Page 20 of Broken Lands

“And? It’s to be expected, Riley. You’re so new to your power, it’s going to take time.” She reached over, placing a hand on my shoulder and patting reassuringly.

“I nearly set the whole place on fire, Bee!” I exclaimed, wondering if I could just sink right into the floor and have it swallow me and the embarrassment I was carrying with me whole. “And it’s not just that… General Brand helped me regain control. He held me, he was calm and gentle… and I liked it.” I was trying really hard to keep the whine from my voice, but I knew I sounded ridiculous. I was embarrassed that he’d had to do that, and even more embarrassed that I wanted him to do it again. “I don’t even know how old he is!”

Bee stared at me for a moment, her mouth falling open before she burst into an uncontrollable fit of giggles. I leveled her with a glare while she fought to control herself. It took a few minutes, but eventually she stopped, hands clutching her sides as she fought for breath.

“I’m sorry,” she hiccupped, barely stemming her laughter. “He’s twenty-five. I just can’t picture it, that solid brick wall of a fae being gentle—are you sure it was him?”

“I’m sure. Ugh, I just keep making a bigger and bigger fool of myself. I can’t make any sense of him either, he is so lukewarm!” Bee was still trying to contain her giggles, and I couldn’t help but laugh with her. It felt good too, to let the stress of this morning’s events go.

“Where’s Stefan?” I asked when we’d settled enough to talk, filling my plate with some scrambled eggs and toast. I’d thought he was joining us for brunch. It may have only been a few days, but I’d grown to really enjoy his company. I’d only spoken to him briefly this morning after he disappeared with General Brand last night, and already I missed him.

Yeesh. These fae men had my head spinning.

“He had to deal with something at headquarters. He’ll try to meet us later.”

“Headquarters?” I’d heard it mentioned in passing, but I hadn’t yet explored Danann and wasn’t really sure what was inside the city walls apart from the Academy grounds and the stables across the way.

“It’s what we call the Army base,” she explained, taking a long sip of coffee. “I’ll take you for a tour of the city on the weekend if you like?”

“Yes, please!” I needed to learn my way around, and quickly. Knowing where things were, and where to find certain people, seemed like the logical first step in finding out where James was. I was also going to need to learn more about what he’d been doing while he was here. Given how suspicious both General Brand and Professor Darmon were about James, it appeared I might have to resort to a little investigative work. The beginnings of a plan were forming in the back of my mind as I finished my meal.

“We’ll head out first thing Saturday then and spend the day exploring!” Her excitement was clear, her brain mentally planning out our adventure and my introduction to the city. “Are you ready to head to the library? I really want to see if we can come up with any theories about what you are and where you might come from.” She said, standing up from the table and slinging a bag over her shoulder.

“Sure,” I stood too, piling our dishes onto a tray before following her through the dining hall. Apparently, the wait staff would clean it up. I was feeling well and truly spoiled in my time here. The children at the orphanage popped to mind, still living on their meager rations, and guilt settled heavily in my stomach.

Bee led us through the heavy double doors, out into the large open hall overlooking the ocean. The waves were a little stronger today, crashing harder against the sand than they had been yesterday evening. Something tugged in my chest, my water element responding to the volatile waves, wanting to join them. My magic surged then, pushing up against my barriers and I had to take a moment to stop and focus on keeping it contained.

I hadn’t realized it was there before. It was buried so deeply in denial and a lack of self-awareness. Now that I’d discovered it, acknowledged its existence, I wasn’t sure how I’d denied it for so long. This power was an innate part of me, and I knew, instinctively, that once I learned about it and embraced it, I would be able to wield control and do things beyond anything I had ever imagined. It was just going to take time.

Time I did not have.

Bee led me past the stairs that we came down from the dorms to another set of heavy double doors; these with a sign reading library. Before opening the door, she turned to me, a grin spreading across her pixie-like features. “This is my favorite place in the academy, the city, really. I love it here.” With that, she pushed open the door and shoved me in ahead of her.

