by Brenda Trim
“Very astute, Maurelle,” Shineah replied. A chill ran up Maurelle’s spine. How did the Peridun know her name? No doubt she could read minds or was a visionary and saw the future. She poured this liquid and that over the muffin before turning back to them.
“The food is not poisoned. But it is being used to block intense feelings like hatred and distrust. The goal is to make you more pliable subjects, and open to persuasion.”
Ryker looked at Maurelle, and she saw the understanding in his eyes. “That’s why you suddenly don’t want to murder everyone for their part in your mom’s death. How do we protect against this? Can you give us something?”
“There’s no need. A powerful mind like yours won’t be controlled,” Shineah told Ryker.
“I’m not sure I’m all that powerful,” Ryker contradicted. “I felt something when I was eating. Are you sure you can’t help me?”
“You have yet to find your true identity, Ryker. Once you do there will be no stopping or controlling you. The Academy can be Fae’s salvation or downfall.”
“I don’t understand,” Ryker admitted.
“You will,” Shineah said as she waved her hand in a way that said she’d say no more about that subject.
“What about me?” Maurelle blurted. She had no desire to be controlled and nothing indicated she was safe from the machinations.
“Your connection to Ryker will give you protection, but you must keep your eyes open. I can give you an amulet to protect against the worst of the manipulations but be warned they will feel it’s power.”
“It’s not like that. We’re not connected,” she denied as she considered her options. No fucking way did she want to carry an object the staff could detect and punish her for having. She had no idea if such trinkets were forbidden, but it seemed likely given they were trying to make them more aggregable for the humans.
“Besides, I don’t need to paint a bigger target on my back than I already have. Having my emotions dulled isn’t a bad thing. At least this way I can hide what I am really thinking and feeling,” she admitted.
Shineah nodded her head in acknowledgment. “You must return before your absence is discovered. But don’t lose hope. The Fae King is on the cusp of being unearthed,” the Peridun announced and hurried them out the door before they could ask anything else.
“Well, that was ominous, but not terrible,” Ryker said as they made their way back to the academy.
Maurelle wasn’t sure, but her instinct screamed life for the Fae was about to change in a dramatic way. She just wasn’t certain if it was for the better or not, but she was ready to do her part to make sure things favored the Fae this time around.
Chapter Seven
Groaning, Maurelle rolled over in bed and wanted to pull the covers over her head. She and Ryker got back to their rooms the night before after three in the morning. Less than four hours of sleep was not enough for her to function with any efficiency.
Thankfully, they were still early in the program and not expected to have any mastery over their skills. Tossing the covers from her body before she fell into the warmth of the blankets and went back to sleep, she grimaced as the cool air passed over her bare legs.
The weather shifted from the heat of summer to fall suddenly the night before when they were sneaking through the Edge. Grabbing the robe her dad and sisters sent to the school with her other clothes, she tugged the thick cloth around her frame.
The familiar scent of her home brought back memories of her mom that should have made tears well in her eyes. She was relieved that she didn’t have to battle the worst of her grief on top of being sleep deprived, but that didn’t stop her chest from tightening and her stomach from churning.
Her mother deserved better than Maurelle not to be pissed and seek vengeance for her death. A sour taste filled her mouth when she considered how not feeling the pain was easier for her at the moment. Despite the betrayal, Maurelle silently told her mother how much she loved her and how she would make sure something good came of her loss.
No way were those bastards going to continue to use Fae for their benefit. It was impossible to remember that not every human was as evil as their leaders seemed to be. Maurelle allowed herself violent fantasies as she quickly showered and dressed in soft pants and a sweatshirt.
Maurelle missed breakfast since she overslept and rushed across the green to the air league’s building. A voice called out to her as she ran up the stairs to her first lecture. Turning, she smiled at Brokk and Ryker. Things changed between them last night and she was glad Ryker wasn’t scowling at her.
