GUYS! I CAN SEE IT AGAIN! It was like the whole page 10 was missing. Not good. But now it's back!

~Starseeker 

YAY!

TOPPE

Chapter 22

Ty leads me to the Nest, whatever that is. As we walk, we talk. Well, Ty talks, and I just listen.

“So, you’ve decided to stay, huh? That’s good. I think you’ll like it here. I certainly do. And man, Chief must trust you a lot if you’re going to work with Arlo on your first day. That or she’s trying to make you run away. Arlo can be… a handful. I try not to work with him whenever possible, but as Chief probably said, everyone has to do their share around here. Besides, Arlo makes darn good food, better than what I could make. Actually, I’m surprised Chief put you with him on your first day. She usually puts fledglings with Pieter, lets them help him categorize and things like that. She seems to think that we’re going to poison the food or something.” Ty pauses here to scoff. “As if. We’re all better off here than we were on our own. But I guess that’s how Chief has survived so long-- by being cautious. She’s been on her own for about 7 years now, with the exception of finding Jasak 5 years back. But she’s been running the Eagles for 2 years. Before her, there were no Eagles. Just a bunch of scared orphans in the world. She found us, brought us together, and gave us a new family. What more could we really ask for?” He stops talking and walking abruptly outside of a large structure, the largest I’ve seen yet. It’s three times my height and even longer than that, stretching far out to the sides. By my calculations, it’s roughly in the exact center of camp-- not far at all from Sterling’s leadership center.

Ty tugs open a huge oaken door with difficulty, since his arms are full of wood, and gestures me inside with a jerk of his head. I step in slowly, expecting something to jump out at me, but nothing does. It’s dark at first, but once I step inside a little more, the torches ringing the walls flare up, bathing the room in a bright glow of golden fire. I can now see the details of the room. I was right-- it is huge, but still only half the size of Northbrook’s gym. The walls are lined with worn tapestries, but the floor is polished and smooth, and the tables clustered at the center of the room are clean.

“Welcome to the Nest,” Ty says from behind me, and I turn. He’s illuminated in the open doorway, using one shoulder to prop it open. “This is where the band and the fledglings meet for their meals at 7 in the morning, 1 in the afternoon, and 7 in the evening. Other than that, we use it for big meetings and stuff like that, though it’s empty the rest of the time.” Ty tilts his head and considers his words for a moment. “Well, mostly empty. Arlo’s in here almost all the time, cooking and cleaning. He has help, of course-- mostly fledglings but also some Eagles who enjoy it or are on kitchen duty that day.” Ty steps away from the door, leaving it only propped open with one foot, and gives me a small salute. “Speaking of Arlo, you’ll find him through that door there. Tell him Chief sent you to work with him for the day, and good luck!” Then Ty is gone, the door closing with a bang behind him.

I turn and look at the opposite wall, where Ty had indicated there was a door. Indeed there is, and I cross the Nest’s floor, my borrowed boots making loud echoing noises as I go. When I reach the door, I pull it open with a trembling hand. Arlo doesn’t sound nice, whoever he-- or she-- is.

Immediately I’m greeted by a rush of hot air and chattering people. About 10 people are rushing around the room, which, judging by the stocked shelves on the walls and the boiling pot on the fire, is the kitchen. One person, a black-haired boy a little younger than I am, rushes past, his arms full of herbs.

“Well, don’t just stand there, girl,” barks a voice, and a scowling guy emerges from the chaos. He’s tall and thick, much like a football player. He’s wrapped in a floury apron and holding a thick rolling pin as well. His black hair, pulled into a man bun, is as thick as the rest of him, and his eyes are black pools. “Get to work!” he barks, not in a mean way, just in one that expects to be obeyed.

“Are-- are you Arlo?” I stammer. “I’m Zoey. Um, I’m supposed to tell you that I’m going to be helping you for the day on Chief’s, I mean Sterling’s, orders.”

The guy looks me up and down, then mutters something under his breath in another language. “Another lost soul for me to work with,” he adds in English, but gestures towards the far wall, which has a row of aprons.

“Oh, thanks,” I say, and the guy shakes his head again. “Don’t thank me yet,” he says cryptically.

Once I have my apron on, Arlo puts me to work stirring the big pot in the corner. Delicious odours are drifting up out of it-- spices I have no name for, but that perfectly compliment the roasting meat inside. The heat and smoke spirals up from the pot, most of it going up to a chimney in the ceiling, but some of it blasting me in the face. By the time an hour has passed, I’m hot and sweaty. I can also see why Arlo gave me this job-- it’s monotonous and simple, with very little room to screw up. The only excitement I get is when someone drops in a chunk of herbs or sprinkles in a little spice, and I have to dodge out of the splashing water’s way. I have a large enough collection of healing scars from the lanbai, falling, and glass-- I don’t need to add burn scars to that list. Besides, I don’t want them to see my golden blood. Wait, do burns even make you bleed? I’m not sure. I’ve never been burnt. But just in case, I’ve got to be more careful from now on. I can’t fall or be cut. Maylene’s smart-- she’d know something was up. And I don’t want to risk being made to leave because I’m different, whatever I am.

All the thoughts I’ve been pushing away come rushing back. All the questions about what happened to the lanbai, about why my blood is golden if I’m not the One, about who I am, they all return in a flood. If it hadn’t been purely in my mind, I’m certain I would have fallen over in the sheer deluge of them.

Where do I start? I mentally cry. There are so many questions, so many lacking answers, so many with answers I don’t want to follow up on what they mean. What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to handle this? I’m just a teenager. A teenager from Boston. Nothing exciting happens in Boston. Nothing exciting was supposed to happen to me, ever. And now look at me.

Just… look at me.

I shake my head, trying to stop the flood of thoughts. My hands are shaking on the wooden spoon now, making my stirred circles awkward and wobbly. A single tear drips down my nose and into the soup. I sniff, trying to hold the rest of them back.

“Hey now, don’t cry,” Jasak says from behind me, and I spin around, wiping my eyes with the hand that’s not holding the spoon.

