He smiled. "Getting angry won't solve your problem, Aurora," he said, as he continued to throw nuts at me. "Be calm, and control your thoughts, concentrate and touch your power source. Anger only slows the process; it weakens the shield."

I tried to concentrate on what he was telling me to do, but the nuts kept hitting me and breaking my concentration. Although the nuts were small, they stung when they hit, and it was becoming impossible to concentrate.

But I knew I must; it was the only way for the irritating nuts to stop reaching me. I looked at Uncle Gabriel. He was leaning nonchalantly on his desk and was systematically throwing nuts at me. His lips were curved in a smile. He was enjoying this, I realized, which made me more determined to show him that I was more than capable.

I knew what I had to do. I closed my eyes and silenced my mind, just like I had in my concentration lessons. I looked deep inside; there in the silence I could feel it. The white-blue light pulsated; it had grown since the last time I saw it, and this time it was easier to reach it.

"Now concentrate, and imagine a shield growing around you, a shield of light. Nothing can penetrate the shield unless you let it," said Uncle Gabriel.

I did as I was told. Imagining the shield, I could feel the white light coursing through my body; I drew it around myself like a cloak. Suddenly the barrage of nuts stopped. I opened my eyes, all the while conscious of what I was still doing. The nuts hadn't really stopped, Uncle Gabriel was still throwing them at me at regular intervals, but somehow they bounced off an invisible shield that I had created. Just as I was patting myself on the back for creating the shield, I could feel it wavering. My concentration broke, and a nut hit me on the head.

"Ouch!" was all I could say as I stood in front of Uncle Gabriel, rubbing my forehead.

"That was very good," said Uncle Gabriel, laughing. "I knew you could do it, even with your amulet on."

I tried a half-smile. Although I was inwardly pleased with myself for managing a shield on my first try, I didn't appreciate being pelted with nuts, but Uncle Gabriel seemed to think it was very funny.

"I can try again," I said, determined to show him that I was stronger than I looked.

"That will be all for today, Aurora," said my granduncle, sitting back down at his desk. "I have work to do and you must be tired after using your powers for the first time."

"No, not really," I said, shrugging. I didn't feel like I had put in much effort, and I wasn't tired at all. "Should I be?"

"Well, ordinarily, yes," said my granduncle. "But it seems your powers are different to what I expected. A shield attempt by a novice should have tired you out to some extent, at least."

I shook my head. "I don't feel any different."

"That's good, very good," said Uncle Gabriel. "But that doesn't mean that you mustn't be careful. Magic requires a lot of strength of will and character. Just having powerful magic does not necessarily make you a great mage. You have to think before you act, because magic always comes with a price."

I nodded. Uncle Gabriel's philosophical statements always went a bit over my head. What did this mean? How different were my powers really?

"I also want you to keep in mind that the amulet you wear around your neck, although keeping you safe from Morgana, diminishes your powers to that of an ordinary mage."

"I understand that it keeps Morgana from finding me with magic," I said. "But why does it diminish my powers?"

"Well," said Uncle Gabriel, leaning back in his chair and stroking his beard. "The amulet you wear around your neck was created thousands of years ago by the first fae-mage, Auraken Firedrake. He was high king over the seven kingdoms and Avalonia flourished under his rule. But one of the king's advisors, Haldred, a powerful mage, turned to dark magic. He rebelled against the high king and led an army of dark sorcerers into Illiador. Auraken rode out to meet Haldred in battle. He defeated him and his army of evil creatures: dark fae, demons, and hideous abominations from the depths of the underworld. The survivors fled north, beyond the Silverspike Mountains and into the land that is now known as Maradaar, or the Darklands."

"And the amulet?" I prompted. Uncle Gabriel had started rambling, and I didn't want to go into a full-fledged history lesson at this moment.

"Ah yes," he said. "Auraken made the amulet after many attempts on his life, to mask his own powers so that he could move about the land undetected. But the amulet is infused with powerful magic, and as I just told you, all powerful magic has a price. The amulet, when worn, diminishes a fae-mage's powers to that of an ordinary mage. That is the price you must pay for its protection."

I sort of understood what he was saying.

"But if I take it off, won't I learn faster?" I asked.

"That is a very good question," he said. "One of the main advantages of wearing the amulet, other than its protection, is its ability to control the intensity of a fae-mage's powers."

"I don't understand."

"A fae-mage is a very rare and very powerful being with almost limitless, but wild magic," said Uncle Gabriel. "The magic you possess is almost impossible to control without the right training."

