Masking the Fae King: Bramble's Edge Academy Year 2 (Reverse Harem Romance)

by Brenda Trim

  Closing his eyes, Ryker cracked the lid on his elemental powers. He didn’t dare open it too much for fear of them all escaping. He was surrounded by so much noise it took several minutes to drown it all out. The sound of students talking faded first, followed by the sound of insects came next.

  When he was left with the sound of wind rustling in the trees and the splashing of water as the river was manipulated, he decided to leave those. They enhanced his connection to the elements.

  He concentrated on the water. He sensed the molecular makeup along with the rocks and sticks that impeded and adjusted the flow. It didn’t stop at the surface though. Following the trickle through the sand and earth, he realized there was water deep below the surface.

  He only picked up on a few particles here and there until he reached a half mile west of them where he sensed a large underground lake. The edges were very clear and contained. The ocean was further west of that, so he knew it was located below the academy.

  His eyes flew open and he glanced in the direction of the water league. “Have you guys ever practiced at the underground lake?”

  “What underground lake?” Daine asked.

  Professor Desirata joined them a second later with a stern expression on his face. “How did you connect with the lake below the water building?”

  Warning bells went off in Ryker’s head and his mind raced. No way could he allow the professor to discover that he’d managed that. That was way beyond a first-year student. “I didn’t. I couldn’t manage to block out the noise and bond with the water here. One of my mom’s friends told me their classes were all held below ground and I thought that would be easier with fewer distractions.”

  Desirata watched him for several seconds before he smiled. “That is where we used to hold classes. That changed with Gullvieg. We are out here now. Keep working at closing your mind off to distractions.”

  “As long as I’m not graded on my failures today,” Ryker said on a chuckle then resumed his practice.

  When the professor was safely away from them, he turned to Daine and they shared a loaded glance. What was the reason Gullvieg decided against having students practice in their controlled environment?

  When it came to that female the reasons were no doubt nefarious. They needed to find a way into the space to look around. Perhaps that was where the dark object was being kept.

  He hadn’t managed to locate whatever was threatening the student’s lives. Shineah’s words kept echoing in his head, making him even more anxious to find and destroy the thing. Failure was not an option where this was concerned. Otherwise they’d be overrun by wraiths.

  “Yes. The condition is far worse than it ever has been. If something is not done the elements will die and you will all be cut off from what connects you to your magic. If that happens every student and the faculty will become wraiths en masse. Whoever cast this spell, or ordered it, has no idea the powers they are messing with,” Shineah warned.

  It was a relief to have a new location to search. They’d covered most of the campus and come up empty. The others would be just as happy to hear this news. It was nearly impossible to keep his hope in check. For every step forward, he took ten backwards.

  Nothing he could do at the moment except continue mastering his skills. Focusing on the water, the connection sprang to the fore immediately. The professor was right. Once a bond was established, it was easier to try more.

  Needing a bottle, Ryker called on his air element and used a small current to lift and cushion a jar then bring it to him. The glass landed in his palm a second later followed by feminine squeals.

  “Oh, my Gods, Ryker. You are so powerful,” Chelle praised as she rushed to his side along with her two friends. “You have to teach me how you did that.”

  “You aren’t air blessed,” one of her friends pointed out. Chelle turned her head and stuck her tongue out at the other female.

  “He’s already told you he’s not interested,” Daine reminded Chelle.

  “You might want to watch out,” Ryker warned. “I’m going to try and fill my vial.”

  “That’s too advanced for you right now,” Desirata informed him. Ryker had already called the water into a funnel that was rising from the river. A gasp escaped from the students and the professor.

  Realizing his mistake, Ryker forced a shit ton of energy into his request. Water exploded a second later, drenching them. “Sorry. I have no idea what I did. How can I put the molecules back in the riverbed?” It was dry, exposing all of the rocks, debris, and fish flopping around the dirt.

  Desirata listed his hands and drops of water followed the movement. With a gentle wave, he sent them back where they belong. “You need to master the basics before moving to more advanced skills. For now, I want you to try and make gentle waves along the shore focusing very little energy at the molecules.”

  “Got it.” Ryker turned back to the river and felt it respond to his gentle call. He didn’t push any energy toward it. He couldn’t look as if this was easy for him. A large wave crashed against his shoes at that moment, soaking them through.

  Not that it was all that easy for him. Like anything when he was first learning, it took practice. The other students went back to their tasks while Ryker continued making waves.

  It was far more difficult than he thought. It took strict focus along with a slow trickle of energy. There were times surges escaped and caused frothing waves and he had no idea why. He thought he maintained a tight lid on how much he fed the water, but it was obvious he wasn’t familiar enough with what he was doing.

  An hour and a half later, he was relieved to be heading back to the campus. His feet were no doubt wrinkled prunes in his boots, and he was exhausted. He and Daine were the last students leaving the clearing. Ryker wanted to remain as far from Chelle as possible.

  “How soon before that got easier for you?”

  “Not long. And, I bet it will be easier for you sooner than the rest. You’ve already had practice with your air element,” Daine replied.

