by J. B. North
I made my way toward the gate as quickly as I could before anyone else got the idea to challenge me. Kurt was at my side as soon as the gate was unlatched and pushed open. He smiled at me. “I didn’t expect you to win—you were fighting against a Level Seven after all—but it seems that you went above and beyond any of our expectations. Had I known you could produce fire, I would’ve bet on you.”
“Did I do the right thing when I changed?” I asked him, ignoring everything else that he had said.
His forehead wrinkled. “Well, you would’ve lost if you didn’t, but I know what you mean. Now, everyone knows your second form and its abilities, making it harder to blend in.”
I looked around at all the students, including Roselle and Liana. Even they stayed at a distance for now. “Everyone here has a special second form. Why should mine be that important?” I asked.
“Because yours is rarer. Most of these people have a second form that is the same as one of their classmates, but in the history of the kingdoms there has only been one other phoenix.”
“And how come you know about it, whereas I’m still left in the dark?” I inquired, getting frustrated.
“The headmaster thought that because I am your trainer, I should know a few things about your second form,” Kurt answered.
I watched as Mrs. Scarls started another match, this time with two boys, both seemingly strong and fit. I turned away as she left them in the circle, not wanting to see someone get hurt.
Kurt followed me. “You know, technically,” he said, “I’m the one who’s supposed to be leading you around.”
“I know,” I answered, still continuing forward.
He quickened his pace so that it matched mine. “Watching the fight might help you learn some things,” he advised.
“I don’t feel up to it,” I countered.
He stepped in front of me, causing me to run into him. “There are going to be a lot of things you don’t feel up to. That doesn’t mean that you can avoid them.”
I huffed in annoyance.
He studied my irritated look. “But today will be the only exception,” he said as he led the way to the arena entrance. “—because I need to teach you a lesson.”
I didn’t pay attention to the threat in his words, but I should have. He stopped me just before we exited the training grounds and pointed to the wall. “For the rest of the day, we’re going to run laps around the arena.”
I balked in disbelief. “Run for four hours?”
“Not really. It’s only three and a half because you were in the challenge for thirty minutes. Plus, we need to work on your endurance,” he said.
I narrowed my eyes, perhaps a little too cocky from my recent victory. “No,” I said, surprising myself. “That's crazy. I can't do that.”
Kurt grabbed something from his back pocket. A whip.
I stared at it, and then back at him. “You wouldn’t,” I stated, although a little perturbed.
“Oh, I would,” he said, a smile still spread across his face. “Now go.”
I knew he was telling the truth. Halfheartedly, I started to jog along the wall. “Faster,” Kurt said, the whip licking at my heels. My heart jumped, and I sprinted, trying to get away from him.
Even so, no matter how quickly I ran, Kurt was always behind me, pushing me to go faster. Pushing me beyond what I thought I could do.
By the end of the day, I'd ran ten laps around the entire arena and thrown up twice, after which, Kurt allowed me to take a short break. I spent the first ten minutes of my free-time trying to catch my breath and massaging my aching legs.
Then, Roselle came into the dorm. I stared at her. I could tell that much had happened since we were last in the dining hall. Her eye was swollen and starting to bruise, her lip was busted, and her hands were cracked at the knuckles.
“Roselle!” I exclaimed. “What happened?”
She shook her head. “I trained with Niko.”
Now it made sense. That was why she had felt so nervous and seemingly frightened when he confronted her this morning.
“Does he train with everybody?” I asked in horror.
She nodded. “Just about. This is my second time, though, so I knew what to expect.”
My stomach churned. Training with Niko seemed like it would be torture. I already despised him for many reasons.
“So that means that I’ll have to train with him at some point,” I said.
Roselle nodded.
I sighed, going back to massaging my calves. “I suppose I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”
“You’ll have no choice,” she replied.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Our next survival test was in tent number forty-three. Liana, Natalia, Roselle, and I all shuffled with the crowd of people until our number glowed in front of us. A man gave us each of us one of the black necklaces, and one by one, we all passed through the tent entrance.
I went inside last, and was blinded when I reached the other side. Wherever we were, the sun was very bright. I shielded my eyes and tried to take in our surroundings. We were on top of a rocky mountain.
Although the sun was bright, cool air brushed my cheeks, bringing with it the scent of honeysuckle. Wherever we were, it was spring, meaning that this might be an easy test.
Natalia acted as the leader, as always. “We need to get further down the mountain. There's likely to be more food down there.”
“Should we split up again, like last time?” I asked.
She nodded. “I think it would be best.”
Knowing we had a time limit, we all went in separate directions. Liana shifted into her centaur form. Her body resembled that of a paint horse, and her shirt had changed into leather armor. A beautifully carved bow was stung across her back.
Seeing her in her second form helped me know what I had to do. I went closer to the edge of the mountain and peered over the cliff. The height made my head feel dizzy, and I swallowed hard. Perhaps when I was better trained, I'd be able to dive off the mountain with ease, but right now, the thought made me feel sick.
