They Call Me Aide

By Jade Jackson

Trapped in between who they think she is and who she yearns to become, Brittyn must figure out her path before it is too late. Unknowingly sequestered at a finishing school for the deadliest fae, Brittyn and her friends find themselves simultaneously learning how to wield a sword and mature into adulthood. This trio of fae composed of rare Selkie twins Aidan and Adair, and Brittyn whose origin is unknown, hope to end their school experience with prestige and honor. Unfortunately for them, others who lurked in the shadows have different plans for them and all of Fairie. Will Brittyn be able to focus her strength and channel her energies in the right place? Especially the once-handsome Markus shows up at school. Her weakness cannot possibly be love? Or can it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 26, 2020
• ISBN: 9781644243305

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They Call Me Aide

Jade Jackson

Copyright © 2019 Jade Jackson

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

New York, NY

First originally published by Page Publishing, Inc. 2019

ISBN 978-1-64424-329-9 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64424-330-5 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Glossary

About the Author

Prologue

In today’s world Fairie, the realm of the fae, is no longer led by two; Seelie or Unseelie, Light or Dark, Summer nor Winter. Presently, it is seven: Eros, Marcor, Fultis, Graygor, Lyten, Dimas, and Nyga. In seven provinces, there are seven royals. One to rule over each enclave in any way they deem fit, as long as there is relative peace. The once war-torn land of the fae is now reminiscent of the human world and their nations with different races banding together to create their new homes. Each monarch possesses the strongest traits of their kind. All seven nations conduct themselves with an overtly friendly appearance; however, hidden agendas run rampant in all areas except Nyga.

Nyga, ruled by King Sulis, is the one area of Fairie that remains neutral and completely peaceful. Members of the past Unseelie and Seelie courts can now live together in peace, despite their differences. This land, the smallest of the seven, holds the one and only doorway to the human realm. All others were permanently sealed to keep fae blood in and the unsuspecting human taint out. Only those of full blood can cross over from Fairie and still return. Those with human blood, once in Fairie, cannot leave. The land calls to their blood and holds them inside whether willing or unwilling, it makes no difference.

The fae and all of Fairie are simply a shadow of their former selves. The real cause is unknown, but most fae blame the intermingling of fae blood with that of the humans. Offspring of human and fae routinely lose all their extra abilities and appeared completely human. Many skills and attributes, once common, have been snuffed out and completely lost. Some species even vanished entirely. All provinces in Fairie have now outlawed human-fae mating. The only remaining humans legally reside in Nyga. They once numbered in the thousands, serving as companions, sources of energy, and even slaves. Now, there are only a few hundred humans who reside in the fae land. These humans live a fairly chaste life. Most work as some sort of paid servant for the upper class. They are not allowed to roam as freely as they once could and remain trapped in a land not their own. Those who are kept in secret are oftentimes abused, experimented on, and sometimes even consumed as sustenance for some species of fae. RedKaps are known to harm humans for sheer sport.

Hidden within one of the newly formed provinces lurks a group of fae committed to bring back all they had lost. Through their own magic and some human technology, they have created a solution or what may become a means to an end. The older fae know what it means to live a life with full access to their powers. The young ones live as simply as they are with very little longing for things they have never known or experienced. Same as is in the human world; the generational gap can be astounding.

With powers dwindling, the fae now choose to send their brightest offspring to the only academy in their realm that promoted the use of powers and growth. This academy is for the young ones who will go on to protect the realm and their rulers from outside forces and covertly from themselves when such a situation arises.

This school for the most special fae is called Hargrave Academy, and things here usually are the beginning of something else altogether.

Chapter 1

They’re coming, the woman says in a harsh whisper, immersed in fear. She frantically looks over her shoulder and repositions herself along with her cargo, now hidden by a cluster of large, leafy trees.

You have to come! the tall hazel-eyed man yells from where he stands, just outside the doorway to the human realm.

I can’t leave her, she says, her voice filled with longing

You have to, love, the man says, equally consumed with loss.

Slowly she lets go of the little girl’s hand. She gives her a small kiss on the top of her head and says, One day I will come back for you. And she runs through the doorway, never looking back, just as several soldiers appear in a nearby clearing.

The little girl begins to cry softly, and one of the soldiers notice her. He approaches her and kneels down to wipe her tears away lightly.