“You overslept, too?” Brokk asked.
“Yes. You willing to share that food?” she asked Ryker.
His brow furrowed and he brought the pastry to his mouth. Brokk laughed and clapped him on the back. “Ryker overslept as well but snuck by the kitchen and talked one of the females into giving him some food. I doubt he’d be willing to part with his hard-won bounty.”
Maurelle turned her wry smile on Ryker. “I see lack of sleep hasn’t slowed you from really working that charm of yours,” she teased and was shocked when he lowered his head slightly.
“What can I say? Females love me. Here, have the cherry. I hate it anyway,” Ryker offered.
Maurelle’s hand flew to her chest. “I appreciate that females fawn all over you. Especially, since I got a tart out of the deal.”
Ryker chuckled and handed her a cherry filled pastry. His thumb brushed over the back of her palm before he pulled away. The contact sent tingles racing through her bloodstream.
“I’m good for more than just shenanigans,” Ryker countered before his expression turned more serious. His scowl hadn’t returned exactly, but a wall came up around him.
Brokk laughed and walked backward as Ryker tore off a piece of sugary dough and popped it in his mouth. Maurelle bit the tart in her hand and nearly moaned at the rush of flavor. Her stomach clamored as if she hadn’t eaten in days.
“Ryk’s eaten more this morning than over the past several weeks. I’m surprised he gave you anything,” Brokk announced as he opened the door to the air league’s building.
Ryker shared a look with her that said knowing he could eat the food made all the difference. She had no idea what to make of the shared secret. While she wanted Ryker more than ever, she sensed nothing different in his disdain for her. It was one thing to share a treat and another to have feelings for a female.
Students hurried up the stairs with them and noticed the note on the door to their classroom. “What’s this?” Ryker asked as he read the message over another female’s head. The female tipped her head back and smiled at Ryker. Maurelle took another bite of her pastry before she said something she’d regret.
“We’ve progressed to the trials,” the female tittered in answer to Ryker’s question.
Maurelle’s blood froze in her veins at the same time sweat beaded on her brow. “Trials?” That sounded like the last thing she wanted to do today.
Ryker met her gaze for an instant before he turned back to the stairs where everyone was descending once again. “I have no idea what the trials are,” he told her, “but, I’m guessing it is meant to put our skills to the test.”
“Ryker’s right about that,” Brokk added. “I’ve heard they’re pretty brutal.”
“I figured. Nothing like throwing us into the deep end without the ability to swim,” Maurelle replied. She bit her lip as the class left through the doors and started across the field to the teacher’s building.
Every cell in her body objected to following along like a lost pixie. She wanted to go back to her room and skip this whole event. Not that she had the option of skipping the class.
“What do you think they’re going to make us do?”
Ryker ignored her and Brokk squeezed her shoulder but didn’t let his hand linger. She appreciated the comforting gesture. “Probably throw various elements at us, forcing us to use what they’ve taught us,” Brokk replied.
&nbs
p; “I heard it has little to do with the elements and that we will die if we can’t access our powers,” a male student that was walking along side them added.
Maurelle gaped at him and immediately regretted eating the tart Ryker gave her. It was sitting like a heavy lump in her stomach. Her palm went to her stomach which churned worse as they entered the building where teachers had offices and some apartments. The only thing she could do was take a step closer to Brokk and Ryker as they followed the students down to the basement.
The stone walls closed in on them while the air cooled significantly as they traveled below ground. The air itself carried a menace she couldn’t identify. The narrow staircase forced them to descend two at a time.
Their shoes echoed loudly through the winding corridor and had an ominous quality to the sound. It had to be her overactive imagination influenced by the Peridun’s assertion last night that humans were manipulating Fae for their benefit.
As they went down, the light from the first floor faded and she was surprised to see flaming torches lighting the rest of the way. Fae might not have access to most technological advances the humans brought with them, but electrical lighting was one thing most buildings in the Edge had.
