Chapter sixty-three—Revealing Secrets
Later that night, the entire group of us had sat in the living room in front of the fire, discussing our imprints and our powers. Wolf and Austin had left before Caspian and I had returned to the manor to guard the boundaries, so they weren’t there to witness who had what powers or imprints.
After our armor was taken off and stacked up on an armchair, we shared our imprints. Ellie obtained the imprint of a white swan on her left leg, with the eye color of icy blue. She, like her elemental school, was an Ice elemental. Nikki had obtained an imprint of an owl with bright emerald eyes, and had received the same element as Sophia, who never revealed her imprint. Abby was the only one to receive the Fire element, with the imprint of a snow leopard. Bell’s imprint of a fish on her stomach showed her newfound powers involved with the Storm element through its glowing purple eyes. I was the only one to have gotten the element of Death, and I had showed my imprint to very few people after Caspian.
A few days flew by, and the surprising shock of our newfound powers left us quickly. Now, it was pure paranoia and limitations. Everyone studied and practiced their newfound powers freely and safely while outside of the manor, while I had to be supervised over entirely while I used any kind of magic, whether it was small or not. Therefore it made everything much more difficult to learn and study, especially while attempting to understand my new powers.
My usual schedule would become more complex day by day. The group of us would be escorted from the manor to our classes each morning by Caspian, Wolf, Austin, and the Hunter. I have often noticed a few other people I don’t recognize watching me as I would move from place to place when the others weren’t around, as if they were spies. After training for thirteen or so hours, we would be escorted back home the same people, except sometimes the Hunter isn’t with us.
Considering the Hunter was my bodyguard and oh-so-mysterious, I yearned to know more about him. There were times where I purposely walked near him, although he would always remain silent. At first I found it a little rude that he never seemed to introduce himself or greet me, until I figured that he must be trained not to do so. However, I didn’t surrender to his intense silence. Instead, even though he may be seriously creepy and strange, I spoke to him.
He usually only responded in small replies and grunts, as if only vaguely interested. It was as if he was always distracted, and I was beginning to worry that I would never get past being an acquaintance with him because of his lack of social enthusiasm.
But the sadness in his eyes motivated me to get to know him better, for I had a sense of sympathy for this man. If only I was as good at reading people as Ellie was.
Since his lack of interest and social abilities radiated off of him every time I saw him, I was utterly shocked to find him greeting me after a long day of training.
The day had been stressful, and I had been pushed to my limit. I had been lectured and criticized for my lack of magic-use and practicing from the professors, including Wolf, who knew how dangerous I was. Caspian, however, granted me some slack every once in a while. Not often, but at least he was merciful. I wondered how many other professors would be as merciful as Caspian if they knew the dilemma I was in.
I was exhausted and hungry, and I suppose it must have shown, considering the Hunter had finally found interest in social interactions. I had been dragging my feet, and the Hunter had been close behind me. I had almost jumped from being startled by his voice of which he rarely uses.
“You alright?”
I looked at him for a moment, my tongue frozen in surprise. “I… Yes, thank you. I’m just very tired, that’s all.”
“Here, have this.” The Hunter took something out of his bag and handed it to me. It was a piece of dried meat, which was getting rarer to have by the day. “You need it.”
I slowly took the piece of meat. “Thank you. I truly wish they had food breaks between classes.”
“They have little time for a lot of people, and the more food to give out the worse. The people who control the rations are having problems with livestock and such; animals are dying from loss of blood and sicknesses. It’s becoming harder to have food these days.” The Hunter explained neutrally. I realized it was the longest sentence I’d ever heard from him.
I moved my thumb along the dried meat gently, feeling my stomach growl. “Maybe you should have it, then.”
The Hunter shook his head. “No.”
“You need food too, you know?”
“I’ve gone days without food without feeling hungry. I assure you, Ms. Ravengem, that my strength is decent enough for now.” The Hunter replied seriously as we walked.
