The faeries leaned against the damp stone walls coughing and wiping the tears from their eyes. Their magic would heal their lungs quickly, they just had to wait it out.
"I'm so sorry, guys." Bloom said softly, wrapping her arms around her torso. Her eyes darted between her friends, who were eagerly breathing in the fresh air. "I'm still figuring this whole magic thing out.."
"You got us out of there, and that's what matters." Stella rasped out, tucking a loose strand of golden hair behind her ear. "How'd you even do it, anyways?"
Bloom shrugged, and looked down at the ground. "It just kind of happened. Like I just figured out how to read the school and how to communicate with it." Bloom kicked a small rock with her blue boot. It clattered along the floor and bounced off the wall. "It was strange."
"Let's just get back." Musa said, clearing her aching throat. She pulled on her red dress and flared her four rounded pixie wings. "and then forget this whole thing ever happened."
Stella, Musa, Xenia, and Flora didn't shift out of their wings until they stood behind that picture frame of the nine nymphs. They had been too paranoid after their strange evening to shift back, so they stayed on their guard, and had allowed their magic to heal their aching lungs.
Bloom hadn't complained. She'd hardly spent any time with her wings, and had been more than eager to fly up the narrow stairwell rather than climbing the endless stairs.
But behind that picture frame, she allowed herself to relax and peer through the painting. The lounge was empty, so Bloom slowly edged the painting off the wall, allowing the frame to swing open.
Bloom hopped down onto the rug, her blue heels clacking softly. She helped Stella out, and then Musa, Xenia, and flora. Bloom eased the painting back over the secret tunnel, her eyes lingering on Mal as she did so.
The similarities between Stella and her ancient ancestor were startling. Mal's golden hair (the same exact shade as Stella's) was braided around her head, where a golden crown gleamed. She sat upright with perfect posture, looking more regal than any one person had the right to. In her right hand was Sun-Weaver.
Bloom turned towards her friends, and reached her magic inwards to pull on that thread. Her wings and shimmering clothes disappeared in a flash, and Bloom put her hands in the pocket of her black sweatshirt. "I'm exhausted."
Stella, who had also shifted back loudly yawned. "Me too." Her lungs ached and she was eager for a warm bath.
Bloom couldn't take her eyes off that painting. She couldn't explain why, or how, but it felt important to her somehow. Like it was something she needed to know.
"Uh, professor, can I ask you a question?" Bloom looked up from the lesson book, her fingers tracing a symbol on the page mindlessly.
Professor Palladium looked up from his desk. He had a quill in his hand, which Bloom almost thought was fake, but alas, he was seriously using it to write. "Of course."
"I'm not sure if you've been into the West Wing lounge, but there's this painting that looks really similar to an image on the glass mural near the main staircase. It's a group of nine people sitting at a round table.."
"Ah, the original nine nymphs of magic. Is that what you're asking about?"
Bloom nodded.
"Is there anything in particular you would like to know?" Palladium's hair was pulled back into its typical braid, his pointed ears on full display. Bloom tried not to stare, but it wasn't exactly easy. He was wearing a golden tunic with high collars, and a burnt red jacket that clasped with a chain and pendant over his collarbone.
Bloom shrugged.
"The nine nymphs were the wielders of an ancient magic called Eldnjm Dryr." Bloom noticed the words of the fae language, the strange pronunciations and emphasis. She recognized one word in particular, because she had heard the girls use it occasionally. Dryr. Palladium continued, "There were nine nymphs to represent the nine great kingdoms in the magic dimension, with one nymph being chosen from each. Eight nymphs were a mix of witches, faeries, specialists, shapeshifters, and other powerful beings, plus one nymph from the elven kingdom."
Bloom chewed on the inside of her lip mindlessly. "And how do they get there? Are they elected?"
Palladium shook his head. He looked down as he said, "The Eldnjm Dryr chose them."
Chose. As in past tense. Bloom didn't miss his careful wording.
