Spark (Legends of the Shifters)

by J. B. North

  I smiled. “I didn't either at first. But other people might, and bad things could happen if they found out.”

  She smiled. “You can trust me,” she said. “I won't tell a soul.”

  “I know,” I replied. “That's why I told you.”

  Her smile widened. “I'm glad that we've become such good friends,” she said, as she scrubbed another dish with her sponge.

  “Me too,” I answered.

  *****

  The next night, we waited for everyone to go to sleep before we dared to venture out of our own bunks and onto the deck.

  I was surprised when I was the first one on the deck. Then, Burton came out of the hatch, followed by Kurt and Roland. Sophia came out of the kitchen holding a lantern, closing the door softly behind her.

  “Are we ready?” Roland asked Kurt and me.

  “Wait,” I said.

  Sophia and Burton stood off to the side. Before we left, I had to say one last goodbye to both of them. I ran up and hugged Sophia first. “Thank you for your friendship,” I said.

  She smiled after the hug. “And thank you for yours...and for helping me out in the kitchen.”

  “That was nothing,” I said with a smile.

  I moved on to Burton and gave him a hug also. “Thank you for everything,” I said.

  He chuckled. “I was already headed out to Nalla. You don't have to thank me.”

  “Yes, I do. You could have chosen not to take us. If it weren't for you, we probably would have been on the same boat that Kurt was on.”

  He shrugged. “Perhaps.”

  I sighed, and turned back to Roland and Kurt. “Alright. I guess I'm ready now.”

  Roland ran and dove over the side of the ship. Kurt and I followed. We changed in midair, and hefted ourselves into the air with our wings. Roland changed form right before he landed in the sea sending a huge wave in all directions, and causing Burton's ship to rock.

  I looked back at the light of Sophia's lantern one last time before I followed Roland and Kurt into the darkness of the night.

  *****

  I glided down to the dock, landing as softly as I could, and changed into first form quickly. I was glad that the clouds were covering the light of the moon. We would surely be seen otherwise. Kurt landed and transformed beside me. It surprised me that he had fared the journey so well. Perhaps his second form had good stamina or maybe he had just trained for long trips.

  I turned my attention away from him and searched the bay for Roland. I didn't see him anywhere, in either form. The water was still and everything was silent except for our breathing. Worry started to gnaw at my insides. Had something happened to him? Then, he surfaced, gasping for breath. He floundered for a little while before heading in our direction.

  “Sorry for taking so long,” he said, pausing to take in a breath. “I went down a little too far.”

  I sighed with relief. “Thank goodness. I thought you might've been injured.”

  “You don’t have to be worried. A sea serpent's skin is almost impossible to penetrate.”

  “At least there’s that,” I said, turning away to look at the quiet city. There were no windows with light seeping out into the night. I only saw darkness. It must have been pretty late, maybe three or four o’clock in the morning.

  Roland, still sopping wet, led the way. I suspected that both Roland and Kurt knew their way around town, seeing as they'd had so many quests.

  Roland directed us toward an inn. I couldn’t make out the words on the sign in the darkness, but Kurt spoke up about Roland’s choice. “Shouldn’t we go to Tin Tavern? Maven Lily Inn is a bit high-priced.”

  “I know people,” Roland said with a smile as he opened the door. That was no surprise. He seemed to know people wherever we went.

  A bell that hung on the door rang as we went inside. Inside it smelled nice, like lavender and vanilla. The tables were well polished with chairs pushed in. At the back of the room, there was a counter, but no one stood behind it. Then again, I hadn’t really expected anyone to be there at this time of night.

  That's why I was surprised when a woman came out in a fur-lined bathrobe, squinting blearily in the sudden light. By the bags under her eyes, I guessed she was used to being awoken by late visitors.

  Roland took in her appearance. “Maven?” he asked.

  The woman studied him. “Why, if it isn’t Roland! I haven’t seen you in ages! It’s been what—two years? And why are you soaked? You’re getting water all over my floor.”

