Chapter 11: Secrets

Larissa stood there in Nathan’s tower staring at him. His tower was cleaned to look like a practice arena. How was she to respond? He had been jealous just thirty seconds before and then completely surprised her by kissing her. Larissa and Nathan had been friends for a while, but she never thought they could be lovers.1

Finally she turned her back on him and rubbed her eyes, “Oh no this is bad!”2

He took her hand and made her face him, “no this is good.”3

She pulled away. “No, Nathan, you…me… we could never…” her voice shook as her voice trailed down into a whisper.4

He took her by the shoulders, his right hand sliding up her neck and finally it rested on her cheek. She tried to look away, but he held her face there, making sure she was looking at him.5

A tear slid down her face, “Nathan, please…” she pleaded.6

“Larissa listen,” he started, “My secret is out. I love you. I have loved you since the first day you walked into my shop.” He let go of her face and pulled her into a hug, her head pressed against his chest.7

He spoke again, “You were right, I was jealous. I was afraid I would loose you to that man Brutus.” She sensed that the name was vile on his tongue as he spat it out.8

“How?” Larissa squeaked.9

“I know that he is a shape-shifter like you, Larissa,” he explained, “I also know that he is trying to persuade you into learning more about your powers.”10

She looked up at him, “How do you know all this?”11

Nathan smiled, “I had Krissa read his mind. He’s not a very cleaver mage if you ask me.”12

Larissa smiled back. He leaned in and kissed her gently. When he pulled away, his smile had disappeared.13

“What?”14

He took a deep breath, but before he could say anything there was a loud boom in the distance and the ground started to shake.15

Nathan’s tower began to sway. Books, papers, cauldrons, and potions ingredient bottles flew, crashed, and broke all around. Nathan was only concerned about one thing. Larissa. She had managed to get over by the window to see what the commotion was all about.16

She looked down into the courtyard to find Brutus standing over a gigantic hole in the ground, the stones of the courtyard pointing upward, with a red fire ball in the palm of his hand.17

Larissa gasped. She lost her footing and fell back ward. Nathan caught her just in time. A few seconds passed before the shaking ceased and Larissa could get her balance again.18

They watched Brutus from the window. He was examining the hole he had just created, with a curious smile across his face. Then without even flinching he go to his knees and stuck his hand in the hole. Brutus felt around inside the hole as if he were looking for some thing.19

“What is he doing, Nathan?” she asked not looking away from the window.20

“I don’t know,” Nathan stated a little fear hidden in his voice, “I don’t know this kind of magic, Larissa.”21

Finally Larissa could pull her eyes away from the madman outside, “you mean it could be…dark magic?”22

Nathan looked down at her and nodded.23

“Oh no!” she breath out as she turned back to the window. Brutus’ hand was still in the hole, but not for long. A few seconds later his hand came up, something glowing white in his finger tips.24

“Is that…” Nathan’s voice trailed as he lost his train of thought.25

“…A crystal?” Larissa finished squinting to see better. It was. The crystal would have fitted perfectly in Larissa’s palm, but in Brutus’s all she could see was the bright light that was streaming in between his fingers and made his hand glow even brighter.26

Larissa had a bad feeling that what ever he was doing, the kingdom was in for a surprise. Nathan must have been thinking about the same thing since he kept quiet.27

They just watched Brutus work his magic as he recited spells and enchantments on his newly made crystal. He paused for a minute gazing into the crystal, he seemed to be saying something, but Larissa was too far away to hear.28

When he was done, he still gazed into the crystal, but his other hand, that did not hold the crystal, swept over the hole in the stone courtyard and magically replaced itself back down flat.29

Brutus stood up, still looking at the crystal, and smiled to himself, tossing the crystal in the air and catching it in the same hand. He threw his head back and started to laugh. His voice started in a low growl until it grew louder and a little bit higher. Then in a instant he stopped laughing and started off toward the forest.30

Larissa waited a few minutes before letting out the breath she didn’t know she was holding.31

“I never knew…” Nathan was thinking out loud again. “Well I take back what I said about him earlier.”32

“I am just guessing here,” she said finding her voice, “but I think he wants more than just to tutor me, Nathan.” She turned to face him still thinking about what had just happened.33

“I agree,” Nathan stated. He continued to look out the window rubbing his chin, “I wonder what he’s up too.”34

“You want me to follow him?” she asked him.35

He broke from his reverie and looked at her and shook his head. “No,” he said putting his hands on her shoulders, “Clearly he’s in sane! I don’t want to lose you.”36

“Come on, Nathan,” she said rolling her eyes, “I will be fine. I can keep to the shadows.”37

He shook his head again, “No, I won’t allow it!”38

“Look, if you go he will be expecting you…”39

“I wasn’t planning on chasing after him, Larissa,” he flared.40

She glare up at him, “don’t be ridiculous, Nathan. I can do this just trust me,” She added, “for once, please.”41

He put a hand on her cheek. “I don’t want to loose you,” he repeated.42

“You won’t.”43

“How do you know that?” he asked his voice came out in almost a whisper.44

“Your heart will just have to trust me,” she said with a smile, “I won’t leave you stranded.” She paused for a minute thinking then said, “go to William and tell him and Krissa what has happened.”45

