Stolen Hearts; Chapter Eleven

Cala ignored Jason, walked straight up to the muscled man and had to ascend again to reach his eye level. He hadn’t so much as blinked, even now with her power radiating phenomenal amounts of heat inches from his body.

"I almost had you then. You have fast reflexes," He spoke with authority and his expression was blank. Cala clenched her firsts until her knuckles turned white and sparks flew around them and a low, throaty, fierce growl escaped.

"Cala think about this. You’ve had a full day for your powers to tire and you know the way of Rebels," this time it was Atoc speaking soothingly as he could but his reasoning was flawed, he knew her powers could be sustained for days at a time. He was scowling at the big man too, but Cala was too angry to listen properly to reason.

"Who are you?" Cala snapped the demand. A couple of the boys gaped. Nobody spoke to this man like that but Cala’s eyes were subtly untamed and they all backed up ever more slightly.
"My name is Feron!" He boomed "And I will not be spoken too in such a way!" thunder rolled far off in the distance to the North coming in over the ocean.

"How dare you! I respect the ways of the rebel so I understand that for you to shoot an unfair blast at one of your own is nought but a joke. But I was raised by Blacks and to do so to me is a challenge and an insult of my honor as a soldier! Are you challenging me Feron? Or are you just going to go back to picking on seventeen year old boys?" Cala’s sharp yell receded into a menacing hiss "Because really, I don’t mind kicking your sorry fat ass back to Polite Ville,"

Feron’s face turned violet in resentment, he looked as if he was about to slap Cala straight across the face. Cala half thought he would; he sure must want to. But even he had more decency than that. Trying to regain some lost control he pretended to ignore her out burst and barked grumpily at the boys to get back to training. This was probably one of the worst things he could have done and Cala even heard Atoc groan at his stupidity as she fired up again.

Cala almost laughed at him as she gave him a shove with her power and watched as he stumbled backwards into the arena fence which splintered ear-splittingly under the heavy mass of muscle.

Atoc yelled hastily "Boys if you want to live to see tomorrow I suggest we all vacate this god damn arena!" his voice held a serious edge of concern.

Cala smiled smugly as she watched the boys scramble to safety. Feron had gathered himself up and was scowling venomously up at her. She scowled back with more fury than Feron had probably ever seen in his life but the wild force behind her eyes was somehow calm, controlled.

"You’re going to regret that!" He growled threateningly.
"You forget who you’re talking to!" Cala spat right back. Feron looked her up and down analyzing his chances. He was cockier than Cala had thought for he stepped into the arena; a formal recognition of a challenge. Cala grinned and caught a glimpse of a smile lingering on the edges of Jason’s mouth. This was the last thing Cala would have time to concentrate on for a while as Feron had surged into a full flow of attacks. The bronze blasts ricocheting off her invisible defenses occasionally but more often than not Cala appeared to simply dance out of his line of fire.

Cala was far too fast and not a single strike landed a blow as she ducked and weaved urgently but gracefully. Unfortunately she had had little time to summon any attack of her own as Feron was using exactly the tactic Atoc had used and it gave Cala no time or space. She could tell though that Feron wasn’t going to be affected by her having the higher ground either seeing as he was so tall. He was keeping pace with her all the time, his breathing however strained showed no sign of slowing.

So he’s fast. She thought cynically.
She tried sizing up all his strengths in the hope of finding his weakness. She also knew that in this altitude Cala couldn’t keep dodging for ever as she wasn’t used to the lack of oxygen, but she had battled far better than him and won. It was time to show Feron just why she was so well known.

A rigid bubble like structure formed itself around her, transparent with a slight trace of scarlet. Cala stopped dodging the strikes Feron was still frantically firing but still none of them found their target. Cala had created a shield that even Xandu would find hard to penetrate. She grinned devilishly down on Feron, exposing a row of seemingly dangerous ivory teeth, who had decided to take a couple of steps back and think what to do next.

"Feron this battle is one you cannot win," Atoc's deep tone advised from the sidelines. Cala wasn’t the only one who was taken aback by this. The boy’s necks all snapped round to look at the two adults followed by some sharp inhalations. Feron brushed Atoc’s remark aside obstinately and turned back to Cala.
"You can’t hold that thing up for ever," He snarled. Cala shrugged nonchalantly, she could but she wasn’t going to.

"I don’t need to," Cala murmured back down, stretching her arms out towards him.
Versonei!
A white beam shot from Cala's outstretched palms and the air around it visably wavered as it struck its course through the space between them.

