Avanth smelled the spices first. As the van pulled up to the driveway of a bustling courtyard, Avanth got a sniff of savory spices and foods. The scent of cheese and bread was almost too much and threatened to make him puke because of the lack of food in his body.

He was sure the smell was pleasant to people who had eaten within the last twenty-four hours, but for him, it was nauseating.

Getting out of the sprinter, he craned his head to the large palace-like structure sitting behind the large fountain smack dab in the middle of the courtyard. Spiked towers rose from around the central dome of the building and a large spire was set atop the rounded roof.

It seemed like a holy temple, a place of worship, or a fancy museum at the least.

Iaelie jumped out of the van behind him and gaped at the large assortment of towers. Daxelle followed from behind her and steered them towards the archway leading the gawking tourists out.

"Did you just drive in here with that van so you seem important?" Avanth asked as Daxelle led them out onto the stone-paved road.

"Maybe." 

The driver of the sprinter started the engine and he heard the rumbling of the machinery as the van continued past the building. It exited out the back pathway and disappeared into the throng of people.

"Keep walking, we'll get there soon," Daxelle said, following the rough path around a bend and continued in a straight line.

"What was that back there?" Iaelie asked, her head was still twisted to look at the disappearing palace.

"A library," Daxelle nonchalantly shrugged as Iaelie's eyes widened.

"You're saying that whole building is full of books?" Avanth asked, craning his head back to look at the domed structure.

"Most of it yes, the more important ones are locked away from the public eye in the basements or shipped to a museum in Eyra. The ones in there are just for show, a way for the republic to brag about its supposed intelligence."

Avanth eyed the large crowd of spectators and had to agree. The whole place seemed like a tourist trap and a way for the government to show off its books and shit.

"Anyways, Gwydion's school is just one mile away," Daxelle said, pointing somewhere to the east.

"Gwydion is a wizard?" Avanth asked. 

"Uh, no. He's one of the ancient fae and he just teaches younger faeries to control their powers," Daxelle explained. "And before you say anything, no, he's not a witch either." Avanth quickly shut his mouth.

"Soo, what? We just go there and learn stuff?" he asked. Nothing about this was clear and even on a normal day, he had trouble understanding anything. His lonely brain cells just couldn't take too much mental stimulation.

"I guess. You go there, take a class or two until your powers are under your control and you can do whatever the Hel you want."

Avanth grinned, "That sounds great." His added eye roll at the end conveyed another message but Daxelle chose to ignore it. For a few minutes, they walked in silence and Avanth surveyed the world around him.

Practically living underground his entire life and selling knock-off jewelry didn't give him much time to enjoy the simple things in life, but he had to admit, the forest smelled good.

It wasn't much of a forest, but there were occasional trees and he heard the scampering of the few animals around them.

The sunlight filtered through the thin foliage and Avanth had to squint as he followed Daxelle on the path. He started zig-zagging and Iaelie shot him a look.

"What the Hel are you doing?" she asked. Avanth glanced at her but continued his erratic path.

"I can't trample the mushrooms," he said simply and Iaelie looked down. There were groups of wild mushrooms towards the side of the path.

"The clumps are nowhere near the middle of the road, though . . ." Iaelie said trailing off as Avanth shrugged.

"It's the thought that counts," he said.

"I'm three words away from flipping you off," Iaelie sighed and patted Avanth's head. "Let's go, we're almost there." Daxelle slowed down from her spot three paces ahead and hooked her arms through Iaelie's and Avanth's.

"Yep, Iaelie's right. Just three-fourths of a mile left," Daxelle was grinning like a fiend and patted her pockets. "You guys want food?"

Avanth's head whipped toward her, "You have food?"

Daxelle responded by tossing him a tin foil wrapped cylinder-shaped . . . thing. Iaelie caught the second one Daxelle threw out and Avanth unwrapped his. It was a chicken wrap. He saw bits of lettuce, cheese, tomato, and chicken inside the tortilla and gaped at it.

"You had this the whole time?" he asked incredulously. This looked like the best meal he would ever have.

