by N. M. Howell
“You, Raina, thrive in the glow of constant magic, yet you have survived the closing of the one remaining portal. There can be no other answer. You are a Lord Fae.”
18
“I am not!” Raina knew the term, though it wasn’t uncommon for that particular part of history to be believed a myth. She hadn’t been sure she ever believed it, thinking the concept more attuned to fables of her youth. Still, her kind had sacrificed so much. Being told she no longer belonged to her people was the last thing she needed to hear. Heat rose from deep within her. “My parents are Light Fae. My brother, my sister…”
Melchior shrugged. “Some kind of vestigial genetics, perhaps.”
“Damn it, I’m nearly powerless without the portal,” she blurted. “I need the flow from the portal. I’m dying without it, can’t you understand?”
“I beg to differ,” Trini said. “You have magic. I’ve seen it. You can shroud yourself, and if I’m not mistaken, you used an object of Derek’s to scry on us the other night.”
“Think about what it could mean.” Derek put a hand on her shoulder. “Shadow and Bright think they’re so far removed. You could be a beacon to both sides. Maybe if the splinter group who destroyed the portal knew this—”
Raina shrugged away. “Even if it were true, it makes me even more of a target. Obviously, two sides of the same coin or not, there are Dark Fae who are out to commit genocide, wipe out the Light Fae.”
“She’s right.” Belle said. “While we continue to debate the motives of the splinter group, Raina is even more a threat as a Lord Fae as she was the spokesfae for Human-Fae Relations.”
The group didn’t speak, but shared a countenance of agreement. “Let us further research this, Princess.” Melchior said. “Perhaps we can come up with some solid answers for you. There is a man I need to consult. In the meanwhile, will you fetch the grimoire from the library, Derek?”
“What good does any of this do?” Raina said. “The portal is shattered. My home may be destroyed. My only purpose here is to reopen the gateway to Oreálle and discover the truth of what lies beyond. I need to save what’s left.”
Despite the hope she had clung to, every day that passed, ever day she grew weaker without the magic of her realm, made her doubt there was much left to save. She needed to open the portal, she knew that much. But what awaited her on the other side, she wasn’t sure she was ready yet to know.
“Indeed. While we argue about this cabal’s intentions, we have been watching them closely. Especially Trini.” Melchior nodded to her.
She nodded. “I’ve overheard a few conversations, not enough to get any real perspective. But I’m pretty sure this hidden group who destroyed the portal are going to try to open it again. Maybe to destroy the Bright Realm once and for all. We still need to find out who they are, and what they’re up to.”
Raina took in every word. “The Dark Fae are trying to re-open the portal? So… there’s a chance my people are still alive on the other side?” That glimmer of hope buried deep within her flickered a little brighter.
“We suspect so,” Melchior said.
Trini lifted a shoulder, watching Raina with sharp, keen eyes. “Why else would they be interested in the portal? If they’d succeeded in destroying the Oreálle realm, they’d have already won.”
“But no,” Melchior continues. “Still they watch. Still they plan and whisper and hunt. I suspect there’s still hope for your people so long as the interest of these criminals in the portal persists.”
Nodding, Trini added, “We just need to get there first. We’ll have a fight on our hands, that’s for sure.”
The idea seemed to excite her, and Raina studied the expression that flashed across the half Dark-Fae’s face. She was glad she had someone so passionate to her cause on her side. She wasn’t sure what she would have done without her. Without all of them. All she could do was nod back, her throat too dry to speak.
Derek returned from a shadowed arch struggling under the weight of a book. It was bound in midnight blue leather, with tarnished sliver hinges and clasps. He set it before Melchior. The Dark Fae slowly flipped through velum pages that crackled with age. Finally, he found what he was looking for.
“Ah.” He turned the book toward Raina. “If you would, Princess.”
Raina took hesitant steps toward the table, feeling all eyes on her. On the top of the page was a symbol in lapis, gold and dragon’s blood. It looked a little like a yin-yang, but the dividing element was a trefoil. The design was intricate, lacy, with an obvious sun and moon, but the third element in red she did not understand. Beneath this, an illuminated glyph stood at the right of the page, where the text would start. The rest was blank. “What is it?”
Melchior folded his hands patiently. “It is the Lyric of Lord Fae.”
Raina frowned. “There isn’t anything there.”
“Read it,” Belle prompted.
“Read what? There only thing on the page is that symbol, and the glyph for inside…”
Raina’s head flew back, taking an enormous yawning breath. Her voice issued, beyond her control.
Inside my soul inside my heart
A tapestry of light and dark
The weft of moon and warp of sun
A solitary star woven
To shine by dusk and shine by dawn
A harbinger of new eons
The cavernous room lit in a dancing chiaroscuro, shadows of the pillars spreading like petals of a dark flower. Humans at the table shielded their eyes. Fae basked in the deep blue glow. Raina looked at her open palms to see the luminescence came from her. She hastily hiked up her sleeves. Tattoos in gold light ran up her arms, a chaotic geometry that mirrored the symbol on the grimoire page.
Raina felt alive, truly alive for the first time in half a decade.
Derek stood, transfixed. “What’s it doing to her?”