  He looked down at his clothes and shrugged. “Sorry. Just thought I’d go for a swim.”

  Maven studied Kurt and I before her eyes flicked back to Roland. “So, I’m guessing that you need three rooms?” she asked.

  Roland nodded.

  She looked us up and down one more time. I was wearing my usual red dress, and Kurt wore a loose white shirt with tan trousers.

  “You look like a respectable group and the rooms I have left are small, so I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you a deal…one silver a piece.”

  Roland smiled, and said, “As always, you are very generous, Maven.”

  She shrugged, walking toward a safe. She unlocked it and took out three little keys. “You look hungry,” she said when she turned back. “You’re all nothing but skin and bones, especially you, girl.”

  I flushed as she handed us each our key. She turned her back and led the way through the kitchen and into the pantry. It smelled deliciously of freshly baked bread and rosemary.

  “I only finished baking a few hours ago,” she said taking out something wrapped in a cloth. “It was an experiment, but it turned out very good. There is also cheese and fruit and meat. Help yourself to anything you find.”

  “We’ll try not to eat your whole pantry,” Roland said jokingly.

  “I don’t care if you do, as long as you restock my food stores before morning,” she said.

  Roland motioned to Kurt and me with a mischievous glint in his eye. “I'll make sure these two exercise some self-control so that we won't have to.”

  Maven laughed. “I've witnessed your eating habits. It's you that we have to worry about.” She paused and studied him. “It’s been a long time, Roland. I’m glad to see you again.”

  “And I'm glad to see you,” he replied.

  She smiled warmly and turned. “Anyway, I’ve got to get back to bed. If anyone else comes to the door, tell them that we’re full.”

  She didn’t stop to hear us reply before starting up the stairs in the back of the kitchen.

  I ripped off a chunk of the bread and bit into it. It was still warm and tasted of rosemary with a slight hint of garlic. It was the best thing I'd eaten since Hayman's Tavern.

  Kurt and Roland went back into the pantry, and I looked around the kitchen before following them. The kitchen was smaller, but much nicer than the one in the orphanage. The stove-tops here had been scrubbed of grease and grime, and the counters were made of a beautiful dark wood. The sink was deep and empty of dishes.

  A clanging in the pantry caught my attention. I abandoned the kitchen and hurried inside to find Roland biting into a piece of chocolate cake and Kurt digging into some sort of rice pudding. The source of the clanging had been a pie tin, tossed aside with only a few crumbs left over.

  “Were you going to share?” I asked.

  “Of course,” Roland said with a mouthful of cake.

  “Early bird gets the worm,” Kurt replied, not even looking up.

  Roland rolled his eyes and stood, retrieving a plate and fork from a nearby shelf. He slid a piece of chocolate cake onto the plate and handed it to me.

  I smiled and sat down next to him, taking my first bite. The dessert seemed to melt in my mouth.

  After eating the cake, I ate an apple and some cheese and crackers. I was so full that I felt sick, and I had no doubt that Kurt and Roland felt the same way.

  To take my mind off it, I decided to ask Roland a question.

  “Do you know every cit
y like the back of your hand?” I said.

  He laughed and shook his head. “No. Unfortunately, we don’t get along very well with people in Ginsey, so whenever I did go there, I had to keep a low profile.”

  “How do you know Maven so well?”

  “She was having trouble with her cart at the marketplace, and a thief took advantage of her. I stopped the thief and returned Maven's things to her,” he answered nonchalantly.

  “It seems like crime is getting more and more common,” Kurt muttered darkly.

  “Probably because everyone senses that a war is coming,” said Roland.

  War. I knew the categories for all the other second forms, but I had no idea what part I would have to play. “What would the Conservatory people do in a time like that?” I asked.

  Roland shrugged. “I suspect that some of us would still act as spies, but the majority of us would be shipped off to be part of a regiment.”

