Slayer of Fae Academy Read online

  Slayer of Fae Academy

  By Kendal Davis

  Text Copyright © 2020 Kendal Davis

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover design by Melody Simmons

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1: Ciara

  Chapter 2: Rook

  Chapter 3: Ciara

  Chapter 4: Owain

  Chapter 5: Ciara

  Chapter 6: Rook

  Chapter 7: Ciara

  Chapter 8: Owain

  Chapter 9: Ciara

  Chapter 10: Rook

  Chapter 11: Ciara

  Chapter 12: Owain

  Chapter 13: Ciara

  Chapter 14: Rook

  Chapter 15: Ciara

  Chapter 16: Owain

  Chapter 17: Ciara

  Chapter 18: Rook

  Chapter 19: Ciara

  Chapter 20: Owain

  Chapter 21: Ciara

  Chapter 22: Ciara

  Also by Kendal Davis

  Chapter 1: Ciara

  If I’d been a different sort of person, I might have been nervous. The prospect of traveling alone to Fae Academy would surely have terrified me if I’d been a prole girl. The proles I saw sometimes on the news vids were furtive creatures, hiding in the shadows, afraid to draw attention to themselves. Of course, they completed their formal education at fifteen, so they weren’t all that bright. It was shameful. I’d already worked five years beyond that with my private tutors.

  Now that I’d reached the appointed age of twenty, I was ready to take my place at the school I’d dreamed about all my life. At Fae Academy, I would finally learn to use my inborn powers. Then, as I’d always been destined to do, I would take my place as Queen of the Fae.

  I was special.

  A light knock at my bedroom door brought me back to reality. I stepped away from the huge picture window that overlooked the dirty city. I liked to sit there in the mornings, wondering how it was possible for anybody to live like that. How could all those people exist in the dangerous, rough country of New Arabia? A frown came to my lips as my butler stepped into the room.

  “Yes?” I kept my voice aloof. It was better not to reward the butler for his familiarity in entering before I’d invited him. If I mentioned it, he was sure to want to talk to me. I never socialized with my staff. This new man would learn that soon.

  “Miss Ciara,” he said, breathless even though we were indoors. “The Directors are in the blue drawing room, awaiting you.”

  “Already?” I felt my mask of haughtiness slip for just a moment. “I didn’t think they were coming until after lunch.”

  “They said they wanted to make sure they beat the dust storms. The forecast is for continuous interruptions in travel, beginning at noon.” The man was actually wringing his hands. What was making him so nervous?

  “Again?” I smoothed my hair, knowing it was already perfect. “I wish the city could get those to stop. Aren’t the fae here for that exact reason? To help us?”

  He stood straighter, as if he was reproving me. “Miss Ciara, our city has been very lucky. Most of the globe is uninhabitable, including cities that were bustling even a decade ago.”

  “That’s enough. I already know that history. Are you lecturing me?” I sighed, trying my very hardest to keep my temper. It was so difficult to find good help these days.

  “Never that, Miss Ciara,” he said, averting his eyes. “I just wanted to ask you something, if you don’t mind. Since you’re leaving today, you know…” The short and sturdy man’s words trailed off as he weighed whether to go on.

  “Well? Keep going, Franklin.” I swore to myself that I wasn’t going to check my outfit in the mirror. The Directors should be trying to impress me, not the other way around.

  “Excuse me, but that’s not my name.” He was choosing a strange moment to stand up for worker’s rights.

  “I don’t care. Our butlers are always ‘Franklin.’ You know that. You knew it when you took the job.”

  He was still standing in the doorway. If he hadn’t been, I would be halfway down the stairs by now. Moving at a poised and ladylike pace, of course. But with him blocking my way like that? I’d have to touch him, and I never touched anybody. Ever.

  I was the Tithe.

  “Miss Ciara,” he ventured, really working to get something out. “When I took this job, to work in the household of the Tithe, I knew what it meant. I was well aware that I’d have to follow every regulation to the letter.”

  “So why are you complaining now?” I jutted out a hip, loving the way my perfectly cut spring dress showed my curves. “Just move along, and I’ll forget you ever had this moment of impertinence.” Honestly. How patient did these proles think I could stand to be with them?

  “I just wanted to tell you that sometimes people find themselves in situations where things aren’t what they expected.” He was almost stuttering now, but I admired his effort in trying to meet my eyes. He was strange, but I supposed he was a person, too. He went on, his tone suddenly urgent. “Sometimes, Ciara, a person might take a job that they regret. One that turns out to be pure evil, irrevocably doomed. I want to warn you. It won’t be what you think.”

  “That’s enough.” I felt a flutter in my stomach. “You’re stressing me out, and I won’t have that. Fae Academy is going to be amazing. I’m going to be a wonderful Queen someday. You have no idea, you strange servant man. Just go away.” I flicked a wild spark of lightning at him, enjoying the way my fingertips felt as I used my fae magic. The brightness struck him in the temple, making him fall to the side of the doorway.

