by Erin R Flynn
All the fairies did.
“Guess you lost one, Vale,” some woman in class chuckled. “You judge and judge about how we live and even one from your group goes and gets herself mated off like a mare. And by choice, unlike the rest of us.”
“One, you always have a choice,” I threw right back, rolling my neck to give her a bored look. “You choose money and security or whatever over self-respect and breaking free, valuing yourself more. That’s your choice. I have a problem when it’s forced for real, like not paying for schooling unless signing contracts after they’ve been secluded all their lives and would be roadkill if they left home.
“Two, Campbell wasn’t one of mine. I didn’t even like the woman.” I snorted when people couldn’t hide their shock. “I heard way too many of her thoughts to ever respect her. This place was just a stopover for her real goals, and it was pathetic. People would kill to teach here, get the chance for that independence and item on their resume, and it was just for now.
“She got the best education because she came from money and instead of using that to help others and do something, she phoned it in. The saddest part is she could have been a great teacher. Her lectures were engaging and she’s smart. She just lived with her head in the sand and was completely sure I was an alarmist not seeing anything clearly. We weren’t friends at all.
“Three, yeah, she’s lost and I’ll lose others, but I’d be just as bad as the ones I rail against if I forced anyone. I also won’t waste time helping people who don’t want it. She wouldn’t admit there was a problem. I’m not going to bother with someone like that. She looked so far down her nose at me, she was never going to listen to a word I said, and I could help others instead of dealing with that shit.”
“Well, I didn’t see that coming,” someone muttered from the back of the class.
There were whisperings of agreement, and Iolas took that moment to decide we should focus on why we were there.
He moved around the desk and opened the bag Campbell always brought with her for work. He found our textbook and what I assumed was her notes or planner. We all watched as he seemed to not have a clue where we were or how to figure out what the fuck was going on.
Instead of like telling him what section we were on.
Even I did it. Oh man, we were in trouble.
Iolas seemed to come to a decision and opened the book, quickly scanning the first page and frowning. “Well, this is complete horseshit.”
We were really in trouble.
He flinched as he realized what he’d said, but flipped a few pages and did some more quick reading. “This is no better.”
We all watched with bated breath as the process repeated a few more times before he tossed book down with disgust all over his handsome face. He let out a slow breath—Iolas not having all that much patience except with me, and not much even then—before facing us with a smile. “Forget that book written by completely biased idiots.”
What was the level past really in trouble? We were there.
“What you need to know about magical advancements to grow into your magical abilities is that all magical objects, contraptions, and artifacts are all duplicates or based from fairy ones.”
A fly farting in the room could have been heard, everyone went quiet so fast.
“Wait, I know fairies were supposedly so great, but there’s no way that could be true, even if they were what people say,” a vampire who snapped out of shock first argued. “And you have no proof of that, so how can you call the approved textbook bullshit and then just give whatever theories you want?”
Iolas crossed his arms over his chest before leaning against the desk, smirking at the guy like one would a child threatening to beat up an adult if they didn’t get a cookie. I had a feeling the Light Guardian captain was about to dunk the guy in milk for torture instead and maybe not stop until the vampire confessed he was a douche.
“For one, I can because I stand here and you sit there, boy. And for your lack of decorum to show even an ounce of respect for your teacher, you will write me two pages on why a child like you should respect their teachers and elders, or I will flunk you and take over your next training session. Before you whine, it is in the rules of Artemis, which you agreed to by signing your enrollment papers.”
Again, the silence was deafening, but even I wanted some elaboration on that one. I raised my hand and waited for him to call on me. “Professor, I’m sorry, but I’ve never heard of that rule, and I did actually read what I signed when I was brought here.”
He nodded. “It’s not specifically outlined, but there are some provisions listed as reference. One of which is the rules the founders set up. It is the rule of one founder, as it is how fairy schools run.” He smirked at the vampire. “Which I find fitting, given you seem to have a problem with them. Their schools are light-years ahead of even Artemis, which caters to the elites instead of training them harder to be better.
“The fairy who helped form this school couldn’t stomach that and wanted to at least instill some fairy traditions that remind their kind that no matter their status, when a student, they are the student, and should always respect those who impart knowledge to them. That is lacking in this world.” He glanced at me and I saw the sadness in his eyes. “The Townsend clan had a long history of being wise and good.”
My heart screamed for his pain. He’d known Conall Townsend, one of the light fairies whose estate I’d inherited in the trust when I’d first dropped into this world. His main estate was the only placed I’d really felt home, and Iolas had been friends with him.
The wars had brought so much pain. I had to do whatever to make sure the warring between light and dark fairies stopped. For good.
Iolas cleared his throat and focused back on class. “That book was clearly written by a vampire.” He stared at the guy who was fuming now. “Vampires have the least amount of magical abilities of any supe specie, and that author is giving them way too much credit. That’s all the proof I need to know it’s biased.” He held up his finger to the guy when he opened his mouth. “Vampires have other abilities, not magic.”
