Free Ember by Tess Williams Page B

had
just made a chirping sound.
    I turned my head around, expecting to see a
stray bird. But the study was empty. Nothing could have escaped
since the only entrance was the hall door which was currently
closed.
    I shook out my head to clear my mind and
suddenly the chirping began again, this time it didn't stop.
    I stood up and turned around a few times
before I realized the squeaking was following behind me. I reached
towards the back of my head and felt down into the hood of my robe.
Sure enough my fingers grazed a patch of velvety hair that I knew
belonged to the creature from the woods.
    Before I could think of what to do the little
guy went crawling up around my arm, onto my head, and soaring off
in a gliding leap through the air. I barely saved him from hitting
the ground before he went leaping off again, this time onto the
bookcase.
    He landed and, with what seemed like a last
defiant action, turned his large eyes towards me, chirped loudly,
and disappeared into the wall of books.
    I just sat there, dumbfounded once again.
    Between the old man and this crazy creature I
was starting to look forward to seeing Jaden.
    Darn it, I can't just leave it in there, it
could wreck Cornelius books. . . . Then I'll be the one in trouble.
They’ll kick me out, never let me come back, and I'll end up dying
an old, miserable, spinster.
    I have to find that little fuzz ball!
    With dire determination I began to stack the
books onto the floor and hunt for the creature.
    After clearing out the bottom shelf, I leaned
into the floor and laid my head on the ground to see if I could
spot my furry friend.
    It was at this point, the worst of times,
when I heard a forced cough behind me.
    My eyes rolled into the back of my head as I
remembered who I was meeting at one.
    I instantly wanted to join the creature
hidden safely in the bookcase. Instead, I cocked my head around and
followed brown laced boots up to dark solid eyes hidden beneath a
shroud of pieced hair.
    . . . This position pretty much summed up how
I felt around Jaden all the time.
    “Having fun down there?” he asked coolly.
    I smiled, mostly because that's what I do
when I'm nervous.
    With a smirk, he threw out a hand to help me
up.
    I studied it. I knew what was coming, a long
chat about how I wasn't capable of doing magic. He was
starting to make me feel vulnerable, and I don't like feeling
vulnerable.
    I took his hand to lift myself up, but let go
immediately.
    He looked even more amused at this. “Why
don't we go sit down.”
    I had no reason to argue and, tired or not,
he still intimidated the heck out of me.
    We both sat and his face became solemn.
    “Look.” He held out his hands. “I think we
both know why I needed to talk to you.” My eyes turned down. “The
fact is, if you could use the magic that Ikovos was trying to teach
you, you already would have.”
    Knowing hadn’t helped, it hit me hard all the
same.
    “I . . . we only tried for a few hours
yesterday. Maybe I just need more time.” I looked into his eyes
pleadingly, but found no condolence.
    “No. If you can, you can and vice versa,
that's how it works. You're just wasting Ikovos’s time if you
continue.”
    I pressed on. “Maybe it's different for me,
maybe because I'm older or . . .”
    “Or maybe because you're a girl you're
incapable.” He stared hard as he said this, only the slightest hint
of humor left visible. My heart rose high in my chest.
    “ Incapable? I'd watch who you call
incapable considering I just beat you yesterday at sparring!”
    Oh, he didn't like that.
    “ You, beat me? ” He leaned
forward in his seat. “I wasn't even trying! . . . not to mention
you shouldn't have even been sparring in the first place.”
    “Excuse me!? You were the one that
asked!”
    “Yeah, but I didn't think you would say yes.
Why don't you act like a normal girl and go clean or something, or
better yet go fix that crazy hair of yours!”
    My eyes narrowed wildly. “You know I
understand that you