Page 5 of Ironhold, Trial One

My fear returns. What if Benkan doesn’t open the door? How long will the bear wait before it decides that I’m not going to help, and that it’s better off just eating me? I can only communicate with creatures, not control them.

I don't know how long I have, but I doubt it will be long. I can only stand there and wait, hoping that Benkan will open the door.

As soon as he does, I put my hands against the door to make sure he won't just close it again. That proves to be a good call because he sees the bear behind me and makes a sound of fear, getting ready to dart back into his house.

“The bear!” he says, as if I might not have noticed it. “The bear!”

“I'm here for that fish you owe us,” I say, as if we’re just having a normal conversation. As if there isn’t a giant bear watching us both.

“The fish?” Benkan says. He’s still staring at the bear.

“Now, Benkan,” I reply. “It's important"

He looks at me, then at the bear, some degree of understanding finally coming into his eyes. “Yes, of course.”

He disappears into his shack for a moment, coming back with a large, silvery form of salmon. I doubt very much that this was the fish he was planning to give me and my mother, but he seems to understand that the bear isn't going to settle for anything less than the best he has. I take the fish and then toss it a little way away for the bear to catch.

It hurries over to it like a well-trained dog, snatching up the salmon and then looking back at me. I can feel its gratitude.

“Go,” I whisper. “Go before there's more trouble. They'll kill you if you stay.”

It seems to understand, hurrying away through the houses, heading back along the shore. Relief floods through me as it goes, quickly followed by worry for those it has already injured.I hurry back to the main square. People are trying to help the wounded man.

“Is it gone?” one calls out to me.

I nod. “It was starving. It's gone for now.”

“Thank you, Lyra. You saved us.”

Suddenly, I'm surrounded by a crowd of people. They all know about me, about my tendency to talk to the animals. In a small village it's hard to keep anything to myself. Now they've seen what I can do, and they are grateful.

The Aetherian official pushes his way through the crowd, accompanied by the soldiers, so nobody dares to push back.

“How did you do that?” he asks.

I shrug. “I've just always had a way with animals.”

“It's more than that,” he says. “To get a beast like that to do what you want, you would need…” he trails off. “But I'm being ungrateful. It seems you saved me.”

I wasn't doing it for him, but rather for the injured man and for all the people of the village.

“Of course, when it comes to the question of how you did it-” he begins.

My mother's voice cuts him off. “Forget all that. Lyra, I need your help with the wounded. Come here and help me get this one inside.”

I go to her. I hadn't realized she'd come outside. She looks worried for me and angry as I help her to lift the wounded man, carrying him back in the direction of our hovel.

“You should see to the soldier first,” the official insists.

“Your soldier is dead,” my mother replies. “There is nothing I can do for him. But there's still a chance to save this one. Come on, Lyra, we need to get moving.”

We hurry back in the direction of our home, carrying the wounded man between us. My mother looks back at me as we do so.

“What were you thinking?” she demands. “You could have been killed.”

“But I wasn't and, if I hadn’t done anything,otherpeople might have died.” What kind of healer would I be if I allowed people to die so I could be safe?

“And now that man has seen what you can do,” my mother says. “Do you know how much danger that puts you in? They aren’t just looking for money. They look for talents. And those with any connection to beasts… they will take you away, Lyra.”

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