“I’m-- I’m sorry,” I say, trying unsuccessfully to stop the tears. “I’m not usually a crier. I didn’t used to be, at least.” I shake my hair back, looking up at the ceiling, then back at Jasak. He’s looking at me with concern.

“I’m okay, really,” I add. “Just, stressed, and all.” I shrug with one shoulder, then dip the spoon back into the pot. “I should probably keep stirring this, so…”

Jasak nods hastily. “Yeah, yeah, no, go ahead. Ster just sent me to check up on you. It’s been almost a full day already.”

I look to my wrist where my watch would usually be, forgetting that I no longer have it. “Gosh, really? Time flies, I guess.” Another tear slips down my face, despite my best efforts.

Jasak shrugs and grins a little. “As the saying goes, only if you’re having fun. And I take it that, despite your tears, you are?” He skillfully catches the tear as it falls off my nose, flicking it out of the way before it hits the boiling surface of the soup.

I nod vigorously. “Definitely, yes! I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Jasak raises an eyebrow. “Anything? You like stirring a pot more than touring the rest of the camp?”

I hastily shake my head. “That’s not what I meant, I mean, this life, the Eagles, the Aerie, stirring pots, everything! That’s what I wouldn’t trade.” I wrinkle my nose distastefully at the soup. “No, I’d give up stirring for a tour any day of the week.”

Jasak laughs and grabs my hand. “Great, then! Off we go.” He tugs me towards the door, but I protest. “Wait! Arlo needs his apron back!”

“Yes, and my helper,” Arlo grumps, stepping out from the back and joining us. “You can’t take my helper, Jasak! She’s working harder than the rest of these slackers.” He jerks a joking finger towards the rest of the people in the kitchen.

Jasak grins. “You can spare her, I’m sure. Ster wants to give her a tour of the rest of the camp.”

Arlo grumbles a bit more, but relents. “All right. What’s your name, fledgling?”

“Zoey,” I say, pulling off my apron and handing it to him. “I’m Zoey.”

Arlo nods. “Well then, Zoey,” he says, holding out the hand that’s not holding the apron, “Any time you feel like stopping by to help, you just come on down here, all right?”

I take his hand with a grin and we shake. “Okay, Arlo. That’s a deal.”

As soon as Jasak and I leave, he starts shaking his head in wonder. “How did you do that?” Jasak asks me. “It took me years to get him to even speak to me in more than grunts. And now, it takes you hours and he’s asking your name and inviting you to come help? How?”

I shrug and smile. “I dunno, I didn’t really do anything at all. I just stirred a pot the whole time.”

Jasak laughs. “I guess you’re just magic, then.”

My smile fades at the word “magic”. Does he suspect me of something? Do I suspect myself of something?

Am I magic? I don’t think I am… but it would explain the lanbai, and the emerald dragon in the forest had said it sensed magic… It just doesn’t add up.

Jasak waves a gentle hand in front of my face. “Hello? Anyone in there?” he says. “You kinda spaced out for a little while.”

I shake my head, dispelling these thoughts. “Sorry about that,” I say. “I was just thinking.”

“Anything interesting you want to share?” Jasak prods, but I shake my head.

“No, not really,” I say quietly.

Jasak is saved a reply by our arrival at Sterling’s cabin. She’s pacing irritably outside, waiting for us. When she sees us, her whole face brightens. “Ah! Jasak. And the fledgling. Time for the tour, I see.”

“What level?” Jasak asks her, and Sterling cocks her head, thinking.

“What do you think?” she asks him, and he mirrors her action, tilting his head in thought.

“She’s stable, definitely. That’s a Level 2 at least. She’s genuinely curious, and that’s a Level 4 marker… Maylene approves of her, and she’s even liked by Arlo. That’s gotta be a Level 5, if not a 6.”

Sterling raises her eyebrows. “You have spent more time with her than I have, I suppose. Do you really think she’s ready for a Level 5 tour? Those are usually reserved for fully assimilated Eagles. And the fledgling’s on her, what, first day?”

“Second,” Jasak corrects. “And yeah, I do. I trust Maylene’s senses and Arlo’s good judgement. But most of all, I trust my own. And they’re telling me she’s ready for a Level 5.”

“Sorry to interrupt,” I interject. “But what’s a Level 5?”

Sterling flinches, as though she’s forgotten I’m there. “It’s a tour level,” she says. “Tours of the Aerie all have Levels. New fledglings usually get a Level 1 tour. That’s basically where all the important buildings are-- the Nest, Maylene’s cabin, Command Central, things like that. Level 2 is slightly more advanced, and Level 3 is more so. That continues up to Level 7, in which-- well, if you ever take a Level 7 tour, you’ll find out what’s in it. You’ll be getting a Level 5, which is pretty advanced but not everything. Jasak gave you a Level 1 last night. Now, there’s a lot I have to show you and not a lot of time, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to get started.” Sterling sweeps her arm out to gesture at the building we’re in front of, the one I assumed was her house. “This is the Command Central. It’s where this whole band is run from. Contrary to popular belief, no, I don’t sleep in there. I have a cabin to sleep in. You’ll always be able to find people in there, but they are working. Once you’ve been here a while, I’ll fill you in a little more on the types of work that people do in there. All I can say for now is that there’s a lot of maps.”

“And ink,” Jasak adds helpfully. “Ty isn’t allowed in there any more. He knocked over Sterling’s ink one too many times.”

“One time is too many times,” she grumps, but I can see the hint of a smile on her face. “Next up are the individual cabins-- you’ll get your cabin assignment eventually, but for now you’ll have to share with Maylene.”

She turns on her heel and heads to the left of Command Central, talking as she does so. I follow her and Jasak trails behind me.

“Every fledgling has their own room, but not their own cabin. At your official initiation, we’ll assign you yours, and introduce you to everyone here. For now, I’ll tell you who lives where, and introduce you to just a few Eagles.” She stops in front of a long row of cabins. I can see that they all have a symbol above the door, much like the dorms at Northbrook did. These symbols, however, are like nothing I’ve ever seen before. No, that’s not true-- I have seen them before. But not on Earth. I recognize a few of the symbols as the ones on the tiles in the booby-trapped clearing during my hero testing. There’s a spiralling circle, a triangle within a hexagon, and a square with swirls that I recognize in particular.

