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“Just keep your mouth shut.”
“Brooke said...”
“Oh please, you just met her. She can’t fight them alone!”
My head throbbed, and I grunted as I touched my temple.
“Don’t start that crap now. Suck it up. We can’t leave her here.”
“What are you going to do?” I spoke through gritted teeth, trying to get the headache away.
“Do what I do best.” She yanked off her gloves exposing dark pink, fibrous skin from third-degree burns. Her bag landed a few inches from me as she pulled off her shirt and the rest of her clothes, toeing off her shoes. Lindy ran out naked from our hiding place. “Just stay here.”
She fell on her palms, and her back curled, releasing the beast. A lion’s body and head shook free, horns curled backward among a thick mane. Wings protruded from her shoulder blades and an enormous scorpion tail whipped through the air.
She darted forward, and the earth trembled as Lindy’s paws connected with turf. A deep roar echoed through the woods.
Terrible screams followed, and I covered my ears, trying to drown it all. This couldn’t be my life.
The screams stopped. I uncovered my ears and the sound of water splashed to the ground. Footsteps running fast came to my hiding place.
Brooke slid to the ground next to me. Her bottle of water was still half full. Lindy was back in her human form, sliding down next to Brooke.
Blood covered part of Lindy’s body. She put herself back into the layers of clothes with jerky movements.
“What happened?”
“Backup came. This close to Earwyn, backup always comes,” Brooke said fast.
“We need to go,” Lindy ordered.
“I told you—”
“I don’t take orders from you, Brooke!” Lindy barked.
Brooke grabbed my hand, and we went in the direction Alex had ordered. I breathed fast as the unwinding path became steeper. My heart hammered against my ribcage as I calculated each step, dodging pinecones and hidden rocks among the leaves. An unsettling fear burned in my gut.
I ran straight into Brooke. “Why are—?”
“Shh, someone is coming.” Lindy looked around and then darted behind the plants and trees. Brooke and I followed her lead.
When is this going to stop?
A guy wearing a black uniform dashed past us.
“Drake,” Lindy yelled and ran out of our hiding place.
“I’m okay, Lindy,” Drake said.
“You just disappeared.”
“I had to do something. Where are Maverick and Alex?”
“Up ahead. A couple of Sovereigns came to help Brooke and me and ordered us back to Earwyn.”
Brooke and I came out from our hiding place, and Drake’s eyes found mine.
I wanted to apologize, but I guessed now wasn’t the best time. My eyebrows knitted at the lack of a beak, tail, or ears attached to him.
“We need to get to the barrier. We don’t have a lot of time.”
“Drake, the Guild is everywhere.”
“We just need to reach the barrier, Brooke. We do not want Mavis to change the location now. Not when we are this close.”
Change the location? Nothing made sense.
We ran fast and hard with Drake in the lead. The pull in my muscles, the burn in my lungs and the pounding in my skull reminded me how real this situation was and how unfit I was. With each pounding step my headache seemed to beat like drums in my head, sharpening the pain behind my eyes.
Drake stopped and the three of us almost smashed right into him. Before us stood a row of soldiers, guns aimed right at us.
Drake lifted his hands as Lindy snarled. Brooke uncapped her water bottle behind her back.
“Drop it!” the soldier ordered.
“Take it easy,” Drake warned.
I rested my head in my palms and rubbed my temples, trying to massage away the headache.
“What is she doing?” the soldier yelled.
The pain in my head flashed hard and hot.
“She is not doing anything,” Drake barked. “She needs medical care.”
It felt as if someone stuck hot needles in my eyes.
“Tell her to stop!”
I got to the edge of my headache as I fought off nausea.
“She can’t stop a headache, you idiot,” Lindy yelled at the guy.
My head felt like it was splitting in two, and then a scream left my mouth.
7
SOPHIE
Tall grass brushed against my body. The red haze of the blood moon washed the marshy reeds in crimson shades as the wind cut through grasslands towards the clearing ahead.
There was no trace of Brooke, Lindy or Drake.
I looked up at the red blight that consumed the moon, feeling confused. Where was I?
Orange flickering caught the corner of my eye, and I realized what this was. None of this was real, no matter how vivid the world around me felt. I could smell the chilly night air, feel the breeze on my skin and hear night bugs chirping in the background to the sound of my footfalls. I looked toward where the flaming bird stood and suddenly it was right in front of me. The flames overtook the shape of the bird so that I could only see the outline of the flaming bird.
Its beautiful melody beckoned me to come closer.
No, no, no, please. My body moved forward, and I knew the pain that awaited too well. I tried to push myself to go the other way, but I had somehow lost control of all mobility. The flames grew hotter, and the warmth started to sear my skin. A grunt pushed through my lips as tears filled my eyes.
The unknown force kept pulling me forward to the unearthly voice. My body swung around, and the flames licked my skin and left scorching blisters in their wake. The acrid smell of burning flesh stung my nose. The sight of my skin peeling back, exposing red flesh, tendons, and even the sight of the stark white of my bones made me gag. The pain grew into an unbearable crescendo. A wail tore from the bottom of my gut.
