Chapter 8: A Catcher of Water

Laha went to the Governess after she left Zayaka’s tent. The Governess’s dark hair was plastered to her temples. Rivulets of sweat snaked down her face and neck. She shook her head from side to side, mumbling strings of incoherent words. The only thing Laha could catch was: ‘Stop her.’

The maid patted the Governess’s forehead with a flannel. ‘It be the same thing, over and over. “Stop ’er”. Who do ya think ’er might be?’

‘No idea,’ Laha said. A sick feeling that could have been guilt churned in her stomach.

She barely slept that night, tossing and turning, dreaming of the Governess, of phoenixes and ravens surrounded by flames, of a world on fire.

Laha woke with a determination to get to the bottom of Zayaka’s plans and how exactly she fit into them. Importantly, she needed to know just how scared of the woman she should be. Laha told Chaos he must stay safe at the castle. The monkey screeched in protest, but after being given a bowl of fruit to occupy himself, he complied.

The day’s lesson started with some simple Scholar spells, including a protection spell. Zayaka placed a blank page in front of Laha. She was fairly confident she could get the spell to work, considering she had previously done so with the Firemaster’s book. She just hoped there wouldn’t be any nasty surprises, like the flower-killing incident.

She needn’t have worried. The words I knew you could do it appeared on the page in front of her with ease.

Zayaka clapped her hands. ‘You’re a natural, my girl.’

Laha saw her opening. She reached into her overcoat and produced the ‘prophecy’ Zayaka had given her and Bertie, the first day they’d met. She pointed at the parchment.

‘Is this real? A real prophecy?’

A shadow passed over Zayaka’s face, like she didn’t appreciate being questioned. ‘Of course.’

‘So you have seen the future?’

Zayaka nodded.

Laha chose her next words carefully. ‘It wasn’t just a glimpse you had of something that may happen? You divined the future?’

Zayaka’s scarlet lips curled into a knowing smile. ‘I did.’

Laha’s immediate instinct was to call her a liar, but the woman appeared far too confident. No one could divine the future on command except for the Firemaster, and there was only one in each generation – the firstborn in the Firemaster’s line: the Governess.

‘How?’ she asked.

Zayaka sat back in her chair. ‘You ask the wrong question. You should be asking why. Why did I give it to your friend?’

Laha crossed her arms. ‘Why, then?’

‘Because the younger Prince understands you. He understands power and potential. He’s not a weakling like his brother.’

‘Ha! Anyone who knows Alfred would never describe him as weak.’

Zayaka shrugged. ‘But he is. He is weak because he’s soft. He believes there should only be good in everyone. That good will always triumph over evil. But if you’re all goodness, you cannot understand your enemy.’ Zayaka leant toward Laha, her elbows on the table. She dropped her voice to a whisper. ‘And as I have shown you, there is light and darkness in everyone. Only a fool can’t understand that there cannot be light without the darkness, and that power lies in harnessing the very thing people like Alfred are scared of.’

‘Is the prophecy about Alfred, then? Will he be the one who brings darkness and defeat upon Lamore?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Who is this catcher of water – a firstborn child of Kengia?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘But the Kengian royal line has never produced anyone who wields those powers. Air and earth, yes, but not water. What makes you think they exist?’

‘Because it is foretold.’

Laha got up from her chair and paced the floor. ‘But you don’t know who exactly, or when? Basically, you know nothing!’

Zayaka stood up and planted her palms on the table. ‘While the timing is unclear, I do know now that your younger Prince is key to it all – that I have seen.’

Laha strode toward Zayaka, anger burning inside her. ‘No! You don’t get to bring my friend into whatever plans you have. He will not be your pawn…and neither will I!’ She spun on her heel and made to leave the tent.

A crackling sound split the air. Sizzling, searing heat. A silver fireball whizzed past Laha’s head. The tent opening was obstructed by a wall of flames.

Laha stopped in her tracks. Her heart was in her throat. Something between terror and hot anticipation unlocked inside her. She turned slowly back to Zayaka.

