Focusing on my outfit was easier than trying to figure out who this fae was and why she looked like my former roommate. I entered my bedroom and rummaged through my closet, choosing a blouse with bell sleeves and a long skirt. It looked kind of hippie and was better than the princess get-up I had endured yesterday. I groaned, realizing that the photo shoot had never happened, which meant the fae press were saving it for later. A photo shoot in theory sounded like fun, but I was sure the Summer Court would manage to make it into a political statement and a grilling session.
Dressed, I emerged from my bedroom and finished my breakfast as Peony sat on one of the benches, sipping coffee. Awkwardness filled the air.
Without another word during breakfast, we headed to the door. I felt bad for leaving the table a mess, but Pierre had made it clear that I was not to clean up after myself. It would be an insult to the fae workers who served the Vasara Training Center.
“What are you doing today?” I asked as Peony stepped on the fifth stair of the stump staircase.
She tilted her head. “I have classes with you. As do a third of the Nocturnal Academy fae. The other fae have been split into two more groups.”
“Oh.” How stupid of me to assume that I was special and would get private lessons. “I thought they were all being trained as warriors?”
“The ones showing little magic are. But since they only just arrived, the Summer Court wants to ensure that everyone is in the right place,” Peony said, waiting for me on the step. “The schedule has changed for everyone. Kristin and the other fae with low magical ability are still training as warriors so these new classes are add-ons.”
I knew the reason for that. Me. Vasara may have been waiting for my arrival before putting the other former earthbound fae in magical classes, classes where they would have to use their heads. And I would be working with them. Influencing them.
The tree staircase dropped us off at the mouth of a round, wooden room that was filled with standing fae who looked to be my age, but whom I had never met as they had been a class below me at Nocturnal Academy. Many wore warrior uniforms with leather armor, but some had chosen dresses or tunics with dress pants for the guys. Despite the pupils, there was a lot missing from this classroom like tables, chairs, or a board. There weren’t even any plants to work with for the plant students.
A female fae with light peach-colored wings and a Boho dress of the same color strode into the room. Despite her gray hair, her features were young to middle-aged, like that of most fae older than us. She clapped as if we were five years old. “Please make a circle and sit down, everyone.”
I was getting tired of this sort of treatment. On the ground? I sure was glad I wasn’t wearing anything short, not that I had seen any mini dresses in my closet. Since I was standing next to Peony, I ended up sitting next to her with Kristen on my other side, who wore a brown jumpsuit.
“Hi, Virgie,” she said casually, seemingly no longer upset at me making her stab herself.
Before I could react, the teacher glanced at each of us in turn, smiling. “My name is Blythe Tree, and I’ll be teaching History of the Faeland as well as Developing Intuition, Introduction to Prophecy, and Developing a Mind Shield.”
Okay. Clearly, the fae didn’t believe in hiring multiple teachers. The only course she didn’t seem to be teaching was Telepathy, which Nathan would probably give me over dinner time as the press hungrily circled us and he let me know how much wiser he was than me.
“We’ll start with Introduction to Prophecy. Now, while many of you might not possess the necessary skills to see the future, it is still important to understand how this wondrous ability works.” Blythe turned her focus to me. “Obviously, we all expect a lot from you, Virgie.”
My body prickled as thirty pairs of eyes stared at me. Wonderful. No pressure, then.
Introduction to Prophecy turned out to be as ridiculous as it sounded. Blythe spoke about dreams, suggesting we write them down as soon as we wake up and analyze the meanings of common dreams, such as being on the run (you’re avoiding something), killing someone (you feel anger), a monster coming out of nowhere (you might have a hidden enemy). Overall, her lesson was as informative as a cheap nonsense book from the new age section. Most people’s eyelids drooped through the lesson, though Blythe remained as animated as ever.
History of the Faeland, which took place in the hour after Introduction to Prophecy, wasn’t any better. This first lesson was basically a recount of how great the Summer Court was and how the Winter Court were greedy savages who wanted to destroy us. Blythe rehashed how the Winter Court had unleashed the plague to make the Summer fae sterile, and how some of our ancestors had fled to the human world to escape.
