Faery Born (Book One in the War Faery Trilogy) (13 page)

The buffo bellowed in rage and turned faster than I would have thought possible, pawing at the ground where Wilfred had been. But the big man moved faster, leaping to his feet and out of the way of those tusks. It charged after him, throwing its head around and spraying an acid rain of saliva. A couple of drops landed on my armour, etching into the metal.

Aethan ran behind the buffo, slashing at its rear with his sword. His strike bounced off its hide. It flicked its tail – a hard, toughened blade – but otherwise paid Aethan no attention. Wilfred ran off, waving his arms and shrieking like a girl.

I let out a wild laugh and charged the buffo from the other side. Using my sword like a lance, I aimed below its ribcage and thrust as hard as I could. Once the tip had penetrated the hide, the rest of the blade slid in easily.

The buffo spun, ripping the handle out of my grasp as it trained its sight on me. Now it was my turn to run. Although
I
didn’t have to try to shriek like a girl, it happened quite naturally.

Mumma buffo roared her displeasure and charged, racing straight at Aethan. He dived over her, jumping to his feet and spinning to meet her next charge.

I raced away from him, leading the father in the opposite direction as I ran wildly through the trees. I dodged its flaming breath as I tried to stay ahead.

‘Blow it up,’ Wilfred yelled.

I leapt from one tree to the next, scrambling higher and higher till I balanced on a thick branch. ‘It doesn’t work like that,’ I said from between clenched teeth.

The Buffo swung its head from side-to-side as it searched the undergrowth for me. It stopped and sniffed the air.

‘Well how does it work?’ Wilfred’s voice was getting closer, but he wouldn’t get there before the buffo found me.

‘I don’t know.’ I willed a spear into my hands, sent a prayer up to the Great Dark Sky and then, spear point down, I leapt from my branch onto the back of the buffo. I felt the spear tear its way through hide and muscle and then the buffo took off with me hanging wildly to the spear.

‘Get out of the way,’ I yelled at Wilfred. I had time to see the astonished look on his face as the buffo ran past. It barged into trees trying to wipe me from its back. I pulled my legs up, relying on the spear embedded through its body to hold me upright.

As the buffo ran through the clearing I braced my legs up under me and jumped off its back, turning a somersault and landing on my feet.

Wilfred charged past me, chasing after Dadda. Aethan was leading Mumma in a merry dance. He held up a shield to protect himself from her fire, and dodged her tusks while he stabbed at her side. Her hide was covered with multiple puncture wounds and blood dribbled onto the ground, but she showed no signs of slowing.

I could try to help him, but I might get in his way and he seemed to be managing her quite well by himself. I was about to follow Wilfred when I felt heat radiating through the metal encasing my back.

I spun around, a blade already in my hand, and there was Baby buffo. I stared into its eyes and felt wretched. It was only a baby, and we were doing our darndest to destroy its family. I felt its grief, I felt its sorrow, and then, as it swung its head at me, I felt its anger.

The tip of its tusk screeched along my armour, catching the edge of the discs at my shoulder and tossing me through the air. I slammed into a tree and slid to the ground. Pain flashed in my head as it connected with a rock.

I crawled to the other side of the tree and huddled there while fire wrapped around the edges. The trees spun in front of me and my head throbbed. Blood dribbled down my forehead into my eye and I brushed it away with the back of my arm.

I staggered through the undergrowth, looking for a hiding spot. It snuffled where I had crouched behind the tree and then let out a satisfied snort. I was guessing it had found my scent. I pulled myself up and leant back against a trunk, shield in one hand and sword in the other. I was hoping the sight of my being armed might slow it and give me time to recover.

No such luck. It pawed the ground and shook its head, spraying droplets of saliva over me. A few landed on my face, burning deep into my skin. And then it charged.

I held up the shield, closed my eyes, and waited for death to find me. But instead of tearing into my flesh the buffo let out a woompha of air. The sound of its hooves beating on the earth changed from rhythmical to comical. I opened my eyes to see it skid along the ground, a score of arrows protruding from its body.

‘Izzy got handed her arse by Baby Buffo.’ Wilfred had a burn down one side of his face.

‘You said its hide was impenetrable to arrows.’

‘A full grown adult’s is,’ Aethan said, hanging his bow back over his shoulder. ‘But a baby buffo’s hide is as soft as…’

‘Baby skin?’ I supplied. I pushed myself away from the tree and immediately fell to my knees.

‘You’re hurt.’ Aethan crouched beside me and pushed me down onto the ground.

