The Fire Prophecy
Page 7
Imogen grabbed Sassy’s paw and helped her wave to me. I turned away and followed Liam across the lawn, finally entering the castle.
He led me up the big stone staircase to a pair of doors three times my height. If I thought this world couldn’t get any more magical, I was wrong. The doors opened up to a huge white foyer that stretched five stories high with a big gold chandelier hanging in the center. Balconies on every level wrapped around the foyer. The marble floor was dotted with large area rugs and big comfy chairs. Ahead of us, a huge grand staircase led to the second level. Tapestries and elaborate paintings hung from every inch of the wall, and a fireplace big enough to hold a dragon burned in the center. Suits of armor stood at attention around the doors and the fireplace.
“What… how…?” I couldn’t manage to find the words as I tried to take in the splendor of it all.
Liam didn’t slow his pace. How could he not just stop and stare? I hurried to keep up with him.
“It’s a castle,” I managed to get out. Because apparently I was really good at stating the obvious.
“Yeah,” Liam said with a shrug.
“But— but how?” I stammered. “Did you magic it here?”
Liam looked thoroughly unamused. “No, we didn’t magic it here. It was gifted to the Hawkei long ago.”
“Oh,” I said flatly. I wished he’d explain more, but Liam kept silent.
Liam led me down a long, wide hall on the second level. Tall arched windows outlined in elaborately carved stone lined one side of the hallway. Between them stood more statues of Familiars, except this time, they were accompanied by statues of Elementai as well. On the opposite wall hung large dreamcatchers, woven blankets, and feathered headdresses. It seemed like the castle was a mix of old medieval architecture and Native American historical pieces. Everywhere I looked, there was something more beautiful to stare at.
Liam’s pace slowed the farther we walked. He stayed silent the whole time.
“Thanks for sticking up for me back there, by the way,” I said to break the silence.
“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it,” he growled.
What the hell?
“A simple you’re welcome would suffice,” I responded.
“You’re welcome,” he said flatly.
Moments later, Liam stopped in front of a set of large doors. The handles were golden and were crafted in the shape of flames. They were intricate and nearly looked like the real thing.
“Look,” he said, “we’re from different Houses. I shouldn’t be sticking up for you, and you shouldn’t be sticking up for Imogen. We only work together when we have to. Haley is right. You’ll alienate yourself from your House if you keep acting this way. My advice is to find yourself a Koigni friend and stick close to them.”
Any ounce of happiness I’d found in the magic of this place instantly disappeared. I knew Amelia said you couldn’t date outside your House, but you couldn’t be friends, either? What kind of society was this? I thought Liam said these people were all about unity. They seemed full of bullcrap to me.
“This is your dorm.” Liam gestured to the doors beside him. “It’s where I leave you. Good luck.” That was all he said before he started down the hall the way we came.
“Wait, Liam!”
He turned back to me, his brow furrowed. “If you have any questions, ask a member of your House.”
The unspoken words in his tone were clear. I wasn’t his problem anymore.
Liam turned his back on me. Nerves twisted in my gut. How could he just leave me alone?
I took a breath and stepped toward the doors. I glanced down the hall one last time to watch him go. My heart broke a little. Liam hadn’t exactly been friendly since we met, but at least with him, I hadn’t been alone. Now the one person here who’d helped me make any sense of this place was abandoning me.
Jerk.
I gripped the door handle and pushed. I half expected that Liam had lead me to the dungeons, but I stepped into a common room. Sunlight spilled in through a tall window, and through a sunroof that opened up in the ceiling. There were four fireplaces, each with plush red chairs surrounding them, and two rows of study tables in the center of the room. A flat screen TV hung on the wall. Two long hallways split off in either direction, which I guessed led to the dorms. The room was swathed in colors of deep red, orange, and yellow. It seemed cozy and warm.
At least thirty people were inside. All eyes turned to me, and the whole room quieted.
Was it going to be like this every time I entered a room?
