Eleven - Neriah

Ethan meets me at the base of the mountain early in the morning, looking considerably better than the last time I saw him but still somewhat anxious. Without meaning to, I probe his thoughts and find them still full of worry and sadness. He's started taking anxiety medication, it seems, and he's impatient for it to start working. I also catch a stray thought about a missing poster he saw yesterday for Rochelle, which has worsened his mental health. As he catches my eye and waves over to me I hastily withdraw my gift. It's rude to read other people's thoughts without their permission, I know, but I still can't always help it. That's one of the main reasons we are heading to Arkarian's chambers today for training, to try and keep a leash on my new-found immortal powers.

I'm glad Ethan and Arkarian have agreed to work with me together. Training without Ethan just doesn't seem right, but Arkarian has so many powers similar to mine, and Matt is way too busy to train me in anything that could be taught by other people. I'm excited to spend more time with the two of them, and Isabel sent me a text this morning letting me know that she would be around too.

Aysher and Silos surge ahead of me, happy to be out on a long walk and even happier to see a friend to play with. They pounce on Ethan quicker than he can spot them, bouncing up and giving his face a friendly lick. Ethan laughs and gives them both vigorous scratches behind their ears.

"Hey," I say with a smile as I reach them. "Aysher! Silos! Down! Leave him alone!"

"Hey. Don't worry about them, they're just excited to be out and about and make new friends," Ethan coos this last part at the dogs, who bark happily in reply. "Do they understand what I'm saying?"

"Yeah. Well- I mean they get the gist of it."

We turn and start to walk up the mountain trail together. Aysher and Silos streak off ahead of us, regularly backtracking to check that we are still following behind. I wonder if they're excited to see Arkarian, if they even remember who Arkarian is, or if they're just relishing showing off how smart they are to Ethan. Ethan is certainly giving them enough attention to keep them happy, and they nearly lose their minds when he picks up two sticks out of the bush and starts throwing them for them to fetch.

"So how are you?" I ask as Ethan throws one of the sticks arching high over Silos's head.

He shrugs, and takes another stick that Aysher offers up with a whine. "I'm coping. Looking forward to today. It's been ages since I've properly trained with Arkarian and Isabel, and this time hopefully Isabel won't be scrambling my brain."

"Scrambling your brain?"

"Yeah, she was trying to use her psychic mojo to predict what Arkarian was gonna do beforehand when we were sparring. All well and good until she tried to send what she saw over to me, and it nearly made my head explode," he explains with a short laugh.

"Oh yeah, even if you're a Truthseer Isabel comes through really loud - it's like she's yelling inside your mind," I say.

"Well, she's supersonic when you're not a Truthseer. Anyway, how are you? You and Matt doing better now?"

I groan and look out across the trail as we start to climb above the trees. The morning light has begun to spill over the curve of the mountain and creeps over the leaves as they dance in the breeze, making it look as though the whole forest is dancing. After years of living on a tiny tropical island with almost no trees at all, I don't think I will ever get bored of seeing the woods stretch out in front of me.

"I'll take that as a no," Ethan continues, and I flush in embarrassment.

"Sorry, I was trying to come up with a diplomatic answer and got distracted by the view," I admit. "We're better than we were the other day, but to be honest we've not spoken all that much since then."

An awkward silence briefly settles in between us, then Ethan asks the question I know he's been dying to ask. "I don't suppose that he-"

"He still didn't tell me why he's holding Dillon." It's the truth of course, but not the entire story.

Ethan sighs and visibly sags as we continue walking. "And you're just ok with that?"

I shrug uncomfortably.

"I kind of have to be. Matt wouldn't be doing this if he didn't genuinely believe it was the best."

Ethan looks at me, long and hard.

"I wish I had your faith," he says finally.

"You don't?"

"Matt and I… we have a difficult relationship. We were best friends for so long, then we had that falling out. I mean, we're pretty good again now, but…" Ethan trails off, sticking his hands in his pockets and staring at the ground. "I feel like I'm still getting to know Matt again. My childhood friend would never keep secrets from me, but I have to accept that he's not that kid anymore. He's not even a man, he's an immortal, and immortals play by their own convoluted rules."

