by Jaymin Eve
Crossing through the arched doorway was exactly like falling down the rabbit hole. We were in another world. Sun and sand, with aqua waves lapping against the shoreline.
My watch said it was 7:30 P.M, but here the sun was telling me it was midday in the Bahamas.
“It’s perpetually summer here,” Asher said, the bright sunlight highlighting the silver in his hair. “This is a vacation spot for students that win academic and practical magic awards, and it’s where we will start our water magic lessons.”
Vacation spot?
I looked around and my eyes bugged at the gorgeous little beach houses that were nestled back in a grassy, sandy area just behind the white sand. There were four of them, each a different color: aqua, purple, yellow, and pink.
This was a postcard magically brought to life, and I never wanted to leave.
Students started to move around me, and I realized I’d missed our instructions. Discreetly, I watched what they were doing, trying to follow along.
“I’m starting to get a complex.” His low voice came from just behind me, causing me to jump and spin around.
“Uh, what?” I said, giving him my full attention. “A complex?”
He shook his head. “You keep running away from me, and I’m almost certain you haven’t listened to a single word I’ve said since we stepped onto the sand.”
Shit. He’d been talking the whole time? “I was listening,” I lied, my voice stupidly breathless. “I heard everything. We’re all … swimming…”
I trailed off, squinting at the students who were wading out into the waves. They’d taken their shoes off and rolled up their pants. It wasn’t exactly swimming.
Asher laughed, a low, husky rumble that made me feel stupid shit I didn’t want to think about. “We’re not swimming, Maddison. We’re communing with Sonaris … with the water itself. This is the most important part of this class, because if you can’t connect with it, you’ll never advance to the next level.”
I cleared my throat, already reaching down to slip my shoes and socks off.
“You probably don’t have anything to worry about though,” he added, and my gaze snapped to his.
“What does that mean?” This was where the extroverted part of my personality came into play. I generally called people out on cryptic statements because they pissed me off.
“It means,” Asher said slowly, “that you almost made it through the doorway. If you hadn’t panicked...”
I swallowed. “My energy is locked down, so … that doesn’t make sense.”
Asher watched me closely, his eyes burning with intensity. “Just because you can’t actively access your power doesn’t mean it’s not there. It exists within you. The water is not confused by blocks on power. It knows all. It sees all. Sonaris, and his water, blessed my people long ago, and for that, all supernaturals owe him their loyalty.”
“He blessed Atlantis?” I asked, my curiosity about Atlantis pushing through my unease.
“Blessed and cursed it,” Asher said. “He gifted them with advanced technology, but when they took it too far, growing bloated with greed and power, he sunk them to the bottom of his precious water to ensure they never abused his gifts. Some of my people believe he will return one day and offer us a second chance.”
“Are you one of the ones who believe this?”
Asher’s expression hardened; his voice became much less open. “I’m more of a live in the now. Searching for Atlantis and Sonaris destroyed my family, and I won’t waste my time on the same venture.”
I was dying to ask him what that meant, but I could tell by the set of his jaw that he’d given me all the information he was willing to reveal.
Thankfully, someone shouted then, drawing his attention, and when that student all but collapsed into the water, Asher turned and hurried away. He reached the student in seconds, hauling him up out of the water and dragging him onto the sand.
“You okay?” Asher asked.
The student was very pale. His thin ginger hair stuck up in wet strands as he breathed rapidly.
“I … it … there was something in the water,” he finally choked out.
More than one student gasped before hurrying from the water as well. Asher straightened to his full height, sending a dark glance around. “There’s nothing in this ocean that will hurt you. If you want to stay in this class, you’re going to have to learn to accept and love the water and all of its inhabitants.”
A few looked ashamed, but a lot still seemed terrified. This was a great way to weed out the students who were only in this class because Asher was the teacher. I moved closer to the water, wanting a glimpse of what was out there.
My gaze ran across the long expanse of ocean, and I realized that there was no end in sight. How big could it really be? Or was this some sort of Mary Poppins’s bag of a building, and it magically went on forever?
Rolling up my jeans, I strode forward. Being this close to the ocean—magical or not—and not going in was a crime. I wouldn’t waste my chance. The sunlight above was warm and soothing, and the water felt and smelled as real as the oceans back home. Cool water lapped at my feet and ankles, and I pushed through it until I was knee deep. A large wave washed the water up over my rolled-up jeans, and I froze as cold tingles started in my feet, moving up my body in a rapid rate.
At first I thought the tingles were just the contrast of warm skin to chilly water, but then they pushed further, up my legs and stomach, before enclosing me completely.
“What’s happening?” someone screamed from behind me
Fucked if I knew.
The water continued to swirl across my body, almost completely surrounding me.
“Maddison, step out of the water,” Asher said calmly.
Right. Water. I had to get out of the magically possessed water.
Focusing with everything I had, I managed to lift one leg, and then the other one, stepping back slowly. As if it was reluctant to let me go, water swirled around me for a few more seconds, even after I was back on dry sand. Eventually, though, it returned to the ocean, and I was left shaking, soaked, and confused.
