JOURNEY INTO THE REALM: The Spell Master (Journey into the Realm Series) (7 page)

This isn’t good
, I realized with a pang.
Not good at all.

***

When I arrived home, it wasn’t difficult to make up a story about grabbing dinner on the way home from Aaron’s because I was too hungry to wait. It was partially the truth. I just left the part about Nathan out of the story. No big deal,
right?

Zora and I had tea by the fire, and afterward I slipped on my nightgown and climbed under my floral bedspread. Zora did the same. She was about to blow out the candle standing atop the wooden trunk between our beds when my voice stopped her.

“Zora,” I whispered.

“Yes?” she replied.

“Why won’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what, Ramsey?” she asked, though I knew she understood because this conversation was basically a routine we went through each and every night.

“My secret. It’s
my
secret, Zora. I deserve to know,” I pointed out.

“I don’t want to have this discussion now, Ramsey. It’s too late in the night. Just go to sleep.”

“You
never
want to have this discussion!” I said, my voice growing louder.

“That’s right. I don’t.”

“Not telling me won’t keep me safe,” I said.

“It will for now,” she retorted. My sister sighed. “You have no idea how much it has.”

“Finn is going to come back,” I said, just loud enough for her to hear.

She didn’t reply. Then a few seconds later she blew out the candle and turned away from me.

“Goodnight, Zora,” I muttered.

I had to give up. I knew I wouldn’t find out anything tonight. For some reason, Zora thought forgetting about my secret would keep me safe. I knew that wasn’t the truth. I bet she knew it too. She just didn’t want to believe it.

I had realized a short time ago that Zora wasn’t the type of person who could handle problems well. She liked hiding them away and not dealing with them, putting them off and hoping they would just go away after a while. I wasn’t that kind of person. When I had a problem, I dealt with it. Unfortunately, I would need Zora’s help to deal with this problem, the one involving my secret. But she wasn’t cooperating.

That’s why I had tried to see her memories. But after the look she gave me when I was caught in the act, I wasn’t about to disobey her. Now Zora kept her hands clasped together or her fists clenched whenever we were alone together.

“Goodnight, Ramsey,” she said moments later, disrupting me from my torrent of horrible thoughts. She wouldn’t say anything else.

I waited until I was sure her breathing was even before getting out of bed. Not in the mood for sleep, I walked with my candle to my parents’ old room. So much had happened today, and I was still processing all that had occurred.

I sat down by the warm dragon eggs and gave mine a little rub. I traced my finger around the beautiful sapphire jewels dotting my silver beauty, thinking of Finn and Zora and my secret. I looked over at Zora’s egg, which had the same silver coating, but with rubies instead of sapphires covering it. The eggs were simply astounding. My thoughts floated then to Nathan’s eyes, so much beauty contained in such a small place. If only I could have jewels that resembled
his
eyes
. I imagined myself gazing at an emerald ring with a tiny silver slash….

***

After breakfast with Zora and Aaliyah the next morning, I left for school wearing a green blouse and brown breeches, suitable attire for self-defense class. At the stables I saddled my horse, which I learned from the stable master was named Marigold – ironically, the name of my favorite flower – and then set off for Aubrey. Leaving Birchwood City behind once again, I went into a gallop. The crisp wind beat against my face, making me feel free and strong. I wished I could always feel that way. I had always been a strong elfen, able to get through a day in the Human Realm in spite of all the name-calling and rejections, but it was even harder nowadays because I was always checking over my shoulder to see if Finn had finally come back. This fear nagged at me every second.

As I continued to ride, a sudden noise caught my attention. It sounded like…well, to be honest, it sounded like rushing water. But that was crazy. I was riding across a field with no ponds or streams nearby. Hearing water was impossible. Mere moments after I discarded the foolish thought, I began to hear splashes. Careful not to lose my balance, I looked down to where Marigold’s hooves hit the grassy floor and realized she was galloping in at least a foot of water. Fear coursed through me as I realized the only plausible explanation for such an oddity: water fae.

I scanned the field but couldn’t find the source of the magic. Yet I was sure a water fairy was nearby, hiding most likely. What else could explain the water my mare tread upon?

I didn’t find any evidence, but I knew I was in danger. I urged Marigold forward and refused to let her relax until we reached Aubrey.

