by Valia Lind
"But are we enemies?"
I wish there was a way I could answer that question honestly. Because right now, I simply don't know. I thought Derek was—well, it doesn't matter. I thought things would be different when I came here. But nothing is how I expected it to be. But maybe I can offer Julian a nugget of truth.
"I don't want us to be."
The smile he gives me then could make the moon glow in the night sky. There's happiness on his face, as if I've given him the greatest gift. It's hard not to smile back. It makes sense why I never suspected him of being fae. Besides the glamour that made him look human, which now is gone, he acts like a human. Living in the human world will do that to anyone.
"So, any chance not friends and not enemies can hang out?"
The way he asks makes me think he might be as lonely as I am. I'm not sure that's possible, but it makes me hopeful. Because there is one thing that he can help me with.
"How about we spar?"
His face lights up once more, and he doesn't hesitate to come stand in front of me. I'm still dressed in my leggings and t-shirt, which might not last that long. I have a feeling one day, I'll wake up and all of my clothes will be gone. Besides the gowns the queen wants me to wear.
Julian is dressed more formally, how I've seen others dressed in the palace. Derek wears much fancier clothes, but who cares about Derek?
Get a grip on yourself, Avery. Work with what's in front of you.
I take my stance and motion for Julian to attack. He doesn't hesitate, falling easily to our old routine. After all, he's the one that helped me sharpen my fighting skills when I was in Arizona.
It seems so surreal that that life was only three weeks ago. It seems like a lifetime has gone by between now and then. My mind is lost in thought, so when Julian kicks me in the stomach, I don't block it. I stumble back, and he's immediately by my side.
"I didn't mean—”
I don't let him finish. I kick out with my own foot, landing a solid blow to his stomach. Now that I know he's built sturdier, I can practice without holding back. I've gotten stronger, I can tell that already. He punches, and I dodge, delivering my own uppercut.
Our dance continues, a familiar rhythm to our movements. Sweat collects on my forehead. I feel exhilarated for the first time in days.
Punch.
Dodge.
Kick.
Punch.
Dodge.
Punch.
We keep moving, bouncing around each other, both of our muscles working off memory. It finally feels like I'm doing something, instead of sitting in one spot, waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's hard to stay motivated about doing anything when it comes to all of this world destruction when no one has shown me one spell or one book. Like I demanded.
Okay, demand is a harsh word. I asked nicely but firmly. The queen keeps saying she'll get to it, but I'm starting to think she brought me here only to keep me locked up. Easier to control me that way.
When Julian continues to dodge my punches, I throw my whole body at him. We drop together, landing with him beneath me and me straddling him across the middle.
"I still got it," I say, satisfied with myself.
I feel him before I see him. Turning to my left, I find Derek at the edge of the courtyard, watching Julian and me with an unreadable expression. But everything about him has been unreadable. He's become completely the opposite of everything I knew from the moment we stepped foot on this soil.
"The queen is asking for you," he says now, his gaze shifting between Julian and me. I stand, rearranging my clothes a little. When Julian is beside me, he takes one look at Derek and turns to me.
"I'll see you later."
And then he's gone. Derek and I stare at each other, but there's really nothing to say. He pivots to walk back into the palace, and I hurry to follow behind.
Chapter 21
Queen Svetlana is in another room I haven't seen until now. There seems to be a very large number of them. The dress she has on barely covers all of her private bits, and the rest is completely sheer. She lays across one of the love seats, completely unbothered. I try not to show my unease.
"You are wearing your human garb again. Why?"
"I was in the courtyard for exercise. I didn't think you wanted me to get your gowns dirty."
"You could always train naked."
I glare at her, but I don't think she even realizes what she said. She’s serious. It's just the way of life for her. So, I don't comment, waiting to hear why I've been summoned. In the short time I've been here, I've learned quickly that she doesn't like to be left waiting. And that's precisely what I continuously do to her.
"Your parents are safe for the time being," she finally announces, as if the words are a bother to say. Keeping my expression in control almost hurts.
"I need proof."
"I figured you would."
She waves her hand, and Derek motions for me to walk over to one of the mirrors hanging in the room. They seem to have more than one, in every area of the palace. He stops me in front of the mirror. I glance at him in question, but he simply inclines his head toward the reflection.
As I watch, the reflection ripples, much like a portal would. Then, my parents are there. They're in the kitchen having a conversation. They both look so good but tired. I've caused that.
"Mom? Dad?"
"They can't hear you," Derek says softly, coming a step closer. "The queen sent one of the wisps to check in on them."
That's why there's a gentle glow around the image. I'm seeing it through the eyes of the wisp. Then, the wisp moves, and I have to stop myself from moving forward to stop it. There's my backyard and then, right beyond the tree line, I see two shadows.
"They'll be nearby if anything happens."
I glance at Derek, too sad for a second to care about hiding my emotions. He stares into my face. In this moment, we're back at the cabin, and he's there for me. Then, everything comes back. I blink, and we're back on our individual sides of the court.
