Chapter 14: Struggles and Confusion

Moranna watched Zoreon from the corner of the stable. He laughed and walked away with his staff in hand. The girl had been mucking out the stables when she had heard roaring from the courtyard. She had watched the two lions try to kill each other before they changed to the human forms of Larissa and Zoreon.1

She was there when Zoreon grab the inside of Larissa and watched her fall to the ground. While she was unconscious, somehow Zoreon gathered enough magic that he began to radiate a bright white light. When he had gained enough magic, Zoreon crouched over Larissa’s unconscious body. He gently moved a hand that was still glowing about two feet over Larissa’s body. His hand channeled the magic from his hand into Larissa’s body.2

Moranna watched carefully. When she thought nothing was happening, Zoreon stunned her. After a while, Larissa’s body began to shrink. The first time she shrunk half of her original size, then half of that and half of that. Smaller and smaller until Moranna could barely see her from where she was standing which were the shadows of the stables. Once Zoreon decided that she was the right size, he stood up, using his staff to support him to his feet.3

On his feet, he had planted his staff firmly on the ground. Zoreon let go and the staff stood perfectly still. Moranna could see that the crystal on top was absorbing a little of the sunlight’s rays and ricochet onto Larissa’s body. After about a few seconds, Larissa’s body disappeared. Zoreon grabbed his staff before it fell and started to tap the crystal.4

He waited then it seemed like he was talking to someone, but Moranna couldn’t really hear. She gave up trying. For a few seconds Zoreon just stood where he was until he changed his appearance to that of Larissa’s form. Moranna could have mistaken him for her if she had not just watched him try to kill Larissa, and hold her prisoner in his magic crystal. She finished watching him laugh then make off with his staff and prisoner.5

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Nathan stretched up onto his tipy-toes to reach the top of his bookshelf. He was putting a few books back on then top shelf behind his desk. He didn’t need a ladder since he was almost taller than the shelf. William made him furious.7

Krissa rapped on his desk. He nearly hit his head on the shelf as he jumped and almost lost his hold on the books.8

“Krissa, don’t do that,” he snapped not looking away from what he was doing. She could tell by the sound of irritation in his voice that he was thinking about Larissa again. He gained his balance again and finished putting the books back. “You could kill a man by scarring him half to…” he turned to look at her, but his eyes caught hold of Larissa instead and frowned, “death,” he finished in a whisper.9

Krissa shrugged, “Sorry, Nathan, I didn’t…”10

“Larissa,” he interrupted he sounded relieved yet not really thrilled she was there, “what happed to you?” he could see that a purple bruise the size of a fifty-cent coin spread across her right cheek. The left cheek held a suspicious but deep gash. Nathan fingered the scar on her face and she winced.11

“I will leave you two to talk,” Krissa said looking from master to student then backed out quietly.12

Larissa shook her head, shaking him off, “It doesn’t matter anymore.”13

He sighed, “I told you to not go after him.”14

Larissa shrugged. Odd thought Nathan. Usually she would argue with him, but it seemed like she wasn’t in the mood.15

“So…” he probed.16

“What?”17

“Did you are didn’t you find out anything about him?”18

“Oh right,” Larissa shook her head coming out of her daze. “He is a demon that goes by the name of Zoreon.”19

Nathan frowned. “Zoreon?”20

She nodded then yawned.21

“Larissa,” he asked, “are you alright?”22

She waved him off again, “I guess I am just a little bit tired, but I will be fine.”23

He narrowed his eyes not convinced, “are you sure?”24

“Stop fussing!” she snapped.25

“I’m sorry,” he added quickly.26

“You should be,” muttered Larissa.27

He eyed her suspiciously, “Larissa are you alright?”28

“Stop it!” she said raising her voice, “You trying to be my father again.”29

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, “I don’t mean to be…”30

She held up a hand, “save it. I don’t want to hear it.”31

“What’s wrong?”32

She shook her head. “Nothing I’m fine,” she snapped.33

He reached for her hand, and immediately she pulled back. “What are you doing?” she asked.34

