◆◆◆
Marlen and I walked arm-in-arm through the campus towards the commons where food was served. I berated myself internally as the mating pull did a happy jig in my chest, thrilled at the physical contact between us.
A couple of times, I felt a swell of emotion that would indicate a crowd nearby. I assumed that was the commons. I had a sneaking suspicion that Leigh and Briallen were leading us on the scenic route, no doubt, so Marlen and I had more time to talk.
"So, Fi, how long were you in Albion for?" Marlen asked curiously.
"Er, forever?" I answered, confused by his question. "I grew up there."
Surprise rolled off him in waves. "So your family is in Albion?"
"I'm not entirely sure," I mused. "I thought I was human until yesterday." I had contemplated not telling anyone that, but it seemed better than everyone thinking I was just useless at magic and an idiot about all things fae.
"I...wow. Honestly, I'm not even sure how to respond to that," Marlen said, bewildered. I appreciated that he wasn't pretending that my situation wasn't several shades of effed up.
I laughed, but it was a little hollow. "I'm not really sure what to think. My head is kind of a mess right now. What about you? What's your story?"
"Nothing so interesting as yours, I'm afraid. I'm the youngest of four. My parents are bakers in a small village a few hours away from here. I'm in my fourth year at the Academy..." he trailed off, seemingly thinking about what to say next. Marlen was full to the brim with playful, positive emotions, but flashes of self-doubt would appear at random. I doubt anyone would ever think this seemingly suave, confident man experienced such frequent bouts of insecurity.
I attempted to keep the topic of conversation light, lest I give him the wrong impression about where this was heading. This mating pull thing had to go.
"So, how do you know Leigh and Briallen?"
Marlen's eyes lit up. "Leigh and I met at a sporting competition when were 10. They're a way for kids from around the realm to meet each other. We roomed together at the competition and ended up writing to each other after we went home. I was thrilled when I found out he'd be coming to the Academy too."
Marlen's excitement and love for his friend felt genuine and it endeared me to him a little more. He was obviously a loyal friend.
"I met Briallen the same time Leigh did," he continued. "They were pulled together during our first week and have been inseparable ever since. She's a good friend. I relied on her a lot when I was missing my sister." He gave me a small smile, but I felt his wave of sadness.
"I only met Briallen last night when I arrived at the Academy," I offered. "She has been very kind to me."
"That's B," Marlen said, perking up.
"What's B?" Briallen asked, her and Leigh appearing out of nowhere. "Are you two hitting it off?"
I rolled my eyes affectionately at her lack of subtlety. "I believe I was promised breakfast, you two."
"Right you are, Fi," Leigh laughed. "A fae never goes back on their word. Let's away," he said with a flourish and took off with Briallen in tow.
"Come on, let's get you fed," Marlen smiled, guiding me by the arm after them.
Fi
The commons was a large, circular building made out of some kind of whitewashed clay with a thatched roof and wooden floor. It felt very earthy and homey. We had come in through the main double doors, but there were other exits all around the room that students were streaming in and out of. The room was filled with tables of various sizes with benches and mismatched wooden chairs, scattered haphazardly throughout.
One side of the commons was dominated by an enormous food station. There was the most elaborate salad bar I’d ever seen with every kind of vegetable and a variety of non-meat proteins. Next to that was a buffet table with flatbreads and fruit. It all looked very… healthy.
I scanned the buffet table eagerly for coffee but all I could see were assorted flavors of tea and freshly squeezed juices.
“Looking for something in particular?” Marlen smiled. “I like the blackcurrant tea personally.”
“I don’t suppose you have coffee here?”
Briallen grimaced, “Gods no, why would you want that? Caffeine is terrible for your magic.”
Marlen shot her a glare. “Which Fi wouldn’t know, having only found out about magic yesterday.” It was sweet of him to jump to my defense; he didn’t even know me.
“Some of the fruit here doesn’t grow in Albion. Why don’t you sit down, and I’ll bring you over a plate of stuff to try?” Marlen gave me an easy smile, and I couldn’t help but return it. I wasn’t going to get into all of that mating nonsense with him but I could definitely see his appeal.