"Satisfied?" Queen Svetlana calls out, and I focus my attention on her.
"Not nearly enough, but it will do for now."
"You drive a hard bargain, Miss Kincaid. You are different than I thought you would be."
"I could say the same thing."
Walking back over to stand in front of the love seat, I place my hands on my hips and stare her down. The less fear I show, the more respect I earn. That's true for every species.
I truly don't understand her. She seems so nonchalant for someone who is apparently fighting a war. When I first met her, she was harsh and determined. Now she looks half drunk at eleven in the morning, as if she couldn’t care less about anything. I really don't understand these people.
Just then, the doors open, and a small crowd pours in. Most of them aren't dressed at all. I realize this must be their day off. Slowly, I start backing out of the room, but she's not done with me.
"Now that you have your proof," she comments, sitting up more fully. I notice that her eyes are a lot clearer than they were a second ago. She too is playing a part. "You may start on your lessons. I expect results."
"Great. Show me one of your secret books, and I'll see what I can do."
"No," she says, leaning back once more. "I have something else in mind. Derek will fill you in."
She waves her hand then, dismissing us. I can't wait to get out of the room fast enough. Once the door shuts behind us, I hear bouts of laughter and something else. I move away before I hear too much.
"Glad she has time to host parties," I mumble, as we walk back toward my room.
"She too has a part to play," Derek replies, clearly hearing me.
"Please, I've seen what goes on behind these walls. I'd say doors, but no one ever bothers to close them."
"She has to keep her people happy and her allies happier. It's not an easy task."
"Didn't mean to offend your mother," I say, raising my hands in the air, as if I'm warding
off an attack. I'm being a brat, but that's apparently my defense mechanism when it comes to Derek. He stops walking for a moment. I turn to see what's keeping him. He wants to say something, I can see as much. But then, it's like he shakes himself and that stoic mask is back in place. I should ask him how he turns off his feelings so well. I might need a few lessons in that.
"We should get going."
"You're not trying."
Magic lessons have been going splendidly. It's been three days, and all I want to do is strangle him. The queen thought assigning Derek to train me would work in her favor, but she really forgot the part where I hate him now. This whole learning how to manage my personal magic before I try messing with the book magic seems more like a ploy to keep my hands occupied while not learning what I want to learn.
"Focus."
All Derek does is bark orders at me. If he was ever kind and considerate, he's the complete opposite now. Every time I actually make eye contact with him, it's like looking at a stranger. That makes it easier for me to do this.
I send a blast of my fire right at him. He sidesteps it while glaring at me.
"Focus on the water."
I'd drown him if I could. I roll my eyes, then turn back to the forest. We're on the outskirts of the palace grounds today. My task is to pull all the water from the ground. The problem, however, is that I can't sense much water at all.
"I am focusing on the water," I finally snap, turning to Derek with my hands on my hips. "There's barely any there."
"There's more than you think."
"Whatever. This is stupid."
I spin on my heels and march off into the forest. Derek calls out, but I ignore him. At this point, getting lost and being eaten by a troll sounds like a better time than spending it with Derek.
Okay, fine, I'm being dramatic. But thus is the life of a teenage witch.
"Avery!" Derek catches up to me in record time. "You cannot be wandering off like this."
"What do you care?" I throw over my shoulder, not pausing for a second. "It would look really bad if I suddenly ended up dead, huh?"
He doesn't reply, only mumbles something under his breath. But I'm not stopping to find out what it is. I need distance from him and from my emotions. Every time I see him, I'm reminded just how stupid I was to trust him. Even an iota.
We continue in silence then, with him a few feet behind me. Close enough for a rescue but far enough that it feels like I'm in the forest alone.
I have to admit, Faery does understand beauty. Even the regular type of trees look more majestic here somehow. The trunks are wider, sturdier. The leaves bigger and brighter. It's as if there's a saturation filter on everything, making the picture the sharpest it can be.
It would be easy to get pulled into its beauty and forget all the ugliness that is right below the surface. I've seen the cruel smiles, the extravagant parties that are nothing but indulgences into every known lust. I've also seen the way those who have wronged them are treated, if the daily executions or torture activities are any indication. Although, I've heard those more than seen. Nora has been keeping me in my room when that happens.
This place may be beautiful on the outside, but it's rotten on the inside. Nothing will change my mind about that.
When the shouting starts, I don't hesitate. Derek calls my name, but it's like my body is prepped for this. I take off toward the noise without a second thought. He's faster than me though, so the moment before I break through the trees, he's on me.
"Let go!"
"Will you shut up for a second?" He wraps his arms around my whole body, pinning my own arms at my sides. My magic flares up, but then his face is right near mine, and his next words are spoken directly into my ear. "Please don't fight me on this."
Instantly, my body relaxes again him. Not by some magic, but because of the way he says the words. There's real emotion there—fear for my safety—and I can't ignore it. This sounds more like the guy I got to know in that cabin. The guy I trusted.
