by Ivy Clyde
“I wouldn’t hurt anyone who didn’t attack me first,” she said in an oddly strong voice.
“You could have hurt an innocent child today,” I said. “You unleashed your powers inside the dorm building today. There were others in there you could have hurt. It was a lucky coincidence I happened to witness the scene and controlled the fire. Or else, things would be worse.”
“Oh…I didn’t realize that.”
“You have to be very careful about the way you return an attack. If you hurt someone and can’t prove they struck you first, you will be held responsible and punished according to the law. Do you understand, Moira?”
She’d gone pale again but gave a nod. “I understand.”
I stood up from the spot beside her.
“Where are you going?” she asked at once.
“I can’t be seen with you,” I said.
She bit her bottom lips as it trembled. I was aware of how she was taking my sudden leave. She thought she was being rejected all over again. Even though I could sense her pain, this was for the best. Being seen with me would bring her more danger than she could imagine. Keeping her away from me was the only way to keep her safe.
“Don’t tell anyone about my interaction with you,” I continued. “The only reason I helped you tonight was out of duty as the crown prince of the kingdom. Don’t take it as anything else. Keep practicing what I taught you.” Making my voice grow colder and emotionless, I added, “If you dare utter a word about this, I would break your neck with my own hands.”
Her eyes widened at my threat.
Unable to see the hurt there, I turned away immediately and stalked out of the room, knowing I was going to regret hurting her this way.
12
Moira
Isla came to see me the next day. She entered the room just as I finished changing into a new pair of uniform that Holly brought me that morning.
“I was so worried about you last night,” she said, walking inside the strange room that looked like a cross between a small library and a chemistry lab. “Thank goddess, Lady Chantal’s personal brownie came to give me the news you were here or I’d be driving myself mad trying to find you. What happened?”
I wanted to tell her everything but Rowan’s threat still rang in my ears. “Someone played a prank on me last night,” I said. “Lady Demitria brought me here,” I lied while pretending to fold my clothes. “I should have a new room today.”
“This is so frustrating!” huffed Isla as she sat on the edge of the cot. “They can bully you as much as they want but why terrify the rest of us?”
I chuckled. “How selfish of you.”
She pouted. “You weren’t there when that stupid explosion happened. My heart nearly froze solid. When we went to check the room, there was no fire but everything else was destroyed.” A pitying expression came over her pretty face. “Still, I’m glad you are safe. I shudder to think what would have happened if you ended up being there.”
Rowan’s other warning flashed through my mind. I had to be careful about reaching out to my own powers. He was right. I could have hurt some other younger kids in the dorm building because I couldn’t protect myself against some cheap illusory prank from Cade and his harem of bitches.
“Have you had breakfast yet?” she asked.
“No. Shall we go to eat in the dining hall?”
Isla looked surprised. “Did something else happen to you last night? You seem different.”
I shook my head. “Just hungry.”
A lot of things happened last night but she wouldn’t know any of them. Rowan helped me last night, made me feel things I’d never felt before and just as I thought we could get closer, he dashed my hopes to pieces. He rejected me a second time. I wanted to go back to hating him but he’d taught me a neat trick. He gave me the key to using my magic and I was determined to use it to learn as much as I could to protect myself.
I followed Isla out of the room and focused on the direction she took. Something had definitely shifted inside me last night. I was done being a victim to my own cluelessness.
“Did you make me a map?” I asked Isla as we neared the tall, carved doors of the castle’s huge dining room.
“Yep.” Isla rummaged in the bag that hung from her shoulder and brought out a folded square of parchment. “Here, you go.”
“Thanks,” I said, taking the map from her. “I was wondering if you could do something else for me.”
Isla glanced at me sideways. “What do you want?”
“Could you list some books that will help me start learning to control my magic?”
“You haven’t started training your magical core yet,” she said. “You need to do that before you can use any magic.”
Isla had no idea about the magic I could feel pulsing in my veins at that very moment. I no longer had to reach into a place of rage and desperation. It was at my fingertips now. After last night’s episode, it seemed to have revealed itself to me. I just needed to learn how to control it so I wouldn’t hurt an innocent bystander the next time I let out my magic. “I want to do a theoretical study,” I told Isla. “There is so much to catch up on, so it’s best I read as much as possible.”
“That’s actually a good idea,” she said with a thoughtful expression. “I’m glad you’re not being lazy about learning things.” She entered the vast hall and cast a sweeping glance around the crowded place. “Let’s sit over there.” Pointing toward an empty table, she headed that way. “I will make you a list of books meant for beginners. Once you’re done going through those books, I will give you a new reading list.”
“Perfect!”
“You’re really perky today,” said Isla. She sat down at the empty table. “Yesterday, you were a poor, little helpless thing and today, you’re gearing up to tackle the challenges thrown at you. Count me impressed.”
I smiled at her. Isla was quite observant and had correctly noticed the shift in me. All my life, I’d been a victim, but no more. The powers rising and ebbing in my veins along with the beats of my heart assured me in a way nothing had. I was determined to take charge of my life. After begging people to like me and accept me my whole, I was finally exhausted.
