by Dyan Chick
I carried the book back to the chaise and settled in. The language wasn’t easy to navigate. While they wrote it in common, or at least a version that I could decipher, some word choices were odd. Flipping ahead, I quickly realized the whole book was a series of short stories or descriptions of the life of changelings. Some of them told about their time in the human world and their adjustment after. Others were of why they lived there and their hopes for their family. A few were of humans who had been raised in Faerie while their Fae counterparts were left in their stead.
One story was of a Fae who’d been left with a human family who realized what she was shortly after her birth. They’d locked her in a cellar and dropped scraps of food through the cracks and refilled a bucket of water every week. They deprived her of sunshine, companionship, and even the faintest lie of a loving family.
Eventually, her mother returned for her with the human she’d raised in Faerie in tow. Upon seeing the state of her child, she slaughtered the human family and rescued her Fae child.
Then, the story took a turn. Whoever wrote it claimed that the mother could not bring herself to kill the human child and so returned to Faerie with both children, Fae and human.
The abused Fae child promised that she would give humans another chance by leaving her own child as a changeling. If they cared for the child, it would redeem humans. If they were kind, there was hope for them. If they were cruel, she would punish them all. Unfortunately, the story ended there. I wondered what happened to the child who was left behind.
A chill ran down my spine. I didn’t realize how deep the hatred for humans ran in Faerie. My own upbringing hadn’t been terrible. Though there had always been something off about how my father treated me. If he wasn’t being paid to keep me would he have treated me differently?
I looked back at the book and flipped through the pages, trying to find out who wrote the book. Maybe when I got out of here, I could find some other changelings to talk to. It would be nice to feel less alone.
Chapter Five
The guards were silent as I walked between them into the sitting room where the queen was waiting for me. The room was bright and airy. Open doors led to a balcony lined with sheer white curtains that blew in the breeze. The floors were covered in a light gray stone and all the furniture was white. The room had a very different feel to it from the deep browns and earth tones that made up the other parts of the palace that I’d seen.
I stopped in front of one of the white chairs where the queen was seated, waiting for me. Like the room around her, she was wearing a gauzy white dress that looked more like a nightgown than clothing royalty would wear to meet someone. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a pile of curls on top of her head and a silver and turquoise crown encircled her hair.
She smiled as I dropped myself into a low curtsey. “Your highness.”
“Please, sit, Cassia,” she said with a wave of her hand.
It was an oddly formal gesture and something caught in my throat as I recalled how formal we must behave toward each other. Part of me wished I never learned that the queen was my mother. It might have made things easier. It certainly would have made me less of a target in the trials.
I sat on the chair opposite her and as soon as I was down, a servant in blue quickly poured tea into two white teacups.
“Cream? Sugar?” the queen asked.
“No, thank you,” I said.
The queen dismissed the servant with a flick of her hand.
Without being too obvious, I glanced around the room taking in all the others in the space. Several guards were posted near the open doors and windows that led to the balcony and few were stationed at the door to the hallway, along with three more around the room. Two servants stood near a large dormant fireplace, their faces lowered, avoiding eye contact.
“How are you enjoying the palace so far?” the queen asked.
“It’s beautiful here,” I said. “I’ve never seen its equal.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “How does it compare to the Winter Palace?”
My face heated as I recalled my time there with Tristan. Everyone had to know about that, and everyone knew we were mated but it still made me uncomfortable. Years of bad blood between the Winter Court and Faerie weren’t likely to be erased in a matter of days. I wasn’t even sure where all of that stood politically. “The Winter Palace is beautiful in its own way.”
She smiled. “That’s a very diplomatic answer. Tell me, Cassia, what is it that you’d like to focus on during our meeting?”
I glanced around the room again, worried to say the wrong thing in front of so many witnesses.
“You’re free to speak here,” she said. “Everyone here is privy to my inner circle. My most trusted subjects.”
I licked my lips as I tried to think of how to word what I was looking for. The Fae in this room might be her most trusted inner circle, but I’d been in Faerie long enough to know that you couldn’t really trust anyone. Whatever I said in here was likely going to find its way to my competitors. This was valuable time, though. And I knew I had to gain whatever skills and information I could before the final trials. My biggest obstacle was my lack of knowledge about Faerie and myself.
“I know you can’t give me details about what I’ll face in the physical trials, but is there anything I could hear about past trials?”
She took a sip of her tea. “Is there anything in particular you’re curious about?”
I picked up my own teacup. “What are they like?”
She set her cup down. “Every trial is different, but I can share about my own experience.”
“That would be great.” I set the teacup back down, untouched. The prospect of hearing about what my mother went through to win the throne far outweighed anything else. It was more than I could hope for. Not only was it going to be useful, it was a peek into her life.
“Well, my first trials were nothing like yours. They’re always designed by the high council and they don’t have to follow what they did in the past. They can use their own creativity. Your council was easy on you, honestly. If not for the Tiana debacle, you’d probably be facing off against all the original candidates. There wasn’t much of a challenge provided.”