Onyx’s purple hair and cobalt gaze appeared in my mental eye. If not for her, a Winter fae, I wouldn’t be here. If not for her, the vampire twins would’ve killed me at the Wild Hunt.
“King Peter wants to reunite all the Summer fae and fight for a glorious future,” Blythe finished, and I snapped back to attention. She had omitted the part of history where the Summer fae had tried to take over some Winter lands, and how the Winter king had retaliated against the invaders. The vampires back in Nocturnal Academy had at least taught us that part. But no one protested. Keeping my mouth shut was key here. If I opened my mouth now, then I would ruin my chances at climbing the ladder.
“Are you okay?” Peony asked, and I realized everyone around me was chattering and several students had gotten up for the break.
“Y...yes,” I said, wondering if Peony would once again turn away if I got myself into a sticky situation, or if she’d actually help me this time.
Lunch was brought into the classroom in clay bowls, which meant we couldn’t even complain about Blythe as she ate with us, seated on the floor in the center of the room. Our cutlery was made of wood—no iron here—but despite the odd taste, the pea soup was still delicious.
“Let us now move to Developing Intuition, one of my favorite subjects,” Blythe said as a few fae with brown wings entered the room and collected our dishes. Kristen pulled nervously on her hair, probably wondering if this would be her future if she didn’t die on the battlefront first. I was getting the idea that brown wings signified no major magic and a low status. Once, Kristen would’ve been glad to be a servant, but back then being a servant was more of a PA role for the Wus, who would’ve taken her to glamorous locations. Being a servant at Vasara Center, on the other hand, didn’t look exciting. I didn’t sense that the fae servants were treated with cruelty, but they were nothing special here, and Kristen had always wanted a spot in the limelight.
“To develop your intuition, you must first become an excellent observer,” Blythe continued, and I suppressed a yawn, not in the mood for more boring theory. Blythe motioned at Peony and me. “You two will work as a pair.” She put everyone else in the room into pairs as well and handed one person in each a ball. “Now. One person throws the ball and the other tries to catch it by predicting its trajectory.”
People scattered. No one smiled at the prospect of such a boring lesson. After what I’d done with Kristen, this felt insulting. Like something Nathan would put together.
Since we were the only pair who didn’t have a ball, I raised my hand, and Blythe glided over to us. “You girls don’t need a ball,” she said. “Peony, use your plant magic to trap Virgie. Virgie, avoid the attacks. Do not block them. Blocking is something we’ll do in Mental Shields.” Then Blythe leaned close to me. “Also, be sure to keep the other students on task if you see them slacking off.”
A shudder ran down my spine despite the power she was handing me. Already the staff was grooming me to control the other students. “I will,” I said as that was the only acceptable answer. “But why can’t I protect myself against Peony or attack in return?” This felt like a step backward.
Blythe’s face turned stern. “Because you don’t want to announce loud and clear that you’re a mentalist in a war.”
That made sense. Already I had
sensed the need to keep my abilities under wraps. I glanced at the lilac wings behind me, which surprisingly I had gotten used to rather quickly, partly thanks to fae furniture that only reached mid-back and fae clothing that had openings for my wings. “Won’t the others know by the color of my wings what I am?”
Blythe gave me a sly smile. “That’s what glamour is for, which you’ll master soon. Also, if you fight on earth, no one will know what type of fae you are by looking at you.”
I nodded, taking in the information. So despite Blythe’s calm and friendly aura, she too believed that war was coming, either with the vamps or the Winter Court.
As soon as Blythe stepped aside to help another pair, Peony stood back and shot a vine at my leg. I stepped aside, but not quickly enough as it grabbed my skirt, entwining fabric and pulling at me. A few people stopped their exercise and stared.
I glared at Peony, daring her to pull on the vine and rip the material and thus expose and embarrass me in front of the whole class. Leave it to her to put me in my place early.
