by Brenda Trim
When Eitin came into his powers he would no doubt be placed in the fire league. It made him wonder where Maurelle was assigned. He hadn’t seen her since watching her walk toward the infirmary, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the beautiful female. ‘You’re asking for trouble.’ he warned himself for the thousandth time that week.
It was a blessing he hadn’t seen her. It made keeping his distance easy.
His stubborn mind refused to think of anything else as he wondered if she would be air or fire, or maybe even water or earth. Based on what he’d seen of her he doubted it would be earth given that she didn’t set off any quakes or call up any boulders given how pissed she had been at the time.
She wasn’t likely water for similar reasons. The guards didn’t start bleeding from their eyes, nor did the ocean bordering the school send tidal waves crashing through the mess hall. Part of him hoped she was placed in air with him given her psychometric abilities, but she had yet to show up in class. Which was a good thing, he reminded himself yet again. The last thing he needed was more awkward encounters with the female.
Pushing thoughts of Maurelle and the way her grief incensed him out of his mind, Ryker exited his room and placed what protections he could over the door. Someone in his league shouldn’t be able to manipulate the metals like he did. That was an earth trait, but he didn’t want anyone entering his space while he was gone.
“Hey, Ryk. You feeling okay? You missed breakfast.” Dain pointed out when he exited his room. The dorms were located in large five story buildings and the set up was designed for far more independence than he had at home which made his time at the academy far more enjoyable.
Dain didn’t look too eager to get off the couch and leave for class while Sol and Brokk had their books and note pads in hand. Their rooms were all arranged around a central sitting area. It was where they were to practice and study.
“Yeah. I overslept,” he lied as he adjusted his books. He didn’t know if he could trust any of them to share the questions that lingered. Admittedly his doubts and objections about the academy had lessened over the days, but they weren’t completely gone.
Sol chuckled and shook his head. “I didn’t want to get out of bed at five am either. The fucking thing is made of clouds or something. I never knew beds could be so comfortable.”
His face must be hiding his chaotic emotions better than he thought. Nodding, Ryker continued to the door. “For sure. I’ve had my bed my entire life. And, my mom likely had it far longer than that.” Having a new or soft bed was a luxury most in the Edge couldn’t afford so having a comfortable one was a major perk.
Ryker descended the stairs and listened to them talk about the difference between the dorms and home. He was about to agree with them that his chest hurt less with every breath, and his gut settled with the cleaner atmosphere, but Maurelle loped out of a room that was right below his.
His feet faltered and he barely caught himself with a hand on the banister before he fell down the next flight of stairs. Stunning was an understatement when he looked at her. With clean, shiny hair and no sickly pallor, her beauty was undeniable.
His roommates registered his delay and turned to him. Ryker opened his mouth, but Brokk cut him off. “Hey, Maurelle. You look like you’re feeling better.”
The female in question flushed a light shade of pink and smiled. “Thanks. I feel so much better.”
“And, damn. You are smokin’ hot,” Brokk continued as he ran his eyes up and down her form. It made Ryker want to punch him in his good-looking face. Which was a completely inappropriate response. He should encourage the flirtation. It would make it less likely for Ryker to give into his desire for the female.
Ryker admitted he’d like to kiss those full lips and feel that curvy body, but he held back. “Enough,” Ryker barked harshly. With a wince he softened his voice and continued. “Maurelle doesn’t need to be harassed. How are you feeling? I haven’t seen you around.”
“My very own knight in shining armor,” Maurelle teased him. He scowled even though he liked her wry sense of humor and smile far too much for his own good. “It’s not necessary though. Compliments are a nice distraction from the prospect of starting school. School and I weren’t the best of friends when I was younger, so I’m nervous. Other than that, I feel much better. They kept me in the infirmary until last night and gave me several tonics and other treatments.”
