Shieldwolf Dawning (21 page)

"All clear," Shieldwolf Swiftwing called out.

Samarra let her shoulders relax and whimpered. Her eyes burned and her hands were a bloody mess. Cassian moved through the group and dressed the worst wounds first, starting with Samarra's. Brin sat next to her on the ground, clutching his left leg. He had been bitten and his armour was scarred with deep gashes. Slumping next to him, Tavani wiped mud off her face and glared at Shieldwolf Swiftwing.

"I thought you said we'd be safe," Tavani said accusingly.

The Shieldwolf seemed puzzled. "I suspect there is a disturbance in the area. I will research the matter further upon our return to Shieldwolf Proper. This is a serious incident that must be reported."

The conversation between the two continued, but Samarra blocked out the words. She was exhausted and unable to focus on anything other than the unpleasant sensations burning her skin and muscles. Cassian checked her eyes first and applied a healing salve. The burning stopped within minutes and her vision returned soon after. Next he cleaned, treated, and bandaged up her other injuries. He worked quickly, skillfully, and in silence. Then Cassian packed his first aid kit and made moves to leave. Samarra grabbed his arm. "Wait."

"Yes?" He turned back to her.

"Thank you." She smiled weakly.

His expression softened. "I'm glad you're okay."

"All that first-aid training we've been doing is coming in handy, isn't it?"

"I told you so." Cassian chuckled. A familiar gleam twinkled in his eyes.

Samarra felt a heavy weight lift from her chest. The old Cassian had finally come back. At the same time, she was struck by how grown up he seemed all of a sudden. She remembered the years she had been the one looking after him, and she wondered if things would ever be the same.

Cassian made his way to Brin next. Samarra watched him for a while and then closed her eyes for what seemed like only a second. She fell asleep in moments and dreamed about happy times with her brother.

****

The leaves had dropped and the flowers had fallen. The sleeping quarters hummed with activity on a crisp autumn morning. Cassian sat on the edge of his bed, shining his boots. Whistler and Tavani, off in a corner, argued about something or another. The others milled about, pretending to mind their own business. Brin fumbled around in the bunk above Samarra's and whacked his tail into her face by accident.

"Ouch!" she yelled, nursing her cheek. "Be careful."

He leaned down to look at her. "I'm sorry."

She glared at him and went back to making her bed. Today would be Samarra's first day of training on spirit magic, something she had been looking forward to since the beginning of basic training. Her unit had been assigned the spirit of fire to start, and they would work with it until theory and practice were perfected. Her next lesson was on survival skills with Shieldwolf Swiftwing.

Ever since the incident at Pilgrim's Bog, Shieldwolf Swiftwing had not said a word about the swamp dogs. Samarra had never found out why the creatures had ventured into the bog, but she suspected the Elders knew. Merganser had sent out a group of Shieldwolves to study the area. Every day they ran test after test. All new recruit training had been restricted to Blackrock Peak. Something was definitely going on.

Samarra whistled a happy tune as she made her bed. Life with the Shieldwolves had gotten smoother as the lunar cycles had rolled by. She had managed to stay out of trouble by keeping quiet and memorizing everything she was shown. Cassian had also settled in. He was a fast learner and had proven himself skilled in staff fighting, which had earned him the respect of his unit. At times Samarra felt small pangs of jealousy when she saw how the swains hung onto his every word, but she was learning to push those emotions aside and just be happy for Cassian. He was her brother, after all.

At 0700 hours, Shieldwolf Longmane entered the sleeping quarters. After six lunar cycles of the same ritual day in and day out, the swains had their routine down pat. They were in uniform and lined up in rows by their bunks. Their eyes were all forward, heads held high, backs straight, and staffs to the side. Shieldwolf Longmane inspected their bunks, their lockers, and their boots. Bathrooms were next. When he was satisfied that everything was good, he sent them to the grove for meditation, followed by the mess hall for breakfast.

