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  Seph flashed that dazzling smile and pulled her in for a hug. Surprising herself, she leaned into it, feeling her mind relax and her body melt against his warm embrace. His heart beat in a regular rhythm, slowly increasing, or was that hers? She was almost disappointed when he broke the hug a few moments later.

  “You’ve been in worse predicaments before,” he said, taking a few steps back and preparing to leave. “You can get through this one too.”

  Jak raised a hand to bid farewell as he strode off again towards his own tent. Well, he wasn’t wrong about that. She had been in far worse predicaments. Getting stabbed by the Royal Priest in Skyecliff, facing a demon army at Foothold, not to mention being held at the mercy of Cain, the most powerful being she knew, possibly the most powerful being alive.

  After speaking to a nearby aid about getting a horse for Elva, she raised the flap to her tent and stepped inside. It was a modest arrangement, with only a small chair and table sitting next to her cot. Their group didn’t have the resources to do much else. But it was still far larger than what she was used to since leaving Riverbrook with the Watchers. And it was one of the largest tents in the camp. Everyone had insisted she take it.

  She needed to get her mind off of the queen’s army for a moment. That problem had been plaguing her since arriving from the east. She needed something to focus on.

  Picking up a few wood chips she’d collected, she set about practicing her brands. Her first brand was still that of a Gifter, and she still couldn’t perform all of the brands perfectly, though she was close. Gabriel had been teaching her more since she arrived. She could already perform a perfect Thunder, Hungerless, Sleeplessness, and Toughness brands. There were still many more to learn, including the elusive Telekinesis, so that’s what she set to practicing now.

  She tried hard not to think about Elva who would be heading to the queen’s camp soon. She hoped the woman would get out of there in one piece. She wished the same for herself and everyone.

  2

  “Jak, she’s back.” The voice of her mother brought Jak back to consciousness. Had she dozed off? Given how dark it was, she must have, and slept several hours too.

  She blinked to see the glowing green eyes in the shadowy face of her mother. In the darkness, the eyes were about the only thing she could see. Shadow Fae were like that.

  “Who...who’s back?” she said as her vision adjusted to being awake.

  “Elva, she returned from the queen’s camp.”

  Instantly, sleep fled from Jak’s mind. “Already?” She stood and brushed herself off. She’d fallen asleep in her clothes apparently, so she didn’t need to dress. Instead, she followed her mother out of the tent and to the nearby clearing where they held their council meetings. Several of the others were already waiting. Gabriel and Skellig were both there, and Jak noted Amelia peeking her head out of the river. Elva stood in front of Skellig, dressed in leather armor and standing straight. She bowed her head in respect as Jak entered the clearing.

  “I’m impressed,” said Jak as she returned the gesture. “I didn’t mean for you to leave immediately like that. You could have waited until this morning.”

  “Forgive me, but I felt it was prudent to not waste time,” said Elva. “The longer we wait, the more chances the queen has to scheme.”

  Well that much was true. Once again she admired Elva’s devotion. Jak could only hope to make it worth her while.

  Once Seph and the rest arrived minutes later, Jak nodded at Elva. “Tell us what happened.”

  “The queen is willing to meet with you. And she agreed to do so just out of bowshot of both armies. She requested one day from now, at dawn.” Elva’s mouth went slack and she looked like she was deciding whether or not to add something. “Ah, she also specifically requested Master Seph accompany you.”

  Seph didn’t look surprised. He huffed and shook his head. “I’ll be there,” he said, though he was gritting his teeth.

  Jak didn’t like having to make Seph confront the woman for whom he clearly felt a deep disgust, but she had already planned on asking him to be there. No one knew the queen better than he, and Jak would need that expertise.

  “Very well, we will meet with them tomorrow at dawn,” she said. “Seph, Skellig, and Gabriel, can I count on you to be by my side?”

