by Lucia Ashta
“No, certainly not,” Fianna said right away, but there was no way she could be sure. We didn’t understand a single thing about my magic, which I clearly had in spades; there was no denying it anymore.
“Where did you send her, do you think?” the fairy asked. I had to work not to fidget as she crossed my knee, her injured wings tucked firmly against her back so they wouldn’t hang behind her as she climbed. I shrugged, resisting the tickle as the fairy crossed onto my thigh.
“So you have no clue where you sent her?” Fianna asked.
“None at all. I didn’t even mean to send her anywhere. I only meant to prevent her from hurting you.”
“By reaching a hand through her magic, which should have fried you, and touching her?” Incredulity dripped from the fae’s words.
I shrugged again, feeling too much like an ignoramus flung into battle. If Mother were aware of the dangers Mulunu had exposed me to, she’d kill the sea witch, or at least she’d try. Mother was gentle, graceful, and kind … until she had reason not to be. She’d always been my great protector. I missed her then so intensely that it hurt.
“Why couldn’t I be normal?” I said to myself, only belatedly realizing the fairy hung on my every word.
She gasped. “Why would you ever want to be normal when you’re this magnificent?”
I blinked rapidly, embarrassed that her question had moved me. No one had ever said anything like that to me before, not even Mother or Liana. When I first met the fairies, I never imagined any of them would be saying it to me now—especially not the spitfire redhead.
“You’re incredible, Selene,” Fianna said, continuing to climb. “Remarkable. A miracle.”
My cheeks colored. “Psh. A miracle? Come on.”
“Any girl that rushes in to save the fae is a miracle in my book. You’ve got a fairy on your side for life.”
“Hmm,” I said, because I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted the saucy fairy in my life forever.
“There’s no one more loyal than a fairy who owes a debt,” Fianna said from my hip and still climbing. When she crossed onto my bare stomach, I couldn’t help but twitch. “You’ve earned my undying loyalty. If not for you, I’d be a crisp, and what worse way to die than at the hands of that nasty-ass witch.” She shuddered. “She’s cuckoo. Totally off her rocker.” She circled her tiny hand in the air around her ear. “Coooo-kooo.” Then she smiled. “But now she’s gone.”
Her smile flickered as she trailed up my side. “Somewhere … it’d be very helpful to know where.”
“Why?” I asked, sure I didn’t want to know the answer even before it arrived.
“Because magic and supernatural creatures are composed of energy. Energy never ceases to exist, it only transforms, or at most dissipates.”
I raised an eyebrow at her.
“Which means that despicable Naomi and that nasty creature Petunia continue to exist somewhere. Because you didn’t kill them, right?” Fianna was quick to add, “And know that it’d be fully all right with all of us if you did.”
“I don’t believe I killed them, but since I’m not sure what I actually did, or how I managed it...”
“Well, it’s likely that you didn’t, then. A cryin’ shame.” Fianna tickled along the inside of my arm as she continued her upward momentum. “Killing requires a lot of intent and a great surge of magic, at least for supernatural creatures. You probably didn’t kill them if you weren’t trying to. Which means they’re somewhere, probably scheming and plotting already while that crazy witch clicks her ugly nails together. It’d be nice to know where they are so we can take them out before the witch tries to carry out any further attacks.”
Fianna’s crimson head jerked in assent of her own diatribe. “The best defense is a good offense, or at least to be aware of the movements of your enemies. And Naomi Nettles and her hideous cat are most certainly our enemies now. They just made it to the number one spot on my shit list. If I ever see them again...” She pursed her lips and shook her red head. “They’ll regret ever messing with a fairy.”
“I guess so,” I said.
The fairy plopped down on my shoulder in a huff, breathing heavily. “Dang. I never realized what a blessing wings are. Walking … is the worst. And you’re really uphill.”
Of course I was, I was standing upright. Had I thought of it, I could have offered her my hand. You’ll have to be sharper, Selene. I’d been ten steps behind since Mulunu had waved her staff at me and I discovered myself on Irving’s porch, staring into a scary wolf face.