My eyes flew open, still screaming. Foreign hands tried to push me down. My heart stammered inside my chest as the ache split my skull and it grew stronger.
My head was on fire and the last thing that reached my ears was another scream leaving my lips.
I found myself in and out of stupor. The first time I’d opened my eyes, my headache had diminished into a dull thump. I lay on a bed that wasn’t a bed and warm air enveloped my body.
“What is she, Hank?” I heard a voice ask.
“I’m not channeling fire,” a deep, unknown voice replied.
“Is she going to be okay?” Drake paced up and down in front of the bed. His one arm covering his chest while he nibbled on his nail.
“She’ll be,” the man said. “Are you heading out again?”
“Yes; why isn’t she waking up?”
“Drake, she will be fine. You haven't failed her. She is not dead.” The deep voice assured him, but the annoyance from Drake’s questions was clear in the man’s tone.
It was all my body allowed before I slipped back to darkness.
The second time I came around, I didn't feel any better.
Looking around I saw a woman that must have been in her twenties with a glow to her dark skin stand off to my right and off to my left a male in his late fifties stood looking at a chart. It didn’t look like they knew I was awake.
The woman wore her long white hair in a braid over her shoulder; her hair reminded me of Brooke and her eyes were similar to Alex’s. Could she possibly be his sister? I noticed her ears were pointed. I switched my attention to the man whose hair was gray, bringing out the dark gray and blue in his eyes. His mustache covered his entire top lip.
The woman moved closer to him and asked, “Have you figured out what she is yet?” Her voice had a sweet tone to it.
“I’m not a channeling flame, Mavis.” The emphasis was on her name as if he was starting to get irritated with her.
“I’m not speaking about her legacy.” Her lips moved into a quirky smile.
He sighed. “You know the lost ones are tightly masked. It’s going to take time. At the moment, she could still be a creature that hasn’t transformed yet.”
Mavis nodded.
“But from my observation, I think she is a fae.”
“A fae?”
“The Recast Ceremony will tell us where she belongs.”
She nodded, as her eyebrows knitted together when she stared at me.
Unfortunately, that was all the energy I had, and I slipped away again.
The third time I awoke, my entire body stirred back to life with a jerk, my headache only a slight pulse behind my eyes. The heat that surrounded me felt different. This time I was being kept warm by a blanket. Vines crept up the walls where blinds covered the windows; the only source of light came from the light above the bed.
Suddenly a guy with an eagle beak appeared beside me. I recognized his silver hair and the complimentary gray and blue hue in his eyes.
“My name is Hank, and only Hank. No doctor or mister, you hear?” The words escaped through his beak.
I nodded. “Sophie.” I introduced myself wondering why I could see his beak now.
“That was one heck of an episode you’ve had. What happened?”
“When we were in the woods, I had a migraine attack. It was different this time. Stronger and more painful.”
“Is it normal that they knock you out for days?”
I shook my head. “Maybe for half a day.”
“Anything happened while you were sleeping?”
I shook my head again. Lying seemed to be the best foot forward at this stage as I was still unsure of who to trust. Horror knitted my eyebrows as I pushed myself up in bed. Flashes of the last place I was before the headache knocked me out played through my mind.
My heart pounded in my chest. “Are Alex and the others okay?” I heard Drake’s voice earlier.
“They are all fine. You are safe. No one is going to hurt you.” Hank nudged me to lie down as the pounding of my heart started to settle. I stared at the strange beds in the room. Above each bed a domed ceiling hovered as if suspended midair.
“Where am I?”
“In the infirmary of Earwyn Academy.”
“What am I?” My eyes locked on the strangeness of Hank’s beak.
“I think you belong to the fae, but we will know for sure at the Recast Ceremony.”
“The what?”
His lips curved into a smile. “Recast Ceremony. All Concordia’s sixteen-year-olds attend. It’s a very special ceremony, one that will show us where you belong. It doesn’t hurt, so nothing to be afraid of, okay?”
I tried not to stare at the guy’s beak. He didn’t have one before and I couldn’t understand why I would see one now.
“Do you mind if I do a check-up on you?”
I shook my head and pushed myself up with my elbows, swung my legs over the bed and let my feet dangle off the side.
Hank sat on the stool next to the bed and placed his hands on both sides of my temples. A familiar buzz that I only felt coming from Drake when he had me in that tight grip coursed through my body. All my hair rose, and I closed my eyes.
“What is that?”
“My healing ability. Does it hurt?”
“No, it’s quite nice.” I couldn’t keep my eyes open. A chuckle escaped my lips. “Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. It’s how it should feel. I don’t feel your headache anymore.” His hands fell to his side.
“You can feel headaches?”
“They have a familiar beacon to healers, and I have to admit, I haven’t felt the beacon that strong on a young fae before. I’m quite excited about what the Recast Ceremony will reveal about you, Sophie.”
I huffed. At least one of us was excited, I was scared shitless.
“The best thing for you now is to rest. We still have plenty of time to figure everything out.”
I nodded and lay back down on the bed, tucking my feet under the blankets.
Hank pulled the blanket up to my chin. “Try to get some rest.”
