Safehaven

Chapter 32

Over the course of lunch, Antigone and I took turns retailing what had happened. Holly just sat at the end of the table, curled in a little ball and muttering to herself. Rinal patiently sat down at her master's feet. It took the majority of lunch just to tell the story. "And Nathen just sat there, doing nothing." Antigone finished with a release of hot air. "Our lives are on the line, and he just sits there, staring off into space!" The girl's shouts could be heard across the room. A group of girls with lions at their feet looked up from their meal and gave a funny face. But Antigone didn't notice. She was on a roll. "I mean, the prophesy. It seems like everybody here know more about our fate than we do. How is that fair?" Miniature storm clouds were starting to brew over Antigone's head. Little flashes of lightning lit up around her ears. Jada tried to calm her friend down, by putting her hand on her shoulder. Upon contact, Antigone's clouds dissipated, and she seemed to relax. The tension in her shoulders melted. Jada smiled at me. Could she heal the mind too? Jeez, that might come in handy. "Well, everything does have its time." Sage muttered helpfully. Dash nibbled on the girl's salad. But Sage didn't seem to notice. I turned to Gwindol. He lay under the table, ready to catch any tasty morsels that happened to hit the ground. I managed to catch his eye. Its true I heard him say. Not everything happens at once. It takes time The dragon's deep eyes glistened with mischief. He knew something. But I put that aside. I had learned long ago that trying to make him talk was like trying to get Quinton into tights. Nope, there was no way it was going to happen. I sighed and rejoined the conversation that continued on top of the table. "Well, putting that 'subject' aside, let's talk about tonight." Quinton rubbed his hands together like a madman. I had been so caught up on our talk about our fate, I had forgotten to be excited for tonight. We were going to play in the Games! At the mention of Games, everyone's faces lit up with joy, and our troubles were forgotten. That was in the future. We were living in the now. As we stuffed brisket and rolls in our mouths, we discussed strategies for the Games. Tonight was all about teamwork and working together. In the middle of our discussion, the bell rang, and we were dismissed to continue on with our classes. With a farewell, my friends and I split and went to our individual classes. Gwindol slinked out from under the table and joined me as I left the mess hall. "Why don't you talk to me anymore?" I questioned him as we strode up down the ahll. "What's gotten into you lately?" The dragon at my side remained silent. His eyes stayed glued ahead of him. He was trying to keep a mask of calm and composure. But I saw his shoulders slump and his tail droop. "Seriously, what's eating ya?" Gwindol looked up at me. Over the past few weeks, he had grown surprisingly fast. His head now reached my chest, and he could look me straight in the eye if he held his head high. But now, he stayed low. I've just been thinking. When Badon left for Home, I'm pretty sure he took something with him. I have scoured every book in your room, and I'm still missing one crucial piece of the puzzle. Gwindol paused as a group of boys passed up going up the stairs. Think about it. The prophesy said that an enemy with 'life snuffed out' is bound to come. We all know who that is. Gwindol looked at me, egging me to answer his question. "Morion." I shrugged. "But that's common knowledge." The dragon nodded. The second part is what nags me. How can somebody be alive when their life is gone, extinguished like a candle flame? If so, they can't be human. And if their dead, but still here... Gwindol left me to finish his sentence. "Morian has to be a ghost or something." Then it clicked. "Wait. If Morian is a ghost, how are we supposed to kill him?" Gwindol smiled at my slow conclusion. Hey, better late then never, right? Very well. Did you notice how earthly weapons seemed to have little affect on the villain? Yes, he can be bruised and such. But he can't be killed. Our battle in the mess hall was destined to fail because we lacked the proper way to actually kill Morian. But I bet the scales on my wings that Badon knew how to kill Morian, and that's why the corrupted spirit tried so hard to kill him. He didn't even go after you and your friends! Why? Because he wanted to get rid of Badon before he could blab. I stared in awe at my companion. How long had it taken him to come up with all of this? Weeks? I just shook my head in amazement. "Do you have any idea what the weapon might be?" Gwindol sadly shook his head. If I did, I'd have told you by now. The 2 of us remained silent the remainder of the way to class. When we stepped through the door of "Soul Mate Defense", I knew I was in trouble. Mark was standing off to the side, clearly waiting for me. I turned to Gwindol. "So, changing gears, how am I supposed to beat mean and ugly?" I pointed over my shoulder to Mark. The dragon just sort of chuckled. That's your call. And with that, he strut to the back wall, where other soul mates had gather to talk. They gladly welcomed him into their members. Since when was Gwindol social? I sighed, and glanced back over at my enemy. Today, he had slicked his hair back, and his bear was at his side, growling while drool dripped to the floor between its paws. The gruesome twosome made their way over to me. "What up, cupcake?" He asked casually. The bear grunted in agreement. I whimpered smartly. "I hear you and your little friends signed up for tonight. Trying to be cool, huh? Well, that's too bad. The gamekeepers are going to have a fun time, picking your bones off the ground." Mark laughed heartily, and his bear sniffed in disgust. A glowing ring of red hovered above Mark's head, and bobbed around when he laughed. He must have already entered one of the Games. That's why he had one. When my friends and I showed up at the Games tonight, we too would be given one. Still chuckling to himself, Mark wiped a tear from his eyes. "Well, catch you later, friend." He forced as much sarcasm as he could into the last word, then strut away to his posse like a chicken. Inside, I seethed. This dude was seriously starting to get on my nerves. I could snap my fingers and he would be burnt to a crisp, just like that! But something told me that anger wasn't the answer to everything. I took a deep breath of cool air, and looked down. My hands were smoldering. From elbows down, my robes were a crispy mess. I really needed to work on controlling that. I clenched my fists and called Gwindol over as our instructor came through the doors. As all of us students lined up as usual, thoughts raced through my mind. Yes, Mark would be surprised tonight when we whooped his behind tonight. Yes, my friends and I would dominate the Games. But how did this all matter in the end? Nothing could even help prepare us for what was to come. You could only practice so much. What was the point of all this, anyway? A childish game meant to distract us from the cruelty of life? A way to hide from our fate like cowards? No, I wouldn't do that. I was going to charge straight on. Who cared if our destiny was written hundreds of years before we were even a thought? The past couldn't be changed. But the future can. And that was exactly what I was going to do.