The boys left to get breakfast for the four of us, and I felt a sharp tug in my chest that drew my gaze towards Bryn. I found his beautiful ocean blue eyes already on me, looking so intently it felt like he was gazing into my soul. Then I noticed the petite little blonde on his lap sucking on his neck like a leech, and anger welled up in me like bubbling lava.
Was this how I was always going to feel around him? Bryn clearly didn’t want me and obviously I didn’t want him. Was I forever going to respond like a raging bull when I saw him getting handsy with another woman? It would drive me crazy.
After a few tense moments of eye contact, Bryn stood and towed the little blonde tart through a door behind him. My rage lessened now they weren’t right in front of me, but I had a pretty good feeling I knew what they were off to do and that thought made me feel a little ill. Turning to Briallen, I found her staring at the door Bryn had just disappeared through with a small frown on her face.
Her emotions were a mix of disappointment and irritation which seemed so uncharacteristic of sunny Briallen that I found myself snapping out of my own funk.
“Hey, don’t worry about that. We already knew Bryn wasn’t interested in me, remember? I don't want any mates anyway,” I murmured to her softly.
“I always knew he would struggle with a strong mating pull. Bryn values control, a strong pull challenges that. I never thought he would continue pursuing his barely-there connection with Saffir.” She frowned again.
“Continue things? As in they’re already together?” The idea that he already had a girlfriend sent a sharp pain through my chest, right where I felt the mating pull. “He shouldn’t end things with her on my behalf. He doesn’t want me.”
The words tasted like ash on my tongue but I knew they were right. I didn’t want to be responsible for ripping someone’s relationship apart, regardless of the magnetic feeling in my chest that insisted Bryn should be mine.
Briallen shook her head as if to clear it, leading me over to a free table and dropping down into her seat.
“Sorry about before,” she said sheepishly. “It’s so surreal to me that you didn’t grow up here and don’t know about this world. I didn’t mean to be rude.”
“I’m not mad,” I quickly assured her, sensing her sincerity. “I’ll probably say stupid things a lot, though, just so you’re prepared. It would have never occurred to me that my diet would affect magic.”
“I wonder if you’ll have some kind of detox period,” she mused. “Lots of things in Albion are bad for fae magic. Pollution, synthetic materials, food additives, the unnatural environment... You were eating meat too, right?”
“Er, yes,” I mumbled, feeling oddly embarrassed about it.
“You won’t find that here, all fae are vegetarians. A lot of them only eat raw food, and that’s the easiest way to cater to so many students, so that’s all you’ll find in the commons. The food table is loaded up from sunrise to sunset, just help yourself whenever.” She waved her hand in the direction of the buffet table, and I wept a little internally. A lifetime of salad? Maybe I wouldn’t love Avalon after all.
The boys arrived at that moment, stopping my pity party from really kicking off. Marlen told me about each item of food he’d chosen and I dutifully tried all of it. It wasn’t bad or anything
. Surely I would get used to the diet once I was eating it regularly? I appreciated Marlen explaining everything to me; my knowledge-hungry brain soaked up everything he was saying.
Briallen and Leigh sat opposite us and I covertly admired how well suited they seemed to be. They were always laughing, flirting, and touching one another. The love they felt toward each other radiated off them and made me feel all gooey inside.
“You two have matching tattoos?” I blurted out, spotting the similar inky black lines on their inner left wrists. “That’s kind of cute.”
They both laughed, and Marlen gave me an indulgent smile like I was really adorable. “They’re not tattoos,” he explained, “they’re claiming marks. They appear after the claiming ceremony. The mark itself is an ancient rune, determined by the female’s magic.”
Briallen held out her wrist so I could get a better look. “Mine is unfinished, see?” She yanked Leigh’s wrist closer, so I could compare. Sure enough, Briallen’s lines looked about half done.
“Why?” I asked curiously.
