The Rage Eater

Chapter 20: A Vile, Hideous Thing

Steps proved impossible for the creature, so Sadie climbed the twisting staircase of the girl's dormitory clutching him under her arm, which ached from the effort. The nervousness and embarrassment of the Ceremony had turned to bitterness. Had the Academy awarded her a scholarship simply to humiliate her? Did the Masters think this was funny—pairing some lowborn mamzer with a vile, hideous thing just so the nobles could have a laugh?

Suddenly, the creature transformed into a bright green leaf with a stubby brown stem. It looked up at her, its big bug eyes peering out from the leaf.

Could it sense me struggling to carry it? Sadie thought.

But she swept the thought aside. They had failed to bond, so it was impossible for him to sense her thoughts. She certainly couldn't sense his.

Sadie opened the door to her room. "You can change back now."

He did, and Sadie dropped him to on the floor, where he landed with a loud squish.

Aubrey and her monkey were seated on orange cushions, hands folded in their laps and eyes closed in meditation. It looked as if they'd known each other their whole lives.

Dylan slunk towards the monkey, leaving a trail of green slime behind him.

The monkey opened his eyes, raising his eyebrows in curiosity. "Hello there," said the monkey. "I'm Sim."

"He can't speak," Sadie said, flopping on her bed.

Aubrey shot her a glance as if to chastise her, but Sadie was too tired to fake politeness.

Sim looked up at Aubrey. "Do you really think he can transform into any plant in the Kingdom?"

"Let's see," Aubrey said. "Sadie, do you mind?"

"Go ahead," Sadie said.

"Dylan, can you become a Wintas creeper?"

Dylan shifted into a long, bizarre-looking vine. Even transformed, his big bug eyes were visible at the vine's tip.

"Sun bush?"

Dylan shifted into a bright orange bush that coated the floor in orange dust. With each transformation, Sadie winced, as if this creature, this thing, had been designed solely to humiliate her. And yet, Aubrey and Sim's fascination only seemed to grow.

"How about a fruit?" Aubrey asked.

Dylan shifted into an apple, then a banana, melting and reforming with ease.

"Amazing," said Sim.

"He's like a living greenhouse," Aubrey said, awestruck. "What does he eat?"

Annoyed, Sadie sat up. Master Padwe had pulled her aside after the Ceremony, explaining how to take care of Dylan. At the time, she was too shocked to grasp most of it, but this he had made her repeat: "Water. Sunlight. And these." She tossed a small sack on the floor, startling the creature.

Aubrey plucked a small black puck from the sack.

Sim sniffed it. "Soil?"

"Makes sense," Aubrey said. "Can I feed him?"

"Do whatever you want," Sadie said, not bothering to hide her annoyance as she turned in bed, trying to get comfortable.

Aubrey placed the soil puck in the palm of her hand, then offered it to Dylan.

A mouth formed underneath Dylan's eyes, growing until it was big enough to accommodate the soil. Gingerly, Aubrey put the puck in Dylan's mouth. He swallowed it in an instant, and the mouth disappeared.

It was hard to read the creature's emotions—if it even had any—but, to Sadie, he looked content. Sadie rolled over in her bed, shutting her eyes and pulling the covers over her shoulders. All her energy and patience were spent. "You can keep talking, but I'm going to sleep."

Except that she didn't—not for a very long time.