My name is King Sulis, what’s your name? his voice is soft and gentle like a new rose.

The little girl looks up at the king, her stormy-gray eyes wide and questioning, and speaks with a slight stammer. I’m Brittyn, Your Highness. It’s nice to meet you. She attempts a clumsy curtsey.

King Sulis removes his silver helmet and stands to his full height. He appears to be at least seven feet tall with a blue tint to his skin. He shakes out his long, dark mane and begins to whistle. Brittyn immediately begins to relax. Her tears dry up, and she feels warm and safe inside.

What are you? she asks, her head cocking to one side with inquiry.

I, my child, am a Siren. You will always be safe with me, as long as you can hear my voice. King Sulis bends over, picks the small child up, and carries her back to his castle.

Over the next two years, Brittyn is raised as a ward of King Sulis. She is treated as a princess should be treated, as the king has neither wife nor offspring of his own.

Mary! booms a voice much more voluminous than the tiny body that emits the sound.

Yes, Princess Brittyn? Mary says with a perfect curtsy.

The seven-year-old girl clasps her hands together in front of her while she awaits her companions’ wishes. Brittyn waves Mary over to look at the ground near her feet. As Mary peers over Brittyn’s five-year-old head, she sees tiny green vines begin to shake slightly and grow at an extreme speed, racing across the stone like mice in a kitchen.

Mary jumps back and says, How are you doing that? a slight bit of alarm in her voice.

I don’t know. It just happened. I thought it would be nice for everything to be green, and there they were.

Mary grabs her friend by the hand and speaks to her in a hushed whisper. Never let anyone see you do this, she says. People will not understand how you can do these things. Now let’s go finish getting you ready for your new adventure.

Brittyn nods her head in acknowledgement, even though she does not fully understand why. The vines continue to grow more slowly, sprouting beautiful flowers, and growing into fragrant tall hedges in her absence.

Chapter 2

I can’t believe it took me so long tell these two apart. Adair and his identical twin brother, Aidan, are my oldest and dearest friends. We have been the three musketeers as far back as I, or anyone else for that matter, can remember. In fact, we all came to the Hargrave Academy on the same day. We arrived here at the tender age of five, and although our relationship started out slightly rocky, we are all the better for it now.

I remember being dropped off by General Riga in front of the school and left there all alone in my pressed Hargrave Academy uniform consisting of a white blouse with lace collar and black pleated skirt. I noticed all the younger students had to wear this completely unflattering attire. Apparently, if I was to one day grow up to be big and strong, it was necessary for me to handle all of life’s little changes on my own. Hence, the king’s ward was left alone inside the gate of my new home. Eh, in hindsight, it could have been worse. I could have walked to the academy like so many of my peers.

I had a small menagerie of things from the castle and everything I personally owned at my feet in several different boxes and bags. Come to think of it, it probably was everything; by that age, I had not yet accumulated very many personal items. I thought I had been evicted from my new life and sent away unwanted. I remember thinking, I’d never see the castle again or my dear friend Mary. That could not have been further from the truth, and I found out rather quickly when I arrived in my living quarters. There were many reminders of the castle built into my suite so I would not be homesick, but at that moment, I was devastated.

Mary had been my companion for as long as I had lived with King Sulis. She wasn’t actually my companion; she was (in title) my handmaid. She helped me with my daily routines like getting dressed and bathed and the like. She also made sure I was properly entertained between lessons and other events. No one in the world knew me better than she did. I was devastated to learn she would not be traveling with me to the other side of Nyga and the academy. She was just like any other family member, or so I thought. I didn’t really have anyone to base that on. My mom and dad had gone missing when I was three and of course, around here, missing usually meant dead. My young mind did not really remember what they even looked like. I could recall simple things about them, like how my mother smelled at bedtime or her shape against the sun. Nothing concrete though. I could never recall even the tiniest detail of her face and it has bothered me all these years. How could I forget her face? I don’t remember ever having a father, but he had to be there somewhere.

