by N. M. Howell
“Horrible!” Raina sputtered.
“Raina—”
“My people died here!” She said through her teeth. “Did anyone set up an amusement park outside the World Trade Center after the terrorist attacks? How could anyone allow this?”
Derek stole a few glances on the visitors bound for the museum. “You might want to take it down a couple notches,” he whispered.
“I’m taking it up a few notches.” Raina stormed toward the steps to the portal pedestal, and the hideous slabs of concrete beyond. “Someone’s getting a piece of my mind. Soulless monsters!”
“Raina, wait!”
She ignored his shout, mounting the broad stairs.
“Raina, hang on!”
Without hesitation, she strode across the granite pedestal toward the horrid structure that blocked the portal to Oreálle.
4
“You guys coming in here, or are you just here to look at the view?” A woman with hip length black hair stared at them. She struck a cliché model pose, weight on one foot, right hip cocked, left hand on the other hip, right hand in her hair. Raina half expected her to shake those long black locks. While there was no doubt she was gorgeous, almost unearthly beautiful, there was also something very familiar about her.
“Do I know you?” Raina asked.
“This is Trini,” Derek said. “Danny’s wife.”
Raina remembered the photos on Lee’s desk.
“Guilty.” Trini smiled. She had the big Fae eyes and bone structure, yet wrapped in the musculature needed by humans. The combination was stunning. “And you are?”
“This is the friend I was telling you about,” Derek cut Raina off. “She’s from out of town, wanted to see the sights.”
Raina looked at the ground. “I’m really interested in the academy.”
Trini gave Raina the up-and-down. Without the magic flowing through her, Raina thought she could easily pass for human. At least to humans. But to another Fae? Would her bone structure, her slender frame give her away?
“Nice to meet you. Friend.” The Dark Fae gave Derek a smile, brows and lashes lowered. “I’m sure I’ll see you around, Derek.”
“Do a brother-in-law a solid?” Derek stopped her as she moved toward the building.
Trini stopped and gave him a speculative stare, waiting.
“Well, since you work here and all, maybe you could show Rainara around?” Derek put on a pleading look.
Rainara? While she thought it was probably a smart move by Derek not to reveal her identity, he couldn’t do better than that?
Trini slumped her shoulders and put her fists on her hips. She smirked. “You Glow-Getters have some kind of club?”
Raina wanted to bristle, but at the same time, her heart lifted a little as she realized she was passing. “It would be so awesome of you.”
Eyes so black the pupil couldn’t be seen tracked between Raina and Derek as Trini thought it over. “All right, Friend. My shift starts in fifteen minutes. I’ll give you the nickel tour.”
“Thank you so much!” Raina tried to generate some excitement in her voice even though she dreaded stepping inside the deplorable structure.
With a sing-song voice, Trini said, “You owe me, little brother-in-law.” Then she took Raina by the arm and pushed through the tall glass doors into the academy.
Although she didn’t believe it possible, the inside was worse than the outside. Trini dragged her across the wide lobby, floor tiled in cheap linoleum that was supposed to resemble marble. Most of the walls were unfinished concrete that showed the wood grain of the forms used to pour the cement.
“I know. Tacky, right?” Trini said. “We wanted something that reminded the public of the original structure. But this is Central Park. The city gets involved, contractors, blah blah blah, and you end up with this. But yes,” she rolled her eyes, and spoke as if reciting. “There really was a portal to another realm that stood on the lake shore outside the rear of the building.”
Raina shrugged. “I don’t doubt it.”
She fell under Trini’s scrutiny again. “I can see why Derek wants to be your friend, Friend. That tight little body of yours. You could almost pass as Fae.”
A chill stole over Raina’s skin.
Until Trina made a moue with her lips and angled her head. “Almost. But seriously, you could dress it up for him a little. I know it’s cold out, but still. Skinny jeans, or yoga pants. You’d have him in the palm of your hand.”
“I, uh.”
