You and I are going to have a very serious discussion about these trials and what to expect,I snapped at Kols through our mental link. Assuming I survive.
You will, he replied immediately. I’ll ensure it.
Those snake-vines say otherwise. I’d never been a fan of the hissing writhing vines that surrounded Midnight Fae Academy. And they’d never been a fan of me.
But Kols had always commanded them before, which meant they mostly left me alone.
The way they were circling and acting now told me that would not be the case today.
Tell me what to do, I thought at Kols. Quickly.
You need to win them over by proving you’re their superior. I recommend picking the biggest and baddest of the creatures to tame first. Some of the smaller, less volatile ones, will bow on instinct.
I took in all the beings surrounding us—including the fiery birds soaring above. They were smaller than the Phoenix, but still deadly in appearance. Mostly because their feathers were flames, not soft bristles.
“Clove,” I whispered, calling my falcon to my shoulder.
She landed with a ruffle of wings, her beady black gaze on the sky and the approaching creatures.
A dome of magic appeared from Zeph in the next instant, his defensive skill manifesting just as two of the fiery birds dove toward us.
They hit the green-glowing shield with a sizzling spark that reverberated through the air, their agonizing cries splintering my heart.
Death isn’t necessary, I thought to myself. But death is the Midnight Fae way.
Did that mean the creatures would only understand if I reacted violently?
There had to be another way, a more peaceful manner to tame them. To prove my worth. To be their queen. It didn’t matter that I wanted to undo the ascension later. I needed to master them now, to survive this trial, then find a way to fix everything.
However, I refused to do it through dark methods.
Zeph’s shield zapped another approaching creature, making me wince.
That’s not the way.
Two more fell from the sky, their beautiful lights fizzling out as the birds perished from whatever enchantment he’d woven. I understood he was just trying to protect us, that all Midnight Fae had been taught to fight savagery with responding barbarity, but Earth Fae believed in life. We desired light and sunshine and fresh air and flourishing flowers and happy animals.
I knelt, my fingers digging into the dark rocks of the path, my eyes falling closed as I sought out the plants and trees around me.
The burning thwomps.
The black flowers.
The charcoal blades.
All the foreign Midnight Fae life, and showed them the source inside me. Not the dark one, but the one filled with sunshine and elements—my connection to Earth. Then I manipulated their strength and bolstered their vitality, renewing their purpose and providing enhanced growth.
Roots settled deeper. The charcoal blades stood a little taller. The flowers bloomed.
Around them, the fire gnats buzzed in curiosity, temporarily distracted by the thriving plant life.
My power stretched and grew to the snake-vines, the organism more plant than reptile. They resisted me at first, displeased by my manipulation. But a few gentle strokes of vivacity had them purring instead of hissing, their vines thickening to a more robust shape that slithered with a strength resembling the rocks behind them.
Which was what I stroked next—the gargoyles.
They were made of stone, beings of the Earth, and I surrounded them with my element, marrying the darkness to the light, and providing them a freshness and vigor unlike any they’d ever felt before. I felt their confusion and surprise, two emotions that bled into respect and adoration.
It all happened so fast, so naturally, so kindly, that the other creatures began to swarm in curiosity rather than anger. They’d expected retaliation—a fight. But I showed them affection instead. I introduced them to the Elemental Fae way of existence, while also proving my dominance by being the one in charge of their restoration.