by Brenda Trim
“Shut the hell up,” Ryker growled. “You can’t go around talking like that. I’m not the most powerful. I’m just discovering what I can do. This might be a fluke.”
Brokk rolled his eyes and waved his hands toward the room. “Go find a fucking book we can use to locate Maurelle.”
Ryker slipped through the door and closed it gently behind him. There were far fewer shelves of books in here, but there was still enough that he couldn’t see everything. Not having a clear view of the room made him jumpy.
Crossing on light feet, Ryker headed to the section marked with earth magic for uncover. It was his best guess about where to start. The way he saw it he needed to access the earth to locate Maurelle. Any of the elements could potentially lead him to her, but he decided earth was likely to be the strongest.
Ryker headed down one aisle and pulled a book out and scanned the table of contents at the beginning. When nothing hinted at locating something lost or anything similar to that, he moved on.
Several minutes later, Ryker was ready to throw the book he was holding through the window. Fire danced over his palms, making him drop the book before it caught on fire. He was stomping the few flames that managed to catch on the cover when his skin prickled with alarm.
Looking up, he cursed. The Headmistress was standing there with her hands on her hips. “And what are you doing in the restricted section, Ryker?”
Ryker swallowed and winced as his heart plummeted to his feet. So much for Brokk being a lookout for him. “I’m uh, looking for information on how to shadow meld.”
The excuse was shitty and would never fly with Gullvieg. They had textbooks and professors to provide that information.
“I will not tolerate rule breakers or liars,” the Headmistress barked. “Come with me. Seems you need a lesson in following orders.”
Ryker lowered his head and wondered where the fuck she was taking him. What would happen during this so-called lesson? Somehow, he doubted it was going to be a nice long lecture on the rules of the academy with an essay at the end of it.
Gulvieg pulled the door open and frowned at the nob in her hand. Brokk’s voice sounded out the second the panel moved. Ryker jumped forward to keep him from saying anything.
The Headmistress moved fast and had hold of his arm before he made it very far. “Oh no you don’t,” she announced. He might not have managed to catch Brokk’s eye, but her voice was enough of a warning that Brokk was not in sight when they exited the room.
Ryker winced as her fingernails dug into his skin but cooperated as he walked beside her. The Librarian was on her feet, but Gullvieg waved her hand forestalling any questions.
Every student in the place watched as he was marched out of the building. He was relieved to see Brokk a few feet away from the building. Ryker met his gaze for a split second and moved his head side to side a couple times.
He didn’t want anyone else getting in trouble for his mistake. He had to assume the Headmistress was already in the restricted section given the shock on Brokk’s face.
“Where are you taking me?” Ryker asked.
“To isolation,” the Headmistress informed him.
“No harm will come to me,” Ryker informed Gullvieg calling upon all of his power. He wasn’t capable of mind manipulation, but he would make every effort to ameliorate his punishment. “You will ensure I am comfortable.”
The Headmistress’s gaze flew to his. They were right outside the residence hall and the wind started blowing so hard it nearly forced Ryker and Gullvieg to their knees. He wondered if it was his power. Her mouth opened at the same time the earth rumbled and rain started falling.
Ryker expected her to chastise him, but she closed her mouth and led him into the building. The warmth inside was such a contrast that Ryker’s feet and fingers started burning with pins and needles before they took two steps.
“Do you need help, Headmistress?” A male guard asked when they passed an open office down a hall Ryker had never ventured down.
“Uh,” she shook her head and looked at Ryker with furrowed brows. “No. I’m taking him to isolation.”
“Do you want me to secure him for your procedure?” the guard asked.
Sweat dripped down Ryker’s temples and his heart raced in his chest. He was an idiot for trying to manipulate the Headmistress. He was going to get caught trying to manipulate her and his life would be miserable.
He wouldn’t be able to find Maurelle, and he would likely never see his mom again. No doubt he had to believe the humans would want to use a Fae with his abilities.
