Page 42 of Broken Lands

“These feel right,” she said, grinning up at us as she weighed them in her hands.

“You’ll look badass with those, Bee, small but mighty.” I winked as Lincoln led me past her, continuing across the field to where Professor Flo had finished laying out the crate of larger weapons. “What did she mean when she said we’d be lucky if some of us bonded?” I asked, tipping my head toward Professor Flo.

“Some weapons are blessed. They hold their own power and have some level of sentience. If your power matches the weapons, if they connect, the weapon may choose to share their power with yours. It’s said to be handy in battle, though I don’t have any firsthand experience with that.”

“Huh,” We walked in silence for a moment while I pondered that. There was more variety to the magic fae had access to than I’d ever understood before. I wasn’t sure I understood now, but I wanted to.

“Why do you like a trident?” I asked as we reached the weapons. “I mean, I thought they were just accessories for mermaids—and mermaids aren’t real. I never considered that they’d be a useful weapon.”

Lincoln laughed, the sound sending a wave of warmth through my body, gathering in my belly. Man, this guy was gorgeous. He flicked one of his golden braids over his shoulder as he turned to face me.

“Mermaids are real, Tyas. There are many of them back home in Faerie. They aren’t what your human fairytales describe. Less human, more animal, and much more vicious. They definitely don’t have tridents as accessories.” Butterflies swarmed my stomach at his casual use of the nickname he’d given me.

“Huh. Well then, I guess dragons are real then? What about genies? Talking wardrobes? What isn’t actually real?”

He snorted. “Talking wardrobes? That might be going a bit far. You won’t find any animated furniture in Faerie. Djinns—if that’s what you mean by genies—exist but are rare and keep to themselves. Dragons live mostly in the fire lands.” I stared at him, the revelation that dragons exist—freaking dragons, man—causing my brain to short circuit.

He stepped closer to me, reaching forward and cupping my chin before whispering softly, “I forgot how much you have yet to learn about us, about your heritage. It’s refreshing. I hope that one day you can see Faerie. That we can do the work we came here for and return home. I think you’ll like it there.” He rubbed his thumb over my bottom lip, and I found myself getting lost in his eyes.

I wanted to kiss him. To press my body against his and see how well we fit together. I swallowed hard, tearing my gaze away from his and turning to look at the group of tridents leaning against the crate. We were in a freaking class. I needed to pull myself together. Stop letting these Fae men make me feel things I wasn’t sure I wanted to feel.

“Back to the tridents.” I took a small step back from him, pretending not to notice the way his brow furrowed. My feelings for him scared me. They were too strong, too quickly. “If they aren’t just pretty sticks to wave at enemies, what do they do?”

He snorted again, the tension in his body fading as he turned and picked one up, weighing it in his hands. “They make a decent club. They’re sharp and can impale an enemy with one shift jab. But most importantly they act as conduits for our magic in both directions. They help refresh our reserves at a faster rate and can concentrate the power we push into it into a much stronger attack.”

He passed the trident to me, and I took it with both hands. It was lighter than I expected, coated in a smooth layer of silver. Each of the forks had three small sapphires inserted into the metal. I tested it, swishing it through the air in front of me before holding it above my head and examining the gems more closely. The bright blue almost seems to be moving, swirling inside of itself. I could almost hear water softly lapping against a distant shore.

“This trident comes from the water lands in Faerie. It is imbued with the magic of the Kai family–Lincoln’s family. It usually calls to those with a strong reserve of water magic. Can you hear its call, dear?” I looked away from the trident to find Professor Flo standing next to Lincoln.

“I can hear something,” I said, turning back to examine the weapon again. “I don’t think it’s calling to me, though. It doesn’t feel… right.”

“Interesting. You possess all the elements, don’t you? Would you say any of them are stronger than the others?” She asked, studying me closely.

I passed the trident back to Lincoln, who grasped it and spun it through his hands with ease, winking at me. “I’ll go see how Bee is getting on with those throwing knives. Join us when you find your weapon.”

I nodded at him and turned back to Flo. “If I had to pick one element, I guess I would say I’m strongest with earth. I’ve always had an affinity for growing things, crops, flowers, anything.”

“Interesting,” she said, more to herself than me. Turning away, she moves to the other end of the crate, leaning inside of it and rummaging around. “Let me see. Let me see.” Her voice was muffled as she hung over the side of the crate, and I moved forward, concerned that she’d topple in completely.

She straightened suddenly, tendrils of her jet-black hair gently whipping around her face as a light breeze drifted across the combat field. I felt my magic stir, the wind wakening my air element. I hadn’t had much of a chance to play with air, to test my control, only really having used it consciously at B station the other night.

I smothered the urge to let my wind free, saving it for my lesson with Stefan tomorrow. We could get to know each other then, I said to my power, to myself.

I turned my attention back to Professor Flo, to the weapon she held in her hand. It could only be described as a beautiful sword. Its hilt was a carved dragon’s head with two emeralds where its eyes would be. It looked freshly polished, the metal shining brightly in the morning sun.

“Does it call to you, dear?” She asked, tilting her head to the side curiously, like she could sense the pull I was feeling and was intrigued by the fact.

Itwascalling to me. A tug in my chest pulled me toward the sword. Urging me to take it from Professor Florian and feel the weight of it in my own hands. The longing to hold it, to claim it as my own, grew stronger as my eyes darted to its beautiful carved hilt and back to the Professor.

“It does,” I admitted quietly, wringing my hands together to keep myself from snatching it from her.

“Here, try it. Grasp it tightly.” She handed it to me, offering the hilt and my eyes zeroed in on the green jewels, the sunlight catching them and making them glitter, the way the light danced on the gem inviting me in.

I reached for it, time seeming to slow, the sound of my classmates trying out their own weapons dulling. I could vaguely hear a commotion, someone shouting, but my focus stayed completely on the sword before me. I’d never felt a pull like this before. Such a powerful urge to claim this possession before me.

Strong hands gripped my shoulders at the same time mine closed around the dragon head hilt, a power like no other coursing through my body. Wave after wave of pure energy engulfed me as I gripped the sword, not daring to let go. The energy, the raw power, was some kind of test. One I did not intend to fail. Though I had no idea why.

“The weak will falter, only the strong can hold me.” A voice, feminine but not entirely of this earth, hissed in my mind. “Which one are you?” I realized that the sword itself was testing me, ensuring I was worthy of it and the power it held. I couldn’t respond, couldn’t think past the desperate desire to master the sword held in my hands.

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