Page 18 of Tear of Destiny

Frances glares at me fiercely. “I knew you’d see it that way.”

We continue in silence. Noah takes me through the doors and back to my world. He hugs me and says, “I’m sorry about today. Next time will be easier.”

He turns around, raising his hand in farewell, and disappears, and I’m left with a bad feeling, knowing he’s right – I’ll have to return to the Odyss soon whether I like it or not.

Chapter 8

It’s late afternoon when I arrive back at school, and I’m still totally absorbed by what I saw and learned in the Odyss. I keep finding out more about the shadowy side of that world and the dangers associated with having a key spirit. Knowing that a person can become addicted to dying breaths horrifies me. And I wonder whether the problem also exists among the Tempes. Are there individuals among us with a weakness for dying breaths? I’ve seen no sign of it. The Noctu are the ones who need this power to maintain the Odyss and for themselves. The Tempes probably wouldn’t stoop so low themselves – especially since they hate and kill the Noctu for it. But are there isolated cases of people who break this rule? Probably, but obviously I don’t know of any, and in the end it doesn’t matter. What’s important is understanding the huge risk associated with using dying breaths. I picture the young man again, his face, the fear in it. It’s clear what punishment he’s facing.

I reach the corridor to my room and look up in surprise when I hear voices.

“Not bad. I mean, you could take better care of the teeth, and you should give him something to rub his horns on. But otherthan that…”

I stop when I see several people standing in the middle of the corridor. Two boys and a girl are instantly identifiable as students. They’re in conversation with two young men standing opposite them. I know one of them.

I approach the group and greet Alessandro. “You’re hanging around in school again? Is it that boring working with the hunters?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I study the young man standing beside him. He has shoulder-length blond hair and pale, serious eyes.

“Hey, Teresa, nice to see you again.” Alessandro grins happily at me. Then he glances down at Yoru. “And it’s a pleasure to see your beautiful fox again too. A fantastic creature.” He turns back to the other student and says, “If you take better care of your ram, he could look just as beautiful.”

He ruffles the fleece of the imposing animal standing in front of him.

The guy beside him looks a little older than Alessandro and seems to disagree with his friend’s analysis. “Uh, this key spirit may look impressive at first because of its size. But look at his flanks – almost no muscle tone. And those dull eyes. Hardly any energy or willpower behind them. Not a lot of potential there.”

The boy with the ram looks at the hunter with wide eyes. He’s wrestling internally with himself, but he’ll never contradict the guy because he’s a hunter – a kind of superstar in the world of the key carriers.

“You’re too harsh, and you don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alessandro retorts, with a reassuring glance at the student. “He just needs to do some strength training with his spirit, that’s all. And the dull eyes suggest to me that he needs a little more odeon to boost his mental fitness.”

“You’re giving spirit care tips again?” I ask, amused.

“Oh, key spirits are my passion, and when I see a particularly impressive animal, I have to take a closer look. There’s always something you can do improve a spirit’s health and get the most out of it.” He turns to the other hunter and adds with a grin, “Thomas has a different opinion. He thinks a person’s power comes from having a naturally potent key spirit.”

“You have to admit,” says the other hunter, “there’s a lot of variation among spirits. Some are strong; some are weak, and the weak ones can never be exceptional no matter what you do. With something like that,” he says, pointing at the ram, “you have no chance of becoming a hunter.”

“Well, my experience suggests otherwise.” Alessandro turns to me and continues, “That’s why I brought him with me – there are some really impressive spirits in this school.”

“You haven’t shown me any sign of that so far. If this is the next generation of hunters, we’re doomed.”

“That’s pretty harsh,” I say. “I’m guessing you’ve only seen our spirits in passing, so how can you make such a sweeping judgment?”

“From experience,” he hisses at me.

“I… I like Aeris,” the boy with the ram mutters shyly, stroking the animal’s fleece. “I don’t need him to be a good fighter. He’s loyal; he goes everywhere with me, and he’s a great friend.”

Thomas flaps his hand in the air and rolls his eyes. “See what I mean? And you figure you can protect our world from the Noctu in future?”

“I don’t want to. I know my chances of becoming a hunter are slim,” the boy replies.

I nod energetically. “Yeah, it’s not as if being a hunter is everyone’s lifelong dream.”

“Sad. Just sad,” Thomas mutters.

Alessandro puts an arm around his shoulders. “Oh, come on. Chin up. The hunters won’t lose their fierce, intimidating imagejust because you think the young talent is getting soft.”

“Easy for you to say.”

I shake my head. I can’t take this guy seriously. I really hope the majority of hunters don’t think like that.

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