by Jess Bowen
“Now, before you step in, you should know that Masters receive far more powerful and rare companions.” Cassius was trying to speak quietly to them, but the hall seemed to echo with his voice. It felt as though everyone had leaned in closer to listen to him. “All you have to do is step into the pool and the right companion will find you. Now, Phoebe, if you will,” he said, looking at her and indicating the pool.
She had been trying to stand out of sight so as not to be picked first, but stepped forward reluctantly when called upon. She handed Bree over to Evan, who smiled at her encouragingly. She removed her shoes and socks and rolled up the pants she had been given to wear that morning. She looked cautiously around the hall to see that hundreds of eyes stared at her, and she stepped into the pool.
Her heart raced as if she was preparing to give a speech rather than stand silently. She suspected that the water would be cold but was pleasantly surprised to feel it was as warm as if it had been sitting in the sun for hours. Wading into the middle of the pool, she waited for something to happen.
Phoebe stayed in place for a full minute before she started to feel silly and wonder if anything was going to happen at all. She looked around the room again and worried that perhaps someone was going to start laughing at her. As her gaze circled around the room, she realized that something was happening.
Water was starting to rise up and swirl around her, beginning at her ankles and working its way slowly up the rest of her body. White lights burst out over her head and blended with the water going in the opposite direction. She could feel her hair as it caught and was swirled in the water, but it didn’t get wet. It felt as if it was blowing about in the wind instead of water.
Phoebe was soon surrounded by water and lights. She supposed she must look like she was in some swirling vortex from everyone else’s point of view. Then the water and lights started going into her arm at the same spot where the others carried the mark of their companion. After a minute more, the water fell around her and the lights disappeared. Her arm glowed so brightly she had to raise her other hand to shield her eyes.
She felt like something was settling right beside her heart. There was another heartbeat drumming away along with her own, like there was another life being born right inside of her. It was amazing. Another consciousness became aware right next her own. She could feel it—this heartbeat, this consciousness—was connected to her, and she loved it, and it loved her.
When the light had gone, Phoebe looked down at her arm to see a mark the looked like a unicorn with wings. It was hard to tell, though, because it was black in color. She also realized that there was a black ring around each of her wrists. The heartbeat that had been beside hers started to fade, not completely, but she realized that her companion was now emerging from the mark on her arm.
It was indeed a small, white, sturdy-looking foal with tiny feathered wings and a small knot on its forehead. It made itself to the size of a loaf of bread and then it settled into Phoebe’s arms. The watching crowd ooh’d and ah’d as the foal started stretching out its new wings.
Phoebe looked up with a smile on her face before realizing that she no longer needed to be standing inside the pool. She hastened to walk back to the edge where everyone was waiting for her. Cynthia and Lucy both squealed at the foal and held out their hands to pet her a few times. Evan reached over to pet her, and the foal sneezed just as his hand reached her.
Sparks shot out of her nose when she sneezed, which promptly caught Evan’s sleeve on fire. He waved his hand over his arm and water poured out, drenching his shirt and putting out the fire. Jared laughed at him, and Evan then shot water at him, soaking most of his front. Phoebe barely noticed; the tiny being in her arms held all of her attention. Beautiful. Nothing would ever hurt this animal, she was sure of that. She would not let anything hurt her.
Cassius and Dorian stepped over to examine the foal.
“Ah, a winged unicorn of the Fire Element! It is indeed rare. There has not been one for over three centuries,” Cassius said with excitement in his voice.
Phoebe looked at him quizzically. “But she hasn’t got a horn.”
“Not yet. Unicorns don’t grow their horns until they are older. See here,” Cassius said as he indicated to the bump on the foal’s head. “The horn will grow in there. Highly useful they are, too. A unicorn’s horn can counteract any poison and is a deadly weapon. Now, Ethan, you are next,” he added.
Dorian said nothing. Phoebe only noticed because he seemed to be the only thing to draw her attention away from this new life in her arms. Dorian continued to hide his emotions well, better than anyone Phoebe had ever met.
Ethan took off his shoes and socks just as Phoebe had done, and the hall became resolutely quiet again. He stepped into the water, walked to the middle, and, just like Phoebe, looked around uncertainly when after a moment nothing happened. Then the water started to rise and lights appeared above his head, once again swirling into the water in the opposite direction. Phoebe knew it was incredible to experience, but it was also quite amazing to watch. As the water fell, she closed her eyes against the bright light Ethan’s arm was now giving off.
When the light disappeared, Phoebe looked at the strange mark on his arm; she wasn’t sure what animal it was. She was spared having to guess; as it crawled out of his arm, she saw that its head and front legs were those of an eagle, and it’s hindquarters were those of a lion. It too had tiny feathered wings that it stretched out. The hall burst into excited whispers as Ethan made his way back out of the pool.
“A griffin!” Cassius exclaimed, not bothering to try to keep his voice down. “Indeed a powerful ally and status symbol.”
“Status symbol?” Ethan said as he caught the griffin while it tried unsuccessfully to fly.
