Sparks

  ~~~~~~~~~~

  Two days later, I mounted my horse and shot every target on the course as Avis watched from the side.

  "Ready for the festival tonight?" I probably should have been thinking about it, but the horse in the stable and the prospect of going to Round Five had kept my thoughts pretty distracted.

  "Well, did you at least think of a name for her?" he asked as we walked the horses back to their stalls. I had thought of a few, but none of them seemed like a good fit. Midnight? The Darkness? The Queen of Night?

  "Haha! Has anyone ever told you that you're really terrible at picking out names?"

  "True. But I've never had anything I got to name before."

  I had thought for days about names to go with black, or beautiful, or majestic, but I just couldn't come up with anything that fit my stunning mare. She was the richest treasure I was likely to ever have, and I wanted to get it just right. I sensed we had a strong bond and an ease together already; she was with me to the core, and I owed her a good name.

  By the time I stabled my still-unnamed horse and got a bath, I returned to my room to find a tunic made of forest green silk, and brown, silk trousers to match were laid across the corner of my bed. Upon inspection, there were four black stripes across the left sleeve, which made me wonder what had gotten into my mentor lately. I smiled as I put on the nicest garments I'd ever owned-and probably would ever own-and headed to the stables to meet Rhada.

  When I arrived, I stroked the nose of my horse while I thought about how to let her down gently if she had the wrong idea. After a few minutes, it became clear that Rhada wasn't coming. Did she change her mind?

  I decided to head to the dining hall to participate in the feast until the moon was high enough over the lake. I was already dressed and more than a little interested to see if Avis was telling tall tales about girls at the Moonwater.

  Nearly every student was in attendance; I'd never seen the dining hall so packed. Immediately, I cut the threads to quiet the roar and relegated myself to a night of old-fashioned socialization.

  Colored fabrics were arranged around the torches to give the room interesting bursts of green and blue against the usually grey stone walls. The tables had been pushed to the edges and were covered in fancy meats and wild displays of fruits. Someone had arranged a plate of summer berries in the shape of the school grounds, and I chuckled as I wondered who would have time for such a useless endeavor.

  The metallic melody from a trumpet player mixed with the lively strumming of a lutist and the jingling of a third man holding a series of bells from the far corner. It was the most festive gathering I had ever seen.

  The center of the room had been cleared for a large mass of students, who congregated to talk and laugh; some even danced near the band on the far side. Micha found me first and congratulated me on my fourth stripe as I congratulated him on his fifth.

  "You wouldn't believe the game in the Frost Pass. Giant elk with white antlers, snow leopards, even a white bear. You'll love it." I had to take him at his word without his thoughts to read, and it was almost strange not to have him so open to me. I made a note to ask him about it later so I could see into his memories of the journey through the Frost Pass, and I hoped I would get the chance to go next summer.

  "Well, you wouldn't believe the horse I got. A tall black mare with legs for days."

  "You got the black mare?" I hadn't thought of it before, but of course Micha was aware of her. He could sense every animal for miles, far more acutely than even I could, much less a huge horse just on the other side of the grounds.

  "There you are!" Isuet yelled excitedly as she threw her arms around Micha's wide shoulders and began to leave a trail of light kisses down his neck. Micha's face revealed a level of shock I had never seen from him before, but he certainly didn't look like he was going to complain.

  As the two Trackers skulked off to a corner to do who-knew-what, I spotted Rhada talking to a new student. He was a young boy with the light-tan colors of a Rider and I knew I was off the hook.

  Moments later, I bumped into Parvani, my combat teacher who I hadn't seen in more than a year. The time away had done her well; the tight, sleeveless, red dress, with seven black stripes across the ribs, accentuated her narrow figure, and her long, black hair was still hung in a braid over her shoulder.

  "Well, look who it is. The little Tracker boy who couldn't throw a punch. I bet no one is asking to have a go at you now." She teased me as she squeezed my muscular arm from where she stood several inches below me. I noticed how she had to look up when she spoke, instead of down to me. It seemed strange that I had grown so much.

  "It's all thanks to you, the best teacher a skinny boy could ask for."

  "How about I show you a few more moves?" she said with a sneaky smile, and for a moment, I thought I would have to turn on my reading to try to grasp some idea of what she meant. Thankfully, she reached up and kissed me and removed all doubt. It was firm and fast and made my heart beat with absurd strength, and I knew Avis had been right, which seemed to be happening more and more often lately.

  What could have been an hour or a minute later, Parvani lowered back to the ground and grabbed me by the hand. She pulled me through the crowd, but there was a moment there that changed everything.

  I saw Khea for the first time in a long time, and she was nothing like I ever could have expected. She was still small, but lacked the emaciated jutting of her bones, instead appearing the picture of health, with full cheeks and even a muscular tone to her bare arms. Her feminine curves were displayed under the hugging, pale-blue fabric of her sleeveless dress; the roundness of her chest peeked just above the neckline, and a shimmering, black necklace was nestled between. Her fourteen years seemed worldlier in a way that amazed me, and I was sure, for a moment, our gazes locked before she disappeared behind the crowd.

  In the hall of doors, Parvani used her strong, fighter's legs to push me up against a door and pin me with her hips, her mouth moving up to seek out mine. Away from the thundering crowd, her thoughts and desires were immediately clear to me: how she wanted me to pull at her dress to reveal a body she was proud of, and how badly she wanted me to see it. Despite my surety of a moment with Khea, I couldn't let the opportunity go by; there was no way to know when it might happen again.

  "Which room is yours?" I asked in a brief moment where I could pull my mouth free.

  "This way." Parvani led me across the grounds to a door tucked in a corner between Latinia's and the northern edge of the grounds. It opened into a hallway not unlike the hall of doors-just a bit shorter. It made sense considering there were far fewer female students. During the long walk, I could sense her anticipation grew and it only added to my own. By the time the sun rose, I would be a man.