JOURNEY INTO THE REALM: The Spell Master (Journey into the Realm Series) (4 page)

***

After my encounter with Nathan, I was glad that school was almost over. I needed to relax. Talking with Nathan had been difficult; actually, it had been difficult only because it was too easy for me to feel comfortable around him, if that made any sense at all – and left me feeling tense.

Seeing him in my last class nearly brought tears to my eyes. The urge to cry grew stronger when I found my name on the desk next to his. I realized quickly that I would be seeing a lot of him in the near future, and I would have to learn to deal with that, among other things.

Feeling defeated, I sat down without looking at Nathan and unpacked the materials I would need for the class. The growing emotions I felt for him seemed to overwhelm me, almost to the point where I felt claustrophobic, the confusing feelings crushing me with their heavy weight. I didn’t want to look at him or speak to him, but deep inside I knew it was unavoidable. After all, I would be sitting next to him in this class for the rest of the year.

“Hi, Ramsey,” he said.

“Oh, hi, Nathan,” I replied.

“Interested in other creatures?” he asked.

“Are you?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said.

“So am I. That’s why it’s an introduction to other beings, right?” I asked, actually smiling despite my nerves.

He laughed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Just trying to make conversation.”

“I completely understand. I hate small talk, and I’m not a good conversation starter either,” I said, hoping he wouldn’t take the comment offensively.

He didn’t. Instead, he laughed again and said, “Thank you for understanding my dreadful plight.” He was beaming at me like we already shared a private joke. It made me feel warm.

“No problem,” I said, liking his apparent sarcasm. I was a sucker for that sort of thing, which only made me feel less confident in my ability to avoid him.

I smiled nervously and pretended to sort through my supplies, not knowing what else to say to him; I was occupied with keeping my eyes averted from his. As long as I didn’t see those silver slashes, I might be okay with being close to him. But I knew that wasn’t the case, not exactly, because more than his eyes drew me to him; it was something else entirely, something I couldn’t explain. As I shuffled a few papers, I stole glances at him out of the corner of my eye.

For the first time, I found myself looking at features other than his eyes, I mean
really
looking at them. Avoiding his eyes, I noticed how his pale hair curled around his ears, the smoothness of his pale skin, the slight muscles in his arms and chest. Elves were usually nowhere near buff, but they could be muscular. He was definitely that, and my mouth went dry.

With the inviting vibe he radiated, Nathan was beauty paired with personality. Little details made him captivating, like his enchanting gaze and his sense of humor, the warmth in his comforting smile. I didn’t know how long I would be able to stand being around him without reaching out and touching him.

But I mustn’t think about those things. I
refused
to continue thinking about those things, no matter how hard it was to resist.

He seemed to be in control of the situation. I was anxious, wishing I could be anywhere else while at the same time wanting to be closer to him. Nathan was calm, relaxed. That bothered me. How could he be so content while I couldn’t stop shaking?

I was relieved when I noticed Ellie take the seat behind me.

“We have another class together,” she remarked happily. “That’s great, because I thought I would be all alone here.”

“Yeah,” I replied, still freaking out on the inside.

“Who are you?” Ellie asked Nathan, both of us realizing at the same time that he was still watching me.

Startled, he turned to look at Ellie. “Nathan. And you?”

“Ellie,” she said, narrowing her eyes and probably wondering about his obvious interest in me.

“Nice to meet you,” he replied.

“Yeah, you too,” she said. “Spell Master, right?”

“How did you know?” I asked before Nathan could.

“Just a guess,” Ellie answered. Then she must have been distracted by something because her gaze turned away from us and moved to the entrance. “
Look
who is walking through the door. I guess the rumors were true.”

“Who?” Nathan and I both asked.

“None other than Princess Brielle of Tarlore,” Ellie said. “I can’t believe it.”

“What? Brielle is here?” I looked past Ellie and gasped in surprise. Sure enough, Brielle was walking through the door and into the classroom.

“Oh my God, it
is
her!” I said happily, relieved I would have someone I knew personally in class with me, someone who could keep me from going insane with Nathan sitting right next to me. I knew if anyone could distract me from him, it was Brielle. The elfen princess definitely commanded attention.

