High Fae Academy - Year Three: Paranormal Fae Romance

by Kaylin Peyerk

  The best we can.

  I’ve heard this before.

  And I’ll say it again if you need me to.

  How chivalrous of you. No one knows you are a big softy but me. Should I out you?

  You wouldn’t dare.

  My smile freezes when rustling comes from the south. Is Rai there, or in the north? A snout emerges from the brush first before a midnight black body comes after it. A panther, or at least the fae equivalent of it, as normal panthers don’t have two sets of razor-sharp teeth and six eyes. My hands shake as I change my weapon of choice into a flaming bow. When I pull the string back, heat grazes my cheeks, forcing me to inhale slowly. The nervousness dissipates giving way to laser focus on my target. Will I be able to hit him accurately without Rowan’s power? Without his help?

  Focus. Breathe. Clear your mind.

  I do as I’m told, closing my eyes for just a moment before letting the arrow fly. It cuts through the air like a shooting star before landing its mark through the beast’s right eye. It drops feet from the bait, lifeless. Spirit energy surrounds it, picking it up and moving it out of the clearing, courtesy of Rowan. The weapon dematerializes and I clench my shaking hands into fists. Death is necessary, I think, willing myself to believe it.

  I’ve got the next one, Rowan thinks kindly.

  Thanks.

  Clearly, I was not made for a life of killing. There’s nothing worse than seeing a dead body at your feet, at least to me. It makes me wish I had a little bit more fae blood to drown out the thoughts of my human conscience. Sometimes. Other times I watch the masters battle without restraint, or with bloodlust, and I’m thankful. I’m beginning to see that my fae half will always be at odds with my human one, and maybe that’s not a weakness.

  Hours pass, and two more monsters prowl in, Rai and then Rowan handling each of them in turn. We’re running out of time, and I’m wondering if the men miscalculated. As if the thought summoned it, a terrible silence blankets the forest. Darkness slithers in, caressing the grass in inky tendrils. The sight makes me shiver and look for the others, who, of course are not visible. Is this the power of the Nemean?

  The north trees shiver as if something large passes through them, but the sound has been vacuumed. I materialize a low-burning fire dagger just to give myself a sense of safety, even if it would do nothing against the outer hide of the beast. The grasses blow aside as if from a strong wind that I cannot hear, and the Nemean steps forward, even more ferocious-looking than I imagined. It is a lion, yes, but one with a deep, sable coat and matching billowing mane. Its size matches what Rowan described, twice that of a normal lion from the human realm. The inky magic is coming from the beast, leaking from its nostrils and onto the forest floor below. Nothing I’ve encountered before compares to this. The thought of controlling this thing with my power overwhelms me before I lock eyes with Rowan from across the clearing.

  Take another deep breath and focus on me. Open your spirit well to direct it into the clearing. Allow your survival instinct to take hold if it helps.

  We hold eye contact as Rowan’s glow that breathtaking golden color, before settling into a lavender I’ve come to associate with spirit. I fling out my hands in front of me, and spirit energy pours from them into the clearing below like falling snow. Rowan does the same, and our energy snakes its way to the creature, wrapping around its legs. The Nemean looks up, it’s blood-red eyes focusing on the contact before whipping forward again. The lion’s attention zeros in on me, just as we had planned.

  My body is claimed by spirit energy, so no fear strikes me at the blatant hostility within the creature’s gaze. In one smooth movement, I step off the branch and float to the forest floor on a wave of lavender magic. The lion attempts to step forward, yet the magic holds it in place, having already wrapped around its legs. This is working! I almost shoute before stopping myself. Nothing can break me out of this zone right now, and if it does, I’m not sure I’ll be able to go through with this.

  I circle the beast, wrapping my energy around its flank. Rowan does the same on the opposite side, focusing on widening the lion’s massive jaws. Seconds pass that feel like hours before I'm in front of it again. Rowan gestures to it without speaking, and I can tell he's concentrating hard by the bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face. Instead of using my power on the lion, I join with Rowan, giving him strength. When I look back at the monster, its jaw is extended as far as it can go, clearly wide enough for me to slip in. Rai appears beside me, picking me up with a current of air before I can protest how bad of an idea this was.

