by Amy Neftzger
“Are we going to make it?” she asked Roland with concern in her voice. He glanced around at the woods carefully before responding.
“Since we’re on our way to rescue hope, it might be a good idea to start this journey by embracing hope rather than despair,” he replied.
“I’m not embracing despair. I’m embracing reality.” Kelsey awkwardly shifted the weight of her backpack as she spoke.
“No, you’re not. What you call reality is actually despair. We’re away from the castle now, so you’re incapable of recognizing what’s real and what isn’t. Despair appears real to you, but it doesn’t have to. You always have a choice, and since at the moment you can’t discern reality, I recommend that you choose the perspective of hope and make it your reality. It’s a better way to travel.”
Kelsey felt awkward under Roland’s gaze. She admired his wisdom, but her own lack of it made her feel uncomfortable in his presence.
“I don’t like these little lessons,” Kelsey retorted.
“What lessons?” Maggie asked.
“Well, I have another one for you,” Roland said.
“Yes?”
“Sometimes it rains,” he replied, smiling to himself at his own joke as he turned away.
“Gee, thanks.”
“Are you done talking with your imaginary friend?” Maggie asked as she stood up and turned to face Kelsey.
“Why?” Kelsey asked. She was irritated that Maggie could not or would not hear Roland’s voice. It might be OK not to be able to see death. After all, most people don’t see death approach them, but Maggie could at least have the courtesy of listening to him.
“Because there are some strange people following us,” Maggie replied. She lifted a wounded hand and pointed down the path into the shadows.
Kelsey looked behind them and saw two hooded figures cloaked in black, each of them carrying a scythe. They looked just like the classic image of the Grim Reaper, which Kelsey had read about in stories. The individuals kept their distance, hiding partially behind the trees while observing Kelsey and her friends closely. Although Kelsey was certain that the reapers knew that they had been spotted, the cloaked figures didn't attempt to come near.
“Are those friends of yours?” Kelsey asked Roland. She eyed the followers with skepticism. Most of them posed with their scythes and maintained a stoic appearance, while a few whispered to one another.
“Hardly,” he replied.
“Well, do you know them?” she asked.
“Not personally. But I know they’re trouble.”
Chapter
Four
The First Lesson
“So I’m going to learn about healing?’ Nicholas asked Megan. They were standing outside, and Nicholas squinted as the wind picked up and blew into his eyes. His blond curly hair fluttered in the wind, and it felt as if someone was tickling his scalp with cold fingers. When the air was still again, he opened his eyes as he waited for a response.
“A little,” the leopard replied as she briefly glanced back into Nicholas' hazel eyes. She trotted around to the other side of the tree under which they were standing. The leaves were changing from green to various shades of yellow and orange. The colors looked as if they had been left over a slow fire to simmer and caramelize with nicely browned edges. Nicholas took a deep breath of the autumn air. He loved this time of year because it reminded him of the orphanage where he had met his two best friends, Maggie and Jovan.
“That’s why you’re here, then,” Nicholas said with a smile. “You’re going to train me in how to be a healer?” Nicholas opened his eyes wide as he asked the question.
“Well, there will be some of that. However, the primary reason I’m here is that you’re probably going to need a healer.” Megan sat down with a loud thud. Nicholas lost his balance, more from the noise than the actual shaking of the ground.
“What? How would you know that?” Nicholas asked. “Can you tell the future? Have you seen that I’m going to get hurt?”
“I haven’t seen your future, but I have seen others who’ve trained with Moss. He’s brilliant, but he can sometimes be a little stupid.” Megan licked the back of her paw a few times after she finished speaking. She studied a few areas of her forearm before leaning into it and licking more of her fur.
“Brilliant and stupid?” Nicholas leaned against the rough bark of the tree trunk.
“Yeah,” Megan replied. “I think brilliance is circular, and sometimes people get so brilliant that they cycle back around into stupidity. People like Moss do some crazy things.”
“Like what?” Nicholas' mind raced to dream up all the crazy things a teacher might do, but teaching seemed like such a safe job. There was information, and there were students, but neither of these things appeared dangerous to Nicholas.
“They get distracted, and their behavior becomes odd. For example, Moss gets so caught up in his thoughts that he sometimes forgets to put on clothes.”
“He walks around in his nightgown?”
“No, his underwear,” Megan said. “It happens. It could be worse. We’re just lucky that he wears anything at all.” She hunched up her shoulders into a casual shrug as she was speaking. Nicholas stared at her for a few moments before continuing.
“So when do I meet him?”
“Soon enough,” Megan replied. “First things first. I’m going to teach you how to heal a simple burn.”
“Has someone been burned?” Nicholas looked around, but there was no one else in the area. They were alone.
“You.”
“But … I’m not burned.” He turned his head to one side and listened to a few birds chirping as he waited for Megan to respond. She stood completely still for several moments, then she jumped up from her sitting position.
“Easily fixed,” Megan replied as she tossed a miniature fire lizard onto the ground in front of Nicholas.
