by Valia Lind
"I'm working on it," I reply, taking a seat as I shake away the feelings and grab a stick to poke at the fire. It gives me something to do, and Julian doesn't question it. Instead, he takes a seat opposite of me, lapsing into silence.
I have so many things I want to ask him. I've learned a little bit about him since he appeared at the palace, but both he and Derek confuse me so much. I see the way Queen Svetlana is. I watched how the others behave within the palace walls. But these two fae seem nothing like that and I can't wrap my mind around it.
"So that whole stealing from the Council plan you had back in Arizona, what that just part of the ruse?" I ask Julian, as I tend to the fire. My question clearly takes him by surprise, and he watches me for a second before he replies.
"No." He's silent for a moment, as if he's contemplating how much to tell me. "It was really going to be a way for me to get away. My mission...I didn't have a choice to come find you. But I might've gotten away if we went through with it."
I can't blame him for wanting more out of life than to follow someone else's rules. I guess none of us really have a choice in all of this. But I never thought he wouldn't. I'm learning more and more about the way of the fae and I have to admit, they're not my favorite people. Or creatures. Or whatever the proper term is, because I'm not even sure about that anymore. A lot of good all my education is doing for me now. But I can't really blame the education, just the people who wouldn't teach me what I actually needed to know.
Yes, I'm back to being mad at my parents. Apparently, this will come in waves.
"Why are you and Derek so different from the other fae?" I risk the question, turning my attention to the present. I reach for my bag and pull out some fruit, as I wait for Julian to answer. He seems to need a moment to collect his thoughts. When he finally replies, his words are barely a whisper.
"Because we want more for ourselves."
Pausing, I glance over at Julian, but his eyes are on the fire. He seems a hundred miles away. His expression is unguarded, and I realize, it's maybe for the first time since I've met him. There's history there and if Derek was sitting next to him right now, I wonder if his face would carry the same wanderlust look. But maybe I don't have to wonder. I've seen the way he is with the queen. Regardless of his betrayal towards me, the need for things to be different is real. If nothing else, I can trust that.
"Do you really think I can make that happen?" I ask, because I need to know this isn't all in vain. The fear that I'll make things worse is ever present. But before Julian has a chance to reply, another voice speaks up from the shadows.
"We know you will."
Derek steps into the circle of the light, his eyes reflecting the dance of the flames. There's that intensity again, the Derek I'm used to seeing. He truly believe what he's saying, and at this moment, I have no choice but to trust him. Trust both of them. Everyone has something at stake here.
Chapter 3
The sudden blast of magic jerks me awake. I sit up, panting, as I glance around to see where it came from. But the night is completely quiet. Julian is asleep a few feet to my left, on the other side of the fire. The closer we've gotten to the forbidden forest, the less noise the trees around us make. Right now, it's especially unnerving.
I search for Derek, and find him a dozen feet away, barely outlined against a tree he's leaning against. His gaze is on me, I don't have to see it to know it's true. My skin prickles with awareness.
Since coming to Faery, and finding out the truth about Derek's lineage, we've been in this constant state of suspension. I think if we were still at the cabin, he would come to me. Or maybe I'd go to him. But now, neither one of us knows how to act around the other.
This trip is at least giving us a chance to do something. Whatever it may be. I don't trust Queen Svetlana, but I'm also having a difficult time trusting myself. I hold powers I didn't even know existed. And the land around me is reacting to it.
How I wish for the comfort of books right now. I want my notebooks and big research encyclopedia volumes filled with information. A large table, where I can sit for hours and pour over the history of Faery and the Ancients. But I don't have any of that. All I have is the memory of a book that I should've never read and the weight of worlds on my shoulders.
I'm not so naive that I don't know what would happen if Faery falls. It would spill into other worlds, other dimensions. There will be no rest for anyone, because the Ancients would win.
And they are not kind rulers.
Since waking up, their stories have finally been told, after generations of keeping them secret. I've done all the research I could to learn about them and how they operate, and it's not enough. Because they want me, and that's a constant fear I carry in my heart.
The same feeling that woke me up returns, the magic shaking me from the inside. Looking down, I watch as my palm ignites with fire, the elemental magic I've carried with me since birth. It's been giving me problems for months now, even before I started at Thunderbird Academy.
But it hasn't acted up on its own before.
It makes me feel like I'm a little kid again, just coming into her powers. I've been told my whole life that magic is fueled by our emotions. And right now, I have no idea what's going on inside of me.
Just as quickly as the flame ignites, it's extinguished. But not by my will. By another form of elemental magic. The water pools in my palm, dousing the fire, which dissipates without a sound.
This water magic is a new development and not something I thought was every possible. Most elemental witches carry one element within them, while they can respond to others. But to have control over more than one? It's rare and terrifying.
The buzz of magic rushes over my skin, as the water spills over into the ground, as if I've just poured out a cup. It's like the land itself is responding to my magic. Leaning down, I watch the water disappear, when my palm ignites in fire again, this time against the dirt. And then, the space around me glows and I feel them before I see them.
"Wow."
