Bladed Wings Page 5

  “That was a really stupid thing to do, but I probably would have done the same thing. So how’s your leg?” She asked after I had explained the days events to her.

  I pulled up my nightgown and showed her. My side was slowly turning a dull black around the scar from the other fall.

  “Wow that looks painful, how did you get the cut?” I told her about what had happened and she just sighed. “Well that was stupid of you as well but like I said, I would have done the same thing."

  To my surprise she rolled over and pulled her gown up on one side to reveal a very long wide silvery scar stretching from her side to as far as I could see around her stomach.

  "See, although I it was my own stupidity that got me this. At least you did something to help someone else."

  "How’d you get it." I asked as she lowered her dress again.

  "Burn, when I was little. But enough of this, who is this Michael? How old is he? And is he cute?” she said sliding onto the bed beside me.

  “ He is our grounds keeper, I think he is about 25 and I have never thought about whether or not he is cute.”

  “Oh you’re no fun, I bet he is the strong silent type. Hmmm?”

  We spent the rest of the night talking about whether or not any of the house hold staff were worth going after, before Monica woke up and told us very rudely to go to sleep.

  Chapter 5

  The next day there was excited babble all over the manor. From the small snippets that I picked up it seemed that the Lady had hired a new servant. This was something to get very excited about, as she hadn’t hired anyone new in four years.

  Notes were passed throughout lessons, secretly under tables and there were whispers in the corridors between the girls before every class.

  Trina caught up with me at lunchtime looking very flustered. She had piled on the make up and was wearing her best dress with her finest jewellery.

  “Have you heard? There is a new guy in the manor. From what I have heard he is very handsome. Only a handful of girls have seen him and he hasn’t spoken to anyone.” A group of girls walked past and Trina leaned back in her chair to hear what they where saying.

  “Anything interesting?” I asked tearing off a piece of bread with my teeth.

  “Ha?, oh no, just the usual,” she sighed. I offered her a piece of bread but she refused saying that she had to keep her figure intact with a potential hottie in the area. I giggled and took a sip of water. I liked lunch time, it was the only time of the day or night when we were not surrounded by teachers so were able to behave however we wanted.

  Lessons were surprisingly painful at Lady Cassandras. Each teacher had their own style of torture if you failed to act as they instructed or didn’t say what they told you to say. They made you do everything from having to recite a poem of their choice until you knew it by heart, to assisting the other girls with the tasks that we all hated. After the third time of having to prune someone else’s roses and being stabbed yet again with a thorn that had sprouted from a section of stem that I was sure was smooth only seconds before, I was praying for lines.

  Our lessons them selves were quite interesting despite the way they were taught. In the morning we had flower arranging and decorating, at lunch we had an hour with Madam Rosmerta or Ms Kensington the history teacher. Then in the afternoon we wandered the gardens pondering shrubs and trees with the tall, wispy teacher Miss Fisher before spending the evening with Madam Lasmera for speech and choir practice. This was my favourite class and I was apparently very good at it.

  “Miss Lilly would you please come down to the front and sing this note for me.” I sung note after note as Madam Lasmera instructed me higher or lower until I could hit every note perfectly. The songs we sung were a little disappointing and I often found my mind wandering and only out of respect for Madam Lasmera did I keep singing.

  I was exhausted by the end of the week. I had a dull ache in my hip from standing for most of the day and was eager for bed by dusk.

  I noticed a few changes in the manor over the next week. The first was that all the girls seemed to be putting a little more effort into their looks. Just little things like instead of pearls they wore ruby’s and diamonds and instead of ribbons in their hair they wore tiaras. The teachers pretended not to notice, but every now and than they couldn’t help commenting.

  “Miss Vanessa would you please pay attention. Miss Lesley would you put that comb away I do not want to have to ask you again.” Miss Rosmerta asked for the second time that lesson.

  One thing that all the teachers seemed to have in common was that not a single one raised their voice. They could certainly frighten an entire room into silence simply by raising their hand, but not once did they yell. It was a little unnerving and I often wished that they would just scream the place down. I certainly felt like doing it myself. It seemed wherever I went there was a kitchen hand or gardener or stable hand around the corner for me to run into.

  The corridors where abnormally quiet at lunchtimes and girls could be seen flitting in and out of the kitchen with their faces covered in jam or oil. Every time I saw this I laughed to myself, it was as if they had never seen a boy before. Of course according to the rumours this one in particular was even better looking than Prince Heathcliff and that was certainly saying something.

  In my opinion they were all being very silly. Trina also said that they were being ridiculous but had taken to checking her reflection in every shiny surface in the building.

  After a week of this I was getting annoyed, I’m not a teachers pet or anything but everyone’s behaviour was starting to interrupt classes. Our classes in the grounds turned into scouting parties as we set out looking for girls who had been daydreaming and become lost.

  Choir had turned into a shouting match, they all seemed to think that music was the way to a guys heart and were all trying to make them selves heard over everyone else just in case ‘He’ heard. I’m not saying by any means that I was not interested in meeting impressive guys but I was yet to see this particular one, and was not interested in dating a phantom.

