Chapter Six
Bechora
Gentle hands cupped my face, and the soft sounds of murmured conversation filled my ears.
“This is the only way,” a woman sobbed. “Selir willing, I will see you again, my little star.”
Suddenly, I was falling through darkness, my arms flailing as I fought to find balance.
I jolted awake, my arms windmilling as if I were still falling. My room was freezing, and my teeth chattered against the cold just as I noticed a thin layer of ice coating every inch of the small space.
“What the fuck.” I grumbled, wrapping my blanket around my body and climbing from the bed.
I carefully made my way to the door, planning to rip Shadrie a new one for her little prank. I'd asked her to wake me, but this wasn't what I'd meant. Jerking the door open, I startled back. Shadrie was just on the other side, her hand poised to knock.
“You're awake,” she smiled, before her eyes moved to my room. “Holy shit, girl! You didn't tell me you're an ice mage, too!”
“This isn’t funny, Shadrie. You could have given me hypothermia!” I bit out. “Get the fucking ice out of my room.”
Shadrie’s brows dipped down, and she frowned. “You think I did this? I swear to you, B. I didn’t. I’ve been in my room organizing my things since you lay down.”
“I don’t have ice magic, Shadrie!” I shouted. “When they did whatever the hell they did to me at that weird ass orientation, I sneezed fire!”
“Wait… Then how…” Shadrie’s eyes widened. “I promise, B. I didn’t ice your room; I barely have enough control over my magic to encase the lights in the living area. Even if I could do this, I wouldn’t.”
The sincerity on her face caused my anger to deflate, and I scrubbed my hands over my face. “I don’t understand what is even happening.” I groaned.
“You should probably schedule a meeting with the head of Magus House. There’s a chance that not all of your abilities manifested during orientation, and you’re a true elemental mage.
” Shadrie said, patting my shoulder in a comforting manner.
“Come on, grab some clothes, and you can get dressed in my room. Once you leave your room, the academy’s magic will deal with the ice.
It’ll be like nothing ever happened by the time we get back from the dining hall. ”
I carefully turned and slid my feet across the ice to make my way to my closet. “I don’t plan on staying here long. As soon as I find a way home to Geordie, I’m leaving.” I called over my shoulder as I grabbed a pair of jeans, a light blue long-sleeved shirt, and my sneakers.
“Oooh, who’s Geordie? Is that your boyfriend back in the human realm?” Shadrie asked as I made my way back to my bedroom door.
“Eww, no. Geordie is family. My only family, really, and I’m sure he’s worried sick about me by now.”
Shadrie frowned and motioned for me to head to her room, shutting my bedroom door for me. She waited as I slipped into her room and closed the door to change.
“Is Geordie supernatural?” her voice called through the door.
“No,” I called back as I pulled the jeans on. “I’m not even sure I believe I am.”
“B, you are most definitely a supe. But if Geordie isn’t, the Academy would have made sure to leave a cover story for your absence, so the human authorities don’t get involved.”
I pulled the sweater on and slipped my feet into my shoes before opening the door. “Geordie knows I wouldn’t up and leave him behind, no matter what cover story the Academy spins. I have to get back to him, Shadrie. We’re all each other has.”
Shadrie opened her mouth to reply, and my stomach growled loudly, causing her to laugh instead. “Listen, let’s get some dinner and then I might have a way for you to check up on Geordie.”
“Really?! Don’t play with me, Shadrie.”
“Really, really.” She beamed, linking her arm through mine and dragging me from our dorm.
I let Shadrie lead me across campus to a large dining hall.
Long tables with bench seating sprawled across the cavernous space.
My eyes nearly bugged out of my head as I took in the high arched ceilings and stained-glass windows depicting various supernaturals I’d only heard about in myths.
The dining hall wasn’t as crowded as the cathedral for orientation had been, and I couldn’t help wondering if most of the new students were still there as Shadrie tugged me toward the far wall lined with buffet tables.
“Look at this spread! My sister always raved about the food here.” Shadrie squealed.
I followed her to the line, and we grabbed our trays.
Each buffet spread offered something different.
There were foods I recognized, like pizza and fries, and things I didn’t—like the strange purple mushroom that was the size of a plate.
I settled on what looked like a club sandwich and a small salad.
Shadrie, on the other hand, had something that looked like purple rice and orange flowers.
I couldn’t help scrunching my nose at her meal.
“What?” she asked, arching a brow at me. “Your human realm food looks just as weird to me.”
Shaking my head, I followed her to an empty table and sat down to eat.
Shadrie filled the meal with talk about her family and the various types of supernaturals she spotted in the dining hall.
I tried my best to listen, but my mind was trying to process everything that happened while I worried about Geordie.
