by Wendy Knight
Will stared at her, baffled. “You can’t be serious. Ari, I know they’re your friends but they’re the enemy. They’d kill you if they found out what you are.”
“I’m not stupid, Will. I know that,” Ari said, but it hurt. It felt like she was stabbing herself in the heart to say it; believing it hurt even more.
“But they don’t know who I am. And they aren’t going to find out.”
“Yeah but Ari, you can’t be sure. One slip up and they’ll be running to their Prodigy with your head on a platter.”
“You don’t know that. You say they’re the enemy, but you don’t believe in the war. Isn’t that hypocritical of you? Will, you live with Carules every day!”
“Yeah, but these Carules aren’t fighting the war. You’re friends are.”
“We don’t know that. They’re children. Teenagers. We don’t know if they’re fighting the war,” Ari said, her voice cold; it felt wrong to speak to Will that way, but she didn’t agree with him. Shane would never hurt her, right? Neither would Charity. And Hunter… well, he wouldn’t hurt her unless she got between him and the football.
“Ari, in this war no one lives much longer than that.” Will’s voice was sad and serious.
It took a lot of arguing, but finally Will was at least partially convinced that Ari would be okay and he let her go back to school. Mostly, because she was more stubborn than he was and she wouldn’t back down, even a little. She couldn’t stand to.
But the panic was still in his eyes as she turned back on the other side of the portal to wave goodbye. She put her fingers to her lips and held them toward him, and he did the same.
As she walked toward her school she hoped she was right, that they wouldn’t find out who she was. It would be awkward to have to fight off three of the only friends she had ever had.
Chapter Fifteen
“Hey. How was your weekend?” Nev plopped her tray down at the table with an unceremonious thunk.
Ari, Hunter, Shane, and Charity were already there. They all mumbled something barely coherent, none of them looking up from their trays.
“Well, that’s too bad. Sorry you guys were all sick. That sucks to be stuck in your rooms all weekend,” Livi said as she came up behind Nev.
“I think it was the stress of our whole ordeal,” Charity murmured. It took Ari a minute to remember what ordeal Charity was talking about. Their flight through the woods three days before seemed like an eternity ago.
“Yeah… I didn’t feel good all weekend either. Maybe we stumbled into some kind of poisonous plant or something,” Ari lied without looking up. Her head rested on one hand, the other toying with her fork. She had no appetite, and the whole morning was a blur. She was pretty positive she had failed a test in her English class.
“How is your brother?” Livi asked. Ari had told them he was in an accident and she had rushed to his side, which is why she was gone all weekend.
“He’s doing much better now. He’s pretty proud of himself for how well he… um… handled the situation.” Ari smiled inwardly. It was the truth.
“That must have been pretty stressful for you,” Shane said quietly, and she looked up to be caught in that metallic blue gaze, although at the moment he wasn’t looking quite as hot as normal. He had dark bruise-like circles under his eyes and he moved like he’d been hit by a truck. Ari was pretty sure they had been at Adlington. Pretty much everyone on both sides of the war had been there. Charity had no active powers, so Ari wasn’t sure what she might have been doing, but she looked like she’d been through a nasty fight. Anyway, Ari hadn’t exactly had time to watch for them, and she wasn’t sure what she would have done if she had seen them. The thought made her head hurt.
“I’m exhausted. I’m gonna go lay down until fifth period starts.” Ari pushed her chair back, wincing as it scraped across the linoleum.
“You haven’t eaten anything.” Shane pointed his spoon at her tray.
“Not hungry,” she mumbled over her shoulder as she walked away. Seconds later he was falling into step beside her as she left the lunch room.
“Bad weekend?” she asked, glancing at him just as several girls stopped them at the door to the lunch room. It was an ambush. Poor Shane.
“Shane! I’ve been trying to call you!” One yelled while another one of them squealed. Ari turned to stare at her, wondering why every girl she knew had to squeal in Shane’s presence. So obnoxious. Under Ari’s scowl, they broke up and skittered away, casting her evil glares from a safe distance.
