The Faerie Curses

Chapter Two: The Return to Winter Academy

With a smile I stood on top of the sink and stuck my arm through the mirror. It felt just like sticking your arm through a fountain of water, chillingly surprising, and without hesitation I simply crawled through the mirror. I held my breath for a moment as I passed through, closing my eyes as my ears popped and my head throbbed, but it only lasted for a moment before I could open my eyes again.

I was automatically hit with the cold. The wonderful, bone chilling cold that instantly filled me with pleasure, sweeping away the heat. Then I heard the snow softly crunch beneath my boots, and I looked across the landscape of white with joy. The palace loomed above me, so tall that it's spires seemed to penetrate the heavens and its towers touched the moon. Inside the frozen walls I could hear the loud voices of the Winter Fae, and with a start I realized that I had missed the nightly feast. My stomach growled longingly, but I knew that I had more important things to do.

I set off towards the gates in a brisk walk, inhaling deeply as the wind began to carry snowflakes and lightly toss them around. It was nice to finally be back, back to the place that I have called home for the past four years.

The Winter Academy was a training school that was created for young Winter fae a long time ago. The queen of the entire Winter Court, Mab, created it on the outskirts of the land, in deep isolation. The only thing near it is The Summer Academy; a training school created for the same purpose by Queen Titania of the Summer Court. I could say the two academies have a terrible rivalry. Unfortunately, that would be an understatement.

I reached the entrance and stared up at the towering gates crafted out of ice. They shimmered against the fallen snow, and I bent my head toward one of the guard towers and waved. Almost instantly, the gates swung open, and I entered a frozen courtyard dotted with ice sculptures that the younger students had crafted. I smirked at a crudely made reindeer before pushing open the main doors and stepped inside.

The hall was glittering with ice crystals, and the walls were so sleek that I could see my reflection walking faintly alongside me. A few guards posted here and there offered me polite nods, and I returned them before walking up to one. He was a middle aged guard with skeptical eyes, and I handed him my backpack.

"This is from the latest recovery assignment," I explained, and the guard nodded in understanding.

"I'll take it immediately to the vaults," he responded.

I watched him depart with the backpack held carefully in his arms, and I let out a breath that I didn't realize that I had been holding. The magic was safe. The vaults were far underneath the academy, located in a maze of tunnels underground that led to the Winter and Summer courts themselves. Students have tried to sneak down there to find them but no one has ever succeeded.

I knew that in my sweater and jeans I was in no condition to report the strange news to the headmaster, so I made my way to the Trainee wing, where all the students lived; including myself. The halls were oddly empty since everyone was in the dining hall, and it didn't feel right to be there without swarms of loud, obnoxious faeries fluttering around. I stepped inside my room quietly, my wings beating in an excited rhythm.

It was a small bedchamber, just like the other trainee rooms, with a simple bed next to a window overlooking a frost covered courtyard. A quaint dresser sat in the corner, and I walked over to it before tugging open one of the drawers. I didn't have that many clothes, mostly just a few outfits for different occasions, but I was able to pull out a suitable looking blouse and a long skirt that was customary for female fae to wear. I instantly missed those jeans. With a sigh I left my room and eventually located the headmasters' study.

Headmaster Terron was a deathly serious man; but coldness came with being a Winter Faerie I guess. He sat at his desk, his hands folded in a scholarly manner as I was led inside by one of the guards.