CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
E MBER AND ROZEN KEPT CHECKING on me after the sparring match with Ellis, but after numerous times of me explaining that I’m fine, they finally let it go. For some reason their worry makes me feel slightly uncomfortable; it brings a warm feeling to my chest I haven’t felt since I was young, not including my bond with Nero—from beings that aren’t bonded to me.
I settle in at the long table with the rest of my squad in the Wilderness Survival lesson, ignoring the seething gazes from Cresida and Evera who are sitting in the row in front of us so they can gossip or scheme. Whatever it is that they do.
Captain Reiner clears his throat, the sound silencing the room. “Alright, I know you have heard about the upcoming Trial. Yes, it pertains to everything you’ve learned in this lesson thus far. Yes, some of you will not make it back. We need to know that you can survive not just the war but the dangers that lurk in our lands. There’s no point in sending squads on missions if they aren’t even going to make it there in the first place.”
Damn, that’s harsh, but it completely makes sense. The lands outside of communities are barbarous, most deciding not to leave their hometowns, their safety.
“Because this is a test, I can’t give you much information other than you will be dropped in an undisclosed location with your squad. You will work together and make it back to Phixmery. You will have two days,” he states, glancing around the room, meeting each of our faces, so we can understand that these trials aren’t going to be a vacation—even if he can’t elaborate more on the subject.
He moves around the podium into the center of the room. “Now, our next topic I’ve pushed back, wanting to make sure you have a basic understanding of the things that roam our world. But there’s more than what goes bump in the night. Sometimes by luck of the fates, we are offered the chance at a familiar. Now, hundreds of years ago we used to have an abundance of familiar bonds and mate bonds. No one knows for certain why these bonds have faded out, but there have been many theories and much speculation.”
I knew this would be coming at some point, and he did let me know he was pushing this lesson back. Honestly, I was hoping he would have forgotten about it. This is not the time to be a spectacle in front of everyone.
Cresida interrupts Captain Reiner. “Wait, did you say mate bonds? Like fated mates?” she gushes excitedly.
He sighs. “I must ask that you refrain from interrupting me, Cadet Fellowes. Questions can be asked at the end of the lesson. But yes, fated mates, blessed by the fates themselves; fae would be granted the loves of their lives, all centered around the Heart. Some of you may recall that our late monarch, and many before her, kept the tradition of having four mates, be it female or male. Like familiar bonds, no one knows why they faded, but they did.” Reiner claps his hands, weaving his fingers together. “Now back to familiars!”
He gestures for me to come down with an excited smile on his face.
“ Are you ready for this? ” I ask Nero as I slide us out of our seat and begin making our way down the stairs towards the captain.
The stares grow heavy the closer I get but Nero nips my ear. “ We agreed that this would be good so we can learn more about our bond. ”
My skin prickles as a chill skims down my spine. “ I know, I just have this feeling I can’t explain. Never mind, just ignore me. It’s probably just all the stress lately. ”
Nero and I have been trying to practice with our bond, and other than sensing and hearing each other, we haven’t made much progress. I’m hoping to find a space under the castle so he and I can properly train without prying eyes. That way I can use the full extent of my magick and we can truly see what we’re working with. But as for seeing through each other’s eyes, we haven’t felt safe enough, even with Rozen and Ember saying they will keep watch. The book said I’m vulnerable during that state and it’s not a risk I’m ready to take.
As I reach the bottom step Reiner nods encouragingly. “We are lucky today because we are in the presence of the last known familiar bond, as most of you know from seeing Cadet Solace and Nero around Phixmery. Now, can any of you tell me something about familiar bonds?”
We both glance around the space and I internally cringe when Cresida raises her hand. “Well, from what I’ve seen, the bond is useless. She’s weak, and was practically a null a few months ago. If this bond is anything special, the fates chose wrong.”
Even though I know she’s just spewing hate, her words still hurt, but I don’t let them see a reaction. None of them, especially her, deserve to see any ounce of emotional pain from me.
