Page 109 of Mistaken Magic

WhenIturned,IfoundKeirin the center of the main room, and his sticks were a blur.Acrossfrom him wasHawke.Somethingabout their expressions made it clear this wasn't all in good fun.Itwasn't merely a training session.Theywere trying to one-up each other.ThemomentHawkethrew a kick intoKeir'sstomach, shoving him back,Iwas sure of it.

"Becareful what you ask for,"Brackensaid from behind me.

Ispun, shocked that he'd appeared there almost silently.Wherehad the man come from?Nevermind.Iwas honestly more worried aboutHawkeandKeirtaking things a little too far.Mostof us moved slower, trying to learn where to put our weapons and how.Notthem.Theywere aiming for each other's bodies, blocking, and then throwing their own attacks.

"Youstood up forAspentwice,"Brackensaid, his words soft enough they wouldn't carry. "Thecourt is now in your debt, even if they won't admit it.Keirhas been spending too much time with you."

"Aren'tyou going to stop them?"Iasked.

Brackenactually chuckled. "No,I'mnot.Keirneeds to prove himself.Hawkeneeds to realize it's not always about who you know, but rather what you've learned."Hemoved to stand beside my shoulder. "Whydid you tauntHarpertoday,Rain?"

"She'sbeen trying to cause problems,"Isaid.

"More," he demanded. "Wehave a deal, remember?"

Isighed. "It'scomplicated."

"Stillnot good enough," he told me. "Rain, our agreement was that you'd help other students.Thistime, you startedsomething for your own shallow pride.WhatIwant to know is whyIshouldn't be offended?"Hedropped his hand on my shoulder. "AndIknow aboutAspen."

"Andme?"Iasked, looking over.

Hiseyes flared, making it clear he didn't know that. "Ah, so that's how it is, huh?BytauntingHarper, you think you're taking the heat away fromAspen?Youthink you're protecting her?"

"Alittle,"Iadmitted, unsure how exactly he'd taken my comment.Still,Iwasn't about to tell him we were dating if he didn't know. "It'salso thatHarperpicks onAspento upsetTorian.Shepicks on me to upsetAspen.Thus, she picks on me to upsetTorian."Ishrugged. "Complicated."

Herubbed the spot under his hand gently. "Notas much as you might think, and more than you know.HarperValentinawants power.She'lltake it anywhere she can get it, and a fae fromFaerieis more impressive than one fromEarth.Apure more than a half.Inher mind,Summeris more important thanWinter.Rain, she ranks things by how much bragging power they have, and bringing downTorianHuntis a lot of bragging power."

"Why?"Iasked, still watchingHawkeandKeir.

"Thesame reason those boys are fighting," he told me. "Thinkof the fae like a pack of dogs.Someof us rise to the top because we have sharper teeth - more magic.Otherssurvive by showing their belly and pleasing those with sharp teeth.Thefae are a wild people.We'revery civilized in some ways and almost feral in others."

"Ok?"Thatall made sense so far.

Brackendropped his hand so he could gesture at the guys. "Bybirth, their ranks should've been equal.Bysocial status, they're not.Hawkerose whileKeirfaded.Now, the shiny new thing has shifted the balance.Keirhas been allowed to not only train you, but socialize with you."

"Allowed?"Iasked with a huff.

"I'mstill relating this to dogs,Rain.Thealpha bitch allowed that mongrel to play.Theother mongrel feels slighted.Hisonly recourse is to make it clear he's just as fast, just as strong, and just as worthy."

"Worthyfor what, though?"Iasked.

"Thatis a question for you to askthem," he said. "AndHawkewill win.Keirwill let him to keep the peace.Hawkewill know it, but the rest won't.Yousee,Keirknows that sometimes, the best way to defeat an enemy is to let him - or her - think they defeated you.Considerthat the next time you're alone, with no one to shield you from magic, and trying to piss off the fourth strongest fae at this school."

"Who'sthe third?"Iasked.

Brackensmiled. "Wilder, of course.Now, back to your lesson.Don'tworry, you'll get a chance to use it in detention."

Witha groan,Iturned and began smacking the dummy again.Imay have shifted around soIcould also watch the guys sparring.Idefinitely missed a few of the spotsIwas aiming for.Still, the fight dragged on long past whatIcould've handled.Theguys were slick with sweat.Hawke'sshirt clung to him, making every muscle on his body stand out.Keir'shair had turned a shade darker from the moisture.

Theywere gorgeous.Notsurprising, since they were both fae, but it was still hard to ignore.I'dalways imagined "fairies" to be scrawny little things.Instead, they were lithe and fit.Notmassive like action heroes in the movies, but still the kind of bodies that made women drool.Justto be sureIwasn't,Iwiped at my lip and started another round.

Then, sure enough,Keirtook a hard hit to his gut.Theguy doubled over, dropping to a knee, andHawkefollowed with a set of bashing blows toKeir'sback.Wavinghim off,Keiradmitted his defeat.Fora long moment,Hawkejust stood there, waiting,watching.Yeah, he knewKeirhad thrown that.Ididn't know how, because the hit looked legitimate to me, butHawkehad been in the middle of it.

ThenHawkethrust out his hand, offering to helpKeirup.Isaw them talking, the tension between them fading.Aftera few seconds, both of them turned to look right at me.Itried to act likeIdidn't notice, focusing on the pattern with my sticks, butIwas pretty sureIfailed.

Forthe rest of the class, the pair worked together.ItseemedBrackenwas right.Theywere a lot more like dogs thanI'dthought.Thedominance had been settled, and now the guys acted as if nothing at all had happened.Thankfully, seeing the other students glance over made me feel a little better - likeIwasn't the only one confused about whatever issues they were working through.

Butan hour of beating a training dummy with sticks left my arms feeling like mush.Evenworse, when the final bell rang and everyone else got to leave,Ihad atleastanother hour of detention.Itook the chance for a break, dropping my weapons on the floor and bending over just to let my aching arms hang.

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