  I had taken to spending my spare time in the library to avoid the groups of giggling girls. It was my sanctuary with beautiful dark wooden bookshelves and leather bound tombs that reminded me of the beautiful study back home.

  I was curled up on a pile of pillows near the window one night reading The Arabian Nights when I heard the door open. I was curious to see who it was because usually I had the library to myself especially so close to lights out. I got up and went to see who was there but found no one. I was just settling down again when I saw someone behind one of the shelves. I got up and went around the other way.

  A boy wearing tatty brown pants and a stained, dirty, white shirt stood looking at the cooking books. I was a little confused because I had never seen any of the servants out of the kitchen, I wasn’t even sure if they where permitted to come into the student’s common rooms.

  “Excuse Me,” I said taking a step closer. He didn’t move, so I said it again louder.

  He half turned, than quickly ran around the shelves. I only caught a brief look at him but there could be no mistaking that face. There was nothing for it, I had to be sure. Picking up my skirt I started after him.

  “Wait,” I called as he headed for the door.

  He threw it open and sprinted down the hallway. I was after him in a second.

  I had learnt to run in high-heeled shoes by now, so I was easily keeping up with him. He sprinted down the stairs and around the corner to the kitchen. With a quick glance around to check no one was watching I jumped onto the banister and slid down jumping off just before the end.

  I reached the kitchen a moment after him and threw open the door. The room was empty but the back door was swinging on its hinge. I was out side in a flash.

  With a quick glance around I saw him disappear into the trees. I couldn’t risk anyone seeing me running so I tucked my dress into its sash, tied my hair up and went for the hundred-metre dash.
I was almost at the trees when I glanced behind me and saw a face peering out of one of the dormitory windows. I dived into the trees hoping that who ever it was hadn’t been able to see my face in the fading light.

  For a moment I thought that I had lost him in the trees but a flicker of movement caught my attention. I crept up slowly behind him, he was crouched behind a large maple. Hitching up my dress a little higher I climbed the tree from the other side as quietly as I could. I edged out onto a branch and waited.

  I was just starting to think that he was never going to leave, when he moved. He crept slowly out from his hiding place and started around the tree, the moon illuminated his face confirming his identity. I waited until he was directly under me, than jumped.

  “Arrrrrrr,” I yelled as I crashed into him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and throwing my weight against him to force him to the ground. In a flash of twisting limbs I found my self flying back up then pinned beneath him with a knife at my throat.

  “Michael stop, its me!” I gasped.

  Chapter 6

  He instantly jumped back trying to hide the knife behind his back.

  “What was that?” I asked.

  “Please,” he said, “I’m sorry, you surprised me.” He said tucking the knife back beneath his shirt.

  The tone of his voice made me stop and look at him properly.

  “Why are you even here?” I asked. He stared down at me for a moment than seemed to make up his mind about something.

  “Ok, but not here.” He reached down and pulled me to my feet. With out letting go of my hand he turned and raced into the trees pulling me behind him.

  I had no choice but to run with him as he sprinted deeper and deeper into the forest. We swerved around trees and bushes; the forest becoming darker the further we ran. Tree roots threatened to trip us at every step and more than once I would have fallen if Michael hadn’t still had hold of me. The trees started to become so thick that they blocked the light making it even harder to see where we were going.

  “Michael please, please stop!” I panted. My dress tore on a low branch, my shoes stuck in the ground and eventually stayed stuck and I was forced to run in bare feet getting cut on hidden rocks and twigs. Michael looked back to see why I was slowing down. When he saw my feet he stopped only long enough to sweep me up into his arms, then continued into the trees.

  “I’m sorry Lill, just a little deeper,” he said not sounding at all tired.

  We came to a stop by a rotten log surrounded by such dense trees that I couldn’t even see the lights in the manor through them.

  He put me down on the soft moss beneath the trees, and stood alert glancing through the trees.

  “I hope that I didn’t hurt you but it was necessary for us to get away as fast as possible to avoid any unwanted visitors.” I replied by giving him the worst look I could muster.

  Michael’s eyes sparkled in the moonlight and I could have sworn I saw his lips twitch to a grin.

  “I’m not supposed to let you know that I am here,” he said.

  “What are you talking about?” I snapped sitting down on the log.

  “Just know that I felt it was best if I was working here, your home is running quite smoothly with out me and I though you might flip if you knew I had followed you. You can be quite independent at times you know.”

  “You dragged me halfway through this, this, jungle to tell me that! Well that’s just not good enough, either you tell me why your really here or I’m leaving.”

  He just sat there looking at the ground shifting his feet in the dirt. I got up and begun walking back through the trees when he grabbed my arm.

  “Wait,” he said pulling me back down. “I’m sorry, it’s just that I thought you would get upset if you knew that I was here. We didn’t exactly leave on the best of terms and Jacki said that if I let you get hurt she would see that I would ‘never see the light of day again’,” he quoted a sly look in his eyes.