“How was yours different?” I asked.
“Do you want to hear about that or are you more interested in the physical trials?” she asked.
I considered. “Physical trials.”
She nodded once. “I thought so. Our physical trials were, from what I was told, very standard compared to previous trials. The first was a maze we had to complete. It took six days for me to get through it. If you turned the wrong way, you faced many awful things. It wasn’t pretty.”
I bit down on the inside of my cheek. She didn’t need to go into detail about the kinds of things they could include in a maze to challenge someone in this realm. There was so much I’d already encountered so many terrible things and I had a feeling there were worse things than the monsters I’d already seen. “The second?”
“The second trial was diplomatic. We had to demonstrate our negotiation skills.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” I said.
“It was the hardest of the three,” she said.
“Why?” I asked.
She smirked. “Because we were actively at war with the humans at the time and the things we said and did could have serious consequences.”
“I didn’t realize the human war was that recent,” I said.
“Time moves differently here than it does in the human realm,” she said. “The third trial was traditional combat. One on one against the other candidates in the area.”
My chest tightened and blood rushed in my ears. “Combat?”
She nodded. “I’m sure you’ll learn the rules and begin practice soon. It’s the traditional third trial. Though your group is so small that it’s possible it won’t be necessary. If three of you fall prior to the third trial, it won’t take place. If it’s down to two, it’ll
be the tiebreaker.”
I swallowed hard. I never thought about the fact that I might have to fight one of the other candidates. Monsters, sure. Not that I was looking forward to fighting monsters. It was easier to justify defending yourself against monsters. I thought if I had to defend myself against the others that it would be in the midst of other trials. Or even around the palace. Not in an arena surrounded by an audience.
“How did you get through all of that?” I asked.
“You have to remember, this is the biggest, most important job you’ll ever have. The trials are life and death and they should be. Being the Queen of Faerie isn’t easy and the strongest should be on the throne.”
I nodded, hoping I hadn’t offended her.
She leaned down and lowered her voice. “You’re probably the only one who isn’t planning to play dirty.”
My conversation with the queen left me rattled. Palms damp with sweat, I paced my room. Was her comment about playing dirty a warning or a suggestion? Was she hoping I’d watch my back better or did she expect me to join in on trying to sabotage the others?
Someone knocked on my door. I stopped and turned toward it, my heart hammering. “Yes?”
“Lady Cassia, may I come in?” Nani’s voice came through and my shoulders instantly eased.
I raced to the door and threw it open. Nani stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. Her brow furrowed as she took me in. “You’re not sleeping.”
“It’s been a big day.”
“Come on, let’s prepare you for bed,” she said.
I let Nani lead me to the bathroom and settled into a chair while she brushed my hair. The motions were familiar and soothing. I’d missed her company while she’d been on some mysterious errand the last few days. “Are you back for good?”
“I am,” she said.
“Where were you?” I asked.
“You know I can’t answer that. Now hush, let me take care of you.”
“Nani, the others aren’t going to play by the rules,” I said.
“This is Faerie, dear. Of course, they won’t.”
Chapter Six
My stomach churned as waves of unease rolled through me. Today was the first day I couldn’t hide in my room or sneak around the library unnoticed. Today marked our first group training day.
For the last several days, the only time I had to interact with the other candidates had been at meals. And those were solemn, impersonal affairs. Heavy silence was only occasionally punctuated with sterile, polite conversation.
There was no avoiding direct contact today. I doubted the queen would be in attendance to require civil conversation. This would likely be the first time I’d see the efforts of whatever Rose and Lilian were planning.
As I followed the guard who was tasked with taking me to training, I tried to focus on the good. Tonight, I’d get time to myself. Away from the demands of the trials.
We traveled into the depths of the palace to levels I’d never been before. It grew colder as we descended, traveling through a maze of tunnels and took stairways below ground. There were no windows here. Instead, the walls were lined with torches alight with blue and gold otherworldly flames.
Finally, we reached the training rooms. The guard pushed the door open for me and I stepped inside to see a huge space with lines all over the floor. On one side, there were targets out of hay. Along the back wall were rows of weapons.
Lilian and Rose stood in the middle of the room, staring at me. Everything about this room made my skin crawl. I didn’t want to be here anymore than Rose and Lilian wanted me here. Based on their savage grins, they’d been counting down the time until my arrival.
“Nice of you to join us,” Rose said.
Lilian lifted a dagger and launched it at me. I jumped to the side to avoid getting hit just in time. “What was that for?”
“No fighting yet,” Malin said. “The instructor isn’t even here yet.”
“Good,” Lilian said as she lifted another dagger, “more time for us to practice solo.”
“That’s not going to happen,” a familiar voice called.