Sterling notices me looking at the symbols. “Have you seen these before?” she asks me. There’s something suspicious about her question, like she’s testing me.

I hastily shake my head. I can’t tell them about the testing. What would they think of me? Aloud, I say, “No, I haven’t. I just thought they were cool. Do they mean anything?”

Sterling nods. “They all have a meaning. This one, here--” she points to the symbol on the farthest left cabin-- “Means save. The next one translates to something like either or or. Then there’s ‘destroy’, ‘land’, ‘they’ or something similar, ‘will’, ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’, a different form of ‘will’-- maybe ‘shall’, ‘unfold’ or ‘happen’, ‘on’, ‘night’ or ‘darkness’, ‘of’, and ‘quill’ or ‘feather’-- the words are really similar.” As Sterling says each of the meanings, she points to the different symbols. “When you put them all together, it makes ‘Save or destroy, land they will, fate shall unfold, on night of quill’. Quite a dramatic line!” She chuckles a little bit, but something about those words strikes a chord in my brain.

“Save or destroy… night of quill…” I murmur beneath my breath, trying to recall where I’ve heard them before. Then, like a bolt of lightning, it hits me. “The prophecy!”

Sterling raises an eyebrow. “Are you certain? How do you know of this prophecy?”

I decide to ignore her second question for the time being. “I think so. The words sound familiar to me. Doesn’t it go like, Save or Raze the Land They Will, Fate Shall Unfold On Night of Quill?”

Sterling and Jasak exchange a look, and Jasak gives her a little nod of encouragement.

“It does sound like the prophecy, you’re right,” Jasak says. “Ster, had you realized that?”

Sterling hesitates, then nods. “You may be more clever than I gave you credit for, fledgling.”

“How did you know?” Jasak asks her, and she shrugs.

“I was taught many things back in-- back before the Eagles. This language, and the prophecy, were both taught to me. This language is a rudimentary pictorial language, dating back hundreds of years. It dates back to the time of these homes. The prophecy is even older than that, though. Probably closer to thousands of years old, though no-one truly knows.”

Jasak nods like it makes sense to him, but my attention is snagged on something Sterling said. “Wait-- around the time these homes were built? Hundreds of years ago?” I ask. “I thought the Eagles were only, what, 2 years old?”

“You are partially correct on both points,” Sterling says. “These cabins date back hundreds of years, built by the same ancient society that used the pictograph language. When I formed these Eagles two years ago, I refurbished and repaired most of the homes for our own use. As I’ve just said, this group of Eagles was formed two years ago. But the idea dates back years beyond that. My-- King Edmund Griffon started it. It was under his rule that a band of specially trained knights travelled around the kingdom of Avalon, spreading justice where he could not. I’ve just adapted that for my own purposes.”

Jasak and Sterling exchange another look full of meaning. “Should we?” he asks.

Sterling shakes her head. “That’s Level 7 information. No matter how much you trust her, Jasak, I won’t tell that sort of thing to a fledgling on her second day. We don’t truly know her yet.”

Jasak nods and doesn’t try to change her mind. Sterling continues. “We usually refer to each of the cabins by their symbol. So there’s Save, Or, and so on. Raze is almost empty today, since Arie and Caruso are with Pieter today and Sophein and Finnick are working with Feroc. I think only Ceilese would be in there right now-- she was gathering firewood for Arlo earlier but I saw her return. Usually, cabins, called convocations, do everything together. It builds friendships and trust. But we had Raze split up today, doing odd jobs around the Aerie.”

Sterling strides forward and opens the door of the third cabin from the left. I follow her inside the door. Jasak, behind me, has to duck a little bit-- the doorway is just a little too small for his six-foot frame. The inside of Raze is cozier than the name suggests. The floor is panelled in a beautiful honey-coloured wood, and the walls are the same grey stone as the outside. There’s a window on the far left with red curtains that look younger than the structure implies. I bet someone in the camp made them-- fabric certainly couldn’t have survived all these years. The window, too, looks new, and the floor has lighter sections where it’s been repaired and the old, rotten wood stripped away. The whole layout and design is spartan, almost minimalist, but warm nonetheless. In the middle of the floor is a red rug, similar to the curtains in weave. A wooden table sits in the corner, surrounded by five chairs. One of the chairs is occupied by a girl with wavy blonde hair who’s reading. She looks up from her book as we enter and her face breaks out into a grin.

“Chief!” she exclaims. “How’d the hunt go yesterday?”

Sterling smiles back. “It went well, I think. Shall is almost ready to go on hunts without Jasak and I. We picked up a new fledgling as well. Celeise, meet Zoey.”

The blonde girl stands up and offers me her hand with a wide grin. “Hey, Zoey! I’m Celeise, the stayman for Raze.”

I take her hand and smile. “Yeah, hi, Celeise! I… don’t really know what that is, so?”

Celeise laughs. “Chief, how much can I tell her about what I do?”

Sterling replies with, “Level 5.”

Celeise’s eyebrows raise. “Really? And we just picked her up yesterday? You must be something special then, huh, Zoey.”

I mumble something, but Celeise continues anyway. “Well, in that case, all the cabins over here are convocations, meaning we go on hunts together. Everyone has something that they do in their convocation, something that Sterling, Melise, Jasak, Feroc, and Icantre-- you’ll meet them later, if you’re doing a Level 5-- saw that we excelled at during training. I’m a stayman for the team, which means that if there are villagers involved, my main priority is to get them to safety. Arie, who’s still doing a little extra work for Pieter today, is our leader. That means she gives the commands and makes decisions in the field. Leaders are usually those who show strong leadership skills and adapt to new situations well. Caruso, who’s also helping Pieter today, is our navigator. He gets us to the right place. Navigators have to be sensitive to everything in the world around them to plot the least dangerous course to the objective and to keep us unseen, unheard, and unknown to the rogue. Then there’s Sophein, our archer. When you were picked up yesterday, you probably saw that big crossbow, right?”