Daxelle shrugged, "Yeah, sorry." He decided to forgive her and started eating, Iaelie already tearing into hers next to him. The rest of the walk was mostly uneventful, with only small bits of conversation to distract him.

Daxelle glanced up after a solid hour of walking and waved her arm towards the villa like home set just beyond the now-dirt path.

"We're here."

Avanth glanced at the house and noted the ivy crawling up the side of the white brick house. It continued past the window sills and up the black shingles of the roof. It was the same as every other house in that perfect circle with a small campfire set in the middle of everything.

Daxelle led them to the house farthest away from the path and knocked on the door.

Almost immediately, a black-haired man opened the door. He wore a tailored tunic jacket in red and black slacks. There were gold embellished lapels on his shoulders and his perfectly gelled hair set off the classy look.

"You look like a magician," Avanth said, the only thing coming to mind.

The man cracked a warm smile and inclined his head, "Why can't I look like a magician?" Avanth grinned back, the man immediately earning his approval. "Welcome to Kryium Training Center."

The wizard-guy glanced at the trio and waved them into his cozy house. Looking around, Avanth could tell what his favorite colors were. Everything inside was set in a hue of red, black, or gold. The furniture was red velvet with gold swirls acting as armrests and were all set in a similar aesthetic. 

Despite the color scheme, everything seemed warm and welcoming.

The man took a seat on the ottoman, leaving them room to sit on the roomy couch.

"So, what are you guys here for?" he asked, leaning forward to prop his chin on his hand. Avanth and Iaelie both glanced at Daxelle so she could give the full answer.

"I found these two in a busload of inmates from the holding center in Merim and they turned out to be fae. I brought them here so you could teach them to control their power. They won't stay for long, only long enough so that their power is contained," Daxelle explained.

The male raised an eyebrow, "And are you to join them?"

Daxelle shrugged, "Do you think I need to?"

"A little more learning never hurt anyone," he said, smiling gently. Daxelle nodded. "What are your names?" The question was directed at him and Iaelie.

Daxelle sat up a little taller as she pointed to him and then the female sitting on the opposite side of him, "That's Avanth and that's Iaelie. And you guys may or may not know already, but this is Gwydion."

He tipped his head forward at the mention of his name, "Nice to meet you. And of course you all are welcome here for as long as needed until your magic is under control. I won't claim understanding and containing your power is easy, but once you figure it out, living among humans will be much safer.

"In fact, I have two other students in the training ring right now. Why don't you find a cabin you prefer and make it your own while I go tell the other kids about you? You can all be good friends during dinner."

And that slight reminder of food once again reminded Avanth of the last time he had a true meal. Although the chicken wrap had been good, he was already hungry again. He blamed it on all the exercise he got that burned away all the calories.

"I hope you learn something from me. Some people choose ignorance over control," Gwydion said, his eyes shuttering with some dark memory.

The haunted look still clouded his eyes, but he tried to smile as he led them out of the small house.

. . .

Avanth chose to live in the villa near the road. Chose is a strong word. More like Iaelie and Daxelle snatched up the ones next to Gwydion and leaving Avanth to the dust.

He couldn't blame them though, although the city was far away, enough merchants and stragglers drove by and made enough noise to piss off anybody.

When he and Iaelie had showered off the grime of living in a jail cell and then in moving vehicles, they all met up in the mess hall—the large building behind the circle of villas.

Unlike the white villas, the mess hall building was painted bright blue and purple, imitating day and night.

Gwydion was sitting on the porch with his eyes trained on the setting sun before his eyes snapped to the group approaching him. He smiled as he got up and met them at the stairs to the mess hall.

"I hope you enjoy food," he said, sweeping the large doors of the mess hall open.

Picnic styled tables were set in equal intervals around the room forming a grid. Light blue tablecloths were tied to the tables and there were tables lined along the back wall with piles of canned food and spaghetti.

Avanth's jaw dropped as he beheld the large pile of Italian food set on the tables, "You, Gwydion, are now my new favorite person."

Gwydion chuckled as Avanth pretended to wipe a tear away.

"Italian food is my holy savior," Avanth explained as Gwydion motioned for them to go grab food.