“Oh.” I stared off ahead, wondering if that achievement was even possible. “So… Where are you from, Hunter?”
It took a moment for him to answer this. “I moved around a lot.”
I raised my eyebrow. “Anywhere in particular?”
The Hunter glanced at me. “My home is not home anymore. The world we lived on in the past is gone.”
I took a breath, wondering what had happened to the Hunter to make him feel so serious and secretive. “I’m sorry about that.”
There was a silence for a while, until the Hunter spoke once more. “Did you have a place where you once called Home?”
I shrugged. “Yes. I did. Like you said, however, it’s not there anymore. I can’t imagine what has happened to the village I once lived in since the time I had left.”
“What village?”
“I had lived in Wizard City, near Ravenwood, where I went to school. I lived in a cottage in the middle of a village named Unicorn Way, with my mother and sister.” I replied sorrowfully, looking down.
“No father?”
I looked at the Hunter strangely. “Malistaire never knew I existed, so no. He believed Sylvia dead, and my sister wasn’t his daughter in the first place. She was the daughter of a coward who left us when my mother needed him.”
The Hunter frowned. “Then I hope that the cowardly father pays his debts to your family and gets what he deserves.”
I smiled slightly, yet I was still full of sorrow. “I do hope so, too. There are times where I wonder how different life would be if he had stayed with us.”
The Hunter remained silent, and my eyes widened. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m probably spilling out things you don’t care to hear, aren’t I?”
The Hunter shook his head slightly. “Some things are meant to be heard, and meant to be listened for.”
“Right…”
“So, how did a young girl like you figure out that your real father was a mass-murdering necromancer?” The Hunter asked. It sounded like a question Caspian would ask, although there was no trace of amusement in his voice. Instead, it was always dead seriousness and grave looks.
“Well, it was a long process,” I replied honestly. “I mean, it started out when I was given the element of Balance. My mother was Life, which is quite obvious considering that she was Sylvia Drake. The father I thought I was related to at the time, however, was Fire. Fire and Life don’t make a Balance child, you see- and that’s when I became suspicious.”
“I had heard of what had happened in Golem Court. I was traveling, although everyone seemed to know of it. It must have been a shock for him to see his daughter for the second time.”
I looked at him, surprised. “A second time? What makes you think that?”
“Why do you think he was there in Golem Court that day? He was most likely looking for you. That means that he had seen you once before, probably with Sylvia. If you attempt to deny it, try figuring out another excuse for him to endanger himself so foolishly to enter grounds so near to Ravenwood, where you were to be enrolled in.” The Hunter explained knowingly as I pondered over it, gaping at his words.
“I never thought of it that way…” I replied softly, deep in thought. “I didn’t know he was my father until right before my family was murdered. I knew there was something hidden from me by the time I figured out that there were no Balance or Death relatives related to us.”
“You must keep great track of your ancestors.”
I shrugged, thinking of Sabrina and my conversation, back in Unicorn Way, discussing our family tree. She was gone, but her words still lingered. “Yes. I used to go over to a relative’s house with my baby sister and they had a family tree on their dining wall. I don’t remember much about it now, however, because it’s been so long.”
The Hunter nodded. “It’s strange how elders like to keep history like a packrat. Family trees can take up so much space.”
“Elders..?” I blinked, and stopped in my tracks. “I never said anything about elders.”
The Hunter stopped and looked at me, and although his eyes were still sad and dark, I saw a flash of panic. It disappeared, however, when he spoke. “I was assuming, of course. Let’s keep going.”
But I was suddenly suspicious, and I could feel my instincts kicking in. “But that was totally irrelevant. There are plenty of families with family trees, so why elders?”
“Why is it so important?” The Hunter snapped back. I gaped, realizing that I had hit a nerve. I was getting closer to something that the Hunter may be hiding.
“It was my grandparent’s house of which obtained the family tree on their dining wall, Hunter. I’m sorry if I find it shocking to have a man who has never met my grandparents, nor my family, assume that the family tree I mentioned was in a house of elders.” I answered sharply, glaring at him.
