by Kendal Davis
Not because he was safe. He surely wasn’t. But because I felt an insatiable hunger to be with him. To touch him. To feel his hands on me.
“Stop it, all of you.” My voice trembled, but I had to hold it together. “What are the two choices? What do I have to do to get out of here?” I looked down at myself, noting that I was no longer wearing the boxy medical scrubs I favored for janitor work. Now I wore a low-cut, form-fitting top and a gauzy skirt. Who had changed me?
The Judge frowned. “You cannot escape, young one. You will make a choice now, and it will decide your fate for all time. Which world will you live in?” He stood tall and severe. For such a slender man, he was imposing. “If you wish to go back to the mortal world, to this thing you call your ‘job,’ then you will face justice there. You will go to prison for taking a life. Nobody will be able to prove how you did it, as your magic will not make sense to them. But it will mean prison.”
I gasped.
For some reason, a song was gathering at the back of my mind. It was a melody of strength, of warfare. Wait. What was I even thinking? It was as if my music was urging me to attack.
Into the silence, the Judge spoke again, this time even more firmly. “Or, if you decide to enter the world of the fae, we will help you control your talents. You will attend a school to learn how to manage your powers. Fae Academy.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, I rolled my eyes. “A school? Is that meant to be better than prison?” Nobody laughed.
Amaris waited, poised, for me to accept. She was regal, but there was something almost pleading in her expression. She wanted me to say ‘yes.’
Gritting my teeth, I came to the conclusion that I had no other choice. I certainly was not going back to Montview to explain to the police that I had killed somebody by singing.
“Yes.” I spoke in a rush, so I didn’t lose my nerve. “I’ll go to Fae Academy.”
None of this made any sense, but it didn’t need to. Whatever was happening, I was already preparing myself to meet it. I was going to have a song inside me to battle whatever came at me.
But I was never, ever going to use my music against anybody again. The memory of Ms Hatcher’s body crumpled on the floor after what I’d done was a black hole of despair in my mind. I couldn’t look too closely at the image, nor could I look away.
When I agreed to their terms, the Judge simply vanished. It was impossible, but it just happened. The moment I said that I would go to Fae Academy, the tall, slender man wavered, then shimmered, then disappeared.
Martinus chuckled. “Don’t be put off by that. He does it because he knows it leaves an impression. For most of us, it would be very rude to take leave in such a way. He has that dispensation because he is the Judge. We are supposed to believe that he is very busy.”
Amaris drew herself up in mild irritation. “He does like to create that image, does he not? I have known him for eternity, but I still struggle to accept that about him.” She straightened her shoulders, brushing her long, silver hair back. It sparkled as if it were full of tiny jewels. “The Judge loves to pretend he is the one in charge. Even when all know it is the Golden Council who set the terms of who shall enter our land.”
Martinus grinned at me with gleaming eyes, then helped me to my feet. “Arabella, the land of the fae awaits you.”
“Let me just get this straight. If I go with you, I won’t be prosecuted for what I did?”
“That’s right.”
“And I’ll get to learn how to use my...um...powers?”
Amaris waved a hand lightly. “You are still unsure if you believe in your gifts. That is to be expected. This will not come easily to you.”
“But I’ll get to take classes for my music?” I realized that I was smiling with relief. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted. So, where is this Academy?”
Amaris tilted her head, considering me. “I will let Martinus show you. He is, as he says, your Guide. Frost will accompany you as well, as he needs to return to school himself.”
The handsome, dark-haired man glowered at her.
Before I could speak, Amaris set her hand on my shoulder. “I leave not because I have no interest in your fate, but because I do. If I stay, I may influence your path more than I should. Allow me to say only that the Golden Council has endorsed your scholarship with us. We expect you to enroll at Fae Academy and to do well there. That is all.”
True to her word, she did not vanish into thin air as the Judge had done. Instead, she turned away from us and stepped out of the tiny cottage. As I looked around, though, the stone structure seemed to dissolve into atoms around us. With the closing of the door behind Amaris, the walls had become transparent, then disappeared altogether.
I felt my hand lift to my heart, trying to keep it from pounding out of my chest. It was just as Amaris had said earlier. The place we had been was an old ruin. Somehow, it had worn the appearance of a neat, intact cottage. But it was no more than knee-high remnants of walls, with the stones falling over each other, making a little cairn in the woods.
It had been enchanted.
That was impossible. But it was true. I scrambled out of the small area of the cottage, finding my feet in a patch of leaves under a tall oak tree. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to stand too close to the inscrutable Martinus or to the distractingly hot Frost.
I rubbed my eyes now as I looked at the place we’d stood a moment ago. We’d been inside a magic spell.
Chapter 6: Frost
She was a marvel. Everything that she’d understood about the world was being proved wrong. Yet she had the calmness of a general. For just a moment, I wondered if I’d chosen the wrong side in this fight.
No. I could never be on the side of the human wildling. To do so would be to act against the fae. To betray the hopes of my own people.