I nod, and Celeise continues. “That’s the weapon we’ve developed to pierce through dragon hides. The rest of the convocation exists because of the archer. There aren’t many complete convocations, only about 7 at last count, because archers are so rare to find. They have to be steady in all crises and able to focus through anything. Most of the fledglings we pick up are too unstable or nervous to become archers. Then the final member of our convocation is Finnick. He’s the defender. Other convocations sometimes have two or three defenders, depending on the experience of the members, but we just have Finnick. Defenders do exactly what they sound like they do-- they defend. They usually defend the archer, but if the villagers are violent or still under attack, they might defend the stayman instead. In that case, if a convocation only has one defender, the leader will guard the archer.”

“Why does the archer need to be guarded?” I ask, curious.

Celeise smiles. “I like your curiosity! Although it’s rare, sometimes an archer will misfire and not hit the dragon or rogue straight on, or the navigator will misplot a course and allow a dragon to scent us upwind or catch sight of the convocation. In that case, the dragon will usually rush for the archer, since they’re the only one with the weapon that can penetrate the dragon’s hide. The defender will have a thick shield to protect from dragonfire and some sort of sword or quarterstaff in case the rogue is a human assailant. We usually hunt down dragons, but sometimes, when the kingdom’s justice system is lacking, we’ll send a convocation to deal with a human criminal.”

“Do you attack all dragons?” I ask, a sick feeling in my stomach.

“Oh, no, no, not at all,” Celeise hurries to assure me. “Only those that have broken the Treaty of Khua’kahame, which basically says that dragons can no longer attack humans and their villages. We leave the other dragons in the dragonlands alone.”

“Thanks for talking with her, Celeise,” Sterling breaks in. “But we only have so much time in the day, and a lot more to cover. See you later!”

“Oh, yeah, bye Chief! Bye Jasak! Bye Zoey! It was nice talking with you,” Celeise says with a smile that I return gladly. Then I follow Sterling and Jasak out the door of Raze and back into the row of cabins. Sterling turns to me as soon as we’re out.

“Each of the cabins has a similar layout,” she says. “There’s a main room in front, and then the back of it is bedrooms. We have them divided for each person to sleep in, so no-one has to share. The convocation spends almost all of their time together. They train together, unless they’re doing specialty training. Then they’re with Save and I.”

“Save?” I ask. “The first cabin, right?”

Sterling allows the ghost of a smile to grace her face. “That’s right. Save is not only the first cabin in the row, but where the main convocation is. I’m the leader, Jasak’s my stayman, Feroc is my defender, Melise is my navigator, and Icantre is my archer. They’re all some of the first fledglings I picked up, and are some of the oldest people in camp. I would trust them with my life, and frequently, I do. We don’t go on hunts too often anymore, though. I’m running the Aerie, Jasak’s helping me, and we’re all training new recruits in their specialties. The newer convocations are equipped to handle basic hunts now.”

“And speaking of Save,” Jasak says, breaking in to Sterling’s speech, “Here we are now.”

We’re now in front of the first cabin on the left. Sterling opens the door but doesn’t enter and I follow her actions. It’s pretty much like Raze, but with forest green curtains instead of red.

“There’s no-one in there now, of course,” Sterling continues. “Jasak and I are here with you, and Melise, Icantre, and Feroc are all teaching. We can go stop by, though.”

Jasak grins. “Ooh, I can’t wait to see the look on Feroc’s face when he learns Zoey is getting a Level 5! It took him months for us to trust him enough to give him one.”

“Tours aren’t a way to one-up people, Jasak,” Sterling says, but she’s grinning anyway.

Jasak shrugs. “I know, but a little friendly competition is good among convocations. It builds friendship.”

“And makes your ego taller than you are,” Sterling adds, but gestures for us to follow her anyway. I try to memorize the turns we take as we go, but the Aerie is confusing to me.

Jasak notices my confusion and smiles. “It’ll get better, I promise,” he says comfortingly. “Everyone starts out that way.”

Soon, we end up near the edge of the Aerie. There’s a large fenced-in ring, like an arena, surrounded by a clear area of space. There’s also a large building to the back of it. Inside the arena is a girl, her sword flashing and cutting, and the most massive guy I’ve ever seen. As I watch, he flicks his blade in a quick maneuver and flips her sword out of her hand. He then catches the sword and points both blades at her throat.

AWESOME! that was awesome! Yes! Finally! New part! Yaaaaaaaay! Great job!

ARGH THE CLIFFHANGERS STAR WHY. YOU DO THAT JUST TO TORMENT ME, I'M SURE.  But otherwise, yay! You managed to have a sorta filler chapter that explains how the Eagles run, without boring the reader to death(Or, me, at least ; ))!!! 

Chapter 23

I start forward with a gasp, but the guy is already moving. He flips the girl’s sword around in his hand so that he’s holding the blade and offers the hilt to her. She takes it with a small smile and bows to him. He bows back.

Sterling takes a step forward. “Feroc!” she calls.

The guy in the arena looks up from his bow and smiles. “Chief! Bean!” he calls back. He strides over to the edge of the ring and perches on a fencepost. “I would assume you’re not here on casual business?”

Sterling shakes her head. “Nah. We’re giving a Level 5 to this fledgling. Feroc, this is Zoey. Zoey, this is Feroc, the defender expert and weapons master in the Aerie.”

Feroc gives me a nod. “How are you holding up, Zoey?” he asks me. “I haven’t seen you around the Aerie before, I don’t think. That must mean you’ve been training with another convocation. I’m guessing… archer? Maybe navigator?”

I shake my head, smiling, but before I can say anything, Jasak buts in. “We picked her up yesterday,” he says, grinning like a maniac.

Feroc looks taken aback. “Really? Yesterday? You’re not pulling my leg, are you, Bean?”

Jasak shakes his head. “Nope. Yesterday, well and truly.”

Now it’s Feroc’s turn to shake his head. “Wow, Zo. You really must be something amazing. Took them months to get these two dew-beaters to trust me!”

Sterling chuckles and Jasak outright laughs and nudges Feroc with his arm. “Yeah, how could we when you never call anything by its proper name?” Jasak says teasingly. “Took us that long to figure out if you were complimenting us or insulting us!”

