Chapter Six: Locked Deep in the Mind
Buddi sighed and turned another page
in his book. By Gum, he hated lessons. But he didn't want to be illiterate
either. Ursa tutored him about once a week, sometimes twice. He hated it
because it took about three hours out of his day and it was boring. But Ursa
was strict on lessons and her motto to him was, "You learn first, play later."
Fortunately, Ursa only taught him
things he'd use. She taught language, mainly new words as he'd grown up with
Barbic and the common language so he was pretty well fluent with both. In fact,
sometimes, he was too fluent. He knew complicated words, although sometimes
didn't get what they meant. But he also…
He could curse.
What child could not in their own
language?
But aside from language, Ursa was
strict on spelling, although he didn't know why, math, and biology. Not others
biology as she'd asked him early if he wanted to know medicine and he'd swiftly
said, "No way," so she just taught him the basic functions so he knew how
things worked.
Then of course after the lessons
there was training, for muscle development, defense fighting skills and she had
recently taught him how to string his own bow and how to do a fancier shot with
the arrow. But above all, Buddi despised what he was doing now.
Spelling.
He knew how to speak Barbic. But spelling was his worst nightmare. Simple
words he could do but the long and complex ones were harder.
Ursa walked over and snatched the
book from his hand.
"Ready, now?"
Buddi blushed. He'd been reading
instead of studying. Something Ursa hated. Great, there went some more of her
tolerance and to Buddi, some more of her love. Of course it didn't but Buddi
believed it and a child's belief could manipulate the way they see life.
"Not really."
Ursa gave him a fierce glare. "Then
perhaps you should study rather than goof off!"
Buddi dropped his head, as more of
his pride and confidence faded. Ursa sighed but sat down by him, in a chair.
"Let me see what you can do, Buddi."
Buddi sighed but nodded, although
the cub was obviously reluctant. Ursa looked at him and said,
"Okay, then I want you to spell this
for me: hostilities."
Buddi winced. That was easily said,
and easily spelled in the common language but that was one word he had trouble
with. And Ursa knew that. But the cub tried anyhow,
L-i-l-o-ow?" the cub guessed. Ursa
shook her head.
"Close though, Buddi.' She offered
as some support.
Buddi sighed. Ursa went on. "You
left out the s. It's L-i-s-l-o-w."
Buddi growled under his breath,
"Close enough."
Ursa gave him an arched eyebrow.
"Buddi? What was that?"
Buddi looked at her and got an idea.
In fact, the spark nearly entered his eyes again. He said,
"Why do I gotta learn spelling? Far
as I'm concerned, spelling's a lot like archery!"
Ursa looked at him. "How so, little
one? Intrigue me."
Buddi smiled. "Sure. Okay, when I
fire an arrow, I usually hit about the ring outside the center."
Ursa nodded, a small smile playing
across her lips.
"Well," he continued, "Say I spelled
Barbic B-a-r-b-i-c. You'd know what I meant right?"
Ursa stared at him. "Buddi, that is
how you spell 'Barbic.'"
The cub broke into a smile. "I know,
again, just like archery, when I get a rare bullseye. Sometimes, you'll get
lucky."
Ursa shook her head but smiled.
"Interesting theory little one." She did that purposely as she knew that
'little one' was a nickname that Buddi despised. He growled at her but she
shrugged it off. However, she did continue, saying,
"Buddi. You need to be able to
spell. If you ever meet other Gummies, do you want to look illiterate? Or if
you want to get in contact with someone?"
Buddi sighed and picked up his list
of words again. Ursa ruffled his head.
"I didn't think so, Buddi. Look, you
study for about ten minutes while I go get us some lunch, okay?"
The cub nodded.
Ursa smiled and got up to go and get
some food. She'd been hungry for a time but Buddi didn't seem to be. Besides,
if she got it too early, he'd have trouble concentrating. She walked out the
door and left Buddi to his thoughts and studying. Ursa honestly did not blame
him for hating these lessons. She'd been the same way. Spelling had been her
worst subject too!
Unknown to Ursa, as she walked past
the hall mirror, her reflection remained in the glass a moment, smirked evilly
with Celina's eyes and then stepped through and walked back towards Buddi.
* * *
"So if this is spelled this way,
than as a plural it's-"
Buddi growled in frustration and
pounded his fist down on the table, resulting in a large bruise on his left
hand. He cursed under his breath.
"Expanding our vocabulary a bit,
little one?"
Buddi jerked and saw Ursa standing
in the doorway, her face smug. Immediately, Buddi's guard went up. He knew Ursa; that wasn't her. She
would have stormed over, given him a smack across the face and yelled at him if
she'd heard him cursing. This one slowly padded over.
"You know me, yes?"
Buddi nodded, fighting the agonizing
fear in his heart. He stammered,
"Celina."
She nodded. Buddi told himself to
fight, get his dagger out. But he couldn't. But not because he was frozen with
fear but because she looked like Ursa. He knew she wasn't but the appearance
did it. He stalled. The next moment, Celina had lifted him up and was hissing.
"Do you think Ursa truly cares? Yous
aw those memories! You mean nothing to her."
Tears started down the cub's face.
Celina punched his face; his already broken nose, rebroke and he winced in
pain. She hit him again, and then twice more, until blood was streaming down
his face alongside his tears.
The sorceress dropped him as he
started to cry out in pain. He crumbled, broken in body and in spirit. Celina
walked out. She heard the true Ursa rushing upstairs. What better way to greet
her than as herself?
Buddi remained still, unmoving. By
Gum, as evil as she was, Celina was right.
A burden, that's what he was. Extra
weight that needed aid, not a Barbic. He was a child, a foolish cub that hardly
deserved the Barbic blood he'd been born with. Tears stained Buddi's cheeks.
Finally, he made his decision.
He drew his soul and mind together
and they became one. Then, gradually, he felt his vision swirl as he made
himself sink away from his body, inside himself. He disconnected his mind and
spirit from his physical body and his form tumbled to the ground, locked in a
comatose state.
A breach of life.
He last heard Ursa ran into the
hallway.
Then, he lost all feeling with his
outside world and was lost inside himself.
* * *
"Hello Ursa."
Ursa gasped as she was looking
at…herself. It was a perfect copy, the same hair and face but her eyes
differed. They were dark, uncaring. But she carried a smirk that made Ursa's
heart heavy.
"Where's my baby?"
Celina smirked and said, "See
yourself and put his fate on your shoulders."
"What?"
"You don't show enough love, Barbic.
His fate's on your head."
And with that, she grew transparent
and faded away.
Ursa tore through the door and
screamed.
Her child was lying still, unmoving.
She ran to his side. When she felt his body, felt the pace of his heart and the
rhythm that he breathed, she knew.
"A breach of life. Oh, baby, why?"
She knew the rules of a breach of
life. Her baby was still alive but he'd gone into a voluntary coma. He'd chosen
to. His spirit lingered inside of his body, separated from the rest of his
senses. It would be alike a misty plane where he just rested and remained
passive.
But that was the theory and that's
what scared Ursa to death.
No Barbic had ever come out of a
Breach of Life.
Her baby might never wake up.