  I grimaced. “I certainly hope that there is no war, then.”

  Kurt nodded in agreement. “If you thought that the conservatory was tough, the military camps are ten times that. Punishment falls quickly, sometimes resulting in death if your crime is big enough...or if your captain just doesn't like you.”

  “You know, Kurt, you're strong on land and deadly in the sky. You would probably be promoted to captain in the first week,” Roland mused.

  “And you would no doubt be part of the naval regiment, the most important weapon of them all, able to drown an entire ship with the flick of your tail.”

  Roland laughed. “I don’t know about that.”

  They both looked at me, thinking.

  “I’d bet that they’d send you to be a spy, Ivy,” Roland said. “You’re smaller than both Kurt and me, and you obviously have some wits about you.”

  Kurt tilted his head. “Or they might send you to be a warrior. You could probably burn up a whole enemy brigade if you wanted.”

  My mind was flooded with horrors. Screams, the smell of burning flesh heavy in the air, and people everywhere...dying.

  My food threatened to come back up.

  Kurt must have noticed my face turning green. “But maybe not,” he said quickly. “What Roland said is just as true.”

  “Let’s just hope that there is never a war,” I said, putting an end to the conversation.

  We were quiet until Kurt said, “We should get to bed.”

  I nodded in agreement. “There is probably only a few more hours until the sun starts to come up.”

  “We can sleep in tomorrow,” said Roland. “We've traveled all night, so we'll need it.”

  I stood and stretched, starting toward the stairs that Maven had walked up, but Roland stopped me.

  “Not those ones,” he said. “Those lead to her private quarters.” He led the way out of the kitchen and to a staircase slightly grander than the one leading up to Maven's rooms.

  My room key had the number thirty-one engraved into it. Its door was located on the third floor, in the middle of the hallway. Kurt and Roland stopped at their rooms before I got to mine.

  I opened the door and looked inside before entering. It wasn’t very big, like Maven had said, but it was simple and comforting with light green curtains and a small rug the same color placed in the middle of the room, on the dark hardwood floor.

  I shut the door behind me and kicked off my shoes.

  It wasn’t until I laid down in the bed that I discovered that I was exhausted. The bed was very comfy, and the pillow even more so. It didn’t take long for me to fall asleep.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  I woke up to someone shaking me. I blinked my eyes open and Kurt’s blurry face appeared in front of me.

  “Come on, you need to get up,” he said. “It’s almost noon.”

  I groaned tiredly. It seemed like I had only been asleep for a couple hours.

  I crawled out of the bed and stretched, yawning.

  “Lunch is already ready, so as soon as we eat, we can go.” Kurt said. I combed my fingers through my hair and followed him, not caring entirely about my appearance. I would probably be flying somewhere anyway. I didn’t exactly register how many people I would be seeing downstairs, probably because I was still foggy from sleep. My mind felt like it was wading through sludge.

  Kurt and I sat at a table and waited for the food to be brought to us. I was surprised that Roland wasn’t already here. He was always up before me.

  I opened my mouth to ask Kurt about him, but he answered my question before I could get a word out. “I woke Roland up, too. Apparently, he takes longer than a girl to get ready.”

  Three plates of food were brought out to us, and I ate quickly. The food tasted bland to me, probably because I wasn’t as hungry as I was last night. Roland walked in the room when I was finished eating. I noticed that his hair was combed down.

  He ate his food in a hurry, and when he was finally done, he looked up at us. He noticed my messy curls and smiled.

  “Didn’t want to brush your hair today?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “I didn’t think that it was very important,” I replied.

  “It really doesn’t matter,” he said. “This hotel is for more refined people, but that doesn’t mean we have to look like them.”

  “Why did you brush your hair if it didn’t matter?” Kurt asked him.

  Roland face turned a few degrees colder as he looked at Kurt. “Since I was provided with the use of a bathtub, I thought I might as well take a bath, that’s all,” he said.