He held his breath praying that he’d get out of this somehow and be able to find Maurelle and go back to his studies as if nothing happened.
‘That’s asking for a bit much isn’t it?’ His mind scoffed.
Chapter Twelve
Maurelle shot up in bed like a rocket. She glanced around confused for a second where she was, until the drab grey walls and hard, lumpy mattress beneath her backside registered. Flinging the paper-thin blanket from her body, she wondered what woke her up.
It could be morning, but she had no way of knowing since she was located in the basement of one of the buildings at the academy. She thought she’d been there for a few days but couldn’t be certain with no way to tell how much time was passing.
The echo of footsteps on the stairs was close, telling her the approach of the guards or Headmistress was what startled her awake. When Gullvieg first brought her down to her basement of horrors, Maurelle had feared the worst, and the terror that tore through her mind battled against the fog controlling her reactions.
To her surprise it helped her to hide the information she’d learned from the Headmistress. Maurelle hadn’t let one hint at the blasphemous information leak to the female in charge. Since then, she visited Maurelle daily and cast spells and gave her tonics.
After every visit it wasn’t as hard to fake the detached emotions and positive outlook. The fact that the Headmistress worked with the humans to make Fae controllable and pliable enough to buy into human propaganda, pissed Maurelle off like nothing else.
Why a female in a position of power wanted to help another species gain control was beyond her.
The voice that drifted to her ears made Maurelle’s heart race at the same time her mind shifted into survival mode and put up blockades to protect against the worst of the brain washing.
Maurelle sat on the edge of her bed, wishing today was the day Gullvieg would let her out of the dungeon. She missed her bed and hot showers and her friends. Especially Ryker. And… Brokk her mind added.
She spent most of her time with them given they attended classes together. Ryker was the main reason she remained as sane as she had. Whether it was the Peridun’s words about their connection or their actual connection, Maurelle had no idea.
But, Ryker’s presence in her mind along with her mental blockades allowed the magic to roll off her without leaving lasting impressions. Of course, the unwanted side effect to that was the rage and grief that consumed her nightly.
“Where are you taking me?” A familiar voice demanded. Maurelle’s stomach knotted and her skin tingled. No way. Ryker shouldn’t be down here. What the hell had happened, she wondered.
“To the isolation chambers,” Gullvieg announced. More like torture chamber, Maurelle wanted to shout, but bit her tongue. Saying anything would result in more punishment for them both.
“You will let me go,” Ryker demanded. Maurelle’s head snapped around at the odd tone of his voice and the way it reached inside and grabbed hold.
In a daze, Maurelle watched as the couple entered the room. Expecting to see the guards, she craned her neck, but didn’t see them in the background. To her surprise, Gullvieg started to let go of Ryker.
Maurelle surged to her feet and grabbed hold of the bars to her cell. “Ryker?”
His head swiveled around and the look in his eyes stole her breath and sent a sensual heat curling through her body. The moment of his di
straction broke whatever curious effect he had on Gullvieg.
“I see your charm is hard at work once again. You’ll love the tour of the dungeon. The potions and spells here are to die for,” she teased the male she was relieved to see.
The Headmistress curled her lip and shoved Ryker to her table of torture. A hastily muttered word and Ryker’s head flew back as a growl left his throat.
Maurelle never felt as helpless as she did watching Gullvieg take advantage, and strap Ryker to the table. Once the Headmistress had her friend secured, she turned on Maurelle.
Shrinking back, Maurelle retreated to the bed and brought her knees to her chest in a protective gesture. Gullvieg stared at her with a curled lip. “What is it you two have? Why aren’t these spells affecting either of you?”
Maurelle’s mind raced faster than her heart. No way could she let on about how ineffective they actually were. As she’d known for a while it would be their death sentence.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I woke up here confused. Why am I here?” Maurelle whimpered and allowed the tears brimming in her eyes to brim over while her lower lip wobbled.