I swallowed. I must’ve looked like a deer in the headlights. No one bothered to step up and tell me what to do. Was I supposed to claim a room, or just hang out in here until my advisor showed up?
The doors banged open behind me. I jumped.
“You can all relax,” Haley said in a bored tone as she entered, followed in toe by her posse. “She’s not the one. She’s just a bastard.”
Wait… what? I was so not interested in indulging in any drama. I was planning on keeping my head down like Amelia told me to. But I had to say something. I mean… what the hell?
“Excuse me?” I snapped.
Haley crossed the room to the closest fireplace, and her phoenix fluttered behind. The two boys sitting there immediately got up, and Haley’s group took their place.
Haley tossed her dark hair over her shoulder and looked at me with a shocked expression. “Oh, I didn’t mean it in a bad way.”
Since when was that word not meant in a bad way?
“I just meant… your mom was Toaqua, wasn’t she?” Haley asked. “You’re Koigni, so she must’ve whored around with some Koigni guy or something.”
I was too stunned to move, even though every fiber of my being told me to punch the girl in the face.
“You don’t even know my mother,” I snarled.
Haley shrugged and turned away. A part of me wanted to reach out and pull a chunk of her hair out, but the rational part told me to walk away.
“At least my mom raised me right. I'm not sure you can say the same.”
It wasn’t until everyone in the room inhaled a collective gasp that I realized I’d said it out loud. Mortified didn’t even begin to describe how I felt. I wasn’t the kind of girl who said things like that.
Haley just gaped at me, so shocked she couldn’t even respond. I wasn’t about to stick around to hear whatever she came up with. I whirled around and rushed through the doors I’d just entered.
The problem was, I didn’t know where to go from there. Even if I missed orientation, I would’ve thought someone would greet me with a welcome packet or a quick tour. This place wasn’t very welcoming, to say the least.
I slumped down the hall and dropped my bag on the floor. My whole body shook as I leaned my shoulder up against the stone wall. The events of the last few minutes repeated over and over in my mind. It was like high school all over again. I thought I was done with that.
I stared down the hall, my eyes passing over each magnificent statue and tapestry. I couldn’t believe I was here. I already missed my parents. I wondered how they took the news the night I left. I hoped they were safe and that Amelia had convinced them not to come after me.
Speaking of Amelia… I reached into my bag and grabbed my phone. I found Amelia’s number in my contacts and hit the call button. I just wanted to hear her voice. Maybe she could answer some of my questions, like where to pick up my class schedule. We hadn’t had much time to talk about that kind of stuff once I stopped acting like a turd and actually listened to her.
“Hello?” Amelia’s voice was like music to my ears.
“Hey, Am—" I cut off when my phone flew upward out of my hand. “What the hell?”
I whirled around, expecting it to be some sort of hazing ritual led by Haley. Instead, I came face to face with an older woman. She had curly red hair, long lashes, and high cheekbones. Her green velvet dress hung to the floor, and she wore a ton of jewelry. The fumed expression in he
r eyes gave her away immediately.
Madame Doya.
She looked just as mean and ornery as Amelia described her.
And I just swore at her. Woops.
“Sophia?” I heard Amelia’s faint voice on the other end of the line. “Why are you calling me? Didn’t I tell you—?”
I didn’t get a chance to hear the rest of what she said, because Madame Doya hit a button on the screen, and the call went dead.
“We do not allow students to have communication with the outside world,” she stated sternly.
I gaped at her. “But… you have TVs?”
She pursed her lips. “Students are allowed access to streaming services and local channels. Once you graduate, you may access telephones and the Internet, but not until you are trained in proper communication channels. We can’t take any risks. This phone should’ve never been allowed on campus.”
“I was only calling—"
“It doesn’t matter who you were calling,” she cut me off. “The rules are in place to keep our society safe.”
Of course. This wasn’t a school. It was a prison.