  Ryker kicked a large rock off the path and into the brush. Rustling followed sounding like small animals running from the projectile. Noticing his laces came untied, he bent to tie them.

  Hands clamped over his shoulders while he was bent over. Ryker lifted his head and saw Daine a few feet ahead, unaware he’d stopped. He managed to shout before being tossed up and over a shoulder.

  He sailed high into the air, making him wonder if a giant had captured him. He really fucking hated the woods. He should stay on campus in his dorm room. That seemed like the only way he would avoid further problems. Shaking his head, he noticed he was being carried by a centaur.

  Hopefully it was one of the ones he met a few weeks ago. His mind churned through a way to get out of his predicament without causing harm in the event it was one of his allies.

  Daine’s voice carried to him as his friend and guard ran through the trees chasing them. Without any idea of what he was going to encounter, he needed Daine at his side.

  “Put me down,” he demanded. When the centaurs steps faltered, Ryker’s hope flared and he renewed his efforts. “You don’t want to fuck with me. Let me go and I won’t hurt you.”

  “Silence,” the centaur growled. “This will be easier if you cooperate.”

  Refusing to be delivered on a silver platter, Ryker started hitting the horse back with rapid blows. When that had no effect, he called on his air element. The winds didn’t deter the beast in the slightest.

  Accessing his earth element, Ryker sent a blast of power that made the ground tremble. The dirt heaved, tripping the centaur. When the creature flew forward, Ryker was thrown from his shoulder.

  Panic consumed every thought in his head, making him flail like a rag doll as he soared past several trees. When his body lost momentum, Ryker had just enough time to brace himself for a hard impact with the ground. His head bounced off a rock turning everything black.

  Chapter 10

  Shaking his hea
d, Ryker groaned and sat up, immediately regretting the movement as bile rose in his throat and pain seared his nerve endings. Lifting his hand, he touched the side of his face where blood seeped from a cut. His head felt like it was about to explode, and his vision was fuzzy around the edges.

  His bleeding stopped within seconds thanks to his fast healing, and the spinning slowed to a stop, as well. When he was able to focus, he wasn’t sure that was a good thing.

  He was in a clearing surrounded by various creatures. There were several unicorns, centaurs, nymphs, brownies, hobs, pixies, and asrai. He’d never seen so many gathered in one place outside the Edge. And, not all of these could be found in the city. Most preferred to live in the forests.

  Typically, these species kept to themselves and didn’t cavort with one another. The fact that they all came together to confront him, or worse was not a good sign. The talisman heated against his chest, telling him they were searching for his identity.

  “What am I doing here?” he asked as he tried to climb to his feet. He ended up on his ass as he wasn’t steady enough to stand.

  Daine came crashing through the underbrush a second later and stopped in his tracks when he caught sight of the beings before him. Despite being outnumbered, Daine continued to Ryker’s side. It was clear his guard would stand between Ryker and danger, even if it cost him his life.

  “We brought you here for help,” the centaur replied to Ryker’s earlier question. It wasn’t the same centaur as they’d encountered in the forest during the trial weeks ago. There was no way to know if this group meant him harm. Asking for help could be a cover.

  Ryker lifted his hand and grabbed Daine. Startled, his friend glanced down and helped him to his feet. “I’m not sure why you brought me here. The professor is likely better able to help. I’m just a student.”

  “We both are,” Daine added.

  A couple of the pixies hovered by their heads, seeming to sniff them. It was hard to tell because they were so small and kept flitting around their heads. Their wings were translucent like many Fae creatures, but they were a fraction of the size of his own. And, they contained several colors with a pearl base.

  After several minutes the pixies flew toward the centaurs and remained there. “One of you has immense power. The hobs felt the power of the King earlier, and traced it to you,” the centaur said and pointed to Ryker, “but you show no signs of it now.”

  The talisman should have hidden his power back when he was at the river. There shouldn’t have been a way for the hob to track him. Was it the surge of energy that made the water explode? If so, why? Thank the Gods it was masking him entirely now, otherwise that could end in disaster.

  He needed to understand what had happened, so he didn’t do it again and potentially reveal himself to more beings in the realm. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I was in class learning how to control my water element.”

  “Maybe you thought it was the King because all of us were using our powers and it only seemed like it was one person,” Daine said, trying to convince them Ryker wasn’t the source of what they felt.

  The various energies filling the area, touched Ryker, filling him in a way nothing else could. These were all his subjects. It was his responsibility to take care of all residents of Mag Mell.

  These beings needed him, and he couldn’t do a damn thing to help them. He understood the need to conceal his identity until the right time arose, but at the moment he didn’t know if he could wait.

  Too many of his subjects were suffering. How the fuck could he stand by while his realm went to shit around him?

  Daine’s hand landed on his shoulder a second later, grounding him in the moment. It was the reminder he needed to continue the path. If he didn’t then he risked everyone’s lives. If he was killed there would be nothing to save them.

  “We know the difference between students and royal power,” a brownie growled in a surprisingly deep voice. With how tiny he was, Ryker expected his voice to be higher pitched.