He dropped behind to let Iaelie and Daxelle pile up on the spaghetti and Gwydion fell in step beside him.

"Very gentleman-ly," he commented.

Avanth shrugged, "They better get food first or I swear I'll inhale it all." As if on cue, Avanth's stomach grumbled to perfectly accentuate his dramatic statement.

"Then go ahead, I much prefer cream corn," Gwydion said, picking up two cans of corn from the table. Before Avanth could object, he swept away to his table in the dining hall and started eating.

Daxelle and Iaelie left the table with two bowls of the Italian pasta, leaving Avanth with the rest of the spaghetti.

He decided to pretend like he was a courteous guest and only took two tong-fulls of noodles, walking toward the table Iaelie and Daxelle now sat at set near the large oak doors leading out.

He slid into the seat beside Iaelie and she scooched over to make more room for him.

"What do you think of this place?" Iaelie asked, mouth crammed full of food.

Avanth picked up his fork and twirled it in the air, "It's cool. Y'know, the houses are kinda in a cult formation, you know when all the evil cult members circle around the fire and chant?"

Daxelle nearly choked on her next bite of spaghetti, "What?"

Avanth shrugged, "You've never thought about that?"

"I don't think any sane person ever had," Daxelle said giving him an incredulous look. He narrowed his eyes at her and took a slow bite of his food.

Iaelie sighed from where she sat in between them, "Is this going to be a normal thing? If it is, I'm leaving you two." Avanth couldn't help but grin and he saw Daxelle disguise a laugh by shoving more pasta into her mouth.

She opened her mouth to respond, but she was cut off by the large doors swinging open and banging on the wall behind it. Avanth turned to see who walked in and found two teens silhouetted in the open doorway.

The male figure offered a timid wave.

The female hooked an arm around the male's and started towards them. When they were only a few feet away, Avanth could make out stained bandages wrapped around the male's limbs. He quickly realized the girl didn't hook her arms around as a friendly gesture but more to support his weight as they walked.

When the boy's hands touched the table they were eating on, the female immediately dropped her arm and sat down across from Avanth.

"Hey," Daxelle said by way of greeting, nodding at the two newcomers.

The female grinned and made room for her male companion to sit as well, making sure he was comfortable before turning back to them.

"Who're you guys?" she asked.

Iaelie pointed to Daxelle, then herself, then Avanth as she rattled off their names. Avanth studied the way the girl held herself.

She was small. Small and short, but she made up for her size with a striking confidence. Her dark hair was waving wildly around her head in an imaginary wind—a purple streak brightly popping out—but her dark eyes were dimmed. Her olive skin was scarred and bruised, but she looked happy . . . somehow.

For the male, however, he was grimacing and constantly shifting in his seat. Parts of his bandages were tinted red and his appearance seemed to be more muted compared to the female beside him. They seemed to be polar opposites.

They both had a band of leather tied around their heads, tied in a knot over their temples.

The male's tanned hand reached up to pull some of his short black hair across his face.

"Nice, this right here, is the most amazing Zadyn," the female said, motioning to her friend. He gave them a tight smile.

"Who're you?" Daxelle asked.

She seemed to hesitate before answering and cast a quick glance at Zadyn, but responded, "Adahlia." Zadyn perked up a bit and gave her a questioning look.

"Or Asteria to Zadyn if he feels like it," she added.

There was a tense silence and almost like magic, Gwydion appeared next to their table and smiled, "Glad you guys met each other. Have you all introduced yourselves?"

They all nodded collectively and Gwydion nodded, "Perfect. Tomorrow we begin training. Sleep well and be rested. Until then, however, you may enjoy your evening with each other."

He waved goodbye, "The Night Lord beseeches you."

Avanth stared at everyone for a few awkward moments before starting the conversation back up, "You guys are fae?"

Zadyn nodded and Adahlia seemed to remember that fact, her eyes darting to the points of Zadyn's ears peeking through his thick head of hair.

She asked, "Do you have powers?" This caught the attention of Daxelle who was currently covered in tomato sauce.

