CHAPTER SIX
T HE THEATER HALL IS GRAND, deep-red-cushioned benches as far as the eye can see—well, down to the main stage. This place could easily house five thousand fae. Balconies sit near the rafters, and intricate crown moldings and wainscoting decorate the walls. Gold, green, and red decor covers the black-hewn brick, along with paintings of important people in our history, their names lost to me and also one day to time.
Yearwood and I take our seats near the back and watch as the hall begins to fill with a trickle of other cadets, all of them scattering around throughout the room. It doesn’t take long before commander Ashbluff strides out onto the stage, glancing around the space with a look of contempt.
“Cadets!” he bellows, his voice whipping around the room like leaves in a windstorm. “You will sit with your chamber mates. You will dine with your chamber mates. You will not do anything without your chamber mates! They will be your squads for the rest of the year. Do I make myself clear?”
A resounding ’yes, Sir’ tears through the room and then silence so thick that it feels like it’s piercing your skull.
“Well move! You have one minute to get into position!” His voice carries loudly, causing a sense of urgency in the room.
Yearwood and I stand and begin rushing down the steps towards where we saw some of our chamber mates before Bracken yells my name, gesturing me over to where he and six others have taken up a row near the front. Thankfully Yearwood sits between Bracken and me, but before I can thank her, Commander Ashbluff’s voice rings out again.
“Time’s up. Those of you still looking for your squads are now on bathroom duty for the rest of the month. Now, if I ever have to repeat this, all of you will be out doing drills until the sun rises. Do you understand?”
He glances around as we shout ‘yes, Sir’.
“As you all know, Phixmery is our greatest training facility in all of Damorleia. We have the three true and loyal fae races joining forces to defeat our enemies: the Elemi Fae from the province of Allonde, the Szellemi Fae from the province of Imperset and the Vopn Fo Fae from the Skyrivene province. All of you are powerful with your own unique magick, and here, you will harness that ability to use against the Skuggi Fae.” His face twists into a snarl at the mention of the fae from Vathia.
None of this shocks me. Ever since the Vathians attacked the Gallalaus Fae, the royal fae, they began assassinating them one by one until there was nothing but the royal family left, making others flee their home province of Spirrix. The Gallalaus Fae were feared and worshiped for their abilities. See, where each type of fae has one specialty, Gallalaus Fae had them all. That night changed everything for the citizens of Damorleia. Many families were ripped apart; it’s a dark mark in our history.
“You will face trials,” Ashbluff continues. “You will attend your lessons and drills. At the end of the year you will be sorted out amongst the ranks into factions and continue your training with your new squad mates. The factions are as follows: Infantry, Artillery, Berserkers, Gryphon Riders, and last but not least Dragon Riders.”
A murmur goes up around the room before Ashbluff silences it. “Starting today, you win as a squad and you fail together as a squad. If one of you gets punished, you all do. Let that be a reminder not to fuck around. Now, if you have any questions, the officers teaching your lessons can answer them. You’re dismissed.” He briskly walks off stage without a single glance back and dread seeps into me.
My squad is going to kill me.
Phixmery Schedule
Cadet Solace, Ravina—Chamber 206: Squad Four
0500—Breakfast: Dining hall
0700—Physical the angrier they are, the more precise they become. Like anyone else though, some are stronger than others.
The fae of Vathia—our enemies—are the Skuggi Fae, shadow walkers. From what I know of them, they can only use shadows already present, but not make them, so most of their attacks are carried out at night where their magick is at its height. There’s even rumors that some of them can walk the shadows of your dreams, but I’m not sure how accurate that is.
Finally there is—was—the Gallalaus Fae. The royals. But they were wiped out twenty years ago. It’s what started this great war. They had the abilities of all the fae and were revered.
I wrap my arms around myself as Nero and I wander into Magick for Elemi, my nerves getting to me. My new non-friends aren’t here yet so Bracken and Cresida are the only ones I’m familiar with—and Evera from my room, but since she’s made friends with Cresida, I’m choosing the wise decision not to get involved with her, especially with all the seething glares she’s been sending me. So I opt for the end seat next to the other female from my squad, the one with hair as white as the snow and eyes as green as the spruce trees back home. The tips of her hair match her eyes which makes her stand out from the others.
