Frost Arch (19 page)

“I told you.” He smirked after what seemed like an eternity, “You shouldn’t bottle it up.”

“I’m so terribly sorry, sir.” I blurted in an unfamiliar hoarse voice, “That was unbelievably unacceptable, unexpected and out of order.”

Noah laughed, “I provoked you. You are forgiven, Avalon Redding.”

I took a great steadying breath and sniffed back a runny nose. Very lady like, I congratulated myself. I felt blush taint my cheeks as I realised how close I had just been to Noah. His arms had wrapped around me without hesitation and held me tightly against his chest while I sobbed. Perhaps I should have episodes like this more often.

There was an awkward silence now, though I wasn’t sure if he was as aware of it as I was. I turned my back on Noah and began straightening things again. It was dark outside now and beginning to snow. The wind outside battered against the windows fiercely. The weather was always so miserable and unchanging. Perhaps it was affecting my mood.

“You may leave when you wish.” Noah’s voice broke the silence.

I turned to face him and found that he had not moved from his spot at all.

“Thank you.” I still hadn’t recovered full use of my voice, and I was positive that I looked a mess.

Barely a minute later and I was hurrying to my room. I wanted to be alone for at least an hour before I had to go and do the baths and fires and go into the city with Jack to see Madame Feather perform.

I walked briskly down the corridor in which my room was at the very end. A figure stepped from a door in front of me and I went to dodge around it, but strong male hands gripped my arm as I tried to whip past.

“Ava?” A familiar voice seemed to echo in the distance.

“Oh, Jack.” My voice cracked again and I found that I had more tears stored away.

“What’s wrong?” He stroked my hair and led me into his room. It was much the same as mine, though his held a lot more character due to objects and possessions he had acquired over the years he had worked at the manor. Jack sat me on his bed (which was much less itchy than my own) then sat beside me, putting a comforting arm around my shoulders. This embrace was nice and friendly and I did not hesitate to rest my head on his shoulder. This was someone I knew and cared about. My friend. My first real friend and I owed it to him to be honest. Before I could stop myself I was crying again, and Jack held me close as I began confessing everything to him.

I told him about Helena, and how she had no Powers. I told him about the scars I had given her, the nightmares that plagued me; how I was so scared that I would accidentally kill her one day. How I worried that the Realm of Mages would discover that my family was hiding her and they would take her away. I told him that I had run away to protect her from myself. I told him everything, everything except my evenings with Noah. Not that anything to cause alarm had happened, but Jack was perceptive and would see how I felt about one of my Masters. Forbidden, is what he would say if he found out. And he would be right of course.

Once I had finally fallen silent, Jack continued to comfort me and spoke in a low voice.

“I wondered when you would tell me.”

“You knew?” I croaked.

“No. But I could tell something was bothering you.”

I sighed, “Please don’t tell anyone Jack. I don’t want people to find out about Helena.”

“I promise.” He smiled at me, “I’ll take it to the grave. I’m very flattered that you chose me to confess to.”

I chuckled, “You’re the first real friend I’ve ever had. My best friend.”

“I feel the same.” He gave me a squeeze.

“Jack?” I began, suddenly inspired. Perhaps my weak state would bring his guard down, “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.” He promised.

“Who is it that I look like? Who do I remind you of?”

“Anything but that.” He dropped his arm.

“You said it, Camryn said it, and even Noah said I reminded him of someone-”

“Noah?” Jack said sharply.

I realised at once that I had slipped up.

“Well he mentioned it in passing-”

“That’s where you’ve been!” Jack said jumping up from the bed and pointing an accusing finger at me, “Charles refused to tell me where you’ve been going.”

“No, no. You don’t understand. It’s nothing like that!” I said panicked. Was this really such a big deal?

“Ava, don’t you believe me when I tell you that hanging around Noah Forsythe is a very dangerous thing to do?” He hissed at me angrily.

“Jack.” My bottom lip trembled, “If you would just explain it to me, maybe then-”

Jack glared at me furiously. I had never seen him so angry.

“You’ll understand soon enough. Don’t be shocked when I tell you ‘I told you so’.”

And with one swift movement he jerked his door open left, leaving me quite alone.

I assumed our trip for the night was cancelled. I couldn’t understand why this made Jack so angry.

I spent the next half of an hour fighting back tears in my bedroom. By the time eight o’clock rolled around I composed myself enough to tend to duties around the manor. I felt extremely fragile like fine china, and that the slightest knock would shatter me. I hated holding back the tears of fire. They made my body shake. I released some of the tension by exerting extra fire from my body into an open grate. It helped slightly but my stress levels were still shaky.

By the time nine thirty took its place upon the clocks I was shuffling to my bedroom, quite depressed and sleepy. Today really hadn’t been fun at all.

As I pushed open the door to my room it creaked loudly and it took me several seconds before I realised there was a figure sitting on my bed.

“Jack!” I said shocked, my heart pounding and a burst of flames shooting from my fingertips from surprise.

After patting out my bed which had caught alight Jack stood and swaggered towards me with his head bowed. In his right hand were the two tickets which he passed to me. Looking at them curiously I waited for him to say something.

“I’ll understand if you don’t want to go with me anymore, after the way I behaved when you needed a friend.”

“These are you’re passes, Jack.” I frowned, trying to push them back in his hands.

“They are for you.” He insisted.

“Jack, I still want to go with you.” I said slowly.

“You do?” His head snapped up.

“Who else would I want to go with?” I said incredulously.

Jack smiled and I cracked a small smirk, “I’m sorry.” He said sincerely, “I over reacted.”

I shrugged, “It doesn’t matter. We have to hurry or we will be late.”

“First we need to clean you up. You’re covered in ash and soot. Do you have any nice clothes?” Jack asked.

