The next day, I crept along the forest path toward the classroom building. My sisters seemed excited about the preparations for the festival, but all I could think about was what my father had said about the protections being weakened.
The air that day seemed colder, as if something in the magic around us was warning of some kind of danger, but I dismissed that insane idea, my sisters were acting normal and so was everyone we passed on our way.
"Blaidd, you know grandma hates It when you're late, hurry up" Eredra called out to me and my heart raced.
I had completely forgotten that the old woman that day was my grandmother, I rushed past my sisters to get there before the Rhowens started singing.
I stalled in the middle of the group of faeries who were already waiting for the lessons by almost running into them and knocking them all down in a disastrous domino effect.
My grandmother, the female with white wings and dark hair gave me a warning look. I was late. And I would probably miss lunch and most of the day there with her punishing me for it.
"Now that the seven have decided to show their grace, we can proceed. You should all proceed to the banks of the river with Mr. Mouren. Blaidd... you come with me."
I walked behind the female who flew ahead of me without bothering to wait for me. We went inside the building that looked more like my private prison.
I sat down on a chair and she began to talk, first about the delay, then about how things could be better if I tried a little harder.
I tried hard not to show the boredom that was rooting through my soul at those words, I tried in every way not to let her realize what was really in my thoughts: no matter how much I trained and studied, I would never produce any magic.
"Blaidd, are you listening to me?" she questioned.
"Yes," I answered irritated.
"Now... let's get down to business. You know that the Faery Cycles were divided a long time ago, the Sirens live in the rivers that cut through the forests, ruled by King Neil, who has three sons, none of whom can claim to be the heir to the throne, because the King makes them compete for the crown like his father did. Neil lost a war against Tâmisa a hundred years ago and with that, he signed a treaty annexing the river kingdom to the cycles, according to the terms of the peace, he still proclaims himself king of the river, he still chooses his successor, but Tâmisa is his queen, in the eyes of the empress of the nine cycles, Neil is just one of her elders. Outside of Vana live the wolves of whom we know little about, they are ruled by an alpha, we imagine he is the royal equivalent. And the remaining eight cycles bring together all the earthly faeries; we are ruled by Queen Tâmisa, who is said to be Morrighan's heir."
My mind wandered during the next story, failing to stick to whatever part of our trajectory my grandmother was narrating. I had heard them countless times before, since I was born to be exact.
This idea made me think of the enormous number of times my parents waited for some magic to appear in me, even though no one believed it. Most faeries children show magical aptitude from birth. As babies some float, burn things, or make plants grow. I never demonstrated that I had a magical breath.
The fact that I could lie was something that no one else knew, a secret that I didn't keep to myself alone. I went back to sticking to what my grandmother said when she was asking me if there was something I wanted to ask.
"Why does the color red scare away some magical creatures?" I asked and the female looked at me with some caution.
"Because red is usually associated with creatures of great power. And it is also a symbol of protection, in ancient times when some calamity was about to happen, some creatures used blood to paint their doors and this protected them. So this is why we believe that wearing the red cloak with the hood protects you from dark creatures that could harm you."
"Grandma, why was I born without magic?" I asked.
She foto up from where she was standing and walked across the room to the window. From there the female crossed her arms and stared at the world beyond before saying:
"I don't know. There have been cases of faeries children being born without magic before, but not maturing, dying in infancy. Maybe their magical awakening is delayed, that's all."
"Do you think I will have some kind of talent?"
"Everyone has some talent, Blaidd, even a human without magical powers has talents. Magic doesn't give importance to any creature, we are strong for the characteristics that shape us, character, loyalty, courage. None of these things magic can give or a creature has or doesn't have."
The old woman began to speak about the laws of the treaties between humans and wizards many years ago, we allowed humans to take wood and food from the forests, but that this was something for their survival and never something just for greed.
As she spoke, my mind drifted again, wandering through stories from books I had read. There was nothing I could do in the forest, but I felt free and alive when I was wandering around in the forest at night.
It took me a while to notice that my grandmother was talking to me, and I only refocused my attention on her when the female spread her hands on the table in front of me, startling me with the sudden noise.
"You will never excel if you continue like this... I know you are intelligent and have secrets we don't know about, but if you keep everything to yourself we won't be able to help you. Trust is the secret to safety, Blaidd." she interrupted herself when a scream reached us.
Several other voices joined the chorus of terrified cries as I stood up and we made our way to the window together. My grandmother stared out at the landscape trying to figure out how to fight back if necessary.
"But what in the name of light is going on?" the old woman asked nervously.
The young faeries came running toward the building we were in, my heart races when I saw Eredra running with the rest of the group, a male bumped into her and she fell, and I finally spotted the creature in the distance coming at her back. Before I could think rationally, my feet moved me toward the door.
"Blaidd, come back here!" my grandmother shouted.
VOUS LISEZ
Red Pureblood
Fantasy"Destiny is firm as time. There is no means of stopping it or slowing it down." Blaidd was born with a burden, in a world in which magic and exuberance means everything. As the seventh daughter of a noble family of faeries, she was born without colo...
