NOVEL NEXT 5
I woke up from my nap to the sound of metal clashing on metal and the popping of magic abilities. It seemed that a class was in session at the training grounds. I looked down at my hand at a half-eaten apple.
A ray of hope had been found. If I couldn’t brute force my way through the wall, I could chip away at it through experiences that triggered strong emotions from my past. Enough cracks and the whole Veil could eventually be torn apart. I was obviously some sort of swordsman in my old life. Maybe if I fought some more it would jog some of my memories.
I crushed the apple in my fist and stood up and turned to walk toward the training grounds. I was startled to see Miss Wintry standing in front of me.
‘Enjoy your little nap?’
‘Save it. I don’t care whatever Victoria sent you to say. I’m not interested. Unless you want to have a go at it?’
I revealed my sword a few inches from its sheath as a show of force. In response, the teacher raised her hands up to head level with her palms forward as a sign of submission.
‘I guess that makes sense as violence has worked quite well for you since you got here. I’m not here to fight. And I am definitely not here on that witch's dirty work.’
The insults at the Headmistress were meant as an olive branch and I was short on allies in this place. That didn’t mean I was going to trust who had pinned me to the ground from behind. I resheathed my blade and relaxed my posture.
‘So, can you break the Psychic Veil?’
‘Straight to the point then. In a short answer, no. Victoria has the strongest binding abilities of any Fairybond we have ever seen. It was these powers which had led her to be given authority to use the Ley Line to recruit new Fairybond by the Fairy Queen. They are not to be taken lightly.’
‘Well, I seem to have had no problem breaking out of them. Also, you said had led, meaning in the past. So the Fairy Queen really did sever her Ley Line connection?’
‘Sharp. Even in that chaos, you picked up that detail. Color me impressed. She has indeed had that power sealed. Rumor has it the power will remain sealed until you are returned. And as for your odd ability to resist her bindings, it seems as though you are a foil to her abilities. But she was neither transformed nor using direct spells when she attempted to bind you. I imagine if she was, things would have turned out different.’
‘Wait. So she is cutting off her own power just to keep me trapped here? Why? Doesn’t that bar you guys from recruiting new students until I leave?’
‘Indeed. Who knows what her motives are? I suspect it has something to do with one of Selene’s visions. But the three of them have been quite secretive about it. What we do know is that from this moment until you leave or accept your fairy, our ability to recruit is damned. Many are not happy about this fact. They will likely be your allies in your fight against Victoria.’
‘So, then what do we do? I have my ideas but I’d like to hear your angle.’
‘Victoria is headstrong and stubborn. She would rather see this whole operation fail just to prove she was right about you. It’s time she was replaced as Headmistress. Without the Ley Line ability, she has no claim to the position. I just need you to be a thorn in her side until we can set things up.’
‘That shouldn’t be a problem.’
‘I do have a proposition, however. Come to your classes. You can learn a lot about the world you are in now that will prepare you for what is to come. I’m not saying you have to try. Just show up and learn what you want. I promise you it will be worth it. Also, the cafeteria serves much better food than a few apples.’
‘You make a good point. I guess I will need to stay in the dorms if I want to sleep in a comfortable place for the next little while too. Get me my schedule and I’ll see if it’s worth my time.’
I began to walk past her toward the training ground. I focused my mind and tried to dial in on the emotions of combat. Miss Wintry watched me pass in silence but when I was several yards away, she threw me one last question.
‘Just a curiosity. What was the type of fairy that resonated with you?’
‘Type?’
‘Usually, the fairy who appears before you announce the type of fairy that they are. That type forms the basis of the magical energies that you can wield. Did your fairy not tell you her type?’
‘No. She only told me her name and that if I accepted the contract, she would give me strength. Then I told her to go away and that I didn’t need her power.’
‘Name? What was the name that she gave you then?’
‘Apocolyptia.’