  Maven came and took our plates, looking Roland over. “Since when do you ever comb your hair?”

  He crossed his arms. “Is a man not supposed to comb his hair around here?”

  Maven smiled. “It looks good,” she said, starting to walk away. “Maybe you’ll finally have some luck with the ladies.”

  I scoffed and Kurt laughed. “I think you’ve already had luck enough,” Kurt said. “All the “ladies” were fawning over you at the school, especially January.”

  Roland's face twisted into a look of revulsion. “That can't be true.”

  “It’s obvious,” Kurt replied.

  The thought of January and Roland being together made me sick to the stomach. January didn’t deserve to be with Roland. Roland was good and encouraging, whereas January was like a dark cloud, looming over everyone's heads, ready to strike us down with lightning.

  Roland stood and both Kurt and I followed suit. “Where are we going next?” I asked.

  “I figured we could tour the town a little bit,” he said.

  I opened my mouth in protest, but he held up a hand. “Don’t worry. We’ll be heading in the right direction. It’ll just be the longer route.”

  I sighed. “I don't see why we should, but if you insist.”

  “I do,” Roland said. He smiled as he went off to pay the bill.

  Kurt and I wandered outside, and were greeted with an explosion of color. I hadn’t even realized that Nalla was so different from Achron in the darkness of the night, but it was. Buildings were painted blue, red, yellow, orange, green, and purple in all different shades.

  “They call this the rainbow city,” said Kurt.

  I had never seen a city that looked so colorful and happy. “Why doesn’t everyone live here?” I asked.

  “Many reasons. For one, it’s a loud city. There are many troubadours and acrobats and performers here.”

  “What’s wrong with that?” I asked.

  “Some people just don’t like that,” he answered. “Another reason is because the people try not to focus on bad things that are happening in the kingdoms. They try to keep themselves…ignorant.”

  I looked at him in shock. “Really?”

  He nodded.

  I shook my head. “That's ridiculous. The kingdoms' problems are our problems.”

  Roland sighed. “I know. As much as I would love to have no problems, that is not the way to go about it.”

  We were quiet as we weaved through a cr
owd of people. Each person had a smile and a carefree look about them. It was as if they had brainwashed themselves.

  “See what I mean?” Roland asked after they were gone.

  I nodded my head nervously. Why would someone do that to themselves?

  Ahead, I heard running water and I saw that the pavement suddenly dropped off just ahead. I looked over the edge when we got to it, and peered at the crystal clear water. It flowed slowly, its smooth surface reflecting the bright sun.

  A man was coming our way with a long, thin boat. He had a long pole to push him along.

  “Would you like to ride in boat?” he asked in a strange accent.

  Roland smiled and nodded. “Yes, we would,” he answered.

  Kurt snorted. “The canal. So this is what you meant when you said you wanted to go on a longer route.”

  “Yep,” replied Roland, climbing in the boat.

  He held on to my arm as I climbed in after him. He placed me in the seat next to him, which was already very tight. The skin that he touched tingled.

  Kurt came in after him, seeming reluctant. He sat in the seat ahead of us.

  “Ready?” the man asked, picking his pole back up. He didn’t wait for an answer before he pushed off the side of the canal and we were forging forward. We went fast enough for a soft breeze to blow on my face.

  Kurt glanced back at us every now and then, and I wondered why he felt so tense. I watched the city as it went by. The market was as crowded as the one in Achron, but much better looking. Plants were displayed on each stand even if that wasn’t what they were selling. Light blue was the main color. It added a certain charm that the Achron marketplace just didn’t have.

  A cheerful man leaned down and placed flower necklaces over each of our heads. Kurt's miserable expression made me laugh out loud, and Roland started laughing with me.

  I then realized something that made the smile disappear from my face. I was being sucked into the thoughtlessness of the Nallans.

  Roland noticed my change of face, and appeared concerned. “What is it?” he asked.

  “I just realized that I was forgetting about my problems,” I said.