I backed away from the edge, and shifted form. I stretched my wings out and took off, getting used to flight before I dove down toward a meadow.
It took barely any time for me to reach the ground. I landed softly and folded my wings in, changing back into the form I was used to.
The meadow was beautiful. The flowers were almost as numerous as the grass, the wind swaying their colorful heads to and fro.
In the distance, the forest stretched along the edge of the field. For some reason, it was easy for me to picture a cabin there, where the trees met the grassland. Then, it all came back to me. I fell to my knees as a forgotten memory took over my thoughts.
I was in a meadow. A beautiful meadow, where the flowers were almost as numerous as the grass.
A beautiful woman with curling dark hair and crinkling green eyes smiled down at me as we wandered through the flowers, holding hands.
Suddenly, she stopped, picking a pretty yellow and orange blossom to put in my red hair.
“There's my little fire flower,” she said with a smile.
I grinned and hugged her neck.
I was suddenly pulled away from her and hefted into someone's arms. “Papa!” I giggled. The red-haired, brown-eyed man chuckled and threw me up on his shoulders.
In front of us, a little boy with brown curls like his mother ran through the flowers. The woman chased after him, laughing.
Then, there was nothing.
I muffled a gasp as I came back to the present.
“Ivy? Are you okay?” asked Roselle. Her voice made me jump.
How had she gotten there so fast? I looked back up at the faraway mountain. I wiped away the tears that had somehow surfaced, and nodded. I took a deep shuddering breath.
“Ivy,” she said, her brow wrinkled with concern. “What's wrong?”
After a few more breaths, I gave her a wobbly smile. “I...um...just had a memory. That's all.
A memory of my family.”
Roselle looked surprised. “Were you an orphan?” she asked.
I looked up at the bright, cloudless sky. “Yes. I was.”
She sat down in the grass and patted the ground next to her. “Would you like to tell me about your memory?”
For some reason, I did want to tell her, but not here. Not with the trainer overhearing, and the survival test ticking away. I shook my head. “Not right now,” I whispered quietly.
She shrugged and stood up. “That's fine. Just tell me if I can help at all.”
I nodded.
She gave me a half-smile before moving ahead, toward the forest. “We'd better get hunting,” she said.
I followed her toward the forest. I decided to stay with Roselle the entire time, watching what she did as she took down two squirrels and gathered edible roots. I helped her gather until the test was over. Everyone seemed to be successful, and we had a nice, big meal.
When the bell sounded to announce the end of the meal, Roselle pulled me away from the group of students, and behind the tent that we had just come out of.
“Now that we're not in our survival test, would you like to tell me what you remembered?” she asked.
I peered around the tent at the other students. Finally, I nodded. “I was in a meadow with my mother, my father, and my brother. We lived right on the edge of a meadow similar to the one in the survival test.” I paused, and bit my cheek to keep my tears at bay. “Do you think that they could still be alive?”
She looked down at her feet. “I don't know... How did they die?” she inquired, glancing back up.
“I was told that there was a fire,” I answered.
She shrugged. “I guess it could be possible. You might have an older brother somewhere. Wouldn’t you be together, though, if your brother had lived?”
I sighed. “The orphanage separated boys and girls.”
“That doesn’t seem right, at least not for brothers and sisters,” she said.
“I know. I saw them forced into parting ways many times during my stay there.”
Madam Grant had only let brothers and sisters meet and talk to each other once a week. I would’ve remembered my brother if that were the case. I would’ve known him until I was eleven at least, if my age estimate was correct.
“Well, all we can do is hope,” Roselle said.
“Yes,” I agreed. “Hope.”
*****
The next few days passed by in a daze. Kurt tried to teach me the javelin and the slingshot, as well as a few other weapons, and we ran several times around the arena every day. Survival tests were still varying in levels of difficulty, but my second form was getting less hard to control. The only ones that I’d failed were the ocean and the caves, but I still got something to eat because of the others in my group. Before I knew it, Sunday was here. The mood in our dorm was high-spirited.
“Why does everyone seem so happy?” I asked Roselle after we had gotten into the dining hall.
“Because unlike any of the other days, we don’t have the second half of training,” she explained. “Instead, we have free time, which we can use to visit a friend or just lay around. I like to visit my dad on Sundays, though, because that’s the only time I get to see him nowadays. I’m one of the lucky ones. Besanine is pretty close.”
I frowned. “My home town is farther away than yours, but I might be able to go there if I were in second form.”
Roselle heaved a sigh and shook her head. “Unfortunately, that’s not possible. It’s a rule here that students aren’t allowed to transform unless they’re in the training arena, in the survival tests, or on a quest.”
I glowered, thinking. “Well, they pulled me away from my friends before I even got a chance to say good-bye, so I’m going to go see them today.”
Roselle lifted her eyebrows and laughed. “You’ve got a rebellious side to you, don’t you?” She paused and looked around to make sure no one was listening. “To tell you the truth, I usually change form, too, when I’m going to see my father. I only get two hours with him otherwise.”
