Chapter 2 ABOMINATION

"I was terrified I would be a Fading," Maeve whispered. "Now I can actually get a decent job in the inner city and we can afford a nice house."

I nodded and waited for the next name. I prayed my magic would at least register as an Emberborn so I could live a normal life alongside her.

"Lenora Draxen," Roland called out.

The grand hall went dead silent. Nobody clapped or murmured. The heavy silence pressed down on my shoulders as I stepped out of the line. I walked up the marble stairs toward the pedestal. My palms were sweating profusely. I wiped them on the sides of my gray dress to dry them.

I reached the top of the dais and stood in front of the Celestial Orb. I looked out at the massive crowd of Light Fae staring up at me. Their faces held expressions of disgust and pity.

Roland gave me another small smile to encourage me. "Just place your hands on the glass, Lenora. It will be over in a few seconds."

I took a deep breath and reached out. My hands trembled slightly. I pressed both of my palms against the cool surface of the glass sphere.

Nothing happened for a long moment.

I waited for the warm golden glow to appear. I waited to see the numbers materialize in the air. Instead, the bright golden light inside the hall vanished.

The room plunged into an unnatural dimness. The shadows in the corners of the hall stretched out across the floor. A cold chill swept through the air and raised the hairs on my arms.

The magical text hovering above the pedestal shimmered. The letters shifted into a harsh black font.

"Zero percent," Roland read aloud. His voice shook with confusion. "Voidborn."

I stared at the black words. Fae were creatures of light. Having zero light was physically impossible. I looked at Roland to ask what was wrong with the artifact.

Before I could open my mouth, the inside of the orb began to swirl.

A thick, inky darkness manifested inside the glass sphere. The black smoke churned furiously. The shadows slammed against the crystal from the inside out. The glass cracked loudly under the pressure.

The fracture spread across the surface until the orb shattered into a hundred pieces. Shards of broken glass rained down onto the marble floor around my feet.

The crowd erupted into absolute panic. People screamed and shoved each other toward the massive oak doors at the back of the hall.

"Dark Fae!" Elisia screamed from the front row. She pointed a shaking finger at me. "She has Dark Essence!"

The royal guards stationed around the hall drew their broadswords. The sharp sound of steel ringing filled the air. They rushed forward and formed a tight circle around the base of the stairs. They pointed their weapons up at me.

"I do not know what happened," I pleaded. I held my empty hands up in the air to show I was unarmed. "The artifact must be broken. I am not a dark creature."

"Do not move!" a guard shouted at me.

I took a step back because I was terrified. They looked at me with pure hatred. They firmly believed I was a monster suffering from the Forsaken Veil. They believed I was going to lose my mind and attack them.

A Light Fae archer stood on the balcony above the frantic crowd. He nocked a wooden arrow into his bow and pulled the string back tight. He aimed the sharp weapon straight at my chest.

He released the string.

The arrow flew through the air toward my heart. I did not have time to think or run away. Raw survival instinct flooded my body. My blood burned with a sudden, overwhelming heat. I raised my right hand to protect my face.

I caught the wooden shaft of the arrow in midair right before it pierced my dress. A strange, dark energy flared in my palm. The wooden arrow instantly turned into gray ash and slipped through my fingers.

I gasped and looked up at the balcony.

The archer who shot at me suddenly dropped his bow. He grabbed his own throat and fell to his knees. He gasped for air as his face turned purple. I realized an invisible force was lifting him off the ground.

My right hand was still raised in the air. My fingers were curled inward into a tight claw. I was magically strangling him from across the room and I did not know how to stop the spell.

"Please," I stuttered. "I do not want to hurt anyone."

I tried to force my fingers open but they would not move. The dark magic burned in my veins. The archer thrashed in the air above the balcony railing. His boots kicked the stone as he suffocated.

Roland Ashcroft backed away from me on the dais. He looked at me with wide eyes full of horror. He pointed a shaking finger at my face.

"Barricade the heavy oak doors and execute the Dark Fae abomination right now!"