She said softly, grimly, "What happened to them?"
"They perished on Domino." Palladium's eyes were haunted, pain flashing across his features. "Along with Eldnjm Dryr." Bloom wondered if, to him, that war felt like months ago, maybe a year, versus the multiple decades that had passed.
The war on Domino, Bloom recalled. The only war that the elven armies had fought in. Bloom put two and two together. Without the ancient magic to choose the nine nymphs, the court ceased to be. Interesting, these strange magical politics.
"If you would like to study faerie history, then I suggest you learn how to read the fae language." Palladium said, turning back to his paper and dousing his quill in fresh ink.
And that was that.
When Bloom exited Palladium's study at the end of the class period, she was met face to face with Flora, whose arms were wrapped around her books and was chewing on her lip nervously. "We've been summoned." She said, taking a step back so Bloom could exit the room.
"What do you mean, summoned?" Bloom questioned. She walked out of the classroom and Flora matched her pace beside her.
"To Faragonda's office."
Bloom's breath hitched. "God help us." Bloom breathed out.
Bloom felt even worse as she walked into the office and beheld her other three suitemates sitting there already, looking just as nervous as Flora had. To make matters worse, Griselda was standing beside Faragonda's chair. And she looked like she was out for blood.
Bloom took a seat, and Flora quickly followed. "What's going on?" Bloom asked, her eyes darting between all of the people in the room.
Faragonda smoothed her skirt as she said, "I received a very interesting phone call today from Matron Griffin this morning. She claimed that five faeries snuck into her school yesterday. She said an ancient text from her spell book was missing." Her hair was pulled back into its usual French twist today.
Bloom's head reeled, both from the fact that they had been caught in Cloud Tower, as well as the additional accusation.
Nobody spoke, so Bloom said, "We didn't steal anything from Cloud Tower, if that's what you're accusing us of.." She trailed off, holding Griselda's hard gaze as she narrowed her eyes slightly.
Musa jumped in, "We have no use for some dusty old witch spell."
Stella, for once, was quiet.
"But you do admit that you snuck into Cloud Tower last night?" Griselda said, placing a hand on her hip.
Nobody spoke. Nobody even breathed. So Bloom just kept her gaze on Griselda and said, "Yes."
Faragonda let out a dismayed sigh. "Why would you girls do something like that? We were very clear that this behavior would not be tolerated. Especially from you, Stella."
Stella looked down, her cheeks reddening.
"I'm sorry." Bloom said, "Don't blame Stella. It won't happen again."
"It certainly will not." Griselda said, her nose pinching up in anger. Faragonda continued, "And you Bloom, after we gave you a second chance to stay here- to master your magic, you disrespect us, disrespect this institution, and disrespect Matron Griffin."
It was Bloom's turn to avert her gaze. "I take full responsibility for my actions."
"Do you care to enlighten us on why you were in Cloud Tower in the first place?" Faragonda clasped her hands together and rested her hands on the desk.
Nobody spoke. Bloom opened her mouth, to cover for them, to spin a lie, but nothing came out. To the grave.
Faragonda pursed her lips, her eyes making her disappointment perfectly clear. "I see." She looked to Griselda and motioned to the faeries.
"Your punishment will be severe," Griselda said, "but if I had my way, you all would have been expelled."
Bloom gulped.
"Tomorrow afternoon and evening, the school will be empty, due to a school field trip to Veritas. We will be back late tomorrow evening. You five, obviously, will not be attending. You will remain here, and will clean every inch of this school."
The girls exchanged glances. Every inch?
Griselda continued, "Windows cleaned, chalkboards washed, floors mopped and waxed, and lights dusted." Griselda snapped, and a bunch of cleaning equipment- brooms, mops, buckets, dusters, and spray bottles- appeared near the door. "And no magic." Griselda said. She snapped again, and a sturdy wooden box appeared on the desk before the girls. "Open it." Griselda commanded.