“This uniform? I know. Ugh, right?” Trini wore very snug stretchy black pants tucked into high black leather boots. A tight silk blouse lay beneath a black bolero jacket with Trini stitched over the right breast. She dressed it up with dozens of clinking, clattering bracelets on each arm and a gilt filigree and gem choker that could only be of Fae manufacture. A thin belt suspended only by the narrowness of her waist and flare of her hips held various snapped pouches.
“You wear it well.” Raina felt a little uncomfortable with the conversation. “You seem… close to Derek.”
“Oh, well, you know how it goes. Danny is his father’s son. Always flying overseas on business. A girl gets lonely.”
Uncomfortable climbed into the anxious range.
Trini laughed, loud enough to echo off the coarse walls. “You humans! Jealous much! So emotional. What a riot.”
Raina was a little taken aback. Mostly because she could remember a time when she had that same condescending attitude toward humans. Had she ever expressed it so openly?
“Ever since the portal fell, people have gone a little Fae crazy. It seems like now, everyone’s a Glow-Getter, a Moth-Boy or a Faerie Mary. I haven’t been able to buy a drink for myself. I guess it goes to your head when you’re the flavor of the month.”
I’ll say, Raina didn’t say.
“Anyway, because this place is in Central Park, we had to have public spaces. When the Light Fae built their portal, the theory was: better to ask forgiveness than permission. Although, really, even though only they could go through the portal, the space was open to anybody.” Trini sashayed through a doorway.
“This is the public exhibition area, which is a permanent display.” The two of them walked a wide hall lined with cases. Everyday Fae objects sat behind glass. With the disappearance of her race, apparently every hairbrush and button held value. They turned, entering a cube of a room, walls lined with paintings and photos, a history of humans and Fae. Raina found she couldn’t look at the painting of her parents dressed in the traditional regal costume of the Light Fae.
“Sure, it’s not much to see. The real stuff is in the museum proper. You get an audio tour with the price of admission.” Trini pointed to a ticket window down a short corridor. They made a left, past more exhibits, and a right, past more photos and displays. “On the other side of the museum are the dorms. I work security there, and on the grounds.”
“Dorms?”
“Well, duh. We’re running a university here. Students have to stay someplace. And New York is expensive. Not that the dorms are cheap or anything.”
That made sense. Apparently, people from all over the world visited, and attended the academy. Raina puzzled it over. “Why does the school need security?”
“This is the Big Apple. You get all kinds of weirdos here. It’s okay for people to walk around the public areas in the daytime. But at night, when the moon comes up, this place locks down. Security is insane.” Trini gave her a wink. “If you’re thinking about hanging out to hook up with a Shadow Fae hottie, better think again.”
The idea repulsed Raina.
“Take it easy, Friend,” Trini misread her expression. “We’re not all that tough on night visitors. If anyone gets too aggressive, we call in the NYPD. We have friends on the force.”
“Oh, okay,” Raina said lamely.
Trini looked at one of her many bracelets. “Oops. Gotta clock in. I’ve been late five times this week, and it’s only Tuesday. My boss’ll chew me
a new one. See you ‘round. Friend. Make yourself at home. Oh. And take my advice. If you want Derek to treat you like a princess, wrap that butt of yours in a tight micro mini.”
“Thanks.” Home. Princess. The words fell like blows. She was only a few hundred yards from the portal, from the gateway to Oreálle. With the portal destroyed, she might as well be on the moon, for all its closeness.
Raina looked around. She was completely lost in the maze-like public space. A man in work clothes pushed a broom. For a moment, Raina thought she recognized him. His face didn’t register her, so she moved on. She was here for a reason. She needed to learn a way to reopen the portal. As much as she doubted the legitimacy of the Dark Fae’s university, she had no other leads.
She’d been rejected for admittance a number of times, but now she was here in person. Perhaps they would be less likely to turn her away. Following the hall that Trini had taken, Raina set off to find the admissions office.
