We do so in silence, and I let Beth order for me, knowing she’ll order something I won’t be drinking anyhow. I learned enough at the one and only fae party I went to last semester. Fae wine and spirits aren’t safe for a half-human girl like me. Beth hands me a chilled drink that I clutch in both hands for show but refuse to drink. I look around nervously, watching the strange way the dark fae dance as if they’re having a seizure. It’s a bit strange for an early Sunday.
“Aren’t you going to drink that? It’s not alcohol.”
I glance down at the blue liquid and shake my head. “No, I’m okay. I’m just trying to look casual.”
She gives me a sidelong glance. “Well, you’re bad at it. You’re openly staring at everyone with this weird surprised look on your face.”
Immediately, I school my face into something I think would be casual looking, and Beth smirks at me. Ignoring her, I go back to watching the room around me. It doesn’t seem like there is anything to learn from this other than they love to party. Oh, and that they use their power much more often than dark Lucian implied if the writhing living darkness swirling through this room is any indication. Their power still floors me. To control death and the dead would be an incredible and deadly power. It’s not something I would want on my shoulders, and I already shoulder more than most people.
“I’m not sure if I want to stay much longer. This place is creeping me out.”
Beth’s laughter fills the air again, and several dark fae shoot her scathing glares that she either ignores or doesn’t see. It’s clear that other supernaturals aren’t welcome in here, and that the dark fae like to keep it exclusive, but why? All it is a club that plays really awful music. There must be something else going on here that they’re hiding with this ruse, right? Or not. The information drilled into my mind about dark fae makes me question everything they do. Maybe they really do like to party from sunup to sundown on a Sunday. I shouldn’t judge them for that.
“You know, there’s rumors about this place.” I raise my eyes at her, urging her to continue. “While everyone knows about the first floor, no one but the dark fae are allowed to go downstairs. Supernaturals around campus like to make bets about who they have down there, kidnapped and oozing blood from tiny lashes of darkness.”
I cringe. “Geez Beth, that’s quite the tale you’ve got there.”
“Go and see for yourself then if you don’t believe me. The door is behind the stage,” She states, gesturing to the back of the room.
My eyes follow her black manicured nails to a curtain that’s constantly swaying as fae move in and out of view. They’re all straight-faced and stoic as they come and go. There’s no sense of horror or pleased malice, and there are no drops of blood on their clothing. I shake my head, trying to relieve myself of the image Beth had put into my brain. There are no prisoners down there. It’s probably the exclusive room where people go to take a break from the loud atmosphere of the dance floor.
“Haven’t you ever been to a club before? There’s always an exclusive room for people who don’t like all the noise.”
She scoffs, “In the basement? I don’t think so. It’s definitely a dungeon.” She takes a sip of her drink and waves me forward. “I’ll be here, go on.”
I glance back to the curtain, a feeling of unease swirling around in my chest. All of Beth’s warnings ring through my head, making me feel ridiculous. People that spin rumors never know the truth, and that’s all this is. She said so herself that no supernaturals but the dark fae are allowed in the lower level of the building. Whatever’s down there is far less sinister than what she’s suggesting, right? Setting my bag down by Beth’s stool, I shoot her a weak smile before moving toward the back of the room. She gives me a comical thumbs up in response.
The smile brought to my face helps me to seem natural and calm as I move the curtain aside. None of the loitering fae stop me from going behind the stage. The other side is full of audio equipment and coat racks. A black door stands open with light shining out of it onto the black walls around me. It illuminates the stairwell leading to wherever the fae had gone. Hoping that it’s only an exclusive room like I said, I start down the stairs, hearing my heels clink against the metal.
No other fae are in front of me or behind me, and the echo of my decent sends waves of bitter panic flowing through me. I stomp it down inside my chest, trying not to let Beth’s warnings get the better of my common sense. Two flights later, the stairs open up to a long white hallway with bright fluorescent lights. The striking difference to the upstairs makes me squint my eyes. There’s no one in the hall and all the doors are closed. The hall ends in a fork with two more identical hallways striking out to either side. Still, there’s no one to be found, and not a single sound is coming from the doors.
