46 The Maze pt. 2

It doesn't take too long to complete the hike - which I guess is about five miles based on the time it took - but with the drier air and with the temperature being much higher than I am used to, I am more tired than I would have anticipated.

As I approach the area where I was before she kicked me off the side of a cliff, I narrow my eyes at the sight before me. Where I am expecting Morwenna to be, is instead a dark brown - almost black in color - wolf laying on its back with its feet in the air, the perfect picture of relaxation. The dress pants and blouse she was wearing earlier, is now between the ground and the back of the wolf that is laying on top of it.

I would think she is sleeping if I didn't see an ear twitch in my direction and her eyes open to slits. The wolf adjusts itself, rolling around on its back for a moment before straightening its two front legs in a stretch.

I stand over her with my eyes narrowed in anger. I'm tired, thirsty and dirty. I reach out with my foot, nudging her bitterly in the side, and she rolls over as she turns back into her human form, gifting me with the sight of her very bare backside.

"Ugh, put it away!" I tell her while throwing my hands up to block the sight of her. Morwenna just chuckles and props herself on her elbows while still laying on her stomach. Her legs bend at the knee and she crosses them at the ankle, swinging them back and forth.

I let out a growl of frustration and take a seat near her, with my legs and arms crossed irritably.

I see the bottle of liquor near her, nearly empty now.

There is a stark difference between the usual polished and proper woman compared to the now naked drunk image of her in front of me. "Do you have any water?" I ask her.

"No, unfortunately," she says with a sigh. "That's why I warned you not to scream so loudly. It would dry out your throat faster."

"Do you think I was going to remember your warning after you kicked me off the ledge! I thought I was going to die," I scoff indignantly.

She laughs again. "That's ridiculous," she says, with a slight slur to her words.

I look closer at her and realize her cheeks are flushed and her eyes aren't as clear as they usually are.

"You're drunk," I say while rolling my eyes.

She shrugs her shoulders. "Only for a little while. Wolf metabolism burns through alcohol quicker than I would like."

Shaking my head, I grab the bottle and pour myself some of the liquor that's left. I am thirsty, so this will have to do for now. It burns on the way down, and I wince at the sensation.

Scorched by the setting sun, the canyonlands are bathed in an orange glow, turning the red rocks into molten copper. The light that looks like fire finally darkens and the glow recedes. And still, we sit here.

"You going to explain what happened, Morwenna?" I finally ask, breaking the silence that has stretched between us.

"I brought you here for you to have some physical exercise, and so I can see how you do when put in an unfamiliar environment, with no tools at your disposal. And what I saw was that you looked like a natural," she said while turning her head towards me and looking me in the eyes. She has hazel eyes that are similar to mine, but mine have much more green. "You were shaken, at first, but you rebounded quickly. You could have sat there and cried about what I did, instead you persevere and set yourself on a path to your next destination. There may be many things I can teach you, but now I know what I am working with."

"It was a test?" I question in a flat tone. Her idea of training could be improved upon.

"Of sorts," she answers with a tilt to her lips. "Have you spent a lot of time in the wild?"

I swallow and tear my gaze from her probing look. "My parents and I would frequently spend time outdoors. Hiking, swimming, gardening, studying nature, learning from it...If my dad's nose wasn't in a book or his eye in a microscope, we would be outside together. All three of us."

Morwenna shifts agitatedly at the sound of my somber tone. "What was your mom like?" She asks me.

"Radiant," I say with a sad smile. "She infected everyone with her brightness."

"What would you be doing if they were still here?"

I let out a long audible sigh and take another sip of the drink. "After graduating, I didn't do much to be honest. I hadn't made too many plans for life because my current one was bliss. And I was happy enough at the time that I didn't want it to change, I guess. But life has a way of making decisions for you."

"Fate," she says and I snort a laugh.

"Fate?" I sneer. "Are you telling me that you believe someone has planned our lives for us, and we merely play with the cards fate has dealt us?"

Morwenna is quiet for a few minutes. "Some fates are set in motion, but there can be others who are destined to stop it," she says in a low, dark voice. "After everything you have seen, you must realize there are greater forces at play here. The influence and power the moon has over you, for example."