5
After half an hour, Raina was still lost in the strange human structure, circling back to where she started, passing the broom-pusher again. A feeling stole over her, one she had come to recognize over the past few years. Fatigue born of hunger.
She wondered if Derek was still on the pedestal outside, standing there like a doofus with their abandoned lunches. Raina took a turn, finding a room with familiar paintings. Who was the real doofus, she chided herself. She couldn’t find her way around a public space designed for humans.
Finally, she found a corridor she believed was near the entrance. A display offered maps of the complex. She took one out, studying it. You are here, she read. The admin area was over there. No problem.
When she turned a corner, eyes on the map, she collided with a man coming from the other direction.
“I’m so sorry!” she said. “I was looking at the map. I’m a little lost.” Her voice caught in her throat. The man she had bumped into was Dark Fae. Tall and dark, of course. Although his features were brutal in the Dark Fae way, they were also pleasant in the manner of a rough sculpture. Especially when he smiled at her.
“No apologies necessary. The space was designed to get people lost.” His voice was deep, melodious. “Perhaps I could escort you.”
“Um. Yeah. Sure.”
He held her eyes for what seemed like a long time. Finally, he said, “Where am I escorting you?”
Idiot! She felt the sensation of her inner glow brightening in response to his presence, and at once, felt the lack of it. There was no choice but to maintain her masquerade as human. “I was looking for the admin area.”
“Are you a new student?”
“No.” She dropped her eyes to the linoleum. “I’m trying to register.”
“Not a problem.” He extended his elbow. “Come with me.”
Fighting down her apprehension, she took the Dark Fae’s arm. “Thank you.”
He smiled again, throwing his dark, heavy features into a bright expression. “My pleasure. My name is Jax. I’m an instructor here.”
The corridors of the academy and university were far more standard than the maze of the public museum. Raina had only been a left turn away from the main hall.
“Have you worked for the university for a long time?” She tried some small talk.
“I don’t work for the university, but the academy. It’s something of a gateway for humans to experience magic. The university only accepts adepts. Ninety-nine percent of academy graduates are not truly adept.” He had a teacher’s voice, one that projected off the walls. Raina liked the sound of it. “Sorry, short answer, I’ve been working for the academy since it opened.”
Raina decided to try and gauge the Dark Fae sympathy. “Do you think it’s a little—” She searched for a word that didn’t’ express her true feelings. “— off to put this building over the site of the portal?”
His thick brow lowered at her question, mouth drawn down. “The prevailing view is that this place was constructed to honor the Light Fae. Or Bright Fae, is the politically correct phrase now. However, putting what is essentially a profit-making venture on the grounds of a devastating loss… I love the work I do here, but this was probably not the proper site for the complex.”
She found herself surprised, perhaps a little delighted, to find empathy in a Dark Fae. Yet it only made the attack on the portal that much more of a mystery.
“Here we are.” Jax opened a door onto an empty office.
Raina peered at the empty desks in dismay. Jax caught her expression. With a smile, he opened the pass through and stood at the other side of the counter.
“I guess I can play administrator for the time being.”
“Really? Thank you.”
“Again. My pleasure.”
Raina expected him to type a password into the computer. Instead, he dragged a heavy book bound in blue leather and set in on the counter between them. With an odd gesture of his right fingers, he made a quill appear. Raina did her best to look startled. She had seen the quill up his sleeve.
“Name?”
She stuttered out the name Derek had given her. “Rainara.”
“Pretty,” Jax murmured. “Bit of a Fae ring to it.”
The quill poised expectantly over the tome. He lifted his eyes to hers, raising his brows.
Right. Idiot. She thought quickly. “Rainara King.”
He scribbled. “Address?”
Did she really want to give her address to a Dark Fae? These are the people who destroyed the portal, tried to assassinate her. What choice did she have? “I have a temporary place in Chinatown.”
“Let me put ‘residency requested.’”
