JOURNEY INTO THE REALM: The Spell Master (Journey into the Realm Series) (17 page)

***

I was slapped,
hard
.

I opened my eyes and gasped, not aware of whether or not I was safe. Instead of a fire fairy ready for his next attack, it was Ellie who stood over me, peering at me intently with her dark eyes, hand raised in the air and poised for another attack.

“Are you conscious, or am I going to have to slap you again?”

With a groan, I rubbed my eyes and sat up. “Why did you smack me in the first place?” I asked hoarsely.

“I had to make sure you were going to live,” she explained.

“By hurting me?”

Ellie snorted and held out a hand to me. I flinched and she rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to hit you,” she insisted, taking my hand and hauling me to my feet. “Are you all right?”

I tried massaging my aching neck, but realized it only hurt worse to do so. My glands were swollen from choking, and my throat felt sore and scratchy. “I think so,” I said. “But my neck is killing me.”

“It should. You’ve got some nasty bruises,” she observed.

“Crap,” I said. “That’s sure going to look inconspicuous.”

“I don’t understand your vocabulary,” Ellie remarked, shaking her head. “First you use a weird human word, and then you top it off with something mature.”

I shrugged, not knowing what to say.

Ellie released a frustrated sigh. “What happened?”

I winced. I was hoping she wouldn’t ask, that she would leave it alone. I was naïve to assume she wouldn’t want the details.

“I was attacked,” I said.

Another eye roll. “I can see that,” Ellie said, gesturing to my neck. “By whom?”

I sighed, realizing it would be useless to lie. “A fire fairy. He grabbed me when the candles were blown out.”

Ellie nodded. “When the lanterns were lit and you were gone, Nathan immediately guessed something was wrong. He said you were uncomfortable with the parade from the beginning. He knew something had happened to you, so he had everyone split up to search.”

“Wow,” I exclaimed.

“You can’t deny the attraction he feels for you, just like you can’t deny the feelings you have for him. Tonight proves how close you are,” Ellie said.

I bit my lip, suddenly annoyed with Ellie’s accusations. “As much as I would love to talk about relationships with you, I can’t. You see, I was almost strangled to death by a fire fairy, and I would like to go home and rest.”

Smirking, Ellie nodded and followed me wordlessly back to the city.

***

I wasn’t surprised to see Nathan waiting on my doorstep, but I wasn’t upset either. I went to his open arms – a little too hurriedly – and I heard him breathe a sigh of relief.

“What happened to you?” he asked.

I looked back at Ellie, who was watching me with a gaze both suspicious and smug. Wanting to wipe the smile off her face, I said, “Thanks for walking me home, but I can take it from here. I want to talk to Nathan.”

She nodded. “Of course you do. Sleep well, you two.” She waved casually and walked off into the night.

I turned back to Nathan. He was inspecting my bruises. Tenderly, he placed his fingertips against the purple imprints of hands on my neck. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to relish his touch for just a moment. The last hands to touch my neck had intended to kill me, but Nathan’s were gentle, soothing. My soreness evaporated, and the pain was replaced with warmth.

Finally, his hands dropped and wrapped around me once again. I sighed in his embrace, feeling safe after all that had happened.

“It was an Element fairy,” he guessed.

I nodded against his chest. “A fire fairy.”

“I can tell. Your bruises are blackened with burn marks,” he told me.

“Really? No wonder my neck stung,” I said. “And my face burned when he hit me. I thought I imagined the feeling.”

“How do you feel now?” he asked, his voice low.

“Safe,” I said.

“I shouldn’t have talked you into being in the parade,” he whispered.

I held onto him tighter. “No, don’t say that. It wasn’t your fault.”

“But you were uneasy,” he persisted. “I should have trusted your instincts.”

I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. And I had fun…until,
you know
,” I said. “Besides, you knew something happened to me when the lanterns were lit.” I paused. “How
did
you know?”

Nathan shrugged. “You let go of my hand,” he said.

***

After saying goodnight to Nathan, I went inside, rage bubbling inside of me. Not caring that Zora was already asleep, I made as much noise as possible as I got ready for bed. The slamming of my wardrobe door finally got her to open her eyes.

“Ramsey?”

“Meet me in the living room,” I said, charging out before she could reply.

