by G. Bailey
“I would like more than one, yes,” Knox says with a big grin that makes me chuckle even if my inner thoughts worry about big babies.
“Seems you have it all planned out, Mr. Tale,” I say, running my fingers through his hair. “Funny enough, I really like your plan.”
“I know it’s odd to have this kind of relationship in the human world, but you are okay with us all loving you, right?” he asks me. I guess they never have directly asked me if I’m okay with all of this. It’s not like we planned this, but I couldn’t imagine a life with them any other way than this.
“You love me, Knox?” I ask him with a silly smile on my lips.
“Yeah, Sleepy. I love you,” he softly tells me. I kiss him harder this time, wrapping my legs around his waist, and he turns us around in the water so we are floating as we kiss. I eventually break away from the kiss just so I can tell him something.
“I love you too, Knox Tale,” I admit and kiss him once more. “Of course I’m happy with having you all love me. I’ve never known anything different. Even when we were all apart, I still ached for you all. There wasn’t a day I didn’t think of you.”
We might not have the best past, but we can plan a future that is worth living for.
Chapter 11
I tightly smile at Quin, who sits across from Tavvy, Ella and me at breakfast this morning. The black curtains are closed, so I can’t see which teacher is behind them in the cage, and I hate that we have to all sit and eat here when someone is in pain. I know there is nothing we can do to help them though.
This is the first morning we have been allowed to have breakfast down here with everyone else. Warren explained that Rueben didn’t want us conversing with everyone else until I had calmed down. I don’t know what he is smoking to make him think I just need to calm down to get over everything that happened. I need to kill Rueben; that would sure make me feel better.
“So, Quinton, can you make it stop snowing in here?” Tavvy asks with a sigh. “Even with these black cloaks on, which by the way are bloody heavy, it’s too cold for my liking.”
“As you wish, Octavia,” he responds, a small smirk on his lips.
“I like to be called Tavvy,” she replies. “I told you that.”
“Sure, Octavia,” Quinton replies, and it makes me smile to see Tavvy looking ever so annoyed.
“Prince of darkness, why don’t you find another table and someone else to annoy?” Ella asks, crossing her arms after dropping her fork on the plate, making it clang loudly.
“I have to go anyway. I sat with you to warn you that fighting class won’t be like it was before. My uncle only lets the strong survive, and the weak will fall. You need to fight and kill if you have to,” Quinton tells me. “He made me kill enough to prove my worth. If he made me do that, he will be worse on you guys. Just do it and try to forget their faces.” I notice he hasn’t even touched any of his food, and I have no clue why I care about that. He is evil. Remember that, Madilynn.
“Some of us don’t think killing is the best way to do things, Quin,” I remark, leaning back in my seat and crossing my arms.
“Can we talk later?” he frustratedly asks me. “Alone.” He makes a point to look both at Ella and Tavvy before back to me. They usually stay around to make sure I’m not alone with him, because I don’t want to be. Anyways, Warren is never far away. Always watching, that one. My professional stalker who seems pissed at me, and I don’t even know what he looks like. It’s the definition of messed up.
“No, I made it clear I don’t think we can be friends,” I answer, and he shakes his head, before getting up and walking away. It’s not until he is out of sight that I feel like I can breathe again. Every time I see him, I can’t help but think back to our past. The long nights we spent together, all the kisses when we both were mourning the disappearance of our friends. We had each other, and in some ways, it clouded us, because I don’t think either of us knew what we wanted in life. Or how to really fall in love. I loved Quin...but I’m starting to realise it’s not the right kind of love that makes a relationship worth fighting for. I loved Quin like he was family, and he was safe to love because I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. I’ve realised that being hurt is normal when you are fighting for love, and being safe just isn’t. No wonder my dad always said Quin wasn’t the right man for me. He knew it and I was heartbroken. I thought me and Quin were everything, but I’m sure there is a million stories of girls who thought their first boyfriend was their soulmate. I just don’t think that anymore.
“He isn’t going to give up,” Ella points out. “If you want, I can knee him in the balls and maybe he will start using his brain to think for him at least for a little while.”