  The demon and I lock eyes as I rise in front of it. I've never seen so much burning hatred before. A shiver of fear travels down my spine, I didn't think an animal could have such emotions. Then again, it is a mythical creature of epic proportions. Its rank breath cascades over me and I gag silently, still holding the spirit energy link with Rowan, pumping whatever power I have left into him. This better be enough.

  It will be, Rowan says, sounding strained.

  My legs slip in first, and Rai ensures that I don't graze against any of the lion's razor-sharp teeth. Panic sets in when the moisture hits my neck, its tongue dragging against my skin. My breathing quickens, and I close my eyes in an attempt to stay calm. I will not die. I will not die. I tell myself this over and over again. My boots kick at its throat on the way down, and a bone-chilling growl rattles my body. Rai releases his hold on me once my lower half slips into the stomach on my own, but he wraps a clean, filtered air current around my face. Sort of like a scuba diving tank, but fae style, I think, trying to distract myself.

  My feet splash into the stomach acid first, and while I cannot smell it, the iridescent bubbling liquid churns my stomach. It makes a minute for my eyes to adjust, and once they do it makes me wish they hadn't. Other animal parts float around my legs, half-decomposed. The walls are pink and fleshy, moving with each large breath the beast takes. I take a look at the stopwatch on my wrist, revealing that forty-five seconds have passed. Damn. Rowan will lose control in . . .

  Three. Two. One.

  Almost on cue, a thunderous roar shakes me into the wall, and I cringe when my hands come off slimy. The Nemean powers forward with powerful thrusts of its legs, rocking the contents of its stomach back and forth. I stumble and fall into the fluid, crying out when the acid hisses against my skin. My mind scrambles to remember the plan as the guys outside shout to one another, clearly fighting the beast to give me time. Gods! Get it together Tiana!

  You can do this. Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Pretend your sparring with Orin.

  Rowan’s words center me, and I stand up on shaky legs, clutching my wounded arm to my chest. I’m the only one who can do this now. Not only my own life, but also the lives of the two men outside lie in my hands. Letting those words build my courage, I unsheathe the iron sword Rowan gave me. After infusing it with my magic, it blazes to life, lighting up the cavernous space around me. The flames lick against the walls of the lion’s stomach, and I hear it cry out in confusion and pain. This will work. It has to work.

  I grip the sword firmly in both hands—raising it above my head—ignoring the pain coursing through the left side of my body. With one powerful thrust I drive the sword through the top of the stomach, aiming up toward where I suspect its heart is. The lion rears up on its hind legs, and I tumble to the back of the stomach, slamming into the wall. The stomach acid follows, burning me on contact. I scream in anguish at the burns, losing my grip on the sword. It gutters and dies, the magic sweeping away.

  Tiana? Rowan implores.

  I’m fine. I’m fine.

  This is what a queen must do. Sacrifice herself over and over for the good of every innocent soul she protects. Hundreds of fae are fighting and dying day by day. It’s my responsibility to stop it, and what kind of queen would I be if I failed the first task?

  Once the beast lands again, I scramble forward on my hands and knees, ignoring the smell of my own burning flesh. It matters
little now as my power swirls around me, a storm of color and magic. Instead of using one sword to wound it over and over again, I’ll detonate my own magical time bomb.

  Thirty more seconds. I grind out to Rowan.

  You got it.

  I stagger to my feet, taking two fistfuls of the wall in the process, earning a small groan of pain from the animal. My suspicions were right. The inside is capable of being hurt even though it’s hide is impenetrable. My magic builds, swirling faster and faster around me, creating a cyclone of sorts. A pressure builds in my chest, and I can feel Rowan lending me his strength as mine begins to wane. The surge of power detonates my brewing storm, and magic explodes around me. It shoots outward in arrows, cutting through flesh and bone.