"Is that how you feel about me?" I ask, slightly offended.

It's a troubling notion, the idea that I'm somehow a different person since Matt made me immortal. I feel like myself, sure, but what do other people think of me? Am I acting strangely? Am I more secretive now, like Matt is? All I ever wanted growing up was to be normal, to be able to be around other people like me, but now the only person truly like me is Matt. The thought is quite isolating. I don't want to be a "higher being", I just want to be a good friend, and a good girlfriend, and a good daughter. Has becoming an immortal put that in jeopardy?

Ethan wraps one arm around my shoulders and pulls me close to him. "You know I don't think that about you. I just mean that Matt disappeared for two weeks and came back… different. I don't know what his father is like, and I don't know how long Matt spent there from his point of view. I also didn't speak to him for nearly two years when he started dating Rochelle. I feel like I don't really know him anymore. I know you though. You're my friend, Neriah."

"But Matt isn't your friend anymore?"

"Honestly? I don't know. I wish he was, but I don't know if he wants to be."

"He wants to be," I tell him honestly. "He just doesn't know how to say it."

We walk the rest of the way in silence, Ethan's arm remaining thrown around my shoulder even when Aysher and Silos beg for more stick-throwing. When Arkarian opens the rock door to his chambers for us, he smirks and raises his eyebrows at our positioning.

"Ethan. Neriah. Is there something you need to tell me?"

Ethan removes his arm with a gentle laugh. "Yeah, Neriah and I are having an affair. Don't tell Matt though."

"You have my word." Arkarian nods solemnly. He bends down and makes a quick fuss of Aysher and Silos who are whining for attention at his feet. They do recognise Arkarian and are overjoyed to see him, but I can feel Arkarian exerting his calming effect over them to stop them from bouncing off of the corridor walls. I really need to learn how to do that.

The five of us make our way to a propped open door midway along the corridor that leads to one of Arkarian's training rooms. This room is largely empty, with bare stone walls dotted with torches that are flickering merrily with orange flames and a simple wooden table placed in the middle. On the table waiting for us is a candle, a glass of water, a feather, and a wilting potted herb that looks like it could be coriander or parsley. I break off a leaf and roll it between my fingers before taking a sniff. Definitely coriander.

"Coriander tastes like soap to me so I forced Arkarian to offer it up as a sacrifice."

I startle and turn around to find Isabel sat cross-legged against the wall by the door, with Aysher and Silos already with her and making sure to give her a good sniff for security. She's dressed in a plain vest top and some comfy looking tracksuit pants, long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. She smiles and then leans forwards, arms straight out in front of her, until her forehead is nearly touching the floor.

"I would hug you but I'm all sweaty. I've just been beating up Arkarian's punching bag."

"I'm sure you really showed that bag," Ethan says.

"Oh she did," Arkarian agrees as he conjures up three of his familiar wooden stools for us to sit on and places them around the table. "It will be quite a while before that bag gives her any more lip."

Isabel springs easily to her feet and starts stretching out to the side, throwing one arm above her head. "I'll just finish up then I'll be out of your way. I need a shower."

"Aw, man. It's been ages since I used Arkaian's fancy shower," Ethan says as he shrugs his jacket off and drapes it over the nearest stool.

I turn back to face the table and look to Arkarian for an explanation regarding his 'fancy' shower. Arkarian, however, is staring straight through Ethan and me, at Isabel's stretching figure. Eventually, I catch his eye and he looks away quickly, turning a subtle shade of red as he does so. Really, it's a wonder the two of them manage to keep their hands off of each other the way they ogle when they think no-one is looking.

Ethan and Isabel don't seem to notice Arkarian's embarrassment, and as soon as his face has returned to it's normal pale tone he claps his hands together.

"Right! Shall we get on with it then?"

The three of us take our seats as Isabel troops out of the room. Aysher and Silos curl up in tiny balls and rest their heads on their paws, watching us with interest. Arkarian beckons with a finger at one of the torches on the wall, and a spark suddenly hops from it and over to the candle, which ignites. For a moment, no-one says anything, and then Arkarian clears his throat.

