Page 14 of Broken Lands

The arms holding me gripped a little tighter, as though they had no intention of handing me over. Warm and safe, the smell of rosewood and cinnamon surrounded me, and I knew Stefan held me. I was still surprised at how instantly he had become my friend. James had always been at me to let my walls down a little more. He’d like that I’d finally managed to do just that. I trusted Stefan, even though I didn’t trust the fae.

“Keep your voice down,” someone else hissed. “She needs rest, not to be passed around like a rag doll. That explosion was unlike any other wakening of power I’ve witnessed in my life. Her energy will be completely drained. Come on. Her room is just up here.”

Stefan jostled me a little as he upped his pace, following the voice I recognized as Professor Darmon’s. I tried to open my eyes, wanting to know where we were, but my lids were heavy and unresponsive. Comfortable enough that they weren’t planning to hurt me, I settled for listening as they carried me along.

“She is more impressive than we expected. Such raw power. King Ronan sent word that he felt it on the opposite side of Danann. That’s no small feat.” There was that deep, rumbling voice again, sending a small shiver down my spine. Having woken a little more, I recognized it as General Brand.

“She displayed all four elements in her release. What do you make of that?” Stefan asked quietly.

“If I’m being perfectly honest, I’m not sure what I make of it,” Professor Darmon replied. “The chance that she is one of us is slim. We do not possess control over more than one element. I have never heard of any exceptions. There is no creature in our world, or her own, that wields control over all four elements.”

Silence fell for a moment as the gravity of that statement hit me like a punch to the gut. It didn’t just strike me, but the men, too. What was I? Clearly, I was more than human, but not fae? What other options were there?

“What do we know of her family, her history?” Stefan asked, his thoughts mirroring my own. An orphan of the Last War, James was the only family I had ever known.

“There isn’t much. She was found wandering around with an older male child they assumed to be her brother at the end of The Last War.” General Brand answered, succinctly summing up my past in a single sentence.

“She hasn’t mentioned a brother.” Stefan said, the question clear in his voice. I held my breath as a wave of guilt hit me. No, I hadn’t mentioned a brother. Not because I didn’t trust him, but because I had been keeping my reason for coming to Danann close to my chest. There had been so many walls, so many roadblocks, trying to track down James already that I wasn’t sure who to trust. I had considered telling Stefan my real motivation, but I hadn’t been able to yet. I hoped this wouldn’t come between us. In the very short time I’d known him, I had come to really value his friendship, and wondered if it could grow into something more.

“I suspect she may be searching for him and that’s the reason she applied to ascend this year. He is an active missing person.” General Brand said, hitting the nail on the head. Turns out I wasn’t harboring as big a secret as I thought. I had to wonder whether the General had access to any more information about James’ disappearance. Was the Fae Army in charge of missing people? That seemed like something that would be allocated to them.

“Do you know much about his case?” Stefan asked lightly, curiosity painting his tone.

“Not a lot. I was unaware of the connection until I investigated the orphanage records yesterday. It will become a priority investigation now. James was older than she was when they were found. He may provide valuable information about where they come from and what they may be. He may possess a similar power to Riley. At the very least, we can’t have that kind of power missing; or falling into the wrong hands.”

He was referring to The Resistance. There wasn’t any other group or faction that he could mean. Sure, the idea that James had left Danann on his own two feet and joined the enemy faction had crossed my mind. I just couldn’t bring myself to believe that he would join them. He had never expressed similar thoughts or ideals. And I believed, with all my heart, that he would not have gone dark on me by his own choice. It just wasn’t him.

We drew to a halt and a loud knock sounded, startling me a little, my whole-body twitching in response. Wondering if I might have some control back, I tried opening my eyes. The world surrounding me was bright and blurry at first, but after a few blinks, things began to clear.

Stefan’s face swam into view as my eyes focused, a knowing smirk and twinkle in his eye. He leant down a little to whisper in my ear as both the General and Professor entered the room ahead of us. “Your breathing changed when you woke, little dove. I hope you overheard something that might help you.” He winked at me as he followed the others inside, and I smiled to myself. It seemed I had someone on my side now, and that felt amazing.