He ignored the question, “Are you sure you’re alright? You seem a little tense.”35

“Just get off my back,” she stated loosing her temper a little.36

He ignored her statement and grabbed her by the wrist. “are you hiding something?”37

“Let go!”38

“No, Not until you telling what is going on,” he said.39

“alright,” she said her glaring eyes ripped through to Nathan’s soul. “I’ll tell you what is going on, buddy. I am getting tired of you treating me like a child. You’re not my father!”40

“Is that what this is about?” he asked. “Larissa we already talked about this. I told you I am not fathering you. I care for you because I love you. I thought you could see that.”41

She was out of control. “This is not love. It’s torture!”42

“Don’t talk like that!” he almost started to raise his own voice. “Zoreon must have you under some spell.”43

“Oh no,” she said, “It’s no spell. This is really me.”44

“It can’t be,” he blew the words out lightly. Just as he said it, she lashed out and hit him in the shoulder with a white fireball with a hint of a pale green. He went flying and hit the far wall just missing the window.45

Pain spread like wildfire through Nathan’s body, but still shook his head and got to his feet. “What the…?”46

“Surprised?” she asked smiling, “good you should be.”47

“But how?”48

She smirked, “you could learn a few things from Zoreon.”49

Nathan glared at her. “What’s he want from you?” he asked.50

“What’s it to you?” she ignored the question with one of her own. “It’s not like you really care.”51

“Now wait a minute, young lady,” he started, “Larissa that is beside the point.”52

“What?” she said sarcastically, “You think that if you love me then it will knock some sense into me?” She shook her head, “nope guess again.”53

He was silent.54

She threw another fireball knocking him against the wall again. This time he was too sore to get to his feet so he waited for the pain to subside. Meanwhile he watched Larissa turn and walk out.55

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“Are you sure it was her?” Krissa wanted to make sure she had heard him right.57

“I am positively sure it was her,” Nathan said more stern this time. He had been retelling Krissa of Larissa’s ‘happy return’ from the forest and nearly killed him with who knows what kind of magic she had been tampering with.58

To Krissa it just didn’t seem like Larissa. She loved him. Why would she want to attack him?59

“Have you considered it to have been a trick? Or the demon in disguise?” asked Krissa.60

“Don’t you think I would have considered that already?” Nathan’s voice sounded bored. “If it was someone disguised as Larissa I would have known it already. My magic can detect things hidden from mortal eyes.”61

”It could have been Larissa under a spell…”62

He shook his head.63

Krissa opened her mouth just as Moranna burst in, “Nathan… you have…. To come!” she panted clearly windblown. “Larissa… Zoreon… trapped her… in the… crystal.”64

Nathan rolled his eyes.65

The girl stood there in the door way trying to catch her breath for a moment. “She needs you,” she still wheezed.66

He snorted then shook his head, but didn’t say anything.67

“Nathan you have to believe me,” she pleaded, but her voice stayed at the same tempo. 68

“How can I?” his voice had also risen. “I just saw her.”69

“The Larissa you saw was Zoreon,” Moranna stated calmly.70

“She tried to kill me,” Nathan tried to argue with her.71

“I told you, Nathan, that wasn’t her!” she almost shouted the words at him.72

“Moranna! Clam yourself,” Krissa said but they ignored her.73

“If that’s ‘Master Zoreon’s’ plan then I guess I am caught in his trap,” Nathan said sarcastically.74

“Back off the sarcasm, Nathan,” she barked at him. “Larissa’s life is at steak. If you care about her, now is the time to do something about it!”75

“Why should I?” he asked, “She tried to kill me.”76

“Nathan we are going in circles!” Moranna cried throwing up her hands and starting to pace back and forth. “Zoreon trapped her in a crystal and tried to pretend that he was her. Don’t you find that suspicious?”77

“Nothing suspicious to me,” Nathan shrugged, “now if it were true…”78

“Nathan, stop it!” she was getting furious with him, “you know it’s true. Why can’t you just admit it?”79