  He should have known better. Rarely were things as they seemed on the surface. The small male was nearly as brown as the dirt beneath his feet. His hat was navy blue and came to a rounded point on his tiny head. Like all brownies, he had fine, black hair sticking out from under the rim of his hat in every direction around his head.

  Ryker wanted to pick him up and get a close look at his clothing. It was dark green, making him wonder if he used leaves to fashion the coverings, or if it was made from cotton. Either way, he knew the proud creature wouldn’t appreciate such treatment.

  Brownies were known for doing household chores. Ryker had expected to see brownies keeping the academy neat and clean, but he’d yet to catch glimpse of one in action. He could have sworn his mother told him they worked at the academy when she attended.

  Perhaps they rebelled against the corrupt powers in place and were giving into their mischievous natures and causing chaos instead. It would certainly explain why he’d woken to his clothing scattered all over his floor when they’d been neatly folded and hung up when he went to sleep.

  “Does the dark magic on campus reach you here?” Ryker asked, diverting a potential argument. There was no need to get into a debate over power with creatures that knew far more than they did.

  “No. The spell affecting the academy is different from the one impacting the rest of the realm,” the centaur explained. “Someone has anchored a dark spell in an object and if that is not found and destroyed then the students and staff will be turned into wraiths. Whoever did this must have immense power. Otherwise it would be foolish to want hundreds of soul-hungry beings crawling all over the realm. No one in their right mind would take the risk. If they lose control the wraiths would not hesitate to consume their soul, as well. There is a different energy consuming the elements of the realm. It is the same as happened two decades ago.”

  “Do you mean during the war when humans bombed the realm?” Ryker clarified.

  “It is exactly like what happened then, yes.”

  Ryker cocked his head to the side. “Humans bombed us, consuming elements and weakening the Fae before they killed the royal family.”

  “That is not all that happened,” the centaur clarified with a stomp of his hooves. The action belied his anxiety and sent dust flying into the air. “Someone else started the decline before the humans acted. The fighting only hastened the decay. Since that time Fae have been healing the realm, to preserve their sanctuary.”

  “And recently,” the brownie added in his deep voice, “our progress has taken massive steps forward. No one questioned it, just kept doing what we could to add to the health of Mag Mell. We should have known that wouldn’t go unnoticed. Our actions combined with the return of the King grabbed the attention of the old evil.”

  The centaur nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. “And, that vile entity has started corrupting the elements again. It is identical to what happened decades ago, so we believe it is the same person.”

  “How do you know it’s not a group?” Daine asked. “We might be young, but even we know there would have to be a group to pull this off.”

  “For the entire plan to succeed, yes it will take a group of corrupt Fae to pull this off, but the source of the blight is one very foul person. If you aren’t the King, point us in the right direction. We have no time to waste. The longer this Fae steals and poisons the realm the more power they gain. Soon, not even the King will be able to stop them.”

  Ryker ground his teeth together in frustration. “You know the King will be at risk if his identity is discovered. Whoever is doing this will come after him. We want to help. Tell us how we can help cure the realm.”

  The centaur watched Ryker too closely for comfort. His intense scrutiny had Ryker’s pulse pounding and his brow sweating. “What can inexperienced students do that might possibly help the situation? It seems that all hope is lost, after all.”

  Daine took a step forward. Ryker felt him open the lid on
his water element. Standing there with his feet braced apart and his fists clenched at his sides, Daine let go of his hold on his main element. At first nothing happened except grey clouds filling the sky.

  With a shake of his head, Daine narrowed his eyes and continued looking at the centaur who suddenly cried out. The male’s shout echoed through the trees a second before blood started trickling from his eyes and ears.

  “What the fuck are you doing? I’m going to kick your ass for attacking me,” the centaur roared.

  A pixie landed on his shoulder and touched the side of his face. She left a pink glow on his cheek when she lifted her hand. Daine unclenched his hands and smiled at the pair. “You two make the oddest couple I’ve ever seen. Females have often said shit like ‘that won’t fit’ but in your case it’s actually true.”

  Several nymphs and hobs laughed at that, but the centaur didn’t change his pissed off expression. “Fuck off. Pixies have healing magic. She was trying to help. Now, it’s time for you to pay for that.”

  “He’s been touched by the King,” the brownie interjected as it looked at Daine with such intensity Ryker felt the urge to lower his head.

  Daine was nodding his head. “He’s right. I am a member of the King’s Guard. I may not have his power, but I am sworn to protect him and this realm. We can help.”

  “If the King has a guard there is still hope. Tell me where the King is and I will consider letting you help,” the centaur countered.

  “There is no way I will risk my King’s life. The only reason we are still here talking to you is to determine if you have any information that can help us locate and destroy those responsible. If you are truly not on the side of evil you will not ask me to divulge information I am sworn to protect.”

  Ryker’s spine straightened and hope replaced the despair that started seeping in around the edges while these creatures told him of Mag Mell’s demise. He’d chosen his guard well. They not only had his back but would lay their lives down for the good of all Fae.