He sighed and looked at her with a longing desire. He wanted to shake her back to her senses, but he knew she was right. He pulled her into a quick but tight hug. When they broke apart, his eyes feel to the ground.46

She put her hand on his cheek and forced him to look at her. “I will be fine,” she repeated one last time.47

“I know,” he said.48

She frowned, “what’s wrong?”49

He shook his head, “I don’t know. I just have a bad feeling that I won’t see you again.”50

“Don’t worry,” she said with a kiss, “I will come back in a little bit. You will see.”51

He kissed her lightly for a few minutes before he could stop and let her go. She turned toward the window and opened it. “Come back to me,” he said before she shape-shifted. She smiled then quickly changed into a hawk and flew out the window.52

£53

Larissa sped as fast as she could go her heart beating a million beats per minute along with her thoughts. It pained her to think about leaving Nathan behind. She dropped between the trees. She kept her form of the hawk swiftly and silently weaving in and out hiding within every shadow she could find until she perched herself on a high branch.54

Huh? she thought to her self after half an hour had passed by, where did he go? She scanned the air and the ground as far as her powers would let her, but there was nothing not a sound of his passing. Where is he? she whispered silently to her self.55

Checking for danger lurking about. Nothing drat! She thought to herself.56

She scanned the area again trying to sense him then she heard a voice, not too far away, calling out to her. Larissa cloaked herself in the shadows of the trees again and waited for the stranger to show them self or to call out to her if they were friend, but no one came.57

“Larissa,” the voice called out to her again was familiar, but there was still that icy sensation that seemed to lick at her when Brutus spoke to her. It sounded like a demon. “Larissa, I know you’re there.”58

She didn’t reply. She looked all around trying to find out where he was, but the sun was setting too fast, casting shadows in every which way it was hard to decipher where he might be.59

He called out to her again, “Larissa, come on out. I just want to talk.”60

Larissa rolled her eyes, but the girl still didn’t move or reply. She was curious at what he wanted to say.61

“Fine, I’ll talk and you listen,” he walked out in to the clearing down below her a few feet away from where she was hiding. “I’m giving you one last chance. Join me.”62

Why should I? she replied to him in hawk tongue. She knew he could understand her and still not give herself away.63

He looked around trying to find her, but still he replied, “I can give you whatever you desire.”64

How is that possible?65

He didn’t answer, but continued to look for her.66

What is it that you really want?67

“I am here for a purpose,” he said playfully.68

Just spit it out! She grew impatient, Nathan and William with find out either way. They are on to you and your tricks.69

“Tricks!” he laughed, “Nathan was silly enough to think that I would let Krissa read my mind and get away with it. I planted those images in her head to make them think I wasn’t a treat.70

But you are, retorted Larissa.71

Brutus shrugged, “In a way I am.”72

So what is your next move?73

“Take over the kingdom of course,” he replied sarcastically, “Nathan and William with certainly be surprised.”74

Larissa shook her head and shape-shifted to a squirrel. She climbed down her tree and scurried across the greenery floor of the clearing, hiding behind or under bushes to give her covering. Not on my watch, she replied to herself.75

When she didn’t reply Brutus continued, “What is your plan, Larissa? Do you think you can possibly stop me?”76

I won’t have to, she answered, Nathan and William have that power.77

“Ah!” he said with little enthusiasm, “You can have that kind of a power as well.”78

Not with my magic, she stated.79

“Then I guess you would need more than that,” he replied to her comment with a mischievous smile.80

He turned his back on her. She quickly shape-shifted again to a grizzly bear and rushed at him from behind. He quickly turned, and something like lightning split the sky and seared right though her fur.81

Larissa blacked out for a minute only to wake with a powerful burning on her arm. She was also human, her body, one big bruise, was laying on the floor of the clearing.82

“Foolish child,” Brutus’ voice dripped through her ears like venom. “You should not have done that. My powers are more…advanced than you know.”83

She took in a deep breath that made her wince, “What do you have against the Kingdom?” she asked.84

Brutus’s hands clenched into fits and Larissa could see that he was about to blow, but he contained himself. “Didn’t Nathan tell you?”85

Larissa shook her head with effort.86

“We went to school together,” he explained, “in fact we were friends for a time, until I was kicked out for defending him when he stood up to the school bully. I had private tutoring until I was seventeen and wanted to hire on with Nathan, but he denied my position to become his apprentice.”87

Brutus came out of his memory, “Now I want him and the rest of them to pay.” He looked down at her, “and I am going to start with you.”88

He swept the air with his hand and a wooden staff appeared. Larissa recognized the small crystal, that he had pulled out of the ground earlier, was sitting on top.89

He leaned down toward her and whispered, “and you want to know another little secret of my own?”90

He pulled back and his body shimmered changing his appearance.91

He was now covered with a long black robe, his hood settled around his face to cover most of his face. Ghostly white fingers tarnished with a light green crawled out of the sleeves. Brutus waited a few minutes before he flipped the hood back revealing a face with the same color as his hands and fingers. His hair was of a light green sprinkled with a little white.