by Melle Amade
There was no way I was gonna let them see me cry. Not a single damp eye. I clenched my teeth so hard I thought they were about to break it wasn’t Tatiana that bugged me. I didn’t give a shit about her or her Crown Prince liaison. I just couldn’t stomach that look from my sister. It was the exact same one she gave me when I was being held on trial for Bruta’s murder.
“Looks like you’re a little more heated than I am,” Onyx said with a smile. “This year might be a lot more fun than I had anticipated.”
“You’ve got to stay away from her,” Oison said. “She’ll get you kicked out of the academy.”
“Yeah even your parents won’t be able to keep you in if Tatiana has it out for you,” Maura agreed.
“Forget her. we’re all gonna be late to class if we don’t get our asses out of here,” Rhea stood up. “Just leave your trays. Take a demerit point and let’s get the hell to our classes.”
I stood up, my body shaking with nerves. I smelled like coffee, my uniform was stained brown, but I had to go straight to class and sit there.
“Anyone else got history?” I asked. They all shook their heads. “Whatever.”
“You’ve got this,” Onyx gave me two cheesy thumbs up and a smile.
I rolled my eyes in response. Don’t know what the hell I had been thinking, but things were spinning out of control rapidly. The only good thing at this moment, was that I knew exactly where the history class was. It was the class my mother taught when she wasn’t on assignment as an assassin.
10
When I decided to come to Crown Academy to find out who this Frost fae was and why she wanted me dead, I hadn’t realized all the emotions it would bring up. I thought I had healed and come to accept my parents’ death. I imagined I was fine that my sister had forsaken me. But now seeing her and being back at Crown Academy, there was an aching loneliness inside me.
I would never get my life back again.
I crossed the threshold to my mother’s classroom and remembered so often sitting at the back of the class doing my homework while she finished teaching the Academy students. It hit me then like a sandbag in the face. Maybe one of the things I’d been doing was running away from the academy because the pain here was too great. It was easier to be alone and forgotten in the human world then to be here surrounded by memories of things I could never have again.
I stood at the door so long the second bell went off and the professor stared at me her prim pencil skirt and short cropped hair not giving an inch. I glanced around but couldn’t immediately see where I was supposed to sit. Everyone in the class turned around to see what the teacher was staring at.
Me.
There were a few chuckles, but I kept my head down. All I wanted to do was sit down and get through this. I needed to stay singular of purpose. Find out what was going on with the frost fae and why they were attacking me. I wasn’t here to learn history. Hell, I could probably teach the class after all the times I sat in my mother’s classroom. But I wasn’t going to find my solution if I wasn’t able to stay at the academy.
“I do believe there is an empty seat right there,” the crisp tones of the professor directed my attention to the empty desk at the back of the room. It now looked like a gaping hole that I should have noticed immediately. I didn’t even look at who was around. I just scurried over to the seat and plonked down in it. I didn’t have books or anything. How did I not realize what I was getting myself into when I decided to come back to the academy? I was supposed to go to class to keep this cover going. Not just come here for a tour of the school. But already I was ensconced in dramas and cliques that I had no idea even existed. Suddenly I realized how solitary my life out of the fae world was.
The professor is staring at me. “This terms book is on the shelf there. Please take one.” She pointed to the shel where my mother used to keep all her books, too. My heart caught in my throat and my body ached as I stood up and went to the shelf, taking the first book that was there; Fae Formations and Institutions. This book was on the coffee table in our house growing up. One of my mother’s greatest prides. I stared at the cover showing the marks of the four fae clans combined on a single shield. My fingers traced down the cover. Written by Professor Layke Pehtala.
My mom.
And my real last name. I barely recognized it anymore. I’d come to identify with Blackstone so well.
The professor had her back to us, writing notes magically on the wall with her finger. Apparently, something we were supposed to copy down. But I didn’t have any pen or paper.
“Pst, you better start taking notes,” the guy sitting next to me said. “If you don’t, it’ll be worse for you than it already is. You’ve shown up a week late.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know,” I muttered. “I keep getting reminded of that, but it couldn’t be helped.”
“Sick relative” The guy asked.
I round on him. “How did you know?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “People talk. And it’s not like the absence of Eyla Friese doesn’t get noticed around these parts.”
Great so I was some sort of a celebrity. Shit. Well I wasn’t but the dead woman was. That wasn’t going to help my case if I was found out. Though, I supposed it couldn’t be worse than already being accused of killing the most vicious general in all of Fantom.
“I’m Charlie.” The redheaded guy held out his hand like I wanted to be friends.
A blood Fae. It wasn’t just his bright red hair that gave him away. I can feel the heat coming off his body. I’t slike he had a fire burning in him. I just stared at his hand not taking it. I don’t know if it was because I was a dark fairy or not but the blood fae freaked me out more than anything. They could read the essence of people’s blood. How do you do that? The last thing I needed him doing was reading my blood. Because if he had half the skill that I knew blood fae to have, he’d be able to figure out I was an imposter. How had I ever decided to do this? Somehow, I had naïvely forgotten all the powers of the fae since I didn’t have them anymore.