  Each returned a nod, but Karlona spoke up beside Jak. “I know you said you don’t want any Fae present. But you’ll need some kind of protection in case she tries to double cross you. We can blend into the surroundings and help if needed.”

  Jak thought it through, but it did make sense. The Shadow Fae were almost impossible to find if they didn’t want to be found. “I suppose that is acceptable. But you’ll need to remain invisible from the time we leave camp. She might have Sightseers keeping watch on our camp.”

  Karlona acknowledged that with a nod, and Jak dismissed the group. She headed back to her tent. She could already feel her eyes drooping again. The sun hadn’t yet touched the horizon so there was still plenty of time until the rest of the camp would arise. But just as she reached her tent, Elva caught up with her.

  “Great Oren, I mean...uh, Jak.” she said, coming closer. “I was hoping to discuss one thing with you in private.”

  Jak grimaced, knowing what was coming. “I’ve told you, Elva. I don’t want to risk branding too many people, especially not until I’m sure I know each brand inside and out.”

  “But you’ve branded people before. You gave Skellig a Healing brand, and then that Watcher boy…”

  “Those were emergencies,” said Jak, not wanting to think about Naem right now. He had been the first she had ever branded, and they had been close for a time, until he betrayed her to the queen. He claimed to have done it under duress, but even that didn’t take away the sting. He should have distanced himself from her, rather than trying to progress their relationship. And now he was gone, presumably still in Skyecliff. Perhaps he was even here, waiting to fight them in the queen’s army.

  Elva mistook her momentary distraction as hesitation. “Would we not all benefit from each ability? The Fae have advantages the rest of us can only dream of. Most of us only have a simple brand, not one that will help us go up against Flamedancers and Telekinetics.”

  “I will think on it.” said Jak, though she didn’t really mean it. There were already too many things to think about. This was one more thing that she simply didn’t have the time for.

  But as she bid a temporary farewell to Elva and tried to get more sleep before the morning, she found she couldn’t put it out of her mind. After all, Elva had a point. They would all be a lot more prepared if they had more brands to rely on.

  Each Fae had their own advantages. The Bright Fae could manipulate light to blind the enemy and perhaps much more. The Water Fae could use the river to sweep their enemies away, which was perhaps the most powerful tool they had. The gnomes and dwarves could turn the earth into molten slag, which could be useful in providing a temporary barrier against the army. And the Shadow Fae could make themselves invisible. Most of the humans didn’t have anything to compete with such abilities.

  Though Elva was probably overreacting. If all went well, they wouldn’t even have to lift a finger, right? The Water Fae alone could probably protect them and lead them out of harm’s way. But of course, that argument wouldn’t fly among Elva and the others. Jak knew all too well what it was like to feel helpless. She wouldn’t want that, even if she was sure that others could save her.

  She squirmed on her cot, trying to find sleep, but it wouldn’t come. The dimmest light began to filter in from the flap of her tent. Dawn was already here. Just one more day until they met Queen Telma. Jak sighed and pushed herself up until she was sitting on the cot. She rubbed her eyes, trying to coax some moisture into them. She would just have to rely on her Strength brand to keep her upright today. It was good at that. But that didn’t stop her head from throbbing from lack of sleep, or her stomach growling from the limited rations that they... />
  Jak stilled. What if Elva was right? Right then, she wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. But what if she didn’t have to?

  Feeling slightly more alert now, she rose off her cot and pulled out her journal, which had somehow survived her last few adventures. Yewin had kept it safe while she had been a prisoner under the mountain, returning it to her once they were a safe distance away.

  She leafed through the pages until she found the one she was looking for. Sleeplessness. She had performed it several times before, and Gabriel said he didn’t see any faults with it, but it was also one of those brands that you couldn’t know for sure until you performed it on a living being. Sleeplessness brands set into wood chips did nothing.