"What's happening?" I ask, this time keeping my voice low as the sound of screaming intensifies around us. We're back near the palace now, but I can't see much through the trees. Derek puts me back on my feet, but he doesn't move away.
"The village is under attack."
"What?"
That seems unreal. The village is farther down. There's a whole lot of plain fields and forest between the palace and the village.
"There's a small collection of houses on the other side of that tower." Derek points, and I can make out the shape of it through the branches. The tower is opposite of where my room is. Because the palace is so huge, I haven't been anywhere near it.
"Those who work in the palace live in the smaller village. The houses are bigger and nicer. It's part of the incentive."
That makes sense. Just then, more screams fill the air, as if the volume was turned up. The ground shakes with magic. Every part of me is itching to get into the fight. I don't understand it, but it's like I need to protect the land I stand on.
"We have to help," I say, turning to look at Derek. "We have to. There are children there."
"You're not ready."
"Don't tell me what I am. If that's the only reason you're standing here and not out there fighting, stop it. I can help. We both can."
I can see he wants to. Just like there's a burning desire inside of me, it's in him as well. Which makes this more confusing, but then he looks into my eyes and he trusts me.
"Come on."
He grabs my hand, pulling me behind him as we take off toward the village.
Chapter 22
When we reach the side of the village, we're met with chaos. Areas are burning, the smoke rising high above the tops of the trees. There's more of it in the air than there should be. I realize the village below is burning too.
"Why didn't they stop them?"
"We had no warning."
Looking at Derek now, I see the horror on his face. He's not trying to hide it from me. He's feeling it all. Maybe he has to be so careful with his emotions because he feels them so much more deeply than others. I squeeze the hand I'm still holding, and he seems to come back to himself.
When I turn back to the scene in front of us, a group of werewolves rush by, chasing a few of the workers. Being this close, I can smell the fire and the burning flesh. And blood, so much blood. I can see it staining the ground near the houses.
"Those things are real," I comment, because for some reason I thought Derek made them up when he and Julian pulled his trick.
"They were back then too." I glance at him sharply, but his eyes are on the scene. "We just used what was available to us in the spur of the moment."
"You know that makes this worse."
He looks at me then. "I know."
"Good. I'll let you make it up to me later."
With that, I rip my hand from his hold and race into the fray. Derek yells, but I'm already halfway there, and the werewolves have seen me. Two rush out to meet me, but my magic is already on my fingertips. One hand forms fire, the other water. Two complete opposites, one incredible power. I thrust my hands in front of me, pushing both at the oncoming werewolves. They're swept straight off their feet, encompassed in the magic.
One drowns while the other burns.
And the sight makes me grin.
The smell of their dying flesh exhilarates me somehow. I have no time to process that information before Derek is there, throwing a blast of his own magic at one of the creatures coming toward me.
"Enjoying yourself?"
"Immensely."
It's strange to feel this excited, but it feels right somehow. As if I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing.
Back to back, Derek and I move farther into the madness. I wasn't imagining the blood on the ground or the bodies shredded into pieces. These creatures are ruthless and they're here destroying what's mine.
Mine.
Mine.
Mine.
The word keeps ringin
g in my head, but I don't understand. It means nothing. It should mean nothing. But it feels right. Oh so right.
I send another blast of my magic at a group of creatures, sending them flying in opposite directions. Derek and I don't stop our progress. A part of me wishes I had a sword, so I could have more face to face combat.
What is happening to me?
I don't understand my thoughts. I'm flying high on my magic. Something is happening, and I can't put a name to it.
"Help! Please!" Sobbing reaches my ear, and I pivot toward the sound. Derek is right on my heels as we round the corner, coming face to face with a group of five of these creatures. They're werewolves, yes. But they're also bigger than last time I saw them. Nearing ten feet tall. And more rabid.
"Get away from them!" I shout. I can't see where the wolves end and the innocents begin. If I blast them with my magic, I might hurt one of the very people I'm supposed to be saving. The creatures turn to look at us, and I almost take a step back. Their eyes are red and bloodshot. The rabid part wasn't that far off because they look like they're full of something.
But they're lucid enough that they don't move away, and they don't attack.
"Derek, can you get to them?"
"I don't think so."
Our magic is precise, but if we can't actually see who's who, we might make a mess of things. My mind races with possibilities. The only thing I can come up with is rushing at them. Which probably won't end that well for us, but we have to do something.
And then, I hear it. Over the growling and the screaming in other parts of the village, a tiny sniffle and then,
"Mama?"
That one word goes straight to my heart. I pinpoint all of my focus toward it. The child is somewhere behind this wall of wolves, and he's crying. His little body shakes as he calls to his mom.
Something starts within me, a boiling of sorts. Much like on the highway, I can't tell exactly what's happening, but I don't hesitate to plunge myself right into it.
The magic swirls, rising higher and higher until it is the only part of me that is real. Water and fire dance together as it encompasses me from within. My shoulders snap back. My head falls backward, the power rushing through me. Then, like a butterfly coming out of her cocoon, my magic unfurls all around me.