“My mating circle isn’t complete. When I claim my second mate, the rest of it will appear. It’s how I can be certain I’ll only have two mates. If I had three, only a third would have shown up when Leigh and I claimed each other. Leigh’s mark is the finished rune.”
It was fascinating and I appreciate them taking the time to explain it to me. Still, I felt a little uncomfortable discussing anything mating-related with Marlen and his super-strong mating pull sitting right there. I’d save my questions about what the rune symbolized for later when Marlen wasn’t around.
Besides, the commons were starting to fill up and being around a crowd full of emotions was making my head pound. My muscles hurt from tensing up so tightly.
“Are you okay, Fi?” Marlen moved closer and rested his hand gently on my lower back. His presence was so soothing that I found myself relaxing into him instinctually. I’d worry about the ramifications of that later. When my brain wasn’t exploding.
“I have a bit of thing about crowds,” I muttered vaguely. “I might head out; I need to find the arena anyway. Thank you for breakfast.” I added, offering him a weak smile.
“I have this lesson free; I’ll walk you there,” Marlen said, already standing and gathering our satchels. I told my goodbyes to Leigh and Briallen and exhaled in relief as we left the commons and the sea of emotions behind.
◆◆◆
Marlen guided me through a maze of small buildings, some made of clay and some of stone until we came to a dirt path that followed the forest’s treeline.
“You really don’t need to walk me the whole way. Just point me in the right direction,” I assured him self-consciously.
“Don’t worry, Fi, I’ll wait outside. I’d have hated an audience for my elemental testing,” Marlen threw me another one of his disarming cheeky grins. Spending time with him was effortless. It had ‘danger’ written all over it.
“Is that because it’s going to be embarrassing? I’m not really sure what they’re expecting; I used air magic once by accident. If it wasn’t for the pointy ears, I’d be convinced I was still human and you were all screwing with me. I’m still kind of on the fence about it.”
Marlen chuckled. “There’s no doubt in my mind that you’re fae, foxglove.”
He absentmindedly rubbed the spot in his chest where I could feel the mating pull and a primal part of me delighted at knowing I had an effect on him. The rational part of my brain was clearly on the fritz.
“Foxglove?”
“You don’t like it? Ffion means foxglove.”
“I don’t not like it,” I admitted and he gave me a mischevious grin.
“Foxglove it is,” he said, his handsome face lighting up. “Don’t worry about your lack of experience with magic, no one will expect you to be proficient after living in Albion your whole life. Albion is pretty inhospitable to magic now, except for glamours. Even the weakest fae can at least glamour their ears, hair and eye color when they pass through a portal. It’s a self-preservation thing.”
My knowledge-starved brain did a happy dance as I absorbed all the information Marlen was giving me. The migraines and moving around all the time made it hard for me to enjoy school, and I’d ended up leaving early for the peace and solitude of my cleaning job. Being here was an opportunity to indulge in the learning I’d always wanted to indulge in, so long as I could keep the migraines at bay.
“Do you know why Albion is inhospitable to magic now?” I asked curiously.
What I really wanted to ask was how I had a glamour on me when I hadn’t put it there myself. It didn’t really fit the description Marlen had given of how glamours worked. I deliberated on whether or not I should bring it up but decided it was a question for Gwyneira instead. I’d only just met this guy, after all.
“Sorry, Fi,” he gave me an apologetic look and caught a flash of his insecurity again. “I was never much good in theory classes. You’ll have a History of Albion course at some point, second year, I think.”
He shrugged and grinned at me. “I’d be happy to tutor you for combat class, though?” He asked hopefully, and I felt a brief surge of his lust.
“Are you sure you’re not just looking for an excuse to get your hands on me?” I flirted back, then internally cursed because I wasn’t supposed to be encouraging this. Idiot.
“Always,” he replied, voice filled with sinful promise. Every part of me tingled in response, and I exhaled in relief as we arrived at a large stone structure that looked like an arena. If we’d had to walk alone together any further, I was at risk of pinning him against a tree and begging him to have his way with me. Damn Kayden for interrupting my plans to get laid the other night, now my libido was at serious risk of overruling my common sense.