“Mostly both,” Feroc says, and all three laugh. I feel like an outsider. These people have obviously been together for years and know each other in and out. Everyone I’ve seen today has been friendly but respectful to Sterling and Jasak, and here Feroc is, blatantly insulting them as a form of affection.

Sterling says, “Hey, Feroc, why don’t you tell Zoey a bit about what you do for the Eagles?”

Feroc grins. “Sure, Ster. Anytime.” Then he turns to me. “So, I’m sure Chief and Beanpole here have already told you that I’m the defender expert and weapons master for the Aerie. I’m also the defender for Save, our convocation. Do you know what a defender is?”

I nod, and Sterling adds, “We took her to see Celiese at Raze, too, so she knows quite a bit.”

Feroc nods approvingly. “Celeise was a good choice. She’s nice and puts people at ease on their second day.” He shoots Jasak a look, but continues. “Well, the bright side is that I don’t have to explain too much about the defender half. But as you know by now, I’m also the weapons master. That building right there,”-- he points to the building behind the arena-- “Is the weapons storehouse. Most fledglings come through here with little or no weapons knowledge, and I fix them up. I find out what weapons they excel with and build on their strengths. Link!”

The girl he was sparring with comes up, wiping her forehead off. “Yeah, Feroc?” she asks.

“We have a new fledgling here. Can you explain why you fight with a sword?”

“Sure,” the girl replies. “I fight with a sword because you told me to.”

Feroc rolls his eyes, a smile tingeing his lips. “Besides that, Link.”

The girl grins. “I know, Feroc. You told me it was because I had a natural tendency towards it, and because I’m quick and agile. Defenders who use swords have to have strong wrists and forearms too, which, I do.” She holds out her arms to demonstrate.

Feroc nods in approval and turns back to me. “It’s strengths like that that I’ve learned to see and build on. You can go, Link.”

The girl gives a quick, respectful nod to the four of us and then jogs back to the group of Eagles.

“Do you want to show her a practice spar?” Feroc asks Sterling. She shakes her head.

“Maybe another time, Feroc. We’ve got to keep moving, get finished before nightfall.”

“Alright then, Chief. See ya, Bean! Bye, Chief! Nice meeting you, Zo!”

Sterling and Jasak wave and I smile before the three of us turn and head back towards the center of camp.

“What’s the arena called?” I ask as we walk.

“That’s the Talon,” Sterling says. “As you can see, most things here are named according to things relating to eagles and birds.”

“Yes, we do like birds,” Jasak says dryly. “But really, it’s because the King’s last name was Griffon, right? So his crest was a griffin. Griffins have the head of an eagle, and so, he called his band of knights the Eagles. As previously explained, we carried on that name.”

“But… why?” I ask. “Why would you carry on that name if it’s just some old king’s band of knights?”

Sterling and Jasak exchange a look full of meaning. “I… came from the palace, long ago,” Sterling says slowly, choosing her words carefully. “When it was overtaken and the king deposed, it was an Eagle that helped me escape the chaos and bloodshed. I’ve kept their name in honour of that brave man.”

Jasak gives her a surprised look, like he wasn’t expecting her to say that much. Sterling shrugs. I nod, something tickling the back of my brain. But in the tangled mass of thoughts, I can’t pick it out exactly. It slips away again as Sterling continues talking.

“I think we’ll go visit Icantre next,” she says, and abruptly turns on her heel. I hurry to catch up, and Jasak follows me: the same order we’ve been in this whole time.

Once more, I’m lost in the twists and turns of the Aerie. We emerge on the other side of camp, near the outskirts once more. Now we’re by a large archery range, which two women are standing in the center of. The first is about the same age as Sterling, maybe a bit older, and a little taller than I am. Her eyes are closed and her shoulder-blade-length chestnut curls spill out of the rawhide tie she’s put them in, to hold them out of her way. Her face is tipped back into the sunlight and her arms are spread wide, as are her feet. The second one has deep black hair and supple, tanned skin. She’s standing with her arms straight by her side. Her face is also tipped up to the sun.

“Melise, Icantre,” Sterling calls, and the second teen opens her emerald eyes. The first’s remain closed.

“Sterling,” the first girl says mildly. “I thought I sensed you.”

“Aka, we could hear you coming from a mile away,” the second girl adds, and Sterling grins.

“Charming, Icantre,” she says, and the second girl grins and adds, “Always.”

“There are others with you,” the first girl says, still in that calm voice. “Jasak. And a girl, a girl I don’t recognize. She’s special, though. Something like you.”

“Like me?” Jasak asks in surprise, but the girl shakes her head.

“No. Like you.” She moves her hand and points to Sterling. Sterling’s face blanches and she takes a step backwards. Jasak shoots her a confused look.

I look at Sterling too. What does the girl mean, “like her”? What’s so different about Sterling?

“Ster?” Jasak says quietly. “Could she have--”

“No,” Sterling snaps. “I’m the last. The only. I know it.”

“No,” the first girl says, finally opening her eyes. They’re a startling shade of dark orange. She’s looking straight at me. “She is similar. Not the same, weaker, perhaps, but very similar.”

“Weaker? So she’s not-- related?” Sterling asks, and the girl turns her head, focusing her gaze on Sterling.

“Perhaps. Or perhaps not. She has a talent, though. One that I feel will only get stronger.”

All four of them turn to look at me. I shuffle my feet a little under the weight of their emerald, honey, forest, and amber gazes.

“I think it’s time for a Level 7,” Sterling says grimly, but the first girl shakes her head.

“Knowledge is power,” she says. “And the more power she has, the faster we can be found. I do not know how long the barrier would hold with this awareness.”

Sterling purses her lips. “Can we strengthen it? Add to it?”

The first girl closes her eyes and stays quiet for a little. Then she opens them again. “Yes…” she says slowly. “But Sterling, you know what it does to you--”

“I’m going to do it,” Sterling says, cutting her off. “I need to know for sure who she is.”

The Sterling turns on her heel and strides off.