There were several other kids and adults milling around the grounds but to me, they were all strangers and essentially, they were. I immediately felt like I was alone on a deserted island, and I began to cry. And not the silent I’m-trying-very-hard-not-to-cry tears. It was the full-on kind of tears that instantly soaked my white uniform shirt and elevated my face that resembled a fully-inflated beach ball. To make matters worse, I am what you would call an ugly crier. Despite my brown skin, my nose turned red, my eyes swelled, and I had more fluid on my face than the rainiest of days. With that said, I would rather not disclose where said fluid originated but know it usually was a combination of things. You can use your imagination; just think gross. All the while I’m blubbering, I did not realize I had drawn the attention of a small boy with long completely white hair and sweet brown eyes. He noticed my state and came up to me.

Why are you crying? he asked me.

I miss Mary, I moaned in between tear-induced hiccups.

You’ve only been here for like five minutes. It could be fun here. My mommy told me this place was filled with adventures. Don’t you want to have adventures?

I stopped crying and looked up at him, giving him the most incredulous look a five-year-old could muster and asked. What kind of adventures?

Before he could respond, I noticed another boy who looked exactly like him approaching. This boy, although alike in face, had his hair cut shorter and pulled up in a ponytail on top of his head. The boy walked up and pushed me straight down, and I landed on my behind!

He looked at his brother and said, Aidan, we don’t play with crybabies.

I sat in the dirt, looking at him. As soon as he turned and grabbed his brothers’ hand, all of my sadness melted away and turned into all the rage my little body could contain. I jumped up from the ground and grabbed that mean boy right by his perfectly straight ponytail. I snatched his head back so far he nearly fell backward into the same dirt that now covered my once-pristine uniform. I looked him right into his eyes, eyes that looked so sweet on the one boy and so vile on the next.

"I am not a crybaby!"

To my surprise, he looked up at me and smiled.

Aidan, I think I like her. Maybe she isn’t so bad after all.

And poof, besties in every sense. Now at the age of twenty, we are just months away from graduation; graduation from one of the most prestigious academies in the whole of our world, Hargrave Academy for Exceptional Fae. This school is relatively new by fae standards. It has only been in existence for around one hundred years. It was once located in the Unseelie court but since the war it was relocated here to neutral land.

What made us exceptional isn’t what most parents would indeed consider grounds for a special school but the fae are different like that. These are traits parents in the human world would want snuffed out at the first sign. Once we are here, we are bound to secrecy as to what specifically we study despite that fact that it is talked about all over the realm. In the summer prior to our first year of normal fae school, we are required to take a test to ensure proper placement. The test asked us questions that most people would think are just questions. It isn’t, however, what we answer that makes the difference; it’s how we answer. The exceptional fae are classified as those who have an aptitude for problem-solving, calmness under pressure, and a particular penchant for violence. That’s right, violence. We must also score at least an eight on the skills aptitude portion. That number is out of ten, so you must excel at least 80 percent of what the council considers essential skills for your race.

Keep in mind, most fae children score around a three or four and only achieve maybe a five in their whole lifetime. That puts around maybe 1 or 2 percent of the population that can score an eight. One of the things that were abolished after the war was the class restriction. Today anyone who scores an eight can attend the academy but before the war, you had to meet certain class requirements. Lower-class races or the poor could not apply. They also wouldn’t allow races with skills not thought of as useful to attend despite their score. These races were mostly Succubi and Incubi. Apparently, there is no power in a sexual relationship. Go figure. All of that has changed now though. Anyone with the right score can come except humans, and unlike the human realm, education of this magnitude is compulsory and is of no cost to the family. Actually, for the lower status families they can apply for a stipend to offset the cost of their child being here and not working bringing in money for the household.

The Hargrave Academy for Exceptional Fae is a school that taught fae how to defend themselves and others while being able to dish out a healthy dosage of death and/or dismemberment. We are taught how to prolong suffering and also how to provide a quick and painless death. We learn how to hone our powers and innate skills in such a way that we can hopefully pass on strong genes and defend our kingdoms from themselves and outside threats. We are called aides, or we will be once we graduate and are approved for service.

Aides provide security services for most of our kings and queens as well as other high-ranking officials within our world and the human world. It doesn’t matter what kind of fae you are as long as you are able to perform the duties assigned. This service is also not an optional one. If you fall into the rather small category of exceptional, you will be taken to this school at the age of five and trained whether you want to or not. We are told it is essential for the advancement of our shrinking kind. Some people believe the hype while others, like me, stay here because we enjoy it. I personally thrive on the thrill of causing another being any small semblance of pain, if it