Second Transgression

by Wendi L. Wilson

  “Come now, Rory,” he chides, his eyebrows dropping low over his eyes. “Do not pretend you haven’t wondered why I’ve collected all these powerful faeries. Why I’ve created classes for them to attend and trained them in magical and physical combat.”

  “I have wondered,” I answer honestly, “but I’ve been unable to hazard even a guess.”

  His smile is as terrifying as it is genuine. My heartrate spikes, fear and anticipation warring for supremacy inside me. This is it. The moment I’ve been waiting for.

  “That is because the magic of this place keeps anyone, even powerful Fae like you, from discovering the truth. Whenever someone tries to work it out, they draw a blank. It’s beautiful, really. So simplistic, yet so effective.”

  I keep my face completely passive, but my mind is running about a thousand miles per minute. His words ring with a truth I cannot deny.

  No matter how many times I have tried to work out what he’s doing, I haven’t been able to figure it out. Jax has been here over a decade and he’s still clueless. I shake my head as one corner of my mouth lifts into a smirk I can’t hold back.

  “Genius.”

  Echo barks out a laugh, and I know I’ve said the right thing. I can’t let any disappointment or frustration show on my face or be heard in my words. I need to pump up his ego and grow his trust.

  I can figure out why I’m not impervious to this magic later, when I’m alone. There has to be a reason why it works on me when most other forms of Glamour and magic do not.

  “It is, isn’t it?” he quips, then hunches over while giving me a serious look. “You will be privy to all the details in good time. For the next few days, we will train. Afterward, you will return to your old cell and your regular schedule. I’ll expect you to exert your dominance over the others and establish yourself as their leader. Once you accomplish that, you will be ready to learn the whole truth and together, we can take the next step in bringing my genius plan to fruition.”

  In other words, I have to prove myself worthy first, then he’ll tell me everything.

  “Yes, sir,” I say.

  He smiles and motions for me to finish my ice cream, but the food has gone rancid in my stomach. If I try to eat any more, I might puke all over this fancy table.

  “I couldn’t eat another bite,” I say gently. “Dinner was wonderful. Thank you.”

  “Of course,” he says. “You may be excused. I’ll send someone to fetch you bright and early to start training, so do try to get some rest.”

  I nod and rise, keeping my pace slow and measured until I’m out of the room. Once out in the hall, I collapse against the wall. Finally, I’m getting somewhere. There’s an end in sight. So close, I can almost taste it.

  If I play my cards right, Echo will tell me everything, and I’ll have all the ammunition I need to bring him, and this place, tumbling down. Nothing will remain but the ashes.

  I GROAN and roll over onto my side, pulling the covers over my head. I’ve been lying in bed for hours, trying to work out what kind of magic Echo is using to keep everyone confused about this place. I figure if I can decipher the source, I can work out a way to get around it and make everything clear.

  So far, I’ve failed miserably.

  I know I need to sleep. Morning is going to come sooner than I’d like, and I can’t be tired and sluggish. Echo would be suspicious, at the very least. He could even find me unworthy, and this whole thing would be over.

  I uncover my head and pull the magic of air, sending a cool breeze across my face. Tugging on earth, I fill the air with the scent of lavender. I inhale deeply, and my body sags with relaxation. The wind’s caress reminds me of Asher, and visions of him swim through my head as I drift off to sleep.

  I dream of days outside these walls, where everything is as it should be. Time with my family, classes at the academy with Lark and the others. And Asher’s hand firmly clasped in mine.

  The dreams twist into nightmares in which the whole world burns with blue fire. I watch my friends die around me and there’s nothing I can do about it. I watch Asher walk away, his arm around a mysterious blonde as I scream for it all to stop.

  But it doesn’t stop. Everything continues to burn until I startle awake with tears on my cheeks.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “Today, I want you to show me the extent of your ability to conjure complex items,” Echo says as he detaches the gold bracelet from my wrist. “The wooden dummy was excellent, and I suspect its creation only scratched the surface of your abilities.”