Amaris was so sure that Arabella was the answer to our troubles. I’d never been convinced by that line of thought. I’d allowed myself to be included in the plan, because there was no other alternative when it came to the Golden Council. But I still knew my own mind.
I had no intention of allowing this mortal to succeed at Fae Academy.
If she came into her full powers, it would not be the resolution that Amaris hoped for. On the contrary, it would spell disaster for all the fae. Her abilities were unpredictable. Worse, they were inherently wrong.
As I considered the ramifications of eternal fae politics, the mortal next to me was thinking about her dress.
She had turned toward us, her eyes suspicious. “Did one of you change my clothes while I was passed out?” She smoothed down her soft skirt as if she secretly liked it. The garment was in the fae style, with thin fabric that clung to her curves. It was hard not to stare as her hands delineated the shape of her hips beneath the fabric.
When she looked up from her skirt, she met my eyes and blushed. The pretty pink color crept up her cheeks as she realized that I’d been watching her.
“No, I did not take off your clothes.” I searched her face. Some imp of truth telling seized me. “Would you like it if I did? I think you would.” My eyes were locked with hers.
Arabella stepped back from me, surprised by my intensity. I was, too.
I moved toward her until I was even closer than I’d been before. “When we are at Fae Academy together, maybe we should do that.” I knew I was making her uncomfortable. But I also knew that the lust that was surging through my body was mirrored in hers. That was the connection of our fae magic. It felt amazing to surrender to the attraction, even for a moment.
But I could not. Not really. If she knew how I felt about her, then all the plans of the Council would come to nothing. To make this work, I had to keep her believing that I hated her as much as I had always expected I would.
The forest was absolutely quiet all around us as we stared at each other.
Martinus, still standing beside us, broke in. “Arabella, don’t let Frost bother you. Nobody changed your clothes, not in that way. Ama
ris used her magic to give you the correct dress for the land of the fae. She merely replaced your old garments. It was not Frost.”
I corrected him testily. “Prince Frost.”
Martinus chuckled, but he acquiesced. “Yes, my lord. Arabella, you must remember to show the proper respect to Prince Frost while you are at school. He is very important there.” The guide managed to perfectly skirt the line between mocking and genuine respect. He was a better diplomat than I’d first realized. Not just any fae chosen for this task, no.
The Golden Council had appointed him to watch over the mortal, but I was sure that he reported directly to Amaris. There was no way she had used anybody but the best in this role.
“It is time to leave.” I ignored what Martinus had said. Arabella would find out soon enough that I ran the school. That my position there, and in the land of the fae, was deadly serious.
Without answering, he lifted his hands and weaved a spell around his, so skillfully that we traveled through the worlds and into the land of the fae as easily as I’d ever done. He was good.
“Great, thanks.” I gave him a remote nod, then turned to Arabella. She was pale, but she looked determined to appear brave. I could almost hear her heart pounding.
“What do you think?” I prompted her. “We are in the land of the fae now.”
She looked around, taking it all in. We were in a lush landscape, only steps away from the gates to Fae Academy. Apparently, Martinus had been instructed to get her straight to the school.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed. “Let’s go in. I want to see everything.” When she turned toward me, her eyes were alight with interest.
Beside us, Martinus cleared his throat. “There is one more matter I need to add. I was told not to say anything until we were here.”
Arabella looked at him with apprehension. “There’s a catch, right? I knew it. You just wanted to get me interested, and then there’s some reason I can’t go here. It’s too expensive, right? I never said I could bankroll any of this.”
“It’s not that, exactly. It is that we have to know that you won’t kill again.”
She flinched from his words. “Of course not. I mean, I never intended to do that. That’s not the kind of person I am.”
Martinus was firm. “You must learn to master your abilities. If you accept the invitation of the Council to attend Fae Academy, then you can never take a life again. You must give your oath.”
“I would never want to,” she said fervently. “I swear it, on anything you ask.”
Martinus all but clicked his heels together. “That is all I needed to know.” His expression softened. He did actually like her. “I hope you enjoy it here. I will listen for your fae songs, as I have done all your life. When you sing, you call me so that I can watch over you.”
“How do I have fae songs? I’m just a regular person. Are you saying that I’m one of you?” She was almost wistful.
Martinus didn’t answer. Instead, he turned and walked away in the same style of polite departure that Amaris had used in the cottage. As he left, he gently faded away. He was on his way, no doubt, to report straight to Amaris. She was of the Sisterhood now, but a man like Martinus would have a longstanding loyalty to her and her former position.
With him gone, I could speak to Arabella as I meant to from now on. No need to be courteous. All she needed to know was that I was superior to her. Nothing she could do would move me to foolish emotions.
I took her hand, pretending to caress her. She did not try to take it away from mine. Maybe she was already imagining what it would be like for us to be together.
When I raised her sweet fingers to my lips, she held her breath, her lips curving into a small smile. I loved the effect I was having on her. She was already besotted with me.
It would be easier, though, if I wasn’t just as turned on as she was. I liked being in control.