Jax asked more personal questions. She wished she had prepared a human dossier that sounded half-way believable, but she hadn’t expected to be ushered into the school right off the bat. She stumbled through the questions any human could tick off without thinking, feeling like a fool.
She needed an excuse.
“I’m sorry, but I’ve been rejected by the school so many times. And you’re just signing me up. I guess I’m pretty nervous.”
He nodded. “You must have applied to the university. They won’t take human admissions unless they are academy graduates. And, as I’ve said, the majority of those would be rejected out of hand. A person applying blind would certainly be rejected. As far as your acceptance into the academy, there is a caveat.”
Here it comes, Raina thought. “What is it?”
“I teach a course, History of Magic 101. It is the least popular class in the whole academy. They tell me it is the driest, most boring batch of lectures to ever grace a classroom. I’m lucky if I can get enough sign-ups to actually justify the class. Consider your registration a bribe.”
She relaxed, even feeling a natural smile spread over her features. “I’m sold. Sign me up.”
He scribbled some more, eyes on the book. “Pretty girl like you might bring in some additional students.”
If Raina had the capacity to blush, she would have. She couldn’t find any words.
“You must have interest in other magical classes.” He reached under the counter; handed her a class catalogue. “They fill up fairly quickly. Better make some fast decisions. Welcome to the Academy of Fae Magic.”
Jax held out a long, slender hand and Raina took it, feeling a tingle in the touch. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. The Tuition Department will come for you sooner or later.” He gave her the up-and-down. “They can help you with financial aid, if you need it.”
If anyone needed financial aid, it was Raina. “That might be a good idea.”
“Well, that was the easy part.” Jax lifted the pass through and walked out of the office.
“Easy part?”
Jax led the way deeper into the academy. “Next comes the assessment. We need to determine your capacity to perform magic.”
Raina trundled after him, unable to breathe.
He squinted at her. “Don’t worry. It’s all pro fo
rma. It’s surprising how many humans have some Shadow Fae lineage in their bloodline. Even a few humans have a strong propensity for magic. It’s a fairly simple test.
Simple for a human, maybe, but Raina was a full-blooded Light Fae. She’d been suffused in magic for nearly her whole life. She wanted to run, get the hell out of this Dark Fae dungeon before they could discover her identity. Would they keep her here, locked up in the basement, deciding when and how to execute the last of the Light Fae?
“Rainara?” Jax folded his arms. “You okay?”
Her breath came hard, heart racing. She thought she would pass out when a shouted word echoed in the hall.
“Next!”
6
“Easy, Rainara.” Jax put a steadying hand on her arm. He leaned close, whispering in her ear. “Relax. This is mostly a gimmick. When you tell people they have an affinity for magic, it bolsters their ego, makes them more eager to learn. Deep breath, okay?”
“Okay.”
He gave her a wink, and she tried to smile back.
Still, she jumped when the woman shouted again. “Next! C’mon, Jax, what are you waiting for, Elfnacht? Get you pupil in here. I gotta go to lunch.”
Jax urged her into the room. Raina took it in. An examination table crouched in the center of a clinically white room. Shaking, she decided to take the risk. Maybe they would just pronounce her incredibly adept for a human. It might knock off some money for the tuition.
“Jeeze Louise, girl, get your butt on the table.”
“If you want, I’ll stay with you through the assessment,” Jax said.
Raina nodded. She found his presence steadying, solid. Was she actually crushing on a Dark Fae? Her whole life, she considered the race inferior to the Light Fae. This man put her at ease, gave her a feeling of safety, even though she was at the epicenter of Dark Fae victory. Still, what better place to learn more about their motives? She sat on the examination bed.
“Okay, girly, let’s get this over with. What’s your name?” The assessor was a Dark Fae woman, her features a caricature: snub nose, sharp bones, pointed chin, skin tones smudged with the yellow-greens and blues of the race. Rail thin, she held out a scepter in bird-like claws.