A wolf face! Did that mean Irving was a werewolf? Or some other wolf shifter, if such a thing existed? And what would that make Quinn if he was a hybrid as I was?
I had to find them. Just as I was about to say exactly that, Nessa appeared, flying alongside a very dignified-looking owl who might fit in the palm of my hand.
Despite his size, there was no denying he was fierce. His head swiveled in every direction, even almost entirely backward as he flew, making sure the grounds were safe, I presumed. He came in low, Nessa struggling to match his speed, and landed at my feet with enviable grace.
He peered up at me, then took in Fianna and her tattered wings. His wide yellow eyes sharpened on the fairy atop my shoulder. “What is it? What’s happened?”
“Naomi Nettles nearly killed me, that’s what happened,” Fianna bit out. “She tore my wings before Selene here managed to get rid of her.”
The owl’s head tilted in my direction. “Get rid of her?” His voice was astute and intelligent, and I immediately wanted to place all my worries in his capable hands—er, wings.
When it was clear I wasn’t going to explain, Fianna jumped in: “She did some kind of magic, she’s not sure what. One second Naomi was closing in on me, the next, blam, she was gone, along with that blasted cat of hers.”
“Her familiar?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Familiar?” I asked in a wavering voice.
“A familiar, at least in the case of a witch of the caliber of Naomi Nettles,” the distinguished owl said, “serves as a power source of sorts. Naomi draws on her cat’s power to bolster her own. Almost as a battery that she recharges when she has magic to spare.”
“I see. Thank you,” I said.
“It’s my great pleasure,” the owl said, sounding like he meant it. “So you saved Fianna the Crimson by using your powers to make Naomi Nettles and her familiar disappear?”
“It would appear so.”
“And where is it, exactly, that you sent them?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know.”
“Hmm, that is interesting, interesting indeed. I’ll have to ponder that.” He rubbed at his chin with his wing as if he were human. “Nessa tells me you’re the daughter of a siren and an angel.”
“That’s right.”
“Then you’re a most unique creature.”
I suspected I was no more unique than he, but I nodded anyway. “It would appear so.”
“Nessa also tells me you’re in need of protection.”
“I believe I am.”
“Then I am Sir Lancelot, headmaster of the Magical Creatures Academy, casually referred to as the Magical Menagerie, satellite school to the prestigious Magical Arts Academy. I offer you our protection, so long as we can give it.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it. I’m pleased to meet you.” I had to resist the urge to curtsy; that would have disastrous consequences, no doubt, since I was having enough trouble balancing on two legs. There was just something about the owl that inspired me to behave better than I usually did.
“This is the point where you’re supposed to tell me your name,” the owl said sternly, but when I met his eyes, I registered mirth there.
“I am Selene of the Kunu Clan, daughter of Orelia, Supreme Siren of the Kunu Clan, and Raziel of the First Celestial Order.”
“That’s a noble line indeed. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, Lady Selene. Welcome to the Magical Creatures Academy, w
here magical and supernatural beings come to learn.”
Finally. Things were starting to look up. I sure needed to learn. I smiled my thanks before Sir Lancelot opened his beak to tell me the rest of it.
After the day I had, I should have known better than to assume that things would now be easy. Simply by coming together, my parents had ensured nothing about my life would ever be easy.
21
I soon discovered that Naomi Nettles had been right about one thing: the owl liked to talk. I’d assumed he was ready for action given the urgency of our circumstances. Instead, it turned out that he wanted to learn every detail of the fairies’ expedition since they left the Magical Creatures Academy campus. He included me in his questions at the start, but soon moved on once he realized I knew as much about what was going on as I appeared to. After that, he directed every demanding inquiry toward the fairies, who didn’t seem to mind.