Why blame a trio of vicious fae princes? Even the woman who was supposed to be my mother couldn’t accept me.
Two brownies, resembling nine-year-old boys, came to our table. One of them placed a pot of oatmeal on the table while the other arranged bowls of fruit around it. They were both dressed in white shirts and maroon trousers with the golden crest of the Belenus Court stamped in the center of their chests.
Isla loaded up two bowls with the steaming porridge and pushed one of them at me.
“Thanks,” I said, watching her top her bowl with sliced peaches.
I started on my food too. As always, the food tasted delicious despite being so simple. Halfway through the meal, I felt a jolt of current shoot down my back.
Almost subconsciously, I knew it was a kind of warning. Alert, I looked around the area. At once, my gaze met Prince Cade’s who was seated on the far side of the room from us. Isla chose a place to hide me from him but he’d noticed me already.
The brush of spiky legs on my skin made me look down at my arm. Large brown cockroaches were scurrying up from the floor and onto me. I shut my eyes immediately, knowing the sight wasn’t real. Cade was making me see and feel these insects on my body.
Taking a deep breath, I visualized a thick wall of steel all around me like Rowan taught me last night.
Seconds passed.
The feeling of spiky feet on my skin vanished.
I slowly opened my eyes.
The vision of the cockroaches turned hazy before my eyes. It was like watching an old-fashioned TV with a really bad cable signal. I focused harder on my imaginary wall, telling myself it was made of adamantium, the same metal as Captain America’s shield.
All of a sudden, the cockroaches disappeared completely. There weren’t any on my body or on the floo
r near me.
I looked toward Isla. She was reading a book while she distractedly spooned oatmeal into her mouth, completely unaware of the attack on me. I risked a glance at Cade. His self-satisfied smirk had transformed into a frown.
Yes! I’d blocked the illusion he was throwing my way. My lips curved up in a smile while Cade’s frown deepened. Turning away from him, I kept focusing on the image of the wall in my head and tried to eat the rest of my meal.
“Hey, Moira,” said Isla. “Are you okay? Why do you look like your stomach’s hurting?”
“Is there a way to keep up a mental shield all the time?” I asked.
“It is hard in the beginning but practicing it all the time helps a lot. After a while, it kind of becomes automatic and involuntary, like breathing, I suppose. You don’t think about it but you’re breathing even in your sleep.” She looked at me closely. “Wait, are you trying to hold up a shield right now?”
“Yeah. They are attacking me again.”
“How are you doing it?” She glanced toward the spot where Cade and his harem of harpies were gathered. “Do you even have enough magic to block an attack from them?”
“Never mind that,” I said. “Did you make me that list? I want to get out of here and find the library.”
“Give me a minute.” She rummaged in her bag and brought out a thick journal with a leather cover. Flicking it to the last page, she started writing furiously. A minute later, she tore the page and pushed it toward me. “There you go. See if you can get through these on your own.”
“Thanks,” I said, getting to my feet.
“Wait,” she called out. “How can you be sure you’re able to block a mental attack? What if you were just imagining them attacking you?”
“Test me.”
She stared at me with narrowed. “Okay…”
I focused on my adamantium wall.
Within seconds, she was frowning. “You’re actually blocking me,” she said slowly. “How are you doing it?”
“Maybe I have a natural talent for it.” I shrugged and shouldered the satchel bag Holly brought me that morning along with my uniforms. “I’ll see you later in the dorms tonight. Bye.”
I walked away before she could question me about who taught me to block illusory attacks. On the way, I met Cade’s lavender-hued gaze that was narrowed in my direction. The pretty girls around him glared at me. Focusing on my magic, I strode past them.
Only when I stepped out into the hallway outside, did I smile. The feeling of victory against them felt amazing. For the first time, I’d been able to fight back and succeed. I wanted to find Rowan and tell him about the incident but his threat flashed through my head, dimming my happiness.
I walked down the corridor until I came upon a doorway leading out into the grounds. Taking the scroll Isla gave me, I unfurled it. To my surprise, an extremely neat map was laid out before me. The yellowing, rough parchment reminded me of all the fantasy maps from the books I used to love. Looking closely, I located the library and realized it was outside the main castle.
I walked out into the bright sunshine and followed Isla’s directions. A cool, crisp breeze blew down the mountain, making my hair flutter around my face. The few people who walked around the pathway didn’t spare me a glance, making me feel more confident about myself.
The library building rose up in the distance. Built of black granite, the strange dome-shaped structure looked like a half-buried egg in the ground. Unlike the castle which had lots of sparkling glass windows, this particular construction had none. It resembled a massive mound.
Getting closer, I spotted the entrance to the strange building. There was no one around, so I cautiously walked in. There was a sharp temperature drop. None of the bright sunshine entered this place. The lobby was dimly lit by a single chandelier.
“Hello?” I called out.
No answer.
Perhaps, it was too early for any of the students to be coming inside the library. Following the main corridor, I kept walking forward until an open doorway came in sight. Hesitatingly, I took a step through it. At once, a vast hall opened up before me.
