by Erin Forbes
“What are you doing out here in the night?” he questioned, eyeing the flame that burned in my right hand. “You must be a student of the Academy for Gifted Youth.”
“Y—yes,” I stuttered as the large dog stared.
“What are you thinking? A young girl should not be wandering the Night Oak Forest this late in the evening,” he barked, as if it should have been obvious.
I remained silent. I had no idea where I was standing. Despite his slightly irritating remarks, it was evident that this sharp canine knew much more about the forest than I did.
“My name is Emerson.”
“I’m Alice,” I replied slowly.
“Well, Alice, you may be new around here, but I must tell you this forest is not the type you’ll want to be wandering through when the night sky lies overhead,” Emerson spoke in the rather gruff voice that one might imagine for a dog. “These woods are home to the type of beasts you do not want to encounter while you are walking alone.”
Despite the giant oak trees that grew close to the forest trail, I was beginning to feel quite exposed. After a moment of searching through my racing thoughts, I responded with an understanding nod.
“Shall I accompany you to the tree line?” Emerson snorted as he scanned the shadows.
I nodded once more. Our surroundings were beginning to grow unrecognizable in the night, and I was no longer sure of the direction that led toward the ancient castle.
“Are you one of the Guardians of Aisling?” I asked as the canine guided me through the forest.
“Indeed,” Emerson huffed. “You are lucky enough to find me tonight. I was on my way back from the White Birch Forest, but I’m not due to be on patrol until tomorrow morning.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, why does the territory need patrols?” I questioned the hound. “Sir Barrington gave us a brief introduction to the Guardians of Aisling; however, he never discussed it in much detail.”
Emerson watched me with a piercing glare. We had stopped on the edge of the forest path. Something told me the canine questioned his ability to trust me. He wasn’t foolish. After all, I was nothing more than a young girl in a foreign land.
“Sir Barrington was wise to not tell his students about the curse,” the wolfhound huffed. “Without the approval of Zara Hawthorne, I’m not authorized to speak about such a matter to any students. I suggest you find this information from within the Academy.”
I looked up at the castle windows, which glowed brightly from the tree line. Each twinkling light reminded me of lanterns in the darkness. After a long moment, I noticed the large dog had vanished. The lack of company sent a spark of fear through my heart, and the emotion swiftly carried my body in the direction of the castle.
As I walked into the entrance hall, the passing time seemed to shift back into place. The castle was silent, and not a footstep could be heard. After tiptoeing across the smooth marble flooring, I halted in front of the dining hall doors. My amber eyes peered through the tiny glass window. Dinner had started nearly ten minutes ago. Although it was only my first day at the Academy, it seemed like I had already formed a reputation for late arrivals.
Zara’s distant voice echoed as she stood behind the podium on the other side of the dining hall. Without a moment of hesitation, I opened the door and stepped into the room. The headmistress paused as everyone turned to stare in my direction. My face burned as my cheeks began to flush. I smiled with embarrassment before hurrying over to the empty chair beside my twin sister. After a moment, Zara cleared her throat, and all eyes turned back to her. My sister continued to watch me with an expression of confusion.
“Where have you been?” Emery whispered. “Kade and I studied in Lancaster Hall, but you weren’t there.”
“I was exploring,” I replied.
“Alone?” Emery questioned.
I nodded in response.
Violet, Kade, and Ronan sat across from us, watching our interaction with dull eyes. As we began to eat our dinner, the hall gradually flooded with the conversations of the Academy students. My sister placed her delicate hand over a steaming bowl of soup. After a brief moment, her dinner had cooled to just the right temperature. She took a careful sip from the spoon.
“Where did you explore?” Kade asked me as she removed her green jacket, revealing a pair of black wings.
“I walked over to the courtyard for a bit,” I responded, before drinking a sip of peppermint tea. “Do you have any idea what the locked towers contain?”
“The four stone towers?” Violet asked with a sudden spark of interest.
I nodded in response.
“Many myths have been told about the towers,” Kade began. “They were built nearly a century ago, and nobody has been able to open the doors since the first headmaster. Each tower is rumored to hide a terrible beast, although I don’t believe such things.”
“The towers are an ancient mystery, which very few of the professors dare to speak about,” added Ronan. “I suppose they don’t want any of the students to tamper with the doors.”
“My father once told me the tower chooses the person who enters,” said Violet.
◆◆◆
Upon walking through the door of Lancaster Hall, Augusta greeted us from the seat that rested behind her typewriter. The lounge was silent, and few girls studied in the silent corners.
“Good evening, girls,” Augusta said, lifting her eyes to examine the three of us. Her curly brown hair had been tied in separate buns on each side of her head. They stuck out like sprouts beside her ears, but nobody in the room looked at her with more than a second glance.