“It’s okay, Ella,” I say, nearly choking on a laugh. “Quin will give up when he realises we didn’t have anything to fight for in the first place. I will always protect Quin like family, but we need distance because it can never be more than that for us.”
“A relationship with a dark tale isn’t safe, I get it,” Ella agrees.
“It’s not because he is a dark tale; that doesn’t matter to me. I don’t have that urge to kill them, and I don’t think they have that urge around me. Not that they talk much anyway. The reason me and Quin wouldn’t work is because I know what it is like to fall in love. Brutal, breath-taking, heart-breaking love. Quin and I never once had an ounce of that,” I explain to her, and Tavvy is watching me closely.
“I want to find that one day,” Tavvy answers.
“Me too,” Ella says, and both Tavvy and I just look at her.
“Really, Miss I’ve-had-sex-with-half-the-school?” I dryly reply.
“You gotta kiss a lot of frogs to find that prince,” she says and winks.
“Kiss? Sure, but fu—” Tavvy is cut off as a loud alarm blasts over the speakers, signalling the end of breakfast and time for us to get our butts to fight class. We all stand up, leaving our plates on the table like we are told to do, before following the line of students out of the dining hall and out the front door of the academy. We walk quietly across the grass, and I look over to the shadows near the castle, where I can see Warren walking in them, his hood-covered face turned towards me.
I eventually pull my eyes away from him and to the gym as we go through a side door and into the same room all our fight classes were held in. Thankfully, they haven’t updated the decor in here, and it looks the same as it always has. I’m tired of seeing nothing but black and silver paint everywhere. I feel like getting a rainbow pen and colouring on the walls like a kid to make the place seem somewhat alive once again.
Ella, Tavvy and I all stop in the middle of the hall, feeling the rest of the students standing right behind us, moments before the door on the other side of the room opens. Three women walk in, one after another, and I’m instantly drawn to look at their killer heels that click against the floor. The heels are green with a metal snake wrapped around them, curling up around their calves. Each of them has on exactly the same heels, and when I lift my gaze, I can see they are triplets right away. Dark, scary ass ones. They all have dark green hair, loose and falling behind their backs. They wear dark green suit dresses that have white ties, and not one part of the suit is out of place or different from the other two. Their eyes lock onto me, or at least it looks that way as they stop a good distance away, all three of them placing their hands on their hips. After a moment, two of them are almost sucked into the middle one’s body. It’s freaky, and more than one person gasps.
“Welcome, Lost Time Academy students, to fight class,” the woman in the middle says, placing her hands together in front of her. “You may call me Mrs. Frostan.”
“You are Rueben’s wife?” I blurt out.
“No, I am his sister-in-law,” she replies, looking at me in disgust, like she can’t believe I actually just spoke. So this is going well already. Wait, sister-in-law? She must be Quin’s stepmother, though he never once mentioned this family member. I doubt she likes Quin though, consid
ering he isn’t her real son and is proof of her husband having it away with someone else. “Now, if there will be no other unimportant questions, I have a lesson to explain.”
“Nope, I have no more questions,” I say, placing my hands in the air for a second.
“Good,” she replies, though she doesn’t sound happy about it. “Fighting class is here to test you, to push you as far as you will go, or watch you break. We will be playing in this class with the rules that the ancients used to play. The weak do not deserve a place in this new world, nor will we allow interference from friends.”
“I’m confused, what exactly does that mean?” I ask, crossing my arms.
“That if you die or you are seriously injured, it is not a problem. The weak will die,” she replies in a snooty tone.
“Who are we fighting against? I won’t kill a classmate, and I think I can speak for the rest of the class when I say they won’t either. We aren’t killers,” I answer her. I don’t know when I became the person to speak for us all, but they are all looking to me to answer.
“You kill, or you will be killed. Never mind, I will not make you fight your friends. You will fight me,” she replies. “Or a version of me that is strong against you.” We all watch as shadow figures of her walk out of her body until there are at least twenty versions of Mrs. Frostan in front of us. The versions all go and sit on the benches at the side of the room, and no one really knows what to say to that. It’s seriously disturbing.
