Reclaimed (The Phoenix Chronicles Book 1) (13 page)

“Outside the castle and about half a day's hike to the west. We'll camp there for two days.”

“Seems risky,” she said.

Ash clenched his jaw. “I agree but, we’re protected there. Let's just focus on building some muscle and we can talk about this later.”

Summer agreed but, something in the pit of her stomach told her that elimination mountain was a bad idea.

Chapter 14

There were some days Summer felt like she was going crazy. After they trained in the mornings and had lunch, there was nothing left for her to do. She had become close with Tracy but, it was very clear that she was dating Petar. Most of her time was spent with him.

Summer attempted to spend time with Ash but, he didn't always like the idea. He said there were still enemies in the castle and he didn't want their relationship to be used against her. Not that it could. She liked Ash but, without getting to know him it was just like a friendship beginning to turn into something more. That was it.

There were days she wandered around the castle and at this point had practically seen everything. She enjoyed the old classrooms and the weird things she found in them. Some had old books that she remembered from her childhood. Others had cool maps and abandoned supplies. It was a fun pass time finding the different treasures behind all the doors.

It also made her wonder what kind of training facility this must have been when it was full. At some point the dorms were filled with students, the classrooms were welcoming and open, and the fields were uniformed in their training activities. It must have been amazing to be a part of that.

Now she was in the shell of a facility that was once amazing and she was trying to figure out how to fix something that was almost beyond broken. Frankly, just thinking about all of it was overwhelming and sad.

She was slowly walking down the hall when a voice from behind her had her jumping.

“Hey!” Nora laughed. “Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you. Where are you headed?”

Summer shrugged and tried to calm her heart. “Just aimlessly wandering around. There's nothing better to do. What about you?”

“The library. I like to read. It passes the time. Want to come?”

Summer hesitated. She hadn't been back since she found that weird book and Doug freaked out. There were times she saw him around the castle grounds and he would practically run from her. The look of terror on his face was enough to keep her far away from him.

She has started becoming curious, though. Why was that book so important? If it belonged to Geoff and she found it, then didn't that mean somebody wanted her to have it?

“Hello?” said Nora as she waved her hands in front of Summer's face.

“Sorry,” she said, forcing a smile. “I'll go with you. It would be nice to read instead of thinking about fighting all day.”

“It does get boring here,” said Nora. “I wish phones or computers worked. It would be nice to stay connected with family and other friends.”

Summer glanced at her. “Why don't electronics work?”

“It's part of the protection on this castle. They think that students will be irresponsible.” Nora smiled. “And honestly, they're probably right.”

Summer nodded. She hated to admit it but, she liked Nora. The girl was sweet and smart. It was unfortunate that a fight is what brought them together.

“I never had a phone so it doesn't matter to me,” said Summer.

Nora looked offended. “Every person needs a phone!”

“Yeah,” mumbled Summer. “I never had enough money.”

“Oh.” Nora chewed her lip. “Don't even worry about it. Since having them here is pointless then you shouldn't feel bad.”

Summer forced herself to smile. “Thanks.”

Nora grabbed Summer's wrist and pulled them to a stop. She looked around the hall, her eyes growing wide.

“What?” whispered Summer.

“The door is open. Doug never leaves the door open,” answered Nora, her voice barely above a whisper. “He freaks out because he thinks dry air ruins the books.”

The hairs on Summer's neck stood up. It was almost as if she could feel something was terribly wrong before actually seeing it. Her power immediately sparked to life as they crept towards the doors.

Nora held her finger to her lips. They were barely able to slip through the crack in the open door. Once inside it was obvious that there had been a struggle.

Books were thrown everywhere, shelves were pushed over, and a few pieces of furniture were scattered.

Summer was about to walk forward when they heard a crash. The two of them froze and stared at each other.

Summer gulped loudly and prepared herself for the worst. They were moving at a crawl when a loud scream had them sprinting. Hunched against the wall was a bloodied, barely recognizable Doug. Standing above him was a cloaked figure.

The person turned and cursed loudly. They were holding a dagger that was dripping with blood.

Summer didn't hesitate. She shot a small blade of fire at the intruder. They rolled to the side as the fire exploded against the stone wall.

Her attack snapped Nora out of her fear. She sank into the ground and appeared by Doug's side. The person slowly backed up against the wall.

“Don't move!” shouted Summer. “You have nowhere to go.”

The person cackled and in one swift motion dug their blade into Doug's side. It was enough of a distraction for them to slip between the rows of books.

“Damn!” exclaimed Summer as she knelt beside Doug.

Nora clenched her fists and attempted to stand but, was pulled back down by Summer.

“It's not worth it. They'll kill you and we need to get Doug some help.”

Doug groaned and tried to grab his side.

“No, no,” said Summer, her voice cracking. “Let us get you to a healer.”

“Summer,” he whispered as blood trickled from his lips. “The book...Geoff. Fireplace.”

“Stop talking,” said Nora. “Save your energy.” She looked up at Summer, her eyes vacant and broken. “Let's take him to the healers together. Neither of us can stay here alone.

As they tried to lift him he cried out in pain and sank back to the floor.

“No,” he groaned, his voice coming out in a sob at the end. “Get the book. Fireplace… Relics.”

“He's dying!” cried Nora.

“What book!” shouted Summer.

“Geoff,” whispered Doug. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as his chest rose one last time.

Summer could feel the hot tears streaming down her cheeks. She stood up, the entire front of her covered in blood, and walked into the middle of the library. It was quiet, the doors left wide open. Whoever had killed Doug was gone.

