by N. M. Howell
“Rainara.” Raina took the scepter. Its intricate design put it far outside the human aesthetic, although it was not nearly as finely formed as Light Fae objects.
The woman dropped her shoulders and cocked her head at an angle. “Both hands?”
“Right.” She put both hands on the haft, a braid of dozens of strands of gold, each end swirling and winding into a texture that formed the head of the ornate staff.
As she gripped the gold, a symbol glowed to life on the assessor’s forehead. The deep purple light fell on Raina. She expected to experience something, but no sensation registered on her skin. Raina recognized the illuminated glyph. In the Light Fae language, it meant healer. But in Dark Fae, the symbol meant inquisitor, torturer. At least, as far as her understanding of the Dark meaning of Fae glyphs went.
Raina took a long, slow breath. Once upon a time, when the portal was open, casting a simple Phaze of Disregard took no more effort than breathing. Now, she trembled inside, trying to generate a shield against the assessor’s probing. It took all of her concentration.
“Why so tense, girly?” The assessor scowled at her, then smirked at Jax. “You collect nervous novices like old ladies collect cats.”
Silently, Raina thanked the gods that the woman put so little effort into the assessment.
“Okey-doke, no Shadow Fae presence in your aura. That’s a strike. In my opinion, anyway.” The woman shrugged. “Lots of depressing pink and gold.”
The woman passed her hands through the air between them, eyes intense. Raina recognized the gestures as meaningless, perhaps a show to convince humans she was performing some kind of seeking ritual. In a few seconds, the assessor took the scepter back.
“Sorry to tell you, but you’ve got nada magic in you, girly.” The woman gripped the catalogue from the examination bed where Raina had laid it. “I suggest you sign up for Pre-Magic Studies, but only because we don’t offer Pre-Pre-Magic Studies. Hopefully, if you pay enough attention and work hard, you might learn some basic magic. I don’t hold out much hope, though.”
“Ernella.” Jax chided her, arms folded.
The assessor rolled her eyes. “Get outta here, I’m late for lunch. Don’t let the door hit your asses on the way out.”
They exited, the door slamming as they stood in the hall. Jax lifted his shoulders in a sympathetic shrug.
“Thanks for staying with me.”
A thoughtful smile played over his features. “I’m looking forward to having you in my class.”
“Me too.” Raina felt a little rush at his words, and told herself to tone it down.
“Better get yourself registered in a few more classes. Orientation is coming right up. Do you need me to show you out?”
Raina shook her head. “I think I’m getting the hang of this place.”
“Okay, good. You might want to explore the campus, the compound, a little. I have to try to polish some of the dust off my lectures. I’m looking forward to seeing you again.” He leaned a little closer. “Soon.”
“Soon,” she breathed in response.
With a wave, Jax headed off down the corridor. Raina found herself watching him until he turned the corner.
The trilling feeling she felt in his presence quickly faded. Words echoed in her head. You’ve got nada magic in you, girly. Raina almost panicked, wondering if it were true.
With the portal open, Raina could draw magic from it. It made her glow, the way neon gas glowed when an electric current passed through it. It was never enough to truly sustain her. She would make frequent visits to Oreálle, to soak up the life-giving energy of the realm. Now, after all these years, was she finally depleted? Could that be the reason she so easily passed for human?
She had to get the damned portal open again. First, she had to work up the courage to see the damage. Bracing herself, she strode through the halls of the academy toward the back door, toward the shores of the Lake in Central Park, toward the shattered threshold to her home.
The sight of the shattered threshold was like sleet in her soul. It rimmed the lake in a brief semicircle, manipulated natural stone, almost exactly as she remembered. Except it looked as if five thousand years had passed rather than five. Footprints marred the glyphs, the top worn down by thousands of visitors, maybe attempting to travel to another dimension on a dare.