I turned around to see Dane standing in the doorway. My heart leaped at the sight of him. How did he get here? Had the queen lifted the rule about no consorts? I opened my mouth to say something, but Dane gave me a look that silenced me before I could speak.
Brow furrowed, I obeyed his silent command. If Dane was asking me to hold my tongue, he had a good reason. While he was a rule breaker, I didn’t think he’d violate a rule given by the queen herself. He knew that the trials were too important for that.
“Ladies.” Dane swept into a low bow. “I am Lord Dane of the Summer Court. Today I come to you as a representative of the academy to offer instruction before your trials.”
Dane winked at me and behind me, Lilian giggled. “They sent us the Academy’s best, didn’t they?”
She must have thought he was winking at her. I smirked at the secret we shared even though I knew it wouldn’t last long.
Secrets were currency in Faerie and the fact that the others didn’t already know that Dane was one of my mates was surprising. As much as I wanted to run to him and feel his strong arms around me, I wanted to see the look on Lilian’s face when she realized he was mine, after she’d made a fool of herself in front of him even more.
“You four are all that remains of the deadliest Queen’s Trial in the history of Faerie. That means you’re all either very brave or very lucky.”
“Some of us only have luck,” Lilian mumbled.
Dane looked at her, eyebrow raised. “Never discount luck. Just don’t depend on it.”
Lilian crossed her arms over her chest. “We all know luck eventually runs out.”
“Shhh,” Malin said.
“First things first,” Dane said, “I want to see where you all stand on the academy’s four basic skills. Any volunteers?”
Knots twisted into my stomach as the initial joy of seeing Dane was replaced by the terror of the fact that I didn’t know what he was talking about. I didn’t attend the academy and I had no idea there were four basic skills I was supposed to know. Why didn’t I ask for a book about the teachings at the academy when I was at the library? That would have been far more practical than the history I’d been reading over the last few days. And probably less depressing. The history of Faerie wasn’t pleasant. Then again, I supposed the human history I’d learned wasn’t sunshine and roses, either.
“I’d be happy to demonstrate,” Lilian said.
I frowned. Of course, she was the first to volunteer. Swallowing back my fear, I tried to focus on the fact that if she went first, I’d be able to watch what she did. With any luck, I could go last and figure out what I needed to do before my turn.
Lilian pushed past me, ramming her shoulder into mine with as much force as she could. I wobbled but didn’t fall as I jumped to the side to let her pass. Heat rose in my chest and I balled my hands into fists as I glared after her. She was awful.
“This way,” Dane said, gesturing to the door we’d come through. “The rest of you can warm up until it’s your turn.”
To my horror, Dane and Lilian disappeared through the door. If they were completing the four skills away from us, I wouldn’t be able to learn what they were. But then again, I wouldn’t have to make a fool of myself in front of the others. I really hoped it was just Dane and that the guards I could see standing outside the door weren’t going to watch me embarrass myself. Plus, I’d give just about anything for a few minutes alone with him. My skin tingled at the thought of his mouth on mine, the memory of his hands on my skin.
“Cassia?” Malin called, breaking my trance.
I blinked then turned around. “Yes?”
“Do you want to warm up together?” she asked.
I looked over to where Rose was, already taking aim at the targets with a bow. She seemed lost in her own world, focused.
I lowered my voice. “I don’t know what the four s
kills are.”
Malin smiled. “I know. You weren’t at the academy with the rest of us.”
My brow furrowed. I hadn’t thought about the fact that they all knew each other. Probably for a long time.
“I know,” she said. “And yes, Lilian and Rose were just as insufferable when we were younger as they are now.”
I laughed and suddenly felt bad for ignoring Malin the last few days. I’d left her alone or stuck her to deal with Lilian and Rose. I should be working with her. We could help each other. Right then, I decided that if I wasn’t able to win this thing, I was going to find a way to help Malin. She didn’t want to be queen, so I hadn’t considered it before. But after meeting the alternatives, Malin had to take the throne if I couldn’t.
“What was it like?” I asked. “The academy?”
“It was our life. I never really thought about what it would be like to not attend. Most noble children begin after their tenth birthday, but some start later. Those of us eligible for Queen’s Trial usually start by ten and attend until the trial is announced. I don’t know much about life outside of it.”
“What was your typical day like?” I asked.
“Morning chores, which was caring for horses for me, followed by breakfast, then classes till lunch. After lunch we had physical training, then magic classes after dinner.”
“Sounds like a long day,” I said.
“It was,” she agreed.
The sound of an arrow hitting the target thumped in the background. I glanced over and saw Rose nocking another.
I turned back to Malin. “What are the four skills?”
“Archery, horsemanship, defensive magic, and our court magic.”
Well, I was in trouble. I’d never shot an arrow and my magic skills were beginner level at best. At least I could ride a horse. “What’s your court magic?”
“Each court has its own special skills,” she started.
I held up my hand to pause her. “I know that part. What’s yours?”