Shane didn’t show any sign that he even noticed them. “Yeah… we weren’t sick.” He glanced guiltily back at Hunter and Charity, still sitting at the table in the lunch room.
“Really?” Ari asked, widening her eyes innocently.
“Yeah. I can’t tell you more than that. It could get you in trouble.”
“Shane, I’m tougher than I look. I can handle it,” she said, although she wasn’t sure she wanted to know any more about his magic than she already did. It could get him in trouble. But she couldn’t just leave it alone. Part of her wanted to know. Maybe the monster-killer part of her.
She squashed that thought.
Shane stopped, studied her. Under his intense blue gaze her heart started to pound and she thought giddily that her favorite color just happened to be the exact color of his eyes. What were the odds? “I’m serious, Ari. There’s this war going on, and knowing anything about it could get you killed.”
“Killed?” Ari tried to look dubious.
Shane glanced around and grabbed her hand, pulling her with him out the front doors. The air was crisp and cool; Ari could see traces of her breath. If Shane was aware that half the student population was watching them speed-walk into the woods, he didn’t show it, and after a final glance back Ari ignored them too.
When the school was out of sight, she stopped and pulled her hand away. “Okay Shane. Spill,” she commanded. She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to look cold. Normals would be cold right now, but because of the flames flowing through their blood, neither she nor Shane could feel it.
Shane sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Where to start? Even the short version is long. We’re sorcerers, and there are two sides to this war… of course, because that’s what makes a war, right?” he rambled. Ari raised an eyebrow at him as she tried to shiver. “I’m a Carules. I have magic that stems from these blue flames that, well, they’re in my blood. Hunter, too. And all other Carules. The other side is Edren, and their magic comes from red flames. Basically, we spend all our time trying to kill each other. It’s a lot of fun,” he said with a bitter frown at the ground.
“So you hide your magic because if an Edren found you…”
“They’d kill me. Or try to, anyway,” Shane finished for her.
Ari flinched at his words, and she knew right then that if she had seen him on that battle field in Adlington, she wouldn’t have been able to kill him. Her eyes widened in shock, her mouth opened into a silent “Oh”, and her heart started to pound. This was a very, very dangerous revelation she’d just made to herself.
She had a weakness. And it was Shane.
Clueless, thankfully, to her internal shock, Shane rushed to continue, “It sounds crazy, I know. At one time, magic didn’t need to be hidden. But after the war started, hiding your powers was essential to survive. Sorcerers are common. At least they were, until we all started trying to kill each other.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and scuffed his boots in the dirt, making little mountains.
“Yeah. No, it does sound crazy, but I saw you heal that girl, so I believe you,” Ari said, trying to jerk herself out of her own head. Her eyes focused on his face and he was once again studying her with that intense blue gaze she loved so much.
Wait, what? Loved? Her heart resumed pounding and she felt like a fish, her mouth opening and closing but unable to breathe. Breathe! Okay, yes, loved. She loved his eyes, she told herself firmly. He had pretty eyes. That was all.
<
br /> “Are you okay? You’re pale,” he asked, dark eyebrows drawing down in concern.
“I…” she started, but trailed off, her eyes caught in his. He was a Carules. She should be killing him, but instead she was thinking about his pretty eyes. What was wrong with her?
“Come on. You were going to lie down. I’ll walk you,” he said, stepping forward.
“No, I’m okay.” She put a hand up, the other rubbing between her eyes. “I just… it’s a lot to take in. That’s all. The thought that someone is trying to kill you. It’s bizarre.” She gave a quick shake of her head.
He stopped again. “I’ve grown up with it. We all have, Hunter and Charity too.”
“So Charity is a Seer and a… um… Carules?” she asked, hesitating over Carules, trying to sound like she had no idea what she was talking about.
Shane bought it, shaking his head. “No, she doesn’t have any magic. But since she’s my cousin, it puts her right in the thick of things.”
They both whirled toward the trail as footsteps approached. “Shane, you’re a blasted idiot.” Hunter snarled like a big, enraged animal. A wolf, maybe.