I stood by the couch and waited, too hyped up to sit. Zora trudged slowly out of our room moments later. Her eyes immediately went to my burned cheek and then to my neck. She gasped. “Was it a –”

“A fire fairy?” I assumed haughtily. “Yeah, I was almost
strangled to death
.”

“Oh, Ramsey,” she said, rushing toward me.

“Stop,” I cautioned, putting my hands out to prevent her from hugging me. It wouldn’t have been the same as my embrace with Nathan.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, appearing distressed.

“I was almost killed tonight, Zora,” I reminded her. “The Element fairies are closer than you want to admit. I’m in danger.”

She looked away, tears slipping from her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“Keeping my secret isn’t protecting me,” I said.

“Yes, it is,” she insisted.

“I’m in danger either way,” I retorted.

Zora turned from me then, walking slowly in the direction of our room.

“Where are you going?” I asked angrily.

She stopped at the door and turned her head to look back at me.

“You think this secret I carry for you won’t put you in danger?” She paused, scowling, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You’re wrong. It puts you in more danger, a kind of peril you won’t be able to escape. And Element fairies won’t be the only foe. You won’t be able to trust anyone. Not even Nathan.”

I flopped down on the couch as she disappeared into our room. Tears formed and I felt the sobs begin to rise. My throat was tight. I just wanted to disappear into the cracks of this couch and hide away forever – from my sister, from the Element fairies, from my secret.

But even more than that, I wished Nathan were here.

It took some convincing, but Nathan and Ellie both promised not to say anything about my encounter with the fire fairy on All Hallow’s Eve. Instead, they told the others that I hadn’t been comfortable with the parade because of my past experiences with Element fairies, which was partly true. I couldn’t explain this to my friends myself because Zora made me stay home from school for a few days until my bruises healed.

The excuse for my friends was that I was sick, and Nathan relayed this message to everyone. Aimee wanted to visit me at home to heal me but he talked her out of it, saying it wouldn’t be smart to mess with my “crazy sister.” Obviously Nathan wasn’t the only one who thought Zora was a little insane because the lie worked.

In the early days of November, I received a letter from Stellan. His message was the one good thing to arrive at the temporary prison that was my home. Thankfully, I had the opportunity to read it without Zora in the house to ruin the moment:

Ramsey,

Life as a soldier is becoming a routine I’m afraid I’ll never escape, even when my service has ended. What I see each day…what the other soldiers and I have to go through, have to do…Sometimes I worry I’ll lose my sanity.

If it weren’t for you, I surely would.

When I witness something horrible, I try to think of you. And when I do, I see your eyes, and I can handle anything.

But this letter isn’t only to do with my personal torment. There is a bright side. Queen Taryn has granted me special leave for the Winter Solstice, the recognition of rebirth and nature, and the last day before deep winter sets in. I write this because I believe your human-adjusted culture gave you no knowledge of the event. Fortunately I’ll be there to teach you everything I know. I’ll be in Birchwood from December twenty-first to December twenty-third.

I can’t wait to see you for real. To be reminded of what I’m fighting for.

I love you,

Stellan

I crumpled the letter and threw it at the corner of my room. Not even the news of Stellan’s homecoming could erase reality. Burying my face in my hands, I was reminded of how truly vile I had become. During the Element fairy attack on All Hallow’s Eve, the only eyes I pictured belonged to Nathan.

***

“How is everything going with your ability class?” Aaliyah asked me during breakfast one early December morning.

I had to be at school soon, but we always had breakfast with Aaliyah after church on Sundays.

“It’s great. I’m excelling in the power-controlling department,” I said.

“I’m glad to hear that Ramsey,” she replied happily.

“What was it like learning about your power, Aaliyah?” Zora asked.

“It was interesting, but difficult,” she told us. “We have similar powers, Ramsey, so you probably have learned about the wall block, correct?”

I nodded. That was all I ever heard about in ability class.
Keep your wall up, don’t let go of the wall, use your wall
. Lord Clark probably used the word
wall
one hundred times during each class period.

“Well, it was very hard for me to use. I wasn’t very good.”

“I’m sure you did fine. At least you two can control your powers,” Zora said, as she looked down at her food.

Zora had never been able to control her power. She couldn’t sing without putting others to sleep. She had one of those rare types of powers that was beyond her control. Since she couldn’t control it, she never used it. She never sang, which was miserable for an elf.

“Don’t be upset, Zora,” Aaliyah said.

