JOURNEY INTO THE REALM: The Spell Master (Journey into the Realm Series) (8 page)

My ability class wasn’t as entertaining as the previous day. I learned that even in the Elf Realm, school could be boring. We spent the entire time learning about important elves in history who had powers of the mind. Lord Clark said it was necessary to know the history of our power. But if I had wanted history, I would have stayed in first period.

The only remotely interesting part about the class that day was being with my new friends. During free time, I was able to talk with Aimee, Janie, and Daran. I wasn’t used to making friends, but after the initial awkward pauses, I found it simple to assimilate myself into their discussions. Aimee was easy to like, being a healer and all. Daran was too overconfident, but he was also a really nice guy, and he was close friends with Nathan, so that was a plus. And I already knew Janie from first period.

I was itching for my self-defense class when the bell rang. I could finally move around instead of just sitting in a dull classroom. Before, I dreaded self-defense, but now I was looking forward to it. I guess the fighter in me was finally emerging. I kind of liked it. I wanted to feel strong, not weak, especially with the lingering threat of danger in my life.

I saw Nathan, Aimee, and an elf I didn’t recognize when I entered the school basement. He was dark-haired, and even from far away I could see his bright green eyes. My friends waved me over and I immediately smiled. I belonged here.

“Hey,” I said as I joined them.

They all gave me a warm hello, and then Nathan pointed to the new elf. “This is Tavis. He is one of my oldest and dearest friends…when he’s not being completely insufferable.” Nathan laughed and Tavis punched him in the shoulder. Then he stuck out his hands.

I looked down at them and shook my head. “Only if you want me to know everything about you,” I told him, getting a little bored with the explanation I always had to give. I couldn’t wait to be able to finally control my power and leave the prepared speech behind for good.

“You’re the elfen who can see everyone’s life so far,” Tavis recalled.

“That’s me,” I acknowledged.

“Aimee told me about you. But don’t feel bad. At least your power can’t kill you,” he said.

“What?” I asked, perplexed.

“Tavis can make things explode,” Aimee explained.

“With my mind,” Tavis cut in. “If I want something to explode, it will.”

I turned to Aimee. “Shouldn’t he be in our ability class? Your power is abstract, right?” I asked Tavis.

“I had to miss yesterday and most of today because I was watching my younger brothers,” he clarified.

“Both of Tavis’s parents are fighting in the war,” Aimee informed me. “They served their two years of service long ago, but joined again once Tavis was old enough to watch his siblings.”

My lips parted as I realized his situation. “So you have to take care of your brothers on your own?”

“Until now, yes,” Tavis confirmed. “But while I’m at school an elfen named Blaire watches over them.”

“I know her,” I said. “She’s a close friend of Zora’s. She kept up my house before Zora and I moved in.”

Tavis nodded. “Yeah, she was finishing a job at another house yesterday and part of today, my reason for being so late.”

I didn’t want to tell him how sorry I was for his situation. Words like those were meaningless. Elves always used them on me when the issue of my parents came, and they never helped the situation. So instead of showing sympathy, I gave him the truth. “Being on your own is difficult.”

He smiled sadly. “It is.”

Silence descended over our group. No one knew what to say. Aimee squeezed Tavis’s hand, and Nathan rested a hand on his shoulder. Nathan’s eyes, however, rested on me. I smiled weakly and tried to avoid seeing silver.

“Today we will be using our foils!” Lady Brianna exclaimed, disrupting the stillness.

Everyone clapped and whistled with joy, and my friends couldn’t help getting caught up in the commotion. “Everyone find a partner and then come for your foil! And remember to put on your protective gear!” Lady Brianna instructed over the noise.

Turning to Aimee, I was prepared to ask if she wanted to be partners. I assumed Nathan would want to go with Tavis…

…until Nathan came to stand in front of me.

“Want to be my partner?” he asked, a little shyly, which I thought was cute. I stopped the thought from going any farther. I shouldn’t even be thinking Nathan was
cute,
let alone the countless other thoughts I could connect to him and his beautiful eyes.

“What about Tavis?” I wondered.

“He and Aimee have been friends practically since they were born. I’m not about to come between that.”

“Oh,” I said, not realizing Aimee and Tavis were so close. “Okay.”

“Then…partners?” he asked.

“Partners,” I agreed, feeling like my insides were turning to mush. Remembering our dinner the night before, I had to concentrate on the color of my sandals to lower my heartbeat.

“I’ll get our foils,” Nathan told me.

“Okay. I’ll get the gear,” I said.

Nathan came back shortly with the two practice swords. The foil wasn’t heavy, but it wasn’t light either. It was a combination of the two, and very strange to hold. I would have to get used to its feel. We dressed in the protective gear – over our clothes – and then we were ready to begin.

“All right, first get into starting position. Plant your feet firmly on the ground, hold your foil in your writing hand, bend your knees slightly, and keep your eyes on your opponent,” Lady Brianna told us while pacing the room and watching over the students to make sure they were following instructions correctly.

