-Alexia-
I'm sitting on my dorm bed, staring into space, trying to catch my breath. It's been almost a week since the High Council of the Fivefold Accord showed up at Whisperwind without warning, and I can't shake the memory of that meeting.
Everything here feels like a whirlwind. I'm still learning to control my magic—which, surprise, turns out to be both nature and chaos magic—and trying to sort out these confusing bonds I share with Finn, the dragon shifter; Soren, the vampire; Jasper, the fae; and even Asher, the wolf shifter.
But the Council's arrival was a storm no one expected—not even Headmistress Morigan Shade. They said a "concerned party" tipped them off.
I felt the weight of their eyes, cold and heavy, as I stood before them in the dim council room.
Five robed figures, each bearing the crest of their domain—witch, vampire, fae, shifter, dragon. Their faces were carved from stone, eyes sharp and assessing, like I was something to be cataloged before they decided if I was worth keeping.
Morigan stood behind them, silent, her robes trailing like living smoke. Her pale violet eyes fixed on me, unblinking. A single dark feather was woven into her braid, and steam from her tea curled in runes I couldn't read.
Finn's presence thrummed at the edge of my mind—a low growl barely audible, but enough to make the others stiffen. The vampire's jaw tightened, Jasper's fingers twitched, and Asher's posture hardened.
"For the record, do you understand why we are here?" asked the woman with silver braids, her eyes like frost.
I swallowed, fingers curling at my sides. "No."
The councilor with the silver thumb ring lifted a piece of parchment, letting it hover in the air. "We received a report concerning an incident in the courtyard. Your... use of chaos magic."
My chest tightened, and my breath caught. It wasn't supposed to happen like that. It had been a typical afternoon—sunlight breaking through the clouds, a hint of calmness in the wind. I had been practicing gentle, patient control when I heard Zeus yelp.
They had cornered him—a group of older students who thought it would be funny to "test" my familiar with spells, to see if shadows burned or bled. Something inside me cracked, and chaos came roaring out.
Violet and black flames exploded around me, carving spirals of charred grass into the earth, warping the air with heat and screaming wind. I remember the bullies flying backward, shields barely flaring in time. Zeus pressed into my legs, shaking, shadows rippling with a fear that wasn't his alone. Then nothing. Darkness swallowed everything.
"Do you deny what happened?" the braided woman asked."No," I whispered, the word scraping my throat.
"Speak louder, child!"
"No, I'm not denying it. They attacked Zeus," I said louder. "It wasn't my intention at all. I didn't even know I had magic until a month ago."
"Intentions mean little when chaos is involved," the fae said sharply.
"She is not on trial," Morigan said softly, but her voice filled the room like a storm about to break. "She is here to learn. As she said, she is new to our world. She had no idea who or what she was until she came to Whisperwind."
"Doesn't matter! She lost control once and could lose control again!" the fae demanded.
"So what if she loses control again?" Morigan's pale eyes didn't leave mine. "Then she will learn again. We do not abandon students who struggle."
"She's a Marek," the shifter councilor muttered.
"I'm not a Marek. My name is Alexia Mae Carter. My mother owns a farm where she grows herbs and a little shop in town selling them," I said, overwhelmed and anxious.
"And who is your father?" the shifter asked.
"I don't know him. He hasn't been in my or my mother's life."
"It doesn't matter who her parents are," Morigan replied, calm but unyielding. "She will remain under Whisperwind's protection and learn to control her gifts."
Silence pressed against my lungs, making it hard to breathe. I felt Finn's bond pulsing in the back of my mind, warm and steady—an anchor in the rising tide of shame and fear threatening to swallow me. His presence was quiet but real, and I clung to it as my hands trembled.
"I'd like a demonstration," the councilor with the silver ring said.
My heart hammered, and I looked to Morigan, who nodded once. I turned toward the boys, who gave me encouraging looks.
I raised my hands, letting green light coil upward, twisting into small blossoms that opened and closed before dissolving. Clean. Controlled. They weren't satisfied.
"Chaos, too," the fae said.
My breath caught. Fear scraped along my ribs as I called the slightest flicker of violet-black light to my fingertips, letting it spark and dance before forcing it down, swallowing the bitter taste of metal and ash that came with it. Control. I had control.
"Control today does not guarantee control tomorrow," the braided woman warned.
"No," Morigan said, stepping forward, her robes whispering against the floor, "but it is a start. And here, at Whisperwind, we honor beginnings."
They left in silence, robes brushing the ground, leaving behind the cold scent of burnt sage.
Morigan lingered, her pale violet eyes on me. "Do not let the fear of what you are keep you from who you are, Alexia," she said softly. "You are more than your father's blood. Remember that."
Before I could respond, she was gone, leaving only the scent of night-blooming flowers behind.
Back in my room, I sit on my bed, the memory of violet flames and Zeus's whimper still sharp behind my eyes. Finn's bond thrums quietly under my skin, steady as a heartbeat.
"Not a threat," I whisper to the empty room—but the words sound like a lie.
A knock at the door cuts through the silence, jolting me from the memory and pulling me back into the present. I hold my breath, waiting to see which storm waits for me on the other side.