It was strange to her eyes to see upper Central Park and the Manhattan skyline through the space above the rim. For nearly all her life, the view was of the Great Meadow surrounded by ancient trees, sun-dappled, the moon near the horizon. She stood at the edge of the circular stone pedestal, craning, but the city still remained where once an entirely different realm was in view.
Tall stepping stones that led from the pedestal through the portal were missing, indentations in the grass below indicating their placement before removal. She watched a few human teenagers hoist themselves up on the chest-high rim and walk it like a balance beam. When the portal functioned, the illusion of a grand Fae building kept all but the most determined curiosity seeker from the gateway proper. Now, an actual solid building stood in its place, posing no deterrent whatsoever.
Carefully, Raina clambered off the pedestal and crossed the patch of long grass. Hidden rocks rolled underfoot, either rubble from the construction or detritus from the devastating magical attack from years before. At last she reached the bottom of the portal casement. She noted a tremble in her hands as she reached out to touch the beautifully manipulated bedrock.
“Raina.”
The voice was so clear, she nearly looked around for the speaker. But as the voice sounded at the same time she placed her palms on the stone, she knew only she could hear it.
“Father?” She whispered. The voice sounded male, deep though far away. Echoing whispers followed, but she couldn’t make out the words. Holding her breath, eyes closed, she focused. When the voice faded, she sighed and hoisted herself to the top of the rim.
She was so caught up in trying to decipher the voice, she forgot about the loose stones underfoot. As she lunged to gain the top, her feet slipped out from under her. Scrabbling desperately to keep from smashing her face into the rim, she gripped the stone. A sharp pain slashed her right palm. With a grunt, she pulled herself onto the top.
Cradling her hand, she walked down the descending ridges to the shore of the lake. The cut didn’t look too bad, but it was bleeding. She knew eventually, without magic, that disease and infection would soon become a problem for her. What she should do was wash the cut. The Lake in Central Park didn’t seem like a particularly good place to do that.
A drop of blood rolled off the blade of her hand and into the water. She stared at the tiny ripples it made. She couldn’t breathe.
Eyes stared back at her, visible only in the mildly disturbed surface, kindly eyes though wide with fear. Dimly, she saw the mouth moving, but heard no sound, in her head or otherwise.
“Father?” She leaned over, closer. “Daddy?”
Almost as soon as they had begun, the ripples smoothed out. The face just beneath the surface vanished. Or had she just imagined it? Her father was on her mind, that’s what made it seem like the face was his.
Raina sat back on the bank. From her cargo pants, she drew some tissues and held them against the wound. Her eyes strayed to the horizon, hoping to see the old growth forest of Oreálle. She strained her ears to hear a voice from home. Instead, she heard the light fall of joggers’ feet, saw the Dakota apartments in the near distance. There was no trace of home.
Homesick, heartsick, she felt a deep sorrow welling up, threatening to overwhelm her. Raina wanted to put her head in her hands and cry. In one night, the greatest achievement of the Light Fae had been wiped out. Why had she even come back here? New York was no closer to Oreálle than Outer Mongolia, Antarctica, or the Moon. It was another dimension, and the one doorway to it was crushed out of existence. What could one, slender little Fae do? She was alone in a city of millions, enemies easily camouflaged among them.
>
A bell tolled, loud enough to make her nearly jump out of her skin.
Raina looked for the source. It issued from the ugly school behind her. When the bell boomed again, she saw that none of the joggers, dog-walkers, or homeless took any notices, even though the sound shook her teeth in their sockets and vibrated through her stomach.
Did the bell call only to her? She stood, leaped back over the rim. If there was a way to reopen the portal, the Dark Fae must know it. After all, they were the ones who shut it, even if the humans seemed oblivious to this. If she was to learn how to access her home, the only place she might was in the Dark Fae’s own school.
Determined, she walked back into the glowering building of the academy.
7
Unlike her first tour through the school, the halls now teemed with people, mostly young humans, but a smattering of people of all ages and backgrounds, as well as several Dark Fae, all headed in the same direction, the direction of the tolling bell. Raina let herself be drawn along, buried in the happy chatter of excited students. She ground her teeth. This should be a somber place, not a big party.