  Jak swallowed. It had been a while since she’d given herself a brand. The last time it had been an emergency, to save her own life. And then there was that time just a few weeks ago when she’d done the same for Skellig. She’d always assumed that the overwhelming need had been part of what made them work. Could she do it without that urgent need? Should she wait until she was feeling more alert? But no, now was as good a time as ever, and she’d done it successfully many times before.

  Picking up one of her wood chips, she practiced the brand once, studying her notes on the brand beforehand. When the light on her Gifter brand faded, she observed the resulting Sleeplessness brand on the wood chip. As far as she could tell, there was nothing wrong about it. Well then, it was time to truly test that theory.

  Trying hard not to think about what might happen if she got it wrong, she placed her right hand on her left arm and activated the Gifter brand once again. She let out a small gasp as a mild burning sensation stung that arm, above where her Gifter and Flamedancer brand lay.

  The brand tingled as the lines connected into their completed shape. Confident that she had done it right, Jak let her magic die. What it left was a perfect Sleeplessness brand, a sort of long hexagon with some lines down the center.

  Jak waited. Well, she wasn’t turning into a demon, so that was a good first sign. And she did feel more alert. Actually, she felt a lot more alert, and oddly...peaceful. Why had she been so irritated earlier? She couldn’t even remember now. Her anxiety was almost completely gone. This...this was a good feeling. Was this how she always felt when she was well rested? Had she ever even experienced what true rest felt like?

  Quickly, she got into her day clothes. Her stomach rumbled again and she popped out of her tent in her eagerness to collect her rations for the day. But then she hesitated and turned back to go inside. If she felt this much better from one brand, what about some of the others. There were plenty that she’d done before. Could she perhaps try Hungerless? It would help save rations for others in the camp who needed it.

  She sat back down and turned her journal to the correct page. Hungerless was another of the passive brands that required no training to use. With it, she’d only have to eat about once a week, if that.

  Jak could already feel Gabriel rebuking her, telling her that they didn’t know how the different brands would react together, that there could be consequences they didn’t know about. But Jak put that out of her mind. Gabriel was right about some things, but she already had far more dangerous brands like Flamedancer. If something was going to go wrong, it would have happened when she first gave herself that brand.

  Once again she activated her Gifter brand and imagined the new Hungerless brand becoming a part of her. This time she felt the pain in her left collar bone. She looked down to see the Hungerless brand settle itself into her flesh. This one had the appearance of an odd-looking star.

  Jak immediately felt the strain in her stomach lessen, and her urge to visit the cook diminished. This was amazing. How many of these brands could she give herself? And what could she do with all of them? She had almost forgotten about Elva and her requests. But she supposed now that she had given herself these brands they were probably safe for others. These latest two could be very useful to their little group, at least for the humans. Some already had one or the other. Elva already had Hungerless for example. Many from less fortunate families had Hungerless. It was one of the few brands that could help you financially. Many avoided starvation because of it.

  Without the need to eat that morning, she stayed sitting and leafed through her journal, coming to rest at the one brand that seemed to elude her. Telekinesis.

  She wasn’t stupid enough to try it on herself just yet. Telekinesis was one of the hardest brands to perform, and it was usually reserved for more advanced-level Gifters. She hadn’t been doing this for very long, but Gabriel said she was better than any other student at her age. That was something.

  Picking up one of her woodchips, she concentrated hard, willing the Telekinesis brand to form. It did so, the crisscross of lines almost shaped like a bird in flight. As the brand took hold, Jak couldn’t see anything wrong with it. It looked just like the illustrations in her journal, which Gabriel said were accurate.

  But as soon as the brand finished forming, the woodchip leapt out of her hand and hung several feet in the air. A clear sign that the brand had not worked.

  Jak blew out a lungful of air. She simply could not figure out what was wrong here. The lines were perfect, she was imagining its formation accurately, and the lines formed in the right order. What was she missing?

  She tried again several times, but with the same result. She would have to get more wood chips soon.