“I can’t believe she has the nerve to come here,” Ellie said sourly.

“Why can’t she, Ellie?” I asked.

“Because there is a way better school in Tarlore. Why does she have to come to
this
school?”

“Do you have a problem with her or something?” I asked.

“I’ve heard things, Ramsey, that’s all. She has a strange power and because of it, she has to be taught to control her ability in a separate class from everyone else. It’s just too bizarre for me,” Ellie told me. “And I heard she’s a little…well, peculiar.”

“I’ve never met her, so I can’t agree or disagree,” Nathan remarked.

“Well, I have,” I said, a little offended by Ellie’s comment, “and I’m really glad she’s here.”

Before they could ask me why, I got out of my seat and hurried over to Brielle. She saw me, smiled, and gave me a big hug, both of us squealing with excitement upon seeing each other.

“Brielle, what are you doing here?” I asked elatedly.

“Ramsey, I’m so glad we have a class together! I was hoping we would,” she exclaimed.

“But why come here?” I asked. “Supposedly, Tarlore has a better school,” I added, quoting Ellie.

“When the Queen told me I had to go to school for my ability, I immediately thought of you and asked to come here to Aubrey. I’ve missed you, and because of my royal stature I don’t have many friends back home. Not like you, at least. I want my experience at ability school to be more than a freak show,” she muttered, using one of my favored human phrases.

“That’s wonderful, Brielle,” I said. Then I frowned. “But you’re definitely not a freak show.”

“Sure,” she scoffed, “tell that to the staring crowd.”

“They’re just surprised you’re here. It’s not every day a royal makes her way to such a small town. Are you staying in a dorm?”

“Yes, Danica is here too. Mother wanted someone to come along and ‘protect me’,” she said, shaking her head.

Brielle never liked the protectiveness Queen Taryn had for her daughter. The Princess was very independent and liked to do things her own way.

“Won’t Thane miss her?” I asked, remembering Danica’s fox shape-shifting husband.

“Yes, but he’ll come visit sooner or later,” Brielle replied.

“I’m so glad you came,” I said, unable to contain my joy.

“Me too, Ramsey. It’s been so long since the wedding. The palace is boring without you. That is why I needed to come here. Ever since we rescued Zora and were both almost killed by Element fairies, the Queen has hardly let me out of her sight. Now that I’m here, she can’t watch me like a hawk shape-shifter, and I can finally have a better social life.”

Brielle didn’t always enjoy her role as a princess. She liked being wild and crazy. That’s what I loved about her. She wasn’t a traditional royal figure. She was fun, even though her antics were sometimes a little over the top.

I smiled, grateful that my friend was here. Having someone at school who shared a bit of history with me made the new experience slightly less nerve-wracking.

“Help me find my seat, all right?” Brielle asked; class was about to begin.

“Sure.” I walked with her and found her seat next to mine. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed it earlier. I guess seeing Nathan again took too much of my attention.

We both sat down and then I turned to Nathan. “Nathan, meet my very good friend, Brielle.” I cut out the Princess stuff. I knew she hated it.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Princess,” he greeted.

Brielle scowled. “Please, don’t call me that. I’m Brielle.”

“Oh, sorry, Brielle,” he said apologetically.

“It’s fine,” she replied. “Just don’t do it again.” Then she gave him a wicked smile and laughed, obviously joking. Brielle was so vibrant and full of life that sometimes it was hard to believe she was an actual princess.

“Oh, and this is Ellie,” I said, looking behind at my new friend.

“Hey,” Brielle said.

“Hi,” Ellie replied. I could tell she wasn’t very interested, and this not only bothered me, but also struck me as odd. Before, Ellie was keen on meeting new people. As soon as Brielle walked through that doorway, however, she put up a wall that couldn’t be breached.

Fortunately, Ellie warmed up to Brielle as class went on. Maybe she needed a little time to get used to having a royal figure in the classroom. On the plus side, our teacher, Lord Asher, gave us the class period to socialize with our fellow classmates. He said we would start on our first unit on dragons tomorrow.

