Shadow Walker (Neteru Academy Books)

by L. A. Banks

  Timidly, Sarah entered the stall, and the skittery animal backed up again.

  “Aw, I won’t hurt you,” Sarah said in a gentle voice. She dug in her hoodie pocket and held out an apple on a straight, flat palm. “They’re pink ladies,” she said, tempting the frightened mare.

  “Ya hear that, Peggi girl? She just met you, and she knew pink ladies were your favorite kind.”

  The mare’s ears were up and alert as she sniffed the air and came closer to Sarah, until finally, overwhelmed by temptation, she took the apple.

  “Good, girl…” Sarah crooned, but didn’t move from where she stood. “Nice to meet you. Want another one?” She produced the second apple and held it out, and Peggi swiped it the second Sarah extended it.

  “She’s awesome,” Sarah said, watching the horse munch on her treat.

  “She is indeed.” Mr. Milton motioned with his head and placed a finger to his lips. He left the stall open, and bade Sarah to turn her back and walk out with him down the aisle. “She’s a Unisus or Pega-uni or Peguni, depending on your predilection and leanings.

  “So you see,” he said, ignoring Peggi as she followed them, “we glamour this restored valley to keep it hidden from prying eyes, both human and dark forces. And we’ve enriched the barren earth so beautifully that our crops are like none you’ve ever seen. Our corn, summer squash, tomatoes, pumpkins, melons—oh. We export the manure to small Guardian outposts, too. That’s how we get things in like untainted mangoes and citrus fruits. We are an unseen network within a network within a network, and—”

  “Hey,” Sarah said with a gentle laugh as Peggi nosed her, almost making her fall. “I only had two.”

  Peggi bobbed her head and then spread her wings, but didn’t rear.

  “Stroke her nose, lassie. See if she’ll allow that while she’s got her head down low.”

  Sarah timidly followed Mr. Milton’s instructions and was rewarded by a gentle nuzzle.

  “Ah…she likes you.”

  “You are so beautiful,” Sarah said, continuing to stroke Peggi’s nose. “You’ve got all the gifts wrapped up inside you—some from your dad, some from your mom, and who knows the long lines they came from. Don’t worry if the other mares don’t treat you nice. I’ll come see you and bring you more apples, okay? Maybe one day, when it’s safe, maybe I can teach you the rules so you’ll be safe and Mr. Milton will let you fly around a little. Until then, you behave yourself.” Sarah laughed as the mare shook her head no. “You remind me of me. Stubborn, but all that will get you is detention.”

  Peggi trotted away, swishing her tail, but then came right back to stand beside Sarah.

  “Okay,” Sarah said cheerfully. “What stall do I start in?”

  Mr. Milton smiled as Peggi went down on one knee. “None, lassie,” he murmured. “You won her over.”

  “What do you mean?” Sarah asked, turning from him to the mare.

  “She’s gonna let you ride, aren’t you, Peggi?” He stroked the mare’s shoulder as she bobbed her head.

  “You serious?” Sarah whispered.

  “Aye. Haven’t you always wanted to feel what it’d be like to fly?”

  “Yes,” she murmured, then turned to Peggi. “Would you let me? I’d be honored.”

  “Maybe when dawn breaks,” he said with a wink. “By five we should see a glimpse of sunlight.”

  The mare gave a friendly snort, then nuzzled Sarah.

  “Oh, I just want to hug you,” she said quietly.

  “Then do that,” Mr. Milton said in a tender voice. “She wants somebody to dote on her—all living things do.” He rounded the mare and pushed Sarah forward gently. “First of all, you saw her magnificence, and she appreciated that. Then you showed how much you appreciated her by giving her a small treat, just because, and expecting nothing in return. The gift given for no reason is the purest gift of all. Then you asked her, respected her wishes, and said thank you in your own way. Now a hug seals it, lets her feel the love coming from within. They can sense it, animals can—so can humans, but sometimes they are so blind.”

  With a gentle stroke down Peggi’s nose, Sarah hugged her, only to be surprised when the mare gave her a swift knock with her head that made her stumble backward.

  “Hey,” Sarah said, laughing. “What was that for?