“It is not true!” now it was his turn to get upset, “how could it have happened when I just talked to her?”80

“Nathan,” it was Krissa’s turn to speak, “the real Larissa would not have laid a finger on you. I know her! I know her heart is torn between to things: animals and you. Larissa loves you I can see it in her eyes every time I see her.”81

Nathan snorted, “She could have been lying.”82

“Her eyes and soul would never lie.”83

“So what?” he turned his back on the two women, “what difference does it make?”84

Krissa gasped then starred at him before replying, “How can you be so cold?”85

“People change, Krissa,” he said in almost a whisper, “I can’t believe I didn’t see it before, but William was right the Larissa I knew is gone and I will never get her back. I was just a pawn in the plot.”86

“Nathan, how can you say such a thing about Larissa?” Krissa asked appalled that something like that would come out of his mouth.87

This time he said nothing.88

Moranna looked away, “I see.”89

Still he said nothing.90

”You’re pathetic, Nathan.”91

He ignored her comment. “Ugh!” she grunted and muttered, “Why do you have to be so pig-headed?” She hesitated then stormed out. 92

“Nice going, Nathan,” Krissa said coldly then followed Moranna out slamming the door behind her.93

“He won’t listen,” Moranna told Krissa as they climbed to the bottom of the stair. They kept talking as they walked, “why is he like this?”94

Krissa shook her head with a little sympathy, “I don’t know. His stubbornness must be getting to him.” 95

“Come on, Krissa,” Moranna shrugged, “he was agreeing with Will. You know perfectly well that those two don’t exactly see eye to eye.”96

“I know it is a bit hard to swallow, but maybe he’s trying to see it Will’s way.”97

Moranna stopped by the tower’s only window. Krissa almost smacked right into her. Moranna looked out the window and sighed, “if only Nathan wasn’t so pig-headed.” She turned to look at Krissa, “Will you talk to him?”98

“Moranna are you crazy!” she tried to argue, “If he can’t listen to you what makes you think he will listen to me?”99

“Come on, Krissa,” the girl fought back, “you two have been friends for quite some time now. Clearly he would understand it a whole lot better if he heard it from you.”100

Krissa sighed, “Moranna, he is like my elder brother, but some days he doesn’t listen to me. It’s like he lives in another world. I don’t know if I will even be able to break the wall that surrounds that world.”101

“Could you try?” Moranna pleaded, “Larissa’s life depends on him.”102

Krissa smiled and gave in, “knowing him…. If it has to do with Larissa’s life, I am sure he will be much concerned for her.”103

Moranna turned and walked the rest of the way down and out.104

The elder lady sighed then turned to walk back up to Nathan’s room, shaking her head. She had reached the top again and entered the room. Nathan was at his desk reading with his feet propped up on his desk. He glanced up at her as she came in and sat in a nearby chair, “I thought you were with Moranna,” he sneered still a little bitter from their conversation earlier. He put his book down and waited for her to say something.105

She glared at him, “What is the matter with you?”106

He licked his finger and turned the page of his book ignoring her.107

“Nathan, quit with the games,” she said, “Moranna is like a daughter to you. You have practically raised her in being a ruler and a young mage…”108

“But I didn’t teach her to lie to me…” he started to argue.109

“Quiet! I’m not finished,” Krissa took a deep breath before continuing, “I know Moranna is young, but so is Larissa. I know that the both of them would never want to hurt you.”110

He slammed the book closed and put his feet on the floor, “So I am suppose to believe her when she says that Larissa is trapped in a crystal and that the Larissa I just talked to was actually Zoreon in disguise?”111

“Nathan, have you ever heard the word trust before?”112

“Of course I have, but what….”113

“Use it,” was all she said in answer to his upcoming question. She walked by his ear and whispered the words, “think about it,” then she left.114

Nathan sighed before getting to his feet thinking.115

Before his thoughts could go any further, Moranna burst into the room. “Nathan,” she panted, “we have a problem.”