The arena was a circular structure, entirely made of stone with stairs scattered throughout to lead spectators up to the higher seats. It reminded me of the Roman ruins I’d visited once on a school trip, though this was in much better shape.
“I’ll wait here,” Marlen smiled, leaning against the wall next to a large archway.
“You don’t have to,” I protested. “I don’t even know how long it’ll take.”
I was a little taken aback by his kindness; we’d just met. I’d been The New Kid many times over in my life, and no one had ever given me so much of their attention.
“The test doesn’t take long. Don’t stress foxglove. I’ll wait; I enjoy your company. Plus, you’ll probably get lost trying to get back on your own.”
I laughed, already heading through the archway and waving him goodbye. “Okay, I’m not going to argue with you. Wish me luck.”
“Ffion,” Gwyneira greeted me warmly as I exited the gladiator-style corridor into the arena. She stood next to a serious, imposing-looking man, but his emotions weren’t concerning. He felt studious, assessing, and a little impatient.
“This is Master Eurig. He is the head of the air mastery discipline here at the Academy and teaches fourth-year students. Master Eurig, this is Ffion Smith. She just arrived here from Albion last night. Ffion grew up there and has not had a chance to experiment with the elements yet. We have reason to believe she has an air affinity.”
That definitely piqued his curiosity and elicited a healthy dose of doubt. I hadn’t asked anyone about how often fae grew up in Albion but based on everyone's reaction, it must be unusual.
Master Eurig gave me a curt nod. “If you have reason to believe you have an air affinity, let’s start there. He placed a heavy-looking leather ball down at my feet.
“I want you to use your air magic to move this weighted ball across the arena. There’s a breeze today, fae without an affinity would be able to manipulate it to nudge the ball slightly. You should be able to generate a much stronger gust of wind if you have an affinity and move the ball a significant distance.”
His doubtfulness was seriously aggravating me, but I wasn’t entirely sure I’d be able to prove him wrong since I’d only
used magic once as far as I knew.
I stared at the ball at my feet for a few minutes and willed it to move with my mind, but that didn’t feel right. Ugh, obviously, Fi. Air magic. I tried to imagine a gust of wind picking the ball up and gently depositing it on the other side of the arena, but it merely wobbled in place. I was quite impressed by that but my audience clearly wasn't.
“Close your eyes,” Gwyneira commanded softly from somewhere behind me. “Remember the way your magic felt the last time you used it. Let it come naturally. It’s part of you, Ffion, an extension of your very soul.”
I closed my eyes and tried to remember how my magic felt but all I could feel was Kayden’s twisted lust, his vicious rage, his triumph as that door locked behind me. Anger rose under my skin, coursing through my veins like a hurricane. No, not anger. This was magic. It was raw power, ready to come to aid, to protect me.
I threw my hands out in front of me to try to expel the aching energy under my skin. I opened my eyes in time to see the heavy ball embed itself in the solid stone barricade on the other side of the arena with a deafening crack.
There was silence behind me, but Gwyneira and Master Eurig’s shock was coming through loud and clear. I was pretty shocked myself. How was Kayden even alive? If I’d thrown him into the wall instead of through glass into the water, he’d be dead for sure. My stomach churned uncomfortably at how close I’d been to becoming a murderer.
“Right,” Master Eurig cleared his throat awkwardly. “I believe we have confirmed you hold an air affinity. A strong one,” he added. He was feeling a little sheepish, but his excitement was growing too. I didn’t relish the thought of bringing more attention to myself.
Gwyneira patted my shoulder kindly, seemingly sensing my discomfort. “As your body adjusts and the human toxins leave your system, you will find it easier to feel your magic and release it in a controlled way.”
She probably meant for that to be reassuring. All I could focus on was the fact that until my body adjusted, magic would explode out of me like releasing a high-pressure valve.
The Terrible Gift (Empath Found Book 1) Page 5