Miss Wintry’s eyes widened in surprise but she quickly contained herself. She was hiding something important.
‘Why do you ask?’
‘No reason. Just curious as to what powers you would have had. Anyway, I must return to school and resume my class. Come see me at the end of the school day and I will have your schedule. Do go easy on the children. They are only in their first years of training.’
She hurriedly walked off leaving me feeling like I had given away a piece of information that I shouldn’t have.
The next hour was a bit of a disappointment. I had interjected myself into the girls' training but their form and experience equated to someone with no formal weapons training whatsoever. Their magic was slow and clunky and required an obnoxiously long phrase to activate, making avoiding it trivial.
I ended up spending the last ten minutes of their practice time giving pointers to a set of doe-eyed girls who were obviously not taking any of this seriously. The class ended and they all moved single file through an archway with runes on it. I decided to follow and found as I passed through it, I felt refreshed like I had just taken a shower. How convenient.
I followed the students as they walked to the school because I heard them talking about food, and it was about time I looked for a decent meal. This day had been exhausting and only eating a few apples hadn’t helped as much as I liked.
The cafeteria was an all you could eat buffet full of many different types of food. I tried taking a key from the apples and let my intuition guide my food choices but, in the end, nothing flagged any memories in my mind. I settled with some steak and potatoes with some vegetables on the side. For dessert, I had some apple pie. I’m calling apples my favorite food for now.
After dinner, I wandered until I found Miss Wintry’s office. She welcomed me in and handed me a piece of paper and a map of the grounds and of the school.
‘I hope you find your schedule appealing. Some of the classes are required for first years and I couldn’t get them to budge on it. Others you might find a bit more interesting. Stop by the Workshop during lunch tomorrow. Miss Flamesking is a friend of mine and an excellent weaponsmith. The Fairybond can summon their weapons at will. Since you do not have a fairy, she will craft you a way around this. Show her some respect and grease her ego and she may even eventually make you some armor as well.’
I nodded as I looked through the paperwork. Most of the classes seemed self-explanatory. The other ones I’m sure I’d grasp soon enough. If I don’t think that it is important then I’ll just skip the class and focus on other things.
I thanked her and returned to my dorm for the night. It seemed like many of the other girls were getting together to partake in other activities, but I elected to go and meditate in my room. I decided to take a different approach to the Psychic Veil. I sat on my bed and relaxed. Instead of pounding against the Veil like before I lightly put pressure on it. I felt around the white wall for any cracks.
The first and the largest I found was the apple grove memory. It was like a hole had formed in the side of a fish tank and the water was gushing out. It’s amazing how clear your memories are of a certain time when all other memories are blocked from muddying it.
As I probed the crack it was as if I was there again. I could feel the sun and the breeze, smell the grass and trees and taste the apples. It was like an out-of-body experience. I wandered the grove and found the perfect spot. I climbed the tree and grabbed a few apples. A few leaves fell and were swept away in the breeze. A slight nip of autumn was in the air and the sun was starting to set.
I was about to fall asleep when I heard a woman’s voice. She was calling to me, but her voice was distorted like a scratched record. I attempted to listen close but the voice just seemed more distant and distorted.
I jumped out of the tree and ran towards the voice desperate to see the source. As I got to the house she was standing in the doorway. It had grown completely dark and the bright light from inside the house cast such a contrast that her entire face was masked in shadows. She held out her arm in an attempt to embrace me as I tried urgently to adjust my vision.
‘There you are, sweetie. Come inside. It’s time for dinner.’
I awoke in a cold sweat. Somewhere along the way, I had left just remembering and entered into a dreamland instead. My head was spinning from the abrupt awakening but the sun coming through the window showed the early morning light.
The morning chime sounded as a reminder for the rest of the school to get up and get ready for the day. I opened my door and the halls began to be alive with girls running around like ants. It was time for my first full day as a student of this hellish high school, and they would be lucky if the place wasn't burning by the time the day was through.