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes in times of great stress or need, your powers can come forward like a defense mechanism," said Uncle Gabriel. "Fae-mages have been known to destroy whole villages before they were found and taught magical discipline. You must learn to call your powers at will and then learn to control them, because control is the most important element in the use of magic. Without it, magical powers can do a lot of damage to yourself and those in your vicinity."

"Oh!"

"That is why you must be very careful. No one must know that you are a fae-mage. The time will come when you will be able to reveal yourself to the world. For now your life is in danger. If Morgana found out what a threat you really are, she would stop at nothing to find you."

"But you told Aunt Serena and Erien?" I said.

"That's because Serena and Erien are family. They would never betray you."

"And Rafe?" I had to ask. "Why did you tell him?"

"Ah, yes, Rafe," Uncle Gabriel said, with an indulgent smile. "I trust him completely, and I need his help from time to time with things that I cannot trust anyone else with."

"So who is he really?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"It's better you don't know, my dear," said Uncle Gabriel, trying to look serious, but I could make out that he was suppressing a smile.

Why would no one tell me anything about Rafe? It was so frustrating.

"I hope I won't need to tell you again that you must keep the amulet on at all times," said Uncle Gabriel. "For now, you will let your fae magic remain dormant until such a time that we can acquire a teacher for you."

He got up and went over to the other side of the huge desk, rummaging through parchments, muttering to himself again and shaking his head. "Never in all my years . . . wonderful, wonderful . . . very strong and immortal fae too." He turned to look at me. "In fact, you are the only fae-mage besides Auraken Firedrake ever to be an immortal fae."

"What?" I said, completely forgetting my manners for the hundredth time.

Uncle Gabriel looked at me sharply. "What I mean, my young Aurora, is that of all the seven fae-mages ever to have lived, you and Auraken Firedrake are the only ones born to an immortal fae. All the others were born to ordinary fae beings."

I let the words sink in. Was this guy kidding me? First I found out I was actually from another world, then I found out I was the daughter of a king and I wasn't even completely human, then I discovered that I had two kinds of powers even though it was unheard of. Come to think of it, I wasn't even normal here in Avalonia, where everyone had magic and different powers. I was a strange being that no one had seen in over a thousand years. And apparently I was going to live for a very long time.

"What exactly is the difference between immortal fae powers and ordinary ones?" I asked.

"You will learn about your fae heritage another time," he said. "We have to do this in steps. First we concentrate on your mage powers. Learn to control that, and then we will see about your fae magic."

I nodded. I was still utterly confused, but somehow I felt a little relieved. At least I finally knew who I really was.

"I have some important people coming to meet with me later today," said Uncle Gabriel, rummaging through his papers. "We will continue this lesson tomorrow, I have a lot of work to do."

12.

Shield After my class with Uncle Gabriel, I ran down the endless steps and long stone corridors into the courtyard. Finally I caught up with Erien. He was just going out for his daily ride.

"Hey Erien," I called out.

He stopped and turned around. "Good afternoon, cousin, did you have a good lesson with grandfather?"

"Oh yes," I said. "I learned to create a shield."

"Oh good, a magical shield is really helpful," he grinned. "Got me out of many scrapes in school."

I smiled at his nonchalant attitude towards magic.

"So do you go to some sort of school for magic then?" I asked.

Erien nodded. "I'm in my second year at the Academy of Magic at Evolon," he said. "Your father went there too."

"He did?"

Erien nodded. "Azaren was a legend there; all the teachers loved him, not because he was a prince, but because his powers were truly exceptional. Now Evolon is run by one of the most brilliant minds of our times, the Mastermage Elial Dekela. He changed the laws completely, allowing mages from classes other than the nobility who have the gift to study at Evolon."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, in the old days, only those from noble families used to be accepted to study at Evolon and Nerenor."

"What's Nerenor?"

"The Academy of Magic at Nerenor is the rival school to Evolon," said Erien. "It is situated in the north of Illiador, in the city of Nerenor itself."

"I was wondering, can I come with you for a ride?" I asked. "I would really like to hear more about Avalonia."

Erien looked perturbed. "I am not really supposed to be taking you out of the castle. My grandfather said you were to travel only with guards."

"What about you? Why are you allowed to go without guards?"

"I'm not really allowed to go," said Erien, looking a bit sheepish. "I was just seeing if I could sneak off for a while. I know a back way out of the castle. The gatekeeper at the eastern gate is a friend of mine. He often lets me go for rides alone."

"But isn't that dangerous?" I said.