Feron managed to raise a shield seconds before Cala sent the strike. It did little good though. Everyone watched in awe as the beam traveled straight through Feron's shield and hit him squarely in the chest. Feron was wrenched off his feet as anger and disbelief spread across his twisted face. Atoc's lips thinned tightly as Feron soared straight into the wall of a shop next to the arena. He hit it with such a force that the glass windows all down the lane started to vibrate, crack and shatter.

"Evor, Derrick! Go find a medic!" Atoc barked at two boys staring at Cala with their jaws hanging open.
"Cala that was a fantastic display, you’ll have to show me some time," Atoc grinned youthfully and rushed down onto one knee beside Feron. That was another thing Cala liked about Atoc. Serious as he was he was always looking for knew spells to add to his already diverse knowledge.

"I think I broke my back," Feron gasped trying to regain a regular breathing pattern and glare at Cala mutually. Cala shrugged as Atoc turned to look at her with a look that said ‘Did you have to?’ and the sides of her mouth twitched in satisfaction.
"We’ll get you to the hospital. I don’t think she quite managed to break your back but your arm and ribs look like a different matter," Atoc said gruffly, obviously unsympathetic.

He turned to Cala "You better get cleaned up, you guys kicked up a lot of dirt and you seem to have collected it all on your clothes. Lunch is in the main hall or you can have it in your room if you prefer?"

"A wash would be nice thanks and I’d like to join you in the hall if I can,"
Atoc nodded "Jason, take Cala to the pools. You better wash as well my boy. Then would you please escort our old friend to lunch?"
Jason scowled "Sure but Feron said-,"
"Forget what he said. You can’t fight if you forget who you’re fighting for Jason. Especially not your ally’s,"
Cala looked at Jason "Yeah look where it got Feron,"
Jason grinned and gave Cala the hug she had been waiting for all day.
"Phew, you do need a shower," Jason poked at Cala scrunching up his nose in mock distain. She grinned and shoved him playfully back.
"You’re not exactly a basket of roses yourself!"

*
Jason took Cala to the pools to wash. The water was lovely and cool as it cascaded down onto her, she could feel the dirt and grit wash away, it was bliss. The fresh water soothed her cuts and she soon found she didn’t want to get out. Jason didn’t mind so they sat down next to each other and talked. It had been a lengthy time since they had last spoken but still there was surprisingly little to say.

Cala had been six years old when she had first met Jason and Atoc; she hadn’t known they were Rebels then, if she had she probably would have reported them. Cala had been training for war at the time; Jason and Atoc were one of the small families living in the same village as her. They had always been kind to her and Jason would always play with her when the other children daren’t.

But Cala had to start fighting the day she was seven and so she was taken away from the village. She didn’t see them again until three years later. By this time Cala had changed dramatically, she was broken and lost; Xandu had taken over the Black Nation. Jason brought her to the Rebels who gave her the offer to join them. Cala remembered the time they had spent together when they were little and agreed to help them in some areas. She never revealed what had broken her, no matter how often Atoc watched as spasms of pain seemed to suddenly wrack her body and it had taken them weeks to realize that the pain wasn’t physical but mental as she still kept her memories forcibly sealed.

Although Cala approved the Rebel’s idea that the war must be stopped she did not believe that once it did the Rebels would be any better a Nation than the Black's or White's. Therefore for the last four, almost five, years Cala had held back on the Back nation’s orders. She only did half the job or sometimes refused outright to do it. The only person who ever stood a chance of standing up to her was Xandu and even he had started to loose the arguments.

Cala's visits to the Rebels were scarce and Jason had started to train in he Rebel army so they had seen very little of each other. The next time she saw Atoc was in Shiyan. Cala shivered as she remembered the day.

She was awoken from her thoughts as a large amount of water flew at her and hit her straight in the face.
Jason!
Cala turned to look at him. He had a broad smile across his face and he shrugged.
You looked like you needed waking up.
Thanks! Why are we thought reading?
It’s fun.

Cala laughed and took her turn at splashing him in the face.
"You’re such a child. Come on, I'm hungry," Cala stood up and giving Jason one last flick of water scrambled out of the pool.
Her clothes were dripping wet from the water but it had seemed like a good idea at the time to go in with them on. Miss Fox had come by earlier and left her dress on the side though. Cala took a look at it now as Jason climbed out of the pool and started drying himself with a towel.

It was excellently made and beautifully designed all in cream and white. It was short cut above the knees and floated about when she turned. It had a White ribbon tied around the waist in a neat bow and a strapless top half which ended just above her chest. It was embossed with White lace around the edges. Cala stared at it until she heard Jason chuckle from behind her.

