Transference (The Two Worlds, #2)

by Alisha Howard

  “Why would you be playing favorites?” I asked.

  “Because you will be training with me exclusively until further notice.” Rowena sat down at her desk and crossed her dainty hands in front of her. “The Senior Council seems to think that the normal assignments that are usually given are too easy for you, considering you’ve Awakened a Death Walker already. They feel that you should be on advanced level assignments.”

  “Interesting, but why were we given that Death Walker assignment in the first place?” Rena asked. I had been wondering the same thing. Did Rowena know that Nia and I were a part of the legend?

  “I can’t be too sure,” she admitted with a shrug. “But the Senior Council has the ability to detect what level your power is when you first arrive on this planet, so maybe they realized that you were capable of greater things than other students at your level are. Either way, you guys are stuck with me from here on out. Let’s meet tomorrow morning at eight a.m. sharp here and we’ll proceed from there.”

  Rena and I agreed and Rowena dismissed us. We waited until we had cleared the forest before either of us spoke.

  “What do you think the real reason is for training with Rowena?” Rena asked.

  It was my turn to shrug. “Who really knows the real reason? I don’t like that we’re getting special treatment again, though.” I kicked at a pebble who was already Awakened and then did a little hop to get out of the way of it kicking me back. “We need to let my grandpa know this is going on.”

  “Agreed.”

  We walked in silence the rest of the way home. Dia was humming when we arrived. Fresh daisies and winter irises had begun to bloom in front of the house. Birds were frequenting the trees surrounding us. I think the birds were providing Dia with some much-needed company.

  “How was school?” she chirped. Rena and I both grumbled vague responses before plopping on the couch. “Oh, come now. It can’t be all that bad.”

  “We need Grandpa,” I told her. “Rowena has decided to train with us exclusively. We’re not supposed to tell the other students.”

  “Fascinating,” Dia said. “I wonder why on Turgor you need to train with her by yourselves?”

  “Something about us being more advanced than the other students,” I muttered. “My gut tells me there’s another reason behind it.” I grabbed my DiGi and shot Nia a message asking her to swing by my house. I sent Grandpa an identical message before slamming the DiGi shut.

  “Why can’t we just be left alone?” I shouted to no one in particular. Rena patted my hand in sympathy.

  “If it makes you feel better, I’ll be training with you,” she offered.

  “Thanks, but it doesn’t,” I grumbled. A soft knock came from the front door.

  “Who is it?” I asked Dia.

  “It’s Grandpa and Jala.”

  I opened the door and gave Grandpa a quick hug before doing the same with Rena’s mom, Jala. Her escape had been kept quiet by the Council to prevent panic and Grandpa had worked his magic to keep her hidden from the authorities. For all intents and purpose, she was very much a fugitive at large. Everyone thought that Rena was still living with me, only visiting her home to perform upkeep. Today, Jala was wearing a long peach dress that seemed perfect against her almost flawless olive skin. Like her daughter, her hair and eyes changed color with her mood. Today her eyes were bright blue and her hair was almost a platinum blonde. “That was really fast.”

  Grandpa gave a soft smile. “We’re all on high alert. Any time you girls call, someone will find you in a matter of minutes.”

  I sighed and motioned for them to sit down before explaining what little information I had about our new assignment. Grandpa stroked his mustache.

  “I’m not liking the recent developments with the Senior Council,” he said. “They’re being more aggressive than I thought them capable of.”

  “How is having the girls train with Rowena aggressive?” Jala asked.

  “They’re making sure that they keep track of Nia and Kay’s powers as they grow.” He stood and began to pace. “Rowena is definitely working with the Council to keep them informed on your progress.”

  “So what do we do?” Rena asked. “We can’t turn down the assignments. It would look suspicious.”

  “Agreed,” I said, folding my arms. “If we’re supposed to be lying low, we need to keep up pretenses. We don’t want the Senior Council to know that we’re on to them.”

  “Still, I think you will begin to experience surges of power, especially if she’s giving you harder tasks to complete,” Jala pointed out. “Your grandfather is right.”

