Fractured Magic (The Shadow Portal Book 1)

by N. M. Howell

Subway stations were nearly deserted as she made her way south, head in a fog. During her solitary ride, fear stole her thoughts. The day had been an emotional turmoil, a see-saw of deep sorrow counterbalanced by her insane attraction to a Dark Fae. It had been physically exhausting, between falling into the lake and being tackled twice by two different men. It had been, at worst, metaphysically confusing. Magic obeyed its own supernatural laws. And yet...

  She last remembered crawling into bed. Then the nightmare, and the impossible plunge in the lake. How had she gotten there? Did the Wings realize she was missing? Were they out looking for her even now?

  The train rattled on. Raina had been born into magic, infused with it for as long as her memory stretched. She had no fear of magic. What she dreaded was this utter lack of control. She couldn’t defend herself against the fray spells as they burst and blazed around her. She had transported to the academy in her sleep. Or had she?

  Pain derailed her thinking, the wound on her hand. Raina examined it. It looked worse now than when she first cut it. Even with only mundane metabolism, the laceration should have at least scabbed over by now. As shallow as the injury was, it still throbbed and burned.

  She studied the cut more closely. Raina sustained it at the portal, by a sharp rock there. Could the stones still be infused with magic? A supernatural wound would be nearly impossible to heal, given her unbelievably low level of power.

  A man sat across the aisle. Raina caught him staring, even as he cut his eyes away. He looked a little like the broom-pushing maintenance man at the academy. But his features were so plain, like this man, that he was difficult to remember. She felt relieved as her stop came up next.

  At Grand and Chrystie, she plodded up the subway exit into the night. Pedestrians walked the streets even this late, cabs and trucks moving in their endless course. When she reached the door to the back stairs of the former tenement, she glanced both ways down the alley. It was empty, save overflowing Dumpsters.

  The long climb proved even more taxing, every bruise making itself felt with her effort. Breathing hard, she stopped on the fifth floor. She heard no commotion. Stealthy, she walked past the apartments the Wings kept here. Lee Wing’s apartment was dark, but she saw a light under the door of Derek’s “bachelor pad” (which was right next to his father’s).

  For a second, she considered knocking, but thought the better of it. If he wasn’t concerned for her safety, this late visit would make him so. If he was, she would see him in the morning. Raina had to get up early. She had orientation and her first classes in the morning.

  Mounting the last two flights, she unlocked the door to her walk-in-closet home. Nothing looked different. She went in the bathroom, gazing into the mirror. A longing face looked back, but that was all. Raina unlaced her combat boots and set them by the ticking radiator, hoping they would dry by morning. It would be embarrassing to squish through her first day at the school.

  In the bathroom, she stripped down, hanging her clothes on a hook on the door and a knob to at least get some steam into them. Raina really did need to buy additional clothing.

  While she thought a hot shower would calm her and lull her to sleep, she found herself tossing and turning. After an hour of this, she sat upright on the Murphy bed, staring at the non-view.

  Raina thought hard about all the things that had happened. By the time the sun brightened the tenement across the alley, she still had no clue.

  10

  Her feet still squished as Raina trudged through Central Park in a light rain. The sun glowed dimly in the east behind glowering clouds. Again, the day matched Raina’s mood. She felt eyes on her as she neared the lake and the academy. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw people pointing or nodding toward her as she passed.

  Whatever.

  She rose up to the former portal pedestal, where students gathered before the start of the day. Conversations died as she walked by.

  Butterflies freed themselves inside her. Attracting unwanted attention set her on edge. Worse, her wounded hand continued to burn and ache. At least it somewhat distracted her from the stares of the students. For a moment, anyway.

  Trini stood at the front doors, arms folded, mouth thin. When she recognized Raina, she rolled her eyes and dropped her head.

  “Do you not own any other clothes, Friend?”

  Raina fought past the chagrin. “Of course I do! These are just… comfortable.”

  “Wet squishy boots are comfortable?”

  Raina scowled. “I have to get to orientation.”

