Chapter Seventeen
The elions check us out with trepidation.
They skulk the land with their shoulders low as if they are hunting prey.
Some dart forward before cowering back as if to test us.
I still feel the tingles under my skin; my mask is intact.
Craize’s eyes scour me from a distance and I stare back at him, questioning his intentions.
Nala is about a meter to the left of me.
She is being examined by an elion with brown colouring on its feet, contrasting against its white fur, so it looks like it is wearing brown socks.
It sniffs Nala’s shoulder and looks at her for a minute before withdrawing.
Another elion strides towards me. This one has a grey patch on his forehead, and he towers over me, looking down into my soul.
He breathes heavily, and saliva drips down from his mouth and onto my shoes.
I keep my composure and look up to face him; his eyes bore through me.
He takes a step back and then roars into my face, blowing my hair back and covering me in drool.
The class turns to look at me, and my heart races a little.
Just stay calm. Keep your mask up. Its lips spread apart in a snarl as it shows me its teeth.
I gulp. Craize snarls back at it, and it scatters backwards away from me.
I watch as he dips his head in a bow of submission and retreats slowly.
I stare at Craize, trying to figure him out. Was he protecting me?
He begins to approach me, tilting his head slightly, and the rest of the elions back away as he comes forward.
My heart races a little more. His claws dig at the soil beneath the moss.
His wide strides make the distance between us in a few steps, and I am face-to-face with the giant again.
His hot breath almost singes my eyebrows, and the rumble of his chest vibrates through me as I adjust to the rhythm of his inhales and exhales.
He has to drop his head low to meet my eyes.
I am probably about the same height as one of his legs; his nose comes low and ruffles my hair.
I feel the pressure suck my auburn locks as he inhales my pheromones. ‘elions can smell fear.’
My heart skips a beat, and sweat forms on my brow.
I can feel my mask dropping. Craize huffs deeply, making me jump a little.
I put effort into thinking about Ryder again and focus on the tingles beneath my skin.
I feel the butterflies begin to flutter and exhale a sigh of relief.
My mask is still there. He nudges the top of his head into my hand and forces my palm to rest on his forehead.
My hand pulsates as I feel his trill oscillate through me.
His bright blue eyes motion to mine again as my hand sinks deeper into his fur; his rough white fur is as ferocious as he is, swallowing my hand up in one gulp.
I feel his warm energy run through my body like a conduit; my temperature rises in response, and goosebumps erupt over my body.
I don’t know why, but I feel weirdly connected to him. His eyes drown mine in a sea of blue.
‘Clickkkkkk……Clickkkkkkkkkk.’
I feel the eyes of ten students drill a hole into me. He is speaking to me again. I don’t understand him. I tilt my head in confusion and raise my arms slightly in an ‘I don’t know what you’re saying’ kind of way. He looks at me again and does the same thing.
‘Clickkkkk….Clickkkkkkkkkk.’
“What are you trying to tell me, Craize?” I whisper to him. “Did you know my mum?”
He blinks at me slowly and then nods his head briefly. Just once. If you didn’t know, you would have missed it. Did he just answer me?
He turns and begins striding away from me and the class. He clicks at his pack, beckoning them to follow him. A cold gust of wind blows my hair around my face, as the elions take to the air and slowly become lost in the clouds.
That’s it. Initiation is over. I let out a shaky breath and look over at Nala, who is gawping next to me. I can still feel the class’s eyes on me. She grasps my hand and looks at me.
“That was incredible.”
“I’m not quite sure what happened,” I say, confused as I run my fingers through my hair, sorting out the misplaced curls.
“Craize clicked at you again; it wasn’t a fluke!” she whispers to me.
“Yeah, I guess he did.” A smile cradles my face at the realisation of this. “He was trying to tell me something.”
Nala opens her mouth to reply but is cut off by the sound of wings flapping, and Mr Knight appears through the clouds on Nakka, making his descent. Nakka lands gracefully, her claws sinking into the mossy ground.
“Well done class, that is the end of the initiation. No one got attacked, which means they have accepted you for this year’s taming program.”
He jumps off Nakka and claps his hands in applause at us. She leaps into the air and joins the rest of her pack.