‘I’m fine,’ I mumbled. The feel of his hands examining my face was far too nice. ‘I hit my head.’

‘I think we’ve had enough hunting for one night.’ Aethan helped me up and slung an arm around my back and under my armpit.

‘Could I have changed the buffo?’ I asked.

‘You mean like you and Wilfred were doing to each other?’

‘Yes.’ I felt stupid for not thinking of it before.

‘You can only do that to things that don’t exist here in reality.’

‘Oh. So other dreamers.’

‘Other dreamers.’

Wilfred propped up my other side.

‘Time to wake up,’ Aethan said, and then I did.

I opened my eyes. My head still spun and my face burned where the buffo had sprayed me with its saliva. Scruffy whined and pawed at my leg, and I reached out a hand to him. ‘Why do I still hurt?’

‘When an injury occurs during dream-walking, the physical manifestations can appear on the body of the walker.’

‘Oh.’ Someone had told me that before, but my head was too fuzzy to remember whom. ‘Why only
can?’

‘Because you bring the injuries back with you when you come.’

‘Oh, so if Baby Buffo had succeeded…?’

‘You wouldn’t have come back at all.’

‘You fought buffos?’ Rako’s voice held tight anger. ‘What part of ‘keep them safe’ did you not understand?’

‘We’re in trouble,’ Wilfred muttered in a sing-song voice.

I looked over at him. The side of his face was a mess. ‘That must hurt.’

‘Daddio gave almost as good as he got.’ His face broke into a grin. ‘I almost wet myself when you jumped on his back.’

I started to laugh but it made my head throb. Instead I shut my eyes and said, ‘I almost wet
myself
when you ran off shrieking like a girl.’

‘I did not shriek like a girl.’

I opened my eyes and peered at him. ‘You did too.’

‘It would not be possible for me to shriek like a girl. My voice doesn’t go that high.’

Headache or not I started to laugh. ‘It was funny when I thought you were doing it on purpose. Now it’s hysterical.’

I could hear Rako berating Aethan. ‘She jumped on his back? Where the hell were you?’

‘I was kind of busy at the time. Uh Sir, do you think I can go for the healer?’

Sir?
We
must
have been in trouble. I’d never heard Aethan call Rako ‘Sir’ before.

‘I have a mind to let them heal naturally. Would teach you all a lesson.’ Rako let out a big huff of air. ‘Oh fine, go get Brinda.’

A few minutes later I felt a soft hand on my brow. A tingle passed through me and when I opened my eyes a faery woman stared into my face. ‘A head injury and buffo burns,’ she said. ‘Nothing serious. You’ve had a busy night young lady.’ She laid a hand on either side of my head and I felt a trickle of power seep into me. It reached out like cold fingers into my head and neck. ‘Hold steady,’ she said.

One second the cold soothed my wounds and the next it heated to a temperature approaching boiling. I screeched and clawed at her hands. Strong arms grabbed mine, forcing them to my side.

‘Stay still.’ Her voice was firm and merciless as the heat scorched, burning its way out of my body.

I let out a scream and kicked my legs against the bed.

Was she trying to kill me?

As quickly as the heat had come, it flashed and disappeared. Panting, I sagged back against the bed.

She removed her hands from my head. ‘It is done. You will need to get plenty of rest and food over the next few days to replenish the energy I just used.’

I felt her weight shift off my bed and then Wilfred said, ‘Oh boy, here we go.’

When the memory of the pain had faded I opened my eyes. Aethan sat beside me, still pinning my arms to the bed. Concern filled his eyes. ‘I’m sorry. I should never have taken you into the forest.’

I struggled to sit up and he let me go, pulling me up beside him. ‘We’ve hunted before,’ I said.

‘You remember?’ His voice held a measure of relief.

I shook my head. ‘During my session with Wolfgang I saw a memory. You admitted you had taught me to hunt.’

Disappointment bloomed in his eyes and he was silent for a moment. ‘Once you realised the monsters were there you started hunting them yourself. I couldn’t stop you, so I taught you.’

I stared into his beautiful, dark-blue eyes. ‘This is no different.’

He met my gaze for a few seconds longer and then nodded. ‘I will not stop you. But I
will
keep you safe.’

‘We will keep each other safe.’

A grin appeared on his face. ‘You are the most stubborn person I know.’

Stubborn? Was that good? I would have preferred mesmerising.

Wilfred let out a bellow and we both rushed to his side. It was over before we got there, the skin on his face as perfect and hairy as it had been.

Rako stalked back into the room. ‘Isadora, I want you home for the next few days.’

