The Terrible Training Trials
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The next two days were grueling. Raven kept the little party moving, always afraid that Zeno would catch up to them. Philothea asked over and over again what her plan was, how she was going to defeat Zeno, but Raven would almost always reply with a slight smirk and “trust me.”
Then, on the third day, while they were having a brief rest on the top of a high cliff Philothea repeated her question.
“What are you thinking?” Philothea pressed. “How am I going to defeat Zeno?”
Her words brought a mischievous twinkle to Raven’s eyes. Then, to Philothea’s alarm, she hurled herself off the edge of the cliff with the words, “Save me, Thea!”
At once, Philothea reached out with her magic, slowing Raven’s fall. Raven landed gently at the base of the cliff and released a wild laugh before transporting herself back to the top.
“Why’d you do that?” Philothea exclaimed.
“Seriously, what’s wrong with you?” Zoe added. (Even stoic Zoe had her eyebrows raised.)
Pouli added,
“Tricky Raven thinks today,
She will learn to fly away!
But foolish fae, she cannot fly,
She is doomed to crash and die!
“No indeed,” Raven grinned. “Not while Thea is here.”
No amount of questioning on anyone’s part could get Raven to explain her rash action. To each inquiry, she replied, “Trust me.”
What Raven did the next day was even worse. While they were all peacefully eating lunch, she very suddenly pulled a knife from her belt and flung it at Zoe. Philothea’s magic stopped it long before it struck her. When the knife landed harmlessly on the ground both girls were looking at Raven white-faced.
“What. Was. That.” Zoe demanded.
“You were never in any danger,” Raven shrugged. “Nothing at all can harm you while Thea is here.”
“But…” Philothea breathed. “But what if I had been distracted? What if I hadn’t seen? What if…”
“Do you trust me?” Raven asked her.
“No!” Zoe interjected. “You just tried to kill me!”
“I wasn’t asking you,” Raven remarked.
Philothea stared at her mentor. The woman who had risked her life to save her twice. The woman who had shown her cunning and resourcefulness on multiple occasions.
She remembered how only recently Keeper Nathan betrayed her. Raven was right when she said she trusted too easily. And yet, after everything she’d been through with Raven, she couldn’t help but trust her. Was it wise? She had no idea. It was just a fact.
In response to Raven’s question, she nodded.
The next day, Raven continued her terrible trials. First, she threw herself headfirst into a roaring river. Philothea’s magic pulled her safely to shore. Then, she tried bringing a tree down on Zoe’s head, but Philothea’s magic redirected it just in time. Then she tried feeding Pouli to a cat. Zoe chased the cat away without any assistance of magic at all.
“I’m good for something I guess,” Zoe remarked, after the valiant rescue.
Each time one of their party was delivered from imminent death, Raven would laugh triumphantly.
“STOP IT!” Philothea demanded after Raven tried to knock Zoe into a pit.
“No,” Raven smirked. “I don’t think I will.”
“Seriously,” Zoe remarked. “This is not okay.”
Raven stuck her tongue in her cheek and stared at her nails.
“I’ve had enough, Raven,” Philothea declared. “I trust you, alright? But you have no right to treat me this way.”
“Zoe doesn’t look frightened,” Raven stated.
“She is,” Philothea declared.
“I am,” Zoe affirmed dryly.
Raven sighed. “This is all part of the plan.”
“You need to tell me your plan,” Philothea demanded.
“Why should I?” Raven dared, her cat-like eyes sparkling.
“Because if you don’t, I won’t go a step farther with you.”
Raven’s smile changed. The smug slyness melted away.
“You’re not laughing, little one,” Raven pointed out.
The realization made Philothea tense. She wasn’t laughing was she? Not crying either. She was trembling slightly, but aside from that she was in control of herself. She was thinking only of protecting Zoe and Pouli from Raven’s cruel pranks.
A delight swept over her causing her to giggle and that of course spoiled the entire effect. She sighed.
“You’re very strong, you know,” Raven smiled. It was a proud smile, not a smug one.
“I am?” Philothea asked.
“When I first met you, the thought of you defeating Zeno seemed absurd. But now? Well now I see it clearly.”
“Tell me how,” Philothea demanded. “Stop playing these games.”
As she said this, she was thinking of Zeno. How calm and controlled he was. How easily he manipulated his power. She, on the other hand, was not only an emotional wreck most of the time, but paralyzed by a fear of hurting others.
“You are not going to defeat Zeno by being like him,” Raven explained. “You will defeat him by being different.”
Philothea drew her eyebrows together as she waited for Raven to elaborate.
“In many ways, Zeno is your opposite. He’s cold, detached, and only thinks about getting what he wants,” Raven continued. “People follow him out of fear.”
She smirked, regarding Philothea. “But give the people another option. Give them a leader equal to Zeno in power but with a heart that cares too much for others and they will turn on him in the blink of an eye.”
“You’re saying…” Philothea started.
“You’re saying that Philothea doesn’t have to kill her brother,” Zoe interrupted. “She’s just got to stop him from killing everyone else.”
“Exactly!” Raven continued. “Zeno rules through fear, if he can’t hurt the people they won’t follow him. And that,” she grinned. “Is the reason I’ve been torturing you these past few days.”
“It would have been nice if you’d explained that earlier,” Zoe commented.
“But, but,” Philothea interrupted as another thought popped into her mind. “I’ve only been protecting you and Zoe. To stop Zeno, I’d need to protect everyone!”
“An army at least,” Zoe added.
“Of course,” Raven shrugged. “That’s why we’re training. You start by protecting a few friends and work your way up.”
She must have noticed the apprehension in Philothea’s expression because she added, “Don’t doubt yourself, little one. If Zeno can destroy an army single-handed, you can protect one. You’re every bit as powerful as he is. With a little training, it will be easy!”
Philothea hoped and prayed that Raven was right.
The Fables of Para Sympan 