"It feels more like a curse than an influence, at the moment," I tell her, and she grimaces.

"There is much you still do not understand, but you will,' Morwenna states.

Dusk has long passed and with twilight upon us, we brush ourselves off and in Morwenna's case...put clothes on before returning to the academy. After her warning about the portal bombs, I'm a lot more hesitant to get my hands on one than I was before.

She is much steadier on her feet than I would expect, so I think she is sober by the time we part ways. But my night is not over, so we say our goodbyes and I go back to my room to freshen up.

I give a small smile at the familiar sight of a blurred, indistinct shape hovering the corner of my room.

After showering and drying my hair, a knock on the door has me rushing to it with a wide, expectant smile to the person beyond it. Teo gives me a bright grin in return, waving a bottle of tequila between us. She is dressed in leather pants and a white crop top that has small sleeves hanging loosely over her shoulders. Her blond hair is down, her blue streaks on display and her lips painted purple.

She shakes a bottle of tequila between us, making me laugh before she enters the room.

"Woah, this is nice!" she exclaims, renewing the smile on my face.

'So I've heard," I say, motioning for her to hand me the bottle and pour us some drinks.

"You can see a lot from up here," Teo says, noticing the moonlight reflecting off of the ocean in the distance that is viewable through the window that takes up an entire wall of the room.

"I don't spend nearly enough time here to enjoy it." Life has been moving by at a pace I can hardly keep up with, but I have enjoyed the whirlwind of new adventures I have found myself submersed in.

I walk over to her and hand her a shot, giving her a wink before tossing my own shot down the hatch. I cringe at the bitterness, and she gives a grimace after taking hers.

"We need some lime," she mutters, looking at our empty glasses with a frown.

"And some food," I tell her, thinking about how this is not my first drink of today and I still need to get some food in me before going out tonight.

"We'll hit the cafeteria before we leave. First thing first, though," she says turning to me and handing me a bag I didn't notice before.

I scrunch up my face. "Really?" I ask her.

"Really," she says with finality. Part of her requirement of taking me out tonight was that she would bring me something to wear. I told her I didn't have many belongings with me, and since I didn't even know where we were going she told me she would pick me out something to wear.

"Alright," I groan and roll my eyes. I change in my bathroom and emerge a few minutes later, now wearing thigh-high black boots and a dark green dress that looks like a long plain t-shirt with one pocket over the breast. I kept my makeup light, just a few swipes of eyeliner to make a cat-eye look and some mascara.

Hanging from my neck, I put on a long necklace that has a small cut of a geode rock. And just in case we need it, I keep my mood ring on my left hand, remembering how I can use it to get in touch with Morwenna.

"You look fantastic," Teo shouts, clapping her hands together in front of her and her eyes glittering with excitement.

"I feel exposed," I say, uncomfortable in the lack of layers I am usually accustomed to wearing. "I need shorts," I add, walking over to my closet and slipping on a pair of the shorts we use for Transfiguration. I hear a snort over my shoulder, but I ignore it. This is much better.

After a few more quips and jabs at each other, we walk to the cafeteria and grab something to eat, but since we are both anxious for a night out, we choose items that we can finish quickly. After eating, she takes my arm and leads me to her room where we can safely use a portal without worrying about someone realizing we are leaving campus.

"Are you sure it's safe?" I ask Teo for the tenth time. She's holding up one of the glass balls filled with black liquid that will whisk us away to who knows where.

"I've done it a bunch of times," she says while rolling her eyes at me. "Sometimes there are perks to being related to someone on the Savet."

"But -" I start to say one more time, wanting to make sure she knows what she is doing, but before I can share my concerns again she has broken the circular vial on the ground and is pulling me through the portal forming in the black smoke.

I catch my footing, righting myself and turning to give her a withering look. Teo, on the other hand, is shuffling from foot to foot in excitement. "Welcome to Harvest, a club for supernaturals," She says with a beaming smile.

avataravatar
Next chapter