I’m left with the curious gazes of Jasak and the two girls. We stand in silence, staring at each other, wondering, until the second girl steps forward. She’s the one with black hair and emerald eyes. “This falls flat after-- that,” she says, shrugging a little, “But I’m Icantre, Save’s archer. That’s Melise, the navigator.”

“Hello,” the orange-eyed girl says absentmindedly.

“She’s not ignoring you,” Icantre adds. “She’s just listening to the wind. She’s the best navigator we have, but navigating does have… interesting side effects.”

“I’ve always been this way,” Melise says, looking back at us. “Whimsical. Flighty. Able to hear what the world around me is saying, to know where danger is and where safety lies.”

“And that’s what makes her such a good navigator,” Icantre finishes. “Not a great conversation partner, though.”

Melise doesn’t respond, as she’s already tipped her head back up to the sky and closed her eyes. Her lips are moving slightly as well, like she’s whispering words no-one can hear.

Icantre shrugs. “Eh. Hey, Jasak, I meant to ask, how’d the hunt go yesterday? Is Shall ready for solo hunts?”

“Almost,” Jasak says. “It was actually inconclusive, since we picked up Zoey then and got distracted.”

He smiles and bumps my shoulder, but I’m still distracted by Sterling. Where did she go? What does it mean, that I’m like her? Why did she blanch?

“Where did Sterling go?” I blurt out, and Jasak looks at me in surprise.

“Command Central, why?” he asks.

“I need to go there, to talk to her. It’s at the center of camp, right?”

“Yeah, but Zoey--” Jasak starts, but I’m already running.

Yay, a new part!! :D 

Well, once again... CLIFFHANGERS ARGGGGGH. XD I think my "ideas" and "questions" are becoming reality.... hrm.  :3 Love it!! And I see what you mean by what you said about the climax starting. ; ) 

I sprint through the Aerie, dodging through the twists and turns, hoping I’m heading in the right direction. I don’t really know where I’m going, but Command Central is at the center of camp, right? Eagles shout as I run past them. Feroc pauses mid-stride as I pass him, and I look back for just a moment. As I turn forwards again, I almost crash into an Eagle. I stagger backwards and so does she. “Sorry!” I shout and continue running. Instead of ending up by Command Central, though, I end up by the Talon. Feroc is wiping his blade off with a cloth. He looks up when I sprint in.

“Oh, hey, Zo,” he says. “Can I help you?”

“Where’s Command Central?” I blurt, and he looks confused.

“Go straight past those buildings there, take a left, then a right, and you’ll be there, why?” he says.

“No reason, thanks!” I shout over my shoulder and keep running. I follow Feroc’s directions, going straight past the indicated buildings, then a left, and finally curving around a right corner. By this time I’m quite out of breath, so I slow down once Command Central is in view. I enter the main clearing around it. There’s no-one else here-- just me. Suddenly, there’s a bright light from inside the building.

“Sterling!” I yell, sunning forward. I pull open the door, ignoring the fact that Jasak and Sterling told me I couldn’t go in there yet. It takes me a little bit to see Sterling. She’s crumpled limply on the ground.

“Sterling!” I yell again, quickly dropping to her side. “Sterling, are you okay?” I reach out and gently shake her shoulder.

Her closed eyes squeeze shut, but then she opens them and blinks.

“Jasak?” she asks blearily.

“No, no, it’s me, it’s Zoey,” I say. “Here, let me help you.”

“I’m fine,” she slurs. “The barrier always-- always does that to me.” She waves off my hand and sits up herself. “If I had been a little smarter,” she says, clearer now, “I would have done this sitting down. But I wanted to know for certain, and that meant strengthening the barrier first.”

“Know-- know what for certain?” I ask, a little nervously. What does she want to know?

“Zoey,” she says, looking deep into my eyes, “I think you’re my sister.”

Woah! ¡Estoy flipando de colores! (I’m flippin’ in colors!— slang for Awesome or Surprising or somethin along those lines).

*Splutters* WHAT?!?!?!?!?! OKAY, I THOUGHT I UNDERSTOOD WHAT WAS HAPPENING BUT NOW YOU JUST BLEW MY MIND. 

Chapter 24

“Your-- what?” I ask her, eyes wide.

“My sister,” Sterling repeats, her voice getting stronger. “My little sister.”

“But-- I’m from Earth!” I say. “I can’t be your sister!”

“Melise is never wrong,” Sterling says. “She sensed the magic in you, much as it is in me. There aren’t many people left in this world-- or any other-- with strong magic, strong enough for the wind to tell her about it. In fact, there are two left. Me, and now, you.”

“I have a sister?” I whisper, looking at her. We look nothing alike, me and her, but yet, I feel it. Something I felt when I first saw her, a thread, pulling us together. I thought it was just respect, and I ignored it, but being here, hearing this, it makes the thread glow in my mind.

“Yes,” Sterling says, a tear dripping out of her eye. “You have a sister. You have family, Zoey. You’re not alone anymore. I’m not alone anymore.”

“A sister,” I whisper, barely able to believe it. A sister! A silvery tear drips out of my eye, matching Sterling’s. She sniffles.

“Yes,” she says again. She leans forward and hugs me hard. I lean into her, feeling in her embrace what I never had. She clings to me like she never wants to let go again.

Jasak bursts into Command Central, eyes wild. He stops short when he sees us huddled on the floor together with tears dripping down our faces.

“So it’s true?” he whispers. “She’s alive?”

“It’s true,” Sterling says, hiccuping a little. “It’s true.”

Jasak’s face takes on a brilliant, wondering smile and he drops to the ground besides us, wrapping the two of us in his arms. “A sister,” he says, shaking his head. “I thought none of them survived, Ster! But she did. And she’s returned to us, to you.”

“Are-- are you related to me too?” I ask Jasak, but he shakes his head, grinning.

“No. I’m not your brother in blood, but I’ve been with Sterling since the beginning. And now I can be with both of you until the end.”

Icantre and Feroc burst in, then, too. They also stop short at the doorway.

“Here, let’s-- let’s do this properly,” Sterling says, wiping tears from her face. She stands and helps me up, never letting me go. I cling to her too. Now that I’ve found family, I never want to let her go.