‘But I’m fine.’ I really did feel as good as I had before my injury.

‘Are you questioning my command?’ His voice held a dangerous edge.

‘No Sir.’ Probably best not to push him any further than we had.

‘Correct answer. You will rest and return for duties next week.’

I sighed and pushed away from the beds. What was I going to do for the next five days? After only two days here my old life seemed dull in comparison.

‘What shall I tell my family?’

He rubbed the tips of the fingers on one hand up and down the scar on his face and I wondered, not for the first time, how he had got it. ‘I will make sure you have enough homework to keep you busy. There will be no need for tricky questions.’

I pulled a face and stomped from the room, making sure that I didn’t stomp
so
hard that I drew Rako’s attention. I was annoyed,
not
suicidal.

When I got back to the second-year rooms, Jared was sitting cross-legged on his bed with Tinka on his lap. ‘What happened?’

‘We ran across a family of buffos.’

‘Buffos?’

‘Huge, angry, fire-breathing, pigs.’

‘You get all the fun.’

I jumped onto my bed and pulled Scruffy up beside me. He snuggled in close to my leg and stared up at me with his huge, brown eyes.

‘He was crying.’ Jared nodded his head at Scruffy. ‘Like he knew something was wrong.’

I scratched my familiar behind his ears and he lay his head on my knee. ‘What did you get up to?’

‘Same as last night. We roamed.’

‘Anything interesting?’

‘Saw a group of people playing naked limbo.’ He smiled at the memory. ‘Brent said tomorrow night we’re hunting.’

‘Watch out for the buffos.’ I unlaced my boots and bent over to pull one off. My head spun and I grabbed the edge of my bed. ‘Whoa.’

Jared grabbed my shoulders and helped me back up. The spinning continued as I lay down.

‘Here.’ He pulled my boots off and helped me wiggle under the edge of my covers.

‘I have to go home tomorrow,’ I said. ‘Brinda said it would take a few days to get over the healing.’

‘I think she might be onto something. You’ve gone as white as a really, really white thing.’

I let out a low laugh. ‘Don’t wake me in the morning. Not even if they’ve given me a matching beard.’

‘What about if they’ve shaved off your eyebrows?’

I smiled. ‘Especially not then.’

***

The room was empty and the sun high when I finally woke. Scruffy was curled into my back. I sat up slowly, trying not to disturb him, and grabbed my mirror. Eyebrows still intact and no matching beard. It had been a good night.

A pile of papers lay on my bedside table. The top sheet was a list of recommended reading with a note that the mentioned text books had already been placed in my car. The next few pages contained the assignments that needed to be completed by the end of the term.

I scanned the page: first-aid techniques; methods of lighting fires; how to track at night; wild animals found in Trillania; escape and evasion techniques; and cultural differences between goblins, orcs and trolls.

The last page was written in an elegant script. My breath caught as I realised it was a letter from Aethan requesting the pleasure of my company on Saturday. A knot formed in my stomach at the thought.

It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy being with him. In fact the opposite of that was fast becoming my reality. But the whole thing was so awkward. I had no idea what was expected of me.

I groaned as I remembered I had promised Sabby she could come this time. Perhaps she could help take the heat off me. I suspected though, that Sabby would be pumping him for information on our time spent together.

I had a quick shower and changed back into jeans. Then I threw some clothes into my bag with my dream-catcher, left a note for Jared asking him to make sure my bed didn’t get short-sheeted, and, with Scruffy trotting at my side, I headed down to the car park.

Grams was sitting at the kitchen table when I got home. She looked up from her porridge and said, ‘Had enough?’

‘I’ve got home study till next week.’ I put some bread in the toaster.

‘I see you’ve been bonding with the other students.’ She rested a fingertip on her upper lip.

‘Something like that. Tea?’

We were silent while I waited for the water to boil and the tea to brew. I filled her cup and placed it in front of her. She started as if only just realising I was there, and then she sighed and took a sip. ‘So how’s your Prince?’

It was my turn to sigh. ‘You’ll get to see him soon.’

He’s coming here?’ She jumped up from the table. ‘Now?’

‘No. On Saturday.’

‘Oh.’ She slumped back into her seat.

I studied her more intently. Her hair was silvery grey and she was wearing a beige tracksuit. Even Cyril’s scales were beige.

‘So what’s up?’ I asked.

She sighed again. ‘It’s Lionel.’

‘Oh no.’ I’d been so caught up in my own life I hadn’t realised they had broken up. ‘I’m sorry Grams.’