Reiner tsks. “That is enough from you, Cadet Fellowes. You and your squad will be signed up for gryphon duty for the next week. I suggest if you have nothing respectful to say about your peers, to keep your mouth shut. You are a full grown fae, not a damn fledgling. Act like it.” He turns to the rest of the room. “We are fighting a war against the very people who destroyed and wiped out our royals—a whole race of fae. We don’t need to be fighting against ourselves, no matter how cut-throat this academy may be. Work together to survive it.”
He lets his words sink in. Of course some look ashamed, but most of them couldn’t care. Reiner is one of the more gentle-hearted fae I’ve met. He’s kind and compassionate, not at all like the bloodthirsty nature of most fae. It’s part of the reason I enjoy this lesson so much. Every other captain enjoys the bickering between cadets and soldiers. Some even encourage it.
“Now, as I was saying… Familiar bonds, like most bonds, are soul-tied, meaning if one dies, so does the other.” I wince and realize my mistake, that I forgot to ask him to keep that information quiet. He pushes on, “Beings like familiars, dragons, gryphons, don’t choose their fae lightly, knowing that if their fae are truly weak, they won’t survive and have a long life. But like most, they crave companionship. It’s an honor to be chosen.”
He goes on to talk about most of the things I learned in the book, gesturing to Nero and I occasionally. I’m not truly sure why he’s making us stand up here as he teaches, but apparently he just wants us to stand here and be on display.
“Now, the reason I called Cadet Solace down here was for a really interesting demonstration.” He spins towards me, gesturing to my bandaged hand and the bruises on my face from Gregor’s hits. “Familiars are able to heal their bonded, although you do need to be very careful because it drains their life force—nothing that a little rest and food can’t fix—but if the injury is too grave, you will both succumb and return back to the fates.”
Fear and excitement race through our bond. “ I can finally do something useful for you, Rav. You get injured way more than I care to admit for someone as powerful as you are. It’s embarrassing really, ” he teases, nipping my nose.
A small smile breaks out, tugging at the corners of my mouth. “ What? Threatening to take eyeballs isn’t enough for you? ” I turn my attention back on Captain Reiner. “We have no idea how to do that. The most we are capable of is mental communication and feeling each others’ emotions through the bond,” I explain quietly so the rest of the fae don’t hear.
He nods expectantly. “I thought that might be the case when you asked permission to do some research first. Most would be paired with a tutor to learn these things when blessed with a familiar bond. No worries, though. I will walk you through what I know.”
My head dips in a nod, and I sense Nero paying him the utmost attention, wanting, no, needing to have this information.
“Feel for the bond between the two of you. Nero, you should be able to sense the pain she’s in—follow it.” He waits patiently as my feathered companion does as he asks. To my and Reiner’s surprise Nero nods when he’s found what he’s looking for, prompting the Captain to continue. “Now, I’m not one hundred percent sure on this, just from old journals, it could be different for you. But push your intentions through the bond towards the spots of pain you’ve targeted. Slowly. You don’t want to harm the bond.”
I feel the moment Nero begins pushing his life force through the bond. It’s light and free…soothing, even. My hand and face begin to itch and I unravel the bandage from my hand and watch as the gash I received from a stumble in the caverns below the castle begins to heal. Gasps rent through the room as the other fae witness him healing me. Nero’s excitement and exhaustion flow through the bond like a rapid river. I flex my hand and prod my cheeks—they’re completely healed.
“Great job, Nero,” Reiner booms with excitement before pulling some dried berries from his pocket and handing them to me. “For Nero. He’s going to be hungry and tired. I would suggest making sure he rests during your next lesson. Thank you for doing this today. It’s an honor to have you at Phixmery.”
I feed the berries to Nero to avoid the strange feelings of pride and awe from the captain and the rest of the cadets. But when I glance over to where my squad is sitting, Evera and Cresida’s faces are full of pure malice. I’m really going to need to watch my back with those two.