  Trini stopped her with a hand on Raina’s shoulder. Taking a breath, Raina met her gaze.

  “What the hell happened last night?”

  The question sent a burning yet freezing sensation through Raina’s heart. It was nearly painful to hear the thought that had kept her up all night put into words by another. Could she know that Raina was drawn from her sleep and plunged into the lake? “What? Nothing.”

  “Oh, come on! Everyone saw it. Or at least heard it.”

  “I don’t know what you’re—”

  Trini threw her hands up. “Those junkies who busted in? The magic junkies? There was a battle, it woke up the whole dorm. Boom! Whang! Lightshow!”

  Oh, that. Raina silently sighed in relief. “I don’t know much. They were dressed in black, wearing masks.”

  “What, like ninjas?” Trini’s jaw dropped.

  “No, not like ninjas. Well, sort of. They held the guards pinned down in a hallway until Jax started kicking some ass.” Actually, she didn’t know how the battle had turned out. “Then I ran away. It was really scary.”

  “Holy cow!” Trini shouted. “That’s so crazy wild! We haven’t had attacks like this since the joint first opened. Now three in less than a year.”

  Raina wondered aloud, “Was anyone hurt?”

  “No, no. Couple bruises. The junkies, you know, they’re strictly amateurs.” Trini smirked. But her haughty expression fell. “The administration, the university, they’ll have to do something about this. It isn’t safe, especially with humans in the line of fire. The city will ask questions, maybe try to close us down. We’re going to need a more aggressive approach to security.”

  “I guess so.”

  Trini scowled at her. “And what were you doing with Jax last night, you tramp?”

  “Tramp?”

  “You two were seen together. After hours. Holding hands. This place is pretty tight-knit. You can’t get away with anything.” Trini gave Raina a sharp slap on the butt.

  “Ouch!”

  “I knew you were a Faerie Mary.”

  “You’re just all jelly.”

  “Jealous of a skinny human girl?” She laughed out loud.

  Raina huffed out a growl. “I’ve gotta get to orientation.”

  “Rainara!” Jax strode out of the building, rushing toward her. He wore the uniform again, and Raina found herself hypnotized by his charging motion. “Damn it, girl, we didn’t know if you were dead or alive.”

  “Sorry, I just freaked out. I’m okay.”

  He folded his arms and looked down at her. “I need to speak with you.”

  “But I have orientation—”

  “I need to speak with you now,” he interrupted. Without pausing to see if she followed, Jax paced around the outside of the building. Raina managed to tear her eyes off his butt.

  “Speak with you,” Trini annunciated carefully. “Is that what they’re calling it now?”

  “You shut up.”

  “No, you shut up. Tramp.”

  “I’m not a tramp!”

  “Better get going. Jax can be pretty impatient.” Trini closed her eyes and bared her teeth, making disgusting grunting noises.”

  “I’m outtie.”

  “Go get ’im, Glow-Getter.”

  Teeth clenched, Raina followed after Jax, but not before sidestepping a second spank attempt from Trini.

  Trini gave her a lascivious, exaggerated wink. Then, with an abrupt motion of her
left hand, she gave Raina a magic slap on the butt.

  Raina chased after Jax, pausing only for a moment when she reached the place where her attacker had scaled the ten-foot wall. She was fairly certain that her ears were trailing steam from Trini’s comments. At the same time, the half-fae’s obvious jealously felt a little like a triumph.

  She entered a garden on the east side of the compound. Given the early hour and the rain, only Jax stood among the dripping rose bushes. Raina approached, quashing a sense of apprehension before it could pinch her features.

  “I spent the night wondering if you were dead,” he said by way of greeting.

  Raina blew out her cheeks. “I’m sorry. The whole thing scared me. I just wanted to go home. If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t sleep any, either.”

  “It doesn’t.”

  Jax shoved his hands in the pockets of his tight trousers. While they looked damned good on him, the uniform did not remind Raina of an instructor’s garb, but a guard’s.

  “I need to know a few things. First off, let’s not bother with this bull about you looking for a book.”

