“Son? You need to learn to make good decisions on your own, but as long as I still draw a breath, I will always help you when you ask for it. Just know that sometimes there are problems a man cannot solve alone. Sometimes being a man is knowing when to ask for help. So, although I’m sure there’s more to this than what you’ve told me, I will not infiltrate your mind to learn of it. You must learn when to ask for help. Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you?”
“Yes, sir,” he whispered, relief rushing through him.
“Good. Now, let’s discuss your punishment.”
Xavier stiffened.
His father folded his arms across his chest and regarded him thoughtfully. “What do you think would be a fitting punishment for running away from school, staying out all night, and worrying me and countless others?”
“I don’t know. Uh…grounded for a week?”
“A week? You truly believe that grounded for a week is a fitting and just punishment for the amount of trouble you’ve caused?”
“Um, Loren said you were going to spank me.”
“Do you think that would be a suitable punishment?”
No! “Uh, I don’t know. I…don’t want to be spanked.”
Amusement filled his father’s eyes. “Then, maybe you should think of that before you do things like this.”
He nodded, tears flooding his eyes.
“I can’t just ground you for a week, son. But, I won’t spank you. Instead you will be assigned chores. Since you have experience with horses, you will be assigned to help the handlers clean out stalls.”
Xavier looked at his father in disbelief. Was he really going to get off that lightly? “Yes, sir. I can do that.”
“Wait a minute, son. I’m not done. In addition, you will clean up after dinner each night. You’ll clear the table, wash the dishes, clean and mop the kitchen, and take out the trash.”
His jaw dropped, and he whined, “What? But, we have maids for that! Why do I have to do it?”
“It’s your punishment. I’m sure the maids would enjoy getting off early for a couple of weeks. ”
“A couple of weeks! But…”
His father interrupted, “There’s no discussing it. The punishment stands. Now, Ephraim is downstairs. He wants to speak to you.”
Xavier stiffened.
“He’s not angry,” he soothed. “He has some interesting news he wishes to share with you.”
With a nod, he moved to the door but his father’s voice stopped him.
“Oh, and son? I think it goes without saying that you’re grounded for an additional two weeks.”
Xavier winced and without turning to face his father, nodded dejectedly, before exiting the room.
Ephraim and Loren sat next to the fire in quiet conversation as he descended the stairs and approached them.
“Get some rest, mate. I’ll talk to you more tonight,” Ephraim finished as Loren clapped him on the shoulder, stood, and walked toward Xavier. He paused next to him and tousled his hair before yanking him against his hip and striking his backside with two painful swats.
“Ow! Jeez, Loren, that hurt!” he blared.
“Yeah? Well, too bad, kid! You’re lucky that’s all I’m giving you!”
“God, I said I was sorry. What do you want from me?”
“Better choices! I want better choices from you! And you know something, Xavier? Sometimes “sorry” isn’t enough!” He glared down at the boy until he was confident that his message sank in. Then, with a glance at Ephraim, he left the residence without another word.
Xavier shuffled to the sofa and sat heavily with a groan. After a moment, he looked at Ephraim. “Are you going to punish me too?”
The general laughed throatily. “Having a bad morning, eh, laddie?”
“Try a horrible week,” he muttered grumpily before looking at Ephraim apprehensively. “Are you really okay? I’m so sorry I hurt you! It was an accident.”
“Xavier, of all the poor decisions you made yesterday, what happened with me wasn’t one of them. It was superb fighting. Well, done,” Ephraim noted with a grin.
“Thank you, sir. But, why didn’t you block it?” he asked.
“It caught me off guard. Though, I’m not sure I would have been able to completely block the effects of it anyways. It was one bloody powerful electro force!”
Xavier smiled meekly.
“The fight isn’t why I wanted to see you, young sire. I wanted to talk about what you did afterwards, while I lay unconscious. What exactly happened, Xavier?”
He hesitated. It all happened so fast that it was a blur to him. “Uh, I ran to you, so did Drew. I got really scared because you wouldn’t wake up. I was shaking you and wishing you weren’t hurt. Then this white light appeared all around us. It scared me. I tried to pull away, but it was like my hand was glued to you. Then I saw your face change. Like it got …younger.”