The inside of the library was nothing short of magical. The walls were floor to ceiling shelves in the same mahogany wood as the boards beneath my feet. A study area filled the space between the entrance and the large, arching windows lining the back wall. The view out of those windows was of the lake and gardens blooming with life. Cream rugs were scattered across the floor, a variety of tables, chairs, and couches to choose from. A large fireplace sat dead center in the wall to my left, filling the room with a flickering orange light that added to the ambience of the space.

To my right was what seemed to be a maze of shelving, leading back further than I could make out. There was so much knowledge in this space; I had thought that Professor Darmon’s office had a lot of books, but it was barely a scratch on the surface. I spun slowly on my heels, taking it all in. “Where did they all come from?” I breathed, mostly to myself, as I wondered how the fae had found all these treasures.

“There was Fae whose sole task was ensuring that this knowledge traveled safely with us across the void. My father was one of them. It was not an easy journey, and this knowledge cost more than a few lives to protect,” Bee said, her eyes darkening at the memory.

I didn’t want to push her into reliving memories that might be hard for her, but curiosity got the better of me. “What is the void?” I asked. “I’d never heard of it before today, but it’s been mentioned twice in a few short hours.”

“Of course, you wouldn’t have heard of it. It’s something we try very hard to keep secret from the humans, we can’t allow the fear and panic that knowledge might cause. Come, let’s sit. I’ll tell you what I know.”

Frowning at her admission of secrecy, I followed her to a pair of armchairs in front of the fireplace. I probably should have suspected there would be things the fae kept from the human community; it hadn’t crossed my mind before now and she’d caught me off guard by admitting it.

“I don’t know much, only what I’ve overheard dad talk about. I’ve made a few assumptions too, so some of this is purely working theory. There’s a full class dedicated to the void in our second year, and that’s generally when we are privy to the information.” She looked at me, studying me intently, searching for something. She must have found what she was looking for in my eyes because she continued on.

“Both Faerie and Earth are part of a multiverse. Both lands exist at the same time and space, but they are wholly separate from one another. However, disasters can be felt on both sides. The damage done to Earth is also damaging Faerie. If Earth dies, Faerie does too.” I nodded along. I knew this much. It’s what we were taught in our early schooling. The fae came here to save Earth, to save their own lands. The suffering that occurs here causes shockwaves of effect throughout Faerie.

“The only way to cross between the realms is through the void. It is wildly dangerous. There are things that reside there that don’t even exist in your wildest nightmares. Mists that corrupt your soul, creatures that feed on fear, some that feed on magic. Only one return crossing had ever been made successfully.” She paused for a moment, looking out the windows and across the Academy grounds. I waited with bated breath, hooked on her every word.

“Our God of Darkness, Kala, had crossed a few years before to see what was happening on your lands. He was the only one to ever make it through and back and was confident he could do it again, all while creating a safe path for us to cross in the future. So, he led our army, and many of their families, into the void, through the horrors within. I don’t remember a lot of the crossing; I wasn’t supposed to be there and had hidden amongst the books. I just recall an overwhelming sense of fear, and the almost constant sounds of those around us screaming as we were attacked. There were so many deaths. Too many,” she shuddered with the memory, wrapping her arms around herself.

“I’m so sorry you experienced that, Bee. And at such a young age. That must have been terrifying.” I reached out, placing my hand on her shoulder in comfort and reassurance. Placing her hand over my own, she smiled softly back at me. A sad smile, full of regrets and burdens no one her age should carry.

“Thank you. It was my fault, though.” She didn’t elaborate on that odd statement, and I didn’t push. She was already telling me so much that perhaps she shouldn’t. I filed it away for another day.

“We eventually escaped the attack and made the journey through, though our numbers were greatly depleted. Kala was weakened in body and mind. Some of the elders say he’d lost his mind in the end, that something had corrupted him on the crossing. He tried to keep a safe passage open; and instead ripped a one-way doorway into the tapestry between Earth and the void. Creatures of the void can cross to Earth, but they cannot return. We have been unable to access the void at all to even attempt crossing back.”

---