The Hunter stared at me. “You are overreacting.”
“Am I?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Yes, Mary. You are.”
“Then how did you know elderly people lived in the house of which I visited?”
The Hunter snarled. “It was an assumption!”
“It was an irrelevant assumption, Hunter. Where I lived it was tradition for a family to have a family tree somewhere in their house, or at least have a relative with that family tree. It is specifically not something just for elders. That is a foolish mistake to make. Now, tell me the truth- how did you know that my family tree was in my grandparent’s house?” I asked once more, sending daggers through my eyes.
“It was an assumption!” The Hunter was suddenly right in front of me, pure anger in his eyes. I stepped back quickly, surprised at his angry outburst.
“You wouldn’t be so defensive if it was an assumption.” I growled back, crossing my arms.
“Do I look like I’m lying to you?” He asked, pointing at himself. “Stop being foolish, Mary.”
But I looked at him. Really looked at him. He was unshaved and scarred, yet still so familiar. His face, his cheeks, his curly brown hair. When I looked deeply into his hard brown eyes, I felt my heart drop. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t even speak, except the one name that rang through my head.
“Sabrina…” I whispered, out of breath.
The Hunter frowned. “What?”
I stared at the ground, eyes wide, choking over my words. “You…”
The Hunter put his hand on my shoulder, concerned. “Mary, are you-?”
“Get off of me!” I shrieked, slapping his hand away. I pointed at him. “You stay away from me.”
“Mary, listen to me-“He started, but I interrupted him.
“No. You listen. I don’t want you here. I don’t want you near me. I want you gone you son of a bitch!” I cried out at him. I could feel my hatred for him pouring out, but the shock had left my mind numb and stupid, and I couldn’t think, nor could I breathe.
“Mary, you need to calm down.”
“Calm down? Calm down?!” I laughed hysterically, but I could feel my throat swelling up, and my vision was beginning to turn blurry. “I know who you are.”
“Mary, please…” The Hunter’s eyes grew soft, almost pleadingly. He raised his hand to touch me, but I took three steps back. “Mary, if you would only listen-“
I could hear thunder erupt in the blackened sky above as I clenched my fists. “I’m not going to listen to you. You have nothing you can say for yourself, other than you being a lying bastard whose cowardice lead to the deaths of the people I loved most. You don’t get to speak. You don’t deserve it!”
He took my arm suddenly with an iron grip, as I struggled. I turned my head away from him, but his voice sent shivers down my spine as he spoke into my ear. “I am not here for your forgiveness, nor am I here because of what I did before. I know you’ll never forgive me for what I had done, and I understand. But I am your stepfather, and I going to protect you whether you don’t want me there or not. I want your father dead just as much as you do, so I promise you this. The moment Malistaire dies, I will leave. I will leave you alone, Mary. But have my responsibilities, and I-“
I tore my arm away from him hatefully as I glared at him, tears running down my face. “If you expect me to rely on you for my safety, change your damn mind. I will never trust such a coward whose actions had resulted in the murders of his wife and daughter. You could have saved them, but you weren’t there, were you? Where were you when their throats were slit? Where were you when I heard the fire mimic their screams?!”
The Hunter swallowed. He did not answer. Thunder erupted again, roaring throughout the Academy.
I nodded, my face burning. “That’s right. You were hiding, because you’re still alive. Strange how the bravest and most kind people were found dead, while the cowards hiding under their blankets were given the gift of life.”
“Mary…” The Hunter spoke softly, pain growing in his voice. “I…”
I felt water land on my cheek, as I looked up into the sky. Rain. It hadn’t rained in months. I shook my head at the Hunter, another tear running down my face. “Leave me alone, and don’t come back.”
The Hunter grabbed my wrist, but I tore it away from him. I don’t know what made me do it, or the fact that I had the strength to do it, but I slapped him right in the face. The sound of skin against skin echoed for a moment, as he slowly touched his cheek.
