I was completely at ease riding Hawthorne. It felt natural, as though he were an extension of my own body. Jack however, did not like the time we spent in the air. He got motion sick very easily and we had to stop often because of it. When we only had approximately one hour left of travel time, I was determined not to make any more stops.
Jack huddled against my back and groaned in my ear. He was a tall, lanky man of twenty-one, with messy black hair, bright blue eyes and rather large ears. Jack was my best friend, he had agreed to accompany me on the journey to my hometown of Mortlock. This was the first time he had ever left Frost Arch, the city in which he had been born and raised by the servants of the Forsythe manor. Jack’s mother had died giving birth to him and his father had abandoned him at ten years old.
Hawthorne was my pet. I disliked the word pet, but there was no other way to explain our relationship to those who did not understand it. Hawthorne was a part of me. We were connected. The size of a bear, stark white, with enormous wings, Hawthorne was my friend and my protector. He had the appearance of a fox, but was far more intelligent than any other animal I had ever encountered.
Hawthorne was stolen from a deliveryman called Jefferson several months ago, when he was just a pup. I didn’t know how special he was at the time, but I had sensed that he needed rescuing. Little did I know that stealing Hawthorne would have some serious repercussions.
I was eager to see my family. It had been months. I had run away to Frost Arch because I couldn’t control my Power around my Human sister. I was a Fire-Mage – probably one of the worst kinds of Mage you could hope to be. Fire-Mage’s had terrible reputations. We were called all sorts of names; fire demons, devils, bringers of destruction. Luckily I had not endured much discrimination in Frost Arch, but I knew that the residents of Mortlock were not so open-minded. My family lived on the outskirts of town and they were highly unpopular, even though they could control their Powers spectacularly.
I, on the other hand, had little control over my Power. This was why I had run away in the first place. I was a danger to my little sister, Helena. I had accidentally burned her on more than one occasion.
Would my family be mad when they saw me? Would they allow me to live there again? These thoughts made my stomach do uncomfortable back flips.
Behind me, Jack was groaning and whining. I pretended not to hear him. He was cold. I assumed the air was crisp, though I could not feel it. He tried to cuddle up against my warm back. My skin was always warmer than other peoples because I was a Fire-Mage. Jack had once referred to me as his personal heater. Being so close to him made my skin tingle.
Almost an hour passed. We were soaring above familiar land now. A thick forest raced by underneath us. As I looked ahead, a small village came into focus.
‘We’re almost there!’ I yelled over the sound of the rushing wind. ‘My family lives by the edge of the forest! We’ll be able to land in the trees!’ I called to Hawthorne.
We began to fly lower now. I could see Hawthorne’s shadow on the tops of the trees, growing larger and larger every second. Hawthorne began his final decent. He searched for a gap in the trees and dove for it. He landed clumsily on the soft dirt of the forest floor. Jack and I almost lost our grip, but we managed to hang on. Hawthorne kept up a steady trot as we made our way to the edge of the forest. My heart was beating wildly.
‘I can’t wait for you to meet my parents,’ I said excitedly, ‘and my sister. Oh! That’s it! I can see my house!’
We drew closer and I felt my heart pounding against my ribcage. I was sure Jack would be able to hear it.
‘Okay Hawthorne … this is far enough,’ I told him.
Jack clambered down from Hawthorne’s back and then helped me down.
I patted Hawthorne’s shoulder shakily. ‘We will be back soon. Just stay hidden, okay?’
Hawthorne snorted and began sniffing around in the dirt. I knew he didn’t like being away from me. It made him anxious.
‘Let’s go.’ Jack put a hand on my shoulder and steered me towards the clearing.
We stopped at the very edge of the forest and Jack turned to me.
‘I won’t go in with you,’ he told me. ‘You need to see them on your own. When you’re ready, you can come to get me and introduce me to them.’
Jack was right. I held my breath and stared at him. He didn’t blink.