Bloom was the first to do so, and as soon as she lifted the lid, she instantly snatched her hand back. Her magic recoiled, and she grimaced. In the box were five sets of bracelets. They were a greenish hue, and they glowed slightly, emitting a pulsing that she wanted to scoot her chair away from.
Wrong wrong wrong.
Those bracelets were not normal.
"Magic nullifiers." Faragonda said, noting the pained expressions on all of their faces. "They're only this unpleasant when they aren't neutralizing magic. Once you put them on, you won't notice them. But you will not be able to access any of your magic."
"How long?" Flora asked, softly.
"Until we deem your discipline complete."
Bloom was the first to grab it. She wanted to chuck the strange object across the room. Her head pounded as she made contact with the bracelet. Her limbs felt so heavy, as if telling her to run. Get away from this, don't do this. Black spots appeared in the edge of her vision, her body viscerally reacting to the material.
This was cruel of the headmaster and disciplinary head. To cut a faerie off from magic was like taking away your eyesight, or your sense of touch. It was like keeping a wild animal in captivity. It wasn't punishment, it was torture.
Bloom thought she might throw up.
Bloom opened the clasp, and snapped it on her wrist, seeing stars the entire time. As soon as it was on, her head and vision cleared. She stopped feeling acutely aware of the foreign metal. Faragonda was right. "It feels fine." Bloom said to the four girls who looked at her warily.
The faeries followed suit, looking pale as they did so.
It was odd. Bloom hadn't noticed she'd become accustomed to her magic, to feeling the magic and allowing it to heighten her senses, but as she lost access to it, the room seemed duller, the sounds slightly more muted. She felt disconnected from the objects and people around her, like she was confined in a space suit.
Had she lived her entire life like this?
And how had she not realized that she had started to truly become used to and rely on magic?
"You are dismissed." Faragonda said as the last bracelet clasped into place, interrupting Bloom's thoughts. She blinked a few times as she got up, keeping her eyes fixed on the door. None of the faeries spoke until minutes later, when they strode into their suite.
"Fuck Griselda." Musa said, scowling. "This is ridiculous."
Bloom looked at Xenia, Flora, and Stella. They did not look well.
Xenia was panicking, and Flora looked like she might be physically sick.
Perhaps it was even harder to adjust to this strange foreign feeling for people who hadn't spent 18 years living like it.
"Are you guys okay?" Bloom asked, her eyes softening.
"I don't like not being able to feel my plants, feel you guys.." Flora shook her head. "It feels like my body isn't my own, like my senses are deceiving me. Nothing feels real."
"like a hallucination?" Bloom asked, placing a hand on Flora's shoulder.
She nodded. "Like a dream."
Xenia was fidgeting.
"Well," Bloom said, "This is how I spent my entire life feeling, so now you all know what that was like. It would've been nice to know these existed when I was scared I would kill my boyfriend in my sleep." Bloom confessed, but she said it lightly, trying to make a joke of it.
Xenia cracked a smile.
Flora met Bloom's eyes. "Would you have done it? Worn it and spent your entire life not knowing?"
Bloom's mouth formed a straight line. She nodded, once. "In a heartbeat."
"You were born for something greater than your idiotic pursuit of normality, Bloom." Stella said, despite rolling her eyes, they were nearly glowing with intensity.
And despite the harsh tone, or the thinly veiled disdain, Bloom decided to take it as a compliment.
...
Matron Griselda sat behind her desk, examining the sacred text. Her mind kept tracing back to what had transpired the previous night. Even though the supreme witch was still in her office when the faeries were in her school, her magic was connected with the school in such a way that she could almost see them while they were within the walls. She saw how their magic breathed and wrapped around them. She could see their movements and shapes, like a sonar image.
As Griffin's magic located the faeries, she noticed the four glimmering threads were accompanied by another. This Magic was older. Darker.
Maybe that wasn't a faerie, but someone else. Something else.