“Nice clothes?” I repeated faintly.

“Anything fancy?” Jack said pulling open my draws and rummaging through my things.

I felt my face turn bright pink, “Jack, stop it.” I said half heartedly, “I don’t own nice clothes. They get ruined.”

“We’ll improvise.” He smiled grabbing my hand and dragging me from the room.

By ten o’clock I was wearing an unfamiliar dress of Camryn’s (who had reluctantly agreed to let me borrow it), and standing in the middle of an eager crowd who were all pushing and shoving trying to get seats closest to the front of the stage. It was a small theatre, with only two hundred seats give or take a few, and it smelled quite dank. However the stage was vast, beautiful and brightly lit from a source of light that I couldn’t seem to find. The stage just seemed to be glowing.

I also noticed that the audience seemed to be vastly made up of men, who were all very excited to be there. A few had their wives tagging along, looking sour with folded arms and their noses held in the air.

“You look pretty.” Jack complimented me when we found our seats somewhere in the middle of the theatre.

“Thank you.” I muttered, half-amused at Jack’s teasing smile. I was very glad he wasn’t mad at me anymore, yet there was something different about his smile. It didn’t seem to be reaching his eyes. “Thank you for bringing me, also.” I added.

Jack shrugged and faced the stage, waiting. I guessed that I should stop talking.

Several minutes passed in silence for Jack and I, with much excited murmuring to be heard around us. Finally the room went dark and the glowing stage was the only source of light. A hush fell upon the room and my chest felt tight. Obviously I was about to experience something quite remarkable by the looks of things. In the deathly silence a pair of shoes could be heard clicking slowly and smartly against polished wood. My eyes were fixed upon the stage as I waited eagerly.

There was no introduction to the act for Madame Feather stepped onto the stage and I knew that it was her in an instant. My breath caught in my chest as I gazed upon her perfection. Her hair was long, thick and so blonde that it appeared white in the glowing light. It cascaded down her body and past the small of her back so elegantly that somewhere beneath my awe and admiration I felt jealously. Her skin was perfect and pale; her lips cherry red. She was small and petite wearing a flowing robe of spun silver, and her eyes were crystal blue.

I seemed to have lost my voice. Now I understood why all these people were so eager to see Madam Feather. I would have paid for the ticket simply to gaze at her and feel the most wonderful peace.

The room was so quiet you could have heard a mouse scurry across the floor.

I clutched at Jack’s coat in anticipation as the beautiful woman before us parted her perfect lips to bestow her power upon us.

When the song reached my ears I felt the most unusual sensation. I was calm, serene. I was floating. I didn’t have a care in the world. If dying felt this good, I would gladly welcome it. All the stress and worry I had ever felt seemed to ebb away in a few short seconds. Suddenly everything was beautiful.

The purest thing I had ever heard in my entire life shook me so close to my being that it took a lot of effort not to pass out. I was barely conscious and unaware of my surroundings as I drank in the melody and let it fill me up. I was being cleansed.

I was floating in and out of consciousness when the song came to an end. Several second passed before I grasped hold of reality and pulled myself above water. I breathed deeply and let the oxygen back into my brain for I seemed to have forgotten how to breathe properly.

Another few minutes passed and Jack was shaking me a little.

“Are you okay?” He said in a hoarse voice.

“Yes.” I nodded feebly.

I became aware that I could hear yelling. Several members of the audience were complaining and wanting to hear more of Madame Feather’s song, but she was nowhere in sight. The stage was empty and the glowing was gone.

“Where did she go?” I asked.

“The show is over.” Jack said tugging my arm.

“Already?” I said flabbergasted.

Jack checked his Time-Keeper, “We have been here for over an hour.”

“What?” I gasped.

“Come on.” Jack tugged at my arm a little harder, “Before it gets violent in here.”

As we stepped out into the moonlit night Jack and I were both a little unsteady on our feet. To an outsider it would have appeared that we had drunk a little too much wine.

“What happened back there?” I asked Jack.

“Weird, isn’t it?” Jack smiled dreamily, “What did it feel like for you?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I said it before,” Jack staggered a little, “It affects everyone differently.”

“I felt … I felt … happy.” I said slowly, “At peace with myself. I felt as though I had died. Everything was so simple and pure. I’m not sure if I can even remember the song.”

Jack frowned, “That’s why people go back so often. The music sends you into a stupor, and time passes in the blink of an eye, yet you never forget how that brief moment made you feel.”

“How did it make you feel?” I asked.

Jack thought for a moment, “Well first my body goes numb and completely lax.” He said, “But every time I hear her sing I revisit my happiest memories as though they were happening all over again.”

“That really was something spectacular.” I admitted, “Thank you for taking me.”

“You’re welcome.”

“What’s Madame Feather’s real name?” I wondered.

“No one knows.” Jack shrugged, “She remains anonymous and uses a pseudonym.”

I frowned, “She would be easily recognised in the city.”

Jack nodded, “That’s what I thought, but I’ve never seen her. Perhaps she disguises herself.”

“A face that pretty can’t be forgotten so easily.

It took several days for me to completely get over what I had witnessed at the theatre. It had made such an impression on me that I felt quite brain dead most of the time and even accidentally lit Jack on fire at one point.

When Jack and I were perfect friends once again we attempted to teach Hawthorne how to fly. Of course, this had to be done in the dead of the night when no one would catch us. We decided to do this behind the stables and away from any prying eyes so that anyone peeking out of a manor window late at night wouldn’t see us. Of course, this also meant that it was very dark for Jack, Camryn and I too, and we would have a hard time seeing what we were doing, or where each other was. I couldn’t exactly light a fire for our convenience, in case someone spotted the flickering flame.