Page 10 of Faerie Gift

I had the same thought.

We gathered in the open doorway and I recognized Nora crowding close to my back. Then every head turned as one to watch the huge silver passenger bus pulling into the circle drive and stopping with a squeal and hiss of air brakes.

A bus? This late at night? With classes starting in the morning—a few short hours—every enrolled student should have been here by now.

“What is this, the welcoming committee?” a deep male voice said from behind us. Irritable and brooking no argument. “Do I want to know why you lot aren’t in bed? Everyone stand aside. Stand aside.”

Headmaster Leaves pushed through our group, striding out onto the front stoop with a ward in place over his head to protect him from the rain. He was a relatively young man, or at least he looked young to me; the Fae aged differently than normal humans but he appeared to be approaching forty. Lean, and his expression one of hard suspicion at finding us gathered. He looked nondescript aside from the fact he had typical pointed ears and carried himself with the presence of a much more important person.

He glanced over his shoulder. “And honestly, what are so many first years doing out of bed this late? You have classes tomorrow!” His admonition rolled over us.

No one paid him any mind, our attention focused on the bus and the aura of power rolling out from it.

Who was inside?

The door swung open, another squeak of sound, and a short, squat, full-blooded Fae stepped out onto the asphalt.

“Leaves. It’s good to see you again,” the fellow stated with a slight French accent, holding out a hand for a shake.

He had platinum-colored hair a shade lighter than moonlight and eyes of a rich chocolate-brown. Black robes hid the rest of his body from view, the collar lined with fur, and his boots were made of sturdy leather to protect against the inclement weather.

“Headmaster Cote,” Leaves replied. He took the offered hand. “It’s been too long. How was your drive? Uneventful, I do hope. You seem to have made decent time.”

They continued their conversation in hushed tones. A few more adults stepped off of the bus, followed by nearly twenty guys and girls around our age. They weren’t wearing school uniforms. Then again neither were we, dressed in our casual play clothes for our game.

And covered in mud.

What a great first impression we made.

“Do you have any idea what’s going on?” I leaned in close to ask Mike.

He shook his head, gaze riveted on the new arrivals. “Not a clue.”

A dead weight dropped in my stomach. We didn’t need any more surprises.

Whowerethese people?

We’d better not be getting anymorecompetition, I thought with a scowl. Our dwindling class was already tense. Only the strongest students from the Halfling Academy earned their place in Faerie, and I needed to be one of them.

My life depended on it.

4

My assigned mentor Melia Haversham and I sat next to each other at the morning assembly, and my stomach hadn’t gotten any better. If anything, the pit inside of me yawned wider, colder. I still didn’t have a clue what was going on.

Maybe I had control issues. But control issues had saved my life in the past.

“Girl, I can hear you shaking from here,” she joked, her voice like honey to match her hair. “You are going to need a serious calm-down. What’s got you so worked up?”

I didn’t know how to explain it to her so I kept my mouth shut and glanced around the assembly hall, a large auditorium-like space with seats done in supple red velvet. My first time here, those seats had reminded me of a grand old opera house, the fabric lush, inviting. A sloping floor divided the seating into four tiers so everyone had a good view of the stage.. Antique red carpeting lined the aisles, and the walls were covered in a thick red brocade fabric. On the stage, gilded columns flanked either side, with silver electric chandeliers lighting the space. The plaster designs on the ceiling depicted cherubs and vines. Students were filling the seats, all chatting animatedly. Good. Maybe the noise would drown out the worrisome thoughts in my head.

“Tavi?” Melia touched my arm gently, pulling my attention back to her.

Melia had arrived back to school an hour earlier, and when I finally saw her, I accosted her in the hallway. Yes, accosted, as in arms wrapped around her neck and nearly choking her kind of accosting. Melia didn’t care. She returned the hug and more. I could barely breathe by the time she leaned back to study me. We’d only spent a few weeks apart so nothing had changed during her absence. Visibly, at least.

Still, her presence was a comfort. A knot of tension I hadn’t realized I still carried had loosened at the sight of her familiar golden-brown hair, the soft caramel of her skin, and the liveliness in her eyes when she saw me. Slender and strong, she stood tall, giving off an intelligent confidence I could only hope to match one day.

Friends for sure, no matter how different we were.

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