I turned and ran.
The Hunter shouted something, but my mind was too much in a frenzy to bother hearing. I was blind from tears, and the thunder above me clouded me from any sounds of the outside world. I didn’t know where I was going; I just ran, hoping that the manor wasn’t too far ahead.
The rain didn’t die down, either. It was suddenly a hot, wet storm of rain as people ran outside, rejoicing in the sudden weather change. The rain was a gift of water, even though it was as warm as the air.
I ran, until I tripped against something because of my blindness and landed into something firm, but alive. Recognizing the wonderful scent of the person, I shook my head and covered my face, sobbing.
“Mary, wha-“Caspian took me by my shoulders, trying to see my face. “What happened?”
I shook my head. “I can’t.”
I struggled, but eventually Caspian managed to remove my hands from my face. I didn’t want him to see me like this; vulnerable and with a puffy face. But instead of mentioning my tear stained face, he cradled my face in his hands like I was a child. He spoke gently, almost lovingly. “Wow, your eyes turn bright blue when you cry, you know that?” I didn’t reply, and I knew I looked terrible. “Tell me what’s wrong, love.”
The last time I had stood out in the rain was in Mooshu, where I had been crying over the death of Caspian. Now I was crying over a coward with a strong, uncovered secret. I wrapped my arms around Caspian for comfort, and he hugged me.
Through the rain and thunder, Caspian spoke to me. “What happened, Mary? Who did this to you?”
I regained my voice after a moment, and took deep breaths. “I found out who my long lost step father is.”
Remarkably, I felt Caspian laugh a little. “Who cares? He left you. He sucks.”
I stepped away from Caspian to see his face, frowning through my tears. “I care, Caspian. I actually give a damn.”
Caspian stared at me for a moment, and then sighed. “I’m sorry. I was trying to cheer you up.”
I buried my face in his chest. “It’s the Hunter, Caspian.”
Caspian stiffened, and he didn’t speak for a moment. “I can kick his ass if you want me to.”
“Caspian!” I cried out, wanting to go home.
“What? It would be fun.” Caspian moved away from me, and he gave me his hand. “I know what will cheer you up.”
I hesitantly took his hand, sniffling. “What?”
“Dancing!” Caspian pulled me to him as he grinned, and I struggled. “What, you’ve never danced in the rain?”
“No. I don’t dance.” I struggled until he let me go disappointingly. “I’m terrible at it.”
“Come on…” Caspian whined, pulling on my arms. “Abby and I used to do it when we were younger. Don’t you want to try?”
“Caspian, I just figured out something that will probably turn my life upside down. I don’t think this is the time.” I replied, frustrated, but my tears seemed to had stopped.
Caspian twirled me by surprise, making me cry out. In a flash, his lovely face was inches from mine as he grinned genuinely. “C’mon, love. This may be the last time we’ll have it rain like this…”
“I…” I gazed into his eyes, and sighed. “You know what. Fine. I’ll do it.”
“Great!” Caspian cried out. He put his hand on my waist, and his other in my hand. We waltzed around a circle, and through my pain he forced a laugh out of from the childish thing we were doing. He laughed too.
“I told you it would be fun.”
“It is,” I replied softly as he twirled me in the pouring rain. “But I can’t imagine you dancing like this with Abby.”
“Oh, I didn’t. I saved this dancing for you.” Caspian smirked, looking down at me. His blue and gold eyes seemed to intensify in the rain, to a dazzling point. “Abby and I would always flap our arms and dance like wild animals.”
“Oh?”
We danced some more, embracing the warm rain. For once, you couldn’t see any of the darkness of Dragonspyre. Only the light blue haze of rain.
Caspian leaned in, grinning. “But this is much nicer.”
I laughed as we danced faster, and I managed to not step on his feet. I wondered how ridiculous we looked; although the rain was so dense that I wouldn’t be surprised if nobody could see us anyways.