With a wave of his hand, the elder Dark Fae closed the cover with an echoing thump.
Raina shivered as the glow left her skin. The Dark Fae did as well. The humans looked red-eyed and a little hung over.
“What did you do?” Raina whispered.
“The Lyric can only be sung by a Lord Fae. It was magically recorded by a Lord Fae in this grimoire, to reveal others of his kind if the need ever came about. It is he who I must consult. If I can find him.”
“Well, I guess this ups the game a little,” Trini said. Her words were flippant, but she cast wary eyes on Raina. “Our tactic of using a magic junkie raid as a diversion fell apart the minute Jax joined the guards to fight off Derek and…”
Belle nodded sadly. “Two more lost.”
My fault, Raina thought miserably. All of it.
“We’ll need a more direct assault.”
“Well…” Maybe she could make up for the disaster she’d caused. “Jax did ask me out on a date.”
Derek and Trini exchanged expressions. Derek said, “Well, things might go better if Jax was out of the picture. My bones still hurt from one of his backhand blasts.”
“He’s the best fighter in the academy, even if they employ him as an instructor,” Trini agreed. “Jax is always up for a battle.”
“When is the date?” Derek asked. His demeanor was stern, but it seemed his eyes looked a little hurt.
“I’m not sure. He’s going to call me later. Probably tonight.”
Belle shook her head. “That doesn’t give us enough time to plan.”
“It gives me a little leave to poke around.” Trini said. “But he’s so into you, Friend. Maybe if you make nice, he’ll ask you out on a second date. That would give us time to prepare.”
Make nice? Second date? The words made Raina’s head feel like a helium balloon. “I’ll do my best.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet you will. Tramp.” Trini smirked at the jibe.
“Jelly much?”
The half-fae headed for the passage back. “C’mon, Lord Fae. Let’s get you to at least one class today before you get sent to the
headmaster’s office.”
Raina looked at the gathered Confraternity. “Should I even be near the academy?”
Melchior nodded. “You must go about your normal routine. Your absence may have raised suspicion already. Go with Trini.”
They left the bowels of the abandoned waterworks station, treading ever upward, beyond the rough caverns to the crammed passage of roaring pipes and eventually back into the academy sub-basement. Trini made a W in front of her eyes with her index fingers touching and thumbs extended before opening the door.
“Coast is clear.”
Together, they ascended to the first floor. “What time is it?”
Trini closed her eyes. “Third period is about to end. Plenty of time to get to your last class.”
“Listen, I’m sorry I’ve had to lie to you so much.”
“Forget it. It’s all part of the game. Here.” Trini handed over a card with a telephone number. “Let me know when you’re going out with Jax.”
Raina put it in her hoodie pouch. “I will.”
“And tell me you’re not wearing that.” Trini’s index finger moved up and down, her expression sour.
“I’ll figure something out.”
“Good. Now git. Bell’s about to ring.”
With a strained sigh, Raina headed off to Divining Magic Sources 101.
“Oh, one more thing.”
She looked over her shoulder at Trini. “What?”
“Details!” Trini ground her hips and stuck out her tongue.
Blowing out her cheeks, Raina headed to class.
He didn’t say anything, but Lee Wing looked pleased when Raina arrived at the store for her shift on time. A couple of his employees had returned, looking a little pale and red-eyed. It allowed Raina to work the easier job as a cashier. She found that she was actually getting a lot better at it.
Near the end of the shift, Lee called her into the office.
“Phone,” he said, holding out the handset.
Raina bit her lip. “Sorry, I don’t have a cell phone. This is the only number I have.”
Lee left her to her call with a smile. “No problem.”
“Hello?”
She felt her ear go warm at the sound of Jax’ voice. “Rainara. I thought I’d give you a mundane phone call rather than send a wildlife creature. I hope you approve.”
“Much better.”
“If you have no plans, I have reservations at Eleven Madison Park at eight o’clock. Would you join me for dinner?”
“I would love to.”
“Shall I pick you up?”
“No, it’s not far from me. I’ll meet you there.”
“Fair enough. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Me too,” she breathed.
“See you at eight.”
Raina felt her pulse racing. Partly from anticipation. Mostly from the next call she placed. Trini’s anonymous voice mail picked up. Did the academy listen in on calls? Feeling she couldn’t take the chance, Raina went with an oblique message.
“Tall, dark and handsome at eight, lower Manhattan.” Hopefully, that would convey enough information to Trini, but thwart anyone listening in. Raina didn’t feel particularly adept at covert conversation.
She walked back out to finish her shift, but Lee caught her. “Raina, do you have a bank account?”
“Um, no, why?”
He smiled. “Excellent. Today is payday. I’ll pay you in cash. Save some paperwork.”
“Oh, I didn’t really expect—”
Lee shoved some bills in her hand. “Take it. With my thanks.”
Raina didn’t bother counting the money. Instead, she thanked Lee and went back to the register.
There wasn’t much time between the end of her shift and her date with Jax. Raina headed out to a vintage clothing store on Orchard Street a few blocks away. With the money from Lee Wing, she could at least afford an outfit. Not exactly a splurgy outfit, but something nice for a date.