“I had to tell her. If she knows, she’ll understand why it’s so important not to say anything.” Shane crossed his arms and glowered at his best friend.
“She’s just a Normal, Shane. She has no idea how serious this is,” Hunter snapped, not stopping until he was toe to toe with Shane.
Ari wedged herself between them, which wasn’t easy. “Excuse me, I’m right here. And who exactly do you think I’m going to tell? You guys are the only ones I talk to!” she said, throwing her hands up.
Hunter finally acknowledged Ari as he sighed and cast her a frustrated sideways glance. "Ari, it isn't you."
"Oh I know. It's not me, it's you, right? Please, Hunter, don't break up with me like that," Ari said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she rolled her eyes and dropped her hands to her hips.
"That isn't—” Hunter started, turning bright red.
Ari interrupted him. "Whether or not you agree with Shane telling me anything, it's already done."
Shane looked from one to the other, his arms folded, waiting. Hunter and Ari locked gazes, a battle of wills, each waiting for the other to break and look away, but they were both too stubborn. Even the forest seemed to be holding its breath. Everything was silent, the birds watching quietly. It was Charity, arriving on silent feet and walking right between them that broke their staring contest.
Ari turned her attention back to Shane. "So can you, like, turn meatloaf into pizza?"
Hunter growled.
Shane cracked a grin. "No. I mean, there might be a spell for it, but I don't know it. Mostly our magic is used for war. We produce spells that heal or block or…"
At his hesitation, Ari finished for him. "Kill?" The word hung in the air between them all.
"Sometimes," Charity answered. Her silver eyes were huge, staring up at Ari.
"I won't tell anyone, I promise. I wouldn't do anything that puts any of you in danger." Ari tried to put every ounce of loyalty she had into those words. “Even you, Hunter,” she said, bumping him with his shoulder.
"It isn't that we don't trust you, Ari. It's just that this is life or death for us. If you aren't living it, you don't understand," Hunter said flatly.
"Most people are stressed about tests or being popular. We worry about whether our friends survived the latest battle or not." Charity’s voice was soft and sad.
Ari looked at her in surprise, her dark eyes widening. Hadn't she thought that exact same thing a thousand times? Again she had the strongest urge to tell them who she was, but Will's voice, sharp and insistent in her head, stopped her. Don't be an idiot, Ari. Instead she changed the subject. She watched Charity shiver. Apparently, Seers could feel the cold.
“Have you… ever fought? In a battle? Do they use Seers to fight?” she asked.
Charity shook her head, but Shane spoke up, pride evident in his voice. “Not in the actual battle. She saved us yesterday though. She saw us fighting and knew we were in trouble and she got us out of there.”
Hunter’s head whipped toward him, but Charity stepped in front of him, shoving him toward the trail. "Mr. Greene is about to come out and yell at us for missing the bell. We'd better go."
Hunter cast a last long, searching look at Ari, and turned on his heel. Charity followed him, but Shane didn't move. Ari paused as she trudged toward the trail, looking over at him when she realized he wasn’t following. "I don't regret telling you," he said. She was caught in his eyes, trapped, and she couldn't look away, couldn't breathe. "Ari, I—"
"Delyle! Delacour!" Mr. Greene's bellow echoed through the woods. Shane swore under his breath as they both turned and jogged down the trail.
"Isn't it convenient how our last names are so close in the alphabet?" Shane asked with a bright grin at Mr. Greene as he squeezed past him in the doorway on their way into the school.
"You are late!" he snapped.
"I'm so sorry, sir," Ari murmured, taking him by surprise as she, too, slid past him. As he stood there staring at them with his mouth open, they both hurried off in opposite directions.
It was raining by the time school got out. All the students ran to their dorms with bags or jackets over their heads. Their weekly football game was cancelled, so Ari went to her room and dumped her bag on her desk. Brittany followed her, slamming the door behind her. She threw her bag on her side of the room and stood with her arms folded, glaring at Ari.
"Is there a problem, Brittany?" Ari asked with a long-suffering sigh. Rain pounded against the window, drowning out all the other students in the hall. It could have been just Ari and Brittany left in the world, for all Ari could hear. That was an unpleasant thought.