Stefan strode into the room, aiming directly for one of two giant four-poster beds against the wall opposite us. Leaning forward, he drew the white covers back and placed me gently in the middle of the bed. I sank into the mattress a little, feeling as though I was being supported by nothing more than a fluffy cloud. I glanced around, spotting a large open window. The sky outside had cleared, no trace of the storm clouds that had surrounded us earlier. The day was once again bright and cheery.

I was so comfortable that I had to fight against sleep as it threatened to take hold of me and drag me back into unconsciousness. The well inside me was prominent, its energy both familiar and foreign as it slowly filled back up. My eyelids began to droop and fall closed of their own accord.

The mattress dipped as Stefan sat on the end of the bed, speaking with General Brand and Professor Darmon again. There was an unfamiliar voice in the mix now. One that was soft and musical; pulling me in and making me want to know its owner. I tried to focus on their words, willing myself to stay conscious for just a little longer, wanting to find out if there was anything else these men knew about me and what had just happened. I needed to know about this newcomer; but I was fighting a losing battle and my body drifted off to sleep despite my best efforts.

When I woke again, the sun was setting; the room cast in shades of burnt orange and pink. Someone had opened the window, a cool evening breeze making the white sheers flutter softly. The room was quiet, empty, and I took the opportunity to examine myself and my surroundings.

I was lying in one of two four-poster beds made of a dark mahogany stained wood were separated by matching nightstands with the open window set above them. The walls were a soft cream, the floors hardwood with a simple cream rug between the beds. Matching desks sat against the wall opposite me, one on each side of the door. The desk opposite me was bare, while the one on the other side of the room was piled high with books and pens.

Instead of canopies, a type of ivy winds itself around the bed frames, tendrils draping lazily over the wood with lilac flowers scattered here and there amongst the vivid green vines. Other plants were scattered throughout the room. The energy in my chest purred, the life around us keeping it fed and calm.

Pulling the sheets back, I sat up to check myself over. I was no longer wearing the white dress Stefan had conjured for me for the ceremony. Instead, I was dressed in an oversized army green shirt that smelt suspiciously like General Brand. Not sure how I felt about someone dressing me while I was unconscious, I was at least grateful my nudity had been covered.

The door suddenly flew open, and I startled, shrieking in alarm and jumping to my feet, my flight or fight response thoroughly activated.

“Woah, little dove can fly!” Stefan teased, laughing as he sauntered into the room, a shit-eating grin on his face. The bastard knew he just scared the shit out of me. I rolled my eyes at him, my heart returning to a normal rhythm now could be sure I wasn’t under attack. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, I realized Stefan wasn’t alone. Following behind him was a girl I hadn’t met yet. Short like me, her skin was unblemished, smooth porcelain; her wavy blonde hair cropped just above her shoulders.

“Hi, I’m Bee, your new roommate.” Her voice was soft and calming and I felt the tension bleed from me as she instantly put me at ease. She approached the bed, flopping down next to me and I wonder if it might have been her I heard speaking before I passed out a second time.

“I’m glad to see you up. You freaked everyone out, you know? We are all scheduled to be awoken on our eighteenth birthday so that there aren’t any surprises and releases like yours.” Bee snorted, then continued, “Not that anyone is like you. How the heck do you have all four elements? What are you? Where do you come from?”

Stefan jumped in before I could answer any of the questions she was firing at me.

“Geez, Bee, give the girl a minute!” His tone was light and playful, his affection for Bee clear in the teasing smile set on his face. Crossing the room in two quick strides, he jumped on the bed, landing between Bee and me, patting the space next to him in a clear request for me to lie down with them. I did so softly, flinching slightly as I went. Whatever had happened earlier had my muscles aching and my bones weary from exhaustion.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think. You must be exhausted and here I am peppering you with questions you probably don’t even know the answer to!” She reached across Stefan, patting my arm apologetically.

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