"What?" She asked not able to contain the threatening trace of warning that clung to the single word if he didn’t watch his mouth.
"You look at it as if you’ve never seen a dress before," He smiled his expression curiously playful.

"Shut up Jason," Cala hit him mischievously across the head and went to put it on managing to roll her eyes as she went. Jason headed over to his cabin chuckling; he had to wear something smart as well.

It took Cala longer than it had ever done before to get changed. She had decided at first that she wouldn’t make an effort and would only put the dress on to please Atoc and Mrs Fox but in the end she had done much more than that.

By the time she got out side again Jason was all ready to start complaining about how long she’d taken but once she stepped out all he could do was open and close his mouth several times before holding out his arm for her. Cala laughed but graciously let him lead her to the hall.

*
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN GONE?"
Hannah almost fell off her stool in sheer fright.

Professor Kancar had not taken the news well at all. After seeing that Cala's seat was empty he immediately moved menacingly in on Nicola, threatening to poison her if she didn’t tell him where Cala had gone.
Unfortunately Hannah hadn’t had time to explain anything to her before the lesson so the tears of terror were very much genuine as she told him she knew nothing. Not wanting to risk another set of tears Kancar had moved away from Hannah and over to Conner, Simon, James and Luke who were the only other Dragons who had talked to Cala properly. He then repeated the same threat issued question.

Conner dared a shrug, Luke to ignore him, James a smile but nobody ever thought someone had the guts to laugh outright in his face. Hannah didn’t think Simon could help it, he actually found it highly amusing that Cala hadn’t bothered to turn up for Kancar’s lesson. Even though it had received him a sharp slap around the ear. At that point Hannah had interrupted before Simon could do something stupid in retaliation.

She had only managed to whisper panicking faintly across the room ‘She’s left the school and gone,’ but it had carried across the room like wild fire over the savannah.
Now he was shouting at her almost continuously.

"I, I don’t know. She just left," She stuttered.
"Left where exactly Miss Deavan, could you be a little more informative?!" The contemptuous Professor asked almost patronisingly. Behind him Simon was biting his fist and squeezing his eyes closed to stop himself from laughing. Hannah couldn’t think what to say as Kancar loomed over her looking like a very angry and dark gnome who had been stretched to human height.

"She, well, flew…away," Hannah grinned sheepishly being unable to append anything else onto what she had already said. Kancar was touchy, to put it mildly, that nobody could tell him why this brash girl had found it acceptable not to attend his lesson. Then behind him finally an almighty snort of laughter resounded as Simon was reduced to a fit of laughter by Hannah's most recent response.

James and Conner were desperately trying to restore him to a sane state before Kancar could turn around but it was no use and Luke was already trying to slip out of sight under the table knowing the outrage Simon was about to receive.
"Oh, I bet you find this hilarious don’t you Master Black!" Kancar spat down at him.

Simon was still laughing his eyes watering slightly as he shook his head in disagreement. Kancar swelled up as he took in a deep breath, his chest expanding so far that the size didn’t quite fit him. Simon seeing this was again reduced into more laughter as people out of the sight of the professor were starting to grin. But Kancar silenced the whole room as he gave Simon a supreme crack across the back of this head. Simon gasped as the white hot pain seared down his spine and left an almighty ringing in his head crumpling the forefront of his mind in sharp momentarily inescapable throbbing.

"If I ever find out it was you who got her out of this school and across the border I’ll make sure you hang for it boy! Do you hear me?! Your business as a pirate is coming to a very severe end," Kancar bent down and hissed in his ear but the whole room after being silenced heard every word.
Simon raised his head so he was face to face with his teacher, his expression bordering the lines of murderous. He was no longer laughing; his eyes had sealed over like ice over a river in winter.

"I'm not the Dodger! And I had nothing to do with Cala not being bothered to turn up or leaving the castle grounds. And finally," Simon brought his voice down low to the same volume as Kancar’s hiss "I will never hang, at least not by your hand," his voice irrevocably more intimidating than any other in the room as it sent chills along his classmates skin. James seemed to wince slightly next to him as he bore witness to the ferocity Simon could create in his words.

"Detention Simon Black, every Friday until I feel it necessary!"
Simon’s jaw clenched as his teeth collided in an audible snap, holding back a torrent of extremely colorful words that would have earned him a very objectionable talk with the headmaster, and scowled.

Everyone else however had there jaws so wide that they could probably fit their own fist inside their mouth and still have room. Simon sat up straight, reached into his bag, pulled out his History book and slammed it as hard as he felt he could get away with on his desk in wrath.

I'd like to say a special thanks to Hannah a new commenter (: Thank you for your comment it made my day. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. lullabyel letters xxx