“Wow,” I breathed, looking around at the tall shelves of books that seemed to fill the entire room. The wooden racks were so tall, they almost brushed the ceiling overhead. Large chandeliers hung overhead, illuminating the library hall brightly.
In a daze, I moved toward the shelves and stared at the leather-bound tomes. My hand reached out, my fingers brushing over the books. I was about to take out the list Isla made me when something caught my attention. The writings on the spines of every book on the shelf seemed to be in an alien script.
I walked over to another rack but the same problem persisted. The books were all written in a language unfamiliar to me. I walked deeper among the shelves, wondering if I would ever find the books I needed. My gaze fell on the piece of parchment in my hand. Even though Isla’s map was in English, the titles of all the books were in that strange language. How was I supposed to find them when I couldn’t even read the titles?
A groan escaped me. Leaning against a rack, I gently banged my head. “What do I do now?” I moaned.
“I could tell you what to do,” a voice whispered close to my ear.
My head bumped against the shelf. “Ow!” I muttered, turning around to find Prince Leon standing uncomfortably close to me.
He leaned close to me while all I could do was bend away. He suddenly smiled and straightened up. “What are you doing here?”
After our last explosive interaction, it was surprising to see him smiling at me. He looked even more breathtakingly beautiful than before, making it difficult for me to remember how angry and violent he was with me last time.
“I am here to get some books,” I said, holding up Isla’s list. “I will go if that’s what you want.”
“Stop.” His hand came to hold my arm. It was gentle, so I stayed in place and looked up at him. “I don’t want you to leave just yet.” When he saw I wasn’t moving, he added, “Did you want help with something?”
The change in his attitude felt surreal. The amber of his eyes was a deep gold today as he continued to stare at me. He still held my arm but it wasn’t hard or forceful. I was still cautious of him but decided to go with the flow for the moment. “I can’t read any of the books here. How can I gain basic skills when I need to start with learning a foreign language?”
“Foreign language?” His elegant eyebrows crumpled in momentary confusion. “You’re a full-blooded solar fae. Every child learns our language naturally. Unlike humans, we don’t need to be taught our own tongue.”
“Maybe I stayed with humans too long?”
He shook his head and moved his hand away from me. At once, I missed his touch. Biting my lip, I forced myself to stay clear-headed.
Leon grabbed a random book from the shelf and opened it up. “Come here.”
“What?”
His expression turned grim. “I’m not going to hurt you. There is no need to be so skittish around me.” Instead of waiting for me to approach, he stepped up to me. “Here, look at the page.” He thrust the book under my nose.
I looked down at it. “It’s not English.”
“Close your eyes,” he instructed. “Wipe away the memory of the human tongue and look at the book as if you’re seeing it for the first time.”
His words sounded foolish but the seriousness with which he gave the command made me re-evaluate my attitude. I didn’t know what he meant by wiping away the memory of English. How could one do that? Still, I tried and told myself to keep an open mind.
“Now, open your eyes,” Leon’s voice commanded.
I obeyed, looking at the book he still held before me.
“Read,” he ordered.
“The great sages believed there was much to be learned from the ways of the burrow pixies and so, they started digging holes in which to bury themselves for the winter. The mud kept the sun away and it made them lose all their magic. What th
ese adventurous elves were unaware of was that the burrow pixies turn into savage scavengers in the dead of winter and hence, the sages unwittingly offered themselves as meals to the lowly creatures.”
The absurdity of what I read made me look up at Leon. He was grinning down at me with a twinkle in his golden eyes. Suddenly, I realized what I’d done. I’d read through the jumble of symbols on the page.
“Did I read that weird crap right?” I asked.
“You did.” He snapped the book shut. “Cautionary tales of sages driven by their thirst for knowledge,” he read the gold-embossed title on the spine.
“How did I do that?”
“Any fae could do that,” he said, putting the book on its shelf. “Let me see what you’re looking for?” I handed him my list. His golden eyes trailed down the piece of parchment. “Stay here. I will get them for you.”
He strode down the aisle and disappeared, leaving me to wonder what had caused a change in him. Last time, it seemed like he couldn’t stand the sight of me but now, he was willingly helping me. I liked the strange warmth swirling in my chest but was afraid to acknowledge it. What if he left me cold and hanging like Rowan did?
Leon appeared in a few minutes. “Come this way,” he said from the end of the aisle.
I followed him deeper into the library until we reached a place that was free of bookshelves but filled with desks and chairs. Leon stopped before a table stacked with books. “These are the ones you wanted,” he said, gesturing toward them. “They are all meant for young elves who are just starting out at the Court. They will take you through the basics of strengthening your magical core and teach you how to manipulate your magic. Did Lady Chantal recommend them to you?”
“My guide recommended them,” I said. “Thank you for finding them for me. I wouldn’t have been able to do it on my own in this huge place.”
A smile lit up his beautiful face. “I’m glad to be of help,” he said with a slight incline of his head.