As we hurried into our chamber, each of us dropped our bags near the door. After grabbing a book from the top of my trunk, I attempted to find peace between the pages of a story. Nevertheless, my curiosity was wide awake.
“Do either of you know anything about the forest that borders the school grounds?” I asked my friends.
“That depends on which one you are talking about,” Kade responded. “The White Birch Forest or the Night Oak Forest?”
“I’m not sure,” I responded thoughtfully. “It was very dark and gloomy. It seemed as if all the light had been stripped from the forest floor.”
Emery sat cross-legged on her bed, listening carefully to our conversation. I wished she had been with me, for I missed our wonderful adventures together. We had been so busy since school began.
“I’m sure you are referring to the Night Oak Forest,” Kade informed me. “The White Birch Forest is nothing of that sort.” Her blue eyes seemed to darken a bit, and her voice dropped into a deep tone. It was clear that she did not want to be overheard.
“The Night Oak Forest is both utterly terrifying and extraordinarily beautiful, although this all depends on the time when you are traveling through,” Kade explained. “During the daylight hours, the Night Oak Forest is home to abundant streams, beautiful birds, and towering oak trees. But the forest is dark and fearsome in the night. It is home to some of the most fearsome creatures in all of Aisling. These beasts have recently been straying from the woodland border. This is the reason the Guardians of Aisling have been scheduled for intensive patrol.”
“What happens to the monsters when the sun begins to rise?” Emery asked, displaying an expression I had not seen for many years. “Do they hide?”
“They vanish,” Kade spoke briskly, “like nightmares themselves.”
CHAPTER TEN
The month of October arrived in a dusty haze of gold. The trees began to glisten as the crisp autumn air left the forest in a radiant blanket of leaves. It was not the end of summer warmth and sunshine, but it was the beginning of cozy socks and dappled afternoons.
My sixteenth birthday would be arriving soon, and the vial around my neck could finally be opened. I had received word that Lancaster Hall was planning a surprise party, for a few of the female students were terrible at keeping secrets. The dormitory had discovered the fact that my twin sister and I shared our birthd
ay with Ariadne Moss.
I began to grow acquainted with the endless maze of hallways that the old castle contained. The other students were always friendly, and the professors seemed to lighten as the year continued.
Each of our teachers were very different individuals. For example, Oliver O’Reilly was a funny and carefree teacher, and he acted more like a student than a professor. He lived by the most popular Academy policy, which states that students were required to call their teachers by no more than their first name. Many of the new students did not understand this concept; however, Oliver was sure to ignore them until they caught on.
Furthermore, I had grown to know professors such as Sir Theodore Barrington. The white-haired man possessed a grumpy and cavalier face, which closely resembled that of an elderly forest elf. Sir Barrington was quite the opposite of Oliver, and he insisted that each of us call him by his formal name.
◆◆◆
It was a cold October evening when I greeted my friends at the edge of the Night Oak Forest. The trees were mellow and full of life, although I was unable to forget the night when I first stepped onto the forest path.
“What are we doing here?”
“This is how you get to the village,” Violet responded as the dirt began to crunch beneath our boots.
The forest appeared to be incredibly different than before. The canopy no longer sheltered the glowing eyes of insidious creatures, as it now held the nests of peculiar songbirds. The evening sun shone brightly through the treetops, and dappled upon the forest floor. A tiny stream ran between the tree roots. Occasionally, we needed to cross a small wooden bridge, as the water had grown too wide to jump across.
After a long trek through the forest, we came to a halt at the edge of the tree line. My eyes widened with amazement. The Night Oak Forest bordered a gentle valley, which was home to an extraordinary village.
“Welcome to the village of Willowcrest,” Violet spoke with a smile.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Willowcrest Village was a magnificent place. Each of the shops had been painted a variety of bright colors. The cobblestone road held a peculiar sparkle from the reflections of stained glass. Each window displayed enchanted trinkets, gemstones, and some of the strangest flowers I had encountered. Gifted people of all ages roamed the streets, and the air bustled with conversation.
“The Moss Shop is our first destination,” announced Violet, pointing toward a tiny store on the other side of the road. Its thatched roof was covered in an abundance of moss, which reminded me of the fairy houses from my childhood.
Dodging wagons, horses, and fellow pedestrians, we made our way across the street. The village was beautiful; however, it was quite different from the rest of Aisling. The quiet countryside seemed oceans away from the crowded road.
As we made our way up the steps of the old mossy store, a flickering candlelight danced in the window. Violet reached for the door, although it quickly swung back in our direction. A few of us grabbed her arms to keep her from falling off the porch.
“I’m so sorry!” Ariadne stood in the doorway with a large box in her hands. “Are you hurt?”