Ephraim nodded. “It did, but there’s more. The healers informed me today that when you healed me, you took ten years off my chronological age. Physically, I’m ten years younger,” he declared.
“What? I...I didn’t mean to...I just got overly excited. I was really scared that I had killed you...”
He held up his hand against the boy’s onslaught of bumbling excuses. “Xavier, it’s okay. It’s to be expected. I’m sure your heightened emotions caused a hyper-response from your empowerment.” Ephraim smiled slyly. “Besides, I’m not complaining. I feel like I took a swim in the fountain of youth. I feel like a kid again!”
Xavier smiled with relief.
“Now, why don’t I show you a couple of new moves so we could try them out tomorrow? You did fantastic with the others.”
His grin grew as he swelled with pride.
Ephraim winked down at him. “But something tells me that I’ll be more agile and more of a challenge for you from now on.”
Chapter 23: Jackass (The Donkey)
The next morning, Xavier followed Court to school lost in his desperate thoughts of how to deal with his erratic powers. There didn’t seem to be anything he could do about it. He couldn’t avoid using his abilities, but he couldn’t use them either. He couldn’t keep up this façade much longer. He had to do something! There had to be a reason why his powers were going rogue. Frowning in concentration, he pondered over the occasions he lost control of his abilities. Then his face lifted into a grin.
“I’ve got it! God, I’m so stupid!” he exclaimed, nearly tackling Court out of giddiness.
“What? Xavier, mate, I think you’ve finally gone barmy.” Court eyed the boy hugging him with a bewildered expression.
“No, you ingrate!” He released Court and lowered his voice as they reached the school’s steps. “I know why my abilities have been off! The only times I’ve had trouble with my powers were when I lost my temper or was upset or something.”
Court looked at him. “Are you sure? Every time? Even with my dad?”
“Well, I wasn’t angry with your dad, but I was scared. He nearly sliced open my face!”
“He wouldn’t have hurt you, Xavier. Dad’s the best swordsman in the kingdom. He was in complete control. He wouldn’t have ever, ever cut you!” he responded a bit defensively.
“Well, yeah. I know that, but caught up in the moment, I forgot,” he replied.
“Okay, what about with Robbie?”
He frowned in thought. “Well, yeah. She was showing me up and it made me mad.”
“What about what happened at the café and with Daniel?”
“Well.” Xavier frowned. Those occurrences were tougher, but he was certain the link was there.It had to be! “I…I was…I guess I was embarrassed because everyone at the café was staring at us.” He grasped desperately for a reason, no matter how flimsy. “Yeah! That has to be it. The waitress could barely take our order because she was too busy bumbling over me. Then, Henrick came over and embarrassed me in front of Robbie. And Daniel…well, he startled me when he yelled out after seeing my
electro force.”
Court gave a nod of understanding. “Okay, it sounds like that’s it then. So, what are you going to do about it?”
“Well, I’m going to try to avoid those kinds of situations,” he answered.
“How are you going to do that?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll figure something out.”
By lunchtime, Xavier hadn’t figured anything out. How could he prevent something that wasn’t preventable? How could he prevent people from ogling at him? How could he keep others from sparking his anger? There was no way he could possibly control what others say or do.
“Xavier,” Robbie began, interrupting his thoughts, “I know you think you can handle this, but you should really talk to your father. He can help.”
“Yeah, mate! I agree with Robbie. You’ve got to tell your Dad,” Court responded.
“I can’t run to my dad for every little problem. Some king I’d make always running to Daddy when things get too tough. I’ll figure something out.”
“That’s what you said this morning, mate. Empowerment classes are after lunch, and you still don’t have a bloody plan. Besides, this isn’t a little problem; it’s huge! You’ve gotta talk to your dad!”