“We have magic,” the guy snapped. “Professor.”
His snark seemed to only amuse Iolas. “Yes, you do, but you have the least amount of any supe. Do I need to use smaller words for you to understand? I have no problem recommending you be held back. I’m saying vampire strengths are in other areas.” He didn’t give the guy time to reply. “Now, for those of you who want to challenge my statement with some intelligence, I welcome it.”
A hand shot up, a woman who was normally quiet, but interest was shining in her eyes so clearly, the answer was worth the risk of the vipers in our class. “My parents said fairies were all the hype, but how can everything come only from them?”
“I didn’t say only, and they don’t deserve credit for everything,” Iolas clarified. “It stems from them. Let me give you a less upsetting example of my point. One person made the wheel. What has been created from that, because of that? How many inventions use the wheel in it?”
“You’re saying that even if a primitive invention had nothing to do with the wheel, it sparked the next person to think ‘huh, new things can be made. I could make something new too.’ That’s your theory?”
“Yes, exactly. We see it again and again. And maybe it wasn’t the wheel first. It could have been a club to kill food. Or a tool to cut a tree and people knowing that was possible, seeing that happen was what made the next step happen.”
“So by your logic, it wasn’t fairies, but whoever made the wheel we should thank for magical advancements,” the vampire snarked.
Iolas was ready. “You’re not wrong, but who’s to say it wasn’t a fairy that created that as well?”
He snorted. “Great, you and Vale will get along. She’s a fairy lover as well. Are your parents fairies like hers were?”
I snorted right back. “This is where I have to object or by lunch, it will be that I confirmed I have a fa
iry parent and the next drama starts. Or I object, and it’s another round of I’m a witch, and the idiot elders try to pull something. Yeah, you’re so smart. I’m caught.” I rubbed under my eyes to mockingly cry, not even glancing at him. “I’ve read a few theories about fairies first coming here. Which do they think is true?”
He smiled at me as if glad I made that connection to his lecture. “Like religion, different fairies believe different things. Some think they were the parents of all supes, their couplings with humans how supes came about. Others believe there were already supes when fairies came from their world, and their finding mates here has strengthened the magic of the supe bloodlines. We don’t know which is true.”
“But how does that translate to all magical anything coming from fairies if we don’t even know which is true?” that woman asked.
“Because it was once taught and well-known that the first magical object came from a fairy,” he answered. “A reservoir. The first thing fairies learn about is transferring power and how to use them.”
Faerie. That was what he was telling me while still teaching. The first thing fairy children learned about was their planet and the whole world was one huge reservoir when not damaged.
“The journals of the fairy who speaks of showing the ancient witches and warlocks of their leadership is locked away in the royal library of the light fairy queen. It is written in Faerie, but it is well-known. Less well-known now that fairies have been absent, and I doubt that’s an accident. But she gave credit where credit was due, amazed by the minds of the elders and where they took the ideas.
“No one had harnessed magic into things before. And the potential to gather magic to use more of it later. She said it was her greatest achievement… And greatest regret.” He gave us a few moments for that to sink in. “Two journals of her children are also in Queen Meira’s archives and describe how their mother died of a broken soul for what she had done.”
“The Wright brothers theory,” I muttered, sitting back in my seat and mulling with that. “That’s when fairies became so secretive, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Iolas confirmed. “There are extremely strict rules for fairies on what they’re allowed to share with non-fairies, even mates or children. Accidents happen, and without protection or fairy runes in place, there is lots that cannot be shared for the safety of many.”
Smart. Scary, interesting, but also smart.
“Wait, I don’t get this Wright brothers theory,” a different guy admitted.
Iolas nodded to me to answer.
“The Wright brothers were ridiculously secretive about their designs and sharing their invention of the plane. They sued anyone who used their copyright and spent tons of time from the moment they invented the thing fighting to keep others from using it.”
“Selfish,” the guy sneered. “They were just moneygrubbing. I mean, I can respect that, but the plane has helped millions of people.”
“And killed billions,” I drawled, giving him a serious look. “How many bombs have been dropped because of planes? Guns put on them to destroy tons? Maybe some of it was about money and what was fair, as people were still stealing without paying for it, but they were quoted again and again that they were scared about what could be built from what they invented.”
“And they were right to be,” Iolas took back over. “Mass destruction all over the world happened because they built the vehicle for it be so. The same happened to fairies. One fairy showed elders how to store power to do more with it.”
“And bad people did more bad, faster, once they could build power and store it, so it was exponential in destruction instead of small-scale,” I whispered, rubbing my chest as my heart hurt for that fairy that had opened Pandora’s box. I felt for her. I could totally see it and had struggled the same. I had wanted to show Edelman how to read Faerie because it would have made him so happy.
But I knew it was wrong. I knew it could have hurt people. I saw the repercussions because I’d lived in this world all my life. But if I hadn’t? If I didn’t understand the levels of evil or it had been a much simpler time? Yeah, I could have done it and unleashed all hell on not only fairies, but everyone.