"No, not really," said Erien, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't go far, and Grandfather's troops manage to keep the woods relatively safe. It's just that I hate having someone following me all the time. Being from the nobility can get very suffocating. Sometimes I just need to get away on my own and clear my head."

My eyes lit up. "Then let me come with you," I pleaded. "You said yourself that it's safe in these woods. We can go for a ride and be back before anyone even knew we were gone. And I can shield myself now. What could go wrong?"

Erien finally agreed begrudgingly to my request and found me a pleasant-tempered chestnut mare to ride. I ran over to meet Snow and check on her, explaining that I couldn't ride her since we would be too conspicuous and I had to blend in. I got on my horse and followed Erien through the eastern gate, through the town of Fairlone and into the valley beyond.

Riding along the little paths in the countryside was pleasant and uneventful. We crossed green meadows strewn with carpets of wildflowers and passed isolated farmhouses. The little valley was awash with a myriad of colors.

After ambling through the woods for a while, a pleasantly shaded thicket of old beech provided a nice resting place for us. We ate our meager meal of bread and cheese with a few salted pieces of roasted meat that Erien had taken from the kitchens before we left. It was quite good, and the stream water was fresh and clear. I had never tasted water so sweet and refreshing.

"We should return to the castle soon," said Erien, getting back onto his horse. "An emissary from Brandor arrived today, and Mother will be expecting us at dinner tonight."

"Where is Brandor?" I asked as I struggled to mount the chestnut mare, who insisted on shifting every time I tried to get on.

"Brandor is a neighboring kingdom and lies east of Illiador and Eldoren. It stretches all the way to the Sea of Shadows and is ruled by the Council of Five."

"Don't they have a king or queen?" I asked, finally settling the horse and getting on.

"No, they don't actually, because many years ago there was great internal strife in the land, and the nobility overthrew the king. But they could not decide which family would take the throne, and so the council of five was born," he explained.

"Who are they?" I asked.

"The Council of Brandor consists of five powerful mages, each one from a noble house, and the heads of each family sit on the council."

"So there are mages everywhere, in all the kingdoms?" I asked. I really wished I had a map. This world seemed to be so vast.

"Yes," said Erien, "there are mages in all the seven kingdoms, but Illiador and Eldoren have the highest population of mages in Avalonia. It's only in Elfi that mages are few and rarely seen."

"Elfi is the kingdom of the fae, right?" I asked, trying to create my own map in my head.

"Yes," said Erien, "and your grandmother, Izadora, is queen of the fae."

I was taken aback at this. I never stopped to consider my mother's fae family. I had a grandmother. Did I have more uncles, aunts, and cousins?

"What is my grandmother like?" I asked.

"I have never met her personally," said Erien, "but my grandfather has. She is said to be a wise and just queen and very powerful. It was said that Izadora was distraught when she learned what happened to her daughter. She would be so happy if she knew you were alive."

"When will I be able to see her?" I asked.

"For now, Grandfather will decide," said Erien. "You still have to learn to use your powers before you can undertake such a long and dangerous journey."

I nodded while I ambled beside him on my horse, and the cool forest breeze brushed my face as we rode. It had rained the night before, and the forest smelled fresh and new. Tiny droplets of water glistened on emerald leaves, which rustled in the summer breeze and fell to the ground creating little pools on the forest floor.

I tried to concentrate on keeping my horse from wandering off to eat some foliage. It was starting to get dark, and the orange-pink sky was steadily growing dim as we rode along a long worn-out path, back to Silverthorne Castle.

I was plodding along behind Erien when he suddenly stopped.

"Wait!" he said softly, but his voice was tense.

Just then, Erien turned his horse and unsheathed his sword. I whipped my head around, fear rising in my chest. Had Oblek found me again? Were the Shadow Guard here?

A group of men was circling around us, coming out from their hiding places behind the trees. I didn't even hear them approaching. I guessed learning shielding was not going to help me at that particular moment.

"Get behind me," Erien said, with an authority in his voice that that I had never heard before.

I moved my horse, but the men were closing in. They were dressed in filthy, brown rags and most had bandanas tied on their faces, obscuring their identities.

"Bandits," hissed Erien, and jumped off his horse, scowling. "Won't be much of a fight."

One of them caught my horse's bridle. I tried to wrench it away, but he held on tight. Another man caught my leg, and his companion pushed me from the other side, causing me to fall off the horse with a thud and bang my head on the forest floor. I was stunned for a moment as I tried to get up. Rough hands caught hold of me, and I couldn't get free; there was nowhere to run.