"Ethan?"

"Oh!" Ethan exclaims, laughing nervously. "Right! Yeah. Me. So… um… your powers. You have new ones."

I nod. "I do. A lot of them."

"Yes. Exactly. And you're struggling with your elemental abilities. I don't have any experience with those powers but I worked with Isabel a lot on drawing out her second ability and controlling her powers." Ethan straightens up as he talks, hitting his stride quickly. His initial nervousness melts away as he throws himself back into trainer mode. "Luckily for us, Arkarian has elemental abilities, so he's agreed to help out."

"You make it sound like a chore, Ethan," Arkarian remarks, straightening out the objects in their line. "I'm happy to help. I remember how difficult this was to grasp when I first learned how to harness my gift. It took longer than I care to admit."

I'd almost forgotten how long Arkarian was an apprentice for - nearly 200 years! It's hard to imagine talented, capable Arkarian struggling with anything. His record makes little mention of him struggling with his abilities though, which does make me wonder why Lorian saw fit to keep him under his tutelage for so long.

"Push all knowledge of the periodic table from your mind," Arkarian begins. "When humans were first gaining an understanding of the world, they knew only four elements: earth, fire, wind and water."

"Long ago the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked," Ethan continues, mouth pressed tightly into a serious line.

I frown at him in confusion. "Wait, the elements are nations?"

Ethan lets out an exasperated sigh. "No, it's a reference to a tv show. I picked the wrong audience."

"Quite," Arkarian says, brushing past Ethan's remark with clearly practised ease. "Moving on. These four elements were the building blocks of life, and they are the basis of our shared ability. Lorian once told me that elemental manipulation was once the starting point for all magical education - once you had the elements at your beck and call, so did you have the rest of the world. No-one has been able to do the old magic in a long time of course, but I imagine that you will learn it in time."

"Not if I can't control even the basics, I won't."

"Let's start by seeing what you can do," Ethan suggests, pushing the candle towards me.

I push the candle away, shaking my head. "Not the fire. Fire bad."

"Our caveman ancestors would be proud," Ethan says as he swaps the candle for the feather.

I concentrate on the feather, feeling the space between us. At my will, the air begins to feel solid - like a living, moving being that needs to be moved out of the way so that I can get to the feather. I grasp a mental hold of the space and push it forwards as hard as I can, and a pathetic gust of wind puffs towards the feather, sending it skittering across the table where Arkarian smacks his hand down upon it to stop it from falling.

"Okay! That's good!" Ethan says pulling the glass of water over next.

"That was everything I had!" I exclaim in dismay.

"It's better than nothing." Ethan makes the feather wriggle under Arkarian's hand until he releases it, and it floats neatly back into place.

After I make the water rise in little spheres again (managing this time to get them back into the glass with minimal splashing), and convince the sad coriander to look a few shades more green than brown, Ethan pushes the candle back toward me.

"Fire bad," I repeat timidly.

"Me like fire," Ethan replies in a gruff caveman-esque voice. "Fire cook meat. Meat good."

"Fire also life sustaining, it keeps us warm and in good health," Arkarian adds, electing not to use the same silly voice as Ethan.

"Ooft, I've offended the vegetarian."

"Well, if you will eat meat like a savage-"

"I'm a vegetarian too, you know," I point out.

"You are?" Now it's Ethan who seems almost offended. "But what about bacon?"

I shrug. "I never really liked bacon. Too fatty."

"But why?"

"It's a lot harder to kill and eat something when you can understand what it's thinking and feeling," I say.

"I've been thinking of going vegetarian," Isabel says as she walks back into the room, towel drying her hair.

Ethan whines. "Not you too! Doesn't anyone enjoy a good steak anymore? Isabel you love chicken!"

"Well, it makes sense for me to go veggie eventually," Isabel says, sitting back down in her previous place between Aysher and Silos. "I'm going to be living here from next year and Akarian is a vegetarian already, so any meat we managed to get would just be for me. Seems a waste, considering how hard we're having to work to get food even now. We can't just grow a chicken."