So, basically high school…
I dropped my gaze, because I was a goody-two-shoes who never talked back. Yes, I admit it. Despite the anger coursing through my body, I fell victim to her authority.
“Yes, ma’am,” I whispered.
“Here.” Madame Doya shoved a folder in my direction. “You’ll find your class schedule in here, along with your dorm key and a map of the school.”
I took the folder. That was it? That was my entire welcome?
Madame Doya stared down at me past her nose, like she didn’t know what else to say. She cleared her throat. “Welcome home, Sophia.”
I stared after her as she breezed down the hall toward the main stairs, all the while trying to force down the lump in my throat. What she’d said bothered me to the core. This place was the furthest thing from home. I’d momentarily let myself become distracted by the magic of this world, but the truth was, I would never belong here. My own House didn’t even want me here.
I was completely and utterly alone.
I tried to tell myself that I didn’t feel bad when I left Sophia in front of the Koigni dorms, but I kind of did. She seemed so lost and helpless when I abandoned her at the doors and turned away.
But I couldn’t go in there with her. She was from the Fire House. Time to stop holding her hand.
The Water dorms were swathed with sapphire and silver, Toaqua House colors. Pools were embedded everywhere in the floors, and Water Familiars dove in and out of them, along with Elementai. The lighting in here was bright and fluorescent, until you went down the right corridor, which was darker and more relaxing, like a spa. Unlike most of the cushy furniture throughout the rest of the castle, the furniture in here was made of wicker and waterproof. Everything got wet. It was like a constant summer party in here. Toaqua could never stay dry for long.
“Hey, Liam, jump in with us!” Wyatt waved to me in the water. He was hanging onto his walrus Familiar, who was tugging him around. Wyatt had been one of my best friends, before. I hadn’t seen him all summer.
I wasn’t in the mood. “No thanks.” I turned my back on them and headed to my dorm. I heard mutters behind me, but I ignored them. I wasn’t a part of them anymore.
My room was clean, which I was sure was going to last about a week. By next Friday it’d have clothes and shit all over it. There’d be so much clutter it’d be difficult to walk. I wasn’t really an organized guy.
I found my schedule sitting on my bed. Baine must’ve dropped it off. I picked it up and opened the letter. Usually, students above First Year level got to pick their classes. But I’d been so depressed over the summer that I told the school they could pick for me. I glanced at my schedule. They were a bunch of random classes. Medical Care of Familiars, Advanced Toaqua Magic III, Magical Herbs and Plants, Survival Instincts, and Basket Weaving.
Fricking Basket Weaving.
There was nothing that specified any course of study. It was so obvious they didn’t know where to put me. But I really couldn’t blame them. I didn’t know where to put me, either.
Last year I’d been so looking forward to signing up for Hunters and Gatherers. But that was out of the question. For that kind of class, you needed a predator familiar to hunt with.
Which I no longer had. I knew what my schedule would’ve looked like if Nashoma were still here. Interhouse Diplomacy, Ceremonial Tradition, Communing with the Ancestors, War and Negotiation.
Classes to prepare the Son of the Chief to one day take over.
But I knew my chances of becoming Chief of Toaqua were long done. That was my brother Ezra’s job now. Dad would never let a Familiar-less Elementai take the role of chief after he stepped down, even if I was his first-born.
Most of the students were staying in their dorms tonight, but I still had a few things to get from home. I left the Toaqua dorms and headed back to the main entrance.
On the way through the courtyard I saw that Haley was outside again, gabbing with two of her clones. Her phoenix, Anwara, was sitting on her shoulder. A jaguar and a winged python, Familiars that had to belong to Haley’s friends, were playing on the grass. Haley’s Familiar was watching the other animals with interest. Her eyes gleamed longingly as she watched the winged snake and the jaguar wrestle. She seemed a bit lonely.
Anwara nudged Haley with her head, then bounced a little on her shoulder, fluffing her feathers. She clearly wanted to play.