At 0800 hours Samarra sat in the damp cold of the training field with her unit. The spot next to her was conspicuously empty. She counted the heads; perhaps Cassian had moved to another row. There were only eleven of them here. Her brother was missing. She scanned the other units but there was no sign of Cassian.

"Where's Cass?" she asked Brin who was standing behind her.

"I don't know."

"Shieldwolf Longmane took him aside after breakfast," Whistler interrupted before making a face at Tavani. He pulled out a tuft of grass from the ground and threw it at her. "Gutter-face," he sang.

"Hsss." Tavani gave him her meanest stare.

"Did you see where he went?" Samarra continued.

Whistler shook his head. "Negative."

Another voice piped up. "I saw them heading for the main building." Ryeno watched Samarra like a lovesick puppy.

"I wonder why," Samarra mumbled to nobody in particular.

At 0812 the guest trainer arrived. Shieldwolf Firetail carried her staff and a basket of wooden beads.

"I apologize for my tardiness. I had a meeting to attend. Let us get started, shall we?" She placed her basket on the soft grass and straightened her uniform. Samarra put up her hand.

"Although we have the potential to access all of Kairuhan's natural spirits, we all have one spirit in particular we are most attuned to." The trainer ignored Samarra. "When you bound yourselves to your staffs, you created a symbol that resulted from a fusion of your own spirit and the power of the Reflection. The symbol works as a lock to prevent others from accessing the magic in your staff. The lock is also a replica of the spirit you were born to master. This spirit dwells inside you. My task is to help you rouse this ancient magic from sleep."

Sounds of "ooh" and "ahh" filled the air. If Samarra had been less concerned with finding Cassian, she would have been more excited about spirit training. She raised her hand higher and stepped out of her place in the row.

"Some of you may be more attuned to the energies of the air—" the trainer lifted her clawed hands to the sky, "—such as the power to create whirlwinds or vicious sandstorms."

Ryeno called out excitedly, "That would be me! That would be me!"

Shieldwolf Firetail glared at him and he settled down. "Others may be stronger with power over the waters, where great lakes can be parted and oceans can be subdued. By the end of this stage of your training, you will understand all natural spirits of Kairuhan. Today we begin with fire—"

"Do you know where Cass is?" Samarra interrupted.

The trainer said nothing, but the expression on her leathery brown face spoke volumes. Samarra felt a chill creep up her spine. Something was wrong.

"Where is my brother?" With determination, she marched to Shieldwolf Firetail.

"I am not at liberty to provide you with this information," she replied.

"Why not?" Samarra pressed on. She could feel her unit watching her with bated breath.

"Return to your place." The Shieldwolf whipped her forked tail around and pointed its tip at Samarra's place in the line. We have much to achieve today."

"No. I'm not doing anything until you tell me where my brother is. He was supposed to be here with us, but he's not. Where is he?" Her head was getting hotter.

Shieldwolf Firetail's red and brown eyes focused on Samarra. "He is being reassigned to another territory. He will be leaving for Seton Desert in the morning. If you require further information, I suggest you speak with one of the Elders."

"No!" Samarra moaned as if her world had fallen apart. "This can't be true. They can't do that. Merganser promised to keep us together. She knows… I have to look after him."

"He's doing a better job than you think," Tavani sneered. "He looks out for others, unlike you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Samarra shot back.

"It's true. Everyone knows you're a troublemaker."

"Really?" Samarra yelled with a menacing look.

"Dawning." The trainer wedged herself between the two girls. "He chose to go."

"Why?" Samarra was bewildered. She fought back her tears. Why would he leave her?

The group was silent.

"What are you all staring at?" Samarra stomped off the training field. The last thing she heard was Shieldwolf Firetail call, "Dawning!" before she was out of earshot. Samarra headed for the terrace, barely able to make out her surroundings. Her vision blurred with tears and her chest was in knots. Why had they done this to her?

She entered the tower, bounded up the stairs, and barged into Merganser's office. "Where's my brother?" she screamed. She slammed her fist into the bookcase with enough force to knock several books to the floor. "I want to see my brother!"

