Page 17 of Broken Lands

“Thank you.” I said, glancing up to find he was already hurrying away. I turned to my new friends, my brow creasing in confusion. “Why is he scared of me?” I asked them. I wasn’t sure there was anything scary about me. In fact, I thought of myself as a mother hen. I’d always cared for and taught the younger children back home. Thinking of them made me miss home and caused my bottom lip to drop a little.

Stefan frowned as he noticed the change in my expression. He reached for my hand on top of the table, offering me comfort once again. “You are powerful, and we don’t quite know what you are or where you’ve come from. That makes people uneasy. Particularly those that already feel vulnerable in this land, like Mark. His power has not yet woken, despite him coming of age a few months ago.”

“Does that happen often? I left school young to work in the gardens at home, and I was never very interested in learning much about the fae.” I didn’t mean to offend anyone, but it was the god’s honest truth. I’d always been angry at the way the world was and the lack of any change. It had never sat right with me.

Bee quirked an eyebrow at me. Her gaze was assessing like she was trying to work me out, to see what made me tick, why I thought the way I did. She didn’t seem offended, just curious. I shot her a small smile, hoping to appease her for now. I’m sure we’d have time to get to know each other on that level.

“More and more often.” Stefan answered. “We think it’s tied to the land and our broken bonds with Earth.”

What a curious statement! Earth was dying. Maybe that meant the fae’s link to their magic wasn’t as strong here. I was about to ask him to explain further when he stood suddenly, someone by the door catching his eye.

Looking in that direction, I found General Brand standing there, waiting. His eyes locked with mine, chocolate brown tonight, lighter than I’d seen them. A flush crept up my chest, spreading to my cheeks as the intensity of his stare increased. I felt both uncomfortable and warm. My stomach fluttered as his stare lingered.

Snap out of it, Riley!

As Stefan mumbled something about having to go and got up to leave, I broke my eyes away from the General’s, missing the connection almost immediately.

I bit my lip as I waved goodbye to Stefan, wondering what the fuck had just happened. Why did I always have to like the unavailable guys?

“Wow. Talk about chemistry.” Bee said, bringing me back to the table. She laughed as I stared at her. I groaned loudly and buried my face in my hands. That made her laugh even harder. “Here,” she said, tapping my hand. “Open this. It might distract you from the train wreck you are clearly heading for. I mean, General Brand, for god’s sake, you couldn’t have picked anyone more unavailable. I mean, you do you girl, but damn, you’ve got your work cut out for you.” Her laughter was contagious, and I couldn’t help joining in.

I sat up, taking the letter from her and scanning the content. “He’s arranged a meeting with me first thing in the morning. To discuss my schedule and theories around my abilities.” Sighing heavily, I sat the paper down. “I wish I knew more about you and your world, Bee. Maybe then I’d have a working theory about what the hell is happening to me.” I was being a little dramatic, but to say I was overwhelmed would be the understatement of the century.

“I can’t help with a working theory; I don’t have one yet. I am going to spend tomorrow in the library to see if I can come up with one, though. Not knowing irks me.” She frowned a little at her admission. “I can tell you more about myself and our community. What would you like to know?”

It was time to pull out my mental list of questions. I really should start carrying around a notebook. “What type of element do you control?” I ask, my mind flicking back to the ivy in our dorm. I wasn’t surprised to learn she was an earth elemental.

“Both my mother and father control the element of earth, so it was almost guaranteed I would, too.” Her eyes glazed over a little, as though she were remembering something far in the past. “I used to play in the flower fields, and never left without a braided crown of wildflowers.” She chuckles softly before continuing. “The only memory I have of our homeland is of leaving two flower crowns on an old oaken table. One large for my mother, the other tiny, for my baby sister about to be born. Dad and I never met her.” Her green eyes misted, tears welling, one escaping and tracking a single line down her cheek.

“I’m so sorry.” I reached for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “That must be really difficult. Are you able to speak with them at all?”

She shakes her head, sniffling softly as she swipes her free hand across her cheek, the other still holding mine. “No, the crossing was difficult, more difficult than had been predicted. We haven’t been able to cross back at all, and as far as we know, our reinforcements never made it.”

My curiosity piqued. We’d never been taught about how the fae came to be here, what they might have been through to cross the void between our worlds. I had never cared that much, assuming I would live out my days in Sommers and never really cross paths with them. For the first time in my life, I wanted to know all there was about the fae, their world, and what drove them to ours.

Chapter ten

Riley

BeeandIspentthe rest of the night in our dorm getting to know each other. I told her all about James and she told me all about her father, the only family she had here on this plane. The unrelenting drive to be reunited with our families helped us to bond. We were closer because of it, even if both of us were miles away from ever achieving it.

Morning came quickly, and I woke feeling more whole than I had felt at any previous point in my life. The well in my chest was full to the brim, though thankfully felt less wild and less likely to spill over like it had yesterday. I wandered into my bathroom, quickly showering and throwing my hair up, before dressing in a pair of denim shorts and an oversize white shirt.

Pulling on the same boots I’d worn last night, I smiled to myself, ready to face my first full day in Danann, whatever it may bring. A renewed sense of hope bloomed in my chest at being here, one step closer to James. When I returned to the bedroom, I found Bee up and waiting for me.

“I’ll walk you to the Dean’s office. It’s on the way to the library.” She said, opening the door and heading out into the hall.

“Thanks.” I threw her a smile and followed her through the door, falling in step beside her as we made our way downstairs. “Classes start tomorrow, don’t they? What classes are you taking?” I really had no idea what to expect when classes began. I was a little nervous about ending up in a class without Stefan or Bee, and of being the center of attention. Amidst the nerves, though, a tiny part of me was excited. Okay, maybe a big part of me. My power thrummed in my chest and I was eager to learn how to take control of it.

I’d decided last night, whilst listening to Bee snore softly, that blending in and making the most of the opportunities being handed to me was my best course of action. Someone had to know something; I just had to get close enough to the right someone and hope they revealed some kind of clue as to where my brother had disappeared to.

“We’ll be in all the same classes,” she said, grinning at me as she walked. “There are five core subjects for each year level. Stefan is a second year, so you’ll only have Physical Combat with him. We all train together. Then there are the elemental classes, two for each element, wielding, and combat. I’m not sure how that will work. They are all usually scheduled at the same time, which will be a major clash for you.” She frowned as she considered it.

“Maybe that’s what Professor Darmon wants to discuss with me.” We made our way out of the hall and out onto the landing. We’d just made our way down the stairs when footsteps sounded behind us, and Stefan yelled for us to wait.

I glanced over my shoulder to see him coming through a second set of doors on the other side of the landing. He disregarded the staircase next to him, instead crossing the common space quickly, his long stride making it seem easy.

“Good morning, little dove, morning Bee,” he said with a grin, leaning down and planting a kiss on top of both our heads. His easy affection and familiarity heated something inside of me, and I willed myself not to blush.

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