Doubleborn by Toby Forward Read Free Book Online

looking up and round.
    The barn smelled sweet and dry. Sun sliced in through slit windows and picked out the motes and dust like stars. She could hear Winny rummaging through the stuff at the other end.
    Sitting in a chair for the first time since she ran away made her sad. She missed Vengeabil. She missed the silences of the hidden corners of the college, the nooks in the library where she was shielded by walls of books, the winding stair to the turret, the empty studies where teachers used to sit and mark books before the numbers in the college dwindled.
    “Anything?” shouted Winny.
    Tamrin stood up and moved quickly, trying to look as though she had been searching.
    She didn’t fool Winny, who gave her a reproachful look. They left Barbaron sitting in the sun and made their way in silence to the cart. Winny threw her finds on and lifted the handles. Tamrin snitched her scrap of metal from where she had tossed it and hid it in her cloak. Folding her thoughts on themselves she trudged alongside, away from the setting sun. ||

T im was in the college garden
    practising a shape-shift spell when he saw the crow. The bird circled the college, black against blue, soared to the left, and dipped out of sight behind the wall. Minutes later Smedge walked round the side of the wall and into the garden. He shrugged his shoulders as though getting used to his arms again.
    “Hello,” said Tim. “Where’ve you been?”
    Smedge smiled. Tim wished he wouldn’t do that. It made him nervous.
    “What are you supposed to be?” asked Smedge.
    Tim had hands like a dog’s paws. He looked down at them. Cat’s whiskers either side of his nose made him look startled.
    “I’m not sure,” he said. “Dog?”
    “What’s it like?”
    “It hurts, you know,” said Tim.
    He clapped his paws together and screwed up his eyes. The paws were still there.
    “It took me ages to get them,” he explained, “and now I can’t get rid of them.”
    “Why are you doing it?”
    “Homework.”
    Tim kicked a stone in an embarrassed way. “I’m falling behind a bit, you know?”
    Smedge listened and made Tim carry on by his silence.
    “I really need to do well,” said Tim. “I can’t end up as some sort of village trickster, making charms to stop the cow’s milk drying up or keeping the hay dry in the barn. I can’t. I’d hate that. I’d rather be a farmer or a grocer.”
    He looked helplessly at Smedge.
    “Dr Duddle says he’ll put me on a special report if I don’t get shape-shifting right by tomorrow. And then I’ll be in real trouble.”
    Tim hated himself for talking to Smedge like this. If only Tam had been around he would have gone to her. She’d helped him before. But she’d gone now. He missed her.
    Smedge smiled. Again.
    “You have to work hard,” he said.
    Tim clapped his paws together again.
    “See? Can’t change back.”
    “Were you completely a dog?” asked Smedge.
    Tim blushed.
    “Not completely,” he admitted.
    “How much?”
    “Oh, you know. Not all.”
    “Just the paws?”
    “Yes.”
    “Oh dear.”
    Tim wanted to leave Smedge now. He was nervous.
    “Do you think I could help?”
    “No, thanks. It’s all right.”
    Tim edged away. He felt Smedge’s hand on his shoulder.
    “Try this,” said Smedge.
    Tim crouched. He fell forward. His arms were covered in fur. He turned his head. His feet were brindle, bent. He sniffed the grass. It was clean, sweet. He rolled on his back.
    “How’s that?” asked Smedge.
    It was uncomfortable. Sort of. Tim thought he might get used to it. He might grow to like it.
    “Is that better?” asked Smedge.
    What Tim tried to say was, “How do you do it?” What he actually said was, “Woof!”
    “Ah,” said Smedge. “It’s not too difficult when you’ve got the trick of it. It’s like spinning a top. It’s a knack.”
    “Can you teach me?” woofed Tim.
    “I can help. If you want.”
    Tim wriggled round and found his feet. He ran in a circle, chasing his