“How do you get a name like Charlie,” I asked.
“Beats the hell out of the name my parents gave me,” he shrugged, handing me a notebook and a pen.
“I just need a page,” I said.
“Keep it,” Charlie motioned it to stay on my desk.
“It’s pretty clear you came prepared for history,” I smiled. I didn’t trust him, but I didn’t need more enemies.
“Well, with your fighting skills it’s not like you’re ever going to be a historian,” Charlie whispered back.
“Don’t be too sure about that,” I said. “There used to be a professor here who was the best historian they ever had and she was also a member of the Assassins’ Guild.”
“Professor Pehtala,” Charlie enthused. “She was incredible. She prided herself on not using magical to make her kills.”
My eyes grew wide as I watched him talk with rapture about my mother. Pride swelled in my chest as he continued.
“It was rumored that she killed three fae with nothing more then a conch shell; a conch shell. Can you believe that?” he asked.
I laughed. “No. No I can’t believe that.” If that had happened well, I would certainly have known.
“Is something funny Miss Friese?” the professor asked.
“No ma’am,” I said politely “I was just admiring your handwriting and trying to keep up.”
The professor looked pleased as she turned back to the board and begin moving her fingers in the air again.
“Nice one,” Charlie said. Charlie is much better than Carltonsmuth, don’t you think?”
Caught your parents and you Karlsten mouth?“ I asked incredulously call
Yeah apparently it’s some type of Storico name and our family. I tried to explain to them the history is meant to remain in the path just let me know it’s OK to study it now but (Zeike) should be naming your kids ancient names.
Oh yeah they didn’t do that with the crown prince today?“
Charlie rolled his eyes. “Not you too,“ he route go to his nose in the freckles on it bunched up.“
What is it against the law to ask about prince Tilian?“ I asked.
“No it’s just good to me and into every other man this entire school. Has anyone going to get a date with Mr. wonder Got is wondering around all the time.“
But I thought he was betrothed her lease hooked up with that light fairy princess.“
Charlie shrugged he’s polite to her but no formal announcements been made she’s downright crazy over here just like every other woman around here but I don’t know she’s gorgeous and all but it’s not like you wanna be trusted her. Call“
“isn’t she your leisure or lady,“ I asked. I mean you guys are indentured to them.
“Don’t remind me. Welll you know how much that sucks. You’re stuck with the darkies.”
It was strange how I suddenly felt a little offended by that. I didn’t think I still had that in May. Even as a turkey myself I felt and shit to the royal family.
“Well I guess we’ll have to serve someone,“ I said
Charlie glanced quickly if the teacher that she was deep into her lecture now and not noticing the back of the room at all. His eyes flashed his yellow red and he asked me karin is it true what they say?“
“What who says, and Craig asked nonchalantly.
“That there’s a frost for movement,“ he asked. “I mean if anyone was going to be in it with you you’re one of the most bad ass prosper in this entire Academy. Are you guys really going to bring back the hoarfrost are you trying?”
“The hoarfrost?” I asked incredulously. “That would wipe out all humankind.”
He looked confused. “So?”
Right. They don’t really give a shit about humans. They only care about their own asses. It amazes me sometimes we were out numbered 1,000,000 to 1 10 million to one something crazy we had more power than any human and we could do great things. Little they really cared about Was making sure we were not discovered. And making sure that the payroll in class maintain their elite class system. Our prison system, the arenas, the wars. Was only to make sure that the dark and light light face stayed on top and that we were not discovered by the humans. There was never a thought or concern to actually help them. In fact by the look in Charlie’s eyes it seems like he would almost appreciate a whore frost to worry about the humans.
“Well there are a lot of humans living on this planet,“ I said casually.
My words fell on deaf ears. “You know the blood taken survive a whore frost,“ he said much better than the light fairy or the dark gray. We could actually tap in to phosphate powers using blood magic and survive with you.”
“Who did you hear all this information from?“ I asked.
“Oh hey hey hey don’t worry he said waving both his hands at me and leaning back I’m not telling anybody I’m with you guys.“
“With who?“ I said glaring at him. He looked like he wasn’t about to tell me not one single word. I reach my hand out the dagger set on my belt. I wasn’t days for us but he didn’t know that. “I’ll find out one way or another,“ and I get it you’re on our side. But I want to know who you’re talking to.“
Put his eye is glance nervously at my hand on the Jager why Hilton my dagger. He looked a bit to grand. “And I didn’t hear anybody. I just sent an accident have pixie friend of yours more Ha I heard her talking to someone it was in the shadows I couldn’t see she was just talking about a private meeting and all the rest of it I just put together the Frostburg been put down by the darkies for such a long time little one are you gonna rise up against them.”
I didn’t know Charlie from anybody else in this entire Academy really and I wasn’t about to wave him one way or the other. He’s given me enough information but I wasn’t about to give him any. “Thanks,“ I said turn in miles of the front of the room and pretending to take avid notes for the rest of the class. Even though my mind was racing 1,000,000 miles an hour. At least now I had a target and fortunately she was pretty close to me.