Ryker kept his distance as they all headed down the stairs as a group. “How are you dealing with losing your mom? Since you aren’t screaming or punching anyone, I assume you must be dealing.”
Her head jerked up at the last bit. Shaking her head, Maurelle paused as Sol opened the door leading out of the dormitories. “It’s been awful. I miss her more than anything, but…well. I wish she hadn’t interfered with the collectors.”
This attitude was vastly different from the anger she’d spewed when she arrived. Brokk moved to his right and Sol was in front of them. Maurelle was smart not to open up completely. He liked his roommates well enough but trusting them was another matter entirely and he’d never given her reason to trust him. It was better if she kept her distance.
“What happened to you is a pretty traumatic event,” Ryker observed as they walked outside. Calling what she experienced traumatic was a major understatement. She sensed his wariness and the wall he put up between them. She wasn’t sure why he was acting like that toward her and didn’t have the energy to figure it out right now.
For the first time in nearly a week, her body and heart didn’t ache with an unbearable pain. Tilting her head back, she allowed the sun to warm her face while the ocean breeze ruffled her hair. Maurelle loved the grounds of the academy. Between the plant life, cleaner air and water her soul was fed with an abundance of energy she’d never before experienced.
In the Edge Fae were surrounded by too few plants, and stone buildings. Everything was covered in dirt and grime on top of various chemicals that made her skin and lungs burn. With a Fae’s connection to and reliance upon the elements, having their surroundings free of toxins and other contaminants was crucial.
She met Ryker’s beautiful green eyes and glanced quickly away when she saw the anger on his face. She had no idea why he was mad, but she had enough on her plate and wasn’t going to try and fix him, as well.
“So, what league are you guys in? Details and advice on the air league in particular, is what I’m after here,” Maurelle asked.
School work drove her crazy as a kid and made up most of her nightmares growing up. Now she was forced to relive those fears as an adult. She hoped Ryker, or one of his friends would be an ally and someone she could rely on while at the academy. Although from the cold shoulder, she doubted Ryker would give her much.
He might be gorgeous, but he sure had a bad attitude. Her assumption that they could be allies based on his escape attempt was far off base. It stung to be rejected by him, even if she didn’t understand why.
“I’m in air, as well,” Ryker replied with a grimace. Why couldn’t he look like a troll when he made that face, she wondered. It would be so much easier if she wasn’t hopelessly attracted to him. He had a bad attitude it seemed, and wasn’t a particularly nice male.
“You’ll be glad to know that I’m air, too,” Brokk added.
“More like full of hot air,” Ryker teased.
With a small laugh, Maurelle turned to Sol and Daine. “What are you guys?”
“I’m fire. Far more than hot air,” Sol replied with a waggle of his eyebrows.
Daine turned around and walked backward and his wings flared out as he spoke to them. “I’m water, but I think maybe they chose wrong. I started a quake yesterday on my way back to the dorm when one of the guards yelled at me for being late getting back for dinner.”
“Asshole,” Sol cursed. “They get a perverse sense of satisfaction tormenting us.”
“My mo…mom told me it’s common for a Fae to have abilities in more than one element,” Maurell
e said, trying to push back the burning behind her eyes and ignore the lump in her throat. The expected agony in her heart was dulled which was as perplexing as it was a relief.
“So did my mom,” Ryker agreed, shocking her. She assumed he’d ignore her. “And, if you have that much power it’ll make you more appealing to the humans in charge at the castle.”
“Does anyone remember what it was like when the King and Queen lived in and ruled from the castle?” Daine threw out as he moved a pebble with a wave of his hand. Everyone cringed and tried to look busy when it went sailing toward another student’s head.
Luckily, the student darted left and headed to the earth practice field. “Dude, that was close,” Ryker warned Daine.
“I know. I didn’t mean to do that.”
Brokk pushed the hair falling on his forehead back. “You can always go see Gullvieg and ask to take courses in both leagues. This is us,” he added and pointed to the building on their left.