Cassius nodded his head. “The eagle is the king of all birds, and the lion is king of all mammals. This is yet another sign of your great power and that you are, in fact, meant to be here.” Then he said more quietly so that only those by the pool could hear him. “Yes, I know you have been doubting your gifts, but you should not. They will show themselves soon enough.”
Then Cassius turned to the rest of them. “Now your companions are tied to you. Your fate will decide their fate. As long as you remain on the side of good, so will your companions. If you should turn to Petrozan and Esmeralda, so too will your companions. Their life is also tied to yours, for though you could live on if your companion died, they will die if you die. I therefore urge you to take care of them and keep them safe. Even though you may be alive if they are killed, you will feel empty when they are gone.”
Lucy and the others turned back to the griffin, examining it as it nipped playfully at their fingers, but Phoebe watched as Cassius gave Dorian a significant look before he turned back to her.
“I would like to begin your first lesson tonight, six o’clock in my office, if you will,” he said to her.
“Yes, sir,” Phoebe answered.
Cassius nodded and walked off, ushering everyone in the hall to return to their daily activities. Phoebe felt the pressure on her arms lift as she turned around to see that her companion was also attempting to fly, albeit unsuccessfully. The foal tumbled out of the air, and Jared caught her just before she hit the ground.
“So, what shall we all do today on our last day of freedom?” Jared asked as the foal jumped into Phoebe’s arms.
“How about we go see the gardens?” Cynthia suggested.
“Gardens? What gardens?” Ethan asked.
“Not far, just down the hall there,” Cynthia said, pointing to her right.
“All right, then,” Phoebe said brightly. “Lead the way.” She wanted to get away from Dorian. He had looked vengeful ever since Cassius warned them about keeping their companions safe, and it made her anxious to see him like that. It wasn’t normal. Not just for him, but for anybody.
Their group headed down the hallway to the gardens, which were magnificent. The garden room was several times larger than it looked from outsi
de the doors. Sunlight streamed in from the open ceiling and between the leaves of the branches of the trees, and birds and butterflies fluttered over massive arrays of flowers. Several paths made their way to various areas of the garden. One led to a huge fountain in the middle of the room, another led to a set of bushes covered in flowers that were electric blue, red, green, and yellow. Another path lead to a group of flowers that looked as if they were swaying in the wind, yet the air was quite still. There was a tree in a corner near the door with tiny little houses in it, each glowing with lights, and every now and then a faint ringing came from them.
All along the edges of the paths were beautiful arrangements of flowers that looked as if they had been done by a florist. A very old looking willow tree stood in the far corner. The tree had to be at least three stories tall and was as wide as their rooms upstairs. The six trainees made their way through the garden, stopping occasionally to examine a particular group of flowers.
Phoebe learned that the houses in the tree nearest the door belonged to the fairies, and the faint ringing sound was the way they spoke to one another. The fairies were beautiful, each of them having a unique pattern to their wings and wearing tiny little clothes. They had shown great interest in Lucy, and Phoebe supposed that was because of her connection to the Wind Element. Ethan seemed to be the most awed by the garden, but he also seemed to be taking inventory of something, like he had been there before.
Finally, they settled beneath the willow tree on the far side of the garden and released their companions to go and play with one another. Phoebe had decided to name her companion Sapphire, because the foal’s eyes reminded her of the stone. Ethan, after much debate, finally settled on Shade. Apparently the animals were able to communicate with one another, because they had a game of some sort going on for a while. The six friends had great fun watching the animals play together while they discussed the morning’s events and speculated about what was to come.
10. Secret
As companions continued to frolic, Phoebe and the others debated over what classes and instructors might be like. They wondered how much work they were going to have to do and how many other people would be in their lessons. They’d become fast friends, which was a good thing because Phoebe had a feeling she was going to need lots of support to make it through this training. Phoebe took a moment to look at her friends; they were extremely enjoyable to be around too. Dorian was the only black mark. Phoebe was distracted from thinking about him for most of the day, but he still seeped into her thoughts when there was a lull in conversation.
In their conversation, Phoebe discovered that Evan and Jared had twin sisters two years younger than them, Sylvia and Vera. The girls were only fraternal twins, but according to their brothers were as much alike in personality as if they had been identical twins. Evan laughed, saying that his parents had only had one person instead of two that time. But he added that his sisters were most definitely not identical, and nobody would ever mistake them for being so, at least as far as appearances.
Phoebe saw more and more differences between the two brothers as she got to know them. Evan was smart but also liked to laugh more often than his brother, who tended to be more serious. She wondered if their differences were due to their different powers, which in turn possibly gave them over to different personalities. Not that it mattered; they were both very likeable and already becoming good friends of hers.
Cynthia had an older brother named Moran who had completed his training and returned to The Harbor the previous year. Lucy’s older brother, Robbie, had been killed by Petrozan himself. She had loved and respected him very much and wore his Element charm in memory of him. Her brother had left his charm with her every time he’d gone away, and the last time he had never returned home. Phoebe could feel Lucy’s sadness, and she mourned for her friend’s lost brother along with her. Lucy also had a younger brother only a year behind her whose name was Adam.