THANKFULLY DURING BATTLE Theory, Nero was able to rest peacefully even though he was preening at all the compliments Rozen was throwing at him. Even some of the others who usually avoided us in our squad were asking questions and were genuinely curious and friendly. It was strange, and gave me a small bit of satisfaction knowing that it pissed Cresida and Evera off.
Although now that it’s time for my Elemi magick lesson, my nerves are in my throat. It’s the only time of the day when Roz and Ember aren’t with me. Usually it doesn’t bother me, but my skin is still prickling with an annoying sensation that’s only gotten stronger since I walked through the door and sat down, waiting for Captain Batsil to begin.
Surprise jolts through me as the green-eyed Melissandre Amos sits down next to me, giving me a small smile before pulling her notes out and waiting for the lesson to begin. Her white hair is braided back like mine but the tips are as green as the brightest evergreen tree needle.
When everyone is seated, Batsil addresses the room, “Today we will be going out to the training yard. I want to see the extent of your magick now that we’ve been learning control and what each element is capable of. You will have the first half of the lesson to practice, and then I will be coming around to assess you. You may not be graded, but these things will be taken into consideration when we decide ranks and your position within the military.”
Without dismissing us, she strides out of the room, and heads towards the training yard.
Cadet Amos walks beside me. “Do you mind if I tag along with you?” she asks hesitantly, then adds, “Also, I’m sorry for being such a bitch to you. I, ah, grew up with Evera, but even though we never got along, I felt I owed her some sort of loyalty—”
“You don’t need to explain, and if you want to, I don’t mind the company.”
She sighs in relief. “Then you won’t mind if Lennox joins us too?”
I wince, thinking back on how Lennox almost drowned me in dirty dishwater. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea. “I, ah—”
She grins, looping her arm through mine and practically pulling me down the corridor. “Perfect—I think we would all get along. We are a squad, and this is the type of bonding we were supposed to be doing. Especially if we all want to make it through the trials alive.”
Nero’s wings flutter as he tries to stay on my shoulder. “ Maybe you should have scared her off—this one talks a lot, ” he mumbles, sounding slightly panicked.
We arrive in the training yard and she pulls me over to Lennox Adair who gives me an amused grin as he glances between Melissandre and me with neon blue eyes. “I see my sister has dug her claws into you, I don’t think she’ll be letting go anytime soon. Also, I’m sorry about the dishwater. I shouldn’t have listened to Evera or the crap she’s been spewing. Forgive me?”
My gaze bounces between the two as I brush past his apology, not sure if I should trust it. “Sister?” The only similarities I see are the white hair and coloured tips. Where hers are green, his are blue, each coinciding with their eyes.
She smiles brightly at me. “Yeah, twins actually, but father didn’t want me to have his last name. That’s why most people are shocked to find out.”
“I didn’t bring you all out here to gossip like ladies-in-waiting. Get to it!” Batsil snaps.
The snow crunches under my feet as I move away from them to begin practicing, and Nero takes flight to stretch his wings and then perch on the battlement where he can watch me.
“Wait, where are you going?” Melissandre questions. “Please stay. I want to get to know you some more instead of listening to all the rumors about you.”
I shuffle awkwardly on my feet. “Well, I work with fire magick. I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”
She waves off my concerns. “Lenny over here is great with water and fire, and I have earth and air. We can handle a few wild fireballs.”
I hesitate for a moment before mentally shrugging. What the fates… It would be nice not being the odd one out in the lesson for a change. Every day it seems to get harder to distance myself from the fae I meet here. I desperately want a friendship with Ember and Roz, maybe eventually even the twins, if they don’t turn out to be part of a scheme with Banshee One and Two—which is now what I’m calling Cresida and Evera because the sound of their laughing grates on my ears.
Staying near them, I strike my flint and steel that’s attached to my belt and summon a fireball to my hand, letting it grow until it’s the size of my head before stretching it into a whip, lashing the ground a few times.