The throng poured into a large room occupied by a heard of tables, wide doorways drawing most of the crowd, who were disgorged through a second doorway holding trays. Raina almost laughed. All that ruckus was just the lunch bell?
Not knowing how much the food cost, she decided against getting in the line, despite her hunger. Raina found an unoccupied table in the corner. From here, she could observe the student body, overhear a few conversations, maybe learn something.
As she dropped into the plastic chair, Raina rebounded to her feet against her will. What the? Nerves? She sat again, but once more bounced to her feet. She looked at the chair, which was a normal institutional plastic seat, ugly green, otherwise featureless. One hand on the back of the seat, she levered herself down. Nope. She was up again, as if standing at attention.
She heard a giggle.
Raina focused on the sound, and Trini appeared in view. Her left palm was raised, fingers splayed and cupped. The half-fae was spelling her!
Trini rolled her eyes, and gestured Raina over.
Reluctantly, Raina moved closer. She didn’t like being spelled. Worse, she didn’t like the fact that without energy from her realm, she could be spelled by a half-blood Dark Fae.
“What the hell were you doing over there?” Trini vaguely waved a hand and a chair scuffed out from the table. “You too good to sit with me, Friend?”
Raina took the seat, half-expecting to be jolted to her feet again. “I didn’t see you here.” Her mind was on other things.
“Oh, right. It’s called a Phaze of Disregard. It keeps people from seeing me and bothering me. It’s a pretty simple spell. Maybe you can master it by the time you graduate. Nice to see you enrolled.”
Raina frowned. “How did you know I enrolled?”
With her consistent eye roll, Trini pointed to the catalogue in Raina’s hand. “First off, you have that. Second, the only people who can hear the lunch bell are students. Otherwise, we’d be overrun by freeloaders. The wards couldn’t keep them all out. If I had known you’d signed up, I would’ve left you out of the Phaze. That’s a little more advanced. I’m not sure if a human could even pull it off.”
“Wow.” Though she tried to look impressed, Raina could draw on a Phaze of Disregard faster than an overcoat. And if she spelled Trini out of her seat with an Intent Transitive, the woman would be landing in the lake. “I hope I’m up to it. The assessor said I have no magical ability at all.”
“They can do a lot for you here,” Trini said, her words for once sincere. “Frankly, I wonder why Derek isn’t a student. You’d think a Moth-Boy like that couldn’t resist getting in on a few Fae secrets.”
Raina shrugged. “I think it might be the location.”
“Sure. I get that.” Trini sounded the opposite of understanding. “At least we’re making a positive out of a negative here.”
It was a little strange that Derek wasn’t enrolled. There was no bigger Glow-Getter than Derek. She’d seen him at every event in town that even hinted that the Fae might be involved. His father’s favor from the Fae Court gave him a lot of access, and he took advantage as much as he could. It was weird that his brother Danny, with two feet planted solidly in the world of human commerce, had taken a Fae bride.
“I’m not sure what’s on Derek’s mind,” Raina said.
Trini tossed her hair and smiled, but he expression didn’t touch her eyes. “Derek, Derek, Derek. Little brother-in-law. He loves to fall in love, and make himself miserable.”
“Is he in love with you?” The question tumbled out of Raina before she could think about it. Did she really want to think about it?
For once, Trini didn’t have a sarcastic reply. Instead she raised her brows and nodded toward the door. “Oo. Jax. He’s pretty yummy.”
Raina watched Jax cross the room, head high, stride loose. A tiny electric charge ran through her. “Okay, I have to admit, he is kinda yummy.”
“Kinda?” Trini protested.
Jax pulled out a chair next to a willowy blonde and gave her a peck on the cheek before sitting. The blonde smiled and ran a hand through his thick black hair.
“Is that his girlfriend?” Again, the question came unbidden. Raina’s heart sank a little, once more not sure if she wanted the answer.