“Were you carrying that thing this whole time?” he asked as he quickly jumped backward. He had seen pictures of fire lizards before, but he’d never seen a live one up close, and he was wondering if everything he’d read about them was true. For example, he’d read that a single fire lizard could burn down an entire tree in less than 10 minutes.
“I make it a point to always be prepared,” Megan answered offhandedly. “Now, don’t be afraid.” As she said the last sentence she slapped her massive paw down on the fire lizard’s tail, and the animal shot forth a burst of angry flames as it opened its mouth to scream.
“Ouch!” Nicholas shouted abruptly. He scrunched up his brow and stared back at Megan as he held his shin where the lizard had scorched him. His leg was in pain, and he could feel the hot melted flesh underneath his palm. His eyes watered from both the smell of the burn as well as the pain. Then, to his surprise, the lizard turned around and spoke to Megan as if they’d just had lunch.
“Am I done here?” the lizard asked. “Can I go? I’ve got a marshmallow roast I’m expected to start in half an hour, and I’m hoping they’re going to have marshmallows.”
“You’re done,” Megan replied with a nod of her head. “Nice job.” She handed him a tiny bag of jelly beans, and the lizard rapidly took the bag, flipping it over his shoulder.
“Please,” the lizard replied as he looked down his nose at Megan. “I’m a professional.” He scurried off toward the forest and was gone before Nicholas could ask any questions of him. Nicholas looked around as he felt the excruciating pain in his leg. It felt as if it was still on fire.
“You planned that!” Nicholas shouted as he held his hand tightly over his stinging shin.
“And?” Megan asked casually. Nicholas held his breath in anger. “So?”
“You planned to hurt me!” he blurted out.
“I didn’t plan to hurt you. I only planned to damage you a little because it’s important for the lesson. If I had wanted to hurt you, there would be much more damage. And probably blood, too. But as you can see, there’s no blood at all.” Nicholas winced from the p
ain.
“You are an odd healer,” he said. “Kelsey warned me about you.”
“And you are an odd boy,” Megan retorted.
“No, I’m not.” Nicholas pressed his palm firmly against his leg, but the pain continued despite the pressure.
“Let’s get to work,” Megan said with enthusiasm. “Good job on putting your hand over the wound. Physical contact is important. However, you’ll need to channel your anger elsewhere because it doesn’t help at all with healing, and it’s especially detrimental to healing yourself. Instead, think about something positive.”
Nicholas felt the uncomfortable stinging on his shin as he continued to press his palm against the burn. His first instinct was to lash out at Megan in retaliation, but the leopard was much larger, and it wouldn’t be wise to pick a fight. He was still in shock over the way Megan had casually and unexpectedly inflicted the wound upon him, but he did his best to push those thoughts aside. He did as Megan instructed and thought about something positive.
The first happy thought that came to him was his friends, so he focused on them. He always felt better when he was around them, whether they were solving a problem together or just relaxing on an afternoon off. His friends had been there for him through some difficult times and had been his family when he didn’t know he had one. He could see Jovan’s face clearly, as if he were right in front of Nicholas, explaining the Latin root of a word or some other academic pursuit.
As he recalled Maggie’s face, he could also feel the warmth of her personality. She had a gift for matching emotion for emotion with others, and this often brought other people close to her. She made friends quickly, but she could also make enemies just as fast because of her occasionally volatile nature. Nicholas recalled how her short dark hair bobbed when she spoke with excitement and how she loved to set things on fire, just like the lizard just now.
As he thought about the lizard, he looked down at his shin because it occurred to him that it didn’t hurt anymore. The pain was gone. Only the scent of burning flesh was lingering in the air, but it wasn’t as strong as it had been only a few moments ago. Nicholas lifted his palm and studied his leg to see that there wasn’t a burn. In fact, it appeared as if he had never been burnt at all.
“Is this a trick?” Nicholas asked. He looked over at Megan, who was sitting against the tree trunk. Then he glanced toward the forest, where the fire lizard had gone. He turned back to study his leg with his mouth slightly agape. It didn’t make sense to him. He hadn’t done anything but remember his friends. He hadn’t even thought about being well.
“No trick,” Megan replied as she stood up and walked over. “I suspected you were a natural, and you are. Not many people can heal themselves on the first try. Lots of people never learn to heal themselves at all. This is quite extraordinary, really.” Nicholas tried to stand up again, but Megan pushed down on the top of his head as she moved in closer. He landed on his bottom.
“It is?” Nicholas furrowed his brow as he stared back at Megan. “Extraordinary?”
“Really.” She nodded and then paused to gently sniff his leg where the wound had been. “This is solid work, Nicholas. You should be proud.”
“I should?” Nicholas turned his head to one side. “How did you —” He looked from the leopard to his leg and then back at Megan again. “You really didn’t do anything to heal me? I did it myself?”
“Yes.”
“But how could you know that I would be able to do this? I didn’t even know that I could.”
“I can smell it, just like I can smell how well you healed this wound. There’s not even a hint of a scorching.”
“The burn wasn’t that big,” Nicholas insisted, although a few minutes before it had seemed too big and much more painful than necessary for a simple lesson. However, now that he was thinking about his part in removing it, he remembered it as being much smaller.