Deciding to also work on my fighting stances, I go through the movements, my body flowing through each limb and my fire an extension of myself as my magick stretches its metaphorical wings. My body feels great. Powerful. My movements are fluid like the push and pull of the oceans.
Suddenly, searing pain engulfs me as boiling hot water drenches my back, rear and legs. I muffle the scream that wants to let loose and suddenly the pain is soothed as blissfully cool water replaces the scorching heat coating my skin.
“What is the meaning of this?” Batsil asks as she strides over to me, but my mind is playing catch-up as I stiffly turn around.
Melissandre is screaming at Banshee One and Two and her brother’s hands are palm up, ready to douse me with more cool water, looking at me with a worried expression. Nero lands on my shoulder and I can feel him rooting around in our bond, similar to what we did in Wilderness Survival.
“ Your skin has severe burns, Rav. Those bitches combined their elements and threw boiling water at you when you weren’t paying attention, ” Nero explains quickly. “ I’m going to heal you as much as I can, but it will probably still scar—I’m sorry, I’m still a bit tired from earlier. ”
“ Don’t hurt yourself, please, ” I rasp.
“ I won’t; the male was quick on getting cool water onto your burns as quickly as possible, ” he tells me and my gaze meets Lennox’s.
I give him a nod of thanks as Batsil breaks up the screaming match between the females. With each pulse of our bond, the pain lessens until I’m stiff, tender and freezing from the arctic temperatures and wind.
“For disrupting my lesson with this nonsense, both of your squads will be in the damn gryphon stalls,” she snaps. “Do this shit in your free time.”
Cresida crosses her arms and pouts. “But it was an accident we let go, when we were just testing out combining our magick. It’s not our fault she was in the way, she should be more careful. Plus I already have gryphon duty.” Her icy gaze snaps to mine and a malicious grin slowly spreads across her face, telling me it wasn’t an accident in the slightest.
Captain Batsil growls. “Then maybe I should see if any of the dragons need their teeth cleaned. I’ll send word to your squad mentors, Cadet Fellowes. Lesson dismissed.”
Melissandre storms over to me. “Let’s get you inside and into the showers to get you warm. You don’t want to get sick. Shit, you’re shivering. Lennox, when lessons are over grab her friends, Yearwood and Stoll, and meet us back at the squad chambers,” she instructs while gently gripping my arm and pulling me inside.
“I need to get Nero food,” I chatter, my teeth clicking together painfully.
Lennox’s voice carries from behind us. “I’ll get him some fresh berries and meat.”
My steps are slow as I follow Melissandre inside, who keeps throwing me concerned glances. “How bad are the burns? Are you okay or should we head to the infirmary first?”
My head shakes vehemently, “N-no infirmary, N-nero healed m-most of it. It’s p-probably just r-red and tender n-now. I just n-need to g-get w-w-warm.”
She dips her head sharply. “Okay, I’ll drop you off at the bathing chamber and then run and get you some dry clothes. Unless you feel confident enough to dry and warm yourself with your fire?”
Fates, I’m such an idiot, I’m so used to not using my magick that I forgot I could do that. With shaky, numb fingers, I strike my flint and steel to summon a small flame, running it along the length of me, coaxing it to dry and warm my shivering frame.
“You know, for someone who thought they were a null a few months ago, you sure learned fast,” she praises, using her air to help dry my clothing now that I’m not shaking from the cold.
My body stills before relaxing as I laugh nervously. “Yeah, I’ve always been a fast learner. Come on, we should get upstairs. Nero is going to need rest and food.” I gently pull his dozing, feathered frame off my shoulder and cradle him gently against me as we make our way towards the South Tower.
I’m so done with how those wenches are treating me. I think it’s time for a bit of payback; these chores aren’t punishment enough to stop them from treating me like this, so maybe it’s time to take things into my own capable hands.