"I mean… you could. That is literally the primary function of an egg. Wait, are you reading a book?"

Isabel crosses her arms over the old, battered book on her lap protectively. "I can read, you know."

"Nope, the jury is still out on that one. I have never once been presented with proof that you can read."

At Ethan's teasing Isabel throws her damp towel across the room at him and catches him square in the face. Arkarian and I laugh as he lobs it back at her, the dogs barking excitedly and jumping up and down to try and catch the towel mid-flight.

"You're a bad influence on her," Ethan comments to Arkarian as he turns back around. "She's reading… she's thinking of going veggie. What have you done to my best friend?"

Arkarian smiles and shakes his head, not deigning to give Ethan an answer. "Shall we return to the matter at hand?"

I take a deep breath and try to calm my nerves, which are currently going haywire. I'm so afraid of hurting the others, it takes me a moment to even coax my power out into the open. When I finally do, the candle flame sputters slightly before suddenly exploding forth in a wild and untameable fireball. Ethan and Arkarian both push themselves back from the table as I yelp in surprise. Arkarian spreads his arm wide, as if giving the dangerous fireball a warm hug, and to my surprise the flame shrinks back, getting smaller and smaller until the tiny flickering light of the candle is restored to its previous size.

"I see your problem," he says calmly as he sits back down, as though nothing has happened.

"That's one hard to miss problem," Isabel says from her position on the floor.

Arkarian smiles fondly at her before turning his attention back to me. "Quite. You're experiencing a problem that I too encountered the first time I manipulated the elements. Tell me, Neriah, do you find one easier to manage than the others?"

I nod. "Water."

"Water is adaptable, resilient, and flexible, much like yourself. Unsurprising that you find it the easiest to work with. I imagine, in what training you have been able to get in with Matt, you have been taught to exert your will onto the world around you, and bend it to your whims."

"You think that that's wrong?"

"Lorian attempted to teach me in much the same way. I do not believe that way of thinking is not wrong per se, but it is a very immortal way of thinking."

"But I am an immortal now."

"But you weren't born one. You developed your initial gifts in the same way most people do - they came to you at a time of aroused passions."

Ethan snorts loudly at Arkarian's unfortunate phrasing. Behind me, I hear Isabel attempting to stifle her own laughter.

"What I mean to say," Arkarian continues smoothly, flicking a warning glance at Ethan, "is that our gifts usually first begin to show themselves at times of intense emotion. Anger is a common one, pain… fear… heartbreak… grief…"

"Is it always a negative emotion?" I ask.

Arkarian shrugs. "Not always, but those sorts of emotions tend to be the ones that activate our body's fight or flight instinct. Our powers help to protect us, it's another defence mechanism, just like an adrenaline spike."

I nod. "The first time my gifts showed, it was when there was a security breach on our island. There were alarms going off everywhere and mom and I locked ourselves in our panic room. We were in there for hours whilst they searched the entire island and I was drawing in my notebook whilst we waited. Then everything went silent, and I could hear someone in the room outside. They paused, and I was so scared because if it was a staff member they were supposed to knock this code immediately to let us know if it was safe. I mean, even then there was a hidden camera that they had to step into view of so we could verify identity. But this person just paused out of view. I don't know why. Finally, they knocked and I jumped out of my skin. But I was drawing this bird at the time and my hand slammed down on the page as I jumped. Next thing I knew, there was a bird flying like crazy around the panic room. It was a bird that caused the breach too, coincidentally."

"I healed my hand after accidentally cutting myself while cutting an apple," Isabel chimes in.

"Yeah I moved a chair to block the door during an argument with my dad," Ethan says. "Luckily he didn't see, he just thought I'd slammed the door behind me."

"What about you, Arkarian?"

Arkarian hesitates. "I… was at a funeral." He doesn't elaborate further, just looks down at his fingers laced together. After a short pause he clears his throat. "So, as I was saying, that is how most people's gifts first present themselves. With immortals it's different. The potential is there from birth, like mortals, but there isn't really anything that sets it off, per se. Immortals learn to exert their will on the world around them, whereas our powers come forth like a reflex. I daresay, Neriah, the easiest gifts for you to master have been those most similar to your birth ones."