Phoebe finally learned what the charms everyone wore meant, including her own. The symbols around the stone represented one of the four Elements. The symbols were from an ancient language that had long since been lost; however, since these four symbols had been used to represent the Elements for as long as could be remembered, they were still used today. The Masters of the Elements wore all four symbols interlocked around the stone, but everyone else’s charms only had the symbol of the Element of power that they could use. The stone was nothing more than a reminder of what season it was. It changed colors with every season and was currently green since they had just begun the Earth Season.
Nobody was really sure what the purpose of wearing the charms was, but it had been done for so long that it had become a tradition and a big part of the fifteenth birthday celebrations, because this was the age when Elemental powers showed themselves. That part made a lot of sense; Phoebe was fifteen when her mother and father had given her the charm she wore.
When they all finally started to get hungry and realized that it was around dinner time, they scooped up their companions, and made their way back to their rooms in time for dinner. Phoebe had roast chicken and potatoes before Dorian came and fetched her for her lesson with Cassius. It was a good thing he came to lead her there, because she would never have been able to find it on her own. His cold manner had not changed, though, and for that reason, she wished she never had to see him again.
Phoebe sent Sapphire back into her arm so her companion could rest as they walked through the maze of hallways to Cassius’s office. Phoebe could feel Sapphire’s strong heartbeat beside hers and the foal’s contentment. Phoebe smiled. Then she remembered something from the morning’s events. Dorian was striding along indifferently in front of her at the moment, but the look that had passed from Cassius to Dorian earlier had been more than telling, even for someone without her ability to read emotions.
“What happened to your companion?” Phoebe asked as innocently as she could.
Dorian slowed down slightly, and he turned his head to look at her as he continued to walk. He was uncomfortable, the most emotion she had felt from him all day. It was an improvement.
“What makes you think anything has happened to it?” he asked, clearly trying to sound as if he still had one. She didn’t need to read his emotion that time; his tone of voice gave him away easily enough.
“Well, I haven’t seen yours at all since I arrived.” She continued watching him closely.
“That doesn’t mean that I don’t have one,” Dorian said casually.
Phoebe was not fooled. He was talking in circles, which obviously meant that she had been right to assume that he didn’t have one anymore. Not to mention he felt uncomfortable and slightly panicky. There was only one way to get a straight answer and that was to prove that she was right. She ran ahead a couple steps, grabbed his arm, and pulled back his sleeve before he could stop her.
There was a small, faded mark in the space that the mark of a companion usually occupied, and the rings around his wrist were almost all gone. Dorian pulled his arm back as if he had been burned and roughly pulled his sleeve down. Phoebe looked up at his face to see that he was livid, and she backed up a few steps. She could feel it too. White hot anger pulsated through her. It was definitely his, because she was feeling a little scared at the deranged look on his face.
He spoke through his teeth. “How dare you! You know nothing about me, nothing. I have nothing to explain to you. Do not assume you know anything about me.”
He raised his arm and Phoebe didn’t know if he was about to use his power or strike her, but he didn’t get the chance. She raised her arm to block him, and a shimmering blue barrier erupted between the two of them.
Enough was enough. Phoebe was angry now. She’d had enough of his games. “You know what, you’re right. I don’t know anything about you because most of us have feelings, unlike you, the human statue. You expect us to just follow you around and do whatever you say like good little kids. I’ve had enough.”
“You have a dut
y to fulfill just as do I, and the sooner you do as I tell you, the sooner we can get on with it.”
Phoebe was stunned. “A duty? You look at this as job fulfillment? Not your chance to save hundreds of lives? No, I don’t think so; I don’t think I want to take orders from you anymore. You might act like you don’t have feelings, but I do, and I’m tired of trying to figure you out. Turns out, there’s not much there, nothing but a waste of space and power. Why don’t you leave the work for someone who actually cares and wants to help?”
She turned on her heel to walk away. She was still pretty far from Cassius’s office, but she would figure it out. If it took all night she would rather find her own way than have him lead her there. Phoebe’s shield disappeared, and she took a few quick steps before fingers closed around her wrist. His skin was cool, but it burned hers on contact. She tried to yank free, but she knew it would be useless when he was obviously so much stronger than she was.
More than anything she wanted the contact broken because, even as angry as she was, she enjoyed the feeling of his skin connected to hers. She didn’t want to admit to herself that he had an effect on her like this.
“Wait, please.”
Phoebe only stopped because he no longer felt angry, and his voice was soft again. She turned. His silver eyes looked tortured. “What?” she asked, trying to keep the hard edge in her own voice.
He took a step closer but didn’t let go of her wrist, as if afraid she would run off again if he did. “I’m sorry.” Phoebe couldn’t understand how his jaw could still be tensed even when he was upset, but it was. “I should explain.”
“Explain what? How you became an uncaring, unfeeling empty space?” she shot angrily.
He winced, and so did she. Perhaps that was a bit harsh. Again, the feeling of knowing something about Dorian that she couldn’t possibly know made her feel uneasy. How did she know he’d ever been any different from how he was right now? Why was she so sure?