  Grandpa stopped pacing. “Here’s what you’re going to do: continue on with your training. But fail the tests.”

  I bit my lip and thought. Could I really control my power enough to fake it? So far it had been dumb luck that had helped us out of sticky situations, not mastery on my part. Grandpa seemed to read my mind.

  “Faking it doesn’t have to be hard, dear,” he said, sitting down next to me and patting me on the knee. “When she asks you to do something, just pretend to do it. Don’t give it your all.”

  “Won’t she know we’re not trying hard?” I asked. Rowena seemed to be pretty on top of it when it came to her students.

  “Maybe,” Grandpa admitted. “But that’s our only choice right now. We’re not ready to do anything else.”

  My head was beginning to hurt. This didn’t sit right with me. Rena’s face mirrored my thoughts. I sighed and reached up to my necklace where my Evrode was hanging. “What do you think, Yolanda?”

  “I think your grandfather is right,” she said. “Play it safe for now on. Let’s see what the Senior Council wants Rowena to have you to do.”

  I gave another sigh. Grandpa’s pocket began to vibrate. He pulled out his DiGi and studied it for a few moments before nodding and shoving it back in his pocket.

  “I have to go. I’m needed at a dig site,” he said, standing. “Jala, do you need me to take you anywhere?”

  “I need a few items for home,” she said. “Would you mind dropping me off in Brozek Square?”

  “Not at all.” He pulled me to my feet and wrapped me in a warm hug. “You girls take care of yourselves. Get some rest. I’ll check back in as soon as I have some time.”

  I nodded and waited for Jala to finish hugging Rena before letting them out.

  I turned back to Rena. “You know what? I’m too wound up to study. Let’s head to Molly’s Tavern and have some fun.”

  Chapter 4

  Molly Tinnel’s tavern was brimming with patrons as usual. The small restaurant sat at the corner of Murk’s Street and Boma Avenue in Brozek. We’d met up with Nia before heading over. As we all walked in, the little brass bell above the door gave off a small chime announcing our presence. The smell of warm fruit pie filled the air. Rena, Nia, and I both sniffed around while our eyes darted across the room looking for a place to sit. Rena spotted a booth in the back and we made our way to it, dodging conversing and laughing Turgorians along the way. Plopping down in my seat, I sighed happily.

  A small blue fairy flew up to us, notepad in hand. “What can I get for you?” she trilled.

  “We’ll have the Narzel sampler and three glasses of ale please,” I ordered, not bothering to look at the menu. Since coming to Turgor, Molly’s Tavern had been the staple and main supplier of my diet. Blue Fairy nodded and zoomed off, leaving behind a trail of fairy dust in the air.

  Rena sneezed, causing her skin to grow bright orange. “I’ll tell you”—Rena sniffled—“working in the archives is ramping up my allergies.”

  “Could be a lot worse, right?” I offered, sipping the cold glass of ale that had suddenly appeared on the table.

  “Yeah,” Nia grumbled, “we could have to clean the Harpie nests on the top floors in Caldbeck.” We all shuddered in agreement.

  The table began to sparkle and before I could blink, a large, piping-hot pizza surrounded by a few plates appeared. I grabbed a plat
e and dug in and the girls followed suit. The sounds of our chewing blended into the noisy ambiance of the small little hut. Rena and I locked eyes and she smiled briefly before her smile slid off her face. I tracked her gaze to a lanky figure advancing quickly over to our table. I swallowed my chunk of pizza and braced myself.

  Erika Williams sneered as she approached, bumping into our table. I steadied the glasses of ale and matched her sneer.

  “What do you want, Ericka?” Nia sighed, pushing her plate away. “I’m not up to arguing today.”

  “Oh, I’m not here to argue,” Ericka replied sweetly. “I’m here to tell you that I know about your little dirty secret.”

  My heartbeat began to speed up. Erika pushed her way in to our booth next to me, forcing me to slide over and give her room. She grabbed a slice of pizza and began chomping away.