Just when I had her where I wanted her, I dashed her hopes. I dropped her hand and spoke harshly. “Now that Martinus has left, I can tell you what I really think of you. You will never, ever be one of us. You do not belong here.”
Her eyes wide, she took a step back from me, rubbing her hand as if she could remove my kiss. “What are you talking about? I know I’m not a fae.”
“You certainly are not. You are a charity case of a mortal at our beloved school, nothing more than that. And you are a fool as well.”
“I’m not, actually,” she said with remarkable composure. “I’m just here to learn. Nothing more than that. If I don’t fit in, then that’s ok. I’ve been there before.”
“You’ve never been here. If you knew the fae at all, then you would not have sworn your word to Martinus. Nobody would make such a stupid error as that.”
“I meant what I said. I’ll never use my powers to kill.”
“Now that you have sworn it to your fae Guide, you will pay with your life if you do.” I watched as she closed her mouth weakly, unable to muster a response. “That’s right. You’ve just made a magical agreement. You’ve sealed your fate here at the Academy. No more mistakes. If you make a mistake, you’ll die.”
I spun on my heel and left her there.
Chapter 7: Arabella
My reaction to what Frost had said was a little slow. Maybe I hadn’t heard him correctly. But after a moment, I gathered my skirts and hurried after him. He was at the wrought iron gates of the school. When he saw that I was following him, he sent me a look of derision.
“That was a dirty trick,” I said as I got to him. “You all kept that information from me until I was here. All of you were working together to trap me, weren’t you? You thought I’d be too far into it to back down.”
“And now you are,” Frost answered. How could I have thought he liked me? He was nothing but cold now. He pushed the iron gates open and let me through, then walked with purpose away from me. I watched his brisk stride take him along the ornamental path and away from me.
I resisted the urge to run after him again. I could find somebody else to tell me who I was supposed to see. There had to be a front office somewhere.
The building in front of me, across the wide green lawn, looked more like a palace than a school. It looked like it was made of sparkling crystal, but that had to be an illusion. The central portion of the building was monumental in itself. With the two wings that extended in either direction, finishing upwards in spires, it was easily the most impressive building I’d ever seen.
The lawn in front of the building was a flat expanse of perfect green, bordered by massive garden beds. Behind the crystal structure of the school was a forest that looked as if it went on forever.
Frost was gone now, having made his way away from me as quickly as possible. I couldn’t even see where he’d gone. The stone path and the lawn were filled with young adults as they flooded from the wide entrance of the school. All at once, it looked like the students of the school had come outside for fresh air. It was a genteel take on recess, in which time away from studies took the form of relaxed strolling and chatting.
It was far quieter than at Montview, the school where I’d been a janitor just yesterday. Still, though, there were ways in the scene reminded me of a hundred other days at a school. Some social communications were universal. There were always groups of students who were the loudest or most confident, shouting with laughter at their own witticisms. I’d always envied them that certainty, that invincibility.
The students here at Fae Academy were all young adults. Perhaps a few were younger than me, but most looked to be the twenty-five years of age that I was. Although, if these creatures were eternal, they might have been of any age at all. I suddenly felt sure that even the things I thought I understood were full of unexplained mystery.
As I came closer to the students who strolled the lawn, I gasped to see that they were all perfectly beautiful. It was uncanny. Not a single one among them was unattractive in any way. The women had perfect curves, each clad in a brief top and a flo
ating skirt like the one I wore. The guys were fit and muscular. They looked simultaneously crisp and casual in their gray uniform trousers and foreign-looking style of shirt.
Actually, the men were dazzlingly hot, if I had to admit that to myself.
Wait a second. I shook my head, feeling a blush creep up my neck.
Was this really the first thing that came into my head on my arrival here? It was a little embarrassing to think that I was more focused on hot male physiques than anything else.
I was in a supernatural land, apparently populated by eternals. I had manifested magical powers. And the only way I could escape prison or even a death sentence was to learn to use those abilities at this school for the fae.
So the thing that I was focusing on right now was the way these breathtakingly sexy male students made my legs wobble?
Hey, I had to own it. I’d never been able to afford any therapy, but I was pretty sure that was the main message of counseling sites on the internet. You just be you.
I gulped down my feelings of uncertainty and walked forward with as much confidence as I could muster. I was going to need to talk to somebody at some point. Might as well be now.
The closest group of students I met on the lawn looked like the snottiest. That made sense. They were the furthest from the sparkling castle doors. Knowing the dynamics of recess well, I deduced that these were the alpha students of the school. They were bold in showing that they did not need to remain near the door. They feared nothing.
School stuff, it turned out, translated pretty well from one place to another.
When I walked up to them, I saw that I was right. I held out a hand, ready to shake. Might as well use my best interview manners. My voice was almost confident. “Hello. I’m a new student. My name is Arabella. Can you please tell me who I should see? Where’s the office?”
The lone woman of the group stared at me. She had long, blonde hair and green eyes. Like all the fae, she was stunning. She did not bother to conceal her contempt for me. Her mouth twisted into a mocking smile that was anything but friendly.