It was a relief when we finally returned to our dorm, and I could ask her what she’d meant about having a way to check on Geordie.
“My sister taught me this when we were kids. We were always pretty close, but as she got older, she decided she preferred spending summers with her friends instead of our uncle.” Shadrie babbled as she slipped into her room and grabbed a hand mirror from her vanity.
“Anyway, it only goes one way, but you’ll be able to see and hear Geordie. ”
“A mirror?” I asked skeptically. “How is a mirror supposed to do all that?”
“Well, I mean, not yet. I have to spell it first.”
“Right, so a magic mirror, like some Beauty and the Beast shit. You have got to be screwing with me.”
Shadrie smirked. “You’d be surprised how many of the fairytales in the human realm hold some truth.
If I remember right, that one was actually based on a wolf shifter and his mate.
It doesn’t have a very happy ending, though.
Our version was basically a warning against the dangers of exposing our true nature to the human realm. ”
She shuddered before moving to the couch in the middle of our living area and placing the hand mirror on the table in front of her.
I moved closer to watch over her shoulder as she produced a fine-tipped pen and began to draw symbols I didn’t recognize on the top, bottom, and each side of the mirror, mumbling something I didn’t quite catch as she worked.
After a moment, she leaned back with a grin on her face.
“Done, now all you have to do is ask it to show you Geordie!”
Shooting her another skeptical look, I moved around the couch and sat down beside her.
“This feels ridiculous,” I muttered, picking up the mirror with the handle and holding it at face level. “Show me Geordie.” Geordie’s face filled the mirror, and I gasped, dropping it. “Holy fucking shit.”
“Magic, B.” Shadrie giggled, nodding for me to pick the mirror up again.
I grabbed it from where it landed on the floor and took a calming breath before looking into it again.
Geordie was there, but he wasn’t anywhere I recognized.
He leaned against the trunk of a strange colored tree; his hands folded in his lap as if he were waiting for something.
Narrowing my eyes, I took a closer look and noticed the sharp point to his ears.
“What the fuck?” I breathed.
Geordie’s eyes popped open as if he’d heard me. “Bechora, I know you’re watching. I saw it in a vision.”
“How?”
“There’s a lot I can’t explain right now, but whatever you do, do not leave Blackthorne Academy.”
“What the fuck, Geordie? What is going on?” I demanded.
Shadrie nudged me with her elbow. “He can’t actually hear you, B.”
“I don’t know how much time I have before I need to move again now that I’m back in this realm, but I need you to stay where you are, Bechora.
I promise, as soon as it’s safe, I will come to you and explain everything.
But until I can, you need to use the Academy to learn what you are and master your abilities.
And whatever you do, Bechora, don’t ever, under any circumstances, leave the grounds.
Trust the ice mage, she can help you figure this out. ”
I glanced over at Shadrie to find her wearing a confused expression.
“Don’t use the mirror to find me again, Bechora. They can’t know that you’ve returned, and they will find you if you do.” Geordie said. “Everything I’ve done has been to keep you safe and to lead you to the Academy. I promise, you will be safe there.”
He waved his hand in the air, and suddenly, I was looking at my own reflection, more confused than I’d been when Mr. Scowly pulled me into this realm.
“Holy shit, B, you didn’t tell me your friend was a seer,” Shadrie whispered, pulling my attention to her. Her face was pale and her eyes wide as saucers.
“I-I didn’t know.” I stammered. “We met as kids in the human realm. I swear, he was human the whole time I’ve known him.”
“Glamour. All fae have the ability to glamour their appearance.” Shadrie shrugged. “A fucking seer, though. That’s intense, B. And a little creepy, if I’m being honest.”
I placed the mirror on the table and dropped my head into my hands.
Nothing made sense anymore. Even with his warnings, I wanted to find Geordie and make him tell me what was going on.
I didn’t understand how the kid I met on the streets could be some supernatural being, and I’d never seen the signs.
“I need to find him. Did you recognize anything about where he was?”
Shadrie placed a hand on my arm and frowned.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. He said for you to stay on Academy grounds.
He’s a freaking seer, B. If he’s saying you need to stay here, you need to stay here.
I’ll help you figure all this out,” she insisted before muttering to herself.
“A freaking seer, I’ve never been part of a seer’s vision before. Selir, that's intense.”
“Selir?”
Shadrie blinked at me before bursting into laughter. “Right, human gods are different. Most supernaturals aren’t religious, so Selir has become more of a swear for us, but at one time, there were really insane rituals involved in worshiping her. She’s like, our goddess or whatever.”
I leaned back against the couch and sighed. “This is all insane.”
“We’ll figure it out, B.” Shadrie smiled, patting my thigh. “You’re clearly not just a fire mage, and something tells me that if we figure out what you are, we’ll find the answers you need.”