25. Chapter Twenty Five

Iawaken from my fitful sleep to a deep rumble accompanying the shaking of the windowpane. Kela sits in the single chair, staring deeply into a blazing fire with a book lying open in her hands. Lemon is curled up in her lap as she strokes his back absentmindedly.

The remnants of peculiar dreams cling to the edges of my consciousness like elusive shadows. A sense of familiarity lingers as if the dreams were connected fragments of a story I"m struggling to piece together. One moment I was running through the snowy woods, desperate to find someone, to make sure they were safe. A second later I'm in a cave, emotions of sorrow and anger so vivid tears prickle my eyes. A mix of voices and words play over and over in my mind like a riddle I can't solve, the most prominent one being Alapheia. I gently lay a hand on my chest, trying to convince my aching heart that it was only a dream but I am restless, almost as if I have left something that belongs to me behind.

Rolling over, I stare out the window. Darkness has fallen, leaving the world in shades of gray. Small pieces of hail and sleet pelt against the glass. A blanket of white covers the ground outside.

"How did you—" My brows furrow as I push myself up to a sitting position and turn back to Kela.

"How did I know it was going to snow?" Kela asks, a knowing smile curling on her lips. She closes the book and sets it to the side. "I just had a feeling." She grins mischievously at me and taps her temple.

"That's some power you have." Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I gingerly test my weight on my left foot. My eyebrows shoot up in surprise as I hardly discern a twinge of discomfort. "How long was I out for? It looks like it's nearly nightfall outside."

"You sure do have a lot of questions." Kela teases. "You've been out all day and most of the night, it's almost dawn. It doesn't surprise me though. You used up almost all your magic between your transformation and attempting to heal your ankle. Didn't anyone teach you that your magic isn't an endless well?"

"I never had the chance to train beyond the basics," I grumble. This fact is the bane of my existence, whether I want to admit it or not.

"You're also lucky for this little guy." Kela grins, caressing Lemon's fur, just as he likes it. "He slept curled up around your ankle until just a few hours ago." She stands up, gently placing Lemon on the bed beside me. "Although you didn't heal yourself fully, I'm grateful you attempted. I can handle a sprain in a pinch. I'm not good at resetting broken bones and I don't know how powerful a young ramidreju's powers of healing are."

"I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that Lemon is a healer. He's always just been incredibly intuitive." I watch as he scampers across the quilt, chasing a small woolen ball Kela tosses at him.

"The healing you have, regardless of how much knowledge you possess, is better than nothing." Kela reassures me. "We have trained healers at the rebel camp that can assist you further."

"Unicorn healers?" My voice cracks with hope. Could there be others like me? Long-lost cousins? I think of the tapestry in Queen Rose's crypt. There were dozens of unicorns in the field of Shadowvale. I meet Kela's stare and watch as her expression falls.

"Sybil, you're the first unicorn healer my clan has heard of in over a hundred years. You might very well be the last unicorn. Unless you have family hiding somewhere you haven"t told me about?" She raises an eyebrow and I see a spark of her infectious positive energy return.

"My father and mother died over ten years ago in an ambush. I have no other family that I'm aware of. We live for hundreds of years, but having offspring is rare." I pause, sniffing the air as the crackling of animal fat hitting the fire draws my attention. "What are you cooking?"

"Well, while you were tending to your beauty sleep, I stayed busy preparing. You need to restore your strength and your magic, especially if we need to transform to reach the rebel camp. The storm will not let up for at least a few days until we can travel, so I stocked up." She gestures to the new stack of wood piled by the fire, a bowl of freshly picked winter berries, and a few buckets of melting ice. "We can always melt snow for more water, but I collected what I could. As luck would have it, I snared a juicy, fat, wild boar that should last us for a couple of days, too."

"So, what's the plan while we are snowed in?" I muse, while picking up a book from the stand. I blow the dust off its cover. 101 edible roots in Northern Province. With a frown, I place the book back on the table.