***

By seven thirty-five I was in my seat, but I would take early-to-class over a water fairy attack any day.

“Ramsey, are you all right?” Janie wondered when I took my seat.

“Yeah, just…really awake this morning,” I lied, smoothing down my hair and taking deep breaths in an attempt to slow my heart rate.

“Are you sure? You look like you just saw an Element fairy,” Ellie remarked, a smile playing across her lips.

She was only joking; she had no idea how right she was.

Too speechless to respond, I breathed a sigh of relief as Lady Celine walked into the room. “Good morning, elfin class,” she said.

“Good morning, Lady Celine,” we repeated.

“Today we will learn about elf circles.” She wrote the term across the chalkboard.

I heard a few moans from the crowd. I had made an elf circle before, so I understood why some would find the lecture boring. Elf circles were a simple task that really didn’t need to be taught in detail.

“Oh, stop your moans and groans. Elf circles are not as simple as you think. Sure, getting to the Human Realm is simple. Just wait until midnight, dance a circle, and then step inside. Making elf circles for
other
Realms, however, is far more complex.”

I straightened up in my chair and turned all of my attention to Lady Celine. I knew this would be interesting. I had only a provincial knowledge about the other Realms.

“First we will start with Fairy Realms.” She wrote that across the board as well.

“Fairies are our enemies,” a student remarked.

“Why would we want to know?” asked another.

“Going to a Fairy Realm is illegal!” a third voice reminded.

“Calm down! Calm down, everyone!” Lady Celine instructed, putting up her hands to lessen the cries of outrage. “Yes, crossing over into a Fairy Realm is illegal. But this isn’t about traveling and sightseeing. This is about your history and your skills. It’s important for you to understand what you can do.”

Lady Celine’s stern expression had me more than convinced, and the effect must have reached the rest of the class because the students were subdued by her brief lecture. A few “fines” and “okays” came from the students before Lady Celine continued.

“As I was saying, Fairy Realms present more difficulties when it comes to travel compared to the simplicity of the Human Realm. First, we will discuss the Golden Fairy Realm. This one is quite easy.” She smiled, as though she knew some private joke we didn’t. “Only Golden fairies can travel to the Golden Fairy Realm.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Well, the Golden Fairy Realm is so bright, so golden, that any who are not Golden fae cannot bear the bright light for very long,” she told us. “Not even other types of fairies can enter the Realm.”

“What, would we go blind or something?” an elf asked.

“Close. The brightness of the golden sun would burn our eyes until we reached blindness,” Lady Celine said gravely.

The room fell silent, and gasps rose from a few of the students. I shivered in my seat. Just thinking of the sun actually blinding me made me feel sick.

“Not to worry. You wouldn’t want to travel to the Golden Fairy Realm anyway,” Lady Celine commented. “They prefer their own magic and do not do well in the company of those unlike themselves.”

“It sounds like the Golden fairies are stuck-up creatures who are in love with themselves,” I muttered to Ellie and Janie.

Ellie snorted, immediately blowing my cover.

“Ramsey, would you like to comment?” Lady Celine wondered.

“Oh, no, sorry,” I replied quickly.

She watched me for a moment, her stare showing more amusement than anger. She widened her gaze to include the rest of the class. “Anyway,” Lady Celine said, obviously trying to leave the burning eye subject behind, “next are Element Fairies.” More protests arose from the class. Experienced enough to deal with whatever cackles our group could produce, she ignored us in favor of continuing with her lecture. “To do this, you must perform more than just a circle. You will need a representation of all four elements.”

“How? We can’t exactly place our own air in the circle, can we?” someone asked sarcastically.

“No, smart one, you have to use jewels,” Ellie said.

“Ellie, I’m the teacher here,” Lady Celine reprimanded.

“Sorry.” Ellie slunk down in her seat.

“What was that?” I whispered to my friend, surprised by her sudden outburst.

“I…I just don’t approve of ignorance,” she said.

“Oh, okay,” I muttered, a little freaked by Ellie’s strange behavior. Then again, I
had
called Golden fairies stuck-up and in love with themselves, so I probably shouldn’t judge Ellie for one little remark.

“What Ellie said was correct, though,” Lady Celine told us. “Four gems are necessary to make an Element Fairy portal. Use ruby for fire, sapphire for water, diamond for air, and emerald for earth. As you dance a circle, place the four gems inside. Then simply walk in like you would into any other elf circle.”

