Over the Mountain (Book One)

Chapter Sixteen: The Animals

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Chloe

"The seven?"

"Yes. It's a lucky number, you know."

"Uneven numbers don't agree with me." Olivia mumbles.

"Give me time to explain." Reasons Gretel. "Young people are so impulsive."

I roll my eyes.

"Anyways, let me start at where we are. We are currently on the magical side of the border."

We stare at her, open mouthed. "The king and his witches made that impossible years ago." I rationale. "There's no way you could-"

Gretel stops me there, to my annoyance. "And that is where you stop. Nothing is impossible with magic." She winks. "You see, we clever magical creatures know exactly how to get around curses and spells of such."

"You're a magical creature?" Hale asks, and I can feel him right behind me.

"Why yes, I am."

"But you look norm-"

Suddenly, Gretel is nothing of an old woman anymore. A beautiful young woman stands in her place.

"Shapeshifter." I hear Meg say in awe.

"Indeed, but we call ourselves Shibas." Says the now young and beautiful woman with tumbling auburn hair and glistening blue-green orbs. "I can change into any living thing as long as I've seen it. We can also shift into dreams."

"That's amazing." Says Olivia.

I honestly don't agree. It's unnerving, the way in which she can change herself in a snap of a second. If she was an assassin like me, that would definitely come in handy... I just can't trust someone with that kind of power.

"Now, let me explain how I did it."

In the blink of an eye, she is gone. Well, I think she was gone until I see a small yellow shape fluttering in he air.

Olivia gasps. "The butterfly- my dream-"

The butterfly turns into a bunch of birds.

The birds that attacked the bandits so we could escape. I'd thought that was peculiar that the birds had oh so conveniently come to our aid, but I had been so caught up in the moment that it had escaped my mind.

The form shifts again into a brown horse. "The horse that we escaped from the castle from.." Meg says in realization. The horse from the waterfall.

I jump back as a wolf appears. I draw my dagger from my belt and point it at the beast, but in a flash it turns back to Gretel.

"You helped us along the way.." Murmurs Olivia, but I don't care how much she helped us. She made those wolves attack us.

"Why!" I yell. "You could have killed us!"

She grins. "But I didn't. You see, I tried to delay you with the wolves so you would not be in the path of the bandits. To my disappointment  though, Hale came and saved you from injury. I was frustrated, but when I learned he was one of the seven, I was excited. Everything fell together with a little nudging from me. Sadly though, the princess had to attend to duties."

"But how'd you get across the border?" Meg asks.

"You see, the border goes by looks, not magical auras. It was hastily made, and therefore easy to get past. Only nonmagical animals are allowed across, and I simply disguised myself as an innocent animal. Magic cannot be preformed outright in this land, but potions, like young Taylor uses, can be used by witches only. I splashed a living potion onto the tree and splashed a portal potion inside of it. All portals transport to Nowhere so of course I had to pick you up there and simply teleport you to my home where I would explain everything."

"Smart." Says Malik.

"Taylor's a witch?" Says Hale in surprise. "What else was she hiding from us?"

"It's obvious why she didn't tell you," I burst out in her defense. "How could she trust people she had just met?"

He shuts up, a gleam in his eye, and I smile smugly.

"Why don't other magical creatures come to this continent then?" I ask.

"It would basically be suicide." Gretel looks at me. "The few that come across have good reasons and good disguises."

All of this information is a lot to take in. "Then why do you need us?" I ask. "It seems like you have everything under control."

"Ah, and that is an illusion, my dear. You see, we have nothing under control. The world of magic and human alike is slowly crumbling to the evil of the king." Gretel's eyes seem to bore into mine with a small sparkle.

I look down, feeling heavy.

"But your final, well probably not final, but your question shall be answered. The seven. What does it mean? It means that you are fated to save the world from the evil that plagues our home."

Hale and I look at each other, and I see his eyes crinkle in a smile. I try not to, but I can't help the grin that fights its way to my cheeks. "Us? Save the world?" He splutters. "I'd like to see that happen."

"I'm sure you would, Hale." Gretel articulates. "And you will if you take this seriously. Saving the world is no small task."

"Of course it's not. But why pick people like me or Malik." He turns to Malik. "No offense, bro. I understand why you might pick Chloe, or even Taylor. They're both beautiful and put together, and have a lot of power." Does the room suddenly feel hot? "But the rest of us are nobody's."

Gretel looks to Hale knowingly, but I almost feel as if I had just imagined it. "The seven are not nobodys, not in the fate's book at least. You all have special powers that no ordinary being has. You are special."

"What do you mean?" Meg asks. "What kind of special powers?" We all look at her in anticipation. Even though is seems childish, it feels good to be told that you're special. Even by an old crazy lady.

"To save the world, you have to know the world." Gretel says slowly. "You have the power to harness the elements.

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