"Oh my dear Sybil, we are going to have so much fun!" Kela says with a sneaky grin, and I can't help but worry a little bit. "I need to make sure you're fit and strong enough to make the journey to the camp where you can meet the others and tell the elders all you know about Tricella. Your information is going to prove invaluable, Sybil." I smile at her words. "Let"s start off with some basics." Kela turns towards me and I watch in awe as her canines elongate, the tips of her ears lengthen and her nails sharpen into claws. "You know that shifter's have three phases?"

"Yes," I say as I roll my eyes. "I'm not entirely daft. The goddess blessed us with the power to shift between our animal and humanoid forms. But, she bestowed the gift of a demi-form, a half-form, that would allow the shifter to maintain the ability of speech while being able to access the full potential of their powers. Some shifters are blessed with healing, others with speed or strength. My father made me learn about the shifters and their forms in order to know the best way to heal a body."

"Good," she says. "Then you also know that even with goddess granted gifts, we have to train and practice to hone these gifts, lest they go to waste." Kela grins wickedly before poking me in the stomach. "How long did they keep you locked up in that castle? And how do you expect to help your people heal wounds and deliver babies when you're so frail? You look brittle as a twig!" She pinches my left bicep.

"Ow! You don"t have to pinch me." I rub my hand against the pink flesh, but my lips are curled into a grin, knowing she's right. I was lean before they kidnapped me, but the time spent imprisoned did not benefit my health, strength, and endurance.

"I know that as a unicorn, your purpose is to heal and save, but I still believe everyone should learn at least a little bit of self-defense. You never know when you want to punch someone in the face. I've had my fair share of occasions in all honesty." Kieran's face comes back to me. "With my help, no one should be able to get past your defenses. Unless you want them too." She wiggles her eyebrows provocatively and I fall back onto the bed in a fit of giggles at her antics. As much as Kela and I differ from each other, these next few days are going to be lively—to say the least.

"How is a few days of training going to help me?" I ask exasperatedly as we quickly go to work, moving as many things up against the wall as possible, stacking what we can in the cramped room. I watch as Kela stretches her arms above her head, her back arching and her feet lifting onto their tiptoes. I stand, hands loose at my side, watching her.

"Even one day of training can put you in a better position than you were yesterday," she says matter-of-factly.

"Warriors train for years before going into battle…" Just as healers train for years at Nova Esther, or as apprentices. But, look what I did for my village with the little training I had. Perhaps the wolf is right.

"It's not about how much you know, but knowing enough that you can trust your body in time of need. Plus, they all had to start somewhere. The first lesson is about balance. Before you can learn to hone your body to move with grace, you need to learn how to listen to yourself." She moves through a series of slow movements, her legs spread into a lunge, one arm in front and one pointing to the back. "This is the first step to move past your fears and delve into your inner power. Connecting body, mind, soul and power."

"I know how to balance." I chuckle, crossing my arms over my chest. "I thought you were going to show me how to defend myself."

Kela swivels on her feet, my eyes barely registering her movements; she is like living water. My heart speeds in my chest as she moves faster and faster around me in the small space. A cold steel blade caresses my neck, and I bolt in panic as her other arm pins mine to my sides before I can blink.

"You were saying?" She lets me go with a small push and I stumble, rubbing at the phantom sensation of the metal against my skin. "It's all about routine. Every day I start by practicing. It helps build mental focus, concentration, determination and perseverance."

"When will we move onto more physical defense?" I rub my arms. The image of Aramis holding me in his tight grip as he takes me from my home and Kieran dragging me to the dungeon come back to me. I vow to never let another man take me against my will ever again.

"So eager for violence! Patience, my friend." Kela laughs and helps me into position as she begins to instruct my movements, her hands gently guiding my left foot and arm forward with my right back. "Finding physical balance will also help you hone onto your magical balance. You need to be able to assess not just your physical limitations, but your magical limitations as well. And in this, you can push on those limits."

This isn't so bad.

