Starrlings 1: House of Fire

chapter 18

A R I

That was strange. She hadn't expected snow at the end of summer. She saw a flurry of snow explode out of the forest like birds fleeing from a noise. Moments later, a pure white wolf burst free into the sky from the trees, followed closely by a pure black wolf.

The two wolves each had a rider, and Ari recognised them as they flew low over the tops of the pine trees. Princess Katja and Tomas Wilder. Ari wondered momentarily if Sanna was with them, and felt a flicker of disappointment to see that she was not.

The other water wards watched the approaching winter wolves with interest, as the two wolves tumbled through the air, white and black wings beating over the treetops, leaving traces of snow wherever they went.

Then the white wolf shot up into the air, higher than the dam wall and then down again as if it might dive into the lake. It pulled out of its dive at the last minute and sailed across the lake and then to the shore.

Ari glanced at her sister and the others, who were chewing leaves, then stood up.

"Ari, don't," Bell said, but Ari ignored her sister.

She stepped carefully along the dam wall to the shore, just as Tomas Wilder landed in the shallows of the lake with a splash. The black wolf shook himself in the water.

"Is everything okay?" Ari called out, as she approached the princess. She clutched her arms to her chest with a sudden chill; the princess was emanating an iciness that seemed to permeate into Ari's bones.

"We just happened to witness the arrival of the Tsukasai girl," Tom said quietly, as he slipped off his wolf. "It seems that Raphael and the fire princess rode in on Raph's falcon."

Katja had slipped off the back of her pure white wolf and was now sobbing into the wolf's thick pelt.

"He was my prince," Katja sobbed, her words muffled by the thick white fur.

Ari looked away, embarrassed to witness the princess's raw grief.

"What are you doing up here?" Tom asked, glancing over at the water wards sitting on the dam wall.

"My sister wanted to see the dragons," Ari said, as the princess sobbed louder.

"Your sister likes dragons?" Tom asked, but Ari didn't answer him because his huge black wolf made a sudden movement, and Ari stepped back quickly and almost fell into the water.

"He won't hurt you," Tom said. "This is Kobuk." The black wolf stood with his paws in the shallows of the lake. His black fur glistening with water, while his black eyes were locked on her. "He's harmless," Tom said, but of course Ari knew that wasn't true. She'd heard about Tom's brilliance on the charging pitch; Kobuk was fast and deadly.

Katja sobbed again, and both Tom and Ari looked over at the princess.

"I don't really know what to do," Tom admitted.

"Where's Sanna?" Ari asked. "Isn't she her best friend?"

Tom studied Ari's face for a second. "Not particularly, no. I don't think they even like each other, if you want the truth of it. She went into New Hamilton to visit her father before he leaves for Norrlund."

Ari blinked as she tried to register this information. Katja and Sanna spent almost all their time together. How could they do that, if they didn't even like each other?

Katja and her wolf had started a slow walk along the shore and into the woods, leaving a trail of ice and snow where they went. Ari, Tom and his wolf followed, careful not to slip on the ice.

The woods were quiet and cool, with giant pines that towered over them, and a soft undergrowth that crackled and squelched underfoot. Ari was watching her shoes, considering that she would have to wash them when she got back to the school, when Tom threw his arm out to stop her walking.

Ari looked up, to see Katja and her wolf had frozen still, staring into the darkness of the woods.

"The wolves heard something," Tom whispered.

Katja's wolf, Helvig, lowered her body to the ground and her ears flattened back as she stared into the darkness. She let out a low rumbling growl. Kobuk stepped forward and into the same stance to defend his starrling.

Ari heard the bears before she saw them.

The heavy sound of approaching feet: too fast to be humans, too noisy to be anything but some wild dangerous creature. The first one to burst through the trees was bellowing deeply. Ari saw a blur of dark brown fur, huge paws hitting the ground, teeth bared. And then there were two more.

The three of them charged through the shadows of the wood, straight at the princess, who seemed frozen in fear.

Ari didn't stop to think.

"Oi, you big clumsy oafs!" Ari yelled, and at the same time she gathered her ice magic to her and threw a snowball, hitting the lead bear right in the face. Ari didn't even have time to marvel at the power of her magic.

All three bears stopped on their path towards Katja. Ari felt a chill down her spine as the three bears turned and faced her.

Ari bolted. She ran back the way they had come, through the woods and towards the lake. She could see the clearing of the trees in front of her, but she could also hear the bears close on her heels. She kept her eyes on the glittering light on the lake that she could see through the trees, knowing that her only chance was to make it to the water, and hope the bears wouldn't follow.

The shore appeared and then there was nowhere to go except the water. Ari threw herself into the icy shallows, her school skirt billowing around her, her shoes squelching in the mud of the shallows. Her school uniform clung to her and dragged down on her. The water was thick with weed that wrapped around her legs as she paddled out further.

When she turned back, the three bears were behind her, water lapping against the dark brown fur of their chests. Ari shot out a clumsy blast of ice at them, that ricocheted across the water and made the bears growl.

But then Tom and Katja appeared through the trees, on the back of their black and white wolves. Tom on his black wolf circled to one side of the wolves, and shot out a strong blast of snow and ice, forcing the bears backwards. On the other side, Katja did the same.

The bears tossed their heads, annoyed by the flurry of snow and ice sticking into the thick fur of their necks. They stepped backwards, big lumbering bodies rocking in their backward stride, as they shook snow out of their fur.

Tom let forth one final burst of ice, and finally the bears retreated back into the forest.

Ari waded back to the shore. She found she couldn't meet Katja's gaze.

"What were you thinking?" Katja cried. She landed beside Ari.

"I was trying to distract them," Ari said.

"That much was clear!" Katja cried. "But I have a wolf! You were defenseless!"

Ari gave a weak shrug, and looked up at Katja. "I just didn't want them to attack you."

Tom laughed. "You thought you'd distract and take on three fully grown brown bears, without even a kinnwolf of your own?"

"I did what I could," Ari said, feeling her cheeks heat up with shame.

But behind her, she heard clapping.

She turned, to see the young water wards on the wall, all of them standing and clapping and hooting and cheering for Ari.

"Looks like I'm not the only one with fans," Tom said.

Ari met his gaze, to see that he was grinning. And when she looked at the princess, she saw that Katja was smiling.

• Author's Note •

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