The Broken Destiny (24 page)

“We need to stay positive, Sam,” I told her.

“Yes, we do and we will – we will beat this. All of us,” she said, barely smiling.

“What is everyone saying about me?”

“Oh, the usual gossip.” She said with a flick of her wrist.

“I don’t want to know, do I?” I stared up at her through my long eyelashes.

Shrugging her shoulders, Sam said, “It’s silly really.”

Her always upbeat voice sounded grim.

“Here,” I said to her, calmly pulling out a device from underneath my pillow.

“I bought it for you and got one of the nurses to gift wrap it.” I smiled meekly. “I need to be kept up to date with the latest scandals,” I joked mildly.

Sam didn’t smile back.

Anaya and Kronan entered the room.

“Good afternoon, ladies.” Kronan was in a much better mood than we were. I guessed it was because he would now get what he wanted, to train me and to move past the threat that had their village under siege for far longer than it had on our little city. We all bowed in greeting.

“Good, thanks,” she said, anticipating his question.

He nodded. I wanted to tell him how excited I was about Maya, but I needed to be sensitive toward Sam. The pain in my legs gradually returned. I hoped that it wasn’t a permanent thing as it would surely affect my gymnastics and swimming – probably affect me taking on the evil witchdoctor as well. The sensation of burning ice made its way to my hips. I bit down on my lip. I didn’t want Sam to see I was in pain.

“Ready?” Anaya asked as she made her way toward my bags.

“As I’ll ever be,” I said sadly.

“Your body will take a while to get used to the changes; the transfusion might have also aggravated the process.” She said, confirming what I had suspected was happening to me.

Tatos entered with a swift bow and lifted my luggage, flinging all three bags over his shoulder. His bow thumping against the arrows already strapped across his back.

“I’ll walk with you to the gate.” Sam said.

Turning to Anaya she asked sarcastically. “Is that okay?”

“Yes, of course. I would advise you to take an escort though.”

“Uh-huh,” she replied, her mind a million miles away.

She handed me a soft package. “I brought you my favorite sweat suit so you will always think of me when you’re lazing around.” Her usually warm eyes were dark with restraint.

We were both going to burst into tears at any second.

“Thank you,” I forced out.

“I know you don’t like wearing sweats, but maybe it’s best that you’re comfy when training, you know?”

“Umm… you didn’t perhaps…”

“Yes, I thought you might object, so I also packed your jeans and an attractive sweater.” She grinned.

“You know me so well.” I kissed her on the cheek.

Tatos rolled his eyes. “We need to go. The sun will be setting soon.”

Sam and I walked out of the infirmary hand in hand for what felt like the very last time, our fingers laced together all the way to the gate. Some faces peered through the windows as we passed. It seemed as if the whole world knew about our plans. I sighed as we neared the exit.

“I will come and see you soon, if that is okay with you, Anaya?” Sam asked just before we hugged, and by the firm grasp around my shoulders, I knew she was probably giving them a venomous look. Sam hated sharing me, sharing anything really. But it wasn’t Anaya allowing Sam to visit, would the keepers allow her? I knew Sam and she would do about anything for me.

“Yes, anytime,” Anaya said in her melodious voice, ignoring the sting in Sam’s voice with ease.

“This doesn’t have to be a sad goodbye, my friend. I will call you before nightfall.” I said.

Sam sniffed as she tried to hold back her tears, but she fought a losing battle.

We both started weeping quietly.

“I love you,” Sam mouthed as we headed out.

“Hey!” she shouted.

I turned around.

“Your birthday’s coming up!” She smiled.

As she pulled the hood over her head to protect her curls from frizzing in the rain, I mirrored her action and let my hood cover my view of her as I turned – covering my tears as we left.
It doesn’t matter anyway, seventeen is such an overrated age
, I thought
.
Besides I felt a hundred years old lately. I looked down at the wet ground beneath my feet, water pooling around the soles of my once clean boots. With a slow screech of metal the guards closed the gate behind us. I turned back staring at the huge iron gates, the winged pattern of our military badge spread from one wall to the other, showing me that I was no longer welcome. Sam stood staring as the wind picked up some of her red hair and brushed it across the dark gray sky, like fire against ice. I waved, water darkening the soft material of the gloves Maya had given me, the golden pattern almost fading with each drop. I loved the rain so much, but everything seemed out of place because of it.
I will never be happy; our keepers have made sure of that.
I kept my eyes on the soaked forest floor. I wanted to feel like this forever – forever gray, forever numb, forever sad. It concerned me that my thoughts were so morbid and indulging, forcing more of these gloomy thoughts to enter my mind. The more negative thoughts I had the worse I felt, and the worse I felt, the more I welcomed the pain and anger that harbored inside me. It was the only part of me I could control. The sound of waves breaking in the distance brought me back to reality. Finally, I looked up and saw the dark purple forest close in around us. Nearing the bridge, silver trunks gleamed in what little light remained. Sometimes, it felt like the forest was the only place I really belonged. It was a place of silent mystery and magical beauty, a place where peace resided. Its beauty captivated me and rejuvenated my soul. My favorite part of the forest was where it surrounded the waterfall. Throughout our walk no one had said much. I hadn’t taken them for the sympathetic type anyway, but I began to wonder if there was something else they weren’t telling me. As we headed into the denseness of the forest, a strange sound caught me off guard.
I know that sound
, I thought. It was coming closer. A red motorbike abruptly came into view from behind the tall trees.
Yes, of course, the red motorbike. Troy.
I hadn’t heard from him or seen him since my fall. My chest began to vibrate as the roar of the bike neared, and my stomach twisted in anticipation of seeing him again. I covered my broken arm with my coat and partly hid my face, enough that he wouldn’t get the slightest hint of my excitement in seeing him. The bike was suddenly right in front of us. The engine roared loudly as a lopsided smile grew across my face, and then I recalled what had happened that night – rejection. I looked back down as he passed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his head turn to look back at me. He popped his famous wheelie and raced off into the distance. My smile returned. I had forgiven him in an instant, hoping it would bring him back. My shoulders drooped in disappointment when I realized it wouldn’t. Tatos turned toward me, either scrutinizing my behavior – or my thoughts.
What did you expect?
I asked myself.
Did I expect Troy to be my knight in shining armor, to bring the procession through the forest to a halt and to pull me up onto his lap? Did I expect him to be my hero, to race away with me as I clung tightly to his strong chest?
That’s exactly what I had been expecting. It was an easy way out of an uncomfortable situation. I sighed and kept my steady pace. It finally struck me that I would be seeing Maya, my sister. I realized that the village would be my new home until the next school cycle. It would be a home with fewer restrictions, and a home where I would be free to be myself and say and do what I pleased. I could feel a great charge of electricity building up inside me.
Is the Minoan village where I belong?
I wondered. I decided it was.
I belong with my sister, my family.
I wanted to scream out loud with joy but then a nervous, uncom fortable feeling darkened my mood. I would see Enoch too. I knew that
he
knew I had chosen Troy over him, and I expected him to treat me indifferently. However, I wasn’t sure that he would. I didn’t know him well enough to be certain, but the sides of him I did know scared me.

