Read Online Phoenix Reborn by Carina Wilder - Free Book Online Page B

they would control me.”
    “You must learn to use your power in positive ways. Because the flames don’t come from rage; they are simply a part of you. Of what you are.”
    “And what am I?” she asked, her voice weak, deflated. “I’ve always known that I’m an oddity. I’ve always known that I don’t belong. But you’re saying I’m something else?”
    “You are a shifter, Ashling. More specifically, a shape-shifter. One of the magical species of this world.”
    She wondered if his mind had gone in his old age. “A shape-shifter? What are you talking about? You mean I can turn into a bookshelf?”
    “I mean that you can turn into something far more beautiful than that. If you learn how. Come, sit down for a moment.” He laid down the jacket that he’d been carrying on the damp grass and gestured to Ashling to take a seat, doing the same next to her.
    “In this town,” he began, “Are what we call ley-lines, areas of land which have mystical attributes. You have felt them, I know; I am aware of your attachment to the earth, to the outdoors, though you may never have deduced why you are so attached. Anyhow, these areas bring out the magic in us, and those with special properties gravitate to such places as Woodland Creek.”
    “There are…others?”
    “Yes, and there always have been. You have always felt like an outsider, I know. But you have never been alone, Ashling. Never. I must tell you, though. The people that you consider ‘normal.’ The humans — they don’t know about your kind.”
    “But you say that I’m a shape-changer. I don’t understand…”
    “Your parents trusted me with you because they knew what you are. Because they were of the same sort as you. You come from their blood. But the shifters are a hidden species. You understand — you call yourself a freak. So you know that others feel the same way. But in this very town are many like you. Those who can change into cats, bears, even water creatures.”
    “How can I not have known this?”
    “Because all your life you’ve tried to be normal . To fit in. You’ve never noticed that ‘fitting in’ has quite a different meaning here. Oh, yes. There are many young people who don’t understand; who see your fire-starting as terrifying behaviour. But there are others — some whom you know well — who understand. Why do you think I had you come work for me, in an underground bunker? I know that you need a safe environment.”
    “So all along you’ve known. But if you say I’m one of these…shifters…what will I turn into?”
    Ranach looked into the distance. “That I can’t tell you, though I have my suspicions. If it’s what I think then you are one of the ancient kind. One of the special breed. You will not be a simple house cat or a lizard; that is certain.”
    “Ranach, how does this happen? How do I change?”
    “For most of your kind it comes naturally, but then most are raised into it, taught from a young age what they are. I have kept the truth from you in order to protect you, and to abide by your parents’ wishes. You see, your kind is sought after by some, and difficult to hide. There are those who would perceive you as particuarly dangerous. And I have always wanted to shield you from harm. But I have wondered at times if I was doing more harm than good, allowing you to feel so much like an outsider in your own community.”
    She went quiet for a few moments, uncertain of her emotions. Her hands, flat on the ground, glowed faintly, causing the drops of water on the grass to sizzle quietly.
    “Are you angry with me?” Ranach asked.
    “No,” she said. “Of course not. I know — I’ve always known — that you wanted to protect me. I didn’t entirely know from what, of course. But now that you’re telling me…this is a lot to take in, you understand.”
    “Of course. I know that all too well. But now that you know, we need to get your skills in check. You will be a danger to yourself and others