“Come on, let’s make our way back to the written room and I can discuss the maintenance jobs with you.”
He leads the way, and the class follows. Nala, Charlie and I are at the back of the group, trailing slightly behind.
“What do you think Craize was trying to say?” Charlie asks me in a low whisper.
“I have no idea, but I’ve got to find out,” I say, my feet getting submerged in the long grass as we walk towards the staircase.
“They’ll definitely have books on the elion language in the library,” Nala remarks.
“Great, after third meals, do you want to nerd it up with me?” I ask them, and they let out a giggle.
“We’ll be there,” Nala chimes, and Charlie throws me a smile.
Back in the written room, Mr Knight is going over the maintenance for the elions. The class gathers around him, sitting on the crescent-shaped benches. He points out a large board that is plastered onto the main wall.
“This board splits the jobs equally between first, second, and third years. When you have taming duty, you are required to either be in charge of feeding time, which I know you all got to see on your first day, the cleaning and restocking of bedding areas, and lastly, tending to the farm animals.”
He points out the quill pen stationed on top of the board. “This is an enchanted pen; you all used one on your first day. Prick your finger, and the pen will sort out the jobs between you fairly. You should get around two jobs a week.”
The class nods and forms an orderly line leading up to the board. We each prick our fingers and sit back down. I watch as the pen writes, rearranging the names on the board, then plants itself back in its holder above the board.
“Perfect, everyone have a look at your duties,” Mr Knight says. He retreats to the corner of the room and begins talking to Veronica. I trace my finger along the board looking for my name.
‘Asha Calloway, Elijah Malroy, Jaxon Zedman - Bedding’
Jaxon? I wonder if that’s River’s Jaxon. Looks like I’m on bedding duty twice this week and feeding a couple of times next week.
“Right, you can now pack up and head to third meals, the bell is due to go in a few minutes. I will see you all next week,” Mr Knight announces and smiles at the class. “Asha, can you hang back for a moment?”
Nala flashes me a look.
“It’s fine. I’ll meet you down there,” I mouth to her, and she gives me a nod and walks out of the room with Charlie in arm.
“Yes, Mr Knight?” I say, walking towards him.
“Nakka tells me that Craize has taken a liking to you,” he says, throwing me a smile. “That’s rare for him.” His eyes examine my face with intrigue.
“He clicked to me. I couldn’t understand him, but I think he was trying to tell me something.”
My eyes dart over to Veronica in the corner of the room, who has not stopped staring through me since I got here. I look back at Mr Knight.
“Well, Asha, that’s why you’re here. In the next class, we will be delving into the taming languages and how to interpret their clicks and noises.
Hopefully, we can help you figure it out,” he says, and my face lights up.
“Don’t expect to pick it up straight away, but at least you’ll have some understanding of it. ”
I nod my head in acceptance.
“Go on, get to third meals. I’ll see you next week.” His bright white teeth flash at me as he rests both of his hands in his deep pockets.
“Thanks, Mr Knight,” I say, gifting him a small smile before exiting the room.
After that experience, I am sure that Craize knew my mother somehow. I need to find out what he was saying.
Nala is sitting next to me on one of the red sofas in the library.
We have been going through taming books for at least an hour, and my brain is starting to give up.
Charlie gave up long ago. I guess reading is really not his thing, and I don’t blame him.
There is so much information on the elion language, it is unreal.
Nala is in her element. She is studying each book so closely that I fear she will be able to recite them all by heart soon.
An elion’s language is complex. The length of a click is just as important as its tone, and how many clicks it produces without a pause also plays a fundamental role in what the elion is trying to say.
It’s all very complicated. Each book has its own way of summarising that once your bond gets past a certain threshold with an elion, the clicks will sound as clear as words, acting like a sort of telepathic communication.
Nala looks at me with an open book, her fingers pinching the spine to keep it propped up on a certain page.
“Look here,” she points to a section of the book.
I lean closer to her and peer over the book’s edge.
She reads aloud, “Two clicks followed by a hum can mean ‘brave soul’ and is often what an elion will say when it senses courage in a tamer - I swear that’s what Craize said to you the first time.