  I rub my now-bare wrist as I listen to his instructions. We’re in his personal workout space, and I can only assume there’s no need for a device to deactivate the bracelet’s magic in here—which is why he had to remove it from my arm.

  I consider his words, quickly deciding to follow them to the letter. When he saw my elemental magic, it spurred him to bring me closer into his inner circle and consider me instrumental in his plan. Impressing him now will only solidify his decision.

  “What would you like me to create?”

  His head tilts sideways. “Are you saying you can conjure anything?”

  I shrug. “Barring any living beings, yes.”

  His eyes light with excitement, their gray color turning more silver. He taps a finger against his chin for a moment, then nods.

  “Conjure a selection of weapons. Start with the simplest of designs, then more complex with each one you create. Let’s see how far you can go.”

  I nod and quickly conjure a long table to hold my weapons. As soon as it solidifies, I create a rock on its surface, which makes him chuckle.

  “A crude weapon, to be sure.”

  Before the last words leave his mouth, a small knife appears beside it. Then a large, double-edged sword.

  “Impressive,” he mumbles. “Your speed is remarkable, but let’s see how quickly you can create more complex machinery.”

  I hold eye contact with him as a small handgun clanks against the wooden table top. Echo walks over and picks it up. Cocking back the hammer, he aims it at a far wall and pulls the trigger. The loud bang makes me flinch as the weapon fires and the bullet pierces the wood paneling.

  “It works,” he says, placing it back on the table, where a larger, semi-automatic weapon appears next to it.

  I wouldn’t be able to make the guns if we hadn’t studied human history at the academy. There was a whole section on weapons and warfare. Faeries don’t use physical weapons. We fight with magic and our bodies.

  It makes me wonder why Echo would request these, in particular. I can only guess he assumed I wouldn’t be able to do it because I’d have no knowledge of it.

  Luckily for my eardrums, he doesn’t test the larger gun. He just waits for me to perform.

  I consider my options for a moment, quickly rejecting the idea of trying to make a missile or a bomb. Even if I created it correctly and didn’t blow us up on the spot, who knows what Echo would do with them afterward?

  An idea comes to me, and I smile. It’s perfect.

  I create a small coin made of silver, infusing it with magic as it forms. I can’t charm it as fast as Lark was able to, but its creation is still quick compared to most faeries’ abilities. I watch Echo’s expression as it clinks onto the table. He arches a brow at me before plucking it from the surface.

  As soon as his fingers wrap around it, his eyes roll back in his head and he starts to crumple. I shoot air toward him, holding him upright as the coin slips from his useless fingers. When he loses contact with it, his consciousness returns. I pull back the air when he appears to have regained full use of his body.

  “What was that?” he asks, his eyebrows nearly meeting his hairline.

  “The best weapons are the ones you don’t know can hurt you. Am I right?” I bend over and pick up the now-harmless coin, holding it up between us. “I infused this coin with magic that would knock a single person unconscious as long as they held it. Once you dropped it, the magic dissipated,
leaving it useless, yet also untraceable.”

  I flick the coin to him and he catches it in his hand without reservation. He flips it over and over, staring at it intently before looking back at me with wide eyes.

  “There is no magical signature on this. No indication it ever held a spell.” His face transforms, filling with malicious delight. “Very impressive.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  We break for lunch and, thankfully, Echo claims to have business to attend to so I get to eat alone in my room. I sit in front of one of the large windows, watch the clouds drift by as I munch on a ham sandwich and potato chips.

  I wonder what the others are having for lunch. What they’re talking about. If they hate me or maybe they’re just over it. Over me.

  I wonder if Asher has kissed the girl I saw him with.

  I’m glad I didn’t make the mistake of telling him how I feel. If he were to know my true feelings, that I’m in love with him, it would make everything so much harder.