Court and Robbie were right. Xavier was no closer to a solution than he was a couple weeks ago, and they both knew it. Nothing he had tried so far worked, and he had no idea how to avoid the next mishap that was certain to occur. Why was he having problems with his abilities? None of his friends’ powers seemed to be floundering so it couldn’t be a phase in his development. So, why was it happening? He could only surmise that his troubles weren’t ordinary or small. Maybe his confrontation with LeMasters had damaged him somehow. Maybe the Key not only took William LeMasters’ powers but bits and parts of his as well.
“Look, Xavier. You’re my boyfriend and I care about you. But if you don’t talk to your dad, I will,” Robbie concluded quietly.
He looked at his friends, who anxiously awaited his response. Hadn’t his father told him that part of being a man was knowing when to ask for help? Finally, he whispered, “All right. I’ll talk to him during telepathy class after the lunch break.”
Both Robbie and Court exhaled loudly and exchanged relieved smiles.
After lunch, the children made their way out into the courtyard to unwind before their afternoon classes. They had just settled around a large tree when Jonas approached them smirking.
“Well, looky, looky! Isn’t it the great invisible boy? Personally, I don’t think you need the ability, Pipsqueak. You’re so small that you’re practically invisible as you are,” the older boy mocked, and his burly thugs laughed.
“Shut up, Jonas,” Court hissed.
“What? Come on, Hardcastle! If he’d nearly killed my father, I would have beaten the crap out of him! Why are you still sticking up for him?” he asked.
“That was an accident and no one asked you!” Robbie blurted.
He gave a soft whistle of contrived appreciation. “Well, well. Look what we have here, boys? Pipsqueak’s girlfriend has a mouth on her. Good thing she’s bigger than you, runt; she can serve as your bodyguard! Tell me, do you have to get a stepladder to kiss her?”
His friends stooped over, holding their stomachs and howled with laughter. Jonas looked down at them smiling appreciatively before looking back at Xavier in triumph.
“Shut it, you…you jackass,” he growled as he clambered to his feet, his hands balling into fists at his sides.
The smile slipped from the older boy’s face, and his features melted into an expression of fury.
“What did you call me, Pipsqueak?” he spat, swelling in size.
The confrontation had begun to draw a large crowd around them. Aside from a few moans of ominous anticipation, the group was quiet.
“You heard me. You’re a jackass, and everybody here knows it!” Xavier snapped loudly. Was he insane? Jonas was a good foot taller than him and outweighed him by a hundred pounds! He would be rat bait if he didn’t shut his mouth. But, it appeared his mouth had a mind of its own.
The bigger boy stepped closer, his chest swelling with anger as he hissed in Xavier’s face, “Call me a jackass again, and you’ll be sorry.”
“You. Are. A. JACKASS!” he spat at Jonas.
“You little...” Jonas growled, grabbing him by the collar.
“Stop it, Jonas!” Robbie yelled, shoving the boy and causing him to stumble backwards. Jonas quickly righted himself, but Xavier was wrenched off balance, stumbled, and landed unceremoniously on his butt.
Why did that always seem to happen? Why did he always end up on his butt during a confrontation? Why did goons like Jonas always single him out to torment? Was he a bully magnet or something?
Jonas and his friends burst into laughter.
“Oh, God! I... knew.... it!” he managed through his fits of laughter. “She... IS... your... bodyguard! I’d keep her close, runt. There are a lot of insects in the yard who could take you out. Oh no! Watch out for that gnat!”
Anger and humiliation swelled inside Xavier, and he scrambled to his feet, glaring at the older boy. A rush of energy surged through him, and his head began to tingle. It was happening again! But this time, he had no desire to stop it, even if he could.
In the blink of an eye, Jonas was no longer Jonas any more. In fact, he was no longer human. The older boy’s image simply molded into...well, a jackass.
The crowd around them released a low groan of surprise, and for several long seconds, there was simply shocked silence. Then, as though a dam ruptured, laughter burst from the group.
“What’s going on here? Come on, come on! Move aside!” Sir Blaire ordered from the back of the crowd.
The laughter dropped away, and within seconds, Sir Blaire stood at the front of the crowd with Lana sidling up beside him. For a moment, the two adults gaped at the jackass. Then, slowly their gaze shifted to Xavier. The seconds ticked by slowly until finally, Lana spoke.