The class is set up so that the chairs with small movable wooden desks are arranged in a circle. Each row going back is slightly higher so everyone can see what’s going on in the center of the room. I get to where my squad is now taking their seats and the moment I sit, the girl with white hair stands—along with the male next to her—moving over to Evera. Great. Well, it’s not like I’m here to make friends anyway.
“ Do you want me— ”
“ No Nero, we aren’t plucking out her eyes. ”
He croaks in annoyance, causing a few others to glance our way with wary gazes.
The first female fae officer I’ve seen here walks in and positions herself at the podium in front of everyone. “I’m Captain Batsil. I know in your other classes you’ve talked about what you’ll be doing your first term here. But I go about things in a more practical sense.”
Dread creeps in, and Nero instantly begins to comfort me by mimicking a purr.
“Today I’ll be bringing you up one by one so I can see what I’m working with, and we will go from there. Magick isn’t about studying texts, scrolls or parchments—it’s about doing. We’ll start with you.” She gestures to a young male sitting at the front far right.
He makes his way over to her and she gestures for him to continue. He takes a breath, and it feels like the air is being sucked out of the room before it rushes around us, wisps of hair blowing into my face.
She nods, her face stoic. “Very good, next.”
It continues like that throughout the lesson and I debate on showing a meager amount of my magick, but that could lead to questions I don’t want to answer, especially because I told Ashbluff that I don’t know how to use it. Great thinking on my part, but I also never expected to be dragged into this mess. Maybe if I explain to her my situation—a made-up situation I’m going to have to stick with—then she’ll just move on.
Cresida’s shrill voice knocks me out of my thoughts as she saunters down to where Captain Batsil stands with a bored expression that mars her delicate, stern features. She doesn’t waste any time as she uncorks her hip flask and summons the water out of it, swirling it around the air, freezing it into different shapes. The fluidity of it is beautiful. She uses her hands to form it into a ball before flinging it at me and hitting me square in the face.
I jump up as Nero hops off my shoulder, croaking and hissing, hovering around my head. “ That little bitch. She better sleep with one eye open tonight so I can pry it out of her head, ” he snarks.
“Sorry Ravina,” she says with a saccharine voice. “I was just trying to show Captain Batsil my aim.” She flutters her lashes as laughs go up around the room.
“Clean your mess up, Cadet Fellowes. Cadet Solace, maybe you would like to come down next considering you didn’t even try to stop Fellowes’s attack?” she sighs, using her index finger to wave me down.
I gulp and mutter. “I don’t know how to use my magick, Captain Batsil.”
A murmur crescendos around the room and Batsil hushes them. “What do you mean, Cadet? Every fae knows how to use their magick. It’s instinctual once you come of age.”
“Commander Ashbluff found me. I thought I was a null, but because of Nero—my raven—he said I wasn’t. That nulls don’t have familiars.” I shrug, trying to play it off, hoping this unusual story doesn’t get me even more attention than if I’d just admitted my magick. I need to keep it hidden.
“You can show them an Elemi ability, Rav. That way you can keep up the pretense so we can escape,” Nero reminds me for the tenth time today. He’s become pushier and pushier about the topic to the point that I’m starting to relent.
Captain Batsil’s eyes narrow on me. “Lesson dismissed. Cadet Solace, you will be staying behind. We will pull something out of you.”
Cresida giggles, sneering at me before looping her arm through Evera Gannon’s, who levels me a glower that tells me if I get our squad into any more trouble today, I’ll be paying for it.
The room quickly empties out after that, and I’m left with the Captain and a bunch of desks between us.
“Well, get down here. If you want to make it to dinner tonight, you better make it fast or you and your squad will be paying for it.” she snaps, waiting for me to make my way to her.
With a deep breath, I rise to my feet and make my way down the steps without it seeming suspicious. I don’t think I have a choice. Either I make my squad hate me by making our chores pile up day after day, or I give her something. Nero lands on my shoulder, lending me his unwavering support. I can do this, but I can’t make it seem too easy. I’ll have to pretend for at least a bit. That way I don’t get in trouble for her dismissing the lesson early.