"Yeah, I can turn into animals really easily, and summoning things have never been a problem. I just sort of think about it and it happens."

"Just like you can commune with animals and bring drawings to life," Arkarian confirms, nodding.

"But when I think 'fire' everything just sort of…"

"Gets fiery?" Ethan helpfully contributes, grinning.

"I would suggest trying to not think 'fire' and think instead about your connection to the fire. The space in between you and the flame. Think about your own emotions and how that affects the world around you. The same as you would have done when you were first using your gift. How many things did you draw? How many times did you reach for the space between the paper and the ink?"

Of course, Arkarian's instructions immediately make the task at hand seem a thousand times easier. Ethan pushes the candle towards me again, but this time he scoots his stool further back from the table.

"I trust you," he says with a smile. "But I am mighty fond of my eyebrows."

Arkarian leans forward and pulls the candle away from me. "I think it's perhaps better if I demonstrate first."

He stands up and flexes his hand above the candle, and it almost looks as though he is physically pulling the flame up with his fingers. The fire blossoms under his hand, first growing tall then spreading outwards. "Elemental magic works very much in sync with each element. Fire requires air, so rather than think about the flame, I think about all the air around it and I feed it to the fire. Then, you can start to shape it."

Arkarian spins his hand around and now the flame is a neat ball, like a miniature sun hovering above the table. Ethan whistles appreciatively.

"If it helps, think about your emotions as you work with the fire, control them as you control it. Think about something that makes you angry-" The fireball grows again and tiny flares shoot out in places. "-and then control it." The fireball shrinks back down and finally hops back onto the candle wick.

Arkarian has me practice first with water, the element I find easiest to manipulate. It's still harder than it is without Arkarian or Matt to aid me directly, like we did down in Veridian, but I manage to once again keep everyone dry. He's right, it is so much easier to work with from this new perspective. I feel my limbs loosen up as I channel the water gently around the room, not forcing it but supporting it's movement with the space between us.

The coriander plant is a lot more cooperative when I instead divert my energy to giving it the water it needs to thrive, although I still can't do much more than perk it up a bit. I also manage to create a real breeze around the room that helps the feather to bob up and down in place. Ethan continues to encourage me as we work, even though I'm still not at the impressive level of Arkarian or Matt.

"You're really getting it!" he exclaims as he plucks the feather out of mid-air. His eyes have a shine to them that I only see when he's training - the kind of shine that tells me that this is the kind of thing he lives for. "You ready for the candle now?"

I nod. "Let's do this."

"That's the kind of attitude I like!"

Arkarian smiles and relights the candle, which sputtered out in my manufactured breeze. He pushes it back towards me with a gentle smile. "I'm sure you can do this."

I flex my hand experimentally over the flame and it flares up aggressively, nearly burning my hand.

"Ouch!" I hiss, more out of habit than actual pain.

"Need me to take a look?" Isabel asks.

I shake my head. "I'm ok, just shocked me."

"Try again," Arkarian instructs. "Feel the flame within yourself as well. Think on something that heightens your emotions"

I take a deep breath and this time wave my hand gently over the flame, slowly directing the air in the room towards the spark at its heart. I do as Arkarian instructs and try to link the fire inside me to the one below. There is only one person I know who can make me feel so passionately angry, and happy, and alive as a roaring fire. Matt's face is easy to picture, and I recall our conversation from a few days ago vividly. I haven't been so confused and conflicted in my entire life as I have been since the end of the war. I grab hold of that feeling, and direct it outwards. This time, the flame blossoms slowly under my guidance. My heart leaps and my breath catches in my throat, and then the flame suddenly extinguishes.

"Damn it."

"Damn it? That was so good! You did so much better this time!" Ethan says excitedly.

"You should be very proud of yourself," Arkarian says. "We should stop for today, we don't want you to tire yourself out."