  Okay, she knew it was lame when it occurred to her. She was stunned that Jax accepted her explanation. Apparently, he hadn’t.

  “How did you get past the wards, Rainara?”

  “I, uh—” She had no idea, really, and didn’t know what to say.

  “There’s no access to that side of the lake from the upper park. You must have gotten through security somehow.”

  Her jaw trembled a bit as she barely met his hard stare. After a moment, his expression softened. He put his hands on her shoulders. Warmth traveled down her arms making her fingertips feel like sparks.

  “We all may be in danger if the wards are faulty. They caught those junkie punks, but they didn’t catch you. How did you get in? What path did you take?”

  She felt she had no other choice but to come clean with him. Or, partway clean, anyway.

  “I don’t remember. I know it sounds crazy.”

  Jax’ black eyes lidded with speculation. When he said nothing, Raina went on.

  “The last thing I remember is going to sleep in my apartment. I thought I was having a dream, a nightmare, really, about the lake. Then, I was in the lake, drowning. I can’t remember anything about how I got there. I must have been sleepwalking.” She paused, trying to collect her thoughts to make it at least believable. “Or, maybe I had too much wine. I don’t know. I’m sorry I made up a story. But the truth sounded too embarrassing to tell.”

  He continued his scrutiny, not speaking for a time. Rain whispered from the sky, dripping from the foliage the only sound around them. “Magic draws,” he said, enigmatically.

  Raina wasn’t sure if that meant he believed her.

  “I want you to do me a favor. Don’t tell anyone else about this.”

  “I’ll try,” she said. Then she thought of Trini’s prying. It must have shown in her face.

  “Trini,” Jax said, as if he could read her thoughts. “Don’t worry about her. With this recent attack, she’ll be busy enough. You’ll be busy as well. It’s nearly time for your orientation.”

  On cue, a deep bell tolled. Raina felt the tug of it, pulling her toward the doors.

  “I’ll meet you tonight to talk about this further.”

  “Where?” She asked. “When?”

  “You’ll know,” he said. “Magic draws.”

  Jax disappeared among the rose bushes. Raina wondered what he meant as she headed for new student orientation.

  11

  Raina hated the insistent tug of the school bell. She noticed that some of the humans responded to it with blank, zombie-like walks. One aspect of it that was actually helpful was that it directed her to the auditorium where the new student orientation was held.

  Without any sleep the previous night, she struggled not to fall asleep during the rah-rah-rah, good for you humans, welcome to the culture of the Shadow Fae, followed by a long-winded recitation of the academy’s facilities. Many of the students sat at rapt attention, or even taking notes.

  The Dark Fae instructor made no mention of the controversial site of the school, she noticed.

  She nodded off a little during the question-and-answer period, only to be jarred awake by the toll of the summoning bell. Waiting for a moment for the tone to direct her to her next class, Raina felt nothing. A fleeting tendril of panic wormed through her at the thought that she was becoming immune to the spelled knell.

  A moment later, the doors of the auditorium opened, and more students flooded in. Her muscles loosened as she realized she was already where she was supposed to be, along with all the rest of the student body.

  The low flow of conversation all stemmed from the same questions: why were they summoned here instead of their scheduled classes?

  When a short, rail-thin man took the stage, the hubbub lowered to whispers. He wore a tweed suit with a dark blue scarf over the shoulders. Raina imagined in was some symbol of rank. The Dark Fae confirmed it with his first words.

  “While most of you know me, for the rest of you, I’m Headmaster Sharp, the leader of this fine institution.” He had a reedy voice that nonetheless carried through the auditorium without the benefit of amplification.

  Raina expected another round of how great the Academy of Fae Magic was, but was shocked by his next words.

  “Those of you who live in the dorms already have an idea what happened during the night. I sincerely apologize for disturbing your sleep. It seems some of our more rambunctious staffers decided to put on a bit of a show for you.”

  Raina gaped.

  “Those faculty members who took part in the fun and games will be found out and punished accordingly. I must say, I’m proud of the restraint our security showed in avoiding causing serious injuries during what they believed was an actual attack on our institution.”