They waved to the others and left them discussing what Daine was going to do about his predicament. It didn’t sound like he was going to ask the headmistress for more training.
“Don’t be too nervous,” Brokk encouraged her. “We’ve only been practicing our telekinesis for the past few days.” From the corner of her eye she saw Ryker’s hands ball into fists at his sides.
It was harder to ignore the fact that he was pissed about Brokk being nice to her.
“Sounds easy enough.” Maurelle’s heart raced as they entered the stuffy building.
For the air league it was far more closed off and stifling than seemed smart. How was she supposed to be effective with her magic when there were no visible windows to open and invite in the breeze. What happened to the ones she saw outside?
Turning in a circle, she scanned the walls and noted several sections where she’d seen glass outside were blocked off by metal sheets. It seemed as if someone didn’t want them to have access to the necessary energy.
Ryker and Brokk disappeared into the room on the right then Brokk stuck his head back out. “Coming?”
No use delaying the inevitable, she thought. Nodding, she hurried toward him and stopped a few steps inside the claustrophobic room. There were no visible windows in the small space. Metal sheets covered what she assumed were openings.
And, rather than a traditional classroom, the stone room was circular and the only objects in the room were set along one side of the room. There was a desk for the teacher and a long table covered in countless objects she recognized from her time in school.
“Good morning, class,” a slim Fae said in a loud voice. Maurelle assumed this was the teacher since she was standing at the front of the room. The female wore a billowy dress that didn’t hide her slender figure. Maurelle was nothing like the typical Fae female. She had curves and a figure that earned her the nickname Plushie when she was ten.
“Good morning. I’m Aobheal, your teacher. Welcome to Telekinetics 101, Ms. Longstrom,” the teacher said as she looked right at Maurelle. “I’m glad you could join us.”
Startled, Maurelle wondered how she knew her name and what she knew about her. Her arrival at the academy was rather eventful. She was still waiting to see what her punishment would be for her outburst.
Fear of being isolated or worse, had Maurelle initially cooperating with the medical staff. After the first day her emotions and the sharp pain had dulled making it easier. In some part of her mind she knew the change in attitude and emotion wasn’t normal, but the relief was too great to question anything.
“Thank you. I, um, wasn’t given any books, yet,” she admitted. The back of her neck prickled as if someone was watching her. Turning her head surreptitiously, Maurelle caught sight of a female her age glowering in her direction. Ignoring that for the moment, she kept her focus on the teacher.
“Not to worry. You won’t need them for my class. We practice and hone our skills in this class. Aedan will be teaching theory and will provide them for you.”
“Partner up and continue practicing. You are to levitate a pencil in the air,” Aobheal explained to Maurelle.
Brokk, with Ryker at his side, approached her with a smile. Neither male noticed the female approaching them. It was the same one that was glaring at her a minute ago. Great, she had enemies already it seemed. She shouldn’t be surprised. The only reason comments weren’t already flying around about her figure was because she’d been in the infirmary.
“We can work over here,” Ryker growled. Looking away from the angry female, Maurelle glanced at Ryker. He was gorgeous. No wonder the perfect Fae with the slim figure and stunning blue eyes wanted to be his partner.
“You must have a hero complex,” she pointed out as she crossed the space to stand next to him.
His laugh was low and husky and the opposite of how he sounded a second before. His mirth did things to her body that she hated to acknowledge. As her stomach fluttered and the rest of her heated up, she willed the response away. Ryker was being nice to her. No way was there even a remote possibility he was attracted to her. His bad attitude until that point proved that well enough, but she preferred him being nice to her.
“Who said I was talking to you,” he countered and stopped smiling.
Brokk patted his back and gave her a winning smile. “Ignore him. I want you with us.”
Maurelle’s face heated and she lowered her head. She enjoyed Brokk’s open flirtation and couldn’t make sense of Ryker’s changing attitudes. It was obvious he didn’t like her, but she preferred the times he wasn’t outright ugly to her.