She decided, out of necessity, to go retro. Navy blue sweater dress that was supposed to be thigh-length, but nearly came to her knees, tall faux suede boots that were supposed to be mid-calf, but nearly came up to her knees, an old-school cinch belt and matching itty bitty purse that she had nothing to put in but a lipstick, a compact, and a woefully small amount of change.
Raina hadn’t done anything with her hair in a while, counting on the hoodie to hide the fact. Now, she showered, shampooed, and fussed her hair into a French braid. It looked nice above her exposed shoulders, her still-human ears exposed freely for the first time since coming back. It felt weird being so exposed, but she was sure after all this time without magic, they weren’t at risk of returning to their fae shape anytime soon. Looking in the mirror, at only her reflection, instantly brought her down. She closed the door on the steaming bathroom and left the building at seven thirty.
Jax smiled at her as she arrived at the restaurant and gave her a peck on the cheek. “It’s lovely to see you out of your combat clothes.”
“A girl’s gotta show off her assets every once and a while.” Raina spun, twisting at just the right angles to show off those very assets.
It had the desired effect.
“You look beautiful.” Jax’s voice was husky, and he cleared his throat. “Uh. Let’s see if our table is ready.”
Eleven Madison Park was an art deco space with soaring ceilings, huge windows and lots of rough-hewn, glowing wood. The hostess sat them at a spindly table to the side of the main dining room.
“Would you like to order?” Jax asked. “I’m still not all that familiar with human food, believe it or not.”
Raina balked. “This place is so fancy, I don’t think I would be any more familiar than you. But seriously, how long have you been here? I find it hard to believe you haven’t at least become somewhat acquainted with huma… with our food.” Raina bit her tongue, hoping he hadn’t caught her slip.
Jax shrugged. “Despite living here most of the equivalent of a human’s adult life, I never really bothered to get a taste for it. Besides, now that our food is so accessible since the humans have opened up to us to eagerly, there really much of a point.”
Raina lifted her water glass to her lips, unsure she was all that eager to hear where this was going. Deciding she didn’t have much of a choice, she took a quick sip and asked, “Was it different before?”
“When I first got the job here, I remember having to sneak in all sorts of food. Hardly had room in my place for my clothes,” he replied. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to catch the souring expression that drew Raina’s jaw in tight. His eyes were lost in a smile as if recalling the happiest of memories. “Things are much better since the Bright Fae managed to shut themselves out. It’s pretty cool how seamless the integration of our kind has been here… I didn’t think I’d like it so much, to be honest.”
Raina simply stared at him, unsure how to respond. Did he really believe that lie the Academy teaches about the truth behind the portal’s destruction? She’d heard it too many times to count in her classes, had she not been so closely related to the event, she may have even started believing it. Considering the world knew about the attack the Dark Fae orchestrated on the portal, you’d think people wouldn’t be so thick as to believe a completely opposite alternate version of history. She wasn’t sure how to respond, opening her lips in hope that at least some semblance of a reply would come out. She scrambled to find words. Does he truly believe this nonsense?
“Sorry, you’re lost,” he finally said when no words came out of her mouth. “I forget so many humans don’t know the full history. Have they not covered this yet in your classes? Don’t worry, by the end of the semester, you’ll know everything there is to know about the Fae and our history.”
Raina simply nodded. “I remember hearing something of the sort,” she finally added, considering. She knew she should let it go, but something nagged inside her. “I thought the portal was attacked by the Shadow Fae? Or do I have things co
nfused.”
“There was an attack,” Jax replied. He shrugged his shoulders. “You’re not wrong. But there’s more to the story. It’s complicated.”
“Too complicated for tonight,” Raina said. “Enough with the history lesson, let’s eat. I’m starving.” If he truly did believe that lie, then maybe she couldn’t judge him so much for being on that side of things. She held that thought at the back of her mind to revisit later. Now, she just wanted to order the most expensive bottle of wine on the menu.
It turned out that the restaurant served a seasonal tasting menu, and she and Jax only needed to order a small separate dish each. The wines, though human, were excellent.
“How did you come to live with Flora’s family?” Raina kind of blurted it out. Maybe Trini wasn’t the only one with jealousy issues.
“The short version, my parents died when I was very young. It was an accident.” Jax’ eyes flicked away, but she caught the distance, the sorrow there—and perhaps something else?. “Her father was Dark Fae, mother human, and they took me in. I’ve repaid their kindness by rejecting their daughter. I’m still looking for a way to truly thank them.”
Reminding herself why she was there, she forced any remaining trepidations aside. She wasn’t there for an easy date, she was there on a mission. And she didn’t intend to fail. It’s a good thing he was mind-numbingly gorgeous, of the whole ordeal would have been that much harder. She put her hand over his. “I get it. I’m trying to get my parents out of a bind. I really don’t know if I’m up to it.”
“The human world. So complex. The worship of gold, the tangle of money.” Jax misunderstood, thinking that the king and queen of the Light Fae Court were in financial straits. Which worked out fine for Raina. “I don’t understand any of it. I don’t want to understand any of it.”
“Well, you must know a little bit. I saw the prices on the menu.”