The façade appeared to be working when she noticed the Headmistress’s shoulders lower and her snarl disappeared. Gullvieg muttered a word and threw a spell at Maurelle.
Thank the Gods she’d been prepared with her blocks, Maurelle thought. Allowing her face to go slack and her arms to fall to the bed, she lay down on her side and stared off blankly.
With a nod, Gullvieg returned to Ryker’s side. Bile rose in Maurelle’s throat while the Headmistress gathered implements and potions and brought them to the table. Gullvieg grabbed his face and squeezed his jaw and lower cheeks until his mouth parted. As soon as she had an opening, she slipped blue liquid into his mouth.
Maurelle shut her eyes as Ryker spit most of the liquid in Gullvieg’s face. The sound of flesh hitting flesh made her wince. No doubt Gullvieg was hitting Ryker for his insolence. If she watched, she would give away the fact that she wasn’t under control after all.
A squeak made her open her eyes. Fear made her jaw clench as she prayed that she didn’t see Ryker being sliced open. Gullvieg was still fighting with Ryker to force him to consume the potion.
Motion from the corner drew her attention. A mouse skittered into view and stood on its hind legs. The words of her assessment flashed through her mind. Could she somehow communicate with the rodent to get them help?
Without pausing to think about the absurdity of the question, Maurelle closed her eyes and delved into her mind. She’d never tried this before, but had read in several textbooks that it was similar to telepathy and an air ability centered in the communication center of the brain.
Concentrating, she sent a greeting to the rodent. The mouse seemed to stare right at her, but she heard no response from it. A shiver wracked her body as the air chilled another degree. It seemed she was doing something, she thought as wind ruffled her hair.
Afraid of calling attention to her activities, Maurelle tried screaming her plea for help at the mouse. When it squeaked louder and dropped suddenly as if it fell over, she dialed back her intensity.
‘Go get Brokk?’ she asked the mouse then thought better of the request. Who could she have it seek out? Brokk coming down here would only get him in trouble. The sadistic guards Gullvieg typically had with her may not be there at the moment, but they’d come running if Brokk tried to help them.
“Shit,” she mouthed as she glanced to see what the Headmistress was doing. The blue potion was set aside, and she was pressing an iron nail into Ryker’s temple. Fae weren’t exactly allergic to iron like they allowed the humans to believe, but it did weaken them.
The one time she’d gone to work with her dad, she recalled a female human ask her father how he was able to work with iron and not die. The metal might not kill them but, the way the Headmistress was pushing the nail into the skin near Ryker’s eye would hurt him and make it nearly impossible to continue fighting her.
Maurelle knew this because it was what the female had done to her the first day she was taken to the dungeon. The way Ryker’s body stiffened made Maurelle rub her temples in sympathy.
The pain that shot through her when the tip had pierced her skin seemed as if a thousand small needles rammed through her eye all at once. It temporarily blinded her and brought down all of her defenses.
The only thing that had tethered her to reality were thoughts of Ryker, and Brokk and Sol and Daine. Sure, her mind obsessed over Ryker’s talented tongue and sexy smile, but her other friends were in the background acting as a supportive wall.
Thoughts of the nail currently in use gave her an idea. Unsure if she was actually telling the mouse anything, she tried to send it images of taking the nail to its home and away from Gullvieg.
Ryker groaned and barely held back is scream of pain. He never truly believed the Headmistress would use physical pain to torture and control him. It made sense, he thought as he endured more needles to his head.
His eyes were shut when she started in on her latest attempt to control him, so he didn’t catch what she was using on him at the moment. Enough of the potion trickled down his throat that a fog rolled into his head, making everything seem far off and blunted by a veil of sorts.
“Stop this,” he ordered Gullvieg. Her hand and whatever weapon she was cutting his temples with didn’t so much as pause with his attempt to stop her.
