Call to Arms (War of the Fae: Book 2) (4 page)

As I began talking, I noticed Dardennes’ normally serene face darkening.
 
But by the end of my speech he was nodding, no longer angry.
 
I looked over at the dwarf.
 
He was also nodding his head, slowly, frowning, looking at the others around him for their reactions.
 
Nearly everyone at the table was nodding too.
 
It was like a room full of bobble heads.

The dwarf spoke up.
 
“The changeling shows reason.
 
The dwarves support the decision of the council elders.”

Dardennes nodded slightly.
 
“Thank you.”
 

I tried not to feel awesome about fully-grown fae thinking I had something of value to say, but it was impossible.
 
The smile was going to stay on my face all night, I was pretty sure.

“So, the last piece of information we have to share with you is that we have cause to believe the Dark Fae have an elemental among them now as well.”

And then my smile disappeared, just like that.
 

The room erupted in gasps, loud talking, whispers, and frantic movements.
 
I took it this news wasn’t the good kind.
 
He said there was an elemental.
 
That’s what he said I probably was.
 
That means there’s another fae like me over on the Dark Fae side.
 
I wondered what she was like.
 
Was she put through a test like I was?
 
Or did they hijack her somehow?
 
And what exactly is a hijacking, anyway?
 
There were too many friggin’ questions and not enough answers in this damn place.

The werewolf guy spoke up first.
 
“This elemental has an affinity for what elements?”

“So far all we’ve been able to determine is that it is likely fire.”

More yelling and agitation arose from the group around the table.
 
Chase, Finn, Spike, Becky and I looked around at the chaos and then at each other.
 
I’m sure I had the same expression on my face that the others had on theirs.
 
What the hell?

The happy little guy who was in charge of Becky’s training said, “I suggest
,
based on this information, that our first order of business should be to determine if the changeling Jayne does have an affinity to Water.”

“Here, here!” said the angry dwarf.

“Those in favor?” asked Dardennes.

All the non-changeling hands around the table went up, without hesitation.
 

Dardennes looked at Céline; she shrugged her shoulders slowly, elegantly even.
 

“It is agreed then.
 
Tomorrow, the new changeling Jayne shall go with Becky to the sprite training grounds to determine if she has an affinity to Water.
 
After that, she will go with the silver elves to train.
 
Céline will be your contact, Jayne.”

Céline smiled and looked at me.
 
I guess that meant Céline was one of these silver elves, whatever that meant.
 
It was a good descriptive name for them though.
 
She and Dardennes both had a lot of gray or silver stuff going on – their eyes, hair, even their clothes.
 
I knew that a green elf spent a lot of time playing Robin Hood in the Green Forest.
 
I wondered what the silver elves did.
 
Hang out in the snow maybe?
 
They could totally blend.

My thoughts were interrupted by Dardennes adjourning the meeting
.
 
“Thank you friends.
 
Until we meet again ... ”

Everyone stood, some of them remaining by their chairs to talk, others leaving the room immediately.
 
I joined my friends in a corner of the room.
 
I wasn’t sure where we were supposed to go from here.
 

“So, what did you guys think?” asked Becky.
 
“I told you they would include you right away.”

“The meeting was cool, I guess.”
 
Spike snuck a glance over at Valentine who was engaged in a heated discussion with the dwarf.
 
“Not real sure how crazy I am to be working with the guy who nearly killed Chase.”
 
He looked up at our big daemon friend.

Chase shrugged his shoulders.
 
“He didn’t succeed.”
 
Apparently as far as Chase was concerned, Valentine was forgiven.

Spike gave a wavering grin.
 
“Do you think all incubus – incubi – are as ... flamboyant as that Valentine guy?”

I laughed.
 
“Obviously not, since you’re one.”

Becky smiled too.
 
“Don’t worry.
 
There are as many personality types in fae as there are in humans.
 
Valentine is totally over the top, but he’s not bad.
 
He scares me a little but I think it’s just his natural magnetism.
 
You have it too, Spike.”

I made a sound that had everyone instantly looking at me.
 
It was a ‘you got that right’ sound, kind of a giggle crossed with a snort.
 
I stared at the ceiling, trying to pretend the outburst hadn’t come from me.
 

What Becky said was definitely true.
 
Spike had magnetism before, but now it was amped up to level eight ... maybe nine.
 
Must be that connection to the magic that our amulets had sparked.
 
I had to stop looking at him.
 
I was worried that if we made eye contact, I was going to throw myself at him.
 
I was getting all hot and bothered and this was not the time or the place.
 
I glanced at Becky, but she seemed to be resistant to it.
 

“Lucky you,” said Finn, bitterly.

“Are you upset, Finn?” asked Becky, frowning.

“A little.
 
Wouldn’t you be?”

She shook her head, confused.
 
“No, I don’t think so.
 
What are you talking about?”

“Well, I’m a damn
elf
, for one.”

“You’re upset about
that
?”

“Hell yeah!
 
I don’t wanna be
no
wimpy elf.”

Becky’s eyes got all wide.
 
“Oh, Finn, you’ve got it
all
wrong.
 