Finally, I reach the center and wait for instruction.
She eyes me carefully before instructing. “Ashbluff is correct; nulls don’t have familiars. Only powerful fae do. I think you’re seeking attention, and I don’t do well with attention seekers Cadet Solace. So I’ll make a deal with you since commander Ashbluff has informed me of your unique situation. Until we get your magick unblocked …” she sneers the word like she doesn’t believe me, which she shouldn’t but I’m not going to tell her that, “... and up to the standards I think you should be at, you will be joining me every night for an hour after dinner. If you fail to show tonight or any other time, I’ll make sure that you and your squad will be cleaning out the gryphon stalls for the rest of the year.”
Fucking fates. This could be exactly what I need though, and it will get Nero off my back. I could pretend to struggle and pick an element to show, but I’d have to be careful—if any magick other than elemental magick appears, Nero and I will be in danger. It’s not something that I want to do, but it’s a small sacrifice I can make to make sure my secret remains hidden. “Thank you, I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to help me. I agree to your terms.”
She nods approvingly. “I’ll be keeping my eye on you, Cadet Solace. Now leave and get your dinner. I’ll see you back in this room promptly afterwards.”
AFTER PROCURING SOME dinner for Nero and me, I make my way back to Room One A where Captain Batsil will be waiting for us. The wooden door creaks ominously as I open it and she is waiting right where we left her, stoic expression and all.
“Well, don’t just stand there. I don’t have all night, and the sooner we can figure out what’s wrong with you, the better this will be for all of us,” she snaps and I swiftly make my way down the steps towards her.
“Sorry Captain,” I mutter sheepishly.
She scoffs but pushes on. “What do you know about finding your magick source?”
Nero caws softly and nuzzles my cheek, and I take comfort in running my fingers along his silky smooth feathers. “Not much,” I lie. “I was told it was instinctive.” And it is to a point, but when you’re first learning, you have to consciously tap into the power source.
Her eye twitches as she takes me in again. “Your magick is located at the source of your being. You should be able to look within and feel it, see it even. As a child when you came into your power, you should have been taught this. Did your parents teach you nothing?”
“My family is dead, Captain,” I state sourly.
Her face seems to soften slightly before becoming hard again. “Well, what are you waiting for? Close your eyes and search. Some say it feels like a ball of light sitting in your chest. Others say it resembles their element.” She goes on to describe all the different ways Elemi fae feel their Magick source. It’s fascinating, but mine has never felt like that.
Mine has always resembled an endless void that is both warm and cold, beautiful yet horrifying, and sometimes it feels like one day it may consume me.
We sit there for a good portion of the hour while I pretend to search for my magick, and as the minutes tick by she gets increasingly more agitated. When I think it’s been long enough, I freeze up, unsure if I should do this, if this is the route I should take or if I should stick with the original plan of pretending to be a null.
Nero chirps in my ear. “ Rav, it won’t hurt to show an element. That way if another element slips up it won’t seem unusual. We just need to be careful, that’s all. You can do this, I’ll be by your side the entire time. ”
Letting the comfort of our bond give me strength, I slowly blow out a breath and nod. “I found it, now what?”
“Thank the fates,” Batsil mumbles before speaking up. “Now pull on it. I’ve set up the four elements in front of you. Feel for the one or more you’re connected to and bring it towards you.”
Opening my eyes I see she has set up a ceramic bowl of water and earth, a small candle with a flickering flame and a pinwheel that’s slowly spinning from the breeze coming through the open window. My eyes drag to the flame, figuring it would be the most useful in any situation in the mountain landscape.
Reaching my finger slightly in front of me, I take another nervous breath and Nero makes a comforting purr in his throat. In a flash I’m holding a tiny spark of a flame in my finger.
“Well, that’s slightly underwhelming, but I can work with that. You’re dismissed. I’ll see you in the lesson tomorrow.” She turns and leaves the room and I continue to stare into the flame, soaking in its meager warmth.
Watching the tiny flame flicker on the tip of my finger pulls at the corners of my mouth. It’s like a fraction of the weight I carry has been lifted… It’s almost freeing.