Turning, I notice Julian sit up, his eyes on me. Derek has moved closer as well and they're both staring. I glance over my shoulder, and the glow from my wings is the most beautiful light I've ever seen.
They're clear, with a bluish outline, and so shiny, they're blinding. For a moment, I sit mesmerized but then they move. My heart thuds harshly, as if I've just come through a jump scare, but I don't dare breathe too loudly. The desire to touch them is overwhelming and the moment the thought comes into my head, they move again. This time opening up completely, so they're within easy reach.
I raise my left hand, swinging it backwards, under the wings, before I let my fingers walk over the edges. The sensation is almost indescribable. It's similar to how it felt having Derek touch the tip of my fae ear.
Intimate.
Tingly.
Breathtaking.
Glancing over my right shoulder, I do the same thing, letting my fingers explore. Even though I posses magic, and I can wield fire, and now water, this still feels surreal somehow. Like it's not me who's experiencing this phenomenon.
Derek and Julian have both moved closer, but they don't reach for the wings.
"I've never seen something so beautiful," Julian whispers, and I look over to find him completely mesmerized. He looked surprised by my ears, but he looks in awe of my wings. When my eyes find Derek's, he looks just as amazed as Julian. But his eyes aren't on the wings, they're on me and it's difficult not to let the hundred emotions rush into me right then and there.
Wanting.
Needing.
Begging.
"Is there no fae that have wings?" I dare to ask, even though I know it'll break the atmosphere. But I can't let myself be ruled by hormones, or whatever this is. I have to stay on track.
"No," Julian replies, but I'm still watching Derek, so I see the moment his jaw twitches.
"Derek?" I prompt.
"There were stories." He replies with a sigh, "Of old famili
es with the power of the wings. It used to be common for fae, but it's a magic that has long ago gone dormant."
"Not so dormant, I suppose," I say, reaching for my wings once again. But before I can touch them, they're gone. As if they were never there.
"I don't understand. Where do they go?"
"Back inside of you."
That doesn't answer anything, but when I open my mouth to ask more, Derek turns away.
"We should get some rest." He throws over his shoulder as he stomps away. Okay, maybe stomps is too dramatic, but it feels like he's being dramatic right now. I roll my eyes, but don't argue.
However, instead of laying on my back, I turn to my side. Even though they're no longer there, I fear I might squish them. And they're too beautiful for that.
I sleep, but I don't rest. When it's time to move, we have a quick breakfast from the fruit Nora packed for us, and then we're off. Each of us is silent, lost in our own little world. I keep going over what happened last night, the way my magic reacted to the land. And then the wings.
A lost magic. And I have it.
If I'm being honest with myself, I have more than one, and that's scary. But I'm trying really hard not to the think about the whole book magic right now, because I can only handle so much at a time. So the wings is where I focus and there is something that's not sitting right with me after last night.
I hurry to catch up with Derek, because he's the only one who can provide any kind of answers to me right now. He's ignoring me extra hard this morning, but I'm relentless.
"What did you mean last night about the families?" I ask, diving right into it. He glances over at me, and I swear there's a spark of amusement in his eyes, before he snuffs it out.
"Just like that?"
"Yes, just like that. No reason to beat around the bush." He crunches his eyebrows down in confusion, but I press on. "You have information. I need information. Share. It's that simple."
"Nothing about us simple, Avery."
The way he says my name sends a plethora of tingles down my back, but I try not to show it. I should not be reacting like this to anything Derek does. Especially the sound of my name on his lips. Yet, my traitorous body has other ideas. It gets all warm and bubbly around him.
What am I even thinking right now? Focus, Avery.
Somehow, I'm afraid Derek can tell what's going on in my mind. So I put on my best glare and don't let up.
"That may be true, Derek, but it doesn't change the fact that you know something. Tell me."
"You're bossy today."
"As oppose to other days? Don't change the subject."
I don't turn around, but I swear I hear Julian chuckle at our backs. He's wisely staying out of this. I think Derek is about to argue some more, but then he surprises me.
"There's not much I can tell you, to be honest. The old families, they're not exactly welcomed at court."
"Why is that?"
"Because Queen Svetlana does not like to be one upped in her own palace."
The purely human phrase stumps me for a moment, because even though he usually sounds human, he still surprises me when he says something like that. Then, I realize the other thing that I've noticed him do before. He never refers to Queen Svetlana as his mother. Maybe that distance can work in my favor.
"So who were they? Just other fae who lived in court?"
"From what I understand, the families were all part of a ruling council. Yes, the king sat on the throne, but the council was there to advise and protect. They had the most powerful of Faery magic and they protected and nourished the land with it."
"Because fae are so connected to the land." It's not a question but Derek replies anyway.
"Fae need nature, but the nature needs the fae. It's a balance of give and take, and it's the most powerful when it's balanced. When Queen Svetlana took the throne, she didn't want balance. She wanted power. So killing off the council was in her best interest."
"She's that old?" I ask, before I stop to think about it. This time Julian definitely chuckles, and Derek manages to mask most of his smile.