‘I thought only a Firemaster could do that.’

‘Yes,’ Zayaka said in a perplexingly calm voice.

‘But—’

‘—and you can do it too.’

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‘I don’t understand. There is only one—’

Zayaka held up her hand to silence Laha. ‘Do you want me to waste my time explaining it all, or show you how to do it?’

Zayaka clearly possessed the powers of a Firemaster, which made her as powerful as the Governess, perhaps more so. The thought of possessing such abilities was altogether thrilling.

Laha marched back to Zayaka with folded arms. ‘Show me, then.’

Zayaka did show her. And after a few hours’ practice, Laha had progressed enough to sprout a flame from her fingertip. It wasn’t quite a fireball, but it was beyond anything anyone at the Institute could do. She had started the day wanting to find out what Zayaka’s plans were and perhaps even protect the Governess, but now there was something far more interesting on offer.

As the pinpricks of sunlight coming through the holes in the tent faded away, Zayaka touched her arm. ‘Tomorrow I have one final thing to show you.’

‘What else could there possibly be?’ Laha marvelled.

Zayaka raised her gloved hands above her head, then moved them in front of her face. The black feathers on her shoulders and her gloves formed a cocoon around her. There was a giant puff of black smoke.

Laha coughed and batted the smoke from her eyes. The smoke cleared.

‘Kraa!’

Perched on the table was a raven, like the one she’d seen with the Governess.

‘Kraa!’

Zayaka had transformed into a raven. There was no question. No matter the impossibility. Zayaka was a Firemaster.

A terrifyingly thrilling thought crossed Laha’s mind.

‘Are you saying that I can transform?’

The bird shrugged its wings. ‘Come back tomorrow and find out,’ came Zayaka’s voice from its beak.

But if Zayaka was a Firemaster, what was Laha?

Back in her room, Laha demonstrated her new powers to Chaos, lighting a candle with her fingertip. The monkey clapped madly and motioned for her to do it again. She lit a whole candelabra.

‘Laha?’

Bertie’s voice came from behind her. She shoved her hands in her tunic pockets in a futile attempt to hide what she’d just done.

‘What was that?’ Deep furrows lined Bertie’s brow.

Laha put her hands on her hips. ‘What are you doing here?’ she snapped. ‘I thought you weren’t back until—?’

The furrows thinned. ‘I came back early. I wanted to see you.’

‘Oh…’ Trust Bertie to go and make her feel bad. ‘Well, as you can see, I’m fine.’

Bertie raised a brow. ‘Fine is not the word I’d use for what you just did. What was that?’

Laha bit her lip. Part of her wanted to tell him everything – not just because she was beyond excited about it, but because he needed to know about the prophecy…that it was true. But could she trust him?

Bertie stepped toward her, his dark eyes filled with concern. ‘I just want to make sure you’re alright.’

Of course she could trust Bertie.

‘You’d better take a seat,’ she said.

* * *

Laha told Bertie everything…almost everything. How she’d found the tent again, and how Zayaka had been using a cloaking spell. How Zayaka had said she wanted to help Laha harness her powers. How she had trained Laha to tap into parts of herself that she’d suppressed – Laha didn’t use the word darkness, though.

Bertie listened with his signature intensity – knitted brows, clenched jaw, pressed lips. When she told him how her powers had returned and then some, he opened his mouth and took her hand in his. Carefully formed words eventually came.

‘Laha…I’m so happy that you have your powers back. Indeed, I have seen for myself what you can do now…It must be…exciting for you.’

Laha pouted. She didn’t like the way he said ‘exciting’. It sounded condescending – or was it cautious? ‘There’s a but,’ she prompted.

Bertie released her hand and rubbed his palms down his thighs. ‘But…I think you should be cautious of this woman. We don’t know what she’s capable of, or what her motives are.’

Laha bit her lip and averted her eyes.

‘La-ha?’ He said her name slowly, deliberately.