"But I feel like I've barely done anything!"

"The best thing is to keep practising at home, and then when you're ready, expand outwards. Once you feel that you can work with each element, and keep it stable, then you can start attempting to instruct each one. Think of it as setting a solid foundation before you start to build."

"And what will I be doing when I start to build?" I ask.

Arkarian thinks for a moment as he tips the glass of water into the coriander's pot. "That would really be up to you and what feels most natural. Technically all of our abilities are limitless until we reach a natural block, but yours really are. If you wanted to try blending the elements together, that would probably be the next logical step. Or perhaps you could look at attempting to create the elements out of nothing if you were feeling exceptionally experimental. That is a gift that I believe only immortals can master."

"You can't do it?"

"Alas, I cannot. Nobody truly can. Even Ethan's ability to create life or solid objects from his illusions would more accurately be described as a redistribution of atoms. It's not a literal creation, just a reworking of what is already around us. In theory though that reworking could translate itself into summoning, like my gift. Being able to translate one gift into another would be-"

"-magic," Isabel finishes behind me. She closes her book and rests her chin on her hand. Aysher and Silos whine at the sudden movement. "That's right, isn't it? That's what magic was? Limitless potential? Ultimate power?"

"Now only in the hands of immortals," Arkarian confirms. "For the best, by all accounts. Mortal magicians tore each other apart for power. They never had enough."

"So is that what you would do then?" I ask. "Try to develop each gift then use it to develop the next?"

"It's a sound strategy. Unlike us mere mortals, you won't ever hit a proverbial wall in what you could do."

I frown. "If immortal magic is truly limitless, why didn't Lathenia just tear the universe apart and then rebuild it as she wanted it?"

"Magic is the universe, and the universe is magic. At least, that was Lorian's answer when I asked."

"Good to know you inherited your weird way of talking from somewhere," Ethan says. "That doesn't answer Neriah's question at all."

"Yes, I can't say I found the answer satisfactory either," Arkarian remarks drily. There's a small hint of a smile on his face, and I suspect he's pleased at being compared to his father, however much of a joke it may have been.

"Well I mean it sort of makes sense - you can't use the universe to destroy the universe, otherwise what would you do when you run out of universe to destroy the bit of universe that you're destroying everything else with?" Isabel pipes up.

Ethan stands up and stretches. "Good news, Arkarian. Isabel is just as confusing as you are. You're officially perfect for each other."

Arkarians smiles and shrugs. "As you said earlier, Ethan, I suspect that I am simply a bad influence." He also gets to his feet and starts to collect the items off of the table, each one vanishing the moment it's in his hand.

Ethan saunters around the table and over to Isabel as she gets up off of the floor. He throws an arm around her shoulder and pulls her into him, like he did with me on our walk up. "So looks like its you next."

Isabel wriggles out from his grasp. "Don't get too comfy, I'm still mad at you."

"Why are you mad at Ethan?" I ask.

"Apparently Ethan thinks it's acceptable to give people's numbers out without their permission."

Ethan scoffs. "Please. You're only pissed that it was Dillon."

My stomach twists and turns with secrets as I clamp my mouth shut tightly. Dillon again. I would love to never have to think about Dillon again.

"You should stay away from him, Ethan," Isabel says quietly. She holds his gaze steadily until he can't bear the weight of it any longer and looks away uneasily.

"No. What we should all start doing is actually talking to each other for once. You all need to stop blaming Dillon for what the prophecy started in the first place. Maybe being forced to spend time together would actually be good for you," Ethan snaps.

Before Isabel can argue back, Arkarian steps in between them with his hands raised. Even from across the room, I can feel his calming ability radiating outwards as he attempts to diffuse the situation. Isabel's temper is an everyday occurrence, but Ethan's outburst is strange. I try to gently probe his thoughts but his mind is a whirlwind and I don't think he is fully in control right now. I can, however, feel Arkarian's gift working, and slowly but surely his thoughts begin to straighten out. He's just frightened and confused, like the rest of us.

"No arguing in my house please," Arkarian says calmly. "There is quite enough going on without our being at each other's throats."