  “Do you mind?” Nia growled.

  Erika gave her a smirk. “Not at all.”

  “What dirty little secret do you think you know, Erika?” I demanded.

  “Oh, you know. The one where you lie about Awakening Larius.”

  I let out a shaky breath. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “I’m sure you don’t.” She laughed and grabbed another slice. “But I can be very persuasive. Larius didn’t mind telling me all about your little lie.”

  “Is that before or after you destroyed his tombs in Giza Graveyard?” Rena asked.

  Erika rolled her eyes. “All in the name of justice, I’m afraid. Besides, no one really cares about those dusty old tombstones. The Brozek Ledger is just looking for a story.”

  “I’m sure.” I bit into my own slice of pizza that was now cold. “You better be careful whom you go around admitting that to.”

  “My father will take care of the police.” Erika laughed. “Have you forgotten who I am?”

  “A spoiled, bratty kid of a politician with too much money and far too much time on his hands?” Nia replied sweetly.

  Erika snarled. “Watch what you say, Nia. You’ll need all the allies you can get.”

  “Thanks, but we have plenty of allies,” I snapped. My patience was wearing thin. Ericka gave off another laugh and this laugh was so chilly, I was surprised my ale didn’t freeze.

  She slipped out of the booth, grabbed another slice of our pizza, and gave a small salute before sauntering off.

  I let out a sigh of relief and turned back to my girls. “So what do you think?”

  Nia scoffed. “I think she’s full of—”

  “She might know something, Nia,” Rena said, interrupting. “Her father does have high connections in the Council.”

  “Yeah, yeah. But so what? No one will believe her if she told. It’s her word against ours.”

  “Still, we might want to be careful provoking her. She could cause more trouble than we can handle right now.”

  Nia chomped on her pizza, silently conceding that Rena was right. I sipped my ale and kept my racing thoughts to myself. My DiGi buzzed, letting me know that it was time to get going. We had detention to get to. Rena sighed and dropped a few coins on the table before signaling to the blue fairy that we were ready to go. The fairy gave us a friendly nod and with a wave of her hand cleared our table from across the room before turning back to her current customers, who were still debating over the menu.

  We walked out into the cool night air and hurried to the nearest bus stop. Mailboxes were starting to hustle to their final posts before it got too dark and the lamp posts were beginning to awake, giving screeching yawns before turning on. Most shops were closing for the evening, but a few kept late hours, pulling in their chairs and tables from the sidewalk and turning on their outdoor lights.

  “My favorite time is nighttime,” Rena breathed, leaning against the bus stop. “Everything becomes so peaceful.”

  “Agreed.” I pulled my sweater tighter to my body and inched closer to Nia for warmth. She didn’t seem to notice. “I wish I had more time to just have fun here. You know?”

  “Yeah, you got the short end of the stick.” Nia gave me a playful nudge. “At least I had two years to get to know this place before all of this drama started. The Senior Council really has been good to me.”

  “I bet.”

  Nia didn’t bother to respond, instead looking down the road for signs of the bus. Finding none, she turned to Rena. “What have you and Jala been up to these days?”

  “When I’m not at detention or in class, we sit and talk,” Rena said. She shivered and zipped up her light jacket. “It’s nice to catch up. So many years have passed and there’s so many little details that my mom has missed out on.”

  I thought about Grandpa. Since coming to Turgor, I hadn’t had a chance to just sit and enjoy his company. He had been in a coma for almost five years and now that I’d found him, it seemed as though we never had time to talk. I missed the little things like his warm laugh or his endless stories. Every time I saw him now, he had a worried expression and a new warning for us.

  Across the street three young wizards were playing with light magic, creating large globes of dancing lights that floated up into the sky. The two older boys were laughing and waving their wands in exaggerated motions as they Created each globe while the younger girl watched with wide eyes. I smiled. There was so much beauty in this world and despite all that I had been through, I was glad to have found it.