He had no idea how he‘d managed to impact her behavior earlier, but pain and worry over what Maurelle had gone through for the past three days made it impossible to concentrate.
“Why were you in the restricted section?” The Headmistress grated out.
Warm liquid trickled down from his temples where the agony originated. Ryker moved his head and immediately regretted the action. Nausea rose in his throat, forcing him to swallow down the bile.
“I…wa…was looking…for help,” Ryker said between panting breaths. He hurt, but his anger diminished with every passing moment. It took several seconds to recall why he’d gone to the library. The pain lessened greatly all of a sudden, but he was too weak to register much more.
“Don’t lie to me,” the Headmistress demanded before softening her tone of voice. “Don’t you want to graduate and have a family one day? I am here to help you find your place in the Edge. That’s the way to obtaining your life’s dreams.”
Immediately, Ryker’s mind conjured images of a female standing in their apartment with her hands on her hips. All he saw was the protruding belly. She might be upset at him for something, but the only thought he conjured was how blessed he would be to have a child with her.
The image morphed to one where he was racing down rain drenched, dirty streets after a child that was laughing and urging him to catch her. For once the poor surroundings didn’t matter to him as his chest warmed. The little girl had long pink hair and a beautiful smile. Her wings were the light grey of childhood, but he imagined them a vibrant mix of teal and blue when she came into her powers.
Ryker never gave thought to having a mate and children before. Why was he allowing this vile female to influence his hopes and dreams now? He tried to recall his goal of surviving the academy and taking his mother somewhere safe where she didn’t have to work herself to the bone just to survive anymore, but it was slowly matched by the idea of having a family.
‘No!’ he told himself. ‘You’re stronger than this!’ Sure, one day he would likely want a family, but that hardly mattered at the moment. There was corruption at the academy, and he needed to gather evidence so he could expose it.
Shineah’s words filtered into his mind when he was about to let the fog take him under. Maybe a nap would make the agony go away. ‘A powerful mind like yours won’t be controlled.’ Just like that the fog lifted and reality came tumbling back in painful clarity.
Maurelle was in a cell and he was being tortured. He was fairly certain the King that had created Bramble’s Edge Academy h
adn’t intend for this to be part of the curriculum here. A sharp sting was followed by his head flying to one side before a face was hovering above his.
Cracking his eyes open a slit, he noticed Gullvieg’s face so close to his that her spit wet his cheeks and her rancid breath curdled his stomach even more. Fae didn’t often smell decayed like Gullvieg. Their connection to the elements meant they carried a fresh vibrant scent more often than not. It was the one saving grace in the run-down streets of the Edge.
“Tell me what I need to know,” the Headmistress demanded.
“There is nothing more to say,” he insisted.
“Time in isolation will give you the chance to reconsider your answer,” she spat.
Using telekinesis, she undid the binds around his wrists and ankles. He sat up slowly as his head swam and dizziness nearly made him pass out. Apparently, it was too slow for her because she used her powers to haul him off the table and toss him into an open cell.
Ryker grunted as his head hit the stone wall. When he tried to push himself up, he realized he was hurt worse than he thought. His vision blurred, and his ears filled with cotton.
He tried to focus on what Gullvieg was doing, which was a mistake. His stomach revolted and his breakfast came up in a rush. By the time he was done heaving, the Headmistress was gone, and he was covered in vomit and sweat.
“Ryker,” Maurelle whispered.
Crawling the few steps to the bars, he stuck his head through. Or tried to. He didn’t get very far and couldn’t see her, but he knew she was there. “Are you okay?” he croaked.
“I’m well rested and ready to take on the world. Don’t worry about me. Her spells don’t do much to me now. How are you?”
“I’ve been better. Have you been here for the past three days? You’ve had us worried as hell.”
He heard her gasp and imagined her hand going to her mouth like it did when she was surprised. “Three fucking days? And, you should be worried. I’m being held prisoner here.”
