Succession

by Rachel Angel

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  Rachel Angel

  Damn it, Harley thought. Why wasn’t she at work?

  Then Harley saw him. Under the weight of the limb was a man, crushed. She gasped. What were they doing at home?

  “Splendid,” Stephen said. “That was even better than I’d anticipated. Sure, I would have liked to see Mrs. Laurence under that tree instead of her husband, but… I’ll accept it all the same.”

  Numb, Harley nodded as Stephen patted her on the shoulder.

  “Good job,” he said. “You’ve a keen eye for detail and your ability to zoom in and focus is enviable. I’d dare say, even better than mine.”

  Beaming, he looked down at her. “You’re like a chip off the old block,” he said. “And to think… this is nothing. This is nothing compared to what you can really do. The world will be ours, dear girl. It will be ours.”

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  Succession (Fallen Fae Academy #6) Chapter 10

  Harley

  

  Harley lay awake in bed thinking of the day’s lessons with her father. It’d been quite a revelation learning of the destructive nature of this dark magic and it brought her to question what she was really doing.

  How was she going to manage to convince her father that she was on board with him without actually hurting anyone?

  She finally fell asleep with that question in her head and awoke early the next morning eager to find a solution.

  Her first decision of the day was to skip all her classes. She was beyond the classroom now and all her learning was to be out in the field. There 133

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  were no more magical theories to learn… it was all practice from now on.

  “You’re up bright and early,” Stephen said as he came into the kitchen already dressed for the day.

  He looked sharp in a dark blue suit.

  “I have a lot on my mind,” Harley said as she cracked an egg into the frying pan. “Hungry?”

  “No,” he said rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

  “I’ll just have coffee.”

  “Looks like you had a worse night’s sleep than I did,” Harley commented.

  “Time is running out,” he said as he readjusted his tie. “I could beat myself over the head with a two by four for not thinking about teaching you all this sooner. There is still so much to show you.”

  “Like what?”

  He looked pointedly at her as she pushed a cup of coffee his way. “Yesterday, we looked at the physical obstructions you can plant. We looked at how you can manipulate things to go where you need them to go. Today, I want to touch on 134

  Succession (Fallen Fae Academy #6) something completely different, but just as destructive.”

  Great, Harley thought sarcastically. “I can’t wait,” she said with feigned enthusiasm. “I still feel as if I’ve barely touched the surface of all there is to know.”

  After a warm breakfast, they headed out once again to the mall that was teeming with activity.

  Which hapless student was going to suffer today? Harley wondered.

  “Getting someone to trip is relatively easy,”

  Stephen said as he took a seat on the same bench as the day before. “Getting someone to sit in dog poo is also pretty easy.”

  Harley listened to him as she watched the students rushing to their classes, or meetings or whatever else they had going on.

  “But…” Stephen said cautiously. “Watch this.”

  Not sure what she was watching out for, she looked to Stephen and followed the direction of his gaze. Derek, a handsome jock, was leaning back against a nearby tree, minding his own business.

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  His blond locks glistened in the sun and his tanned and toned muscles were evident under his t-shirt, even from a distance. He was the type of guy all the girls wanted to hang around with, to touch, to kiss…

  to love.

  But Harley knew that Derek, despite his irresistible allure, was not the type of guy to run around. He’d been dating Keri, a quiet and reserved history major, for what seemed an eternity. At the start of this semester, they’d gotten engaged, much to the chagrin of so many girls.

  Harley glanced up at her father, wondering what he was going to do to him. Already, her heart pounded painfully in her chest. She dreaded the thought of anything bad happening to him.

  Stephen’s gaze shifted to the far left where Keri was walking in the direction of Derek.

  Wearing a pretty, sun yellow dress, she was all smiles as she looked at the love of her life. But just as Keri neared her fiancé, Derek approached Julie, a cute, little brunette who had been vying for his attention for months. After only a few words, he 136

  Succession (Fallen Fae Academy #6) pulled her into his arms and looked lovingly into her eyes.

  “What is he doing?” Harley said. “Keri is right there.”

  Stephen chuckled.

  Julie looked into Derek’s eyes with all the adoration in the world, pleasantly surprised by his sudden attention. And when Derek leaned in to kiss her, Keri, clearly in shock, stopped dead in her tracks to watch them.

  Harley’s heart broke at the sight of the immeasurable pain on Keri’s face. But the pain turned to fury as she gained control of her emotions and marched over to the couple now entangled in a deep and passionate embrace.

  “What are you doing?” Keri said as she slapped Derek’s arm. “What in the world are you doing?”

  Derek pulled away from Julie, looked into her face then turned his confused expression to Keri. “Uh,” he muttered. “I don’t know.”

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  “You don’t know?” Keri shouted as tears streamed down her face. “What do you mean, you don’t know. What is wrong with you?”

  Julie tried to recapture Derek’s attention, pressing her voluminous breasts into his chest.

