the left, to face the board.
It would be an understatement to say that Sagean history was not a popular topic. A groan circulated through the room when it was announced, and I felt my cheeks flare up in shame. Even the prince’s cheeks tinted pink. He hid it well, resting his head in his hands, his elbows on the desk.
My eyes bounced back toward the desk, cursing myself for looking. There they rested until a textbook arrived. I flicked it open, finding paragraphs dedicated to customs that were second nature to me yet so alien to those around the room. I closed it, knowing that as a child, I had studied books at my previous school that mirrored these in every way, except that they were about humanity. Looking up, the prince caught my eye, a grin on his lips as his eyes darted down to the book and back up. He thought it amusing. I thought it a tragedy.
Mr. Sylaeia started with the same rhetoric about the prince as he had used while taking attendance, and when he talked about the Extermino, he was greeted with the same fearful silence . . . and my heart went just as cold.
Mr. Sylaeia wrote three words on the board: THE DARK BEINGS . “I know you all hate this topic, but it’s compulsory! So let’s start with something simple. Can anybody explain a little about the dimensions, and name the nine different types of dark beings and the powers they possess?” Mr. Sylaeia asked.
Even though everybody had to know the answer, nobody spoke up until, tentatively, I lifted my hand.
“There are nine dimensions, and humans in every one. Each dimension is a rough parallel of the rest. We all share a cultural memory, because whatever happens to the humans in one dimension happens in another, because the nine parallels of a country are one state, not nine different states. The humans and dark beings cooperate through the interdimensional council, the Inter . . .”
I trailed off to seek approval from Mr. Sylaeia, unsure whether I was explaining it clearly. Even though I was trying to ignore him, I glanced back to the prince, suddenly embarrassed that I was explaining something he probably understood better than I did.
Mr. Sylaeia nodded for me to continue.
“We live in the first dimension, and it is the domain of the Sage. There isn’t a hierarchy among the beings, but we have the strongest, most versatile magic. There isn’t much we can’t do, so long as it doesn’t drain nature too much, which is where we take our magic from if we need more than what is in our blood. We’re ruled by . . . by the Athenea, from a small country of the same name, at the northern end of Vancouver Island.”
Now I really was blushing. He should be explaining this!
“Then there are the vampires in the second dimension, ruled by the Varns in England. And yes, they are the ones who kidnapped Violet Lee. The vampires rely on consuming blood for energy and to top up their magic, which is what keeps them alive. The Damned in the third dimension are magic-users, too, but they have to make a blood sacrifice to use it . . .by returning blood to the earth, they can use very powerful magic.”
Finally, the prince chimed in. “The fourth dimension is host to the shifters, who can shift between their human forms and spirit animals. They look a lot like ghosts when they do, and they live mostly in the mountains of Central Asia . . . before they revealed themselves a few centuries ago, people used to think they were demons.” His eyes lit up as people turned their attention to him and his more exciting explanation.
“The fifth and sixth dimensions are very similar, because more forests have been preserved compared to here. That’s where the winged people and the elven fae live . . . they are both very beautiful beings, and nomadic. They don’t have a monarchy, and they don’t use modern technology. They are so at one with nature they don’t need it.
“The wolves in the seventh dimension can transform into human-like creatures at will,
It would be an understatement to say that Sagean history was not a popular topic. A groan circulated through the room when it was announced, and I felt my cheeks flare up in shame. Even the prince’s cheeks tinted pink. He hid it well, resting his head in his hands, his elbows on the desk.
My eyes bounced back toward the desk, cursing myself for looking. There they rested until a textbook arrived. I flicked it open, finding paragraphs dedicated to customs that were second nature to me yet so alien to those around the room. I closed it, knowing that as a child, I had studied books at my previous school that mirrored these in every way, except that they were about humanity. Looking up, the prince caught my eye, a grin on his lips as his eyes darted down to the book and back up. He thought it amusing. I thought it a tragedy.
Mr. Sylaeia started with the same rhetoric about the prince as he had used while taking attendance, and when he talked about the Extermino, he was greeted with the same fearful silence . . . and my heart went just as cold.
Mr. Sylaeia wrote three words on the board: THE DARK BEINGS . “I know you all hate this topic, but it’s compulsory! So let’s start with something simple. Can anybody explain a little about the dimensions, and name the nine different types of dark beings and the powers they possess?” Mr. Sylaeia asked.
Even though everybody had to know the answer, nobody spoke up until, tentatively, I lifted my hand.
“There are nine dimensions, and humans in every one. Each dimension is a rough parallel of the rest. We all share a cultural memory, because whatever happens to the humans in one dimension happens in another, because the nine parallels of a country are one state, not nine different states. The humans and dark beings cooperate through the interdimensional council, the Inter . . .”
I trailed off to seek approval from Mr. Sylaeia, unsure whether I was explaining it clearly. Even though I was trying to ignore him, I glanced back to the prince, suddenly embarrassed that I was explaining something he probably understood better than I did.
Mr. Sylaeia nodded for me to continue.
“We live in the first dimension, and it is the domain of the Sage. There isn’t a hierarchy among the beings, but we have the strongest, most versatile magic. There isn’t much we can’t do, so long as it doesn’t drain nature too much, which is where we take our magic from if we need more than what is in our blood. We’re ruled by . . . by the Athenea, from a small country of the same name, at the northern end of Vancouver Island.”
Now I really was blushing. He should be explaining this!
“Then there are the vampires in the second dimension, ruled by the Varns in England. And yes, they are the ones who kidnapped Violet Lee. The vampires rely on consuming blood for energy and to top up their magic, which is what keeps them alive. The Damned in the third dimension are magic-users, too, but they have to make a blood sacrifice to use it . . .by returning blood to the earth, they can use very powerful magic.”
Finally, the prince chimed in. “The fourth dimension is host to the shifters, who can shift between their human forms and spirit animals. They look a lot like ghosts when they do, and they live mostly in the mountains of Central Asia . . . before they revealed themselves a few centuries ago, people used to think they were demons.” His eyes lit up as people turned their attention to him and his more exciting explanation.
“The fifth and sixth dimensions are very similar, because more forests have been preserved compared to here. That’s where the winged people and the elven fae live . . . they are both very beautiful beings, and nomadic. They don’t have a monarchy, and they don’t use modern technology. They are so at one with nature they don’t need it.
“The wolves in the seventh dimension can transform into human-like creatures at will,
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