“Class is dismissed,” Asher said softly. “Spend your time learning about Sonaris. There will be a quiz on him next lesson.”
He might have been speaking to the class, but he was staring at me. As everyone started to file out, I also moved, but when I got closer to Asher, he reached out and dropped his hand on my shoulder. A strong heat burst to life, licking across my skin, the same as the last time he’d touched me.
“Has that ever happened in the ocean before?” he asked softly.
I tried not to breathe too deeply, because inhaling that intoxicating scent of his was a surefire way to make a very bad decision. “No.” I shrugged lightly. “But then again, I’ve never really gone into the ocean before. I’ve walked across the sand, but there was no time to swim.”
“What about a pool?” he pressed.
There was something there in his gaze, like he knew more than he was letting on. “That’s never happened in the pool before. Or the shower.”
Luckily, because I’d probably have had myself committed if it had. Whatever weird events had happened to me had always been small enough for me to dismiss with some sort of excuse. But water defying gravity as it rose up to wrap around me … yeah, not as easily excused.
“What are your other skills? You must have done something to bring your power to the attention of the school?”
I shrugged. “I really don’t know how they found me. Princeps Jones said that my power flared every now and then, and that was enough for them to keep tracking me. The only thing I can remember was shoving my mother’s boyfriend into the wall of our trailer when he tried to hurt me, and he was a lot larger than me, so this was not a normal strength to display.”
Asher’s face darkened, the silvery threads in his eyes starting to slide further into the sea green. “Why do your eyes do that?” I asked, honestly curious. “The silver … it m
oves.”
His words were harsher, as he spoke through a clenched jaw. “The element of silver—and gold to some extent—is linked to Atlantis. My ancestors were all silver-haired, silver-eyed, with dark golden skin.”
Now that he mentioned it, I’d noticed a silvery-gold sheen on all five Atlanteans.
“Can you swim faster than most humans?” Asher asked, returning the conversation to my water situation.
“Never actually raced anyone, so I have no idea. I’m a good swimmer, despite never having lessons or living near a pool.”
He shook his head. “I’m very interested to see what your energy feels like when this sorcerer unlocks your magic. When’s that supposed to happen?”
“No idea,” I told him truthfully.
Asher watched me for a few more long moments, expression unreadable.
“We should get going,” he said shortly, but it felt like some of the tension had faded.
He started to walk away from the water, and with one last look at the sparkling greens and blues, I followed. When we were through the doorway and back in the glass water walkway, he asked me, “What would you say to a few after-class sessions with me? Push that power of yours and see if we can unlock whatever secrets you’re hiding.”
I almost tripped over my own feet, managing to save myself at the last minute. All I could think about was being alone with him. I was attracted to Asher, had been before I even saw his face. Something about him—beyond the godlike looks—drew me in. But he also made me nervous, and I knew I was nothing more than a newbie human chick with weird powers to him. A mystery he wanted to unravel.
Nothing worse than being looked at like a sideshow in a circus. On the other hand, I was pretty keen to unravel the mystery myself.
“If you think it’s a good idea for me to come back here after class, then I’m ready to figure out my energy.”
Worst case, I spent a few hours in a gorgeous beach location with the hottest guy I’d ever seen by my side. Best case: I learned something new about myself.
Asher lifted his arm and glanced at an expensive looking watch. “How about Friday at 6:00 P.M?”
I didn’t have my schedule on me, but I’d already memorized it somewhat. As long as no changes occurred, my last class on Friday was at two.
“Okay, sounds good.”
We were outside of the water world, and there was an awkward moment as I tried to figure out if I should just wave and leave, or if he was going to dismiss me.
I mean, why the fuck I was waiting to be dismissed was ridiculous, but he had me all flustered.
“Wear your swimsuit,” he told me. Then he gave me a nod and turned to leave. “See you on Friday,” he called over his shoulder.
All the breath rushed from my lungs as I sagged against a nearby pillar. “Holy shit.”
I had no idea how to process everything that had happened today, and it was only day one of my new life.
I wasn’t complaining though. This was the most excitement and fun I’d had in years.
16
That night I barely slept again, my dreams filled with water and magic and hot gods. I spent half of Thursday in a daze as I tried to process everything.
“Girl, you’re out of it,” Ilia said at lunch, and I jerked my head up, realizing I’d been daydreaming.
“Sorry, I’m just… Has Princeps Jones said when the sorcerer is coming to unlock my powers?”
Larissa leaned forward, chewing quickly so she could swallow her bite of sandwich. “Yes, shit! I forgot to tell you. He should be here Friday morning. What time does your first class start?”
“Ten,” I said, with more enthusiasm then was probably warranted. “I only have two classes on Friday, one before lunch and one after.”
And then my “off the books” lesson with Asher, which was part of the reason I’d barely slept last night.
Larissa smiled brightly. “Great! Well, Louis will be here then to help you out.”
