“You won’t have met your Swords yet. I have asked that they suspend their training until you are ready, or at least to come at times when you are not here. You won’t meet them, in fact, unless you complete your training. We do that to protect their identities. Most Swords are from the Under Earth, but some are from the surface. They find tunnels and stumble across our world, and if they do, and they are capable of the task, they have a choice.”
“Which is?”
“Join our fight or return to your world and say nothing on threat of death.”
I snorted. “Pleasant.”
“And necessary.”
“At least they have a choice. I didn’t.”
He nodded. “The Swords are not chosen by a spell. They are chosen based on courage and skill. In our world it is a rare and special honour. Some preference is given to those from the surface, if they find their way here, as we believe they may have found the Under Earth for a reason. In the past I have agreed to train some from the surface that otherwise would never have been chosen. And often they turn out to be the best ones of all.”
He turned to me. He was a striking man, or would have been, if there wasn’t so much danger in his cold eyes. His stubble had grown almost into a full beard now, creeping down his neck and meeting his long hair at his shoulders.
“We will keep running the Way. I don’t want you sparring yet, for your safety.”
“I appreciate that.”
“But we will begin more advanced monster training starting tomorrow. You need to know how to outthink your enemies, as well as crush them. Have you read the Tips on Monster Crushing section yet?”
“No.”
“Do so tomorrow. In the next few days, we must escalate your training. I fear we may be running out of time.”
I sat there for a moment, thinking. “How will you know when I’m ready?”
He smiled. “I have a feeling that fate will decide that for us.” He rose to his feet like a cat unfurling and extended a calloused hand. “Ready?”
“Not really,” I muttered, letting him pull me up.
“The others don’t like you,” he said quietly. “They ask me to send you home almost every day. To tell you to move. To tell you not to return.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because a very small part of me thinks they are wrong.”
With that, he swept away toward the course, his cloak flying out behind him.
“Now do it again!”
Chapter Eighteen
The next day at school was a little strange. Allison had really gone into overdrive yesterday, and people were all a bit wary, like they were getting back into the water after a shark attack. Shal kept looking around like something was going to pounce on her. Mia ran away if Allison and the seagulls even glanced in our general direction.
People were still giggling when I walked by, but I was taking it better today. Shal and Mia knew I hadn’t peed myself, and they were the only ones I really talked to anyway. If everyone else wanted to laugh, so be it. But I was very careful to check my pants every time I stood up while Allison and Ashley snickered behind me.
I was also missing Liam. I know that sounds crazy since we don’t really talk to each other that much, but class felt very boring without him. No one put their hand up, and Ms. Haddock just got flustered and stopped asking questions. I might have considered putting my hand up for some, but I didn’t want to give Allison any more excuses to come after me. It was time to get back to rule number one for awhile.
I was not going to call any more attention to myself.
I’d lost some of last night’s courage when I showed up at school that morning. It was easier being brave in some alternate world, but I was too used to being afraid in this one. At lunch, Mia, Shal, and I went and sat in the corner as usual, propped up against the chain-link fence. Shal stared at Carl and the other popular kids in the distance.
“They had thirty signatures,” she said.
“What?” I asked.
“On the petition. The ugliest ginger petition.”
I waved a hand in dismissal. “People will sign anything that Allison gives them. Ashley would sign a petition naming herself the biggest idiot in school if Allison made it.”
“I hate my hair,” Shal muttered. “Always have.”
“I like it,” Mia said, her slender little arms wrapped around her knees. “It’s so long and colourful. Mine is boring.” She glanced at me. “You keep looking over at the portables. Are you sad Liam is at home today?”
Shal snickered.
“Yeah,” I admitted. “I just feel bad. I hope he didn’t get in trouble.”
“Maybe you should go visit him,” Shal suggested.
“Oh, yeah, he’d be thrilled.”
“It would be nice,” Mia said. “Just say you’re there to see how he’s doing.”
I frowned. “I couldn’t do that.”
“Why not?” Shal asked.
I thought about that. Hmm. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Can we hide in the bushes and watch?” Shal asked eagerly.
“Shut up.”
I noticed Mia was staring through the chain-link fence, and I followed her gaze. The same forest that wrapped around my street stretched down behind the school as well, though it was about thirty metres back through a grassy field. In the distance, two police officers were walking along the edge of the forest. They were both staring into the trees as they walked.
“Looking for the animal,” Mia said quietly. “They still haven’t found what got that hiker.”
“Does this stuff happen a lot in Riverfield?” I asked.
Shal shook her head. “No. Well, I guess a few years ago a couple went missing in the woods. Oh, and my mom did tell me about this thing that happened like twenty years ago. Apparently four houses just outside of town were burned down. The families all disappeared. Mom said they never figured out