“Nora! Go get someone. Anyone. I'll stay with Doug.”

Nora didn't have to be told twice. She ran out of the room, her clothes also stained in blood.

Summer glanced at the fireplace. She would come back later after everything died down and she had time to look. It was what Doug had been begging her to do.

She slowly walked back over to him. It was hard to even look at him and know that she caused his anxiety for the last few weeks and that's how he had to die. It was crushing, scary, and devastating all at once. The only thing keeping her up was pure adrenaline.

A few moments later Ash and Jasper came running in. Summer's lip trembled as she rushed into Ash's open arms. She collapsed, openly sobbing into his chest.

“Shhh,” he said, running his hands down her back. “What happened?”

Nora told the story as Summer clutched to Ash. He was the only thing holding her up. If he let go she felt like her knees would buckle.

“This is terrible,” said Jasper, shaking his head. “Did he say anything? Was he able to tell you what happened?”

Summer lifted her head and looked at Nora. “No,” she said firmly. “He just told us to stay with him. That's it.”

Nora caught on quickly and nodded. “Yeah, so we did. This sucks.”

Jasper looked at them both suspiciously. “Okay, you two get cleaned up and I'll have the council come and take care of this. Please don't speak about this so we don't scare the other students or elves. We might be by to ask questions later. I'm sorry you had to see this again."

“Me too,” said Summer.

She let Ash lead her out. The three of them walked back to the dark wielders dorm while on high alert.

Ash opened the door and rested a hand on Nora's shoulder. “I'm going to walk Summer back. The other dark wielders are in the gardens. Do you want me to get Zach?”

“Please?” squeaked Nora.

“Okay,” answered Ash.

They waited until the door was shut before continuing down the hall. Ash pulled off his sweatshirt and handed it to Summer.

“Wear this and put the hood on. You're covered in blood.”

She did as she was told and held onto Ash's arm. They headed towards the wind wielders dorm where the sound of them laughing could be heard down the hall.

Summer was jealous that they had so many wielders. She hated going back to an empty room and wished she had someone to talk to besides Tracy.

Ash knocked on the door. It took a good minute before anyone answered.

“Is Zach here?” asked Ash.

A girl she had never spoken to nodded. A second later Zach was standing in the hall.

“What's the matter?” he asked, giving Summer a weird look.

“Something happened,” said Ash in a hushed voice. “Nora needs you.”

Zach took off without even bothering to acknowledge what Ash just said. He rounded the corner so quickly that Summer could barely see him.

“How did he-”

“Wind wielders have the ability to use their power to run faster than normal. Only about half of them here can do that. Let's go.”

Summer flinched as she followed after him. His voice was sharp and angry; not something she expected from someone who claimed to care about her.

They entered her dorm and she was actually grateful that Tracy wasn't there for once.

“Leave your clothes by the door and I'll get rid of them,” ordered Ash.

Summer yanked off Ash's sweatshirt and threw it to the ground. “You know what!” she shouted. “I don't need your help. I just had to watch some crazy thing stab Doug to death. We held him while he died!” Summer was crying again. “Doesn't that mean anything to you?”

“Of course it does!” he snapped. “Now go get cleaned up before Tracy comes back.”

Summer pointed to the door. “You can leave. At least Tracy would ask if I'm okay instead of barking orders at me.”

Ash marched up to her, his body inches from hers. “You don't think I care?” His eyes were swimming with emotion. “I was terrified and angry at myself for not being there to protect you. I'm not mad at you.”

Summer wiped her face on her already dirty shirt. “You really suck at showing you care.”

His eyes softened. “I warned you.” He touched her cheek. “Go get cleaned up and we can talk more.”

This time his words were gentle and urging. Summer wiped her face again and nodded once. She cried in the shower as the blood from Doug slipped into the drain. That was the first time she had seen someone murdered and she didn't know if she would ever be the same. To take a life like that was tragic and pointless.

When she finally came out Ash was sitting on the couch by the fireplace. He looked up at her, the worry still etched into his youthful, handsome face.

Summer collapsed next to him. She welcomed the heat from his body and the fire that was roaring in front of them.

They were silent for a while. She laid her head on his chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart. The rhythm and his breathing eventually calmed her down.

“Are you okay now?” asked Ash.

His voice broke through her serenity as her eyes snapped opened. She hadn't even realized she was falling asleep.

“I need your help,” she said.

“With what?”

“I need you to trust me. Do you trust me?”

Ash hesitated. “Yes,” he finally said.

“Then we need to go back to the library tonight.”

Ash sat up and spun Summer around so she was facing him. “Are you insane? Doug was just killed in there, someone attacked him, and then they escaped.”

Summer grabbed the edge of her shirt and twisted it. “I know but, he wanted me to have something. We need to find it.”

“I don't need to help you do anything. This is stupid.”

Summer folded her arms. “Fine you stubborn mule. I'll do it by myself.”

Ash clenched his jaw. “I'll be here at eleven and then we can go. What are you looking for anyway?”

“A book.”

“A book!” he exclaimed. “And we have to do that tonight? It can't wait until they clear the area?"

“If that person is still out there then they'll be looking for the same one. I think I have an idea where it is.”

Ash ran a hand down his face and sighed. “Things were quiet before you came. Now I find myself getting into a lot of trouble.”

“You should have known it would be like this when you had to save me from jail. Besides,” she said, forcing a smile, “You're only in trouble if you get caught.”