I followed her orders, completely focused on doing my best, and everything was fine…until I looked into Nathan’s eyes. My avoidance tactic wasn’t working so well. How was I supposed to fight Nathan like this? Pretty soon I would trip over my own feet and impale myself with my foil. I was behaving ridiculously, like a doe-eyed little girl with a crush. But I couldn’t stop.

The worst part was that Nathan seemed to be having the same problem looking into
my
eyes. We were locked on each other and couldn’t tear our gazes away.

The fire was back. The burning desire to reach out to him. To be closer to him. To breathe in the comfort he emitted.

I had to stop. I was with Stellan, and I loved him. I didn’t love Nathan. I hardly knew him. But when I looked into his emerald eyes with the silver slashes across each one, I forgot everything, and the only thoughts running through my mind were of him.

Lady Brianna’s strong voice put me on high alert, and I was able to focus momentarily on someone other than Nathan. But even as I listened to my teacher’s instructions, the image of his eyes burned at the back of my mind, waiting to reclaim my attention. “Remember, elves are a little strange when it comes to physical activity. We are graceful, but also clumsy. Without balance, we are not effective fighters. Once balance is achieved, however, not even a fairy can best our swordplay. Focus on keeping yourself steady and never attack with haste. Each move must be considered before you strike; otherwise, you’ll end up on the ground, or even dead.”

“Now, on to less morbid subjects! I want you all to begin fencing. Fight as you imagine fighting is like. I will come around, correct you, and guide you as you practice.” Lady Brianna clapped her hands once, and everyone began.

Everyone except for Nathan and me. We still stood looking at each other. We were frozen in place, not noticing the Realm around us. It was as if the two of us were in an unbreakable bubble, one that deflected everyone, leaving us alone and lost in each other’s gaze. It took a foil almost smacking into my face for the hold to break.

“Sorry, Ramsey!” Tavis yelled.

I made the first move and hit Nathan’s foil to get him going. I had to do something to stop the pull, the electricity in the air.

The hold now gone, we were able to fight. I held up pretty well with Nathan until the end. He would try to pin me, but I would go into defense mode. If we had been fighting with real swords, I would probably be dead. At the end of the fight, he finally jabbed me in the chest. It didn’t hurt, though, because of the protective gear.

He smiled and stuck out one of his hands. “Good fight.”

I shook it and nodded. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like he was going to bring up what had happened before we fought. Either we were both in denial, or I was just crazy and the connection I felt was only in my head. It was a toss-up at the moment.

“You too,” I said. “But I wouldn’t smile for too long. Next time I’ll beat you.”

“Only if I let you win.” He laughed.

I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath. Fighting in the heavy protective clothing had left me tired, sweaty, and out of breath.

“You okay there?” he asked with a chuckle. “I can go easy on you next time, I promise.”

His sarcasm was as annoying as it was amusing. “Be quiet,” I said, but I wasn’t very convincing, what with the grin and all.

“Do I have to?” he asked.

I looked at him and sighed. “You are one of a kind, Nathan.”

“I could say the same about you,” he remarked. “I may be hilarious and stunningly handsome, but I don’t have so many secrets.”

“Stunningly handsome, right,” I repeated, shaking my head. “I was going to agree with you when you said hilarious, but…anyway, it’s not my fault that I have secrets I know nothing about. Besides, everyone has secrets. Even ‘stunningly handsome’ elves.”

I knew what I was doing. I was concerned with only one of his secrets – whether he felt the same connection I did or if this was just one-sided.

Like the clever elf he was, he gave nothing away. “I’m sure they do,” he agreed.

And he didn’t elaborate.

***

Lady Brianna had one last announcement before the end of class: “Tomorrow will be a workout day. I can see many of you struggling. It’s because you are not fit enough to sword fight. That changes tomorrow. Be ready. Oh, and thanks to all the elfen students who did not wear a dress today! Class is dismissed!” The bell rang a few seconds later.

“Time for you to finally get in shape, Nathan,” I joked as we walked out of class together.

“You mean time for
you
to get in shape. Remember who won the fight.”

“I was holding back,” I told him.

“Sure you were. And I’m actually an elfen,” he said sarcastically.

“I’m still new to the Realm of elves. For all I know, you could be a stunningly handsome girl,” I said, with a straight face that was difficult to muster.

He looked at me with a blank expression. “You are not a very nice elfen, Ramsey,” he decided.

“I’m a lot nicer than you,” I retorted.

“No, because I was only joking. You are actually very sweet and well-tempered,” Nathan said, but at the same time he was trying to hold back an obvious smile.

“You couldn’t even say that with a straight face!” I cried. “And what is ‘well-tempered’ supposed to mean anyway? I’m not some kind of pet.”

He laughed. “Okay, Ramsey, you really need to stop walking right into my jokes. It makes harassing you too easy.”

I scoffed. “You know what? You are not a very nice
elf
, Nathan.”

“Really?” he asked, contemplating my words momentarily. “Well, at least I’m not an elfen.”

I pushed him as we both hurried into class. Ellie and Brielle were already waiting for us, chatting away like they were best friends. The scene was very different from their initial meeting, when they didn’t even want to look at each other. I wondered briefly what had changed.

Nathan and I took our seats. The aftermath of our banter was present in my smile. Being with Nathan, even when he was arrogant to the point of amusement, was like breathing or reading a good book. I was completely content just being near him.