A low whisper reached her ears in that second, making her head whip up. “I’d try and leave if it weren’t for you.” She swore it was Ryker that had whispered that last part, but she wasn’t certain as he stood there scowling at her.
“I got us pencils,” Brokk announced as he returned to her side. She hadn’t noticed he’d walked away. That meant he hadn’t said anything.
“What do I do?” she asked, keeping her focus on Brokk.
“You make the pencil float,” Ryker barked and shook his head.
“I got that Captain Obvious,” she snarked.
“What the professor told us is to focus on the object and imagine it floating,” Brokk interjected before their conversation became bickering.
“Damn, you must be a natural,” Brokk announced a second later when the pencil was floating over her palm.
Mistake number one hundred, she thought. She had no idea if her father would get in trouble if anyone discovered they’d hidden her for over a year and she’d been practicing as much and as often as possible.
Not that it was very much given the risk of exposure, but she was far more skilled than she should be in her position. “What?” she asked and flicked her finger, sending the pencil crashing into the nearby stone wall.
A quick glance told her that the teacher was typing on a tablet. The sight of technology surprised her. Fae weren’t allowed any tech in the Edge. She’d wondered a million times why the humans wanted to withhold such items from them. It wasn’t as if tech gadgets made them stronger. She’d bet the humans made teachers use them so they could monitor the students.
“Not a natural after all,” Ryker said with a laugh. His laughter didn’t reach his eyes, but it was better than him scowling.
Maurelle laughed with him covering up her jittery stomach. She’d better get her head on straight. She couldn’t let anyone suspect she came into her powers so long ago. Her dad was all she and her sisters had left.
“It’s official. I’m a hot mess. This is harder than it looks.”
“You’re definitely hot,” Brokk murmured as he ran his gaze up and down her body. She enjoyed his flirting. It was obvious he was attracted to her, but she didn’t feel uncomfortable around him.
“If you practice, it’ll get easier.” Ryker said as he ignored Brokk’s comment entirely.
Aobheal approached them and crossed her arms over her chest, holding the tablet over her smal
l breasts. “Telekinesis is a Fae talent possessed by everyone, so it doesn’t take long to master. You have the right idea imagining what you want to happen.”
“When do we get to practice air specific abilities?” she asked the teacher. She hoped to learn more about what she could do. Her parents hadn’t dared to encourage or allow her much exploration. The only thing she knew she possessed was psychometry.
“Next term,” Aobheal explained. “Basic skills must be controlled first. That way accidental injuries are minimized.”
Nodding, Maurelle once again focused on the writing implements. Ryker had his spinning in a circle. She had hers in the air again as well. She added a wobble and jerky motions to the object, making it hit Ryker’s pencil. Both went flying directly toward the teacher.
With pursed lips, Aobheal waved her hand and both pencils landed on the table at the side of the room. Maurelle looked at Ryker, but he was already heading to the table, so she continued on to Brokk. When she met Brokk’s eyes and they both started laughing. “I want to be that powerful,” he admitted.
‘So do I.’ Maurelle thought. Her emotions might be dulled, but the need to see her family was more urgent than ever, and she wouldn’t be allowed home for a break until she was deemed safe for society.
Chapter Five
“Hey, Ryker. You going to dinner?”
Ryker whipped around at the familiar feminine voice. When he laid eyes on the sexy female, the knot that’d been in his stomach for the past couple hours wound tighter. Most was because he was torn between being happy to see her and needing to get away from her, but the other part was because he was beginning to suspect foul play at the academy.
“I am. Want to join me?” The question was out before he could recall it.
Nodding her head, she hurried to his side. “Sure. Where’s the rat pack?”
The chuckle surprised him. Given what he’d been thinking about he didn’t think he’d be smiling anytime soon. “They’re already eating. They couldn’t wait for me.”