  Sighing, she rose to her feet. Perhaps she needed more instruction from Gabriel. She hadn’t had any lessons in the last two days, since she started helping with strategy. It might be good to see if he had any more suggestions on what to do.

  She finally exited her tent for that morning and shielded her eyes against the sun rising in the east. Gabriel’s tent wasn’t far, so it only took a few moments to get there.

  3

  When Gabriel wasn’t at his tent, she went looking for him at the makeshift commons area where a few tables had been set up for food. Several soldiers and Fae were there already eating their breakfast, a simple soup with not much more than water and some fish caught from the nearby river. Jak quickly spotted Gabriel and ran to meet him. She did her best to ignore all the eyes that followed her everywhere. They never let her forget that she was unique among them.

  “Hello, Jak,” said Gabriel as she sat across from him. He waved over at the cook, one of the gnomes who handed a bowl to Jak. “Have some soup, it’s almost palatable.”

  Jak ignored the comment. “Could you watch me do a Telekinesis brand again? I’m sure we’re missing something.”

  Gabriel set down his spoon. “I can, but I’ve told you before, Jak, you’re doing everything correctly.”

  “That can’t be true, otherwise it would work.” said Jak.

  “Well, not necessarily.” said Gabriel, wiping his chin with his sleeve. “You see, each brand requires far more than just imagining the brand correctly. There are feelings and intentions that play a part.”

  “I know that. With Telekinesis you have to imagine floating in empty space and push out all sensations. But I’m doing that. I’m sure I’m imagining it right.”

  “And I’m sure that’s true, however, that’s not all there is.”

  Jak leaned in, eager for something new to fix her problem. “Yes,” she coaxed.

  “Well sometimes people can get...shall we say...blocked.”

  Jak’s eyebrows knit. “What do you mean?”

  “The brands come from a place within each of us. On some level, our conviction is what fuels them. That is why I was so surprised that you were even able to activate your Gifter brand so soon after receiving it. Many do not learn to do it for some time because it takes a great deal of introspection and determination.”

  “But I can perform the brands, I’ve been successful with most of them.”

  “Yes, but in more rare cases, the block can occur around a single brand, or just a few. Perhaps there is something mentally preventing you from using
Telekinesis.”

  Jak frowned and tapped her fingers on the table in thought. “I can’t think of anything.”

  “I can.” said Gabriel immediately. Jak looked at him and he spread his hands to either side. “Well think about it, your father was a Telekinetic, and you witnessed his death. And it wasn’t a peaceful death either. That single event launched you into the experiences that made you what you are.”

  Jak swallowed. She didn’t like to think about that day, especially now that they were so close to Riverbrook. It wasn’t far on the other side of the river, perhaps a mile or two. She hadn’t been there yet to visit her father’s grave, a grave she herself had made. Her mother apparently went before Jak arrived. She encouraged Jak to go, but she had more important things to worry about right now.

  Gabriel continued, “Now I’m not sure what form that would play in your mental block. Perhaps you are still traumatized by those events and…” he broke off and met her eyes. Jak didn’t realize that they were welling up with tears until one fell onto her cheek. She wiped it away and tried to act like nothing was wrong. “Forgive me,” Gabriel said. “ I would not presume to guess on such a painful subject for you. But it is something you may have to discover on your own.”

  Great. Another thing to think about, and one of the last subjects she ever wanted to approach. Oh well, she would worry about it later, after the queen’s army was no longer a threat.

  “Seriously, get some soup,” said Gabriel, trying to change the subject. “It’s really not bad this morning.”

  “I’m not hungry,” said Jak with a wave of dismissal.

  “Child, I understand the need to ration, but you of all people need your strength for what is…” he broke off as Jak raised a hand to her neck line and pulled down her tunic just enough for Gabriel to see the new Hungerless brand that lay there. His eyes went wide. “You gave yourself another one?”

  To his credit, he didn’t say anything about how dangerous and reckless that had been. Jak nodded. “Sleeplessness as well.”