“Which one of you wants to go first?” the original Mrs. Frostan asks, and I go to say I will, because putting her to sleep might be a good idea if it knocks the rest of them out, when Tavvy beats me to it.
“I will.” I want to grab her and tell her no as she steps forward, but Ella gives me a look that suggests I don’t. She is right; it would just make Tavvy look weak, and she doesn’t need that right now.
“Good luck! You got this,” I say instead. I’m going to support my best friend, and if I have to, I will help her, but I trust Tavvy. She somehow beat Ella at every fight class before this, so I know she isn’t weak.
“Everyone, go and sit down,” Mrs. Frostan instructs. I walk to a bench with Ella and sit down. Roger Stalk comes over and sits next to me. He still has a slight cut on his eyebrow from the black eye that one of the Tale brothers gave him, but I don’t think he cares to remember that after everything that’s happened. He looks as upset as most of the students are, because everyone has lost someone out there. The tales community is all but gone, and what is left is hiding in Knox’s dimension, with no plans to come back to the real world and help it.
“Hey, Madi. Hi, Ella,” Roger says, and I smile tensely at him, remembering at some point we were just engaged. I chuckle when I see how he stares at Ella, and when I look her way, she is giving him a look that would scare even me into looking away.
“Roger,” Ella replies and rolls her eyes before crossing her arms. I look over at the door as it opens, and Quin walks in. He looks straight my way before seeing Tavvy in the middle as he walks to stand next to Warren, who is still as a statue next to the wall. The only thing that moves is the weird spear and the floaty grey stuff which I’m sure has an actual name. Grey energy? Grey magic? I really don’t have a clue. I look back to Tavvy as she takes her cloak off, chucking it to the side and calling her powers out a moment later. All of her skin takes on a shiny, glittering green colour to it. Everything from her hair to her skin is now almost all green, and dust falls to the floor around her as she floats a little from the ground.
Mrs. Frostan doesn’t pause as she holds her hands out, and two long swords slide out of her hands. The swords have heads like snakes, and the metal is dark green. Tavvy seems a little thrown by this, but she hides it well, and I’m instantly worried. Tavvy can’t fight without a weapon, and no matter how good she is at magic, she can’t push Mrs. Frostan away for that long. Mrs. Frostan smiles like she has already won, before running at Tavvy, who drops her head, dodging the hit and sliding around Mrs. Frostan who swirls around. Tavvy jumps for the attack, grabbing Mrs. Frostan’s shoulder, and Mrs. Frostan screams, shoving her away.
“Tavvy’s glitter stuff burns if she wants it to. That’s always how she beat me, by simple touch,” Ella explains to me as Tavvy and Mrs. Frostan fight. I start to relax a little, hoping that Tavvy might actually have a chance as she grabs one of Mrs. Frostan’s swords to pull it away, but the sword changes. The sword comes alive like a snake, wrapping itself around Tavvy’s arm and yanking her to Mrs. Frostan. I scream as she slams her other sword right through Tavvy’s stomach before pulling it out.
I’m out of my seat, running towards her before I know what I’m doing. All I can think of is killing Mrs. Frostan for doing this. Arms wrap around my chest, and a spear is in my face a moment later, letting me know who is holding me back. I don’t get to shout at Warren as I watch in shock as Quin rips Mrs. Frostan off Tavvy and catches Tavvy before she falls to the floor. He holds her up as he uses his other hand to freeze Mrs. Frostan to the ground as she screams until she is too frozen to make a sound. Warren finally lets me go, and I run to Quin and Tavvy as he picks her fully up.
“I’ve frozen the wound; it will help until we can get a healer,” Quin explains. Why the hell did he just save her?
“Your uncle killed all the healers, jackass,” Ella says, shaking her head.
“I can heal her. Put her down on the floor, and everyone has to leave the room,” Warren says, and I turn back to him.
“Why would you help my friend?” I ask him. “You’re a dark tale.”
