The Broken Ones

Chapter 5:1 -Mountains

-I’ve known Sam for a long time. We grew up together at the same orphanage. At that time we didn’t know anything about the broken ones or magic until I was scouted by another broken who took me to the Academy. I did go voluntarily as I knew I was different and things had happened at the orphanage which would have made it hard to stay any longer than I did. But Sam was left behind, he wasn’t a broken then, not that I know of anyway. I came to the Academy and was taught everything I needed to know about the brokens. And I ended up working for the Academy.
-What is the Academy?
-It is as Nibbles said, a safe haven for our kind. In Sofara our kind is welcomed with open arms but it’s not like that everywhere. So when you become a broken in hostile areas you are often driven out and are without a home, then the Academy welcome you and take care of you. It is also an institute to educate new brokens how to use their ability. It also works for different governments, so if you work for the Academy you can be sent on missions to, for example, solve conflicts or help rebuild a village after a storm. Or find new brokens.
-Does Nibbles and Sassa work for the Academy?
-No, not many of the broken does. But we all work for the Academy sooner or later, we are bound to help if the Academy request it. When I had worked there for a couple of years and raised in the grades, Sam reappeared as a new broken.
Ana reached down and grabbed a pebble which she threw into the peaceful water.
-He started to work for the Academy, just like me. But he wasn’t as powerful as me. He always tried to prove himself to be better, but no matter how hard he tried, he always was second. These last couple of years he… he didn’t improve as fast as I did. But that’s simply because his injury isn’t as serious as mine.
-His injury, you mean his missing fingers?
-I have no idea how he got injured, he never let me study his hand. And he was older when he got the injury so of course he can never be as powerful as me.
-He’s jealous.
-Probably.
She turned to face Soi and looked at him with her serious grey eyes.
-Everything I’ve told you now is confidential. You are the only one who knows about my and Sam’s history, except Sam. Nibbles doesn’t know, Sassa doesn’t either, not the Academy either.
-You don’t trust them.
-I don’t trust anyone, I was brought up that way.
-What about Sam, then?
-We grew up in the same orphanage. But I can’t trust him now.
Ana sighed and shook her head sadly.
-And me? Soi pointed at himself.
She was silent, moulding over her answer.
-You’re my guard.
-You’ve had guards before.
-None that survived.
She rose from her position and looked at the silver moon hanging in the sky before she limped back to the camp. Soi stayed behind and saw the earlier golden lake turn into silver by strokes of moonlight. He had much to think about.
Back at the camp Nibbles and Sassa were sleeping with their arms wrapped around one and other and snored sweetly. Ana stood still, watching over them like a mother.
-Should we tell them… Soi hesitated. -About Sam.
-They know he’s… alive. But not that it was him who intruded my sleep. Nibbles probably knows, he’s much more clever than he lets on.
Ana sighed and shook her head with a little smile.
-I still don’t quite know where I got him.
Soi remembered something.
-Do you still have the ring?
Ana raised both eyebrows in wonder.
-Yes, do you want it back?
-No, no, no. Keep it.
He sat down by the flickering fire and Ana followed his example and sat down on the opposite side.
-No, this won’t do. He’ll attack again and the ring is our only defence. We both need it, Ana declared.
-So we…
-We put our beds together and sleep… holding hands.
-Holding hands? Is that really necessary?
-How else then? Ana glared at him, she wasn’t happy about the option either.
-It doesn’t really need touch the skin to work, does it?
-No.
-So then it’s enough if we just sleep close together. It can protect both of us?
-Suppose so.
Soi sighed relieved and got an angry stare from Ana.
-Am I so dangerous and scary that you couldn’t even hold my hand?
-I never said…
-Oh, but I can read your body, Ana said with an angry and firm tone.
Soi’s eyes got rounder than they had ever been before and his whole body froze.
-You’re kidding, you can’t really read my body, can you?
-Of course I can! It’s not so hard you know.
-I wouldn’t know, I don’t have that kind of magic.
-Magic? Who’s talking about magic?
-So you can’t read bodies then? Then, what were you talking about?
-You sighed! As if I was something to be dreaded.
-Well, you are someone to be cautious of…
-What!
-But that’s not why I sighed, Soi quickly added.
-Then why?
Soi sighed again and pulled his black hair.
-Why? Ana demanded.
-I can’t explain. Let’s just sleep, ok?
-It’s not ok!
-Well, I don’t have any answers for you so you have to settle with that. You’re such a child sometimes!
-Hah!
Soi ignored her injured pride and took his bed made out of blankets and put it beside Ana’s. He crawled beneath the blankets and turned around to sleep. Seconds later Ana slipped into her bed with a dismayed grunt.
-You won’t survive the night, she promised sweetly.

When the sun begun to rise in the east and the birds begun to sing their morning tune, Soi woke up. Lying next to him, nose to nose, was Ana. He had never seen her this close-up before. Her eyelashes were long and blonde like grass dried by the autumn sun and her eyebrows were a shade darker. Her nose was small and pointy and freckles were scattered all over it. And her eyebrows were usually pursed and in between there was a constant wrinkle. Her lips were small, and so often stretched out to a thin line when she was mad or simply irritated. Which was almost every day.
But not now. Her face was smooth and relaxed. She looked like she was appeased with herself. Not worried about monsters, or former friends, or useless guards. She looked like a child with not a care in the world.
-I wonder how old you really are? Soi whispered to himself.
-Who wouldn’t want to know.
Soi looked surprised into Ana’s cold grey eyes.
-You’re awake.
-I woke as soon as the rhythm of your breathing changed.
Soi caught his breath.
-If you woke that easily, how could you sleep when the monster attacked us last time?
Soi’s face turned serious and steadily held her eyes with his.
-I wasn’t myself.
-You had a death wish, as Nibbles said, Soi stated.
-I wouldn’t call it…
-Ana!
Both Soi and Ana sat up to see who addressed her. Nibbles sat by the smoking fire and poked it with Ana’s staff. He faced them and there was no smile on his lips.
-You did have a death wish.
-Nebelius, it wasn’t that serious…
-Ana, don’t try to deny it. In our world, if you’re not on your toes all the time you are dead. You taught me that.
Nibbles glanced over his shoulder into the deep green forest. He clenched his fist and his eyes wavered nervously.
-Silver, what is it? Ana noticed his strange behaviour.
Nibbles turned his head back to Ana and Soi. He immediately changed his expression and smiled flirtingly.
-Oh, it’s nothing, he answered in a light tone. –I was thinking of catching some fish in the lake, do you want some?
Both Ana and Soi shook their heads.
-No? Ok then. I’ll be back soon.
And he left and walked straight into to the forest. Ana’s forehead had gotten a new wrinkle and she traced Nibbles footsteps.
-Something’s wrong.
-Why do you think so?Ana turned her eyes back to Soi and she rolled her eyes.
-He walked in the wrong direction.
-Did he? Soi leaned forward to see the direction in which Nibbles had taken. And he looked to the opposite direction where he could see the lake glimmer in the morning light.
-And, of course, he acted strange, Ana added sarcastically.
-Not stranger than usual.
Once again Soi watched in the direction where Nibbles had left. Above the high and green trees, grey and black mountains emerged like cold beasts with sharp teeth.

To be continued...
By J.L.Frick