Before I knew it, we were over the bridge and walking through the marketplace. The sound of people chattering and water tinkling into various ponds was like music to my ears; the atmosphere cheerful, even in the rain. Yes, this place was a whole lot better than my school, than our city. I was convinced I would learn to love living in the village. We made our way through the small valley of overgrown ferns toward Arriana’s cottage. The small gate stood open and as I was the last to enter, closed it behind me. I stared at the adorned hinges, the small handle embellished with Minoan filigree and twirling symbols, a sliver of light bouncing from the small gems before I turned. I didn’t know it then, but there were signs all around me, warning me, guiding me. Magic was not my only savior. Arriana sat on the small porch spinning her pottery wheel when we arrived. The dull, cold pain in my legs had returned, milder than before, but not mild enough to be ignored. Anaya saw the distressed look on my face.

“Let’s get her inside so she can rest, Tatos,” she said.

Arriana followed us into the sitting room where a warm fire heated the entire cottage, engulfing the sitting room in a red, hot haze. I sat down on the large, blue sofa while she brought me a cup of ginger and lemon tea; a tonic.

“Maya should be up shortly, dear.” She stroked my face as she spoke, her milky blue eyes looking past me and into the fire.

I felt happy and at ease for a while, the warmth seemed to calm the dull ache in my bones. It wasn’t due to the fire though – it was the healing properties of the ancient healing family, and the magic enchantments laced in just about every object in the village. Since the slow return of their powers, the failure of good protection against the dark magic, every precaution was being taken – even if that meant stealing time from the lives of the enchanted; from Arriana.

“Where is Enoch?” Anaya hung her coat over one of the gray wooden chairs. I did notice that the wood was from a silverwood tree, but as the trees die, so do their shimmer.

“He’s gone with Willard to see Kronan as they need to gather up more plants for our potions.” There were hints of sadness and bitterness in Arriana’s voice.

“How is she?” Anaya asked as she came closer to warm her hands on the fire.

“Her wound is deep, but the infection has subsided,” Arriana replied.

Arriana sat next to me and put a warm hand on my knee. She looked down at me as if to meet my gaze.
Probably reading my mind again
, I thought.

“Maya has taken a fall and I’m afraid she has broken her leg. She has a big cut on her thigh, so she won’t be doing much of anything for a while.”

“What happened?” I interjected. “Don’t tell me there’s been another…” I started to say, my throat already in a nervous knot.

“Well, she is experiencing the same symptoms as you are, but because she is younger her body is resisting the changes even more than yours is. My guess is that when we transfused her blood into your bloodstream it somehow sparked the ‘
Change’
in her too.”

I looked at her as if to say that she had forgotten something.

“She will be just fine my dear, the blood magic in your blood does not affect her by any means.” She smiled dryly.

Just thinking of the pain made me feel nauseous, but I knew that the pain deep inside of her mind would have been far greater than that of the broken leg. There was an awkward silence, mostly from my side. No one should have to hurt because of me.

“Ava! You’re finally here!” Maya’s voice broke through the silence.

Maya struggled to walk on her crutches and I immediately jumped up to assist her, leaving the rest of my medicated tea on the small barrel table near the fire. Her eyes were puffy, but still sparkled when she looked at me with a gentle smile, a smile so overpowering that all I could do was smile in return. As I helped her to her seat, I was overwhelmed by how excited her presence made me feel.

“There is so much to say, I know.” Maya said, before rubbing her eyes and stretching out a long yawn.

She leaned toward me and we hugged, the knowledge of us being sisters seemed to have deepened the meaning of our hug, but I was also immensely grateful that her blood had saved me from the blood magic.

We didn’t want to let go of each other. The pain struck once more, tearing through my core, making me yell out in agony – I had not finished my tea. Unwillingly, I pushed Maya off the sofa with such force we both crashed to the floor. I coiled beside the fire; still, the pain would not leave.

“Tatos, bring me some of that elixir from the kitchen!” Arriana commanded.

Anaya immediately started a chant.

“What volume?” Tatos asked.

“The highest.”

“It will kill her,” he spat.

Arriana chuckled. “Just trust me Tatos.”

“What’s going on? What’s happening to me?” I managed to sputter the words out just loud enough for Maya to hear. I felt my veins ignite from the inside out, my muscles tearing almost audibly in conjunction with the drumming of my heart.