Violet was rubbing her knee, although she straightened up and managed to fake a smile. Her eyes had transformed into a deep shade of lilac, which resembled her tangled hair. Constellations of tiny blue dots were beginning to scatter across her irises. I knew she was in more pain than she cared to admit.
“Are you sure?” Ariadne glanced at the rest of us as she walked down the steps.
“I'm all right, Ariadne. Don’t worry about it.” Violet nodded as she pulled open the door, and the rest of us followed her inside.
“I barely ever see that girl outside of class,” said Emery, shutting the door behind us.
“Ariadne spends most of her extra time working here,” Ronan responded. “Her family owns the store.”
At first glance, the Moss Shop appeared to be very small. Nevertheless, it was remarkably crowded. At the front of the store was a giant oak desk, where a long line of people trailed away from the cashier. The walls were lined with bookshelves, fabric, and other materials.
As Ronan wandered through the aisles, each item he passed began to float toward the ceiling. His sister followed him, grabbing random objects from the air and placing them back on the shelves. The teenage boy was completely oblivious.
“Luckily, his sister has wings.”
Violet had suddenly appeared beside me. As she watched with a hint of amusement, her eyes shifted into a bright shade of blue. I nodded slowly before drifting toward the other end of the store. The purple-haired girl followed with careful strides.
“I can’t find any petalstone,” Emery said as she rushed toward us. “It isn’t on any of the shelves. Do you suppose they ran out?”
Violet shook her head and wandered over to the counter. People of all ages waited to make their payment to the old shopkeeper. Blue coins jingled in the pockets of every cloak. Despite the many expressions of dismay, my friend hurried to the front of the unbroken line.
“Good morning, Mr. Moss,” Violet greeted the man behind the counter. “I’m very sorry to interrupt, but do you happen to know where I might find a few boxes of petalstone?”
The man’s stern gaze seemed to lighten after Violet’s apology. He led us to a small door in the back of the room. After a moment of searching his coat pocket, the shopkeeper retrieved an old iron key. He placed it in the keyhole and swung open the door.
“Impossible,” I whispered.
The door had led us to a large hall. Glass display cases were spread out in rows before us, each containing a precious stone or trinket. Great spiral staircases led to a second floor, which held a capacious library. I hoped the pages would answer all my questions, as the hall was twice the size of the building I had entered.
Emery’s gaze sparkled as her cheeks crinkled into a smile. As she ran off to continue her search, my imagination wandered over to the library. Any new book from this realm had the gift of captivating my mind. The binding was simply too difficult to close.
I wandered between the bookshelves until I began to feel like a lost girl. The library appeared to be deserted, but I eventually came across a familiar young woman. I glanced at her once more, pretending to hide my nose behind a book. The woman’s identity did not resonate with me until her sapphire eyes greeted mine.
“Hello, Alice!” Zara spoke.
I greeted her with a smile.
“I’ve wanted to formally introduce myself to you and your sister,” said Zara, placing another book in her basket.
I remained silent.
“You both have fascinating Gifts,” the headmistress continued. “Twins aren’t usually Gifted with such connected powers.”
I was not sure what the headmistress was trying to tell me. I did not see much of a connection between the Gifts of my sister and me, for the elements of fire and water always mimicked our opposite personalities. It was common knowledge that no one had ever received the same Gift. Zara seemed to be searching my eyes for the answer to an unasked question. I was preparing to respond, but someone called my name.
“It sounds like your presence is needed elsewhere.” Zara smiled as she adjusted the heavy basket in her arms. “I will be sure to meet with the two of you soon.”
I nodded in return before placing my book back on the shelf. Something about that short conversation stuck with me. I tried to push it away, but I knew Zara had seen something different in my sister and me. In a realm of people who were known for their differences, the headmistress had noticed something rare. I was not sure if this was something desirable.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Several days had passed, although I was unable to rid my mind of the words that Zara had spoken in the library. I sought to dismiss our conversation as normal; however, I could not convince myself of such a thing. The headmistress’s words seemed to hide a message.
The study of Gifts began to take up my afternoon hours, and caused me to be
more interested during class time. I felt as if I was neglecting my sister a bit. Nevertheless, she did not seem to notice, as her time was now devoted to our realm exploration class, and our bedroom had transformed into a museum of ancient maps.
I already knew every person was born with an individual Gift. However, for many years, the magical realm has separated each gift into a particular class or category. There are fewer than one hundred different types of Gifts, which are divided into the Common, Oddities, and Rare Gifts.
For example, Kade has the Gift of Wings, which means that she is classified in the Flight Category. This group is considered an Oddity because the types of wings that exist happen to vary. Some Gifted individuals have been born with fairy or insect wings, while Kade was born with feathered wings. This creates more room for other people, and it means that my friend is not the only person with the Gift of Flight.