“Xavier Wells? Did you do this?” The disappointment in her voice was unmistakable.
He looked at his feet and shuffled. “Yes, ma’am.”
Sir Blaire cleared his throat. “Well, I’ll take the animal to my classroom and see if I can undo this...it may take a while.” He looked down at Xavier. “Who’s the jackass?”
Stifled laughter erupted from behind them as he whispered, “Jonas McKnight, sir.”
“Right. I’ll take care of him,” Sir Blaire noted with a nod to Lana. “I’ll leave the rest to you.”
The group watched Sir Blaire push, pull, and muscle the stubborn animal into the building. Several students exploded in laughter when the animal bucked and kicked Sir Blaire in the stomach. He released a string of curses before muttering loudly, “It’s no wonder he turned you into a jackass, you ungrateful little heathen!”
“Prince Wells?” Lana’s sullen voice drew his eyes to her formidable face. “Come with me, young man.”
He felt like a condemned man as he followed Lana into the building, down the hall, and into her classroom. He lingered near the door and fidgeted nervously with the edge of a nearby desk.
“Well? What do you have to say for yourself? What in God’s name were you thinking? You know better than to use your empowerments against another citizen to humiliate or harm him! You know better! Your father has been very patient and understanding about this thus far, but he will blow his top over this. And I will not intervene this time; do you hear me? I am so disappointed…”
“Stop yelling at me!” he interrupted, his temper still very close to the surface. “I didn’t start it! Ask anyone there!”
“You may not have started it, but you’re the Prince of Warwood!” she chastised. “How do you think the other kids will think of you in the future?”
“They were all laughing!” he responded desperately. “They think it was a joke.”
“Yes, but do you think they’ll remember you as a patient and just ruler?” she persisted.
“
I don’t care! I don’t care how people remember me!” he bellowed. “Jonas deserved it, and I’ll do it again if he starts running his mouth!”
Lana was losing her patience. “You don’t care? You don’t care? Xavier Wells, as future king, you need to set an example on how...”
“Shut up, okay? I didn’t ask to be future king or an example for anyone!” he shouted, his hands clenching into fists.
Her eyes flashed with anger. “Do not use that tone with me, young man!”
“NO! Don’t you use that tone with me! You’re not my mother! My mother is DEAD!” he shouted as a surge of power pulsed and throbbed inside him. It fought to escape and he desperately tried to squash it, but like an erupting volcano, it couldn’t be stop. An icy sensation shuddered through his body moments before a blue, almost transparent force burst from him. In a blink of the eye, Lana stood stone-still; the remainder of her reprimands left unsaid.
“Lana?” he yelped, racing to her. She was cold to the touch. In fact, she felt like ice, frozen and stiff. “Lana? Oh, God!”
Panic-stricken, he raced out of the classroom and stumbled down the hall, yelling at the top of his lungs.
“HELP! Someone help!”
Classroom doors burst open, and Xavier’s eyes immediately fastened on Sir Underwood.
“Sir Underwood, please help! It’s Lana...she’s...she’s frozen! She’s not moving!” He barely got the words out before Sir Underwood jumped into action.
“Get the headmaster. Now!” he shouted at a student as he sprinted past Xavier and into Lana’s classroom.
He followed the tall, thin man wearily and idled by the door. Sir Underwood approached the immobile woman cautiously. His long nose nearly touched hers as he studied her eyes. Then, he straightened, placed his hands on either side of her face, and closed his eyes, but nothing happened.
“Matt? What’s happened?” Michael questioned, brushing past Xavier and hurrying into the room.
Xavier didn’t stick around to hear Sir Underwood’s explanation. He bolted out of the building and paused at the top of the steps unsure of where to go or what to do. If he went to the lake, they would find him, and hiding among the kingdom’s population was impossible. Most people could accomplish getting lost in a crowd, but not Xavier. He was too well known and would stick out like a neon sign. Then, like a horrible ghost, he remembered the Ruins. He could hide in the Ruins until dark and then....then what? He would have to figure that out later.
The Prince of Warwood and The Rise of the Chosen Page 19