11
I have to confess I didn’t pay any attention at all in history class. What only did I feel like I didn’t have to but I was trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Where the frost pain really planning to start a whore frost. If they did I would give them more power than all of the say combined. Jim Freese applied for from their subordination to the lake to pay and it would destroy those royal families for the frost favor the only ones I could easily move and live in such a garment. The last time they had set that up , Well the humans called the Ice Age and it level to humanity down to practically dribbling idiots living in caves having to hunt off the land. Edit taken all of the dark and light fade forces combined to shake the earth move the tectonic plates to establish the world as we know it today.
Cut the frost say really be so desperate? Could they really hate the dark pay royalties so much? I know I had hated them enough to fake a murder lose my magic and be labeled unforgiven an era vocable Tyrone, but that was just me acting alone. Well with Rita but not even my sister were joined me in that. How could the frost pay really be creating a whore frost movement and seriously what the hell does that have to do with me?
I didn’t have much time to think about it history class ended with me paying no attention whatsoever and I had to race through the archways and out to the massive stone chamber of where the assassins classes were held. This was going to be interesting.
“There are you are,“ Alex said is I recently class. Quote for a second I thought you were going to be late for this class too. “If you’re having trouble finding your way around to Saskatoon give you a back up,“ she said.
“I don’t need a goddamn nap,“ I said. I knew this campus like the back of my hand. Fortunately for me the teacher wasn’t in the class yet and Alex like to stand at the back of the room too. There are no chairs in this class it was a hands-on group or skills were going to be tested against each other.. Sauce to Kohl’s surround the large stone room there’s a staircase and 1H trampoline another Pearians blocks and stairs. It hadn’t changed of it from when my parents trained here and when they trained us here.
Like walking into the history class it felt like coming home. Only my parents weren’t there.
Instead of the front of the rooms to Burley dark fate with a scar across his cheek. Lord Kaan, The head of the royal assassin force. Instead of the front of the room with his hands on his hips. “There’s a good chance at least one of you will die this class,“ he started.
Onyx and I exchanged a glance. “Not sure is hell not gonna be me,“ Onyx said.
“Lucky you,” I rolled my eyes. “This guy is no joke. He’s the leader of the royal assassins never became someone caring this is the guy who takes charge of their hit.”
“If he’s so important what the hell is he doing teaching a bunch of college students,“ Onyx asked.
“No idea,“ I said but my guesses he said he’s not actually teaching it. He’s probably just checking in to get night of the new recruits. By the time you get to this level you better be able to assassinate anyone the king wants. Even if it’s the light faking himself.“
Onyx raised horizon here. You sure seem to know a lot about the inner workings of the Academy. She said. Doesn’t seem like he’d be missed somewhere?“
“No,“ and snorted. “No one here misses me.“
““Well what about from wherever you are from?“
I stared straight ahead my lips pressed tight this conversation was over.
“Today were going to do sparring,“ third can’t continue to take partners pick anyone next year and just show us what you’ve got to show us but she wanted to use your magic use weapons it doesn’t matter just shows what you can do.“ Paragraph now at your own will.“
“You got me, fae,“ Onyx and gripping my wrist with a towel and finger.
“You think you’re going to beat me?“ I asked giving her a malicious grin.
We marked off our circle spot and took a stance on either corner. “Not a chance,“ I grinned. Pulling my dagger from my scabbard.
We began to move in circles. And I move forward with lightning speed ringing my leg and swiping it onto her is knocking her on her back and holding the blade to her neck.
“Seriously?“ You’ve got no speed?“
“They don’t let me use my wings here,“ Onyx said. I have speed works better forget my wings out. It is really close together she said look there watching you. Write a frost fair.
“Let’s do this again,“
We set up again and this time as we circled each other and I thought of my tag her she suddenly popped out her wings. And with the washing Gusta wind she ripped towards me her wings reaching out like separate appendages and pulling me and tied those claws at the top of the wings pressed against the points of my head.
“Not bad,“ I said but in seconds I had with my arms around grabbed her head and twisted her wrist moved her arm behind her her wings lost her focus and collapse uselessly behind her my dagger pointed at her throat as I tripped and pushed her back down my knee and her chest.
“Well you really do suck at this.
“I told you she said. “Don’t you have any magic or anything? I mean like you’re a Celeste you’ll being right? Can’t you do anything?“ I asked.
“She pulled me in close whispered in my ear “yes but you don’t have any magic to respond with. The race suspicions.
The words it barely gotten out of her mouth when Lord con was standing over us. “Nice moves freezer,“ he said where the hell is your eyes staggers. We should be able to take this reaper out in two seconds flat. In fact I don’t even understand why you’re fighting her. Come over here.“
Grade I was in the shit now I walk to the front of the room where the new circle was and in the circle stood prince Tylian. “He looked at me with a malicious grand where are you ready to step it up freezer?“ He asked. And I got the sense that he didn’t really like me very much but he found me out for the photo release 2000 Island worthy opponent. We were going to have a couple of issues.