  “Her way of tendering an invitation. Climb up.”

  “Seriously? Like now?”

  “Aye, it be now or never,” Mr. Milton said, cupping his hands so Sarah could step into them and hoisting her up. “Some opportunities just fall in your lap, if you’re blessed—and you’d be that, Miss Sarah Rivera. Hold onto her mane and don’t let go.”

  He held the mare by her face and looked deeply into the animal’s eyes. “No tricks or flips. She’s never flown before, Peggi my girl. We want her back whole, no broken bones from a fall. One circle around the pyramid, then back—no shenanigans.” He waited until the mare snorted an assent and bobbed her head, then he double-checked Sarah’s grip. “You ready.”

  “Yes!” she said, laughing.

  Mr. Milton watched the mare gallop down the barn aisle like a jumbo jet taxiing down a runway. As soon as she broke the plane of the barn threshold, Peggi pushed off the ground in a powerful leap and went airborne, wings spread.

  A squeal of delight rushed from Sarah’s mouth the moment they left the ground. Her stomach did teeny wheelies, and the sensation made her laugh yet again. Everything on the ground got smaller and smaller as Peggi took to the clouds. Cold morning air and rushing wind blew Sarah’s hoodie back, lifting her ponytail and stinging her face. Exhilaration shot through her bloodstream, and she laughed and cried and held her face close to the wonderful mare’s neck.

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you—Peggi, I love you,” Sarah said, holding on tightly as the capstone library came into view among the clouds.

  Peggi whinnied and dove toward the lower section of pyramid, making Sarah’s stomach drop and her spirits soar. Free had never felt so free. For a second she just closed her eyes, experiencing the rush, imagining it was her own wings taking them on this wondrous flight, her body alone sailing through the air against the purple-blue haze of breaking dawn, wondering if this was what Valencio felt when he spread his wings and became one with the air. When she opened her eyes, the sky was split in two, one part the purple-blue haze of night, the other the victorious pink-orange morn.

  “This is so beautiful!” Sarah shouted. “Just like you, Peggi.”

  The mare snorted and circled the pyramid, allowing Sarah to see the valley, the protective ring of darkness that surrounded the school and the lush open fields before it—a perspective that couldn’t be matched even from the platform where she and Razor had stood.

  Fae field workers were out in the early light, cultivating crops that fed the entire school and much of the surrounding community. She had to find out who was abducting her fellow students and putting everyone at risk. This was a community, a diverse and beautiful community, and darkness was trying to ravage it.

  Never again would she take anything—not what she ate or, especially, her family and the gifts she’d inherited—for granted. Nor would she take for granted the compound and the school her parents and grandparents had created—it just took a wonderfully high altitude to get perspective. Her friends, her family, this school…all of it was worth protecting.

  She kissed Peggi’s neck and held on tighter as the feisty mare followed the rules, just this one time, and took her back to the barn. Titan Troy, Mrs. Hogan and Mr. Milton were all in the yard when Peggi touched down for a graceful landing with only the slightest skid.

  Excited, the mare pranced a bit before going down on one knee to let Sarah hop off, though she did give Mr. Milton a wee bit of trouble as he tried to confine her back in her stall. A little taste of freedom had obviously added to Peggi’s penchant for rebellion, and everybody laughed.

  “You’ve spoiled her rotten in one detention,” he told Sarah with a wink, chasing the m
are around the yard, while she whinnied as though laughing and dodged him.

  “Peggi,” Sarah said with a laugh, hands on hips. “You have to behave so we can go again.”

  Grudgingly, the mare trotted over to Mr. Milton and swished her tail; Mrs. Hogan doubled over with laughter.

  Titan Troy smiled. “Quite impressive, Miss Rivera. Shall we now make haste to your gym detention? And I take it since you shoveled no manure this morning, you will be back again tomorrow to complete your assigned task?”

  Sarah smiled. “Absolutely!”

  Chapter 28

  The moment the steel door closed behind her and she looked down the dark descending stairs, she felt like she was about to suffocate. All the problems that had flown out of her mind while flying with Peggi returned to her body, mind and spirit, making her feel heavy, weighted. Guilt stabbed at her; she’d had fun and her cousin was still missing. If she’d been brave or even knew where to look, she should have ridden Peggi out far and wide and come home with Ayana on her back. But she wasn’t brave or wise or daring or anything she needed to be right now.

