Page 14 of Faerie Trials

Juno shook her head. “Not good enough. Give me one spell to defend yourself from your enemies.”

“Why is it always about enemies?” I asked pathetically.

“Because there may come a day in your long existence when your peace and safety is no longer guaranteed, and you will need your magic as a sword,” she said. “Magic is not only for convenience. It is not only to change your hair or eye color, to make your appearance as you wish it to be or to warm your skin on a cold day. Magic hurtsandheals. It will serve you well to understand the light and dark sides of both.”

I wondered if she’d had the same chat with the half-shifter boy who’d run into me earlier, and if that was the source of his bad mood. I understood, because the harder she pushed me, the more frustrated I became.

“I know the light and dark sides of myself.”

“But do you know how to use themboth in conjunctionto protect yourself and those you love?” When I failed to answer, she switched tactics. “How would you deal with a Nyad if you’re the one in their territory?”

Once again, would it be wrong to say I’d shift into a wolf and kick some ass? I swallowed the answer. “Nyads are from Greek mythology.”

“I assure you they are as real as you and I. They preside over brooks, springs, and fountains. Now, what would you do?”

And when Juno had me entirely worn out physically and strained mentally, we retired to her office once again, where she pushed a cup of nettle tea into my hands. My limbs trembled and I almost dropped the cup.

Damn Fae smugness. She didn’t even look winded. Was this the difference between us halflings and the full-bloods? Normally I relied on my shifter strength to get me through, and it must have been my exhaustion that kept me low now.

“You’re not ready for the Trials,” Juno said. Instead of taking the seat across from me, she grabbed a ruby-red throw pillow and tossed it onto the floor near my feet. She folded her body down onto it as though she needed to be closer to the earth, to the ground.

“Yeah, I know,” I snapped, and then took a sip of the tea to curb my attitude before I said something I’d regret.

“I’m serious, Tavi. You are going to get yourself killed. And if you get killed then there’s no way I can help you improve your grades. You’re here to learn, and you were chosen to attend the Elite Academy because the king saw something in you. I’m going to be honest. I don’t know what he saw because your skills are mediocre at best.” She held up a hand to stop my rebuttal before it began. “They are mediocre compared to the power I see inside of you and the performance I heard about in your old school. You are a well of untapped potential. With the right direction, the right push, you would be a force to be reckoned with. My question is…what is it going to take to let it out?”

The warmth of the nettle tea soothed my insides but did nothing to keep me awake. Despite my anger, my eyes wanted to close, and I would have given anything to take a nap. “I’m not sure what you want me to say.”

“There’s nothingtosay. I’m simply talking to you. Over the course of our time together, I’m going to help you bring your skills to the next level. It’s the only way you’ll make it through the Trials.”

I sighed and sank down in the chair. “Can you tell me more about them? Because at this point, all I know is that they are dangerous and people have died in the past. No one will discuss any details with me.”

Juno looked up, her expression grave. “The Trials are meant to expose whether the Fae student possesses the Seven High Values: Balance, Bravery, Cleverness, Creativity, Fairness, Justice, Respect.”

“And how do they test for those values, exactly?”

“Ah, yes. I happen to have a list of past Trials to look over. You and I are going to practice every single one over the course of the next three months. We can try one today, if you want. It’s a spell to test Bravery.” She pushed onto her knees and crawled toward her desk, reaching a hand up to grab a folder filled with papers.

I’d never heard of the Seven High Values before. Not one person had ever mentioned them to me. Was I surprised? No. It seemed the Fae loved to keep their secrets. I was no stranger to secrets, having kept one-half of my bloodline secret my entire life, though it would have been nice to know what I faced before being thrown into it.

“How does one test bravery?” I followed her to a standing position and set the cup of tea down on the desk, trying to hide my wince. Oh yeah, my muscles were screaming.

Juno’s expression was mischievous. “You’ll see.”

The next spell she had me try got me thinking once more about Kendrick Grimaldi. About how I might have, after all, been better off marrying him than putting myself through this bullshit.

I failed the spell miserably and left the office with my arms sore and my legs wooden. Shaken to the core. My time in Faerie was running out. I knew it in my bones. All that remained to be seen was how it came about. Whether I would be revealed as a half-shifter and booted back to the human realm…or killed in the Trials.

7

Ishuffled into the castle kitchen after my tutoring with Juno, exhausted yet knowing I still had hours to go before I got to sit again. Exhaustion meant nothing to the kitchen staff and even less to the king who’d ordered me to be there. I was running on fumes and trying my hardest not to let it show.

Maybe dying was a good alternative to living like a zombie.

Raelynn looked up as I walked in, her corkscrew curls covered in something green and gooey-looking. “What on earth is going on with you?” she barked out at once. The strawberry-blond Fae stared at me, her almond-shaped eyes slanted, and her pupils resembling a reptile’s.

Despite her rather brash attitude, I liked her. Or at least I liked her most of the time. Today I was too tired to like anyone, even myself.

“I had a rough day,” I grumbled, reaching out to exchange my school blazer for an apron. I hadn’t even had time to change my clothes. “Sorry.”

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