“I’m fine. Ramsey needs to get to school,” she said, changing the subject hastily.

I nodded. “I’ll see you two later. Thanks for breakfast, Aaliyah.” I got up and headed for the door.

“Anytime, dear!” Aaliyah called as I walked out.

I thought about how Zora never spoke to me directly. We always had to be with someone else, like Aaliyah. No one ever noticed because they never saw us alone together.

I arrived at school just in time for class to begin, trying my best to rid myself of Zora thoughts.

“You made it!” Ellie exclaimed.

“Yes, I did. Thanks for noticing,” I replied.

I was never in class early, unlike Ellie. She was
always
early.

“Ellie, stop giving her a hard time. She probably has things to do in the morning,” Janie told her.

I smiled gratefully. Janie always stood up for me.

“I’m sure she does,” Ellie muttered. “With Nathan, most likely….”

Before I could reply to Ellie’s snide comment, Lady Celine walked quickly into the room. She was breathing heavily and appeared flustered and upset. I wondered what was going on.

“Good morning. Today we will learn about the elfin royal family.” Lady Celine continued without explaining her mood: “As you all know, Queen Taryn has been our queen and sole ruler of our Realm for nearly seventeen years. Her husband, King Lore, was killed in the war. She has one daughter, Princess Brielle, who attends school here. What you probably do not know about is the rest of Queen Taryn’s family. She has two sisters and two brothers. One of her sisters, Lady Diane, lives a quiet and simple life in the countryside away from the war and politics. One of her brothers, Lord Cole, is a very successful general in the war.

“However, Queen Taryn’s two most famous siblings are Lady Cora and Lord Dolan. Lady Cora, as you must know, was the elfen who stole Elvina, a Woodland fairy baby, from the Element Fairy Realm and caused the war.”

Harsh words and calls of disgust erupted from the classroom. Their words hurt my feelings, because I met Lady Cora in Tarlore and liked her from the start. I knew she had taken Elvina only because she loved her. I understood her. These elves didn’t. They didn’t even know her.

But even though the words distressed me, I
did
understand why elves said those things. They were fed up with the war and sick of so many of their friends and family members dying in combat. I didn’t blame them for being angry about that.

All in all, I had mixed opinions on the state of our Realm, something that came with being “human-adjusted” like Stellan said.
Stellan
…What was I going to do about him? He was visiting in a few weeks, and I couldn’t get Nathan off my mind.

“Lord Dolan’s history is a bit more interesting,” Lady Celine remarked, bringing my focus back to her lecture. “More of a mystery, actually. Seventeen years ago, Element fairies took him hostage, along with our deceased King Lore’s sister, Lady Luisia, and her daughter. Lord Dolan was taken to King Vortigern, king of the Element fairies, but escaped back into the Elf Realm. The mystery here is that no one knows where he is today or whether he is still alive or not. Not even Queen Taryn has heard from him. The others, Lady Luisia and her daughter, are suspected to still be within Vortigern’s prison walls.”

“Why can’t Queen Taryn locate her brother?” I asked, remembering the Queen’s ability to know where others are at all times.

“Not even she knows. Some kind of magical blockage has prevented her from doing so. Another strange mystery,” Lady Celine explained. “He simply disappeared.”

I had heard that phrase before. That’s how others explained what had happened to my elfin parents. I knew that my father was dead, but no one knew anything about my mother.

***

“Everyone listen up!” Lady Celine yelled at the end of class. “I must explain my foul mood this morning. You all know that your holiday break for the Winter Solstice begins on December twentieth and lasts until the thirty-first. What you don’t know…is that you will not be returning to school in January.”

“What?” someone shouted.

“Why not?” another asked.

I turned to Janie, whose eyes were wide with shock. Ellie appeared worried as well, perking up to listen to Lady Celine’s explanation.

“The school will be closing the same day you start your break,” Lady Celine explained.

“Why is it closing, Lady Celine?” Janie wondered.

“The war has escalated. All elves with high status must go to the capital to assist the Queen. That means losing all of your teachers.”

I could have sworn I saw Ellie smirk when she said that, but I didn’t say anything or read much into it. I could have been wrong. I looked back to Lady Celine. Now I knew the reasons for her melancholy. She looked like she was about to cry.

“How are we going to learn?” I asked.

“You won’t after December nineteenth. I will teach you everything I can until then,” Lady Celine said somberly.