Fear washes through me as I step up to one of the doors at random and reach out a shaking hand. Sweat trickles down my back as I grip the knob and turn it. It swings open silently to reveal an empty whitewashed room lined with weapons. The various swords, daggers, axes, and arrows are all made of cold iron. The only metal known to weaken the fae. Unease and weakness flow through me as I grip the doorway. Dizziness plagues me, and I hope I’m not about to pass out due to the fear coating my tongue and closing up my throat.
Where did all of the dark fae go? I gently close the door to their armory and look down either side of the hall. It’s still empty and holds a buzzing silence that only large hallway lights can achieve. The hallways end within my line of sight so they couldn’t have gone anywhere else. They have to be here, in one of these rooms. I open another door to find it engulfed in bright green foliage. A heavy heat blasts out of the door, blowing my hair away from my face. What looks like a swirling mirror is on one wall, and the hum of Earth magic in the air.
In my heart, I know this is a portal to the Earth kingdom. I slam the door and lean against it, my heart pounding. Are there more? I walk briskly to the other side of the hall and throw open the door. A cool sea breeze greets me, and white sand covers the floor. Another portal swirls on the opposite wall, this one portraying water magic and the sound of waves. My own magic responds and is soothed by the noise, calming my panic at what this means.
If the dark fae are ruled by the shadow king and no one else, then they have no elemental realms. Then why do they have portals to the light fae territories? And why are the dark fae constantly streaming in and out of them? And where are they now? Just as I have that thought, one steps through the portal from the other side. He’s tall, well built, and his eyes are the color of charcoal. They narrow at me as he steps closer. My eyes go to the sword handle sticking out from between his shoulder blades, and the knives shoved into his belt, they all reek of iron.
“What are you doing in here, first year? Get the hell back up where you belong. I can spot someone who’s never seen a portal before from a mile away. If you leave now, maybe I won’t tell Fiora about you.”
I nod and scuttle out of the room as I stumble toward the stairs, trying to use his assessment to my advantage. He did look quite a bit older than me, making me realize that fourth years were the only ones to go in and out of the curtain. In turn, they’re the only ones allowed to access the portals. Or the only ones who have the proper training to use them. Fear curls in my stomach again when I burst out of the stairwell past several fae. Those weapons paired with the portals can only mean one thing.
They’re using them to gain direct access to the courts. Whether or not they’re using it against the light fae is something that I have to find out.
Chapter Five
Beth takes one look at my white face and stands to grab my bag from beneath her chair. Three drink glasses are empty and forgotten on the bar behind her as I hurtle past and grab ahold of her arm along the way. She giggles and stumbles along behind me. Something tells me that she was lying when she said there wasn’t any alcohol in my drink.
The bouncer doesn’t stop us as we run past and away from that horrible screeching music
. The sun is high in the sky, making me wonder how long we were really in that hellhole. Once we’re safely out of view, I stop and lean against the nearest wall. Fire magic curls and licks at my own fire core, soothing my rushing heartbeat. The fire quad is a place of rushing energy in itself. If the buildings' magic is attempting to soothe me, that must mean I’m truly freaking the hell out.
Beth grabs my face, forcing me to look at her. “What the hell happened in there? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Laying my palms flat on the hot stone, I take a deep breath before speaking. “They have armories and portals to the light fae realms. I’m not sure if they’ve always had them or what they’re using them for. But fourth years are the only ones allowed to travel through them.”
She steps back and starts to pace in front of me. “Okay, well, that’s not too big a deal, right? Cuz’ if they’ve always had them, then it hasn’t made much of a difference.”