  As it is, he probably assumes I was toying with him much the way that girl Lilah from his past did. Because didn’t I do the same thing? Didn’t I make him care about me, only to cut him to the core with wicked words and actions?

  I didn’t mean any of it, but he doesn’t know that. I’m sure he thinks the worst.

  Visions of us being together dance through my head, and a bittersweet smile curves my lips. I imagine taking Asher home and introducing him to my family. My mother would love him. Dad would grill him and embarrass me, but I’m sure that they’d discover a mutual respect in the end.

  Robbie and Jules would drool all over him and Great-grandpa Robin would probably scare him to death. Grandpa Cris, Grandma Ellie, and Grandma Freya would all sit back and laugh at the spectacle.

  I imagine Lark there with us, too. She and Aunt Shaela would be like two peas in a pod, making fun of Asher and me as we navigated our way through all my relatives.

  We could be happy again. All of us.

  I shake off the whimsical thoughts. It’s too late. I’ve done too much damage, even if it was for the right reasons. I hurt them. And they appear to be moving on. At least, Asher has.

  A pain blooms in my chest, and I rub the heel of my hand there to ease it. I can’t let their actions derail me. This is what I wanted. I intentionally hurt them to keep them out of the line of fire. I’ve protected them, and I will continue to do so—even if it means breaking my own heart in the process.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The week flies by in a blur of magic and combat, and by the end I can say I’ve truly benefitted from Echo’s tutelage. Maybe not so much on the magic front, but he definitely taught me a few tricks of hand-to-hand combat that will come in handy.

  I’ve also earned more of his trust. He hasn’t told me everything yet, but he is more at ease in my presence, doesn’t hesitate to turn his back on me, and has deemed me ready to return to the general population for phase two of his plan.

  I am to establish dominance and propel myself to the role of leader among the other inmates. And to aid me to that end, at least in his eyes, Echo has removed the magic in my gold bracelet. He warned me not to let the others discover its uselessness, as it could cause some rebellion, and I readily agreed.

  Of course, he doesn’t know I’ve been doing that all along, and that the only person I’ve been worried about taking notice of my magic was him.

  So, here I am, back in my old cell with its cracked ceiling and windowless walls, and I can’t wipe the smile off my face. This is it. After all these weeks, I’ve finally made some progress. I finally have some real hope of accomplishing the mission Puck set me on.

  And I’m that much closer to getting out of here and back to my family.

  There’s a knock on my door, the sound making my heart jump into my throat. I’m not ready to face Lark, Asher or the others yet, and if it’s one of them out there knocking, I don’t know what I’ll do.

  I bend over and look through the open slot. A pair of men’s hips covered by black uniform pants has me releasing a pent-up breath. I call out and the door swings open, revealing Jax.

  “Hello, Officer Woodrow,” I say respectfully in the event anyone is listening. “How can I help you?”

  “Hello, Inmate Finley,” he replies, his voice just as formal. “I’m just checking to make sure you have settled in and everything is going smoothly.”

  His words and the look in his eyes tell me we are being monitored, and that veiling us from being heard right now would raise the highest suspicion. I decide to just go with it and hope he can somehow get his point across without revealing anything of our connection.

  “Well,” I say, waving a hand around my cell, “it’s got nothing on the room I stayed in this week, but it’s mine. Everything is good.”

  “Excellent.” He glances over his shoulder before reaching out a hand for me to shake. “Take care, and let me know if there is anything you need.”

  I grip his hand in mine and shake it, closing my hand around a slip of paper as he withdraws and spins to leave. I trail him to the door and peek out, seeing a couple of other guards loitering around in the hall. Pulling back inside, I close the door and throw up a privacy shield.

  “I guess Echo still has some trust issues,” I mumble as I make my way to the bed. “Smart man.”

  I unfold the paper, my fingers crossed that Jax has decided to explain the last cryptic note he gave me. Of course, he hasn’t. That would be too easy. Too direct. And not at all Jax Woodrow.

  Instead, I read words I didn’t expect.