  As I stepped over the butler’s shoes, I made a little face of irritation. What a nerve that prole man had, making me use my powers on a day as important as this. Now that I was finally getting to leave my room, my hands were shaking.

  Definitely not nerves.

  Was he dead? I didn’t think so. There was no way I was going to get down on the intricate woven carpet to look, though. I had business with the Directors. They had kept me in luxury for twenty years, always with an eye on the future. I was their prize package, finally ready for sending out.

  Today was the day that I would join the fae.

  It was only after I’d made it all the way down the showy carved staircase, then to the express elevator that would take me past the ballroom level and then down to the wing that contained the reception rooms, that I wondered what the hell the new Franklin might have meant. I should have killed him for his impudence.

  It was not the place of a butler to question whether I was doomed. I was the Tithe. If I could not do it well, then I was nothing at all. And that was surely not the case. Therefore, it was nothing more than a matter of logic. I was going to be the best gift that mortals had ever made to the fae.

  I put my hand gently on my chest to calm myself before I entered the blue drawing room. I’d seen several other members of my staff as I’d moved through the mansion to get here, but not one of them had spoken to me. They were too well trained to do that. I allowed nobody to speak unless I spoke first. No touching, no undue friendliness.

  When I opened the double doors, meeting the gathering of eight Directors, I was ready. My poise was impenetrable. Perfect. That was what they expected of me. It was what I always delivered. It was what I had trained for.

  Not one of them smiled at me. There were four men and four women, each representing one of the districts in the New World. Their job was to keep me in luxury, not to be my friends.

  And my job? It was all going to start today. This afternoon.

  “I’m glad you’ve come early,” I said outright, taking control. I sat at the head of the table, assessing each of them, one by one. “I’m eager to leave today and take my place amongst th
e fae.”

  “Are you sure?” The Director nearest me peered at me. He was at least a hundred, surely. “We know from the legends that the Tithe does not always flourish during this time of transition.”

  “Of course she will,” said the woman at the end of the table. “We have prepared her for all these years. If she isn’t ready now, after being groomed for this since she was born, then what can we do?”

  The man who had spoken first sent her a tight smile. “Nothing now, obviously. But that is not good enough. This chance only comes once in five hundred years. This is the only opportunity we will have in our lifetimes to send a mortal to rule the fae. We need her on the throne, acting on our behalf.”

  “She will never survive,” scoffed another man. “The only reason the fae made this agreement with us is that they know a human cannot thrive with them. They call it an opportunity, but that is a false notion. The girl will die before the week is out.”

  I cleared my throat, still taking care to be ladylike. “Sir, I must disagree with you. If the fae ask the mortal world for a woman as a Tithe every five hundred years, it is because they want us to succeed. It is their intention to do us honor. They call me to them because they want me to take their throne after Queen Hellebore.”

  “I hope you are correct,” said a very old woman with a slow nod. “According to the stories, the fae first extracted this concession from us in return for their assistance during the Great Upheaval. They say it is a chance for us to be represented among them.”

  “It is not a concession, but an honor,” I insisted. We had all had this conversation many times in our annual gatherings. The Directors paid for everything in my life, including my tutors. In return, they met with me once a year to assess my fitness for my task. “Besides,” I went on. “It is a little late for you to be checking up on me and my safety. It’s been too late for that since I got my fae powers after I was born. There’s nothing I could ever be beyond the Tithe.”

  The old woman shook her head. “We know that Queen Hellebore gave you the magic of her kind. In her formal addresses to our world, she has let us know that it is our duty to raise you for this purpose. And now? We have done our best with you, Ciara. You must go to them.” She looked troubled.

  I could understand their worry, I supposed. The Directors were only operating on the basis of legend, doing what they could with little information. Nobody alive remembered what happened to the last Tithe five hundred years ago.

  We all knew, though, that Queen Hellebore had held the throne far longer than five centuries. The last Tithe must not have been strong enough. I resolved not to end up like that, forgotten and faded into a mention in a history book.

  I sat as straight as if I were already royalty. I pretty much was, since I was going to take my place at the Academy and rise to the top in about five minutes. The last woman must have been lacking in confidence.

  I met the eyes of every fuddy-duddy Director in my second-best drawing room. “I am ready. I will take the sky train today, and then ascend to my place among the fae. They have been merciful to us, giving us the aid that is necessary to save the environment of the New World. They are kind and good. All they require from us is the infusion of human talents into their ranks twice in a thousand years.’

  “And all we require from them is that they take you and your unnatural magic away.” The woman with the severe bun that sat low on her neck had not yet spoken. When she did, I cut my eyes toward her. All my life, I’d been meeting with these stuffed shirt world leaders. I didn’t think this woman had ever said anything before, although I was fairly sure she’d selected all my tutors over the years. She was almost invisible by choice, but I’d seen her signature on the work papers my teachers carried.

  When she did not elaborate on her comment, I had to do my best to ignore it. She must have meant it to be some kind of burn. Whatever. The fae would be lucky to have me. I was perfectly prepared for life with them. All my education had been focused on fitting in at the Academy when I was old enough to go there.