  The headmaster was outright lying to the student body. Raina couldn’t believe it. Of course, he couldn’t be lying to the Dark Fae employees. They would know right away. Wouldn’t they?

  “Given that a few bad apples have managed to spoil the bunch, for the rest of the semester, the possession of alcoholic beverages or recreational drugs on campus will result in the expelling of students and termination of employees.”

  A good-natured groan issued from the gathered pupils. Raina snuck some glances. These people were buying the whole thing. Raina was there. She knew that was nobody playing around. Maybe not a one of the intruders struck a lethal blow, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.

  Sharp held out his palms. Raina saw a few faint sparks fly from his fingertips. The room quieted down immediately. A neat trick for a teacher. “Hopefully, this will be a future deterrent to any tomfoolery on the part of our young staff. If there are no questions, we’ll return to our regular schedule.”

  The headmaster stepped back from the podium until a student stood up, hand raised.

  “Headmaster Sharp, I have a question.” The young man flushed a little as he drew attention.

  Frowning slightly, Sharp stepped back. “Go ahead, young man.”

  “Well, given there were two other attacks this year by magic junkies, I was wondering what you have on this campus that would attract them?”

  Sharp’s face went stony, eyes, well, sharp. “This has nothing to do with the incidents earlier this year. As I said, this was a misguided effort by our staff to put on a magic exhibition at the cost of our rest and feeling of security here. You may all go about your routines safe in the knowledge that this will not happen again. Dismissed.”

  The boy who raised his hand turned beet red as students rose around him, heading for the classrooms. Raina stood as well, but nearly dropped to her seat.

  Pain flared in her hand, a needling agony that made her grit her teeth. No one was looking at her. She examined the wound. It still hadn’t scabbed over. What was wrong with her? She thought about putting a bandage on it, but that would probably involve visiting Ernella. Bre
ath froze in her lungs as the shallow fissure emitted a wan, golden glow.

  Raina jammed her hand in the pouch of her hoodie and followed the line out of the auditorium. Damn it all, she didn’t need anything more to draw attention to herself. The last thing she needed was another target marking her skin.

  At the end of the school day, Raina slogged back to the subway through the rain. Classes had bored her all the way to sleep a number of times, her head bobbing like a bobble head as she tried to pay attention. Her entire magical education consisted of playing. It was as natural as breathing or crying or sleeping, with the exertions of a typical day meant to wend as much energy out of rambunctious Fae filled with mischief and the ability to carry out just about anything they could think of. It wasn’t about learning magic, but learning to control it to a highly precise degree. Talking endlessly about how it manifested, how a nervous system might control it, theories about the repulsion of magic and iron and blah-blah-blah ad infinitum dulled her brain.

  More exhausted than she’d felt in a long time, she walked the shining sidewalks of Chinatown to the store. Her hand continued to niggle constantly and twinge like an electric shock when she let her guard down.

  She thought about her meeting with Jax. Raina was at once thrilled to meet with the handsome Dark Fae and dreading what they might discuss. A lifetime of thinking of the Dark Fae as an enemy vied with her magnetic attraction toward him. No doubt about it, he was beautiful. Stunning, even. He was also arrogant as hell.

  Not to mention the whole Dark Fae thing.

  The whole Jax conundrum was unnervingly confusing.

  Also, at that precise moment, incredibly frustrating. Supposedly, she would know where and when their rendezvous would happen. “Magic draws,” she murmured to herself before blowing out an irritable breath of air.

  Yeah, right. Whatever that meant.

  Did she even want to meet him? Yes, she knew she did. Despite her trepidations about his race. Her inner cravings for attention, no matter how much she disliked that neediness inside of her, won out over her reluctance to accept a Dark Fae as a… well, whatever he was to her. She did what she could to steel her emotions, reminding herself she was just using him for information, though she was hardly convincing herself. Whatever her motives, it at least couldn’t hurt to have someone high up at the Academy on her side if shit hit the fan.