No kidding. There were at least a hundred. The ones I could see were young, maybe not even in their teens. The boys in my town spent their days playing games and chasing girls . . . these guys looked like they'd seen harder times.

I stared for a moment longer, then tip-toed to catch up to Jaden.

We left the room and entered into what I assumed was a kitchen. It had a stone floor, stone counter tops, and wood cabinets. The cabinets wrapped around to my right into the wall across. The counters followed beneath them, but stretched further across the left side of the room like a bar. Behind this was a large cafeteria-like room with high rafters and lots of tables. The kitchen was small by comparison. Low ceiling, minimal workspace, kinda cozy.

Along with some other oddments, a coffee percolator sat on the counter near the bar. Jaden filled the bottom of the piece with water and the middle with grounds. The smell of it made my head buzz. Even though I spent nights away from home, which means nights away from coffee, I had successfully managed to develop a severe caffeine addiction.

Still handling the coffee pot, Jaden nodded to a bar stool. "You can sit down, if you want."

I didn't know if I wanted to, but I did anyways.

The stools were on the other side of the counter. I looked out at the cafeteria, then turned and tried to inconspicuously watch Jaden. He opened up the bottom of the stove, there was wood but no fire. At least that's what I thought at first. In the next moment the entire stove was rolling with flames. I could feel the heat five feet away.

My breath caught, a heady shiver running through my body.

Jaden closed the oven door and set the coffee pot on top. I thought about asking him what the heck had just happened, but that was a bit vulnerable for my taste.

He leaned against the counter across from me.

Oh, who was I kidding? Everything sounds too vulnerable to me.

"Um . . . Jaden?" His name felt strange on my tongue.

No response. Just eyes.

Bad idea, Evelyn. I cleared my throat. "Did you light that fire? I mean, I saw what you did last night and I was just wondering what it was, or how, you know, you did it. . . ." Oh God, that definitely didn't make any sense.

Jaden smiled. Not a friendly smile, more of an amused one. "Yeah, it was me, both times, and it was magic."

I waited for further explanation. None came, but he kept his gaze.

"So, how does it work? How did you learn it?" I asked.

He shrugged and rocked back. "Thoran taught me . . . when I came here. I had a knack for it, been using it ever since."

So you can be trained. This is getting interesting. "Can everyone do it? I mean, is it very common?" I asked.

"Not at all. It's a rare ability, some say a natural one."

"But you don't."

He looked at the coffee pot, then back at me. "I'd compare it to any virtue: honesty, diligence . . . love. Nothing comes naturally."

Makes sense enough. "So when did you start learning it?" I asked, then crossed my arms in front of me on the counter.

"Young. When I was just a boy."

"How old are you now?"

He looked at me, then placed his palms down on the counter and leaned forward until he was over me.

I looked up and gulped.

"Why do you want to know?"

His eyes didn't move. Neither did mine. We were both locked in position, not a flinch . . . okay, maybe I was shrinking a little bit.

His eyes narrowed.

"Jaden?!" called a voice from the doorway.

My gaze broke and I tilted my head around the menacing boy to look towards the voice. It was Ikovos.

"I knew it," he said, walking forward. "I knew they would put you in charge of her, I just knew it." He waved. "Hi, Eve."

I cleared my throat and waved back.

Jaden blew out some air then turned to Ikovos, back against the counter. "Good morning to you too, Ikovos."

"Oh, come on Jaden, you can't think this is fair," said Ikovos. He sat down on the stool next to me.

Jaden shrugged and set out three mugs. "It is what it is, I couldn't care less either way."

Ikovos's brow furrowed. "Well, you're in a lovely mood this morning."

Jaden smiled wickedly, then went over to the stove.

I got the feeling that these two knew each other better than they showed.

Ikovos turned to me. "So, how'd you sleep last night? Anything exciting happen?"

Besides everything? "Nothing to crazy. And I slept well . . . that study is beautiful."

"Oh, Master Cornelius's? Yeah, he's got some great books in there."

Jaden poured coffee into each of the mugs and pushed the sugar tray closer. I dumped milk and sweetener in mine, so did Ikovos. Jaden drank it black.

"We really should be heading out, Vos," said Jaden, he took a gulp of coffee then nodded to me. "Can you find your way back?"

Umm, no.

"I'll take her," said Ikovos. "I have to go back that way."

"Right," said Jaden, he dropped his cup in the sink and went to the door. "Just make sure not to get lost. Meet me by the back door."

I was about to say thanks for the coffee, but before I could, he was gone. I pressed my lips together and did a mental wave. Goodbye.

"He didn't give you any trouble, did he?" asked Ikovos.

"I looked at him and shook my head. "No, he was fine . . . I don't think he liked babysitting though."

Ikovos laughed. "Trust me, you made his morning." He stood up and held out his hand. "Now, my lady, may I show you to your quarters?"

I laughed. He did too, then he helped me off the stool and we headed for the study, coffee still held firmly in my hand.