I’d tired of peering down at the petite creatures to follow their conversation. Finally, I sank to the grass next to them and extended my new legs. I wondered if I’d ever get used to them. Life on land was proving to be nowhere near as exotic and exciting as Liana imagined it to be. My best friend mooned over visiting land, picturing exciting adventures, fiery romances, and none of the prejudices that inhabited our clan. I wondered if I’d ever see her again and have the chance to tell her how lucky she was to be allowed to remain among the Kunu tribe.
“Thank you, fairies,” Sir Lancelot was saying. “Thanks to your astute observations, I now possess a clear understanding of the situation.”
The fairies beamed. Even the saucy Fianna looked pleased at the owl’s compliments.
Sir Lancelot studied me with those wide yellow eyes that couldn’t possibly miss a thing while he said, “It’s never wise to move forward without understanding.”
I didn’t think he was speaking only to me, but I chortled regardless. “Then I should have remained standing outside Irving’s front door and never entered his house. That wolf head knocker was certainly enough to frighten me away for good.”
The owl’s brow arched. “A wolf knocker?”
I waved a hand in dismissal. “It’s nothing important. Just an intimidating metal wolf head on the door.” I shivered at the memory of it. “It freaked me out.”
Sir Lancelot turned to the fairies. “Did you see it?”
“It’s not important,” I said. “Let’s focus on Quinn and Irving instead.”
But the owl didn’t reply to me, instead waiting for the fairies to respond. Fianna said, “We saw it when we staked out the place before entering.”
“So you were there immediately after the wards attacked me! You weren’t tired from your journey at all.”
Fianna’s little chin lifted. “Traveling from one place to another like that, even through a portal of my own creation, is still demanding of our energy.”
“Indeed,” Sir Lancelot said. “And what did you make of this knocker?”
I opened my mouth to protest since I was the one to lead them down this unproductive path, but one glance at the owl’s seriousness made me shut it.
“Well,” Fianna said, eyes as fierce as the owl’s, “if you’re thinking that head is a warning to werewolves wanting to mess with Irving and his nephew, then I’m in agreement.”
“How would that be a warning?” I interjected. “Surely no shifter is as wimpy as I am.”
Sir Lancelot faced me in a jerky movement and I swallowed. “A word of advice, Lady Selene of the Kunu Clan. Don’t ever speak ill of yourself. There are enough in this world willing to do it for you, yet too few to think well. Be your own friend, not your enemy.”
I nodded, unsure whether to feel chastened or encouraged. I was beginning to understand what the owl would want me to think.
“You weren’t wimpy. Besides, Lady Selene,” he continued, “from what I’m gathering, that wolf head was meant to instill fear.”
“From the look of it,” Fianna said, “I’d bet he succeeds in warning off those few enemies who manage to find him.”
Sir Lancelot nodded, and I again realized I was missing something. I sighed and had to ask, “What do you mean?”
“That head isn’t an adornment,” the owl said. “It’s enchanted to appear only a knocker to those unaware of the shifter world. Perhaps if you returned and saw it now you’d see beyond the glamour.”
Fianna and Nessa nodded their agreement. Nessa stroked an occasional hand in comfort across Fianna’s frayed wings.
I hated to ask, but obviously I understood even less of things than they gave me credit for. “And what will I see if I look again?”
“A werewolf’s head mounted on the door.”
“But that’s what’s already there.”
“He means a real head,” Fianna said.
I blinked. “A real head? I’m not sure I’m following.”
“Then let me spell it out for you.” Fianna dropped her hands to her hips. “Irving lopped off the head of a werewolf who meant either him or Quinn harm. So other shifters would think twice before messing with either one of them, he nailed it to the door in warning. He had to have had the help of a witch to enchant it, both so it won’t send the mailman running and so it won’t decompose. I’m guessing Naomi effing Nettles.” She pursed her blood-red lips into a thin line.
“Watch the language, Fianna. There’s no call for unladylike expressions here,” Sir Lancelot admonished.
Fianna looked as if she entirely disagreed, but nodded anyway. I was too busy working to wrap my mind around the fact that the little owl was perturbed not by a disembodied head but a fairy’s language. What kind of world had I landed in? I gulped again, and longed for my ocean home so intensely that the sensation delivered a wave of physical pain.