Trini shrugged. “Flora’s half Shadow Fae, like me. She and her brother moved to town after the portal fell. Jax moved in with them. I think their families go back, but I’m a city girl. I don’t know much about Shadow Fae outside New York.”
Raina’s heart plummeted and splashed into something icy. “He lives with her.”
“Might be purely platonic.” Trini held Raina’s eyes seriously for a few heartbeats. Then she exploded into wild laughter. “Oh, come on! Look at them. They’re both drop-dead gorgeous. I’m surprised they can keep their hands off each other.”
Raina frowned. “I guess she’s pretty. If you can get past that Phaze of My Roots Are Showing.”
Trini’s jaw dropped, eyes popping. “Gods beyond, jealous much? You are so bad!”
Blowing out her cheeks, Raina grabbed the catalogue. “Okay, I’ve had enough of this place. I’m outtie.”
“Next time I see you, you better be wearing something sexy,” Trini called.
Raina cast a glance at Jax and Flora, sitting an inch apart and whispering. Damn it, they were an attractive couple. She pulled up her hood and stalked out. This wasn’t what she came here for.
She took the subway to Lower Manhattan, feeling each of the dollars that paid the fare, inexpensive as it was. Wear something sexy. She was wearing every article of clothing she owned. In fact, all of her worldly possessions were stuffed in the pockets of her cargo pants. Stuffed was overstating it.
In the shaking, rattling car, her hand throbbed. Raina looked at it. A shallow cut, not very long, hardly visible. Why did it hurt so bad? Deep in her heart, though she couldn’t bring herself to admit it, the pain wasn’t coming from the wound. It was a reminder that she still had no clue how to get back to her family.
She thought of the portal, the rim, the lake, the calling voice, the face in the tiny ripples made by her blood. For the life of her, she didn’t know what it meant. She felt like she was missing something obvious. Blood, ripples, mirrors… Nothing.
Her mind was still roiling as she transferred to a D Train. Raina had gotten a little taste of Dark Fae magic. While there was no doubt it was magic, it was different in a way she couldn’t put her finger on. As much as she dreaded returning to the awful academy, she needed to learn as much as she could. Even if it put her in danger of being discovered as a Fae princess.
In a way, her loss of magic was a Phaze all its own. No one even considered that she might be a Light Fae spy. Still, she couldn’t let her guard down. Not for one second.
When she entered the building through the store, Lee Wing stormed around, looking like he had a
ttempted to pull his hair out. “Aiya gung sai la!” he shouted over and over. Customers packed the store, lines at two registers so long they got lost in the crowd.
“Raina!” Lee’s features brightened as he saw her.
She elbowed and twisted her way toward him.
“I would never impose,” worried eyes glanced around. He gave her a pleading look. It reminded her so much of Derek’s expressions. “Can you run a cash register?”
The family was putting her up for free. How could she refuse? “I learn quickly.”
“Three people out with the flu. And where is Derek? I thought you two were only going out for lunch.”
Raina had no idea where Derek had gone off to after she entered the Dark Fae school. Before she could answer, Lee led her to an empty register. He set her up with a simple sign on and password, and gave her a ten second lesson. “Don’t worry. I’ll pay you for the shift.”
“You’re already letting me—”
Lee blew a raspberry. “Right. Like your independently wealthy.” He waved over a few customers and disappeared in the flood.
During her time in human-Fae relations, she had taken it upon herself to learn as many languages as she could. Five years had passed since she’d spoken Mandarin or Cantonese. Her pronunciation and vocabulary, delivered with a nervous stutter, mostly garnered only derisive snorts.
It seemed like days passed as she rang people up, the line never ceasing. Demanding and impatient customers shoved goods at her across the counter. A few smiling faces appeared, encouraging her language skills, correcting her in a polite way. Although she felt dead on her feet, Raina started to get the hang of it.
As an eternity of endless scanning and making change ground on, Derek appeared at her side.
“You look ready to die,” he said.