He exited and I closed my eyes, but sleep eluded me. Hank had said that I might be a fae but seeing the pictures in the priest’s book about faes channeling their elements, it felt scarier now then being a beast.
When I opened my eyes, a woman stood at the foot of my bed analyzing the chart Hank had earlier. My gaze shifted to her pointy ears adorned with decorative earrings from lobe to tip. Her stark blue eyes were strikingly beautiful against the pallor of her skin.
Her eyes shifted from the clipboard to me, and three lines appeared next to her eyes as her lips curved into a smile. “Welcome back, Sophie. You sure gave everyone a scare in the woods. How is your headache?”
“It’s fine now, thanks.” I smiled back.
“We’ve deduced that they come on during stressful situations. It might be just the thing blocking your abilities at the moment. So the headache I am afraid is the end product.” She looked down at the chart and back up at me again, her piercing blue eyes startling me for a moment. “How do you feel?”
“Better now. What happened out in the field? I’m afraid I missed everything.”
“Well, your headache was so distracting that it gave Drake enough time to take action to disarm the attackers and luckily more backup was close. With everyone’s efforts they brought you back here.” She came closer and laid her hand on my shin while she carried on, “You don’t have to be afraid anymore, you are safe here. No one is going to hurt you as long as you are under our protection.”
I swallowed before saying, “Thank you.”
“My name is Mrs. Beatty. I’m the principal of Earwyn Academy. I promise to help you discover your place in this world.”
“Through the Recast Ceremony, right?”
“Yes, everyone goes through it.”
“Will it hurt?”
“No.” Her grin skewed. “It’s magical fire, and—”
“What!” I sat up straight, about to jump off the bed, but she stopped me with the gentle touch of her hand on my shoulder.
“Relax; deep breaths.”
“You said fire. I don’t do well with fire!”
She squinted. “Do you draw fire to yourself?”
“Yes.” I lied. I couldn’t tell her I dream about a huge bird on fire now. “And they always hurt.”
“I promise you, this is not like those fires. The fire that is part of the recast ceremony has no flames. It’s just warmth and they are going to tell us where you belong, okay?” Her tone was calm.
“Why?”
“Sixteen is the age that faes find their legacy and the shifters their form. The shifters that get raised inside Earwyn know they are shifters and get a bit of a taste of what they would become, but the Recast’s decision is final. Once the recasting flame uncovers you, you will learn at Earwyn how to control your ability. You are not sixteen anymore, are you?”
I jerked my head no. “I am almost eighteen.”
“Then we will take you to the stones that will tell us the domain of your legacy.”
“What is a Legacy?”
“It will determine in what domain you belong and reveal to us what ability you have. To put it simply, your ability lies in your legacy categories and those are called your domains.”
“The stones?”
“Ever seen gigantic stones placed in circles? I believe they are common in your world.”
“Like the stone circle in Scotland?” I remembered them from Mom’s favorite TV Show, but those stones had transported the main character back in time and didn’t show her as being magical.
Mrs. Beatty smiled with a gentle nod. “Like the ones in Scotland.”
“So, when is this ceremony going to take place?” I still can’t believe they use fire. Am I a fire fae? I’m always dreaming about the fire burning me.
“Tomorrow night. Don’t worry, you won’t be alone. There are plenty of third years that need to find their place.” She tapped my hand.
I relaxed, knowing that I wouldn’t be the only one dreading this ceremony.
“I’ll check up on you in a few hours and find out from Hank if you are ready to join the rest. Speak to you soon.” She walked to the door and left.
My parents’ faces popped into my head again. I missed them so much. At least they were safe from the Guild, and that was all that mattered now.
8
SOPHIE
I ate lunch in the infirmary. My stomach growled as I kept shoving the food into my mouth. The buttery mash melted on my tongue. A light and sweet taste danced on my taste buds as I ate the roasted chicken. The green beans still had a crunch, which I liked. I had to take my hat off to the chef. He really knew his way around food. A slice of rainbow-colored pie waited for dessert, and somehow each colored layer had a different taste to it.
When I was done with my lunch, Mrs. Beatty came and led me out of the infirmary. She took me down a long hallway inlaid with smooth white marble, and a long red runner ran the length of the corridor. The windows ran along the wall of the hallway, beautifully arched, and as the sun peeked through, it showcased the spectacular bell flowers rimming the top of each window arch. On the opposite side of the windows the smooth white stone walls were adorned with paintings of fae and all the magical creatures I learned about in the priest's book and more.
Coming up to the spiral staircase huge windows displayed the elongated branch of a lush tree. The sun sneaked through the leaves, illuminating the surroundings in a green glow.
Following Mrs.Beatty, trying to get a better look, I pondered the fact that this part of the academy might have been built inside a tree. Mrs. Beatty’s strides were too long, forcing me to walk faster.
We walked up the grand staircase, Ivy snaking up and around the giant pillars framing the staircase. I recalled my mom emphasizing that dangerous critters, like poisonous spiders and snakes, loved to make their home in between the leaves and twirling vines. White and blue bell flowers retreated into the ivy as we walked past.
