Page 24 of Broken Lands

Little hussy.

Pushing those thoughts aside and filing them in a black box in my mind titled ‘sexy fae men for consideration’, I entered the dining hall with Bee and made a beeline for the coffee. I took a sip and moaned as the smooth creamy taste lingered on my taste buds, waking me up. The fae did coffee so much better than humans.

Grabbing some fruit and toast, I sat down with Bee and pulled out my timetable to look over my schedule for the day.

“I have Faerie Races this morning, nothing this afternoon, and fire tutoring with General Brand this evening.” I said, examining the paper. “In fact, most of my afternoons are free. Why is that?”

“Most of us are assigned a part-time job somewhere in Danann, to contribute to the community and keep things running smoothly.” She replied, shrugging as if it were no big deal. “Your load is a little heavier than ours, with all your extra tutoring, so I guess you haven’t been assigned one.”

“Oh,” I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. On the one hand, not having any responsibility other than my studies left me more time to find clues that might lead me to James, but on the other hand, I would have liked to learn more about the fae community. I needed to find my place eventually. Future Riley problem.

We made our way to Faerie Races, taking a couple of seats towards the front of the room. Bee had been waiting her whole life to study here, and I was more than curious about the different Fae races. I hoped learning about them may give me some clue where I belonged; some idea of where I came from. We would not risk missing anything by sitting in the back.

The classroom itself was small, with only enough room for about a dozen students. The whole academy was smaller than I’d imagined, and I guessed that was because of the inability for more fae to cross from Faerie. I wondered briefly whether the fae in Danann were actively repopulating and whether the academy would eventually become irrelevant.

Right on time and interrupting that morbid thought, our professor entered the room. He was short and plump, his large round glasses sliding halfway down his long pointy nose. With his sweater vest, pressed slacks, and salt and pepper hair, he looked every bit the uptight scholar.

“I am Professor Ivan Burns,” He began, pushing his glasses back up his nose with one long finger. “No, I am not a fire elemental; I possess the element of water. Yes, I know my name is ironic.” A couple of fae behind us snickered, and I couldn’t quite suppress the grin that caused the corners of my mouth to twitch upwards. Tucking my chin, I hid my face behind my hands—offending Professor Burns would do me no good, especially not on my first day in class.

Clearing his throat, Professor Burns made his way to the chalkboard at the front of the classroom, beginning his lesson. “There are four main types of fae. Four key groups that—more often than not—live separate from one another. Many of you have been on Earth for as long as you can remember and I do not expect you to have memories of these factions. However, I expect your families will have spoken about them.” Curiosity got the better of me and I leant forward in my seat. Were the fae here not the only type that existed?

“Can anyone tell me about the ruling faction? Those of the highest power?” he asked, his eyes scanning the room. Bee’s hand went straight in the air. That didn’t surprise me one bit. She was self-aware, incredibly intelligent, and had an eagerness to learn that inspired me.

To my surprise, Professor Burns skipped over Bee, choosing instead a student seated at the back of the class.

“Ahh, Prince Lincoln. Could you tell me please, the ruling species of Faerie?”

Prince? I hadn’t realized the King and Queen had a son. To be fair, I knew nothing about the King and Queen, beyond what General Brand had told me about them ruling the fae that had made the journey to Earth. I was eager to learn more about the hierarchy of Faerie, and the hierarchy they held here on Earth. This seemed like just the class to do it. Bee could fill in the gaps—if they weren’t covered in class today.

I turned in my seat, wanting to see this Prince with my own eyes.

My breath caught in my throat as I took in the beautiful creature seated before me. His honey blonde hair was longer than any other male fae I’d seen, falling just past his shoulders in loose waves. A braid ran across the front of his head, almost like a crown. The lightness of his hair contrasted with his dark almond skin, making it seem even brighter in the rays of sun falling through the window and across his table.

He was tall and lean, possessing the body of an athlete. His full lips were set in a small smile, the shadow of a beard framing his angular jaw. There was a confidence about him, a powerful aura that captured me, drawing me in. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him.

His eyes flickered to mine, and I was stunned by the deep navy color of them, so dark it was like they held the secrets of the night sky and could see into the very depths of me. My heart beat a furious pace in my chest as he cocked his head to the side, looking me up and down, drinking me in, curiosity sparking in those gorgeous eyes and causing his brow to furrow. It was a marvel the entire class couldn’t hear it.

“Ahem,” Professor Burns cleared his throat abruptly, and I startled, tearing my eyes away from Prince Lincoln and staring down at my notebook instead. “An answer today would be most appreciated if you’re done with whatever this is.” He said, his tone full of disapproval as he waved a hand between myself and Lincoln.

There were snickers from throughout the room as I sank into my seat. My cheeks flamed with embarrassment. Our little moment had definitely not gone unnoticed. If there was ever a time for the floor to swallow someone whole, it would be right now. Please. I needed something to save me from this mortifying experience.

“The ruling faction of Faerie are the Gods and Goddesses, sir. They rule because they possess immortality, and because they are more powerful than you or I can ever hope to be,” Lincoln said cooly, seemingly unfazed by our moment, or by Professor’s Burns’ clear contempt.

“Correct. Can anyone tell me anything about our Gods and Goddesses?” He pointed to Bee, who had raised her hand again.

“They each hold power over a fundamental component of our lands, elements, and worlds. For example, Goddess Faye controls the flame, and is also known as the dragon keeper. She maintains the fire lands, controls the dragons, and blesses the fire elementals.”

“Correct, Miss Pollard.” He turned then, making his way toward the board at the front of the class and writing the words: Faye - Goddess of the Flame and Keeper of the Dragon.

He continued around the classroom, choosing students at random until we had listed all the Gods and Goddesses of Faerie. I took notes eagerly. There was so much I needed to work out, so many potential clues to uncover, that nothing was irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

By the end of class, the board read the following, and my notes were much the same:

Faye—Goddess of the Flame and Keeper of Dragons

Kala—God of Darkness and Keeper of Lost Souls

Maya—Goddess of the Air and Keeper of the Wind

---