“Sounds easy,” an elf remarked.

“Yes, but very dangerous. You would be walking right into the war,” she reminded us. “Now, crossing into the Woodland Fairy Realm requires something other than gems. To cross into the Woodland Fairy Realm, you must create a special mixture of five herbs because the Woodland fae are so attached to nature. Outline the elf circle with an herb mixture of lavender, sage, thyme, rosemary, and basil. Mix an ounce of each and you have your portal entrance,” Lady Celine explained.

“Now, the Flower Fairy Realm is probably the easiest of the Fairy Realms to enter. What do you think elves use?”

“Flowers,” a dissonance of voices chorused.

“Yes. Collect a bouquet of honeysuckle, a fairy’s favorite flower, and place it in the circle.”

“Why must we place different things in the circle?” I asked.

“What we place is an offering to the fairies. It is a sign of respect, and it justifies your trip to the Realm. It has been so since the creation.”

“What do they give us?” I asked.

“You know a fairy has entered our Realm when you find a piece of sheet music, or any kind of instrument, lying on the ground where you usually wouldn’t find any. Sounds like something we would like, doesn’t it?”

Everyone nodded in agreement. I knew little about my kind, but I did know that every elf loved music. I had yet to meet an elf who didn’t. Music was the perfect offering to an elf.

“Do we have to make our own Realm an offering if we were to leave a Fairy Realm?” one student asked.

Lady Celine shook her head. “No. All elf circles lead to the Elf Realm if no offerings are made, unless it is midnight, when the portal to the Human Realm is opened.”

I had to take a moment to process all of the logistics concerned with elfin travel. The methods were a lot more confusing than driving a car, it seemed, even though I hadn’t lived in the Human Realm long enough to get my license. I
did
remember driving with my mom when I had my temps, and although the open road could be scary, at least I didn’t have to think about offerings or time portals.

“So, that, class, is how to cross into the Fairy Realms,” Lady Celine concluded. “As for the Mermaid Realm, the method is quite unique. You must make a normal elf circle before a pond or a lake, then step into the water. The offering is simply a shiny stone placed in the circle. Mermaids like shiny things, apparently.”

“What? Elves are supposed to just jump into a random lake or pond?” a student asked.

“Yes. Just jump into the water instead of the circle,” she said.

“How do we breathe?” I asked.

“We don’t. You won’t survive in the Mermaid Realm very long unless a Spell Master performs a spell for you to breathe in the water.”

“A Spell Master can do that?” Janie asked.

“Yes. If he or she is good enough,” she said.

As the lecture drew to a close, a few students piped up with their opinions on which mode of elf circle was most preferable, which launched a huge debate. It was fun to see everyone choose a side, and even Lady Celine was caught up in the whirl. When the bell finally rang, Lady Celine had one final announcement, her voice raised just loud enough for the chatty class to hear. “What a wonderful discussion we’ve had today. That’s the end of class. Have a great day!”

I stood up and grabbed my bag off the chair.

“What an interesting class today,” Janie mentioned as the three of us moved to the door.

“I loved it. I feel
magically
educated,” I joked.

“Oh, yes, the lecture was rather
enchanting
,” Janie said, using the same regal tone. We shared a laugh as Ellie came up to walk beside us.

“Class was fine until Mara started acting like she could survive a trip to the Golden Fairy Realm,” Ellie said, referring to a particularly snobby student in our class. She reminded me of Katie, a human girl who used to insult me relentlessly and reduce me to tears. “But it was all right once I started picturing her without any green eyes to complement her nasty face.”

Janie and I erupted into giggles. “Oh, Ellie, you are absolutely horrid!” Janie remarked, but she continued laughing even so. It wasn’t Ellie’s remark that had us laughing, but the way she put so much emotion into everything she said. Her impetuous behavior often led to running her mouth without considering the consequences.

I walked with my two friends until we parted ways with Ellie for ability class. As Janie chatted absently about school gossip, I contemplated all I had learned thus far in school. I was glad that I had signed up for the history class. The more I knew about myself, the better. Maybe it would even help me figure out my secret.

But as I walked into my ability class, I realized that even
I
highly doubted that figuring out my secret would be that easy.