Shatterskin

by Beca Lewis

  Them. Everyone. Everyone I knew and people I didn’t know. People I had seen around the castle but who had never spoken to me were there. Food was piled high on the tables. The five metal guys—or were they girls, too—were there serving.

  I stepped into the room, and they all yelled, “Surprise.” Yes, I was excited to see them all. But at the same time, I knew what it was. A last supper.

  For a moment, just a teeny tiny moment, I thought about running. Where I would go didn’t matter. I just needed to run. But the urge to run didn’t last. These people were here for me. I would be there for them. If this was the last supper, I might as well enjoy it.

  Twenty-One

  Erda doesn’t count the time the same way that I learned to do in the Earth dimension, so I wasn’t sure what month it was back home. But the full moon looked like a harvest moon to me, so I chose to believe that it was the middle of October, which meant that I had been in Erda for over a month. It had been the fastest, the slowest, the scariest, the loneliest, and the most exciting month of my life. All of those feelings wrapped up into one package.

  As Beru and I walked through the forest outside the Castle to where the ceremony was to be held, I thought through all that I had learned. The month was the fastest because as soon as Suzanne and I stepped through the portal, I was a young woman and no longer a little girl. At least my body was a young woman’s body. During my time in Erda, I was trying to grow up to match it.

  I had a feeling that the ceremony was going to force even more growth. I decided not to think about what I was going to remember. It was a dark rabbit hole to go down, so I tried to avoid tripping and falling into it.

  Dinner was spectacular in every sense. I had never seen Ruta have a good time, but after drinking something that looked like syrup, he got very animated. He even danced on top of one of the tables. I think it was dancing. Whatever it was, it was wonderful to watch. He rarely said a word to me, but I knew he had come to like me just a little bit even though he still mumbled under his breath when I was an idiot. Not his fault. I was often an idiot. Nevertheless, I certainly had come to like him, and the dancing topped it off.

  Beru held my hand as she introduced me to every person who worked in the Castle. These were the mystery people who had taken care of everything for me while I was there. They cooked, cleaned, and ran the business of the Castle without me needing to do anything at all. I thanked each one the best that I could. They thanked me for being so brave. I smiled as if I knew what they were talking about because brave was not the feeling that I was having.

  In fact, the more they thanked me, the scarier it got. By the time we were done, I understood why Beru had held my hand. I could feel her encouragement flowing through me, and that helped me smile, bow, and say, “Thank you. I’ll do my best,” to each person I met. It was apparent that they all knew a secret that I didn’t know, because there was no way that I would be able to fight the Shrieks and Shatterskin, even with all the help in the world. The thought came that perhaps they were really saying goodbye to me. It wasn’t inconceivable. I had no idea how I would survive the Riff.

  After the introducing, the amazing food, and the dancing, Beru took me back to my room. I had come to love that room. I was no longer locked in at night, but instead had been taught how to weave an illusion around the door so that no one could see it except the people I trusted.

  I had taught Zeid how to high-five, which everyone thought was silly but fun, so the day I hid something from Professor Link, Zeid high-fived me. I wasn’t sure which part was the best—the learning of the skill or that I was learning it with Zeid.

  Even Link had nodded at me in approval. My magic making skills were improving. But I didn’t believe they were even close to what I would need at the Riff.

  As I gazed longingly at my bed, Beru dressed me for the ceremony. Since arriving at the castle, I had been provided clean clothes every day. Although the colors changed, the style stayed pretty much the same. Soft and very durable leggings and a top that draped enough to be comfortable but tight enough not to catch on anything. My clothes had survived multiple falls and slides across the training floor without tearing or ripping. My top had even snagged a knife blade when Niko was showing me how to use a knife, and it didn’t tear. Instead, the knife slid off. Very handy for a fairly clumsy and a not very talented fighter like me. I could see Niko shake his head sometimes after another spectacular failure on my part in a sparring match with Zeid.

  Once I heard Niko tell Professor Link that he hoped what I was learning in Link’s class would save me because my fighting skills sucked. Yes. He used that word. I held no grudges. He was correct.

  For the ceremony, Beru gave me a fresh set of clothes and then went to the closet and pulled out a coat I had never seen before. “You’ll be needing this,” she said. I slipped it on. Like the leggings and top, it was lightweight and fit perfectly.

  Then she handed me a backpack filled with who knew what. “You’ll need this too, Hannah,” she said. After she and I walked out the door, she turned and locked the door. This time I was on the outside.

  “Will I ever be back here, Beru?” I asked.

  “And you think I know the future, Hannah? I don’t. So my answer is, perhaps yes, perhaps no. What I do know is that after tonight you might not want to return.”

  It was those words that kept running through my head as we walked through the forest. I could see a fire burning in the distance. The moon lay low on the horizon, lighting our paths. The trees rustled in a breeze that I couldn’t feel, their leaves nearing the end of this year’s cycle.