  I’m meeting with our mutual friend tonight. If you have a message, write it down and slip it to me in the common room this afternoon—with discretion, of course.

  Jax is meeting with my great-grandfather. Tonight. And I can send him a message.

  I throw myself back on the bed and stare at the ceiling, wondering what I should say to Puck. Something like, I’m okay. I love you. Or, Send help.

  Or, Get me out of here!

  But no, I refuse to ask for assistance. Robin Goodman believes in me, and has faith that I can do this. I need to prove him right. I also need to prove to myself that I can handle tough situations, think on my feet, and have the patience and perseverance to see a plan to its end.

  I will be queen one day, after all. And I know from watching my parents that all of those traits are absolutely necessary when dealing with the Fae population.

  So I sit up, conjure up a pencil, flip the note over, and begin to write.

  Everything is going to plan. I’ve earned his trust and have been placed in a position to learn everything. I just need time. I love you, F.

  I fold the note into a small square and tuck it into my pocket, where it’ll be safe until I can pass it to Jax. I stretch back out on the bed and tuck my hands behind my head, staring at the familiar cracks in the ceiling as I try to work out a way to put myself into a leadership position with the other inmates.

  I could challenge them in magical combat to exert my dominance, but that seems downright archaic. Besides, I want them to respect me, not fear me. I need them to have my back and follow my lead, even if it seems I’m leading them down a path of darkness for Echo’s benefit. They have to trust me.

  The simplest solution is magic. I can use Glamour to make them completely devoted and loyal to me, and since my bracelet has been deactivated, I don’t even have to hide my use of it from Echo.

  The plan is perfect, save for one flaw—Glamour should wear off over time. And the fact that mine doesn’t is one of the things I don’t want Echo to know about. I have a feeling I’m going to need to keep that one in my back pocket for a rainy day.

  So, if I decide Glamour is the best way to go, I’ll have to be sure to be seen “reinforcing” it regularly so he doesn’t get suspicious. Later on I could claim that the Glamour jumpstarted my rise to leadership, and the other inmates grew to respect me on their own without it over time.

  I nod to myself. It could work.


  With that plan in place, my mind automatically moves on to the Con Crew. I will surely see Asher, Lark, Cedric, Jolene, and Acadia in the common room. And probably the Sylph they seem to have replaced me with.

  I drop the snarl that twists my face and sigh. That wasn’t fair. I only saw Asher talking to the girl. The others actually seemed somewhat alarmed, so maybe there’s hope. Maybe they haven’t completely written me off and I can make them understand why I did what I did.

  And while it might be too late for Asher and I to continue down the path we were headed, maybe we could still be friends. My gut twists at the thought, making me want to puke. I breathe through it until the feeling passes.

  What’s done, is done. I crossed that bridge, set it ablaze, then threw accelerant on the flames when I said those horrible things to him.

  We both know you’re not good enough for me, and I was only toying with you for my own entertainment.

  A shiver passes through me as my eyes begin to sting with unshed tears. I’d said things to Lark that were just as hurtful. Acadia, too. But while I’m certain Asher will never forgive, I still have hope the others will. Once I explain my motives and assure them that I didn’t mean it, I think, given time, they’ll come to care about me again.

  Asher, on the other hand, had been hurt too badly by others before me. I knew his pain and regret, and I used it against him in the worst way. Even if I could convince him I was pretending, I don’t think he could ever trust me again.

  Besides, he’s moved on. No matter what I do, I’m not going to get a happy ending with him by my side. I’ll just have to figure out how to make myself happy. And maybe one day, I’ll be able to find love again.

  I sit up as the sound of footsteps nears my door. I hold my breath, wondering if one of the Con Crew has come to see me. Even if it’s to chew me out, I’ll take it. They can say whatever they want to me, as long as they forgive me in the end.

  Someone further down the corridor shouts a greeting, and the footsteps continue past my door without pause. The sound of more people echoes through the room, and I realize it must be lunchtime.