He lifted me up, and I stuck out my tongue to catch raindrops, as if they were snow. I laughed as he pretended to drop me.
I held my breath as his face loomed near mine, and we connected gazes. My heart stopped. I couldn’t help but glance at his lips, but when I looked back up, he was staring at mine. Time stopped.
I could feel him leaning forward, ever so slightly.
But he gave me another twirl by surprise, making me gasp. I could breathe again, although my heart was racing.
But when I saw his face again, he wasn’t grinning. Instead, there was a kind of seriousness in his eyes, or a determination. “We should get back to the manor and dry off.”
I frowned. “Did I do something?”
“We have new things to discuss back at the manor with people. Let’s go.” Caspian avoided the question and shook his wet hair out of his face as I decided to follow him reluctantly. I was still hurt from my stepfather’s sudden appearance in my life, and Caspian seemed to have numbed it for a while. Now, I was worried that he was somehow angry at me.
We walked into the manor, soaked to the bone. My hair hung heavy over my face as I took off my heavy armor, dripping with water. I wished I had some clothes to change into, but I had so little, I didn’t want to waste.
Caspian walked into the dining room with me until I saw my stepfather, standing in the corner as usual as he watched the others. He made eye contact with me, and I left the room without a word.
Abby called out my name, but I ignored her. Instead, I walked into the living room and I sat in front of the fireplace to dry myself. Staring into the flames blandly, I didn’t move. I only listened calmly to the voices in the other room.
At first there were low voices, until they grew higher, almost into yelling. It lasted for a minute or two, until somebody slammed the front door from leaving the building. I stared into the fire, wondering who.
“Mary, honey.” Ellie poked her head from the door. “You alright?”
I made a small grunt in response, not really wanting to socialize.
“She probably doesn’t want to talk, Ellie.” Sophia walked into the room, sitting in an arm chair near me. A few others silently walked into the room as well, and sat next the fireplace. Some sat farther back in the room, and merely watched.
“We made the bastard leave.” Abby added smugly, crossing her arms. “You’re welcome.”
“Well, it could be worse.” Bell spoke honestly, and everyone looked at her strangely.
“How the hell could it be worse?” Caspian asked, laughing slightly. “The man is a coward.”
Ellie shrugged thoughtfully. “Maybe the Hunter could be the good father Mary has always needed?”
Caspian snorted. “Ha! The Hunter, or should I say Cody, has built himself a delusional platform that he repeatedly falls off of. That platform, my friend, is called fatherhood.”
“We can’t just give up hope on him.” Sophia replied sadly.
“Why not? The less people to lose in this war, the better.” Caspian declared as he stared at me. I swallowed dryly, listening to the conversation. Normally, I wouldn’t like the fact that people were talking about me while I was right in front of them, but at the moment it was nice. I didn’t have to speak for them.
“Caspian, this is a big thing for Mary.” Ellie protested.
“Yes, Cody has done a lot of big things for Mary. Should I bring up one of them, especially the big thing where he left the precious family unprotected so he could stay alive while his wife and daughter perish? Oh yeah. That big thing.”
“Caspian…” Abby growled.
“What? Can you deny it?”
“No, but…” Ellie struggled, trying to find words.
“Exactly. He’s not to be trusted.” Caspian decided loudly.
Wolf, who had been standing near the back this whole time, finally spoke up. “We need as many people as possible for our upcoming traveling, which means that Mary will have to endure being with the Hunter enough to travel with him to Wizard City.”
I blinked, and sat straight up. I had just remembered. I groaned and covered my head with my arms, not wanting to hear anymore. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
“No, I don’t trust the Hunter enough to protect Mary.” Caspian shook his head angrily. “I will be there, although-“
“But Ambrose trusts him, Caspian.” Bell added, pointing out an honest fact.
“Ambrose is an old man, Bell.” Caspian replied sharply.