“I know. But it’s not the size of the wound. It’s the fact that you did it on your own without any coaching, and you did it on the first try.” Megan sat back and stretched out one of her legs as she smiled with contentment. “This is excellent news.”
“Does this make me a healer?” Nicholas asked. “Like you?”
“No,” she replied as she shook her massive head. “You’re a healer, but not like me.”
“How am I different? And why?”
“We’ll figure that out together,” Megan said with assurance. “I think you have a gift that includes healing, but healing isn’t the main focus. It’s more or less a by-product.”
“You can tell this about me just by how I smell?” Nicholas understood that chemistry was powerful, but he had a difficult time believing there was so much information in fragrance.
“Never underestimate the power of body odor,” Megan replied solemnly, as if she knew his thoughts. “Especially around someone with a sensitive nose.” She stood up again and stepped away from him as she studied his confused expression. “I think you’re ready.”
“For another lesson?” Nicholas wasn’t sure he wanted another lesson like the last one, especially if he had done so well with this one. He was afraid that Megan would increase the difficulty level as well as the pain. She might break something on him to see if he could fuse the bones back together without help.
“Not with me. You should be training with Moss.”
“Who’s this Moss you keep mentioning?”
“Someone who uses real dragons instead of trained fire lizards,” Megan replied. She turned to walk away but then paused to respond without looking back, “You’ll love him.”
Chapter
Five
First Lessons
Kelsey, Roland and Maggie made their way down the mountain and out into an expanse of prairie. They were surrounded by tall grass everywhere except on the narrow dirt path they were following. The grass tickled as it brushed their arms, shoulders and cheeks.
The hooded figures they had spotted in the forest were still following them at a distance. Kelsey kept watch on them and saw that they had grown in number. What started as a pair of reapers had quickly blossomed into a group of five, and then a few hours later, three more individuals had joined the black-hooded figures. All of them were dressed alike. Now the sun glinted off the row of scythes poking up above the thick grass and shrubs. The tips of the scythes were all that could be seen above the tall grass, and there were too many to count.
“Should we worry about them?” Kelsey asked.
“Yes,” Maggie replied with conviction.
“Not yet,” Roland answered at almost the same time.
“Not yet?” Kelsey asked.
“I said ‘yes,’” Maggie said with urgency.
“Roland said ‘not yet,’” Kelsey explained. “Maggie, please let me talk with Roland and don’t interrupt us. I’ll need you to be quiet for a few minutes.”
“OK. I suppose even conversations in your head take time,” Maggie answered. “Let me know when you’re done talking to yourself.” She shrugged and turned away to look at the scenery, but the glint of sunlight on the rows of scythes distracted her, and she couldn’t help looking back at them over and over.
Kelsey was about to respond to Maggie’s comment but realized it would be useless. If Maggie could neither see nor hear Roland, then she had no reason to believe he existed. Instead, Kelsey let the matter go.
Turning to Roland, she asked, “Are they dangerous?”
“They can be. But this group is keeping its distance, so I’m not too worried.”
“You’ve seen this before? These crazy people follow you sometimes?”
“More often than I would like.”
“What do they want?”
“Mostly just to be near me.”
“Why? What do they want with you?”
“I’m not sure they know what they want,” Roland said. “Their desire is to get close to me, but I don’t think they know the reason for their attraction. They could have chosen any famous or p
owerful figure, but these people have chosen to admire and follow me.”
“Are there more of them in other places?” Kelsey asked.
“Yes, thousands.”
“You have fans?” Kelsey mused aloud and then thought for a moment. She had never seen anything like this. Then she realized that people who worship Death probably don’t see him the same way that she did. She glanced over Roland’s plumed hat and debonair attire and then back at the tips of the scythes poking up above the tall grass. Occasionally she could see part of a black hood flapping in the breeze.
“They see you as someone dressed like them, don’t they?” Kelsey asked. “They see you wearing a black cloak with a hood that obscures your face, and you’re carrying a giant scythe.”
“Yes,” he answered. “And I appear much taller to them also.”
“But they’re not usually dangerous?” Kelsey asked again for clarification. It seemed odd that they could follow so closely and yet not attack. She wanted to be prepared for any potential confrontations.
“Not usually, but they can get out of hand with their desire to be near me. They’ve occasionally trampled one another, but they’ve never been able to hurt me. More often they’ve hurt themselves or one another. Often they’re so starstruck that they become timid around me.”
“What do we do?”
“Ignore them for now. They usually go away if I don’t pay attention to them.”
The more she reasoned through the situation, the more Kelsey thought the group appeared foolish, but she didn’t say anything. Roland had experience with them, and she knew he was right about trying to ignore them. She took one more look at the group of reapers, catching a glance at a few of their faces and noticing that they had darkened the area around their eyes with black makeup so that they somewhat resembled raccoons. Their lips were also painted black, and the effect made the white of their cheeks appear bloodless. Kelsey thought they looked ridiculous and briefly wondered why they had so much time to follow Death when they should be focusing on living their lives. She decided it would be pointless to try to understand them, so she turned away and back to the task at hand.