  Instead, she was suddenly too warm, her boots too heavy, like walking in anvils—and then she realized …boots…gym, running…uh-oh! And when she saw the damp blue hallway and then the gym, the sight brought everything back in an emotional flood.

  “It is time, Miss Rivera,” Titan Troy said with a chivalrous bow. “I shall leave you safely inside the gym. Other students have arrived by Headmaster’s escort. Amazon Aziza Akoben awaits. She is a fine and dedicated drill instructor, one who is always fair if she understands your plight.” He looked over her sweats and hiking boots. “The unembellished truth always works. Good day.”

  “Thanks, Titan Troy,” Sarah said softly, truly meaning it. “I wasn’t so afraid, standing next to you.”

  She hadn’t expected any reaction from him, just his normal Spartan farewell. But her genuine compliment made him pause, even stand a little taller, which she hadn’t realized was possible.

  “You have your mother’s grace. One day you will make a fine queen, young Neteru.”

  “Thanks,” Sarah said quietly, then followed him into the gym.

  Students were already stretching and warming up. She could hear the gym teacher’s shrill whistle cutting through the morning with precision. But at Titan Troy’s presence, the teacher turned and smiled a very different kind of smile. He nodded a slow and very different kind of nod. Sarah discreetly looked from one to the other as she jogged over to the track and began stretching with the other students. Had she really seen what she thought she’d seen between the gym teacher and the security guard? Whoa. She must be tired or something, because that was just too crazy.

  “Yo, sis,” a tall jock said, motioning toward her boots. “You might wanna put on some lighter gear and definitely lose the cinder blocks. The Amazon is pushing us five miles this morning, and if this is your first time on our squad, you’re gonna puke or pass out.”

  “Or both,” a tall ripped female Tactical said. “Didn’t you bring your sneakers? You’ve got, like, ten minutes before we finish with warm ups and start running.”

  Wil jogged over and looked at her in despair. “Oh, man, Sarah, I would have told you, but I figured you’d know. I’ll keep stride with you, all right? Don’t you have sneakers in a locker or something?”

  Sarah shook her head. “This is detention number two today. Just came from the stables.”

  A lean, muscular kid next to her doing hamstring lunges smiled. “I wasn’t gonna say anything, ‘cause most of us smell like horses when we’re done here anyway, so it’s cool.”

  “Lay off, man,” Wil said with a scowl.

  It was a bit different, but a genuine way of welcoming her to the group all the same. Sarah chuckled. She was in too good a mood to be upset. “Guess I fit in, then?”

  “Yeah, one of us will hang back with you and help pace you when you hit the wall.” A tall girl with braids gave her a nod. “That’s sorta the unspoken thing—we never leave our own. But if you show up again tomorrow, you’ve gotta have the right gear on or you can really overheat, even pull a muscle.”

  “Okay, thanks. I had to dress for stables detention—wasn’t time to go all the way back to the dorm and get back here before the start whistle. And I definitely have to go back there tomorrow, since I didn’t actually shovel what I was supposed to today.”

  “Man, that sucks…on a Friday, too,” the friendly girl with braids said. “You’d think they’d let up with everything that’s going on around here.”

  “Yeah, and you don’t wanna be late,” the lean boy said. “We run seven days a week, early mornings, to be on the team, so Coach Akoben will be here anyway, and she’ll be expecting you if she says you haven’t fulfilled your obligation.” He looked down at Sarah’s boots and shook his head. “Which you probably won’t, so I’d plan to be here bright and early tomorrow with the right gear on, sis.”

  “If you give me your sneakers at lunch or something, I’ll put ‘em in my locker for you for tomorrow—since you’ll still have detention, okay?” Wil looked so upset that he seemed ready to take detention himself for going up against the gym teacher on Sarah’s behalf.

  A long whistle sounded, and everyone got to their feet. Sarah looked up and realized that every person standing around her was at least a head and a half taller than she was. That meant her legs were way shorter, her stride would be much shorter, and to her mind, that made the track way longer.

