Page 51 of Phixmery

“It does matter!” The temperature drops as frost coats the ground. “Do they know you’re there? They must. You need to wake up and leave Phixmery, Little Dream. I have business to attend to, and fae to kill.”

Suddenly I’m pulled out of the dream and I’m gasping for breath, clutching my necklace, which seems slightly warmer than normal. What in the fates was that about? My palm rubs against my face as I glance around the darkened room, seeing everyone still soundly asleep. Fear clogs my thoughts and I temporarily think about escaping now, leaving and never coming back whether I get caught or not.

“Rav, it’s okay. You don’t need to run. Remember the gut feeling?” Nero mumbles half asleep.

I nod jerkily, sucking in a breath and focusing on the sense of rightness in my stomach. When I’m calm again, I glance out the window and I notice the moon placement—not too long until dawn. I won’t be getting much more sleep if I try to go back to bed now. Might as well get ready for the day.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

IT FEELS WEIRD, HAVING THIS unyielding support from my friends. They didn’t run to Major General Rune and try to have me taken. They didn’t judge me for keeping this from them, knowing that it would either get me killed or have me hidden away in a tower where I would never see the light again, most likely turned into a puppet for the needs of the enemy. Aunt Gretchen said not to trust anyone, but I’m starting to think that maybe it’s okay to trust the right people… I just hope I didn’t choose wrong.

Nero pecks my cheek as we leave the training yard, heading to Battle Strategy. “You didn’t choose wrong, Rav. Trust me, my instincts on this are singing true.”

I sigh, eyeing him out of my peripherals. I know he’s right.I feel that same instinct tugging in my stomach, like a warm, comforting hand reaching to help. “I know. It’s just we spent so long obeying and listening to what my mother and aunt told me. It feels… good, though. Thank you for pushing me.”

A purr emanates from his chest as pride fills our bond. “I’ll always push you when I think you need it.”

We enter into probably the most boring lesson I have during the day and see that Captain Corvo is awaiting us at the podium in the center of the circular room. He’s an older male, with a gruesome scar that runs from his cheek, down his jaw and throat. From the war stories he’s told us, battle is obviously something he’s very passionate about, even though he drones on like he’s about to take his last breath—that’s how slow he’s talking.

Melissandre takes my hand and pulls me into the center of our row, the rest of our squad surrounding us with Ember on my other side.

Captain Corvo begins the lesson and everyone perks up with interest at today’s topic. “Today we will be going over your options for The Choosing.” His pale yellow eyes trace the classroom, lighting up with glee as fae sit up straighter in their seats. “This is your final trial to officially have the great honor of joining the Damorleia Military. To fight for the right to vengeance on behalf of our late Queen and her consorts.”

My stomach twists at the mention of the Queen. Blurred memories try to force themselves to the surface but are stopped short and fade back into the recesses of my subconscious.

“Can anyone tell me the five different factions? Everyone should have their hands raised as you learned this earlier this year,” he states, his gaze searching for slackers.

My entire squad, along with the rest of the fae in the room raise their hands. He calls on Rozen.

Rozen answers confidently, and I must admit, I’m glad I actually did remember all of them. “Infantry, which are the ground troops. They are on the front lines, fighting head-on with the enemy. Berserkers are our heavy hitters; we send them in to do heavy damage and fast. Magick Artillery: they fight from a distance using long-range magickal attacks. Then you have Gryphon and Dragon Riders, which are our aerial fighters, but dragons can also do massive ground damage, and gryphons are much smaller therefore able to maneuver quicker, giving them some advantages on the battlefield. But dragons also have magick, making them a much more fearsome foe.”

Corvo nods excitedly. “Yes, exactly. Good job Cadet Stoll.” He pauses for a moment as he seems to gather his thoughts. “For the final trial, you must choose which faction you’d like to join. Once you’re signed up, you will be given time to see what you can find out in the library about your trial to prepare yourselves accordingly. Some of you may already have an idea of where you’d like to be placed, but I will warn you: as much as becoming a rider is exciting, those trials have a higher chance of death, so be smart. Know your strengths and ignore your wants if you want to survive into the second year.”

He grabs a few parchments off the podium and pins them on the notice board by the door, where a tethered quill and ink bottle sit next to it. “When you’re ready, you may sign your name under your chosen faction. You will have until the week before The Choosing to change it. After that, the parchments will be collected and your decisions will be final.”

WE LEAVE THE dining hall and the six of us slip away from Bracken, Bren and Gregor as they head to wherever they go after dinner.

Ducking into an empty classroom, I spin to face them. “How do you want to do this?” I ask, wringing my hands together. They’re the ones who wanted to try to train during the day, but I’m not sure how they expect us to get near the officers’ quarters when everyone is still up and moving around. I think they mentioned something about making us disappear?

Rozen’s lips tug at the corners of his mouth until they stretch into a wide grin, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “You’re going to have your first mini lesson right now, because I’m going to need your help casting a large enough illusion to cover us.”

I blink at him. I don’t think I heard him right. “Right now? What if someone walks in?”

He shakes his head as if I thought he would be so careless. “So little faith, Ravie. Right now I have it so it looks like there’s no door here, and they won’t even notice even if they are looking for it. But we should probably hurry, because when they get far enough away, they’ll wonder why it’s gone.”

“You can do this, Ravina,” Ember states firmly.

I focus back on Roz, the Szellemi fae of our little group. “Okay, instruct then.” I gesture with my hands in front of me, a small smile pulling at the corner of my mouth.

He rubs his hands together. “Okay, reach for your magick. Now I want you to picture using it to create a mist around us, touching everyone but the fae you’re trying to cover. Let it brush everyone’s mind as we pass. Tell the mist what you want it to hide: sounds, visuals, all of it. Make sure you keep everyone you want covered in eyesight at all times, otherwise it’ll fail.”

Doing as he says, I reach for a part of my magick I haven’t touched in years. I’ve only ever created small illusions like a bird for Nero to play with, or creatures for me to practice hunting. But to cover myself? I follow his instructions the best I can, almost getting it the first few times, but on the last try, I feel something click into place.

My eyes snap open and I can’t help the excited laugh that bursts from me. “Okay, I did it. What now?”

Rozen tilts his head before glancing at the others. “Now take me out of the mist. I want to see how well it’s actually holding up. I can feel your magick around me; it’s different from other Szellemi. It’s so strange,” he murmurs.

I pucker my lips in concentration as I pull the mist away from his mind. “Did it work?” I ask, but he doesn’t respond, walking around where he knows we’re standing.

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