“Anwara! Cut it out!” Haley snapped, and Anwara shrunk on her shoulder. “Why do you want to go and make a fool of yourself? Sit still and behave!”
Anwara hung her head lowly. She didn’t coo. Haley went on bragging loudly about the advanced classes her mother had gotten her into while Anwara watched the other Familiars play with a bit of a tear in her eye. Haley’s friends pretended like nothing had happened.
I felt a wall of rage rise in my chest. I hated people who mistreated their Familiars. I would do anything, anything at all, to have just five more minutes with Nashoma, and here Haley was treating her poor phoenix like it was some designer purse to show off, one that was born simply to do her bidding.
I gritted my teeth but didn’t say anything. I’d already caused enough trouble with Haley when I stuck up for Sophia.
The last thing I wanted was another lecture from Dad. Even worse, if I kept messing with House lines, the Elders would get involved. I knew I was already in their line of sight.
If I didn’t want to mess things up more than I already had, I needed to keep my head down.
Orenda Academy was run like any other college. I had classes scattered throughout the week on different days and times. Mondays and Wednesdays were loaded, with three different classes, while I only had two classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I liked night classes, but the stupid school had signed me up for mostly mornings and afternoons. I hated myself for not picking my own schedule as I dragged my ass out of bed Monday morning and stumbled into the shower.
I showed up late to Advanced Toaqua Magic III. It was held right on the beach. Baine was already lecturing when I showed up. His Familiar was swimming far beneath the surface somewhere out at sea. Everyone else was gathered in a circle around him with their Familiars. As a Third Year, I was the only one without one. I hung back and tried not to be seen.
Which Professor Baine was insistent on screwing up. “Liam!” he announced the moment he saw me. “You’re just in time. Come on. We’re practicing shields today. Amy, you can be his partner.”
Amy wrinkled her nose, but quickly rearranged her face when she saw me looking. We moved toward the ocean until our ankles were deep in water.
I barely had time to get my shield up before Amy clenched her hand, causing a jet of water to rise up from the ocean. She sent it hurtling toward me at a high speed, directed toward my face. I raised up my hand in a sharp manner and a wall of water came up, stopping Amy’s jet midstream.
Amy snarled. She started tossing bits of water at me faster, one right after the other in fast succession. They nearly looked like bullets with how fast they were going. They got larger, stronger. Yet my wall held. It didn’t break, or waver, and I smirked. I still had it.
Amy couldn’t break my shield, and she was getting pissed. Whatever. Even though I was now weaker than almost everyone in my tribe, I was still really good.
I just couldn’t keep it up as long. Amy’s hits kept getting harder and harder, and I was starting to sweat with the effort of keeping the wall steady. I couldn’t spar like the rest of them anymore, and I hated myself for it.
“That’s enough, Liam,” Baine said sharply when he saw me leaning over my knees, trying to catch my breath. “Take a break.”
People were staring. He was coddling me and embarrassing me in front of everyone. I wanted to kill him.
I let the wall drop spontaneously, and it splashed Amy. She jumped back and glared at me, but I didn’t say another word.
“Amy, you can take turns sparring with Jack and Lira,” Baine told her, like I wasn’t even there. Amy gladly left me behind, and Baine walked over to me.
“You know better than to push yourself. I’ve told you this before,” he said.
“I can keep up with everyone else, and do even better,” I growled through gritted teeth. “I’m more talented than anyone here.”
“But I don’t have to remind you what you lack.” Baine shook his head. “One day, you’re going to have to face the truth, Liam. Your greatest weakness is your biggest strength, and you need to learn how to implement it to your advantage.”
“Advantage.” I snorted.
“You think you’re better despite your illness. I know you are. But prove it,” Baine said, with force. “You’re smart enough to find a way around it. But if you keep trying to be like you were before, just like everyone else… well, you and I both know it’s not going to work.”
Baine turned his back on me to help the rest of the class. I was breathing hard, but it wasn’t from exhaustion.