“Icantre, Feroc,” Sterling says, squeezing my shoulders, “This is Zoey. My sister. My Zoelaira.”

“Zoey-- Zoelaira, of course,” breathes Icantre. “The youngest?”

“There are more?” I say in surprise.

Sterling looks at me. “There were,” she says. “Another sister, older than me. Her name was Adrienne. And a boy, your twin.”

“My twin?” I ask. I have a twin! “What’s his name?”

“Zorinth was what we called him, but neither of you had gone through an official naming ceremony,” says Sterling sadly. “It happens when children are 10 years old. You and your brother were only 9 and a half before-- before I lost you all.”

“What happened?” I ask.

Sterling shakes her head. “I want to rejoice in the family I have now, not be mired in the family I-- or now, we-- lost long ago. I’ll tell you someday, but for now, let’s be happy. Icantre, can you see if you can get my sister and I some food in Save. We have a lot to discuss.”

She squeezes my shoulders again and shoots me a happy grin. I return it gladly.

Icantre hesitates but nods.

Sterling adds, “Feroc, Jasak, keep people away from Save for the evening, will you? If anything comes up, just… deal with it, please.”

Jasak and Feroc nod, and Sterling turns back to me. “C’mon, let’s go! I want to hear everything-- how you got here, how you survived, how the dragons got you.”

“Deal,” I say, grinning from ear to ear. Sterling nods to her convocation and leads me out of Command Central, keeping up happy chatter all the way to Save.

Once we’re inside Save, I move towards the table in the corner. But Sterling shakes her head and gestures me back into the back rooms. I follow her, and we enter a long hallway. Save is longer than I thought. It extends far to the back, with enough room for two doors on either side of the hall for bedrooms and one at the end. It’s the one at the end that Sterling and I go through.  She ushers me inside.

The room is small, smaller than my room at Northbrook, but cozy nonetheless. The small bed is covered with a quilt made of squares of different fabrics, and the floor has a round rug. The walls are cluttered with pictures and pamphlets.

“What are all of those?” I ask, pointing to the paper on the wall.

Sterling walks over for a better look, bumping my shoulder with hers. “Memories,” she says. “From a different time. But look at this, here.”

She crosses the room and takes a picture off the wall. It was hanging so that if one were to lay on the bed and look left, it’d be in a direct line of sight. Sterling walks back over to me and hands me the paper. It’s a photograph, faded and creased. There’s a small blonde girl, maybe 9 or 10, holding the hand of an older girl, this one with reddish curls and a bright smile. At their feet are two children, a boy and a girl, maybe 7 or 8 years of age. They have matching grins and raven hair.

“Is that--” I say, brushing my finger over the image.

Sterling nods. “That’s me, the blonde one,” she says. “And our oldest sister, Adrienne. The child on the left is you, and on the right, your brother, Zorinth.”

“I was so small,” I whisper. “So small.”

“So was I,” Sterling says. “And I’ve had to survive all these years thinking you were dead. How did you survive?”

“I… I don’t know,” I say, looking back up at her. “I’ve never really thought about it, but I can’t remember anything before a few years ago. I know I was living on my own for a while, but how could I have done that all those years? I just don’t know. I’m sorry, sister. I don’t even know what happened that made us be separated.”

Sterling nods, looking saddened. “I didn’t think you’d know, but even so, I had hoped you might. I do not know where Adrienne and Zorinth are, or even if they’re even alive. They could be dead for all I know.” She looks down at her feet, but then back up at me. “Come. Let us speak of happier things, Zoey, my Zoelaira. That’s what we called you-- Zoelaira. I should have known as soon as I saw you that you were her.”

“I don’t see how you could have, seeing that I didn’t know myself,” I chuckle, but follow her as she sits on the bed and pats the mattress next to her. I sit, and the mattress is surprisingly comfortable.

“What do you remember about these last years?” Sterling asks me, slinging an arm around my shoulders. I lean into her contentedly, thinking. How much should I tell her?

“Well…” I say slowly. “I’ve been on… Earth for most of it.”

“Earth?” she says in surprise. “How did you end up there?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know. I can’t remember. I don’t know why I didn’t question any of this earlier, too. How could I not notice this huge gap in my memory?”

Sterling shrugs. “I do not know, sister. I would have noticed it; but then again, I try to remember everything because I never know what might be precious to me later. My-- now, our-- family has taught me that. But while you were on Earth, what happened?”

I begin to tell her everything that happened-- from my time on the streets, to getting picked up by Northbrook, to the taunting and the teasing and the looks. Then I continue to Kelsey and the dragons, the testing and the running, all the way up to where she picked me up yesterday.

When I finish, we sit in silence. The Sterling pulls me to her and hugs me tight against her chest. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that alone,” she says softly. I hug her back just as tightly.

“At least I have you now,” I say back. “What have you been doing all these years?”

Sterling shrugs. “Not much, compared to you. Running the Aerie, mostly. I adventured with Jasak for a while. That’s where I got this vigilante idea from. I found him facing down 3 goons twice his 12-year-old size-- I was 13 at the time-- and I helped him fight them off. He always was the good-hearted one in our duo.” She chuckles. “He was trying to protect a younger girl who’d they’d been harrassing. He always did like protecting the underdog, I suppose. Not too keen on using violence, though-- he was trying to talk those goons into a peaceful resolution or some dew like that.”

“Peaceful resolutions are a good tactic though,” I say. “Unnecessary violence is, well, unnecessary.”

Sterling waves her hand. “I know. But Jasak and I have differing opinions on what’s ‘unnecessary’ or not. I tend to use violence faster, but he likes to wait until the last possible second to begin the fight. Thing is, he’s usually successful.”

“Is that why he’s a stayman?” I ask her, and Sterling nods.

“Yes. He has a calming effect on people, as you’ve well noticed. People seem to like him. He has a certain… charisma, I suppose.”

She stares off into space, a small smile on her face.

“Do you… I mean… are you two… like… attracted to each other?” I ask hesitatingly, not certain if I want to know the answer or not.

Sterling shakes her head. “No. No, he’s like a brother to me. He’s seen my at my worst, as I’ve seen him as his worst. That kind of friendship-- it really does something to you. I would trust him with my life. Not many people have that honour. My convocation is probably it. But now, you. You are my sister.”