  Derek looked stunned and lost as he looked from Julie to Keri. “I guess I’m just bored.”

  “Bored?” Keri said, now openly weeping.

  “Bored of what, Derek?”

  “Of you,” Derek said matter-of-factly. His face was cold. There was no emotion, no pain, no regret.

  But Harley felt Keri’s pain, felt her heartache.

  What a blow to hear the man that you love tell you something so dreadful and without an ounce of emotion. It was devastating to watch.

  “Oh, Derek,” Keri cried. With a whimper, she ran off, heading to the parking lot, the skirt of her beautiful yellow dress flowing behind her.

  That was mean and cruel, Harley wanted to say to her father. But then, she knew that was the intention. But just when Harley thought it couldn’t 138

  Succession (Fallen Fae Academy #6) get worst, she heard the loud screech of tires and then a nauseating thud.

  Students turned to look in the direction of the sound, a few of them running to offer aid.

  Harley stood, then climbed to stand on the bench to see what had happened, although she already knew what she would see.

  Keri was lying on the ground pinned under the car’s front tire. Her tear filled eyes were wide open and vacant.

  Devastated and pulled from his stupor, Derek rushed to her, clearly confused by his own actions and what he had caused Keri to do. On seeing his beloved fiancé dead under the car, he fell to the ground and screamed.

  “So, you see, dear,” Stephen said with all the infuriating calm in the world. “Playing on one’s emotions can bring remarkable results. It’s that simple.”

  Tears stung Harley’s eyes as she watched Derek crumble. She couldn’t bring herself to look at her father. A chill enveloped her as she realized the level of the pure and evil destruction of her 139

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  father. For his simple amusement, he had just ruined the lives of two innocent, good people.

  Why couldn’t he do this to someone else?

  Someone more deserving of having their heart broken.

  “
Humans and the light fae are easily manipulated,” Stephen went on, completely unmoved by the drama that was still playing out in front of them. “Anger is a good emotion to tap into.

  It’s amazing what you can get them to do when you get them angry. They’ll jump off a bridge, blow up a house… even kill a loved one. But jealousy. Now that’s a doozy of an emotion. There is little even the most angelic human being won’t do when they get jealous enough. It’s truly quite interesting to see.”

  He nudged Harley with his elbow. “Why don’t you give it a try? Have fun with it. Be creative.”

  She had no idea where to begin. The thought of hurting someone, emotionally or physically, made her sick.

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  Succession (Fallen Fae Academy #6) Looking at the students, she tried to find a few of the dark fae students. Most of them were difficult to distinguish from the human students, but occasionally there were those who stood out, who didn’t have enough glamouring to fully disguise their true selves.

  She finally spotted two of them. One wore loose and ill-fitting jeans with a wrinkled blue button down shirt. The dark fae student looked mostly human but had a redness to his eyes that gave him away. There was also something unusual in his gait, as if walking upright wasn’t something he was accustomed to.

  His buddy wore paint splattered overalls with bright green sneakers and had a gait worse than his friend. Hunched over, he appeared ready to fall at any moment.

  Now that she had found her marks, Harley wondered what to do. What emotional turmoil could she drop on these guys?

  They were quickly coming towards her and would soon pass her by. The opportunity would be lost.

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  Think of something, she told herself.

  Anything.

  Love, she thought. What an unexpected emotion to bring to a dark fae student.

  Out of the blue, a stray dog ran through the mall. The fluffy white canine ran up to people as if seeking his owner. He was adorable and super friendly.

  “Oh, look, Martin,” the hunched over dark fae said to his buddy. “Look at the puppy.”

  Martin growled as he looked at his friend.

  “So what?” he said. “Damn it, David. What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “But it’s a puppy,” David gushed as he got on his knees and called the dog over.

  “Get up, you idiot,” Martin said.

  The dog was understandably reluctant to approach either of them. His canine instincts told him that they weren’t humans… that they weren’t to be trusted.

  “I’ve always wanted a puppy,” David said.

  “What has gotten into you?” Martin growled.

  “You’re turning into a sap right before my eyes.”

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  “What’s sappy about a pup, Martin?” His eyes full of joy and love, David looked up at Martin.

  “Huh? Tell me. What’s sappy about a puppy?”

  Stephen chuckled at the scene. “This is all amusing, my girl, but I can’t see where you’re going with this.”

  Harley wasn’t sure herself. She couldn’t help it. Destruction wasn’t in her nature. Hate wasn’t in her make up. Even in the worst of times, her life was about love and joy… puppies and rainbows.

  “You’re embarrassing me,” Martin said.

  “Fucking get to your feet or I’m going to tear your head off.”

  With a silly grin on his face, David looked at Martin. “You’re so cute when you get angry, Martin.”

  “Oh, you think?” Martin groaned. “Well, tell me how cute you think this is.”

  Without further warning, Martin swung his arm around, his long razor sharp claws now out, and he decapitated David with one clean cut.