“If Mary honestly needs more attention and more protection, then I will gladly assist Caspian and the Hunter on the boat to Wizard City,” Wolf decided as I looked up at him in surprise. “The safer the daughter of Malistaire is the better. She’s the one in the most danger from everything, especially herself.”
“Then who is going to help protect Dragonspyre while we’re gone?” Sophia asked, concerned.
“Austin, of course. Along with Ambrose, and once the Enforcement and Order arrive, they will also help. It will be fine.”
“Some people from those societies will have to be left behind in their worlds, though.” Abby pointed out loudly.
“That’s fine; there are still plenty of people.” Wolf answered solemnly.
“Ambrose is an old man!” Caspian cried out. “He probably needs to have somebody help him use the toilet. What makes you think he can help?”
“If Malistaire still thought of Ambrose as an old man, then he would have attacked us by now.” Wolf retorted, as Caspian leaned back in his seat,
“So I am going to Wizard City, my old home, with Caspian, Wolf, and my stepfather?” I croaked out, finally turning away from the fire to look at them. “I can barely stand the two of you, and the fact that I am going to be with my stepfather in the village I grew up in is unbearable.”
Caspian sat up from his chair and walked over to sit near me. We didn’t touch, but I appreciated his presence. He spoke softly. “You will have to do it, Mary. It’s for the best.”
I looked at him. “I’m not sure living on a boat with you will be the best thing for me. I can barely stay alive when living in a house with you.”
A few others sniggered, and Caspian rolled his eyes. “The traveling in the boats won’t take long. Plus, I like boats.”
“We can make Caspian stay if you think it’s going to hurt your sanity, Mary.” Sophia joked as Caspian glared at her.
I shook my head. “Caspian gets what he wants, no matter who he hurts in the process. He’s coming with.”
Caspian glared at me this time. “Well, you don’t have to be snitchy about it.”
Nikki stood up, ignoring Caspian and I. “But we must have a rule, and this is for everyone who is an Angel, except Mary.” Nikki glanced at me. “Wherever you go, no matter who you are with, or how attracted you feel, you must NOT fall in love, no matter what the pleasures give you.”
Ellie coughed. “You can’t control whether you fall in love or not, Nikki.”
“You’re right, Ellie, I’m sorry. If any of you do feel as though you have fallen in love, you don’t act upon it, alright? Just like the prophecy said, it could send someone to their death. Going to new places means meeting new people, and meeting new people means having new relationships. It should never go past being a friend.” Nikki declared seriously, and everyone nodded. I felt guilty, for I was the only one who couldn’t be affected by the curse of falling in love.
“It’s such a stupid reason to die.” Wolf hissed as we looked at him in surprise. “I doubt anybody is going to die because of a damn love interest.”
“It’s a prophecy, Wolf. We can’t dictate what happens in the future. We can only attempt to prevent it.” I told him sincerely. Still, he shook his head in disagreement.
A knock at the door interrupted the conversation, and Abby stood up to answer it. We exchanged glances, and I had a feeling in my gut that it was for me. Abby soon walked back in the room with a worried expression. “There is a messenger from Ambrose…”
“Oh phew. I was hoping you wouldn’t say from that damn Council.” Caspian chuckled sarcastically.
I stood up knowingly. “I know why the messenger is here. Tell him I’m ready.”
Abby blinked. “Are you sure?”
I looked at Caspian with a glimmer of hope, and tilted his head slightly. “I’m sure. As hard and difficult as it will be, I believe that it’s the right thing to do.”
Caspian leaned back, as if mildly surprised I took his advice to heart.
Nikki cleared her throat. “Does this mean..? I mean, Mary, this is your amulet. Are you really going to bewitch it?”
“Yes.” I replied glumly. “I am putting everyone I love in danger.”
Thunder roared outside as the fire in the large fireplace sent a blast of heat on my left side, and I knew a storm was coming. Turning my head to the window, rain pounded against the glass. My words were whispered, yet somehow audible through the mysterious storm. “Let’s hope nothing goes wrong.”