"That's what I was trying to say," Ethan mutters bitterly, but his shoulders slump in resignation. "Sorry, Isabel."

"I'm sorry too," Isabel replies. "I just want you to ask before you give my number out. And for what it's worth, I'm meeting up with Dillon tomorrow. Maybe you're right. Maybe we can talk things out."

Apparently satisfied, Isabel and Ethan step around Arkarian and embrace each other. As they do so, Arkarian shoots me a concerned glance.

Did you know Isabel was seeing Dillon tomorrow? he asks in his thoughts.

No, I don't think she's told anyone until now.

I am aware that you know more than you did the other day he replies. Don't worry, I'm not going to ask anything further. I just want to know how concerned I need to be.

I shoot him a grateful look. I'm so relieved he isn't asking what I know. I wouldn't begin to know where to start. Dillon is an unknown risk factor at the moment. Keep an eye out for her.

I always do.

Ethan and Isabel separate just in time for Arkarian and I to look casual. Ethan grasps Isabel's shoulders and puts her firmly at arms length.

"Hey, how about you show us what you can do?" he says with a friendly smile.

Isabel grimaces. "Ok, but I've only practised a few times with Arkarian. I can only go a few metres, and it has to be in eyesight."

"You're doing very well," Arkarian reassures her.

Isabel sighs and shakes herself out, book still in hand. "Right, here goes nothing." She closes her eyes and disappears into nothingness, causing her book to drop to the ground with a heavy thud. A split-second later she reappears beside me, looking pleased with herself.

"That was pretty smooth!" she exclaims.

"You didn't take the book with you," Arkarian comments. "Please be careful with my books."

"Shit. I keep doing that - leaving things behind. I lost my jeans the other day. I can't keep doing that!"

"Somehow I doubt Arkarian was complaining," Ethan says as he bends down to pick up the book. "Discourses of Livy? So not only are you reading, you're reading sixteenth century Italian philosophers?"

Arkarian frowns slightly, but the expression is gone as soon as it appears. Isabel snatches the book off of Ethan and clutches it tightly to her chest.

"I'm not stupid you know," she says defensively.

"Hey I didn't say you were! Just not what I would have pictured you reading!"

The banter between them is back to it's normal good nature now, and the atmosphere is much lighter. We make moves to head up to the fields above Arkarian's chambers but Isabel sends us up ahead.

"I'll walk the dogs up," she offers. "I'd like to say goodbye to Arkarian properly before I head up. I won't see him until Saturday now."

We both hesitate, well aware that Isabel isn't supposed to be left alone, but she reassures us that she will have Aysher and Silos by her side the whole time. After all, if they were good enough protection for me for over a decade, they will be good enough for her for ten minutes.

Ethan and I both give Arkarian quick hugs goodbye before using our wings to move up into the cover of a patch of trees on the outskirts of our usual training spot. We step out into the field and throw our bags down whilst we wait for Isabel.

"I don't wanna think about what Isabel and Arkarian are doing to 'say goodbye properly'," Ethan says with a disgusted face as he flops down on the grass next to our things.

I laugh. "I think they're cute!"

"Yeah let's see how cute you think it is when Aysher and Silos come up with vivid memories of Isabel giving Arkarian a blow job."

"Ew, Ethan!" I laugh, kicking him gently in the side. "Don't be crass. I'm sure they're just talking and making plans for Saturday."

"I know, I just thought it was funny to gross you out."

"Ha ha."

I settle down beside him but don't lie back. I grab a handful of daisies and start making a daisy chain to keep my hands busy while we wait.

"Are you doing ok?" I ask softly.

Ethan sighs. "Yeah, I'm good. Mood swings are very much par for the course for me at the moment. I'm sorry if I upset you."

"You didn't upset me," I reassure him. "I think what you said was very…noble."

"Noble?"

"Well… perhaps idealistic is a better word," I relent. "But I do see where you're coming from."

"Matt really didn't tell you anything at all?"

It's the question I was dreading. The one that forces me to lie to my friend.

"No."