“Sorry,” she muttered and retracted her vine.
I blinked. The Peony I knew didn’t apologize. When she did you a favor, she demanded something in return. She was a typical fae, relying on deals rather than friendships.
“Should we try again?” Peony lifted her hand and shot a vine from her palm to my chest.
I side-stepped. Easy. The vine lashed at the floor and nearly hit another pair of fae. They dodged out of the way, their mouths dropping open.
I sensed Blythe’s stare on my back and said, “Ignore us. Go back to what you’re doing.” As I spoke, pressure formed in my forehead. My power was awakening with greater ease than it had before thanks to the practice I’d had.
The two male fae’s eyes glazed over. With a sharp nod, they continued their ball exercise.
The air shifted and I whirled just in time to see a leafy, green snake coiling around Peony’s hand like a living whip. Her amber eyes remained apologetic as if she’d been waiting for me to put my attention back on her.
“What is with you?” I blurted.
Peony glanced to the left, but shot for my right hand. I too avoided this cheap blow by dodging to the side.
“This is too easy. You know me too well.” She smiled as if she didn’t mind me defeating her.
“Who is this stranger? Have they given you a mind control potion here?” I raised an eyebrow and made sure Blythe had her back turned. I wanted to stay angry at Peony for her lack of support at the Wild Hunt, but the more time I spent with her, the more I realized I couldn’t.
Peony shook her head, and suddenly, her face grew tired. “No. I just realized what a bitch I was.” She paused. “Nobody can survive on their own. If Caleb hadn’t helped me, I wouldn’t be here today. He could’ve let me rot in that Reformatory and made me pay for my sins. Instead, he chose to give me a second chance.”
I thought of Caleb and Peony standing together at the palace. “You really like him.”
Peony twirled a blonde strand. Normally, she did this flippantly, but now she almost appeared shy and like she didn’t want to meet my gaze. So, she liked him a lot. It was a weakness she was trying to conceal. I swallowed hard. Did we still have to keep score? “Would you like to have dinner, just you and I?” I asked, testing the waters.
She nodded. “I would like that very much. It would be nice to have a friend here.”
“Yes, it would be.” And maybe this time we’d be actual friends, not frenemies.
11
Dinner with Peony involved us sitting on a bench outside, in a heavily shaded area that blocked most of the evening sun, though we were still surrounded by tall stockades. Our bench was up against the building. The training yard spread out below us, decked out with targets, sandbags, and half the fae waiting their turn at the shooting range while the other half fought with wooden swords. Apparently, everyone had dinner at different times.
Fae were fast and durable, and as Kristen fought across the yard, nailing target after target, I began to hope she might survive a battle. Then she moved on to stab her partner with her fake, wooden sword before knocking him down to the grass.
Blythe nodded at me approvingly when she spotted Peony and me sitting out here and watching. She wanted the warriors to get used to me hanging around so that I could control them and keep their minds in the right place. Despite her ethereal vibe, I had to watch myself around her.
I wondered if she’d be giving daily report updates on my progress to Nathan. I hadn’t seen him anywhere all day and wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
As we ate, Peony caught me up on her time in Nocturnal Reformatory, the dungeon below Nocturnal Academy, and told me about how she and Caleb had freed the fae trapped within its walls. It was an amazing story and I couldn’t stop listening.
“I even worked with Onyx.” Peony chuckled and shook her head, looking amused at the fact that she had allied with her former nemesis.
I, on the other hand, didn’t find anything amusing about the situation. “Onyx was there?” I kept my voice hushed even though no one was nearby.
Peony nodded. “We had a common enemy.” She fell silent, then added. “It must be hard to run the Winter Court after her father vanished with Petra to the wastelands. King Olwen was trying to banish the Summer princess, but ended up being dragged through the portal with her.”
“So Onyx helped to create this public relations nightmare for King Peter.” I squinted. Onyx had always been a rebel, and while that meant good things sometimes, it also meant she left chaos in her wake. A shudder ran down my spine. If this information got out, King Peter would be furious that Caleb and Peony had allied themselves with the princess of the Winter Court. “Where is Onyx now?”