  The bus finally made its way into view, slowly winding up the street before coming to a graceful stop right in front of us. We patiently waited for a few patrons to get off and then hurried on, plopping down in the small hard seats. The bus began gliding again, and soon the sights outside of our window whizzed by as the bus picked up speed.

  Rena was leaning against the bus window, snoring softly. I closed my eyes and then opened them again, afraid to go to sleep and wake up back on Earth before it was time.

  Nia noticed and patted my hand sympathetically. “Don’t worry, sis. We’ll figure out who’s screwing up your transport.”

  “What if we don’t?” I asked, more to myself than her. “What if the person we’re looking for is powerful enough to stay hidden?”

  “We’re powerful, too. Don’t forget that.”

  “You never seem to have trouble remembering it.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  I shrugged. “I’m just saying Erika immediately targeted me because she claimed you’ve been bragging about your talents since you arrived. Since when did you get so cocky?”

  “It’s not cockiness if I can prove it.” She adjusted herself in her seat. “My track record proves that I do have great power. And you’re building up quite the reputation for yourself.”

  “Not just me—Rena too.”

  Nia huffed. “Please. Rena is good, but you’re great. And now with what we know, we’re destined to do even more great things together.”

  “Don’t sound so pleased.”

  “Don’t be such a baby.” Nia squeezed my hand. “Yes, it’s scary and tiring. But we have a chance to change history. Isn’t that a little bit exciting?”

  “I hate history, remember?” I squeezed her hand back. “Just try to keep a lower profile if you can help it, OK? I really don’t need additional attention from our classmates. They already don’t know what to think of us.”

  “I thought you said they were impressed about the Death Walker?”

  “Yeah, but it’s more out of fear than admiration, I think.”

  “Impressed is impressed,” Nia argued.

  I nudged her. “Promise me.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I promise.”

  The bus driver snatched the microphone closer to his mouth. “Next stop, Caldbeck.” The bus glided to a halt and I pulled Rena to her feet before following Nia off the bus. Caldbeck was a gigantic windowless building with bright white spotlights mounted on the front of it pointing down. The grey structure was surrounded by what looked like a tall pointed fence until one of the posts morphed into a Harpie, a hideous creat
ure with razor-sharp teeth, long talons, and a nasty attitude.

  Tonight the Harpies were sleeping, but that didn’t mean they weren’t on alert. We quietly made our way to the opening of the gate and stood in front of a small booth that housed a small dwarf security guard.

  “Badges,” he grunted. We flashed ours and he reached for the lever to open the gate, jerking his head back to indicate we were clear to proceed. We climbed the wide steps and tugged open the heavy wooden door, immediately slipping in to move towards the elevator.

  The halls were quiet, with only a few Elven officers moving gracefully between the rows of books that harbored the planet’s most dangerous criminals. Callback wasn’t a normal prison—the bodies of those who were deemed guilty entered a coma on whatever native planet they belonged to. Their minds and their magic was trapped in a book bound by heavy spells. The rows of books were endless and Caldbeck was spelled so no one knew how many floors there really were. Tonight we were meeting with Senior Council Member Layane on floor 22A and we didn’t want to get on her bad side. The elevator dinged and opened and we quickly made our way down the narrow corridor to Senior Layane’s office.

  I rapped once and opened the door, moving out of the way so that Nia and Rena could fit in beside me. Though Senior Layane was such an esteemed member of the Council, she had a tiny office that was barely decorated. Layane herself was a very tall, thin woman with pale green eyes and clear hair you could only see thanks to the faint blue outline surrounding it. Her voice was melodic, light and captivating when she spoke. Today she was wearing her traditional black Council robes that seemed to engulf her. She gave us a thin smile and gestured for us to sit in the three small chairs in front of her desk.

  We obeyed and waited for her to tell us what our assignment would be for the evening. I was ready to get it over with and go back home.

  “There will be no filing tonight, only talking,” she announced, folding her small hands in front of her. “I want to ask you a question and before you answer, I want you to remember that lying to an official of the Senior Council is a serious crime.”