"Now keep your knee over your ankle like this, and sink down, lengthening through the top of your head. Imagine you're wearing a crown." She winks at me as I make the slight adjustments.

As if I'd ever wear a crown atop my head. Balancing a book would have been a better analogy. "Who taught you?" I ask, curious to know more about Kela.

"My mama. She's the most formidable fighter I have ever met. She can disarm opponents much bigger than her without a second thought! Being one of the leaders, I don't see her often these days." A glimpse of sadness crosses her gaze and my heart aches as I can feel her loneliness echo mine. "I've become a bit of a lone wolf since I started playing a bigger role in the rebellion. As a seer and shifter, they prefer I stay in hiding, as I'm too valuable to lose. I regularly send messages to the camp with updates, but I'm constantly on the move, from safe house to safe house, but that's okay. We're fighting the good fight and sacrifices have to be made. Perfect!" She claps her hands and a gleeful gleam shines in her eyes as I manage to hold the stance. "Now we will practice breathing."

"I know how to breathe. I practice with patients all the time as I talk them through their pain." I roll my eyes as I move to stand.

"Nope, back down in position. You're going to practice breathing. Without breaking your balance." Her lips curl back even further into a grin, her sharp canine teeth glinting in the firelight.

***

The days go by between training sessions, tasty meals and intriguing conversations, but when night falls, I am restless. My dreams have become incredibly vivid and most nights I run through the forest following a red thread, desperate to reach its end. Sometimes I see books of every color I can imagine hanging from the branches of trees, but every time I try to open them, someone whispers that it"s not time yet. The ending of my dreams, however, has changed. I no longer hear Alapheia's call but Aramis" whispering. Come back to me, Sybil, and I have to force myself not to run through the cabin's doors.

The storm is gradually waning, its ferocity yielding to a more subdued force. At the same time, my magic is replenishing at a much quicker rate than it was at the castle, the lack of torture surely helping somewhat. Living with Kela so far has been like sharing the room with a ray of pure sunshine. She's been taking care of me as if she's known me her whole life, even if I'm nothing more than a stranger to her. Maybe we'll be friends someday.

With her help, I finally feel myself again, but I am not the same Sybil that lived in Bellevue. I have changed, marked by the challenges life has thrown in my path, and I cannot wait to get to know this new version of myself better.

Sweat drenches my body. My legs are on fire, my arms are like a bowl of gelatin as I once again try to maintain the posture. My breath comes out in ragged pants. I lose my balance after less than a minute the first few tries, but Kela encourages me to get back up.

"That"s enough," Kela claps, bouncing up from the bed. I collapse into a heap on the floor, grateful for the cool wood against my hot flesh. Who knew holding one position for so long would be so hard? "Now we move on to squats. Up." Kela pokes my side with her toe, urging me back up.

"I am questioning what would be worse: being locked up in a tower or having to hold one more balancing position. I give up Kela." I peer at her from the floor and shake my head before resting my cheek against the ground. I don't even care that my sweat is mixing into mud with the dirt.

"What happened to the fearless unicorn ready to take on a wolf with her bare hands?" Kela nudges my side with the toe of her boots. "Get up."

With a groan, I push myself into a sitting position.

"So with a squat—"

"I know how to do a squat." I interrupt, wiping the sweat off my brow before squatting down and gesturing to my legs. My body curses at me as I position my knees in a bending position. Goddess grant me the strength to–

"You're doing it all wrong." She patiently chides as she walks to stand beside me. "Straighten your back, you're hunching."

"Am I though?" I look sidelong at her. "Squats aren't that difficult."

Kela rolls her eyes at me. "Well, you're doing this one wrong. Butt out unicorn. Straighten your arms–"

"My arms are straight!" I groan.

Kela pulls my arms out from the slight bend in my elbow. I groan, knowing that Kela misses nothing with those wolf eyes of hers. "They weren't. Now hold those there while you straighten your back and push into the ground with your feet. Your feet–" She taps my toes with hers, "are the roots that make you stand tall. Now pull through your core with an invisible string–"

"Like this?" I ask, being aware of an acute difference in my core and back. "Are you sure?"

