is they are searching for a Sorceress and you are not only that.’
I nodded and stood, unable to stay any longer. ‘Okay. Thank you. We’d better be going now.’
‘Yes, it is time to get back to class. Make sure you both go there now. I’ll be checking. And be very wary if you discuss these things. You know how good everyone’s hearing is. My room has charms I was gifted during my time as liaison to The Ladies of Light, to protect from prying ears, but nowhere else in this castle is a safe place. Understand?’
After getting an affirmative from us, Miss Stone got up and let us go. Despite my original idea of talking with Dom, we decided to head straight to class so we didn’t draw any more attention to ourselves.
Chapter 7
I spent the night in my room trying to write my dad a letter. In the end, I scrunched up about six versions before I thought one was clear enough for him to understand. The rest I burned in the fireplace downstairs.
DEAR DAD,
I’m sending you this letter because I need answers. And to tell you that I’m so unbelievably mad at you. How could you lie to me for all these years about mum? I found out that she is a Sorceress. A SORCERESS!
My friend showed me a sketch of her in the Sorceress Records room at school. He recognised her from our family portrait. It was drawn after she LEFT US.
I saw Miss Stone after I found out and she told me about how you and mum met and what happened. But I want to hear it from you.
Can you tell me what you know about mum? And why you lied about her? And why she left us in the first place? And about the prophecy?
None of this makes any sense, Dad. I’m no one. I shouldn’t even be in a prophecy, let alone one about fighting the Crones!
I wasn’t going to say I love you. But, I guess I still do, even though I am furious.
I hope you answer this soon.
Elita.
I TUCKED THE LETTER under my pillow and went to sleep. It was fitful but I got enough. The next morning, with the letter stashed in my bag, I ate breakfast outside on the logs with Dom. After I said goodbye and we went our separate ways, I headed straight to Miss Stone’s office. She took the letter from me with a tight nod just as the morning bell rang. I ran off to my first class, determined not to be late again.
BY THE TIME LUNCH CAME around my brain was a disorganised mess spinning on repeat about my mum being a Sorceress and whether I would be one too, or if I’d be a Shifter. Or maybe even just a human.
I ignored my usual sick feeling and grabbed a plate of lunch; just salad and bread today, which was enough to satisfy my hunger, but some well cooked steak (prepared nowhere near me) would have been more fulfilling. I gave Dom a half-hearted wave when he showed up to eat with me.
‘Hey, how was your morning session?’ he asked. ‘Mine
was okay. I did Weapons and Sorceress Lore with Miss Stone. That was pretty awkward!’
I laughed a little. ‘I bet it was. Mine was fine. I had Hunting Strategies and Shifter History. My head is a mess, to be honest.’
‘Hey, it’ll be okay. You have library time after lunch again, right? It’s my day for that as well. Maybe we should check around for some of that stuff we learned about with Miss Stone?’
‘Yeah, that’s a good idea. Do you think it would be okay to ask the librarian?’
Dom scrunched his face while he thought. ‘I don’t see why not. As long as we’re pretty vague. Just prophecies in general, about Sorceresses and stuff. We can always say it’s for Miss Stone’s class.’
Energised at the thought of getting answers, I stood up. ‘Yeah, good idea. Okay. Let’s go.’
‘Woah! Hold up, I want to eat my lunch first!’ When I looked at him, he gave me a big goofy grin and started scoffing his bloody chunk of meat. I looked away so I wouldn’t have to watch it ooze, and could focus on the scent of the pine trees rather than the blood. Shocked, I realised I must be getting used to the scent a little because until I focused on it, I hadn’t really noticed—or maybe I’d just adapted to the constant nausea in my system.
Now that I’d made a decision, I bounced my legs up and down as I waited for Dom. Not that he took ages or anything. Within a couple of minutes I heard him licking his chops. I could picture him doing that in his wolf form and was sure it would look just as hilarious.
‘Okay, ready!’
When we entered the library, we stopped and looked around for the librarian. Dom spotted her in the scrolls section. The all-too-familiar feeling of butterflies returned to my stomach. I looked up at Dom.
‘I’ll do the talking, if you want?’ he offered.
I nodded, relieved, and followed him to the librarian. I stood to his left and a little behind him.
‘Hi, Miss Deerling. I was wondering if you had anything in here about prophecies?’