Chapter 2 - Waiting

Chapter 2: Waiting

“Where’s that idiot you call a leader, Korinne?”

Korinne stiffened at Ferran’s voice. She kept her back to him and continued washing her hands under one of the faucets in the White Hall’s courtyard.

“Coming,” she said shortly.

Something darted towards her face and she jerked her head back, gasping in surprise. Ferran’s fairy, Cobalt, cocked his head sideways at her, so close his chest was almost touching her nose. His tongue lolled out of his mouth as he grinned lazily at her. She snarled at him and raised a hand to smack him, just barely catching herself in time.

“Too bad there’s that rule that if you injure an opposing team member on the White grounds you automatically forfeit,” Ferran said smoothly. “Well, too bad for you, since Cobalt counts as part of my team.”

She flicked her fingers at the fairy instead, sending water droplets flying in his direction. He rolled out of the way and she reached for a towel, drying her hands quickly and turning to leave the courtyard.

“Not so fast,” Ferran said, blocking her exit. He was a good head taller than her and it made her uncomfortable to have him staring down at her like that. “Tell me, do you really think Darkie’s gonna show?”

“Of course,” she answered tightly. “And I ask you to kindly refer to our team leader with the proper respect.”

Cobalt snickered, diving in to sit on Ferran’s shoulder. He folded his dark blue wings against his back.

“Love how formal ya’re, darlin’,” he said, grinning at her. “Bet’cha do Darkie proud.”

“She does us all proud,” said a new voice behind Ferran. “And you’re in her way.”

Ferran turned to raise an eyebrow at the newcomer. Korinne smiled in relief at him.

“Good to see you Hex,” she said.

He grinned and saluted her with two fingers. “You too, Kory.”

Cobalt darted up in Hex’s face as he had to Korinne but Hex just blinked at him.

“Need something?” he asked politely.

Cobalt rolled sideways in the air, looking disappointed. Just as Hex and Korinne weren’t allowed to touch him, he wasn’t allowed to touch them either.

Ferran sighed dramatically. “Seeing as how it’s two against one, I suppose I’d better withdraw.”

“I thought you said Cobalt counted as a team member,” Korinne muttered.

Ferran looked at her and said breezily. “Yes, well, very soon that will be “Corps Member” seeing as how you seem to be missing a team leader.”

Cobalt snickered and returned to his perch on Ferran’s shoulder. Korinne and Hex remained silent.

“At least you both have one more try after Darkie blows this one,” he continued, smiling like this was fantastic news he was breaking. “Darkie on the other hand though . . . poor guy, after today he’s gonna be back in his family’s weapon shop. What a future.”

“This coming from someone who’s already failed his first graduation exam as well,” Hex noted cheerfully.

Ferran’s smile turned thin. “True, but of the two of us, I will be the one not pining for a redo of that first test.”

He turned and ducked through the curtain that lead to the interior of the White Hall, leaving Hex and Korinne standing alone in the courtyard.

“How long do we have before the evaluation begins?” Korinne asked.

“Couple minutes,” Hex replied. “That’s why I came to get you.”

Korinne sighed and looked toward the entrance to the courtyard, hoping to see a figure in a black robe appear any moment. “Do you think he will really make it?”

Hex slung an arm around her shoulders, steering her towards the entrance to the hall.

“Positive,” he said.

“How are you so sure?” she asked, not wanting to doubt Darkon but unable to help it. “He does not exactly have a clean track record for tardiness.”

“Because I – whoa hold on!” Hex said, interrupting himself and coming to a stop next to the trunk of one of the courtyard apple trees. He tilted his head back, staring up into the top branches. A grin lit his face a moment later. “HA! Apples are finally ripe!”

She sighed. “Hex, you know you can not reach them.”

“Says who?” He pulled a small bottle out of his pocket and uncorked it. Dipping his little finger in the dark ink he let some of it drip back into the bottle and then drew a symbol on the bark of the tree.

Korinne stared at the symbol, wondering if Hex was crazy. “Hex . . . that is a tremor symbol. You will not get just one apple; you are going to get the whole tree!”

“Says who?” he asked again with a smile. He replaced the cork and slipped the bottle into his pocket, then turned his back on the trunk and faced her, holding an arm straight out with his palm upturned.

Before she could say anything else, the tree shook in her vision and she jumped back, arms over her head to protect herself from falling apples.

But there was only one, and it fell right into Hex’s open palm. Korinne stared at him. He just grinned and took a bite out of the dark red fruit.

“Delicious,” he said, smacking his lips.

She couldn’t help but giggle.

“I always forget the level of control you have,” she said, shaking her head with a smile.

“People don’t call me Hex for nothing,” he said, offering her a bite of his apple. She respectfully declined and followed him inside, not realizing that he never answered her earlier question about Darkon.

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