We lapse into silence, the only sound being her combat boots scuffing against the concrete. Another pair of footsteps can be heard coming around the corner, and Damon pops his head into the alleyway. His eyes widen when he sees who I’m with, but he wisely doesn’t comment when Beth glares in his direction. He strides up to me and holds something out. I take my new phone and charger from his hands.
He says, “Sorry it took so long, I thought you’d want everyone’s numbers,” he pauses to take in the strange energy buzzing through the air, “Are you guys alright? What’s wrong?”
I push off of the wall and smile. “Yeah, everything’s fine. We just came from the club, and Beth made me drink one too many drinks.”
She giggles and waves two fingers in his direction, instantly turning into a fumbling drunk girl. Damon grimaces at the sight and turns back toward me. I try to make my smile a bit lopsided and lean one hand against the wall for effect. He rolls his eyes, and a chuckle escaped him. Score! He bought it.
“Alright, just be careful in there. You’re half-human, so you can’t handle fae liquor like other supernaturals can. I have to get back, Lucian has been holding us up all day.”
He trails two warm fingers down my face before turning on his heel and striding away. Beth watches him go with an unreadable expression on her face. It makes me want to ask her what she really thinks about the ruling fae. I’ve heard that all supernatural beings have their own individual rulers, but they all live in fae territory. As a result, they answer to their king or queen, and they’re forced to answer to the fae. I get the sense that the vampires find it oppressive.
She finally turns to me. “Well, are we going to follow him or what?”
***
Beth and I move forward stealthily, at least that’s what I’d like to think. We may very well look like the creepy smiling man walking exaggeratedly behind his prey. Damon disappears into the main campus building, the tall skyscraper that I was in last night. The memory of that giant beast comes back to me, and I cringe. I can only hope that I never have to meet that thing again. Beth motions for me to follow her, and I do so. We slip through the doors silently just as the elevator doors close, and the light turns off. Beth watches the floors as it ends at the top where we often have dinner, but she wouldn’t know that.
I say, “That’s where we have most of our dinners.”
She raises her eyebrows. “How are you so close to the most powerful men in the court? I’d love to know how you managed to bewitch them all. It’s certainly not your acting skills; back in the alley, I couldn’t tell if you were trying to grin or were about to throw up.”
I roll my eyes. “Very funny. And it’s a long story, trust me.”
“I’m an immortal vampire, so trust me when I say I’ve got time to listen. And before you try to say that crap about trusting me, you need to know that I hold no alliances with the fae. The only ruler I answer is my queen.”
We begin to climb the stairs in silence, and I suspect she’s giving me space to make a decision. It would be nice to have some sort of friend here. Walking around the creepy school by myself last night wasn’t the most pleasant experience. I wish Rowan was here to help me determine whether or not to trust her, but I know his input is only a crutch. I can make this decision alone. Well, at this point, I have to.
“Alright, fine, but not now. The walls have ears.”
She chuckles until she realizes that I’m not kidding. “Alright, fair enough.”
The climb to the top of the building is exhausting as my magical well is close to being depleted again. Lucian helped me to restore it, but only temporarily. Rowan is the only person who can truly make me well again. At the landing of the twelfth floor, I lean against the wall, breathing heavily, while Beth peeks out the door.
She eyes me warily, trying not to ask the millions of questions I know she has. For one, why am I breathing like a winded seventy-four-year-old man? The thought makes a wheezing chuckle crackle out of my throat. Beth shushes me and gives me an incredulous look. I push my lips shut and motion locking them with a key. She rolls her eyes and takes off her shoe to prop the door open with it. The faint sound of voices floats down the hall.
I whisper, “I can’t hear anything.”
She points to her ear. “I can, perks of being a vampire.”
I lean closer to her. “Well, what are they talking about?”
She waves me away and tilts her head to the side, listening. “They’re talking about the war, and how it will be easier for the shadow king now that the main threat is out of the way.”