  In a matter of seconds, the Nemean lion is massacred, its skin hanging in tatters and blood oozing from its wounds. They’re so large that I’m able to see through them to the clearing where Rowan and Rai stand, holding their own swords limply at their sides. I’d laugh at their expressions if I wasn’t in so much pain. The lion staggers once, twice, before falling into the grass on its side. Rowan rushes forward once it’s down and tears apart the beast with his sword. It seems that once it’s cut into, the flesh becomes easily manipulated. Almost as if the beast was spelled to be impenetrable rather than born that way.

  The suspicious thought fades once Rowan pulls me from the dead body and onto the grass. My body shivers from my injuries; too much raw skin is showing. By the look on Rowan’s face, I must be worse off than I had thought. Rai rushes over too, but past us, to sink his sword deep into the Nemean’s throat, effectively severing the head from its body. I turn my head to watch as he works one of the main canines from the open mouth. He glides over to kneel before me, extending the prize.

  “Our battle trophy,” I say weakly, a smile on my face.

  “Yes, you fought and you won, my queen,” Rowan whispers, stroking my hair.

  Chapter Eight

  Later that night, I wake up in bed wrapped in bandages all along my left side. The pain has lessened so I can assume they used magic to heal me, at least to an extent. No one is in my room with me and I'm not sure where I am. Rowan and I stayed in a separate room than this, and this one is simple in nature. The bed I’m in is made of wood and coarse, white linen while the walls are covered in dry, maple paneling.

  This must be the sick room or the infirmary, whatever you like to call it. I've never been one to enjoy staying in a sick room. I spent a lot of my life sitting in waiting rooms and hospital rooms with my father, as he slowly declined in health. Too bad that I've found myself in many of these situations over the past few months. It's my own fault anyway. I got my fair share fights with supernatural creatures. And I clearly know that that's not stopping any time soon. All I can hope is that Rowan and I will be able to take on every challenge at the kings decide to give us. And Lord knows that I will take what's mine, even if the king didn't think he'd have to give it to me with this impossible task.

  I wonder if Rai and Rowan already gave the king the Nemean lion tooth. I hope not. I wanted to be there to see the look on his face. As he’s such an old being, I wonder whether or not he gears this task simply for his own entertainment. It wouldn't be surprising to me. My mind strays to the amount of time I could have been passed out. Hopefully, it wasn’t too long. I'm due back at the Academy in a few days and traveling took long enough on the way here.

  Somewhere nearby, the creaking of a door sounds out, and I sit up with a wince. The footsteps sound familiar enough to me that I blush, I didn't know I knew Rowan well enough already as in earthly being to recognize his walk. Every day we get closer and closer to each other and I can't decide whether that was a good thing. The only thing I think about when I'm with him romantically or otherwise all I can picture is Lucien's disappointed face. Does that mean I would prefer Lucien over Rowan? It's probably best not to go down that road right now. I don't need my head hurting along with the rest of my body. Rowan comes into view and smiles when he sees that I'm awake.

  “How are you doing?”

  I shrug, trying to make myself look nonchalant. “I'm doing okay, you know, for being almost eaten by the infamous Nemean lion.”

  He chuckles. “You just don't know when to quit, do you? We almost lost you out there.”

  “Oh, don't be so dramatic. I had a few chemical burns across my body, that's nothing that a water fae can't fix.”

  He sits on the edge of the bed. “The lion had acid in its stomach that was unlike any other substance on Earth. It not only bore burned you, but it also poisoned you. That's why you passed out so quickly after I pulled you from the body. Luckily the king has a very good healer.”

  I sober, and look at my hands. “I'll be sure to thank her. How long was I out?”

  “You were out for over a day, but don't worry. The lion tooth was already presented to the king, and he has agreed to pledge his allegiance to you. All we have to do is meet with him today in the throne room for the ceremony and then we can leave.”

  “All right, help me up and we'll go back to the room so that I can change. Where am I anyway?”

  “You're in the healer’s personal quarters. She offered to take you in and watch you hour by hour to ensure your recovery.” He rubs the back of his neck. “Well, if I'm being honest, I may have threatened her to do so. It turns out that I don't do well watching you almost die right in front of me. I'm a bit of a mess.”