  Although the path should have been littered with fall leaves, it was as smooth and clear as a walk down the aisle of a church. Who cleared the path? I wondered.

  When I heard the words, “We did,” I had no idea who had spoken. Just as I had no idea what lay before me. But a sense of purpose had infused me from the moment Beru slipped the coat over my shoulder. I was ready.

  Twenty-Two

  Five minutes later, Beru and I broke through the forest into the clearing. A fire was roaring in the center of a ring of stones. There were five Ginete that I could see standing in the shadows outside of the clearing.

  Beru whispered to me, “They have prepared the space for the ceremony and will keep the doors open for you to remember.”

  I nodded as if I understood. But it was a sense of comfort to see the Ginete in the shadows, arms folded, all-seeing eyes taking in everything. It looked as if they weren’t doing anything, but I knew that this ceremony was happening because they agreed to it.

  I nodded in their direction, hoping to say thank you, but they avoided my gaze.

  I could see Niko, Aki, Suzanne, Zeid, and Ruta seated around the fire. Shadowy figures were sitting in the circle too, but I couldn’t make out their faces, and I had no idea who they were. There was an open space in the ring where Beru and I settled in. Nothing was said.

  One of the shadows rose, and I saw that it was Professor Link. He walked around the circle putting a small bowl in each of our hands. It was only when he was halfway around the circle that I realized he wasn’t carrying the bowls. They appeared in his hands as he gave them to each person, including the shadows.

  I was last. The bowl was empty. Professor Link turned and walked the circle again placing something in each bowl. Once again there was nothing in his hands until right before he put it in each bowl. I tried to see what he was doing, but Beru did her famous pinch me in the leg, and I got the message to stop looking.

  Everyone was silent, staring into the fire, except for Ruta who was staring at me. When I looked back at him, he gave me one of his stern looks that I had come to fear. Don’t cross Ruta. The effects from whatever he had been drinking seemed to have worn off. He was back to his grumpy self.

  But now I knew that there was the heart of a dancer beating in
side that stump body. I knew I wasn’t supposed to be looking at him, but I still gave him the best smile I could muster and I swear I saw his eyebrow rise in recognition and a twinkle in his eye.

  By then Link was almost to my bowl, so I turned my attention back to the fire. I stilled my thoughts as best I could. I knew Link would know what was going on inside of me, so I did my best to match what he might be expecting.

  Professor Link dropped what looked like shredded tobacco into my bowl and stepped into the fire. Not kidding. Into the fire. No one seemed surprised. I wanted to run and grab him to safety, but when I looked again, I realized that he was untouched. Instead, he looked surprisingly at peace.

  He reached out and picked a single flame from the fire, mumbled something and a flame appeared in the center of all our bowls. Luckily I was frozen in place watching Link, so I didn’t flinch. Like everyone else I held the bowl steady and didn’t put it down until I saw everyone else put their bowl on the ground in front of them.

  A sweet, pungent smell was coming from whatever was burning in the bowls, and within a few minutes, the entire campsite was wreathed in smoke.

  Still standing in the fire, the professor raised his arms and began to chant. I could feel the heat rising within me. Within seconds I was drenched in sweat. Everything around me faded away.

  I closed my eyes and was somewhere else. There were voices all around me. I thought I recognized them, but couldn’t remember their names. There was laughter and sobbing. Thunder boomed, and a lightning flash lit up the room where I was standing. I looked out a window at the coming storm. Trees filled in all that I could see. I heard someone say, “But she isn’t safe here,” then sobbing. Was it me crying?

  A soft voice assured me that I would be fine. I wouldn’t remember much so I could be happy where I was going. “But what about you?” I heard myself ask. There was no answer. I waited in the silence.

  One of the shadows rose and stood before me. “You have returned. We will be waiting for you. Gather your strength. Trust your heritage and the friends that have come to be with you.”

  Another shadow rose and stood beside the first one. They held hands, bowed, and were gone. I heard sobbing again, and this time I knew it was me. I opened my eyes. The fire had died down to embers. Professor Link was no longer there. The shadows that had been in the circle were gone.

  Beru rose and stood in front of me. “Shall I speak your name now?”

  Mutely, I nodded.

  Beru bowed and said, “Welcome home, Princess Kara Beth.”

  When I stood up all my friends stood too. “Have you all known who I am?”

  When no one answered, I had my answer. Yes, they had known and had waited for me to remember. To return. To protect the kingdom from the man who threatened to destroy everything in his path. I remembered Abbadon and his monsters. And I was mad.

  “Do you want to know our plan, Princess Kara Beth?”

  “I do. But first I don’t want to be called Princess Kara Beth or even Kara. Please call me Hannah. Someday I may return to the name you have given me. But for now, I am Hannah.”

  I looked around. “I don’t remember everything. I’m afraid because I still don’t have a memory of any powers I might have once had. I also don’t know if all of you were here with me before.”

  “Your parents thought it best to have you forget while you lived in the Earth dimension, Hannah,” Suzanna said.