I clench my fists tightly against my sides but don’t comment. She listens for several more minutes without telling me what’s going on. Her face stays passive though, so it must be trivial information. Instead of staring at her intently, I slide down the wall and sit with my eyes closed. She’ll tell me if they say anything important or interesting. Time passes by in a blur as I take a slight nap. Beth shakes me awake and gestures for us to leave.
We do so and are down the stairs and out of the building in record time. She leads me to the vampire dorm, and I’m again creeped out by the strange dark glow that emanates from it. Beth is, of course, not bothered and takes me up one flight of stairs, still silent, before opening the third door on the left. Despite the cool dark feel of the building, Beth’s dorm room is bright white with living foliage on all surfaces, leaving a crisp, spicy scent in the air. I don’t know why I expected wax candles and a coffin in the middle of the room, but I did. This is a pleasant surprise.
She closes the door behind us and takes off her coat while smirking at me. “What? Did you expect something medieval?”
My cheeks flush with embarrassment. “No, of course not!”
She flops onto the couch and motions for me to join her. “Come on over here and get comfortable. I’m about to give the full report, but not until you tell me why you’re here.”
I sit cross-legged in front of her on the couch and sigh. “Well, to be honest, I haven’t really been a part of the supernatural world for that long. Light fae Orin found me in my bar even though I had tried to avoid the academy for most of my life. I have an unnatural amount of elemental power. I have full access to all five elements. I had been training with the light masters personally last semester to better understand my power. Have you ever heard of the fae prophecy about the war?”
She scoffs. “Who hasn’t? So, incarnation of the great and terrible fae king rises every millennia to fight back the dark fae, and to bring victory to the light realm. Why?”
“That’s me. Rowan, the fae king, has resided in my body for all of my life, waiting to reveal himself as the savior of all fae, not just light. My power is his power, and my body is his body.”
Beth stares at me in disbelief, then asks, “Can he hear me right now?”
I laugh, “No! Well, if he was with me, he could. That’s why I’m here. The dark fae masters kidnapped me and stole his soul from my body somehow. I’m trying to get it back before the winter solstice.”
We sit there in silen
ce for a while as Beth stares at me, her perfect red lips shaped in a circle of disbelief. Suddenly, she stands and begins to pace back and forth in front of me. I stare at her with furrowed brows, trying to figure out what her initial reaction is. But she once again has that infuriatingly blank look on her face.
She turns to me. “Where do you think he is?”
“Uh, I don’t know. I started looking for him last night in the main building we just came from, but all I found was a Chimera in the basement after removing the glamour. I think he’s there, though.”
I don’t mention that I can’t live much longer without him. Even if I can trust this girl, I want to be cautious and give her the bare minimum of information. She continues pacing in front of me as if trying to figure it out on my behalf. I leave her be and sit back against the couch to rest, pulling a pillow into my lap for comfort. My chest feels hollow and empty without Rowan, and speaking about him has reminded me yet again of how little time I have left without his presence. It’s a scary realization, knowing that you might die.
I say, “You know that you’re not obligated to help me, right? I’m not a fae queen or princess or whatever. I hold no power over you.”
Beth snorts, waving my concern away. “Even if you did, I wouldn’t help you for that reason. You’re the first fae I haven’t hated, so I like you, alright? You’re making me rethink my living conditions, that’s all. Plus, I’m curious and bored.”
“Uh-huh. Are you going to tell me the details of what you overheard?” Is all I say.
She stops pacing and turns to me, “Now that I know who you really are, they were talking about you. How since the incarnation of the fae king is separated from his host, the host is no longer a threat and can be left alone. They said that you can go to school as a normal fae now, choosing whichever element you want to study. Lucian is going to let you know tonight.”
“Tonight? They think that I don’t know I’m trapped in the dark fae realm. So, is he going to tell me the truth about the kidnapping, the lies, all of it?”
High Fae Academy - Year Two: Paranormal Fae Romance Page 4