“Listen up, everyone!” Lord Asher called to us, stirring me from thoughts of Nathan. “Today is the start of our dragon unit. It will be filled with excitement, interesting facts, and educational lectures!”

Everyone groaned, but Lord Asher only laughed. “I promise it won’t kill you. To begin, I must show you what a dragon looks like.”

“What?” many of the students asked.

“We already know what a dragon looks like!” others yelled.

We all understood what Lord Asher meant a moment later, and I mean
really
understood. His body began to shake, and soon his shape was changing, contorting, and forming into something else entirely.
Was he a shape-shifter?
I wondered. But why shift into an animal during a class about dragons? Then it hit me. The shape he was turning into was no ordinary animal. It was an enormous red dragon.

Students were awed by the glorious creature. This was my first glimpse of a dragon up close and I was speechless.

“He’s a mystical shape-shifter,” Brielle explained.

“A what?” I asked.

“A shape-shifter who can turn into a magical animal, like a dragon or a unicorn,” Ellie explained. Nathan laughed when he heard the word
unicorn
, so I punched him in the shoulder for being such a guy.

“Wow. That’s so cool,” I exclaimed, as Nathan cursed lightheartedly.

Soon the red dragon was Lord Asher once again. After clearing his throat a few times, he spoke. “Yes, my power is very
cool
.” I felt my face turn red with embarrassment. I always forgot that a significant portion of my vocabulary was filled with “human words,” ones that elves didn’t understand. “But it is also dangerous and difficult to master. It took me a while before I could control shape-shifting. Now, for my engaging lecture!”

We learned about dragon history for most of the class, and, by the end, we were starting dragon basics. We would learn more tomorrow, then start our first project.

When the bell rang, I left class with Nathan, Ellie, and Brielle. We decided to have lunch in town and found a nice little café near the school. Aimee, Tavis, Janie, and Daran joined us soon after. We had to push a few tables together because there were so many of us.

I ordered a plate of delicious roasted chicken. Both the food and the company were great. My new friends kept my mind off Stellan and even off my secret for some time. It felt good to be happy so frequently lately. However, forgetting my secret wasn’t a good idea; I knew that. It would be unwise for me to forget about Finn and my confusing past altogether. The idea screamed dangerous and risky. I had to be alert, or something terrible could happen and I wouldn’t be prepared.

“Hey, Ramsey, can I come over to see your dragon egg sometime?” Nathan asked, putting an end to my thoughts.

I nodded, swallowing my food before finally answering: “Of course.”

“When do you think they will hatch?” he wondered.

“Very soon, I hope. I don’t know for sure, but I have a strong feeling that we won’t have to wait long,” I confided.

“That’s great,” he said, a broad smile etched across his face. “You are so lucky.”

“No, I’m not, Nathan. I may have some good fortune, but I am far from lucky,” I said, my smile faltering.

“Yes, you are. Look how your life has changed! You went from being a weird human girl to an extremely gifted elfen with a great group of friends, a sister who loves you, and dragon eggs. You
are
lucky.”

“But I also have a boyfriend at war and….” I stopped myself. No one other than Zora knew that Finn was still after me. Zora had made me promise not to tell anyone.

“And what?”

“I don’t know,” I lied. “I guess you’re right.”

“I told you.” He smiled and went back to his food.

I sighed and covered my face with my hands. I knew I wouldn’t be able to hide what had happened after the wedding much longer. I had already almost told Nathan and I hardly knew him. My words were always unguarded around Nathan, so he would probably hear my secrets first, but it wouldn’t be long before Aaliyah or even Brielle knew.

“Ramsey, are you all right?” Ellie asked, watching me warily. Something I could sense but not explain hid behind her gaze. Maybe I was just being weird and overly paranoid, but for a split second I was certain that Ellie knew I had lied to Nathan. This was ridiculous, because Ellie knew nothing about Finn or my secret. Zora’s over-protective nature had to be rubbing off on me. It was the only rational explanation.

“Yeah, I’m just tired. Self-defense class has reminded me that I’m woefully out of shape.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, this time with concern in her tone.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry. Thanks, though,” I said.

“Sure.” She resumed eating, but I felt her eyes on me as I finished the rest of my meal.

“Everyone, listen up!” Aimee said when we were about to leave. “I’m having a bonfire Friday night, and I would like all of you to come. It will start at nine and continue until everyone wants to leave.”

“I’ll be there,” Daran said, and the others nodded in agreement.

Brielle and I were the only ones who were unable to confirm. I had to make sure it was okay with Zora before I accepted the offer. I guess Brielle had to clear it with Danica.

When lunch was over, Brielle returned to her dorm. Ellie went home. Tavis had to pick up a few things for his brothers. Daran had just gotten a job at a meat vender in Aubrey, and Aimee had shopping to do so she decided to join Tavis. She asked me to tag along, but I knew I should be getting back to Zora. She didn’t know that I went out to lunch, so it would be best if I got home as soon as I could.

Nathan and I were left to ride home together again.

And deep down, I knew the real reason I had declined the shopping offer wasn’t for Zora.