"Really it should be Matt and Dillon we throw into a room," Ethan says. He throws his arm over his eyes and sighs. "Going back to our previous topic though, I thought Isabel was being a tad dramatic earlier. Saturday is literally three days away, and you'd think she'd been told she couldn't see Arkarian for three years."

I giggle and shake my head. "A year can't come quick enough for them."

"It's nice to see Arkarian so happy," Ethan adds. "He's more… normal with Isabel around. You think he chatters away weirdly now, you should have seen him a couple of years ago. I think he was lonely."

"It's a lonely life," I agree.

Ethan moves his arm and peers up at me. "Is it really that bad though? He's had the Tribunal members, and he used to live on the Citadel with all the people there."

"Arkarian is-" I pause, considering the best way to describe his unique situation. "-he's between two worlds. A lot of things with the Tribunal stay solely within the Tribunal. I know he has people that he is very close with, but there's always going to be that division. It's like if you could only socialise with a teacher, or maybe a boss is a better comparison. And with the Atlanteans, they were a whole people unto themselves. They had a shared history, a way of living, that Arkarian could only ever be on the outskirts of."

Ethan falls silent for a moment, digesting this information. When it's all laid out so plainly, it's hard not to feel sorry for Arkarian. He is always so kind to others, and so thoughtful, and frankly I think people could have worked harder to reciprocate his good nature. There was no need for him to be so much of an outcast.

"I'm glad he has her," Ethan says quietly. "He deserves to be happy."

"I agree. Everyone does." I stare at Ethan's face intently, but he doesn't meet my eyes. I don't need to use my powers to know that he is thinking about Rochelle. I hope that one day he can find the peace he deserves, too.

"What have you got her, by the way?" Ethan asks suddenly. The change of topic isn't tactful, but it is welcome.

"I've been working on a painting for her," I say. "It's a family portrait of her, Matt, Coral and Jimmy."

"That's sweet."

"What about you?"

He smiles and pulls himself up into a sitting position. "I'm really pleased with my present idea. It was expensive though, so my mom and dad chipped in to get it her as a gift from the family. Only dad really gets why it's so good though, of course. I've got her-"

"Hey!" Isabel's voice calls out from across the clearing.

Aysher and Silos barrel ahead of her and make a beeline towards me. They apparently believed that I had abandoned them forever. I give them both ferocious hugs to let them know that I too shared their fear of being separated forever.

"Whatcha talking about?" Isabel asks as she reaches us, dropping her bag down next to ours.

"How ugly you are," Ethan says, pulling himself up to his feet. "Frankly, it's shocking. I'm convinced Arkarian is blind."

It's Isabel's turn to kick him now, but she definitely isn't as gentle as I was.

"Ow!" he whines, hopping around theatrically on one leg as he rubs his shin.

"You deserved that," I say.

We spend the next couple of hours helping Isabel to grapple with her wings. Aysher and Silos dutifully patrol the perimeter, ensuring that we aren't going to be disturbed by any wayward hikers. Few people have dared to come into the park recently though, and the dogs don't catch a single whiff of hiker the entire time we are training.

Afterwards, we troop back down the mountain. As we go, we enthusiastically discuss Isabel's progress and speculate on what else King Richard is going to bestow upon the Named who didn't receive gifts from him in their initiations. I'm already aware of many plans that are brewing, but I don't let on. It's more fun to join in on the guessing games.

"I bet your dad gets his wings too, Ethan," Isabel says excitedly.

"Yeah, I was just thinking the same. Makes the most sense."

I press my lips together tightly again. They're exactly correct, of course. Shaun deserves the honour as much as any of us. There is a second option for Shaun, should he wish to take it, but that is a delicate, private matter and definitely not for Ethan nor Isabel to know.

We reach the base of the mountain, where I am due to separate from the group to head back to my house. Ethan is walking Isabel back to hers, a continuation of her constant protection. I give them both warm hugs, but with Isabel I linger slightly to whisper in her ear.

"If something happens with Dillon, you know you can talk to me, right."

We pull apart and Isabel nods discreetly, but she can't seem to look me in the eyes.