Page 13 of Broken Lands

The bleak, muddy coloring of the fields contrasted sharply with the bright greenery hidden just behind the gates of Danann.

There was grass! Not just small patches of dry yellow straws poking out amongst the dirt that would be better be described as hay, but actual bright green healthy-looking grass that was soft beneath my feet.

Wildflowers were sprinkled through the lush green grass, the colors of the rainbow more vivid than I had ever seen. Green vines climbed the buildings scattered in the distance, spots of color showing that those too were flowering. A cobblestone path lead through the grass towards the city center, trees lining the sides creating soft patches of shade, many fae resting underneath them in the distance.

Kneeling down, I trailed my fingers through the grass, the tips of them tingling at the touch. Picking a few flowers and bringing them to my nose, I inhaled deeply, the floral scent of them awakening something within me and I startled. Inside my chest, a well opened, cavernous and deep, and utterly empty.

The fresh salty smell I’d caught earlier wrapped around me, joined with the perfume of roses, jasmine and lavender floating on the breeze. Brushing off the strange feeling as a reaction to beauty I’d never seen before, I took another deep breath, reveling in all the wonderful smells around me. I’d always been drawn to nature, and it felt as though my soul was awakening with the wonders around me.

Glancing around, I noticed a fork off the main path curving to the left. It led toward a green pasture, where a couple of horses nibbled on the grass. Stables sat behind the field, and I grinned, knowing where I’d have to go to visit Annie when I had the chance.

A little further along, a fork to the right led a short path off toward a tall wrought-iron fence that reached back towards the wall surrounding the city and around into the distance. A large arching gate was set at the end of the path, the words Danann Academy built into the iron across the middle of the gate. On each side of the gate seemed to be a large lit torch, the fire flickering in the gentle morning breeze. The area beyond was thick with green leafy trees, hiding any view of the Academy I had been hoping to glimpse.

Realizing I’d fallen behind whilst taking in my first taste of Danann, I hurried to catch up. Joining Stefan and the Professor just as they reached the gates into Danann Academy, I watched as they swung open, allowing us entry as we approached.

“That’s the second set of gates to open on their own and admit us,” I said, as we entered the Academy grounds. Heat bloomed in my chest as I passed the torches and through the gates. “How do they know to open? Is there someone in a guard house somewhere watching us on hidden cameras?” Hidden cameras were probably unlikely. The fae had some technology they had developed, like the tablet Stefan was using back in the candidate tent, but old school tech from before the war was scrambled by their power.

Stefan laughed lightly as he threw his arm over my shoulders again, his overt display of familiarity oddly comforting. “They sense our magical signature and allow entry to the teaching staff, students and senior members of the Fae Army.”

“I guess it’s recognizing me as a student, then?” I asked, glancing back at the gates as we continued down a path between the trees. As the words came out of my mouth, I wondered how that could be. I had no magic, or if I were to believe the fae around me, no access to my magic. A pulsing in my chest drew my attention, making me wonder if maybe they were onto something. Swallowing against the feeling of unease rising in my throat, I turned my head back to the path in front of us.

In response to my question, Professor Darmon stopped and turned towards me. “You might not believe us, Riley, but you belong to our community. You are fae. The magical signature you emanate is strong, if a little foreign.” His brow furrowed; the questions clear in his eyes, wondering where I came from. “Have some faith. We will prove to you that you belong here.”

“And continue to remind you until there is no doubt in your mind,” Stefan added, a reassuring smile dancing on his lips, his pink hair catching the sun through the leaves above us and even brighter than it had in the wasteland outside these walls.

“I don’t know how you can be so sure.” I said, shaking my head as we started down the path once more. Just ahead, it appeared to curve a little, and despite myself, I was excited about my first glimpse of the academy. “I have never done anything even remotely extraordinary in my life.”

“You might be surprised. Our magic can present in subtle ways before we come of age and its full force is unleashed. A small talent or quirk, something that seems insignificant, can be an early indication of what element a fae may possess. I, for one, never felt the cold. Later, I emerged as a fire elemental. The heat of my fire always kept me warm.”

