Page 48 of Mistaken Magic

Shepaused, turning to face me. "It'snot the blood, but the attitude.Wecame here, not the other way around.Whenwe were desperate, some of you offered to help, and the fae do not forget favors.Thatis what we should be proud of, not how pure we are or how noble our parents were.Theyhaven't seen whatFaerieis like now.Theydon't know what theMadQueen..."Shepaused. "Theyonly think of the magic there.Notthe pain we ran away from."

"I'msorry,"Itold her, reaching out to clasp her arm. "Ididn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"Youdeserve to know," she assured me, this time offering her arm.

Itook it, and we began walking again.Ourdestination was a small grey building mostly hidden by trees.Whenwe got closer,Iheard banging.Aspen'sfeet slowed, and she took a deep breath, then pushed on.Icouldn't help but notice, butIdidn't want to ask anything else that might upset her.Iwas already feeling like an idiot for reminding her of her dead mother.

Butwhen we walked through the door,Isuddenly understood the hesitation.Thiswas the weapons-crafting class, and metal was everywhere.Gonewere the blazers and uniforms, replaced with coveralls and leather aprons.Atone side was a real, actual forge.Inthe middle were anvils.Alongthe sides were grinding wheels and other power tools.

No, they weren't all smithing weapons or anything.Onegirl was grinding down glass to make a triangle of some type.Anothertable had a group around it and what looked like a sheet of carbon fiber laid out between them.Theywere working together to place a curved object in the middle.

"I..."Aspenpulled her arm back. "Ineed to go outside."

"Go,"Iinsisted. "Youdidn't need to come in here."

Buther retreat made the instructor look over.Concernfilled her face for a moment, and then the woman turned to march toward me.Shewas tall, muscular, and had hair even shorter thanAspen's.Herface was smudged with something dark, like soot, butIcouldn't rule out dirt either.

"CanIhelp you?" she asked when she was close enough.

"Um,I'mRainBrooks, andI'msupposed to check out the options for my elective classes,"Iexplained. "Aspenwas showing me..."

"Sheshould know better than to come in here," the woman said, peeling off a thick leather glove to offer her hand. "I'mAnitaTaggart.Mostof the students call meTag."Thenshe paused. "Wait, you'reLiam'sniece, right?"

"Iam,"Isaid.

"Fullhuman, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Welcometo the club," she said. "Mostof the students in here are of lower fae ancestry, so a quarter or less.Makesit easier because of the metals.Sadly, we just don't have the means to work most of this stuff without iron in the power tools or hammers hard enough to hold their shape.It'sone of the placesLegaciesoften excel, and the fae are desperate for people who can make what they need without suffering while doing so."

"Soundslike a good place for me,"Iagreed.

"Couldbe,"Tagagreed. "Ourclasses here in theForgeare mixed between theAPstudents and the older ones.Thiscourse is college level, so many consider it challenging.However, it also will set you up for many career opportunities in the real world."

Whichsounded perfect, soIasked, "Whatis all of this stuff anyways?"

"Thestudents make ceramic knives for the kitchen, glass ones for botany, and for the sentinels, we do some carbon fiber swords.Kindathe best of both worlds, there.Wecan use bronze or other metals, reinforce it with carbon fiber for strength, and get a usable weapon that doesn't harm the fae wielding it.Ourmore advanced students make armor, like the group working on the carbon fiber breastplate there."

"Butwhy?"Iasked. "Imean, swords?Whynot some 3D-printed guns?"

Shelaughed. "First, because this is a school, and there are laws about having you all make guns.Secondly, because there are some things a bullet wouldn't stop.Leadis not a problemfor them, and iron is too hard to cause enough damage.Moresplinter, less wounding."

ThenTagshowed me around, explaining how the items made in here taught a bigger skill.Plasticmolding was included in the instruction, which was used for all sorts of industries in the real world.Metalforging was the same.Carbonfiber wraps could be used for cars, planes, and so much more.Ilistened, completely and totally fascinated.

KnowingAspenwas waiting outside in the cold,Ididn't stay as long asIwanted.Liamhad saidIcould come back to learn more, soItoldTagIprobably would.Shemade it clearIwas definitely welcome, thenIhurried to find my friend.Iwas halfway through the door whenIrealized whatI'djust thought: friend.AspenFoxsure felt like my friend.Iwasn't sure she'd agree, butIkinda hoped so.

"Aspen?"Icalled whenIdidn't see her.

"Overhere!" she yelled back, waving from a cluster of trees about a half a football field away.

Ihurried that way, thankful her warmth glamour seemed to still be working.Shemet me part way, pointing over to yet another building behind the school.Thisone was bigger, and the clanking and yelling of people was hard to miss.Itkinda sounded like an athletics room or something.Atleast from the cheers.

Thistime,Aspendidn't hesitate.Shewalked in without any problems, her heels clicking on the wooden floor.Trailingbehind her,Ifollowed her into a large, open space.Therewere mirrors on all sides, mats on the floor, and plenty of students all dressed in some green-and-black workout clothes.Ispotted a kickboxing bag at one side.Therewas a pair dueling with wooden swords in the middle.Theylooked like they were fencing.Somewere wrestling, some were boxing, and so much more.

Thensomeone let out a wolf whistle. "Nicelegs!"

Aspenhuffed, turning around like she wasn't surprised at all. "Shutit,Hawke!"

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