When they reached the bottom, they entered a massive open room. Her head swiveled this way and that trying to locate anything or anyone in there with them. Fatigue threatened to drown her as her heart worked overtime. All she saw were students and no way out.
Energy crackled under Ryker’s skin for the hundredth time since returning to the dorms the night before. Shineah’s words haunted him and had him trying to decipher precisely what the Peridun was referring to when she said he was powerful.
He could barely make his pencil hover in class. She had to be mistaken. Perhaps the energy from when he melded shadows lingered in his aura, affecting her assessment of his abilities.
Not that he had melded shadows since then, he thought. He was running on no sleep at the moment because after sneaking into his room he stayed up trying to meld with the shadows again. It had to have been something Maurelle did to him because no matter what he did, he couldn’t so much as make his little finger go dark like a shadow.
When Maurelle took a step closer to him and Brokk at the bottom of the stairs something in his chest warmed. She might have considered Brokk more, but she didn’t clutch only to his arm which told Ryker enough. Trust didn’t come easy to most Fae nowadays, but especially to those like Maurelle who’d been through the most traumatic event of their lives.
The fact that she trusted him meant more than he could put into words. Not only had her mother been killed, but she was also collected and taken to the Academy and not allowed to grieve in any way. Not with her family and not on her own. Her emotions were dulled magically to make her more amenable to teaching.
Ryker silently cursed himself and tried in vain to put the brick wall between them. Something changed the night before and it was harder for him to be as remote as before. Part of him wanted to be worthy of her trust.
More than that, he hoped he got another chance to kiss her soon. When he wasn’t trying to meld with shadows last night, he was thinking about the feel of her lips pressed against his.
What started as a way to keep her quiet, turned into the most erotic moment he’d ever experienced. Every cell of his body yearned for Maurelle and it took more concentration than he cared to admit, to keep from reaching out and exploring her lush curves even now.
Glancing down at Maurelle, he hated seeing the tight press of her lips and the rigid stance as she stood next to him. “What the hell are these trials?” she asked them a second later.
Brokk’s arm went around Maurelle’s shoulders, but he flinched a second later lowering the appendage when a voice responded to Maurelle’s question.
“Good question Ms. Longstrom.” their professor, Aobheal declared as she entered from a side door Ryker hadn’t seen at all. The dark interior of the basement made the door blend seamlessly with the dark stone surrounding it.
“The first of your trials will be held here. I’ve seen terrible progress from more than half of you so far, and I thought a little incentive might push your powers to emerge faster.”
The bottom dropped out of Ryker’s stomach, leaving behind an empty hole. By the time his gaze connected with Maurelle’s grey eyes, his heart was racing, and his palms were itching.
What a horrible idea, he thought.
“What exactly will we be asked to do?” one of the students across the room called out.
All eyes turned to Aobheal to see what she would say. Her expression went blank and she smiled. It wasn’t a friendly sight, Ryker thought. “You will need to find the exit from the sewers near the butcher on fifteenth street in the Edge. Professors will be stationed at every exit ensuring you don’t try and take a shortcut.”
Chatter exploded around them and Maurelle jumped right in saying, “That doesn’t sound so bad.”
“Have you never heard about the sewers in the Edge?” Ryker asked as the class made their way to the other end of the room.
“No. Why?”
Ryker let out a derisive chuckle while he and Brokk stuck close to Maurelle. They couldn’t get separated now. “Evil lurks beneath the streets. Only creatures of the night and outcasts live there.”
“Evil?” Maurelle asked as she swallowed audibly and moved even closer to Ryker.
“Vampires are the biggest threat. Just don’t look them in the eye and get caught by their powers. They’re addicted to Fae blood and will do just about anything to get it, but the outcasts pose their own risks,” Ryker told her.
“I’m not even going to ask how you know. Good thing you’re so charming. Hopefully you can use some of that to get us out quickly,” Maurelle muttered.