She met Bertie’s gaze and gave what she hoped was an innocent smile. ‘Yes?’

‘Do you know what she’s capable of and what she wants?’

Laha looked at Chaos. The monkey put his paws up in surrender.

‘Well…here’s the thing.’

She told Bertie about Zayaka’s history with the Institute and the Governess, and how they’d been scared of her powers. She told him how Zayaka had been exiled, but was back now to get…Laha wasn’t entirely sure what Zayaka wanted to get, but she gave Bertie enough information for him to glean that there would be a confrontation of sorts.

He stood up and paced the room. ‘This isn’t good. It’s just like last time. Not good,’ he muttered. Finally, he stopped pacing. ‘Do you know how powerful Zayaka is? Could she defeat the Governess?’

Laha wrung her hands, considering her honest answer. ‘If anyone can defeat the Governess, Zayaka can.’

Bertie’s chest heaved. ‘How can you be sure?’

‘Because Zayaka is a Firemaster.’

Bertie shook his head. ‘No, impossible. You told me there is only one Firemaster in each generation, the firstborn of the line, and that is the Governess.’

‘I don’t know how it’s possible, but I am sure of it.’ Laha told him about the fireballs and how Zayaka had transformed into a raven. She didn’t mention that Zayaka was planning on teaching her to do the same.

Bertie slumped back onto the settee. His eyes darted rapidly, keeping pace with his thoughts. ‘If she’s a Firemaster…then she must also be able to…Does that mean, then…?’ He sat bolt upright. ‘It’s real? The prophecy is real?’

Laha nodded.

‘No, no, no. It says there will be death and destruction, because of the King. My father? My brother?’

‘Zayaka doesn’t know when the prophecy will come to being, just that it will, and that you are key to it.’

‘Me?’

‘She says you must play a part. That you must be the one who takes charge of this kingdom. That Alfred doesn’t have the stomach to rule—’

‘Don’t say that, Laha. It’s not true.’ It was a warning more than a plea.

She put her hand on Bertie’s arm. ‘I’m sorry…but it is. Zayaka said Alfred doesn’t understand that the darkness must exist. That there can’t be light without darkness. So he can never understand power or his enemies.’

He stood up and shook his head. ‘Enough. What are we going to do about Zayaka? We have to stop her.’

What was Laha to say? She wanted to learn the transformation magic and whatever else Zayaka still had planned for her. But Bertie was right. Zayaka’s planned reckoning could be devastating for everyone.

‘I will go to her tomorrow. I will find out what this thing is that she wants. And I’ll report back to you, and we’ll tell the Governess.’

‘Let’s go tell the Governess now.’

Laha cringed. Bertie raised a questioning brow.

‘The Governess is currently incapacitated, but she will be completely restored within a day or two.’

Bertie’s mouth twitched. He stared at Laha and made to say something, but stopped.

‘I know. I know,’ Laha said. ‘It was wrong. I’m a terrible person. Blah, blah, blah.’

Bertie raised his brows and sighed. ‘As soon as Mary and Alfred are back, I’m telling them.’

‘But you know what they’ll say. You know what they’ll do.’

‘Yes…They will try to stop her.’ Bertie sounded as if he were speaking to a child. ‘They will try to keep us safe.’

‘Please don’t,’ she cried.

‘I have to, Laha. I have to keep you safe.’ His voice broke. ‘I have to.’

Something inside Laha crumbled, an invisible wall that had been protecting her from falling in…No. She couldn’t let the opportunity to reach her potential be taken from her – the chance to become who she had always been meant to be.

Laha put her hands on hips. ‘I don’t need their help. I am powerful enough to take care of Zayaka myself, and I will be the one to stop her.’

Chaos put his hands on his hips too and nodded his confirmation.

‘Laha, promise me you won’t go there tomorrow.’ Bertie held out his hands placatingly, his dark eyes begging. ‘Please. For me.’

Laha had to look away. ‘I can’t make that promise.’