Brielle, Nathan, Ellie, and I spent the class learning more about each other. I realized halfway during the period that I really enjoyed talking to Nathan. He was just as easygoing as I had predicted, and my nerves calmed as I talked with him. As long as I didn’t look at his eyes, I could hold a normal conversation with him. I quickly figured out that avoiding eye contact was the best way to keep my emotions for him under control.

He seemed to have forgotten our dance and our other previous encounters. At first I was a little hurt, but then decided it was for the best. That way it wouldn’t be so awkward to talk to him.

“So what’s it like, coming here after living in the Human Realm for so long?” Nathan asked, while Brielle and Ellie were discussing the best kind of elf powers. I had chosen to stay out of the conversation. I didn’t know much about other elves’ powers. I didn’t even know much about my own.

“At first it was really overwhelming,” I admitted. “I had no idea what it would be like to live here. I also had rescuing my sister, Zora, on my mind at all times. I was really stressed. Sometimes I wished I could return to my old home.” I looked down. “I’ve never told that to anyone.”

Strangely, I didn’t feel like hiding anything from Nathan. Words spilled out uncontrollably, and even after realizing the secrets I shared, I didn’t regret doing so.

“It’s all right. I understand,” he said soothingly. “It makes sense to want to run away from it all. I would.” He had a way of making me feel better no matter what he said; every word from his lips held such promise.

“Thanks,” I said, a shiver crawling up my arms because I realized how much sincerity that one word held, “but after a while it was easier. By the time Zora returned home, I loved living in Birchwood. I could never leave the Elf Realm now.”

“I’m glad.” He smiled.

It was a simple reply that made my heart beat faster.

“Me too,” I agreed, taking a deep breath in order to calm myself down. “What’s it like being a Spell Master?”

“It’s interesting, and filled with great experiences, but also quite complex. Learning spells can be tough work. I have to admit that I don’t always enjoy learning; it takes so much time. Performing spells consumes energy as well. I wish I could just use my power whenever I wanted to, like you can, and never tire.”

“No, you don’t want my power; trust me,” I said seriously.

“Why not?” he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t think I should say any more. It’s kind of personal,” I admitted, glancing around the room self-consciously.

“You can tell me. I promise I won’t judge you or anything,” he said sincerely.

For a reason unknown to even myself, I knew I could. Something about Nathan made talking with him too easy to resist. I had never felt so confident and outgoing until now. With Nathan, there was no awkwardness, at least not since I’d had my first conversation with him. I didn’t feel shy, constricted, or cornered. I felt as if I could tell him anything and he wouldn’t care. He would just listen.

Therefore, for the remainder of the class I told him about the first time I used my power. I hadn’t told anyone else in detail what happened after Zora’s rescue. Realizing that I was with Stellan while he in turn was with Zora hadn’t been easy to accept. After forgiving Stellan, I decided not to bring up the incident again. That crisis was in the past. I knew the more I thought about it, the more it would hurt, and the more it would stand in the way of our relationship. Yet here I was, telling Nathan all about it. Sometimes I just didn’t understand my actions.

When I was finished, Nathan nodded slowly and then looked at me intently. “That must have been awful,” he said.

“It was. But I’m okay now, I think. I like my power a lot better.”

“You should. It could be a very useful gift in the future,” he said.

“Yeah? How?” I wondered.

“Well, for one thing, you can always know if someone is lying about themselves.”

I noticed Ellie turn her head from her conversation with Brielle. She looked at Nathan for a moment, her gaze scrutinizing and a little mystified. Then she shook her head and looked away. The whole thing struck me as a bit odd.

“I guess that’s a plus,” I said, after Ellie resumed her conversation with Brielle.

“You could also decide whether people are worthy of your friendship,” he added, “since you would know everything about them.”

“Would I think you are worthy?” I asked curiously, enjoying the overwhelming surge of confidence I felt all of the sudden.

“Probably not,” he joked.

I laughed. “I bet you aren’t that bad of a guy,” I said.

“Thanks…I think,” he remarked lightly as the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

Standing up to put my supplies away, I waved goodbye to Ellie as she left the room. Brielle gave me a hug and told me she had to get back to Danica or she would start getting worried. Her personal guard was very protective of her, although at times Brielle managed to give her the slip and be on her own. Obviously, today was not one of those days.