  I laugh and give him a sweet smile. “You're just like the guy in the waiting room who can't stop pacing.”

  “Is that what the equivalent of it is in the human world?”

  “Yeah, I suppose it is.”

  ***

  It takes me forever to put on any actual clothing. At first, I wanted to wear the same riding leathers I was in on the way here, but it turned out to be too painful. Rowan had to help me find a dress that could be suitable for riding and for court. It turns out that there aren't many dresses that are made for both casual and royal interaction.

  “I look ridiculous,” I say, pouting into the mirror.

  The dress I'm wearing is muddy brown with a belt cinched around the waist. It's short enough that it will ride up around my hips when I get on the horse, so I'm also wearing very loose leggings. The entire ensemble looks hideous. Couple that with the number of bandages wrapping around me and I could be considered a monster to be put in a haunted house.

  “You look fine. No one's going to be looking at your clothes anyway, you're the talk of the castle.”

  “Why does that not make me feel better?”

  “Probably because you said time and time again that you don't want to be the Queen of the Fae. And while I'm at it, let me remind you once again that no one in the history of any time ever has said that.”

  “I'm too injured to handle your snarky ass right now. Let's just go to the throne room already; the king must be waiting for us.”

  He opens the door before us and gestures for me to lead the way. Today marks day three of being in the royal castle of the air king and I'm able to find my way around quite easily. Well, I can find my way from my room, the throne room, and to the dining hall. Which, coincidentally, are the only rooms that matter to me. That might be why I don't have the figure of all the other celestial fae. Plus, I didn't really care to socialize with any of the air fae. Most of them look like a bunch of pompous assholes.

  As we move down the halls Rowan watches me out of the corner of his eye when he thinks I don't notice. My state after the battle must have really shaken him. He's never looked this cautious before, and I can tell the only reason he isn't lecturing me is that he's just glad that I'm alive. To be honest, it doesn't seem that bad to me, but that's probably because I had passed out most of the time that the pain would have been unbearable. And over the last few months, I've been in a lot of pain, both emotional and physical. Mostly at the hands of the masters around me. You could say that there's a direct correlation. The thought makes me smile and even laugh
a little as the doors to the throne room open in front of us. I'm still smiling as we enter, and I wave to the fae standing around waiting for us.

  The king lounges in his throne, and Rai sits next to him looking quite bored. The queen isn’t present despite us having been in this throne room multiple times. I've never heard Rai talk about his mother. Then again, none of the masters talk about their mothers beside Lucien. Both of them straighten in their chairs when they spot us nearing the edge of the dais. The king looks disgruntled while Rai tries to keep the excitement and arrogance off his face. Well, at least one of us can succeed in doing that.

  I smirk up at the king. “I've come to collect my payment for slaying the Nemean Lion.”

  He frowns. “Yes, that was quite a feat. My respect for both you and Rowan has risen. I will pledge my allegiance to you here in front of my entire royal court so that all of my subjects will know that the capable King and Queen of the Fae, Tiana and Rowan of Old have my blessing.” He pauses, to grasp forearms with me. “ I, King Gerald of the Air Kingdom, pledge my allegiance and magical ability to Tiana, the rightful Queen of the Fae.”

  Magic swells around us as the bond seals into place. I feel my air magic swell from the allegiance we now have with each other. Can Rowan feel it as well? When I glance sidelong at him, he doesn't look any different, then again, nothing seems to surprise him. He’s an ancient being that was created at the dawn of time with the rest of the realms. Surely, he has seen many more incredible things than I have, hell, than any of us have.

  “I accept your allegiance, King Gerald. Thank you for having the strength and will to assign us such a task to complete. I was honored to defeat the Nemean lion for you and your people. I hope to slay further demons and conquer more battles ahead.” I pause, turning to the crowd. “And thank you, citizens, of the Air Kingdom. Rowan and I will be forever grateful for your acceptance and allegiance of the new King and Queen of the Fae.”