“I haven’t heard from her. We’re never going to be on friendly terms. Just neutral ones.” Peony shrugged and took a sip from her water glass.
I glanced down at my hands. Peony had really changed. “I’m sorry I snapped at you earlier at the palace.”
Peony smiled. “I deserved it. I used to be a bitch.” She hesitated, then asked, “Do you think we could start over?”
I nodded. “I do. I like this new stranger.”
A grin split across her face, and she went in for a hug. I hugged her back. When she leaned back, a mischievous gleam had entered her hazel eyes. “You grilled me about Caleb. Now, it’s my turn. What’s going on with you and Nathan?”
Heat rushed into my cheeks, and I sighed. “He sees me as a student and mansplains everything to me.”
“Maybe he doesn’t know any differently? He’s a leader and is expected to mansplain things to everybody. But you need to lay down the law with him. If the two of you are going to date, even if it’s fake, you have to nip bad behavior in the bud.” Peony made a pinching motion with her fingers. “He needs to understand that he’s not in a war and you’re not going to follow his orders. That you’re equals.”
“Easier said than done, especially since the mighty commander will be the one to teach me telepathy.” I twirled the silver bracelet on my wrist, just one of the many pieces of jewelry that I had found in a wooden box in my bedroom. Despite my irritation, curiosity burned, and I sensed my chance to get some answers. “What do you know about Nathan?”
“Not much. He’s only twenty-four, but has already fought in border skirmishes with the Winter fae. He doesn’t like to talk about his personal life. He only seems close to his sister Nerissa.”
“I see.” It wasn’t much, but at least now I knew he wasn’t much older than me.” The next time he tried to pat me on the head, I’d make sure to bring that up.
As the week went on, so did our classes, but I didn’t get a chance to talk to Nathan or find out why he had become the High Commander at such a young age. Surely there were older, wiser members of his family line who could’ve taken that role. Something was off. As Blythe taught History, I learned that King Peter was hundreds of years old, and that Petra had been three hundred at the
time of her disappearance. Nathan was a newborn compared to them.
But I didn’t have much time to think about it. Not only was Nathan absent from the Vasara Center much of the time and unable to teach me Telepathy, but Blythe kept me busy, too. In Developing Intuition, Blythe slowly but surely expanded my role in keeping the class under control, especially when they got bored with her childish lessons. By Wednesday, she extended my role into History, having me command the class to pay attention whenever attention waned. The lesson that day was about the exploits of King Peter. Blythe lectured about how King Peter had brought a period of great prosperity to the Summer lands by claiming a river in the Border lands and making a deal with some traveling Elemental fae to divert the river so that it eventually ran through his castle and then through the Summer lands.
“As the Crystal River flows through King Peter’s castle, it is charged with the magic of fertility,” Blythe said. She eyed me as she spoke, since the class was once again nodding off. “We must remember this great service to the Summer lands.”
“Don’t you agree?” I asked the class casually, as I had been instructed. The familiar pressure spread across my forehead, and I was rewarded with nods and alert faces.
Blythe had me take control slowly so that the other students didn’t realize what was happening. I tried not to look at Peony and Kristen whenever I used my mind control, as it felt wrong. Since I didn’t dare to bring up my misgivings to Blythe or even Nerissa, I had to talk Nathan again.
It was Thursday when I found an invitation in my room after classes to join Nathan for dinner. He hadn’t picked a romantic setting, but his office, for which I was grateful as it meant the media wouldn’t be snapping photos of us.
Nathan’s office didn’t have many personal touches that could give me a better idea about who the man was behind the High Commander.
Nathan motioned at my plate of kale pomegranate salad with feta cheese. “Please, eat.” We both dug in. Nathan ate his meal efficiently, not making a mess while I had nearly shot a pomegranate seed across the room. After only a few bites, he put his fork down. “Let’s get started with Telepathy. I’m going to think of something simple like a shape and you’re going to guess it.”
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