  “Didn’t realize that we were going to run laps today, Miss Rivera?” Amazon Akoben placed her hands on her svelte hips.

  “Yes, ma’am. I was at the stables, had to dress for that detail, plus my sneakers were, uhmmm, still kinda wet from the night before.”

  “Admirable that you were prepared for the stables and I do not want to hazard a guess about the sneakers or the depth of your involvement in what happened to my gym. But what about a backpack or a gym bag or borrowing a pair of sneakers from a fellow roommate? Preparedness is key for a warrior.”

  “She’s going gangsta,” one of the guys hollered from the back.

  “We are doing five miles this morning,” the teacher said, arching a shapely eyebrow. “But, before we pass judgment, maybe Sarah has a point. In real-life battles, unlike battle simulations, you will be running with combat boots, carrying heavy artillery and wearing thick flack jackets in adverse conditions. I have deep respect for a warrior who challenges him or herself. So, Sarah, this is about more than serving out a detention—are you ready to find out how deep you can go inside yourself to pull out that extra something you need to meet this challenge? Are you ready to push yourself today on my track?”

  Sarah just nodded.

  Wil gave her a sidelong glance.

  “All right, we’ll see, but my bet is that by the third mile you’ll pass out in that outfit.” Amazon Akoben shook her head. “Go as far as you can, and then you can come properly dressed tomorrow to do the miles you cannot complete today—and ask my team, I can count.”

  Again, Sarah just nodded, but Amazon Akoben’s words about pushing oneself and what it felt like to be in a real battle, carrying real artillery, stuck in her mind and fused with the aerial view she’d enjoyed less than an hour ago. What if she became head of this compound one day? What if she had to protect the people within it, secure their safety and their way of life?

  The whistle sounded, and the runners took off at a steady clip around the damp track. Amazon Akoben ran backward for the first lap, yelling instructions about form and speed, and watching Sarah’s face. But soon everything around Sarah became blurry and distant, as heat and pain and heaviness cramped her legs. Air cut in and out of her lungs, rattling a rasp up her throat. Her face was on fire, her body wet as her sweats turned from light gray to charcoal. Her heart beat in her ears. It felt like a knife was stabbing her side, the blade turning as she struggled for air. One compound sister was missing… another was in critical condition. She would find the
source, she would hunt it down, and she would find Yaya. And Hyacinth? Hyacinth had to get better. Everyone would be all right!

  Sweat stung Sarah’s eyes, and she blinked it away, finally lifting her forearm to wipe at the stinging, salty rivulets that had merged with her tears.

  A whistle sounded, and she registered it somewhere in the back of her mind, and then slowly but surely the room came back into focus. Amazon Akoben was jogging beside her, calling her name as she slowed to a stop and then bent over with her hands on her knees, gulping air. After a moment she managed to straighten, thoroughly prepared to face the ridicule of having earned another detention.

  “You went two extra miles,” Amazon Akoben said loudly. “You see that!” She smiled broadly and slapped Sarah on the back, almost knocking her over. “In the time it took the rest of your sorry carcasses to run a five in running shorts and sneakers, Sarah was able to do seven while wearing hiking boots and sweats.” She turned to Sarah and nodded, her forearms crossed over her chest. “Well done, young warrior, well done—welcome to track and field.”

  “But—”

  “Varsity squad,” Amazon Akoben said. “I should have expected nothing less from a Shadows division student. One day you will chase the dark side and be victorious. I will see you tomorrow at six a.m., and I will accept nothing less than yes—you are a role model and an example. Welcome.”

  Wil came over to her slowly, breathing hard. “That was…I’ve never seen anybody do anything like that, Sarah. Freakin’ awesome.”

  She looked up but didn’t have the energy to respond.

  Her legs were aching and rubbery, but she still ran to the girls’ dorm, arriving just in time to take a quick hot shower, find a clean uniform and yank it on, affix her pin to the collar, grab her backpack and head to the cafeteria. As she loaded up on apples for Peggi and some grapes she planned to hand peel later for Miss Tillie, she spotted her crew—but arranged in a very new configuration.