“We’re trusting you to save us, buddy,” Brokk agreed.
Ryker discovered the creatures underground by accident and was grateful she didn’t want to hear that story. His charm would only get him in trouble if he tried to use it down here. Unless Corelle had been killed over the past couple years, he thought.
The smell reached them first as they traveled down the slope to the sewer system. The stench of feces, rotting food and decay nearly had him losing his hastily eaten breakfast.
Brokk descended first followed by Ryker. Ryker tugged Maurelle to the right as soon as his feet splashed down in dirty water. “Oh good. My only running shoes were smelling entirely too fresh. They needed a little eau de toilet,” Maurelle snarked, making him chuckle. No one made him laugh like Maurelle.
By the time Ryker turned around, Brokk was nowhere to be found. Fuck, he thought as worry for his friend clouded his mind for a second. A soft growl echoed from further down one of the tunnels, catching his attention.
Putting his finger to his lips, he encouraged her to be quiet. Nodding, she followed behind him. The light in the sewers was terrible with the only illumination coming through grates in the street above. It left far too many shadows for his liking.
He was taking the long way around to fifteenth street, but that was better than following the large target the other students made. He bent and picked up a wet stick as they walked, not thinking about the grime beneath his palm. Instead he wondered how far back the students were that broke off and followed him down the tunnel. Sure, most took the direct route straight through the middle passage, but if those behind them were too loud it would put him and Maurelle at risk.
Within seconds visibility dwindled to a few inches in front of his face. Maurelle grabbed for his hand, but he led her fingers to the waist band at the back of his jeans. A whistling sound startled Maurelle making her gasp. Before he could quiet her down tiny claws embedded in his lower leg.
Without being able to see what it was, Ryker had to assume it was one of the smaller Fae. A hob or a pixie no doubt. A swing of the stick and a shriek rent the air as he sent it sailing.
Warm liquid trickled down his leg, but he had nothing to bind it or stop the ble
eding. It would be like ringing the dinner bell for the vampires. He had to hope the other students presented more of a lure.
He willed his pounding heart to settle as he considered the female behind him. Despite the danger they were in his chest warmed with the show of Maurelle’s trust. She hadn’t mentioned that they had been separated from Brokk.
Ryker took it slow and moved as silently as possible in the damp tunnels, which was to say, not very silent at all. At a fork in the road, he went left toward the main square in the Edge. The sewer let out a block from that main section.
A banshee let out a scream that had Ryker and Maurelle crouching as they covered their ears. Ryker’s head throbbed, but he wasn’t immobilized like he should be. Until he noticed Maurelle was frozen by the banshee’s cry, he wondered if it was sick or something.
Not willing to look a gift horse in the mouth, Ryker launched himself at the creature and tackled it to the floor. Its cry cut off, stopping the spell it cast. He heard Maurelle get to her feet but remained focused on the female below him.
It had pale skin and was wearing rags. The markings on its face were in the typical pattern above her eyes. Ryker balled his fist and pulled back aiming a punch for her throat. Most beings’ throats were vulnerable, but a banshee in particular.
With enough force you could kill a banshee with one blow. This female was wily and twisted beneath him, making his hit go wide. Picking up the stick, he laid it across her windpipe and pressed with all his strength. She started shaking and within seconds she was dead.
“Lovely as ever Ryker,” a female voice behind him purred.
His heart stopped for a second as recognition dawned on him. It was the last person he hoped to encounter on this little trek. Jumping to his feet, he turned, and a growl left his throat before he could stop the noise.
He didn’t want to give Corelle anymore ammunition over him, but the sight of Maurelle in the vicious vampire’s clutches pissed him off. “Interesting,” Corelle murmured as she ran a finger down the side of Maurelle’s throat. Ryker purposefully kept his eyes bland when he looked at Maurelle, only allowing his anger to encroach when he looked at Corelle.