"Uh, Physical Manipulation," he answered. Adahlia smiled, "Cool. And you guys?"

Iaelie shrugged, but Avanth answered for her, "Battle Magic." Daxelle raised an eyebrow at him and he waited a few moments for her to swallow her food. 

Daxelle cleared her throat, "You do know that we aren't really magic. We just have special DNA or some shit to bend physical or mental things. Even emotions I think." Avanth shrugged and with a glance at everyone else at the table, it seemed like it was only Daxelle who knew this.

She sighed and pointed at Adahlia, "What are your powers?"

"Elemental crap," she answered immediately.

"You're kind of like a magnet for nature-y stuff and if you learn to control that magnet, you control the elements," Daxelle explained.

"Ohh, and what about Zadyn's manipulation and Iaelie's strong . . . ness," Adahlia asked.

"Zadyn can manipulate things like you, but only nonliving things, which you can control abiotic and biotic factors. Iaelie has some sort of protein I guess that gives her extra strength and speed and hand-eye coordination," Daxelle waved her fork in the air, pasta twined around the fork tines.

"Oh, um, I didn't pay attention in science," Adahlia said. "Could you dumb it down?"

Daxelle considered her question for a few seconds, "I don't really know how to explain it because I'm not a psycho-genius like Gwydion, but we're just born with extra abilities."

"Oh. What are your powers?" she asked.

"Mental, uh, control I guess. I mess with the mind," the foodie said, already turning her attention back to what's on her plate. Adahlia nodded.

Zadyn glanced at them all and his gaze landed on Avanth, "What are your powers?"

Iaelie turned to face him as well and Adahlia lifted her head from where she was staring at the light blue fabric laid over the table. Even Daxelle watched him.

Avanth shrugged.

"What was the magic that got you caught?" Iaelie asked and Avanth shrugged again. She frowned but gave him a questioning glance.

Are you ok?

Avanth shrugged again and broke Iaelie's gaze. He looked away just to find Adahlia studying him with a strange expression on her face. Like she was trying to understand something.

He blinked at her and she blinked back.

"Do you think Gwydion is magic?" he asked, holding Adahlia's dark gaze.

"Maybe? He seems like unicorn material," Adahlia responded. Daxelle snorted and Adahlia turned to her, "Do you know what he can do? As fae, I mean."

Daxelle nodded, "He can walk through solid objects."

Iaelie scrunched up her face, "I'm trying so, so hard to not make a joke right now." Avanth chuckled and Iaelie shot him a look. "You're not helping." Avanth just grinned and twirled his fork in the spaghetti.

Adahlia tapped her nails against the table and stood up, "See you, humans. I'm going to go sleep now. Bye, Zadyn, remember, find a better name. Ok, byee."

Zadyn waved, slightly confused but after a few minutes in the awkward silence, he got up to leave too. Without Adahlia's support, he limped his way out of the mess hall and into his cabin.

Iaelie watched the fading colors of the sunset give way to midnight blue and left as well, claiming she was tired. 

Avanth knew she was exhausted, they all were, physically and mentally it seemed.

Daxelle glanced at her empty plate and grumbled an excuse Avanth didn't hear before getting up to wash the plate and heading to her villa.

Alone by himself in the mess hall, Avanth studied the space around him. His eyes caught on the portrait of a young man hanging on the back wall of the room. He had a shock of dark hair and the photo seemed to have been taken mid-laugh.

He seemed like a younger version of Gwydion.

Avanth glanced at his half-full plate and got up to clean it. Staring out the window above the kitchen sink next to the line-up of food, he closed his eyes and took in the cool night breeze.

Inhaling, he took in all the anger, stress, and grief he felt over the last few days and pulled the emotions into his core, and exhaled. In blasts of dark waves, his power roiled over the empty tables and out into the night where his magic blended in with the black sky.

It burst out of him in powerful explosions and when he no longer felt that constant strain and pull of his magic, he opened his eyes and saw Adahlia, eyes-wide, in the doorway.

february 16, 2022
𝖙𝖊𝖊𝖍𝖊𝖊, 𝐁𝐚𝐢
© azalyme ₂₀₂₂