Stefan chuckled. “I was always a little faster than everyone else, using wind to help me as I ran.” Gardening had always been something I excelled at, despite the state of our lands. If they were right, if there was magic in me, maybe it was earth.

If I thought my soul was waking earlier, it was nothing compared to the way I felt as I took in the academy grounds ahead of us. I halted, staring as the trees thinned around us, and my gaze was immediately drawn to a small lake on our right, the large outer wall of Danann at its back. A few wooden rowing boats were tied to a small dock, others floating out on the clear blue water, students lazing in the morning sun. A rainbow of gardens was spread through the rest of the space, various benches and gazebos scattered amongst the flowers, more fae making the most of the warm sunny morning.

As I took in the flourishing life around me, each breath I drew began to fill that deep well inside of me that seemed like it had stood empty and barren my entire life, hidden and denied. Energy flooded my veins, my skin tingling with electricity as an unknown power spread from my core, throughout my arms, my legs, to the very tips of my fingers and toes.

Wind whipped around me, bringing with it that salty ocean smell again and my arms sprang wide as that well overflowed. My back arched as the tingling on my skin transformed into a burn, fire bursting forth from my skin, the flames electric blue with their heat. My limbs locked as those flames flickered all around me, my feet rising from the stone path beneath me.

My heart pounded and tears poured down my cheeks as terror took hold of me. I was frozen, locked inside myself with no control of my body as the intense heat surrounded me, consumed me, and blocked everything and everyone else from view. The heat was enough that I felt like I should be melting. It continued to build as fire spewed forth from the very core of me. Somehow my flesh was spared, though my clothing wasn’t so lucky.

The heat began to die down as the flames changed from blue to red to orange. They flickered wildly before guttering out. A moment passed where my surroundings came into view again, a wrenching sob bursting from my throat, the rest of my body still at the mercy of whatever power was exploding out of me. Stefan was shouting, but I couldn’t hear him, could only watch as he tried to get close enough to me to help while the Professor was ushering the crowd of students who’d appeared further away, for their safety or my privacy. I wasn’t really sure. Didn’t really care.

The well inside of me was filling again, and I felt a second wave of power crash over the lip before a wild wind burst from my skin. It surrounded me, my golden curls whipping side to side through the air as green vines rose from the grass beneath me, reaching up and up until they grasped my ankles and wound themselves up my legs. Their grip was gentle, as though they were greeting me, welcoming me home, covering my body almost entirely for the briefest of moments before retreating once more. The touch was soothing, easing some of the terror, allowing me to suck in a breath to my starving lungs.

A tempest built around me, locking me within as the vines retreated, their welcome done, as they slunk back to the floor below me. Howling wind was all that I could hear as lightning burst through the darkening sky overhead, followed by a large crack of thunder and a downpour unlike any I had ever experienced.

The moment the rain touched me, the wild winds around me stilled, before exploding from my body in every direction. Fissures in the earth appeared at my feet, splintering outwards away from me. The magic holding me broke, and I crumpled, falling to the ground in a heap. My body was weakened, the outpouring of power having taken everything from me. The well inside me settled, near empty but slowly beginning to fill again as I lay unmoving against the stone. Slower this time, without the same potency as before.

Stefan reached me, the force-field around me having shattered with the blast. He gathered me into his arms, his silver eyes dark with concern. His mouth was moving, but I still couldn’t hear him, my ears ringing, darkness peppering my vision. I let the soothing calmness of his presence wash over me, as an exhaustion so deep it seemed to come from my very soul took a hold of me. My eyelids were heavy, and they closed of their own accord, blocking out the view of the damage surrounding me.

There was no more denying it. I was fae, or some other preternatural creature. A powerful one at that.

As the mercy of unconsciousness came for me, I swore to myself that I would do everything I could to learn to control the power within me quickly so that it might help me find my brother.

Chapter eight

Riley

“Givehertome.”A deep, demanding voice cut through the blanket of oblivion smothering me and I began to rouse. I was in a space of semi-consciousness, my body feeling heavy and all but disconnected from my mind. The exhaustion I felt was deep, but I clung to consciousness like it was a lifeboat in a tumultuous sea.

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