“I will help her because she is your friend. Now out,” he says, and I nod, looking back to Quin who is looking between Warren and me. He carefully puts Tavvy on the floor, and I watch as he pushes a strand of hair out of her eyes. We all leave the room, with Ella dragging Mrs. Frostan’s frozen body out, and I’m the last to follow. I close the doors, watching as Warren stands over Tavvy, his hands on his hood. I can’t do anything but close the door.
“How can he heal her, Quin?” I nervously ask, rubbing my arms.
“Why don’t you ask him? You seem close,” he sourly replies. I shake my head at his pathetic jealous answer and look back at the steel doors for what seems like a long time before they open, with Warren on the other side and Tavvy stood right next to him. I wrap my arms around her, and she laughs, though it’s a tired laugh.
“Thank you,” I tell Warren, though I can only just see his eyes under the hood. He nods his head once, and it’s enough. I owe Warren a debt for saving my friend...and I will pay it back somehow.
Chapter 12
“I could have just slept at the academy, Madi,” Tavvy says as I sit on the edge of the bed in the Tale brothers’ cabin, where she has just gotten into bed. Despite Warren healing her, she still doesn’t look a hundred percent right. There is a scar where the sword went through, but other than that, she just looks pale. I think it’s the blood loss, because I’m sure Warren couldn’t have healed that. The best thing for Tavvy is a long rest and a good meal when she wakes up.
“No, you need a good long sleep, and I want to check in on you,” I tell her.
“There is no pain where the scar is. How did he do that?” she asks, and I don’t know what to tell her.
“What do you remember?” I ask.
“Nothing,” she says, and I nod, patting her hand once. “Did Quinton really save me?”
“Yes. I was running to you, but Warren stopped me. It didn’t matter though, because Quinton was there for you,” I explain to her.
“Maybe there is some good in that guy after all,” she says with a small smile.
“Maybe,” I reply with a tight smile back. He still let Sin die, and I won’t ever forget that. It’s going to take a lot more than stopping his stepmother killing Tavvy to make me trust Quinton ever again.
I slide off the bed and go to the door, blowing out the candle in the room to make it dark before leaving. I shut the door and walk down the new corridor o
f bedrooms and through another door into the open plan living area, where Noah is sitting on a blanket in front of the fireplace. The fire is lit, and it’s making the room warm and inviting, as if being around Noah alone weren’t inviting enough. He looks back at me, his lips tilting up into a sexy smile as he holds out a hand for me to take. I kick my shoes off before going over to him and sitting down, linking our fingers together as the heat of the fire warms me up.
“How is she?” Noah asks.
“Tired and, though she won’t admit it, a little bit scared. Tavvy is the strong one, but the dark tales don’t play by the rules. They fight dirty, Noah,” I say as it’s the truth. They don’t have healers because they don’t believe in healing the wounded. They don’t care if they accidently kill someone as they think only the weak die. In truth, even the strongest people in the world can sometimes be bested by luck or chance.
“I know they do,” Noah replies. “Our parents used to send us on missions to find dark tales and kill them. We were close to getting Rueben when he got to the academy and killed Sin instead.”
“That’s what all your missions were? Killing people?” I ask.
“Killing dark tales, Madi. There is a difference,” he replies, making sure to correct me.
“What if there isn’t a difference?” I say, because at the end of the day, what is the big difference between us? We are both humans with powers, descended from fairy tales. The good comes with the bad most of the time.
“They haven’t done anything good to be worth saving in a long time,” he responds. “What little light they once had is long gone now.”
“Quin saved Tavvy when I couldn’t. Warren saved her life, and he didn’t have to,” I explain to him. “That was good, even though they are dark tales.”
“Really?” He pauses in thought, and he really seems to consider what I’m telling him for a few moments of silence between us. Until I’d met the dark tales, I thought they were monsters too. It’s what I was told and scared off from the very first day of Lost Time Academy. “Maybe you’re right. I just don’t know anything at the moment, Sleepy. Is the war worth winning to make what little is left of our people slaves to the Masters once again? A lot of people hated that life,” he tells me, rubbing my hand with his thumb as we both silently look at each other. There are so many things to discuss about the future when this war is all over, and I really don’t know who is going to win in the end.