“I would trust you with mine, sister,” I say, leaning my head on her shoulder and closing my eyes.

Sterling puts her head on mine and we sit there for quite a while.

“Zoey,” Sterling says, breaking the companionable silence that has fallen, “Are you-- can you-- did you inherit the family gift?”

“Family gift?” I echo, and Sterling nods.

“Yes. Our gift.”

“What’s the gift?” I ask her. In reply, she holds her hand out in front of her and closes her eyes. There’s dead silence for a moment, and then, there’s a ball of fire shimmering above her hand.

“Magic?” I whisper, and she nods.

“Yes. Zoey, we are the last of the Griffons, the strongest magical family in Avalon. I know you have magic running through your veins-- Melise sensed it, and it’s been passed down, generation by generation. But can you control it? Harness it?”
I shake my head. “No. I can’t use it. I’ve never used it.”

“Are you certain?” Sterling prompts gently. “When those lanbai attacked, and you fought them off with a wave of power, that sounded like magic to me. And when you fell of Chamarys’s nest and your head was cracked but healed-- that sounded like a healing spell to me.”

“No,” I insist. “I’m human, not some magic-wielder.”

Sterling smiles. “You can be both at the same time, my Zoelaira. I am human, and yet I can wield.”

I wave my hand in the air. “Yes, but-- I couldn’t ever do anything on Earth, no… summoning flames out of midair or anything!”
Sterling nods. “That is true, and yet, there is a perfectly logical explanation for that. In your travels, did anyone ever tell you of Avalon’s history?”

I shake my head, and Sterling continues.

“I thought not. Long, long ago, when the world was fresh and new, a group of like-minded humans formed their own kingdom in the heart of the known world. This kingdom was called Avalon, after an ancient word for stone. Over time, Avalon grew and flourished, becoming a center for trade and the arts. The last surviving founding member named his son as his successor. His son became the first official king of Avalon. That mantle has been passed down through the ages, last resting on our father, Edmund Spenser Griffon. He was a wise and just king, our father. He sought to make the common people more equal to the nobility and to promote equal justice for all. But some of the nobles felt they were being personally attacked by him, when all he was trying to do was spread equality. Some of the nobility, led by Baron Fane Zul, banded together and killed our father. I, you, our brother, and our sister, fled the palace with the aid of one of Father’s Eagles, named Jon Wolff. If he hadn’t helped us escape, we would have been captured and killed, then and there. Fane Zul wouldn’t have hesitated to end the Griffon line altogether if it meant he could sit on the throne. Now, with Fane Zul as the ruler, Avalon is a dark place-- hence the need for a band of vigilantes to carry out justice that his men will not.”

Sterling sits in silence for a moment, but this time it’s me that breaks it, with rising excitement. “Wait, so, follow my logic. You said that our father, was a king?”

Sterling nods.

“And we’re his daughters… right?” I say, and Sterling nods again. “Therefore,” I continue, “We’re both princesses?”

Sterling nods and shrugs. “Um, yeah? I thought that was kind of clear from the whole ‘father-is-a-king’ thing.”

“Sterling!” I shriek. “I’m a princess! Why didn’t you start with that? Holy everything, am I dreaming?” I pinch myself, feeling giddy at the sharp pain it gives me. “I always wanted to be a princess. I thought that if I were, it would solve all of my problems.”

“And all that time, you were,” Sterling says. “And all it did for you, well, me at least, was create more problems. Listen, sister-- that’s Level 7 information, all right? Only my convocation and a few others know, and I’d rather keep it that way, alright? The less people that know, the less chance there is of it getting back to Fane Zul somehow. That’s the point of this whole barrier thing. He’s set up a system to track magic. Whenever there’s a strong magical burst in Avalon, he sends his men there. This barrier makes that magical trace invisible to his sensors.”

“That’s so cool!” I gasp, and Sterling shoots me a look. “Sorry,” I apologize. “Got caught up in the whole-- princess-- you know what, never mind. Anyway.”

“Anyway,” Sterling echoes pointedly. “I was going somewhere with that history. No matter how peaceful, no country can remain undisturbed for so long. Before our father was king, an uprising among the people happened. The nobility quelled it and banished the uprisers to a land without magic: Earth. The very land of Earth suppresses any magical ability. I suppose it makes sense, in a twisted way, that you spent so much of your life there. You went undetected by Fane Zul. No-one would ever think to look for a magical family in a land without magic.” She laughs bitterly. “Not even I thought of it. I truly thought you were dead, all these years.”

“In a way, it might have been easier for me,” I say, yawning and resting my head back on Sterling’s shoulder now that my princess adrenaline has faded. “I didn’t know any of you existed before now. I didn’t have to deal with my grief for… how many years?”

“Seven,” Sterling says. “Seven years.”

“Seven,” I repeat, my words slightly slurred

Sterling looks at me sideways, since my head is on her shoulder. “Dewdrops! It’s late,” she says, glancing around to a dial by the door. It looks similar to a clock, and she seems to consult it like it is. “You must be so tired. I’ve certainly dumped enough information on you tonight to make you tired.”

“I am... tired,” I say, eyes closing.

“C’mon, let’s get you back to Maylene,” Sterling says, hooking my arm over her shoulder and pulling me up. I stagger on my feet. My legs feel soft and far away, like I’m standing in clouds.

“Okay, that’s not going to work,” Sterling mutters to herself, helping me back onto her bed. “Guess you’re camping here for the night, sister.”

“Okay,” I agree, stretching out on her bed. She pulls the covers out from under my feet and lays them gently over me. Then she snaps her fingers and the glowing balls of light that had been ringing the room, much like the ones in the Nest, dim until Sterling is just a faint shadow sitting on the bed by my head. She smoothes my hair gently away from my head.

“Night, sister,” I mumble, eyes closing.

“Goodnight, sister,” she replies, resting a soft hand on my forehead before standing and quietly leaving the room, closing the door softly behind her. The last thing I hear before I slip into sweet sleep is the soft sound of Sterling’s footsteps down the hall.