In the morning I go back to the others. Enya, Aary and Kara sit together in a circle on top the wooden beams: Aary and Enya chatting whilst is Kara staring into the distance with eyes that could kill gods if they gave him a reason to. Aary is the first to spot me and smiles. Enya glances over, waves, grabs the fourth bowl, and holds it out towards me. I grab it, sit down. Kara breaks eye contact with whatever wall he held his staring contest: “Where were you?”

“Training chambre. You guys are robbing me of my normal training hours”. I glance down at my bowl, and at the massive chunk missing.

“Yeah, I tried a bite, hope you don’t mind”, Kara says, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

“How did it taste?”

“The same as mine”

I give him a defeated look.

Kara grins, turns around to Aary, his own empty bowl in hand: “I haven’t tried yours yet. Maybe that one’s different”. Aary smiles her lovely, empty simile, moments before she has to jump up to avoid Karas hands grasping for the bowl.

“Come on, just a tiny bit!”

Aary sticks her tongue out.

As the two begin to bicker, Enya looks at me: “I’ll take them today”, and after a while, eyes down, “Did you sleep?”

“In the training chambre yes” Liar.

“You didn’t miss much yesterday. Kara still struggles with weapon fighting. Later we did transformation, which he’s great at. Well to the surprise of no one. But Aary worries me. She’s good with the weapons, really, she picks it up incredibly fast, but the transformation, she can’t even do the basics.”

“Were you not the same though?”

“And the protector knows how much I still hate the transformations. When I see you fighting, I wonder how I ever though I could build my fighting style around that too. I don’t say she has to fight like you, or the way Kara will inevitably do. I can teach her my tactics, but she’ll have to learn the basics at some point.”

“We can look at it together. And at Kara’s everything weapon related”

“You’re not gonna eat?” the boy chimes in “and also my weapon fighting isn’t that bad”

“Tell that to the target. And no, I will keep it until midday”

“Well suit yourself». He puts down his bowl and chases Aary out of the room. Alinta glares after the boy as they leave.

I turn to Enya: “You have a fight in three days”

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“Who?”

“399”

“Should be fine”

Kara jumps, within seconds his form shrinks, feathers sprout, wings expand instead of arms. For a bit, the bird hovers in the air, then it plumets down, a boy landing in the place a crow should have hit the floor. He looks up, grins: “How long?”

“20”

“New record here I go!”, he spins to shout something to Aarys before freezing mid turn.

Aary is curled up beside Enya, shaking: “I hurts, I can’t, I can’t…. I just ….”

Kara can’t look at her. Scrawny frame with pricing black eyes, unkempt red hair. Fragile.

“Can we talk?” he says, “Please.”

The hallway is empty, candles flickering, dancing to a tune only they themselves can hear. We stop at the last chambre in the hallway. Inside it’s cold and stingy, the iron shackles and hay on the floor bring back memories neither of us care to recall.

As I close the door Kara almost seems to crumble, more falling than sitting down: “Do you think Aary will hate me?”

“Have you done something that deserves being hated for?”

“I... Alinta said that Aary will find out eventually.”

“Find out what?”

“Monsters like us can’t fool them forever… and… what if she’s right you know. Who knows I could turn on everyone in an instant… It happened before right. So why would we be any different?”

“Kara. Look at me”

He obeys, hesitant.

“Those things don’t just happen. It is a choice. You will have to fight against it every day. But you are strong. Alinta is a scared, and scared people lash out. You do not have to take what she said to heart. You will not hurt Aary.”

He nods. I lay my arm around him, press the boy against me as he curls up in my lab. My skin is crawling. And like this we remain, until Karas breathing has calmed and the candles have burnt low. I rest my head on the wall, struggling to keep my eyes open as the darkness begins to expand. I gently lift his head and stand up, transforming to ensure I don’t wake him up as I exit.

In the sleeping chambre, talking to a man, I find who I’ve been looking for.

I don’t have to say anything. My presence is enough to make him hurry out of the room, apologetic expression on his face.

Alinta has shot up as well, glaring at me with so much hate.

“Talk about me all you want. But you will leave that boy out if it”, I say.

“You won’t tell what to do! Who do you think you are?! Just because you’re the master’s newest obsession. But you can’t fool us. Everybody know it’s only a matter of time before both of you end up like Mikyel.”

“He is dead. Let it rest.”

“I’m not going to forget Riella. And I won’t let you either!”

“If that boy snaps, it is going to be because of you.”

“Look at you so eager to threaten!”

“I was not threatening.” I place my hand on her cheek, brush away a strain of hair: “But remember: One word from me and your next fight will be against an arena master.”

For once that righteous expression is wiped off her face.

“Leave the boy in peace. Next time I won’ ask.”