Ikovos had dropped me off a couple minutes ago and I was now on the couch, contemplating what to do next. Before he left he promised again that I would be staying. After all the sneaking around this morning I wasn't so sure.

I discovered that he and Jaden were off to finish the scouting begun by Cornelius and Thoran before they found me. I felt a little guilty over the fact but couldn't think of anything to do about it.

I sunk deeper into the couch.

Before me sat the task of deciding what to do next, not something I'm good at, especially when all the options are so exciting. Sort of like being at the bakery counter trying to figure out which pastry you want.

Ikovos had said I could read any of the books on the shelves, and that I was welcome to the shower. The book reading would've grabbed me immediately, only it meant more decision making and I had no idea where to start. Since I hadn't bathed in a couple days and I was still kind of icky from the lake, the shower held a practical appeal.

All the contemplating ending up being null-in-void. I couldn't stop staring at the red flame.

Magic. Real Magic.

I moved my hand closer and felt the heat pulsing out of it. The first time I'd heard of magic I became obsessed with it, it and everything I could learn about it. I read story after story, listened to anything anyone could tell me. My family told me I was silly. . . I was younger then, and when I got older I pushed down any thoughts of it.

And now I come to find it's real?

I supposed I should be calmly contemplating this fact, maybe even trying to deny it. In books the main character gets whisked away from their lives to some grand adventure, all the while complaining of a desire to have an ordinary life.

I always wondered if I would be the same . . . now I knew the answer.

A swell of excitement rose in my stomach. I jumped off the couch and started pacing around, trying to keep from jumping up and down, or screaming, or crying. I probably looked silly, but I didn't care, I'd waited for something like this to happen my entire life.

Determination set in inside me. I knew now that Ikovos was right. There was no way I was walking away now.

"Okay, Evelyn, calm down," I said to myself. "Let's try the shower thing."

Thirty minutes later I was clean, dressed, and shaking out my wet hair. I was in desperate need of a comb and a hair-tie, but couldn't have cared less. Right now what I wanted to do was read.

I picked out a tome with a violet cover and plopped unto the couch.

What seemed like minutes later I heard a knock at the door. I looked down and realized that I had read through seventy pages. I closed the book and ran to open the door.

It was Ikovos.

He held his finger in the air. "I've got an idea." Then walked in, closing the door behind him. "Oh, but first I brought you something to eat."

He opened up a bag that held two croissants and a few strips of cheese. He set them on the coffee table and dropped into the couch. I did the same. I don't know what it was, but I felt comfortable around him, like I'd known him forever . . . maybe because that's how he treated me.

He grabbed one of the croissants and bit off half. "Right now, Cornelius is out at a meeting. When he gets back he'll probably be taking you home."

I nodded and pulled a flaky layer off the pastry.

Ikovos started again. "So here's the plan."

Knock. Knock. Knock.

We both craned our heads to the door. It opened an inch, then Cornelius stepped in. He looked a little disheveled. His hair was matted and he had dark lines under his eyes . . . probably both were my fault.

"Ikovos?" He shook his head. "I should have known better than to have Jaden handle it. You two are intolerable."

I perceived this as a negative response, but when I looked over at Ikovos there was a wide grin on his face.

Cornelius rolled his eyes, then turned to me and smiled. "Did you have a good night? I trust that you were well treated by everyone."

I nodded repeatedly. "Yes, very well."

"Good, good. . . ." He looked uncomfortable. "Well, if you have everything we should be getting you back home."

My heart sank. I knew this was coming, but I still didn't want to hear it. I bit down on my lip.

Cornelius frowned. "There really is nothing to be done, my dear. Thoran is adamant."

I nodded. It was silly to have gotten my hopes up, what was I doing here anyways?

"Ikovos, would you go get two horses saddled for us," said Cornelius.

Ikovos looked like he might object, but then smiled and walked towards the door. When he got behind Cornelius he turned around and started mouthing something.

I watched intently for a few seconds until he vanished. I figured he was relaying his plan to me, there was one problem, I couldn't read lips for the life of me. I'd wanted to tell him, but couldn't with Cornelius watching.

Come on, Evelyn. Suck it up. I resigned myself to the inevitable and stood up smiling.

"Thank you, Cornelius, for letting me stay here . . . I really enjoyed it."

He looked a little sad. "Of course, my dear. It was my pleasure."

Soon we were outside waiting for Ikovos. Wind blew heavily through the trees. The sky was white. No sun, but my internal clock told me it was near noon.

My thoughts soon drifted to home. I tried to understand what was so bad about it.

"Cornelius?" I asked, not sure what I was doing. "What do you live for?"

He looked a little stunned, then answered. "For a long time I didn't know . . . then I found out about the Meoden and the things they did, horrible things. . . ." His eyes turned up to the sky. "Something in me just knew that I was supposed to stop them."

I looked out at the forest and thought on his words.

A twig snapped off a tree above me. I watched absently as a bird hopped about the branch, then flew off into the sky.