I knitted my eyebrows. “You know, now that I think about it…I don’t think I’ve ever seen your second form,” I said.
“I’m afraid you’ll never see it,” she said, laughing to herself as if it were a joke.
“What?” I asked.
“Fine, I’ll tell you. I’m surprised that it took you this long to ask. I’m a wisp.”
“What is that?” I asked.
“I didn’t know what it was either until it was explained to me. It’s a wind spirit, invisible and invincible…except against magic, of course. I learned that I can travel pretty fast in my second form.”
“Why don’t we just run away from this place, then? I hate having my every move watched,” I said, aggravated.
Her mouth formed a grim line. “A few people have tried that actually,” she said. “Including the girl that had your bunk previously. They found her and gave her a trial in court. Now she’s locked up for possibly the rest of her life.”
I shivered. “Still, it’s hard to think. Three more years…”
“No, not three years. At least not for you. Your second form is way too powerful for that.”
“Why do you think so?” I asked.
“Because you can spout fire, of course,” she said. “And you’re a fast learner. You got food on only your second survival test. Not even January did that.”
I smiled at her. “I don’t know which one’s better. Training or questing?”
“Well, I’d rather be questing. At least then you have some freedom.”
I nodded. Our conversation was interrupted by Liana and a girl who I later found out was named Abby. “Exciting day, isn’t it?” said Liana as she sat down.
“Yep,” I answered with a half-smile. “Or at least it will be.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
After the survival test and sword training with Kurt, the students were given the rest of the day off. Many people just went in their dorms for some extra sleep, but others walked along the path to the lower towns, Roselle among them. I took my place beside her.
“Your chance to transform will come when we get to the forest,” she whispered. “If you get high enough, nobody will be able to tell the difference between you and a hawk.” She glanced up at the sky. “Especially since it’s cloudy.”
“What about you? Are you just going to walk the whole way?”
“No. I suppose I’ll change when you do,” she answered. We came across a small town before the forest came into view. Some of the students stopped there to visit, but most kept onto the path.
We lagged behind all the other students to make sure no one would notice when we disappeared into the pines. I kept looking back to make sure nobody was following us, wincing at every twig that snapped under my foot.
“Okay, this should be far enough in,” said Roselle after a couple of minutes.
I looked around us before nodding. She changed first. I watched as she faded from my sight.
I squinted my eyes, trying to see her outline, but it was no use. It seemed as if there was nothing there. “Roselle?” I asked.
No answer. I waited for a minute longer, and nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard the whispered word, “Boo,” right in my ear.
“Roselle, that’s not funny,” I whispered back fiercely.
“Yes, it is,” she laughed as she reappeared. “I trick all my opponents like that when they challenge me. Not many people do anymore.”
“And you’re only a Level Five?” I asked.
“Yes. Upgrades only come on Mondays and mostly only if the person has had a challenge that week…which means that you’re probably going to be upgraded tomorrow.”
“That’s good,” I said. “The sooner I get away, the better.”
“And speaking of that, our time is running out. We need to get going if we want to get back in time.”
I nodded. “You’re right.”
&nbs
p; She smiled as she disappeared again.
I transformed after her, and shot upward after a heavy push downward with my wings. I got as high as I could, as quick as I could to lessen the chance of someone seeing. The effort made me breathless. I soared so high that I could barely see the pathway.
Once I had regained my strength and energy, I drove myself forward with rapid strokes, impatient to get to my old, familiar home and friends. I flew over mountain peaks and valleys, and before long, my wings were sore with fatigue. I berated my slowness as the sun gradually started to get lower and lower, and was relieved when I finally saw the big clock tower after passing over a mountain.
I dove downward toward the stables, where I was sure Ayon had to be. My whole body was trembling from exhaustion as I transformed back to my old self, panting for air.
I entered the stables to see Ayon sitting at an old, rickety table, eating a small meal. He looked up in surprise. “Ivy?” he asked.
I smiled. “Of course it’s me!” I said between breaths. “Who else would it be?”
He stood, and shrugged, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Could be Mr. Caper, coming in early for his evening ride.”
I collapsed in the chair that I usually sat in. The one I had sat in almost every day before my life was pitched into confusion. “How late is it?” I asked.
“Three-ish,” he said. “I hadn’t had the time to eat lunch, so I settled for an early supper.”
It had taken me three hours to get here? “I only have a few minutes to talk, and that’s only if I hurry back,” I told him. I rushed to say the next thing I had been waiting to mention. “But first, I want to tell you that I was forced not to say good-bye. The man I was with was a wizard, and he controlled my actions. I so desperately wanted to say good-bye.” I held my breath even though I really needed it at that moment.
Ayon frowned, and I worried what he was going to say next. “I know it wasn’t you,” he said, allowing me to heave a sigh of relief. “But I despise the fact that you weren’t allowed to talk to us, even for just a second.”