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Feremir
THE ELEMENTAL ARMYwas up next. They started walking down the main road, the crowd cheering for the soldiers as they unleashed their wings and moved in unison. A show of fire, water, earth, and air accompanied their march, reminding us of their power and heroism.
The streets of Terlyth were full of fae, celebrating our will to fight the enemy and our strength in times of dire need.
The parade had started early in the morning.
All of the divination students had been invited to stand with the queen. It was an honor.
We were standing on a platform just a little below the queen’s seat. On my left, Master Leo was staring ahead, watching the parade with a thoughtful gaze.
Aislinn was in the row behind me. Three paces to my right. No matter how often I looked over my shoulder, she would not look my way. Almost a fortnight had passed since our argument, and she had not looked at me once during that time when we ran into each other in the hallways or in class. It was almost as though she had forgotten my existence.
She looked so beautiful now as she watched the parade with a disinterested gaze. Of all the students taken out of class and brought here, she was the only one who seemed to prefer the quiet of the library and our studies to the joyful celebration before us.
I sighed as I turned away from her and darted my gaze back to the soldiers walking down. They were coming from their barracks outside the wall. The main road leading into the city's heart was full of citizens celebrating our heroes as they marched to Crown Square, where the queen regally awaited their arrival.
As they marched toward us, the elementals used their magic to put on a show. Dragons made of water and fire roared silently above their heads. The air elementals used their magic to create whirlwinds that threatened the dragons whenever they tried to move past the boundary between their units.
The earth elementals walked behind them, a small hill following their march and marking their magic against the others. The ground moved to elevate them to a level with the dragons and the whirlwinds. Although I could not see behind that hill, I knew the street would return to what it had been, once the earth elemental unit passed through. The swords they held changed shape as they walked. They could move earth and all its veins.
The elemental army reached the crown square, and their magic ceased. They stood side by side, facing the Queen of Light. Behind them, there was the conjurer’s army. They marched without show, the determination in their march the only clue to their immense strength.
The crowd cheered as the soldiers passed by them. They would not be going into battle yet, but they had gathered. Our strength was on show for those wishing to side with the Unseelie in the coming war. After the conjurers, the shapeshifters appeared on the long line of soldiers, followed by the elite division made up of rare talents.
“That’s where I’ll join,” Hogan said behind me. He was not speaking to me but to his friends. “The elite unit..."
The diviners did not have a unit of their own, so if we wanted to join the army, we would have to join one of the other units. Our power would not be as helpful in the battleground as in the strategy rooms where our visions could aid the generals in their battle plans.
“I will be a fighter too,” Hogan said, as though he had read my mind and wanted to object. “I won’t just wait around for a vision. I’ll be in battle, and I’ll see where they come from.”
“You can do that, can you, Hogan?” Laisren said, his voice full of admiration. “See where a blow is coming from?”
“I can,” Hogan replied. I could tell from his voice that he was lying.
“Then you should tell one of the masters,” the tall boy replied. I was not sure if he was doubtful, but he had laid the challenge either way. “They should train you with the soldiers.”
“I will,” Hogan replied. “I’m just waiting a bit to learn more about divination.”
“You shouldn’t wait too long,” I said, unable to contain myself. I looked over my shoulder to stare at them, the snicker on my lips telling them I had heard all their stupid talk. “The war is almost here. Are you going to wait and join the next war in case there is one in our lifetime?”
“Shut up,” Hogan hissed.
I felt movement toward where Aislinn was. My gaze involuntarily darted her way, and at once, I was met with her glare. I looked away before she could. The anger I felt was making my chest feel tight. There was only one way to release that anger.
“Tell me, Hogan,” I said, “If you can see a blow before it comes, why didn’t you move your stupid face out of my way when I punched you?”
Laisren’s lips curled with a smile for a second before he resumed his scornful expression. Hogan’s mouth opened as though he could not believe what I had just said. It took him a moment to respond.
“Why don’t you go to the queen and sit on her lap for the parade?” Hogan replied.
He and his friends laughed. I had to contain myself despite my tight fist. Aislinn pursed her lips and met my gaze. She looked disappointed.
I turned away from them, not giving Hogan a retort like I had been planning to simply because of Aislinn’s reaction to it. She was right. I was here, taunting Hogan when it had been weeks since the last time Hogan had tried to dare me. Almost as though I wanted the taunting to start all over again...
The army was at the square now. They waited for the queen to get up and give her speech.
My thoughts drifted away. The queen would say the usual things; our enemies were coming, and we needed to be strong. We had to pluck the spies among our ranks; we had to show each other that the only way to win against the Unseelie was to be together and act together. I knew the speech as if it were mine.