  “It may take time for your powers and your memory to return to you, but we trust that it will. Plus you have your lifetimes in the Earth dimension that will help. You have learned ways of seeing things that we might not see because we have been here, surviving, waiting for the right time to bring you back and fight,” Niko said.

  I turned to Zeid. “Did I know you before?”

  It must have been a strange question to ask because I saw everyone glance at each other before Zeid answered. “You did. But that’s not important at this time. Now we must be going.”

  With one last glance at Zeid, thinking of all the things he might not be telling me, I answered. “So be it. Let’s go.”

  To Beru, I whispered, “Where are we going?”

  I might have remembered that I used to live in Erda, and know that I used to be royalty, but for the most part, I was still the clueless person I was before the ceremony. I hoped that would change soon, but in the meantime, I was going to have to count on Beru to get me through it.

  “And me,” I heard a tiny voice whisper.

  I looked down and saw a little face peeking out of my coat pocket. “Now, who are you?” I asked.

  And then I remembered.

  Twenty-Three

  “Pris!” I yelled as I snatched my friend from my pocket.

  “Stop it!” Pris said as she wiggled in my hand.

  But I couldn’t stop clutching her. I had never been so happy to see anyone. Still holding her in my fist, I asked, “Are your sisters here?” I was practically yelling at her until Beru put a restraining hand on my arm.

  “Whoops,” I whispered. “Yes, I must be quiet. Still, are your sisters here too?”

  By then I had opened my hand, and Pris was sitting on it smiling at me. She was as beautiful as I remembered. I realized that I didn’t know how long I had been away. I remembered two short lifetimes in the Earth dimension. But were there more that I didn’t remember? Did Pris look the same because I hadn’t been away for long in their time? Or was it because she didn’t age?

  Either way, she was there, sitting in my hand like old times. When I saw her, I felt as if the door into my past that had begun to open during the ceremony cracked open a little bit further. I remembered playing together.

  Pris had her hair in pigtails with tiny bows on the end of each of them. I remembered pulling them and her laughing and flying off. Having Pris as a friend when I was little was like having a live doll with wings. Smart, funny, and very clever. I also recalled getting in a lot of trouble together.

  “This is good, that you remember us,” Pris said. “Beru wanted to surprise you. But I wasn’t sure you would remember me, even after the ceremony. To answer your question, though, yes, they are here too.”

  Pris waved her hand, and I looked up to see two more tiny fairies heading my way. Cil and La. I remember asking Pris about their names. She had told me that their mother wanted to be able to call “Priscilla,” and they would all come. Most people couldn’t tell them apart. But I could. Pris was the oldest sister and had a tiny birthmark that looked like a star on her forehead. Cil was the only one with green eyes, and La’s hair had one streak of white in the front.

  The sisters landed on each shoulder and kissed my cheek. I couldn’t help it. My eyes overflowed. They both giggled and flicked off the tears at their older sister. Just like old times.

  “Thank you, Beru,” I said.

  “I thought you could use their company. Besides, they were driving everyone crazy wanting to see you. And now that they’re here, it’s time for us to leave. We have a long way to travel, and a few stops to make.”

  The three sisters tucked into my pockets ready to travel. As much as they like flying, they love being attached to someone and riding along more. I could hear them humming in my pocket, and my heart was happy in spite of the danger that lay ahead.

  “What stops? And I don’t see Suzanne. Isn’t she going with us?” I asked.

  “She went ahead. We need to collect your army, don’t we?” Beru said with a huff. “Look around you. As wonderful as we all are, do you think we can defeat the Shrieks and Shatterskin by ourselves? Get a grip, let’s go. Stop gibber jabbing and start walking.”

  If Beru had talked to me like that a month before I probably would have started to cry. This time I knew what she was doing. She was hiding how afraid she was for all of us, especially for me. I knew she h
ad been assigned to me by Earl. But I also knew she cared for me, the same way I cared for her. There was no way I was going to let anything happen to her.

  As I looked around, I realized that I was not going to let anything happen to any of them. I had no idea how I was going to defeat Abbadon’s monsters. But I knew we could do it. Somehow. We’d figure it out. If we needed an army, then I was ready to get them. But I thought that there could be another way. Something kept flashing in the back of my mind. It would come to me.

  I just hoped it would come to me in time.

  The moon lit the way as Ruta led us through the forest. I knew now that the forest responded to Ruta. I knew that somehow everything moved to make a clear path for him, and therefore for us, so of course he would go first. The rest of us followed.

  Beru darted in and out of the forest, never losing sight of our little band, and always making sure that I knew where she was at all times. She was hard to see in the trees unless you knew what to look for. Aki walked with Ruta, and Niko was behind all of us. Up ahead I could hear Lady drumming. She was scouting ahead of us, sending back signals about which way to go,

  My friends walked together as if they had done this before many times. They were a team. I could see that now. Trained, alert, and prepared. I wondered how long they had waited for me to come back. The list of questions that I had kept stacking up.