‘He wants to get married.’

It took me a second to digest her words. ‘What? But that’s good, isn’t it?’

‘What’s good about it?’ She spooned some porridge into the air and let it dribble back into her bowl.

‘Well, you get on really well.’

She nodded her head.

‘You have heaps of common interests.’

‘Like what?’

‘You both love travelling.’

‘That’s true.’ She stopped playing with her porridge and looked up at me.

‘He’s good looking and wealthy.’

The look on her face brightened. ‘He is quite dashing.’

‘And,’ I had left the best till last, ‘every other witch would be green with envy.’

‘Not that that is important, but all the other witches
would
be jealous wouldn’t they?’

‘Grams they would cry themselves to sleep every night for the rest of their lives. I mean we are talking about The Weekly Witching News’s Bachelor of the Year five years in a row.’

Her smile threatened to crack her face in two. You’re right,’ she said, ‘Lionel and I were made for each other.’ She flicked her wand and her hair turned bright orange. ‘He’s the man I’ve been waiting for my whole life.’ Cyril raised his head to stare at Grams. His tongue stretched out towards her, tasting the air, and then his scales shimmered to orange.

‘What about Grandpa?’ Even though I’d never met the man (he’d died before Mum was born) I felt the need to stand up for him.

‘Who?’ she asked.

‘Grandpa.’ Honestly the woman had the attention span of a goldfish.

‘Oh well, of course I loved him,’ she said. ‘And I’m sure that if he were still alive today we would be very happy.’

Mum appeared in the kitchen. ‘Izzy.’ She stared at my face for a second and then hugged me as if she hadn’t seen me for a month. ‘Oh thank goodness, you’ve managed to cheer her up.’

Grams picked up her plate and danced her way to the sink. She deposited the plate and then twirled on the spot, approaching Mum with a mischievous grin on her face. ‘Guess what?’ She held out her hands.

‘What?’ Mum eyed Grams’ hands with a suspicious look on her face.

‘You’re going to have a new father.’

‘I never knew my old one,’ Mum said. ‘Why do I need a new one?’

Grams burst out laughing and clapped her hands. ‘Oh Prunella,’ she said, ‘be happy for me. Lionel and I are getting married.’

‘Oh,’ Mum said. ‘Oh, Mother. That’s wonderful.’

‘I’m thinking a spring wedding,’ Grams said.

I took that as my cue to start some homework.

***

I was surprised the next day when Mum called me down to the kitchen to find Aethan and Wilfred waiting for me. They looked incongruous in our kitchen, their warriors’ clothes and bodies at odds with the cheery, yellow cabinets.

Aethan held a bunch of wildflowers in one hand. ‘Here,’ he said, thrusting them toward me.

‘He picked them himself,’ Wilfred said. ‘I tried to help, but apparently mine weren’t good enough.’

‘You’re not supposed to pull them out with the roots on them,’ Aethan said. I wasn’t sure, but it almost looked like he blushed.

Mum already had a vase out of the cupboard with water in it. ‘They’re lovely,’ I said, arranging them in the vase.

‘How are you feeling?’ Aethan wiped his hands on the sides of his pants and then crossed them awkwardly in front of him.

‘Excellent.’ I raised my eyebrows and nodded towards Mum. She had moved into the lounge to give us some privacy but I was betting she was listening to every word.

Grandma Bella emerged from the hall to her rooms. Cyril perfectly matched the peacock green of her dress and shoes. She froze when she saw Aethan and Wilfred.

‘Grams,’ I said, ‘come and meet my friends.’

She looked from us back to her rooms and licked her lips, turning as if to leave. But then she pasted a broad smile on her face and bustled towards us as I introduced her.

‘Izzy didn’t tell me she had an older sister,’ Wilfred said as he bowed over her hand.

Grams giggled and fluttered her eyelashes at him. ‘Oh young man,’ she said, ‘I bet you say that to all of your friends’ grandmothers.’

‘Only the ravishing ones.’

I rolled my eyes and turned to Aethan. ‘Want to go for a walk?’ I’d been studying all morning and was dying to get out of the house.

‘Sure.’ He held the door open for me and then followed me into the sunshine. The warm weather would hold for another few weeks yet and I wanted to enjoy as much of it as I could.

We wandered down the street towards the heart of the village.

‘How old are you?’ I asked Aethan.

‘Twenty-one.’

Three years older than me. That was not so very much.

‘So,’ I said, ‘what does being second-in-line to the throne entail?’

‘When Orion takes the throne I’ll be in charge of Isilvitania’s defences.’