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  Still smiling and filled with love and joy, David’s head rolled away and stopped right in front of the dog.

  It took but a moment for the crowd to realize what had happened and respond. Screams of terror suddenly filled the air and the mall was a massive jumble of students running around not sure where to go.

  “Hmm,” Stephen said as he looked more closely at Martin and what remained of David. “So, they are dark fae students. Were you aware of that?”

  “No,” Harley lied. “I thought they were an oddball pair, but…”

  Stephen nodded and seemed content with her response. “Still,” he said. “I think you’re going to need a little more practice. The outcome was interesting enough, but I’m not certain what your intent was. For a moment I thought you were going to do something interesting with that dog. Now that would have be original.”

  The dog? Harley thought. Heavens, no. She could never do anything to harm an animal.

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  Succession (Fallen Fae Academy #6) Stephen put his hand to Harley’s knee. “I strongly suggest you work on this a little more. This was an adequate beginning, but I want to see more.

  I want to see something bigger, more painful…

  more damaging. I want to feel the earth move.”

  He stood to leave and when Harley stood to follow him, he turned to stop. “No,” he said firmly.

  Gone was the fatherly smile and the understanding gaze. “You need to work on this now. I don’t have time right now to sit and watch you try again and again, but I want you to try until you have something substantial to show me.”

  Harley nodded despite the turmoil inside.

  Stephen looked beyond her to the administrative building. “I’m going to be in there,”

  he said, pointing to the side of the building. “I’m going to be in my office where I can see the entirety of the mall. I’ll be satisfied when I see something big.”

  Again, Harley nodded.

  “Don’t let me down, princess,” he said. “If you really want to have full possession of your powers, don’t let me down.”

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  She watched him walk away and a massive sense of emptiness filled her. Here she was the daughter to the Spring Queen… of light itself… the power to build, to create. But she was also daughter to the Dark Fae King, the destroyer of all that was good, of all that was beautiful.

  As much as she disliked the idea of destroying anything, she knew she had to if she was ever going to be able to break Kingsley and Oak out of prison.

  She had to.

  Looking more closely at the students who passed, she tried to pick up on which students were human and which were dark fae. David and Martin had been an easy mark, but the others weren’t so easy.

  Yet, she knew there were more and more of them. How many? That she didn’t know.

  She scrutinized the students who came close by, the ones who hadn’t run away screaming at the sight of this bloody crime. Looking for any sign that could give them away, she scanned them all 146

  Succession (Fallen Fae Academy #6) quickly as they walked by, not at all perturbed by the sight of David.

  She then turned her attention to David’s headless body. Strange that it hadn’t turn to dust yet.

  But then she noticed it… the sign she was looking for. A ring. A narrow silver band inlaid with black mother of pearl on his thumb. She remembered seeing the same ring on Martin’s thumb as he’d struck out to slash David’s head off.

  Her eyes darted from one student’s hand to the other and she gasped as she realized just how many students wore the dark ring. Almost all of them.

  Chuckling to herself, she now understood why so many students hadn’t reacted at all to David’s brutal death. Only the human students had reacted.

  A beam of light coming from the administrative building hit her eye and she looked up to see her father in his office… flicking a mirror to send the ray of sun into her eyes. He was waiting.

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  Fine, Harley thought. She looked at the beautiful campus that was so perfect in every way.

&nbs
p; All that work, she thought as she remembered her reason for making one building modern and strong, and another one historic and memorable. She looked at the sheer wall of blue glass that made up the side of the Dark Sciences building, the great columns of the Glamouring building and the whimsy of the library. But none of that mattered now.

  Pick a building, she told herself. Any building.

  Her gaze fell on the History of Dark Magic building.

  Here goes. She looked at the foundation of the building, the concrete, then the large, chiseled stone that gave it so much beauty and character. She focused in on the mortar that held the stones together. Dust fell to the ground in tiny pale piles as the stones loosened.

  Several students ran out of the building, looking up at the stone wall to see what was going on. More and more stones fell, then a window on 148

  Succession (Fallen Fae Academy #6) the second floor popped, raining shattered glass on the students below.

  Passing students glanced at the building with nothing more than idle curiosity.

  Harley closed her eyes, concentrated, focused, zoomed in and gave the building its fatal blow.

  The entire building fell in on itself, sending a thick cloud of dust out in every direction. When the dust settled, all that remained of the beautiful building was a pile of beautifully cut stone.

  Glancing at the administrative building, Harley saw her father standing before the window of his office. Grinning, he applauded her effort.

  It was heartbreaking. The beautiful building she’d put so much thought into was now a pile of worthless, useless rubble. But she looked on the bright side. She considered how she could use this technique to break Oak and Kingsley out of prison.

  Shaking her head, she realized they’d be crushed under the stones and concrete. She had to be more meticulous. She had to find a way to tear a building apart without injuring the people inside.