"I know where you were at lunch. When you were late for art I asked around." Ari stretched her neck, listening to it pop while she had idle thoughts about blasting Brittany with a silencing spell. She knew one existed. Her grandfather used to use it on her when she was younger. It didn't hurt… much.
"I said I know…"
"I know what you said, Brittany. I just didn't realize there was something for me to respond to. Did you want me to applaud you for your efforts?" Rolling her eyes heavenward, Ari lazily clapped her hands.
Brittany stomped her foot, her face reddening. "You were with Shane!"
"Yes. I usually am at lunch. So?" Ari leaned a thigh against her desk and eyed Brittany. The silence spell was becoming more appealing by the second.
"You were with him in the woods. And Charity and Hunter weren't there!" Brittany yelled. Her face matched the red sweater she wore over her uniform.
"Actually," Ari drawled, "they were there. They just left before we did."
Brittany looked to be on the verge of internal combustion. Ari watched her with interest. She hadn't seen someone internally combust before.
"I told you Shane wanted to date me! Why were you alone in the woods with him?" she screeched.
"Hmm.” Ari pursed her lips. “Well, if Shane wanted to date you, don't you think it would have been you he was alone in the woods with?" It was mean. But she couldn’t help it.
Her phone buzzed and she reached for it, keeping an eye on Brittany, still waiting for that combustion.
"You said you don't date!" Brittany replied hotly, the pitch of her voice even higher. Pretty soon she'd be squeaking so high only dogs would be able to hear her.
"I don't." With a sigh, realizing there was a good chance Brittany wasn't going to explode from the inside out to entertain her, Ari said, "Brittany, I'm not dating Shane. We're friends. If you want him, go after him, because right now you're just one of a hundred other girls who are drooling over him. He can't even differentiate between any of you because you’re all the same."
"I am not!" Brittany was loud. And very high-pitched. Ari resisted the urge to rub her ears. She glanced down at her phone. A text from Shane. Library. So, they were meeting in the library. She thought
about showing Brittany and sticking out her tongue, but instead she shoved the phone in her pocket. Picking up her jacket and her homework, she brushed past the still-fuming blonde on her way out the door.
But she paused in the doorway, tipping her head to consider Brittany, who only glared. "You're right. I think most girls don't look like the tooth fairy dresses them every day." She turned with a smirk.
The door slammed behind her.
Chapter Sixteen
She was almost to the library, shaking rain from her jacket and wiping her shoes on the rug when words floated through the air, attacking her ears. "So you're Ari's brother? I can tell. Good grief you look like you’re twins!" Livi's voice.
Ari froze mid-swipe. Will? Nearly dropping her bag, she raced around the corner, sliding to a stop in confused horror. Will was leaning against a table; every eye in the library watching him like a cobra watches a mouse. And the library was packed because the kids all had nowhere else to go.
"I'm ten years older than her," Will said casually, as if he wasn’t in huge amounts of danger.
Ari's eyes swept the table in panic. Shane was leaning back on two chair legs, frowning slightly as he studied Will. Hunter was regarding him much the way he had regarded her when she had started here. Like a threat. Which Will was, but Hunter couldn't know that. He stood next to Shane, his big arms folded across his chest, his face menacing.
Charity's bright silver eyes, on the other hand, were open and friendly as she slid into a chair next to Shane. Nev and Livi were both standing close to Will, and if Ari hadn't been in such a complete panic, she would have acknowledged how amusing the situation was. If Will had ever had a chance to be a normal teenager, she would guess he'd have been similar to Shane. Girls everywhere, and him loving every minute of it.
She opened her mouth. Croaked. Cleared her throat. "Will?" she asked, trying to make her voice sound normal. She winced when she heard it shake.
His brown eyes swept up to hers. "Hey, baby sister. You told me so much about your friends I thought I would come say hi." But there was worry in his eyes. He was checking up on her because she had stupidly told him about Shane and Hunter being Carules. She mentally smacked the palm of her hand against her forehead.