Merganser did not move. "Stand down," she said calmly.

"No."

"Stand down." Merganser's voice was soft, but Samarra felt the warning rise in her tone.

"I said
no
.
"
She lunged, but Merganser was quick on her feet. A bolt of electricity exploded from her hands and Samarra was flung back into the wall.
Crack
!
Samarra slid to the floor, gasping for air.

"I do not seek to hurt you." Merganser approached. "Stand at attention."

"Get lost." Samarra clenched her fists. Her body pulsed with remnants of electrical shock.

"Stand at attention," Merganser said quietly.

"You heard me the first time." Samarra's head felt like it was on fire.

Merganser gestured into the air. A high-pitched ringing spread through Samarra's head, gradually increasing in volume until her eyes felt as though they were about to pop out of their sockets. She dug her nails into her palms, not wanting to give Merganser the satisfaction of knowing that she was in pain, but the more she resisted the louder the ringing became. When Samarra held up her hands in defeat, the ringing subsided. She struggled to her feet and gripped the back of a wooden chair for support.

Merganser nodded approvingly. "You are a fast learner."

Samarra doubled over in pain. Her head pounded. Her words wouldn't come.

"Stand up straight."

Although breathing was an effort, Samarra stood as straight as she could. Merganser retrieved an oblong sunstone from her desk and handed it to Samarra.

"Reach into this," she said.

"I need to sit down," Samarra mumbled, feeling like she was about to pass out any minute.

"No." Merganser placed the stone in Samarra's hand. "Look into it."

Samarra was too weak to resist. Nothing happened for the longest time. The room was still except for the clock tick-tocking in the background. Samarra gasped in shock when something deep in her head clicked. She felt her mind plunge into the gem.

The sunstone burst to life with a muted flash and her senses were instantly overtaken by an unbearable heat. In a matter of seconds, Samarra was consumed by the idea that she
was
on fire, blazing through a boundless forest. One part of her felt like she was hallucinating, but the other part knew she was not. The experience replayed itself until Samarra dropped the stone. Exhausted, Samarra collapsed in the chair. Her mouth was dry and her clothes were soaked in sweat.

"You have imagined what it feels like to be fire," Merganser said. "You were born to the spirit of fire. We will teach you how to master it when you have tamed your emotions and mastered yourself." She went to the water fountain and poured clear liquid into a cup. "A hot-tempered fire wielder is the last thing we need. Drink this."

Samarra took the cup. Her pain washed away with each mouthful of water. Merganser sat down behind her desk.

"Why are you sending Cass away?" Samarra asked.

"He has his fate to follow. And you have yours." Merganser's expression was unreadable.

"But you promised me that we would be kept together." Samarra felt her temper rising again, but she was too tired to act on it.

"Your brother is a designated leader of a battlegroup. His training will have to be more… how shall I say… " Merganser seemed to search for the right words. "More rigorous. You must not disrupt his path."

"When will he come back?" Samarra clutched the side of the chair until her fingers hurt. She felt powerless and it was suffocating.

"He will return once he has completed his training."

"But when will that be?" Samarra couldn't contain her frustration.

"In six lunar cycles."

"Six lunar cycles? That's so far away." Samarra couldn't believe the news. Everything had been perfect that morning. How could her life change so quickly? This wasn't fair. "When is he leaving?"

"In three days."

"Three days?" Samarra let the tears roll down her face. At that point she didn't care if Merganser saw her crying. All she could think about was losing her brother. How could she not have known this would happen? What would she do without him? Things would not be the same. "What's the big rush?"

For the first time since they had met, Merganser avoided Samarra's eyes. Instead, she busied herself with rearranging the things on her desk. "A wise gaian once told me, to live is to suffer and to survive is to find meaning in your suffering. You will spend the rest of the day in silent contemplation." She stood up and waited for Samarra to do the same. "Dismissed."