  I stood to take leave of the Directors with perfect politeness. They were dispassionate in their goodbyes, which was just fine with me. Over the years, I’d had a few people try to tell me that I should be warmer or more friendly. But that was not the way of the fae. I would never behave in a way that would prevent me from fitting in there. Much better to keep an eye on my destiny than to get bogged down in the moment.

  With the Directors gone, I stood in the enormous entrance hallway for the last time. I didn’t bother to look around. I’d seen it all before. To tell the truth, I’d never left this building in my life. The rooftop gardens had provided me with fresh air, insofar as anybody had air on this planet. I’d had the swimming pool and the gymnasium, as well as the entire collection of the world’s holovids.

  Twenty years of preparation. It was sure to be enough.

  I was going to be enough.

  The sky train would already have my travel trunks, filled with every garment that I’d need at the Academy. I had nothing else to bring besides my clothes. No mementos, no family photos. My parents had given me up as an infant, for the good of our entire world. All I needed for the journey was my coat and handbag.

  The driver brought me to the station. As I sat in the back seat of the big, black car, I tried not to stare out the windows. Nobody outside would know if I did, not through the tinting. The chauffeur would see me, though, and I’d look foolish.

  I’d never seen the city like this before. It looked both bigger and smaller than the view from my bedroom window. The place was sprawling and crowded with proles hurrying from one job to another. They did so much manual labor that their life spans were remarkably short. Everything looked dirty and dry, smudges of soil across every possible surface. Nothing grew easily down here. I couldn’t understand it, because my rooftop garden was an oasis of emerald growth.

  The thought of dust storms made the back of my neck prickle. It would be too bad for my first trip out into the city to be ruined by the swirling destruction that came with increasing frequency these days. That would be a terrible nuisance. And what if someone recognized me?

  I was an icon, a symbol of everything rich and pure amongst my people.

  It was going to be fine.

  The breathing techniques that I’d learned from my gym instructors paid off as I boarded the train. It wouldn’t do for me to look at all nervous. I was joining the new class of Fae Academy. For three years, I was going to mingle with the fae, learning their ways and honing my magic. This would be my first chance to meet my classmates.

  This sleek, modern, magical train was the only way to get to the land of the fae. They had always been in charge of any travel between our two worlds. As the fae told it, they had visited us many times in history. With our planetary troubles, so much knowledge had been lost. Since the Great Upheaval, the fae had walked among us without shyness, some even living and working with us. We all appreciated the gift they gave us in trying to heal our environment.

  They were here to assist us.

  And when I went to their land, I would be helping them.

  It was a totally harmonious relationship. Every bit of knowledge I’d learned from my tutors supported that.

  So why was it that as I stepped onto the beautiful, sleekly silver train, I felt a violent sense of dread take hold of me?

  This was a day for celebration. I looked around, wishing I knew what to say to the fae citizens who were on their way to the Academy. They each had the stamp of fae perfection, so attractive and fit that there was no doubt who they were. Would they welcome me?

  There was sure to be lots of fanfare to welcome me. I was destined to be their Queen.

  Then it all went wrong, all at once.

  A sharp pain surprised me, stabbing against my skull from the inside. I held my right hand to my temple, pressing against the spot that hurt. My tutors had taught me about this. It was ok. My magic was going to grow, naturally, just from spending time w
ith the fae. These fits of discomfort were not supposed to last long.

  But this wasn’t just a small thing. It was agony. It felt like my brain was pressing against my forehead, everything pulsing with change. I couldn’t stay where people could see me. I slipped past the fae students who were in the lobby car, then made my way into the corridor that ran alongside the train compartments. There was supposed to be a door with my name on it. Why wasn’t anybody welcoming me?

  I scrabbled against the compartment door to my left, my hand trying to catch a grip. I could see two men through the hallway window. They were talking and laughing, sitting across from each other next to the far wall. Like all the fae, they were calm and dignified. I knew they had to be much older than I was, even if they looked to be the same age. The two men were tall and muscular, and impeccably dressed in their school grays.

  They were also so hot that I suddenly couldn’t remember my own name.

  I couldn’t remember anything about who I was supposed to be.

  It was insanity to think that I was going to be the Queen of the fae. These weren’t even my people. Why would they accept me, and why would I want it? I felt like I was crawling out from some strange delusion that had lasted twenty years. I was changing, growing, as my fae powers responded to all the magic on this train. And it was altering everything about me.

  Like a pulsing beacon of ferocity, my head filled with one instruction. The imperative swelled within me, bringing me to my knees with the force of it.

  My magic was for killing.

  I was a killer.

  Chapter 2: Rook

  It was a beautiful day. We all knew that the mortals worried about the dust storms, but nothing like that could concern me today. The climate problems of the human world were easily controlled, if one wanted to bother to do so.

  Today, there was no room for any of that sort of thing in my mind. It was finally my turn to go to Fae Academy. I’d waited so long for this that I was bursting with energy.