"Yes girl! Like that!" Kela grins at me, wickedly. "Now, do fourteen more."

"Goddess help me!" I groan. Through the repetition of the movement, the power builds up in my thighs and backside along with a comfortable burning heat. Sweat pours down my body as I pant. By the time I finish my last repetition, my knees are trembling and my thighs are screaming at me. "I don't think I can handle anymore of your training."

"Then let's do a cool down." The gentle smile from Kela makes me concerned. This training has thoroughly kicked my ass. My eyes wander to the door as my thoughts stray to the fluffy white snow banks slowly piling outside.

Another chuckle from Kela. I turn as she hands me a mug filled with half melted snow. "Have a drink and then we will do some stretches. They're made to bring your body back to a normal pace. Plus, they help limit any soreness you'll have later. You need to balance it with your breathing. Look inward at yourself, at your power. Your breath can help channel your power, gathering it up and then directing it where you want it to go."

"You seem to know an awful lot about magic." I mimic her movements with my legs spread wide before me on the floor.

"Tell me more about the shifters in Shadowvale. You mentioned Nero's mother sided with the shifters. She even married a shifter…" I reach for my mug, only to find it knocked over in the bustle. The remaining water has soaked into a thick green paste on the floor.

"It's true, we have many elementals who have joined our cause, or shelter shifters." She pauses, dusting herself off and stares at me. "Not all towns in Shadowvale are open to us though. Especially those closest to the castle who've been poisoned by Tricella's lies. Many of the shifters, or halflings like Nero, have fled to towns on the outer edges of the country and beyond. But not all have the means or the health to travel so far."

"What kind of shifters live in Shadowvale? Do other species live here too?"

"Oh girl, there are so many species of shifters; wolves, tigers, foxes, rabbits, chickens, snakes, otters, deer, and birds." She ticks them off on her fingers. "I'm sure there are dozens more. Most live in fear of Tricella and refuse to leave their humanoid form. There are a few fae and humans who live in some of the larger trade cities, like in Verdigris Falls near the northeastern coast. Then you've got the elementals. My grandfather used to tell stories about the great elemental rulers before the war who could become the living element themselves."

I take a large sip from my mug, the slushy, cold water sliding down my throat. The abrupt coolness is instantly refreshing, and I stand a little straighter.

"I've spent my whole life in a pack of shifters and elementals with different forms of magic." She lifts her arms high above her head before bending forward at the waist, her forehead nearly touching the smooth wood floor.

"If I try to do that, I'll crack in half. You'll have to carry the two broken halves of me back to your pack." I bluntly assess her pose, and a chuckle escapes my lips. Kela cranes her neck, an identical grin plastered on her face.

"Oh, I'll have you loving stretching so much, you'll be moaning in pleasure and begging for more." Laughing playfully, Kela quickly sits up.

Heat flushes my face, which only sends her into a fit of giggles. Kela falls backwards, knocking into the shelf behind her. A bowl wobbles precariously before falling upside down beside us. Fine dark green powder flies everywhere at the impact. The fresh, sweet, vegetal smell of matcha fills the air in the small room.

"Relax, Sybie. You're too easy to tease. You've got to toughen up if you want to stand a chance in the pack." Shaking her head like a dog, she sends hazy green dust clouds into the air.

Lemon shakes his body, sneezing. His fur is coated in a fine dusting of the powder giving him an ethereal appearance.

"Well, covered in green tea, you sure do look the picture of a mythical creature!" My hair clings to the sweat beading my forehead. "I'm sure I am not the picture of beauty myself; sweaty, exhausted, and covered in green tea powder."

"We should probably get cleaned up." Kela pushes herself from the floor. "Unfortunately, there isn't a big enough tub for us, but if you help me take this pot outside to fill with snow, we should be able to heat up enough water to both get cleaned up before it starts storming again."