  “What do you mean ‘if I get hurt’?” I asked.

  “It will be easier if I can just say what I need to and than you can ask me anything you wish after, ok?” I nodded and he let go of my arm.

  “Ok, about one week before you arrived at Les Belagor, I was told that I had to look after you no matter what the cost, keep you safe. I was not told why or for how long, all I was told was whom I was protecting you against. These people are looking for you but don’t yet know that it is you that they are trying to find. They only know that they person they are pursuing is a teenage girl and that you possess a gift,”

  “What…” He held up his hand to stop me.

  “Later, now if they find you then they would most probably kill you. The only reason that they have not found you already is that they do not know who you are or that you even exist but they are starting sense you, to feel your presence. Are you ok?” he asked.

  “Go on.” I said, looking directly at him now he placed his hand over my trembling one before continuing..

  “You possess a great power that can be used against them,” I opened my mouth but he continued before I could speak. “ I know that you do not know any of this, but you must trust that every thing that I tell you is true. I don’t know many details myself but I had to stop them finding you and I knew that your family needed a grounds keeper so I introduced myself to your grandmother and was hired. When I discovered that your mother was sending you to school I knew that wherever you went I would have to go to. I tried to convince her to get you both tutors so that you could stay by me, but she insisted that you needed to make the choice for yourself. Once Linda had made up her mind it was impossible to sway her and I knew that you would go with her.

  “When I left your house, your grandmother was making herself right at home. She wanted to be there to help with the search for your mother, there is still no sign of her I’m afraid,” he said guessing what I was about to ask, “I told her that the doctor had requested that I not go back to work for at least a month after the accident.” I dropped my gaze when he said this, I still felt bad about what had happened.

  “It wasn’t true,” he continued squeezing my hand, “but I needed an excuse to be able to follow you. I managed to convince the kitchen staff here that they were over worked and they partitioned the Lady to make her hire me.

  “However I knew that you wouldn’t like to hear that I had followed you so I tried to stay hidden, there where a few times when I had to dash down the servants entry just seconds before you came into view.

  “Today when you found me in the library I was looking for a cook book.” He turned red as he said this. “You see, I had to get the job and it was the only one available, but the problem was that I don’t know how to cook.” He fell silent and I took my chance to speak.

  “Ok first of all who told you all of this …stuff?” I asked.

  “That I cannot tell you, but know that they love you very much. They have never met you but they have been watching you since you where born.”

  “That’s just a little creepy.” I thought for a moment before asking my next question. “What is this power that I’m supposed to possess?” I said.

  “Does this mean that you’re not angry with me?” he asked.

  “I will be if you don’t answer my question.” I said, but couldn’t help but smile at the puppy dog look he gave me as he asked.

  “I can’t tell you for two reasons. The first is that if you know then those who wish to get to you will be able to see you like a shinning beacon in the dark.”

  “And the second?” I asked.

  “The second, well that I cannot tell you because I don’t even know what it is.” He replied.

  I clicked my tongue in annoyance knowing that his avoidance of my eyes meant that he was lying. Though what about, I didn’t know.

  “Fine then, well can you tell me who-“

  Michael held up his hand to silence me and suddenly became very tense. Getting up he hastened through the trees leaving me sitting alone
on the log. I suddenly became very aware that if something did happen, and I still had not decided whether or not to believe him. I was in the middle of nowhere with no way to get help and I knew that I could never find my way back without Michael.

  I sat very still and tense listening for any sound that might give me a hint of what was going on. A minute later Michael came back moving very fast. Without a word he grabbed my arm and dragged me down off the log and into the undergrowth.

  We lay very still, I could hear Michael breathing next to me, his body half covering mine his heart beating fast against my skin. After a few seconds I was about to say something when I saw a flicker of movement in the trees.

  A large eagle came soaring out casting its eyes over the forest floor. It must have seen or heard something because it suddenly went into a dive. I screamed but Michael had his hand over my mouth in a second and all that came out was a muffled groan.

  The eagle was a metre from the ground when it suddenly reared up and started to circle.

  I knew in my mind that it had found us. It continued to circle for what seemed like forever before turning in a slow arc and flying off the way it had come.

  I tried to get up but Michael continued to hold me down beneath the ferns. We stayed as we were for what seemed like at least an hour before he let me up.

  “What was that, it wasn’t looking for us was it?” I asked shakily.

  “Yes it was, more precisely I think that it was looking for me. I have seen that bird before, when I was coming here, but thought nothing of it at the time, a mistake it seems.”

  “Come on we will have to go, it’s sure to report to it’s master. I don’t think that it saw us but we can’t take any chances. Now try not to make too much noise and keep close to me.”

  It took us a lot longer to get back than to get there because we had to walk under the cover of the denser parts of the forest that cut and bruised my bare feet. When we got to the manor all the lights where out and it was thankfully quiet. We said goodbye at the kitchen door and went our separate ways.