"You forget fae live for a long time, Avery," he looks down at me at those words, and there's almost a hint of sadness there. "She is older than she appears, one of the oldest in the land. There's a reason she's held power for this long."
Meaning she is ruthless and here we are, disobeying her orders. I'm not sure how I feel about any of this, but I don't have time to mull over it, because we're no longer alone.
The feeling comes at once, as if a door has been opened and we can see beyond it. I'm instantly on alert, and a moment later, so are Derek and Julian. I wonder why I sensed it before they did, but I'm not about to question.
"Avery, you'll need your magic," Derek mumbles, as he reaches for his sword. Julian is beside us in a flash, his sword already drawn. We don't stop moving and in the next moment it feels like a heavy weight has been placed on my shoulders. I glance over at the boys and I know they feel it too.
We have entered the forbidden forest. And we have company.
Chapter 4
Everything is darker here, but somehow more vivid. Like the colors aren't bleached out by being in the sun. We move together, keeping our steps sure, but I'd be laying if I say I'm not scared. Whatever that's out there, it's hunting us now. It was hunting us before we even entered within the borders of the forest.
"We need to find high ground, or open space." Derek states, without missing a beat. Even without giving our surroundings a thorough study I know that's not possible. We can climb a tree, but I'm not sure that'll do us any good. Since we're being watched.
Of that I have no doubt. It's like I can feel the extra pressure of their eyes on me. It adds to the heaviness of the forests and after not resting last night, I wonder how I'm going to fight. Because we'll have to. I can feel it coming.
"Derek, on your left."
"I see it."
I shift my eyes in that direction, but I don't see anything. I don't know what I'm looking for, so I can't even pretend to find it at this point. With Derek in front of me and Julian behind me, I'm between two powerful and trained fae. I should feel better. But I can't shake the feeling that whatever is out there doesn't care about them. It's here for me.
Suddenly, a noise like a thousand wolves hounding fills the air, nearly overpowering my eardrums. Grabbing my ears, I look around, trying to figure out where it's coming from. But before we get our bearings, another noise reaches us. Happy yapping, all around us.
I glance up and it takes me a second to realize what I'm seeing.
"Are those?" I shout to be heard over the noise.
"Boggarts." Derek and Julian shout together.
I've only ever read about the creatures in books. They don't hang out in the forests around my hometown. They're nasty creatures, with their huge eyes, the size of saucers and lanky limbs. The creatures are about the size of a calf, their skin leather-like. The arms are so long, they almost reach to the ground. The hair that covers their whole bodies is shaggy and dirty. I can smell them even from a few dozen feet away.
The noise they make is disorienting, their first line of offense. Some can leap up to ten feet in the air and forward, which makes getting away near impossible. From what I read, there are dozen of interpretations of these creatures, but none of them are ever nice in the stories. They look like they can rip us limb to limb.
"We need to move. They smelled us, even before we stepped into the forbidden part of the forest." It's hard to hear Derek over the noise, but I get the gist of it. The boggarts were lying in wait. Without a moment to spare, we take off running, with the boggarts on our heels.
They're like a swarm of bees, moving together in a swirl of noise. When the first one lands between us, throwing us in opposite directions, I scream. Yanking the knife I carry on my thigh out of the sheathe, I roll to the left as another creature lands in that spot. I'm on my knees in the next moment, grounding myself, as I reach for my fire magic.
/> The creature leans forward, screaming that awful sound into my face, and I push the pain away, as I swipe at it. Swinging, somewhat blindly. My blade connects with his skin, and the creature screams in agony. I don't hesitate to blast a line of fire at it, sending it flying a dozen yards back.
My magic ignites, a rush of power over my whole body, as I blast another creature away. It seems the more I use it, the happier it seems. Maybe it's a strange thought, but I don't push it away. I embrace it.
Another creature reaches me, and I swipe at it a few times, without landing any blows. Then, suddenly, I'm on the ground, as another boggart jumps on my back. The thing is strong, clawing at me with its long arms and even longer nails. Even after all the years of battle training, I am not prepared for this. It takes all my strength to stay upright, as I try to shake it off, while preventing the other from getting at me.
We drop to the ground and I go to roll out of the way, but now two of them are on top of me, tearing at my hair and my skin. My fire magic ignites, sending a blast all around me and the creatures yelp, but don't let up. Their leathery skin is protecting them somehow and the momentum of the fire is diminished by my position. I have to be smarter.
I kick out, managing to land a blow, while I swing my arm out again, still holding onto the knife. I need a protection spell, but my mind is so scrambled, I can't focus long enough to call on my power. In the midst of a battle, I'm useless. The thought almost drags me down faster than the boggart grabbing my leg and pulling me toward him. I end up flat on my back once more, throwing my arms up to protect the face as the creatures descend and scream at me.
My body shakes from the sound, disorienting me once more. And that's when I stop thinking.
Instincts take over and the next thing I know, a wall of water rushes up out of the ground, sweeping the monsters away. They scream, this time in agony, as the water takes and slams them against the trees and the ground. It takes me a second to realize what happened, but then I jump to my feet. Julian and Derek are to my left, and both of them are now in the protection of my water circle.