” She is right. I do remember the two clicks followed by a hum that escaped Craize’s mouth last week on the platform, but then again, there was so much adrenaline pumping through my veins, I may have misheard.
“Hmm, brave soul? Maybe that’s because I stepped in front of you,” I question, shrugging my shoulders.
“Evening, ladies.” River emerges from behind an aisle and plonks down next to me. “What are we reading?” he questions and takes the book from Nala’s hand. I snatch the book back playfully and hand it back to Nala.
“We are reading a book on the elion languages,” I smirk at him, gesturing to Nala and I, and he acts offended.
“Okay, I know where I’m not welcome,” he jokes, but puts his arm around me. “Jaxon is a third-year tamer. I’m sure I could persuade him to help you.”
A smug look draws on his face. “But it’s gonna cost you.” He smiles big and his dimples deepen. He taps his finger lightly on his cheek. “One kiss from the girl with the eyes.”
I roll my eyes at him in response, but can’t help letting out a girly giggle.
“Hmmm, as far as I checked, I think all of us girls have eyes.” I playfully push him away, and he laughs.
“But none quite as mesmerising as yours, Asha.”
He budges up closer to me, and my cheeks redden. I sink into his arm and smile up at him, planting a kiss on his cheek.
“If Jaxon can really help me make sense of this, I’ll give you a real one,” I prop my head up and whisper into his ear. I feel him shiver a little at my touch, and he bites his lip.
“I suppose I’ll have to go talk to Jaxon then,” he smirks and runs his fingers through his hair. “Are we still on for tomorrow?” He tries to play it cool, but I sense the desperation in his tone.
“Tomorrow?” I question jokingly. “What’s happening tomorrow?”
He scratches the back of his head and blushes, looking awkwardly back at me.
“I’m kidding…of course I’m on for tomorrow.”
He doesn’t hide his relief and smiles big.
“You’ll pay for that one, princess,” he speaks through his smile and bites his lip again. His hand gently strokes my cheek and my face tilts into his touch. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He gets up and signals goodbye to Nala before exiting the library.
“You know how to play with that boy’s heart, don’t you?” She raises an eyebrow and giggles at me.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I smirk and slide deeper into the sofa’s cushion, blushing at the thought of River. Maybe I do feel something more for him.
The night draws close, so Nala and I head up to our room. Nala is sitting cross-legged at the bottom of my bed, and I am braiding her hair for her. Her silky hair is a little damp from the shower she just had, and it smells of lavender. She wants it to be curly in the morning.
“Honestly, I’m so fucking nervous to get my Gift, I don’t know how I’m gonna get to sleep!” I exclaim, continuing the French plait down the back of her head. She tilts her head back slightly and looks up at me.
“You will be. I was so nervous I could have thrown up,” she says, not making me feel any better.
“Thanks for the reassurance,” I say sarcastically, and a giggle escapes her mouth.
“I was nervous, but now I can honestly say it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I got to meet Leia. She is amazing. You will feel the same way when you meet your God. It’s like something was missing from your life and you feel whole again.”
I can feel the passion ebb from her voice and can’t help but smile.
“I hope you’re right.” I finish the plait and pinch the bottom of it so it doesn’t come loose, pulling the black elasticated band from around my wrist and wrapping it three times around her shiny locks. “All done.” I gently pat her on the back, and she turns to face me.
“You’ll be a badass in the morning.” She uses my own words of advice against me and smiles, pulling me into an embrace. I exhale a deep breath and feel a small weight lift off my shoulders.
“Thanks, Nala. You always know just what to say.” I hug her back and then tuck myself under my bedsheets.
I stare up at the ceiling, envisioning what it will be like waking up tomorrow with Gifts.
Turning over, I check under my pillow quickly to see if the humblebee vine is still there.
I feel the vine entangling around my fingers, which mentally puts my mind at ease.
I turn back over and stare up at the ceiling again.
This is it. I close my eyes and wait for sleep to overcome me.
I’m not tired, but my eyes feel heavy. I can feel a pull in the middle of my back.
My God is calling me. I submit to the pressure and sink deeper and deeper into my mattress.