The elves are
not
wimpy at all.
 
They are like the tough butt warriors of the forest.
 
They killed all those orcs and only lost one of their
group
.
 
The others who died were all dwarves.”
 
Becky leaned in and whispered, “They tend to go in, axes blazing, if you know what I mean.
 
They’re also
kinda
... short – so they suffer more casualties usually than the other races when there’s a battle.
 
Dardennes and Niles are working on training that instinct out of them – but it’s very difficult.
 
The dwarves are very bold and willing to take incredible risks.”
 
She stood up and talked in her normal voice again.
 
“Finn, just give them a chance.
 
I’m sure you’ll see why they are so well-respected around here, especially now that we are so close to having a war with the Dark Fae.”

Finn nodded his head slowly.
 
“Well, if you say so ... I’ll give it a chance.
 
But if I ain’t happy soon, I’m puttin’ in for a transfer or whatever.”

Becky laughed.
 
“You can’t transfer – you are what you are.
 
Being an elf is in your blood.
 
Be proud of that.
 
It’s a noble race; and that fits ‘cause you’re a noble guy.”

Spike punched him in the arm, making Finn smile.
 
“Yeah, dude, you’re noble.”

I joined in, smiling.
 
“Yep.
 
No one nobler than our Finn.
 
Badass green elf, man.”

Finn couldn’t help but smile.
 
Even Chase’s lips moved up at the corners.
 

Before we could launch into another volley of teasing, Céline walked up to us.
 
“Jayne, are you ready to go?”

“Go?
 
Go where?”

“To your room.
 
I’d like to get you settled in and provisioned for your training tomorrow.”

I shrugged my shoulders.
 
“Yep, I guess.”
 
I looked at my friends.
 
Their trainers were coming over too.
 
“Well, guys, I guess I’ll see you on the flip side.”

Becky gave me a quick hug before moving off to join her little trainer friend.

I turned, following Céline’s receding form from the meeting, wondering when I was going to see my friends again.

Céline walked down the hallway, heading back towards the first room we’d been to, the one where I’d said goodbye to Tony.
 
We went in and then crossed through the room to enter a door on the other side.
 
This was the door I’d seen all the fae coming from and going into when they delivered food to us earlier.
 
The table in the center was now cleared off and cleaned to a high gloss.
 
For the first time I noticed the beautiful grain running through the wood – whorls and stripes of different colors.
 
I remembered sitting at that table with Tony just a couple of hours ago.

“How’s Tony doing?” I asked, as we entered the hallway on the other side of the door.

“He’s fine.
 
The erasing is complete and he is currently being delivered to the plane that will take him home.
 
He requested to go to West Palm Beach.”

I nodded.
 
“That’s where his parents live.
 
He’s better off there than Miami.”
 
I tried to tamp down the pain that was radiating out of my chest, threatening to drive the tears to my eyes again.
 
I wondered if they were going to knock him out with that amber liquid again.
 
Thinking of him being drugged and put on that plane was killing me.
 
I had been with Tony practically every day for the past two years, and there was a good reason for that.
 
I loved him like a brother – more than a regular brother though – like a twin or something.
 

I had to stop thinking about him like this or I was going to drive myself crazy.
 
“So what’s the plan for tomorrow?” I asked, trying to distract myself.

“I will come to collect you at the main hall tomorrow for your first day of training.
 
After that, you will know where to go and I will expect you to meet me there.
 
Training begins at six in the morning.
 
We break for lunch ... ”

I didn’t hear anything she said after ‘six in the morning’.
 
I interrupted her. “Um, excuse me, did you say
six
in the morning?
 
As in six a.m.?”

“Yes.
 
We break for lunch at noon.
 
Then we train from one o’clock until six at night.
 
You have a one-hour break before dinner is served in the main hall.
 
Someone else will come to collect you for dinner, and after today you will be expected to get yourself to the main hall for meals without assistance.”

I was shaking my head slowly.
 
“You should have mentioned that training schedule
before
giving me that amulet.”
 
I felt like I’d gotten suckered again.
 
Fuckers
.

Céline abruptly stopped walking and turned to me, her eyebrow raised.
 
“You would choose not to become fae because we start training at six in the morning?”

When she put it like that, it did kind of sound stupid.
 
But what the hell?
 
Six o’clock in the morning?
 
Nobody in their right minds got up that early unless they had to.
 

I self-consciously shrugged my shoulders.
 
“Maybe.”
 
I wasn’t ready to admit it was immature.
 
I’m actually okay with being an immature seventeen
year
old.
 
The earliest I ever got up for school was seven.
 
I had my ultra-low-maintenance hair-in-a-ponytail ‘do that made getting out the door by eight much easier.
 
I wonder how late I could sleep and still be out the door by six?

Céline continued walking, stopping just a few doors down.
 
“Here we are.”
 
She pushed on the door she was standing in front of, revealing a small, windowless room with
stone walls
and floors, just big enough for a single bed, a side table, a sink, and a chest of drawers with a small silver tray on top and a mirror above.
 
“The bathrooms are down the hall that way, on the left.”