And that would have killed my soul for sure.
The rest of class, we discussed other inventions that had ripples or ideas that grew into more than people could have possibly guessed. At the end, he promised he would find the older curriculum and make sure we got the truth so we were being taught something worthy of learning for the money we paid, not propaganda. Once he phrased it like that, people were on board.
Except maybe the vampires, but they weren’t remotely the majority of the class.
By lunch, everyone was abuzz about the new faculty member and speculating what had happened to Campbell and what family she was mating into. It was pathetic that everyone immediately went there… And not on their part. Hers, because that was all she’d put out there.
I loaded up and sat down, noticing the table was tense and switching on my telepathy when Hudson gave me a signal. It took me several moments to block out everyone but who I wanted, the few sessions I’d had working with Taeral’s sister already doing wonders for my control.
“So you didn’t know either?” Hudson asked in our group mental linking.
Which was hysterical to watch when Lucca, Darby, and Izzy all heard him, flinching and glancing at each other. They gave me a worried look, but chilled when I nodded.
“No, it was shocking, but it’s not a bad idea.”
“It’s not, but it’s shitty they didn’t tell you. They’re way more overbearing with you than our guards, and Trigger makes it clear he answers to my father, not me. He’s not wrong to, and it keeps from any of the cousins being dicks—even my younger siblings when they were brats—but this is different.”
I nodded, but then mentally sighed. “I think they’re still doing that. To them it just happened and—”
“That was months ago, kitten. You’re being too forgiving again,” Lucca cut in. “I think it’s more because Lageos just came back and he’s not a fairy. It seems more protective over the line but family, like you have a bunch of uncles. You’re young and not protected by the queen as you should be.”
“You’re right, but it’s also not over. She’s dead, but not until I unfreeze her. It’s complicated, and so much is just all fucked up. The same with Neldor’s mother. She’s technically not dead until I unfreeze her. They both will be when I do, there’s no saving them, but they’re locked in that last moment before their soul leaves their bodies or whatever. I don’t get it all, but it confuses things.”
“Plus, fairies aren’t as perfect as everyone made them seem,” Izzy drawled. “They’re great, but let’s call it like it is. They play much nicer around other species to set the example and have another side to them when it’s just fairies. You’ve got some jerks, just like any other species.”
She’d get no argument on that from me.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to say next because I was distracted when Iolas sat down across from Craftsman, who looked like he was fuming. So he wasn’t happy about the change or saw it as the fairies had interjected someone to watch me as well.
But more than focusing on that, I was watching Iolas. It took me no time to recognize the signs of someone listening to thoughts. He was good, subtle, but after knowing what I’d tried to hide all my life, I could spot it rather quickly.
So clearly, that was one of the other goals. Yeah, people at Artemis were definitely some of my biggest threats. Not overtly, but with how much they ran their mouths or wanted me taken down, they were just as dangerous as someone pointing a gun at me.
And Iolas had decades of experience using telepathy runes in extreme circumstances, like interrogations. It actually gave me the idea of asking Taeral’s sister to glamour as me at school now and again. She was vastly more experienced as a telepath and could get much more.
At school functions for sure. I liked the idea even more and
sent Taeral a text. Even if she came with me to events as Izzy, who people knew was quiet, that gave her the perfect cover.
A sentiment he fully agreed with from his quick response. Always good to layer plans and trip up the bad guys.
“Holy shit is Campbell’s replacement hot,” a woman whispered to her friends as they walked by. I couldn’t hide my reaction and she caught it, pausing and raising an eyebrow at me. “He not your type, Vale? Everyone talks about you being a comitissa, so I thought you’d be easier.”
“I heard they were getting along really well in class. She’s probably jealous,” one of her friends offered.
I had trouble not vomiting in my mouth at the idea of touching Iolas. A man my mother did date when she was younger. What that entailed or meant, I didn’t ever want to know. It also meant Iolas was a hard no from me.
Forever. Always. Definitely.
I blinked up at them from my phone, trying to play it off that my reaction was to something I’d read and not what they’d said. “I’m sorry, who are you? Why are you bothering me?”
To say they weren’t happy with my response was an understatement, especially when the others at our table laughed.
Well, what did they really expect? I mean, it was pretty well-known by then I was snarky and didn’t play their reindeer games.
Or if I did, I won them.
22
Lageos found me a few days later, hiding out after dinner. He didn’t say anything, simply sitting down next to me while I finished what I was writing. Even then, he didn’t immediately speak.
“Writing angry letters to your mother again?” he whispered, his voice pained.
“No.” I cleared my throat and handed over the journal. “I didn’t have answers besides what Neldor told me, Lageos. Even what the other fairies explained didn’t sound any better. They didn’t know what you did, or Iolas thought I should hear it from you.”
He took the journal from me but set it down. “I want to strangle him for letting you hurt any longer than you needed to, but I also adore how loyal he was, and still is, to Meira that he let me explain so much to you. It should have been me, but sooner. Much sooner.”