I’d never heard of this Louis, but Ilia apparently had because she gasped loudly. “Louis?” she whisper-yelled. “As in the Louis?”
I looked between the two of them, waiting for someone to tell me what that meant. Larissa nodded, her lips curving into a sly smile. “Yes. I am so excited to meet him.”
“Who is the Louis?” I pressed.
They both spun toward me. “Holy shit, only the most powerful, hottest, scariest sorcerer in the world,” Ilia said in a rush, and it was clear that she was a fan.
I snorted. “Got his poster on your walls, I see…”
Ilia fanned her face. “When you see him, you’ll understand. I promise you, this is going to be the best day of your life.”
Right. I wasn’t sure anyone could compare to Asher, so I doubted this Louis was all that, but the powerful thing did sound attractive. As someone who’d been powerless my entire life, there was something deliciously enticing about never being in that position again.
Hopefully he’d figure out what was locking my powers out.
When lunch was over, I ended up in my History of Supernaturals class. Of all the classes I’d been to so far, it was one I enjoyed the most. Not just because the teacher was a troll named Quark who stood about five feet tall, with skin that strongly resembled rough bark and a wickedly dry sense of humor, but because it gave me a deeper understanding of this new world.
Quark started by explaining the races, their connections, and how we had crossed from Faerie over different periods in history. He promised we would go into more details about that over the year, and I couldn’t wait.
For now we knew that Faerie was a world that was dying, or at least not easily livable for supernaturals, which was why most of us made our life here on Earth, living with humans, managing our laws and people, monitoring supernatural criminals in the prisons that were scattered around the world.
Prisons that came about as a way to keep our secret amongst humans. Our biggest law, apparently, was do not reveal yourself to the humans. I was already reading ahead in the information packet I’d gotten, and that, along with my Race Morphology textbook, was going to be a future bedtime story.
My last class was Herbalism, in the forest section. After the water world, it was my favorite part of the Academy. It had such a mood about it. Magic gave this school an ocean and a rainforest. It was almost like I got to travel across the world without ever leaving the one spot.
“Okay, I need you to find and correctly identify the ten plants on your worksheet,” said Fleecia, the fey who taught Herbalism. Like most of the fey, she was leggy, with golden-blond hair and very bright cerulean-colored eyes. “Once you’ve located and correctly identified them, then we can move on to their magical properties.”
“Come on,” Larissa said. “I know the best places to find these herbs.”
We hurried away from the main group, venturing deeper into this dark forest. “So you took this class last year?” I asked as we pushed through the thick foliage. It was so nice to have her in a class with me.
She shook her head. “No, it wasn’t offered to first years then. One of the new changes this year. It’s actually a relatively new class anyway, so this is the first year for a lot of these students.”
I pointed out a herb on our list, and she made notes on the form.
“So how did Water Magic go last night?” she asked, while I sketched the herb—wolfsbane: a shifter attractant.
“Uh….” I hadn’t told either of them what happened, but I was pretty sure I’d burst if I didn’t share it. In hushed whispers, I detailed my little water incident and the future secret classes with Asher.
During my story we managed to find three more of the herbs, including cliffston, which when turned into an oil would put a supe into a deep sleep for a few hours. I could already tell that we were going to learn so much about herbal weapons and healing tinctures; supes were dumbasses for not taking this class.
Larissa shook her head, leaves tumbling from her blond locks. “So you’re telling m
e that on your first day of school you managed to catch the attention of the most eligible bachelor of this entire Academy. I mean, girls would sell their family for some one-on-one time with him.”
I snorted, still not sure how I felt about it. “Why is he even a teacher? He’s a student, right?”
Larissa nodded. “There’s no one better with water magic than him, so Dad pretty much had no choice but to beg him to teach the class. Our Water Magic students last year were outstanding, and that was all thanks to Asher.”
No wonder he had everything he wanted in this school. Sounded like Princeps Jones needed Asher more than Asher needed him.
Friday morning arrived and Larissa got a message to me that Louis was delayed and wouldn’t be by until after lunch tomorrow. I was disappointed, but shit happened, so I focused on the two classes I had. They passed quickly, and while my brain was tired from the information overload, I still loved this new life and everything I was learning. The expected freak out never came, because it was just all so fascinating. Not to mention I’d never been this happy and content before.
Later that afternoon, when I was changing out of my uniform, Ilia sighed. “Are you sure you should be alone with him?” She was sprawled back across my bed. “I mean, how could any sane woman not jump him?”
I’d confessed everything to her as well, and it was nice that Ilia and Larissa were aware of my weirdness and didn’t care. No one thought I was a secret mermaid or anything. Apparently they were ugly mean hags, and there was no way I could be descended from that.
“Blocked powers can manifest in weird ways,” Ilia told me. “Yours have always burst out strongly, only to disappear to almost nothing. The water thing could be fey energy, or a magic user skill. We still have no idea who your real parents are or your race mix.”
I paused, standing in just my bra and panties. “Yeah, what’s with that? I mean, shouldn’t they know about interspecies adoptions and shit?”