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Stanley was half asleep on the bedroom carpet next to the snoozing Kitty when I went back to the apartment. I told him I was going out and might be a while. I didn’t tell him where I was going, and I certainly didn’t mention the Breath-Takers. He would only worry. He gave me a sleepy nod and closed his eyes.
Luca didn’t look any less nervous when I returned to the square. He was sitting on the bench and mumbling to himself, “Come on, Luca, you can do this. You are brave. You are fearless. You can fly.”
“Yes, you can,” I said confidently as I came closer to him. I raised my broomstick at him.
Luca turned even paler, and I thought he was going to faint. He said, “I don’t think I can do this, Cassia.”
“That’s okay. I’ll go on my own.”
“No, I won’t have that. Give me a minute to prepare myself.” He closed his eyes and swallowed. His eyes sprang open and he attempted to smile. It was a poor attempt. “Right! Let’s do this!”
“Why don’t we have a trial flight first? Like we did with Kitty.” I wasn’t sure about this at all. I’d flown on aeroplanes before with nervous passengers and I’d been anxious on their behalf throughout the flight. It wouldn’t do me any good to pick up on Luca’s terrified thoughts as we soared above the clouds.
Luca got to his feet, his knees trembled and he muttered to himself again about being brave.
I went to his side and placed the broomstick behind him. “Sit on it just here. It’s quite comfortable. It’s like sitting on a cushion.”
“A cushion? It doesn’t look like a cushion. It looks like a thin piece of wood that could snap at any moment!” His voice rose in panic.
“Just try it.”
Luca wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and nodded. His legs were still shaking as he lowered his behind onto the broomstick. I got on behind him and the broomstick lifted two inches.
Luca screamed in panic and fell off. He lay in a quivering wreck on the ground. I jumped off the broomstick and knelt at his side. I placed my hands on his heaving chest.
“Are you alright? Is anything broken? You didn’t fall far.”
“My pride has been severely damaged.” He looked closer at me. “Cassia Winter, are you laughing at me? I can see your mouth twitching.”
I let my laugh out. “Sorry, but you are being a wimp. We only went up a little way.”
Luca sighed. “I know. You’re right; I am a wimp. Give me an evil demon to fight, and I’m okay. But ask me to fly and I turn into a wobbly jelly.” He gave me a smile. “Stop laughing. It’s not that funny.”
I slapped him on the chest. “I know what you can do! Turn yourself into a rabbit or some other animal. You are a shapeshifter after all. Can you turn yourself into a bird? That would solve our problem straight away.” I straightened up, held my hand out and pulled him to his feet.
He stood up and shook his head at me. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Because you’re a wimpy, wobbly jelly,” I told him with a grin. “Can you turn yourself into a bird if you’re scared of flying?”
“I don’t know, I’ve never tried it. You know my chosen animal shape is a rabbit, and that’s the form I feel most comfortable with. Also, I keep all my memories if I turn into my chosen animal. I’m afraid I might forget where we’re going if I turn into a bird.”
I asked, “Is your rabbit self braver than your human self?”
He nodded. “Much braver. Shall we give it a go?”
“Yes.”
I watched in amazement as Luca shrank and turned into a rabbit. I must admit that he was a cute rabbit with his light brown fur and deep blue eyes.
His nose twitched and he looked up at me. “Let’s have another go. Lower your broomstick.”
I did so and Luca hopped onto it. He nodded and said, “I feel quite secure. Get on and let’s give this a whirl. Hurry up.”
I frowned. “You’ve gone all bossy.”
I got onto the broomstick behind Luca and we rose several feet in the air. I was waiting for Luca to scream, but no sound came from him. We went higher.
“Well?” I asked him. “How do you feel?”
He looked over his shoulder at me, his rabbit eyes wide with excitement. “I love it! I absolutely love it! Go higher.”
We did so and Luca started to laugh with joy. His bunny ears flapped in the wind as we flew quickly forwards.
I leant over and said, “Where are we going?”
“North. To the town of Dingy Skipper. I’ll tell you when we get closer.”
“Dingy Skipper? That’s an awful name.”
“It’s an awful town. You know how Brimstone is named after a butterfly?”
“Yes. They’re beautiful,” I said as I recalled the light green and yellow creatures that lived in the town.
Luca continued, “The Dingy Skipper is a butterfly too. It’s brown and grey in colour. It’s excellent at disguising itself on bare ground. The town of Dingy Skipper is just like that too. You could fly over it and not know it was there.”
“Really? That’s interesting.” I paused. “Have we already flown over it?”
“No. Keep going. Cassia, this flying business is amazing. I’ll have to come out with you more often.”
“I’d like that. Luca, tell me more about your life as a shapeshifter and guardian. And tell me about your life growing up.”
“I will, as long as you tell me about your life.”
For the next thirty minutes, we headed north and chatted about our lives. It was so easy to talk to Luca. He was a good listener and was interested in everything I said. I was fascinated with the things he told me about his life and the adventures he’d had in Brimstone.
All too soon, Luca said, “There’s the town of Dingy Skipper.”
“Where?” I peered downwards. “All I can see is a large area of mud with a river at the side.”
“Right below us.”
“Where?” I squinted as if narrowing my eyes would help.
“Look closer. You can make out the buildings.”
I focused on the area. I’d never been any good at making out those Magic Eye posters, and I’d been useless at spotting two different shapes in those silhouette pictures.
Something small moved below me. It was a person. As soon as I’d worked that out, the rest of the town came into focus. I could make out the tops of dark coloured buildings, muddy streets and residents in brown and grey clothing walking about.
I said to Luca, “It’s a depressing-looking town.”
“I know. If you were painting a picture of this, you’d soon run out of brown and grey paint. Cassia, can you see that building over there? The one with the sign on it?”
I looked closer at where Luca was aiming his paw and said, “The sign with the skeleton on it?”
“That’s the one. It’s a pub. We need to go in there. That’s where we’ll find Pam.”
“Pam?”
“She’s in charge of the Breath-Takers. The pub is her headquarters.”
I flew the broomstick towards the pub. I could make out the name now.
I said, “Is that really the name? ‘Not Welcome Inn’. Charming.”
Luca laughed. “People here say what’s on their mind.”
We stopped in front of the pub and jumped off the broomstick. Luca returned to his human self, complete with clothes. His T-shirt still had my coffee stain on it.
I shivered as I took in our dismal surroundings. Everything was grey and brown. There wasn’t a splash of colour anywhere. A light drizzle settled on us and I could feel my spirits deflating like a two-day-old balloon.
Luca must have picked up on my mood because he said, “We won’t be here any longer than we have to.” He looked towards the pub doors. “Stay close to my side at all times. Okay?”
I pulled my broomstick closer and moved next to Luca. My scalp was pricking with fear and every sensible part of me was telling me to run away.
Luca opened the pub doors and we stepped inside.