Fianna climbed onto my shin and addressed the owl. “So what’s the plan now?”
“Selene can remain at the school if she wishes.” He made eye contact with me and I hurried to nod. My long violet hair flung all over the place in my enthusiasm to experience the safety of the Magical Creatures Academy. “I’d like that very much, thank you. But—”
“But you’re concerned about this boy you have a connection with.”
Quinn didn’t seem much at all like a boy anymore, not with the strength that radiated from him when he aimed to protect me. “I wish to see him again, yes. And I don’t think it fair that we abandoned him and Irving when those, uh, creatures were attacking. The one vampire I saw, that Antonio Dimorelli, was terrifying.”
“Irving is one of the most ferocious shifters there is,” Fianna said. “His reputation is well known in the supernatural community.”
“And now that we’ve met him and Quinn,” Nessa said, “we understand he endeavored to build a reputation so fierce that few would dare to bother the nephew he protects.”
“Exactly. He’s no pushover,” Fianna agreed. “He shifts into a polar bear, for goodness’ sake. There aren’t many shifters who dare to take on one of the largest land creatures there is.”
“A bear, you say?” I asked. “That doesn’t seem right.”
“Oh?” Sir Lancelot said, his voice laden with curiosity. “Why would you say that?”
“It’s nothing,” I replied too quickly. “I just...”
“You just what, child? You shouldn’t dismiss your natural instincts. My own have saved my life more times than I can count.”
“It’s nothing, really,” I repeated before I realized I shouldn’t have. The desire not to disappoint the owl was real. I hurried to correct myself. “It’s just that I sense the sea on Irving, her storms especially.”
“Hm.” The owl rubbed his chin with his wingtips. “That’s interesting. I wonder what will come of it.”
“Probably nothing at all. I don’t know—”
One look from him made me press my lips shut.
“Do not deny your magic, Lady Selene. That is the quickest way to limit it.”
“Okay,” I said lamely, before adding, “I’d
very much like to discover the extent of my magic.”
The owl smiled, his cheeks rising around his beak. “Then you’re in the right place.”
“So does that mean I’ll become a student of the Magical Creatures Academy?” Now that I was here on the campus, I wanted to stay—as long as Quinn could come too, of course. I hadn’t seen the school itself yet, but maybe I wouldn’t be such a freak in the midst of a bunch of magical creatures. And I’d finally get to learn!
“That isn’t up to me, Lady Selene. But I dearly hope so.”
The wind threatened to abandon my sails as I struggled to understand why a headmaster could do no more than hope. From what the fairies had suggested, the headmaster was in charge of the entire school. “I don’t understand,” I finally said.
“I don’t choose,” Sir Lancelot said. “No one person or creature does.” An ample pause punctuated the crisp forest air. “The Menagerie chooses its own students, and it hasn’t selected you yet.”
Annnnnd the wind departed in a fury. My proverbial sails slumped to my sides, limp and lifeless.
22
“Surely the school will choose her,” Nessa said. “She’s a sirangel. Even the school will be curious.”
Sir Lancelot tsked the blue fairy. “You know as well as I do that the school itself isn’t a conscious entity. A long-lasting spell is responsible for the Menagerie’s exemplary student body. It’s the work of the great wizards, Lords Mordecai and Albacus of Irele, that allows the school to select the students best suited for it.”
I caught Fianna rolling her eyes when she didn’t think Sir Lancelot would see. I wondered whether the gesture was in reference to the owl or the students.
The owl addressed me: “I hope you’ll become a part of the school, and because I do believe that will eventually become the case, I’m going to use the authority of my position to approve your stay on school grounds.”
My pulse sped up.
“You won’t be allowed to mingle with the students as that would interfere with the student selection spell in place. I don’t even want to think about what might happen if I attempt to introduce a student in contravention of the dictates of admission.” He shivered, his beige and white feathers standing on end for a few seconds before settling back in place. “There should be no problem, however, with you remaining on the grounds.”
