Page 47

More and more monsters show up at The Sanctum for the equinox festival. The upstairs rooms open up for short-term lodgers, and while it doesn’t slow Lysander down at all it certainly makes me think twice about my… noise levels. It’s strange running into fauns and gargoyles and scaly-skinned monsters I don’t recognize in the space that usually feels like it’s reserved just for us.

Beyond that, Syril has us painting banners and weaving wreaths in our spare time, and at night the energy of the club is so keyed up that the red rooms stay permanently closed. Even Orion is in a good mood, trailing shadows everywhere as he bounces around the back of the bar.

It reminds me that I’ve been spending a lot of time with Lysander and maybe not enough time learning about the monster world as a whole.

“So whatisthe Greening?” I ask while Plato pulls extra glasses out of the dishwasher and stacks them under the counter.

He straightens, scratching the base of his horn. “Well, it’s a traditional spring festival. Some monsters have their own rituals, but for most of us it’s just a big party nowadays.Syril always rents out Whitecourt Hall from King Thurgraen so everyone can dress up and go wild.”

I laugh. “I get it. Most human traditions are like that, too.”

“I bet.” He grins. “You’re coming, right?”

I hesitate. “I don’t go to a lot of parties these days.”

Between the drinking, the party drugs, and feeling like a creep every time a nineteen year old hits on me, the vibe triggers a lot of not-so-great memories.

“Plato makes it sound like a rave,” Orion interjects, popping up out of nowhere. “The dress code’s black tie. Trust, you gotta be there. Plus, His Highness is taking the King’s Oath, and you don’t want to miss that.”

“A fertility oath at the Greening?” Plato chuckles. “Damn. That’s auspicious. I’m gonna get laid for sure.”

Once again I’m frustratingly at sea about anything and everything when it comes to Lysander’s business, which I wouldn’t care about except that he seems to be just as lost as me and that doesn’t seem fair.

“Mind catching me up?” I toss out.

“It’s his royal duty,” Orion says with a wry smirk. “All monsters pledge to a king, but for the fairies it can only happen when they’re fertile. Since the fairies have been in hiding for ages, wildlings haven’t had anyone to pledge to.” Orion jerks a thumb at Plato. “He’s a stoneskin, so he pledges to King Thurgraen, Bear’s sire. In return, King Thurgraen fulfills his side of the Oath — he provides protection. The wildlings pledge for fertility. Fairy magic makes everyone pump out babies like nobody’s business, and I guess that’s their vibe.”

“So Lysander’s some kind of fertility icon? Just because we…”

I trail off.

Orion leans in. “Because you…?”

“Never you mind.” I smack his shadows with my towel. Some things are sacred.

He dances back, holding his hands up. “Listen, it’s what the wildlings wanted way back in the founding days. Some of us asked for more sensible things from our king.”

“Like transmutation?” Plato snorts.

“Exactly.” Orion sends shadows shooting into the air, forming claws above Plato’s head, and Plato bats them away with a huff. “Getting blessed with fertility isn’t even the horny part, though. What I’ve heard is, after the pledge the wildlings would all have a big orgy while the fairy king watched over the fun. At the end he’d bless the orgy with his…" He makes a crude jerking off motion. “And that’s how babies are made.”

“Wow.” I squeeze the towel.An orgy?

“They don’t do it like that anymore,” Orion says.

“Yeah, not in the open.” Plato grins, his eyes sparkling. “Either way, you should pledge.”

I frown. “What, because I’m the human ambassador?”

Plato and Orion exchange a look that says,We’ve definitely talked about how they’re fucking.

“Sometimes a monster used to offer himself as a sacrifice for the, uh, blessing,” Plato says. “The king is supposed to turn them down, since, you know, most monsters would literally die if he touched them. Back in the good old days he occasionally wouldn’t, or the person might be a stoneskin mix so he’d accept. But… yeah, obviously, Lysander wouldn’t turn you down.”

“Someone would risk their life for sex?” That seems nuts. On the other hand, sex with Lysander… yeah, it definitely has amagicalfeel to it. It’s on a totally different level from any of my past experiences.

But is that because he’s a fairy, or because he’s Lysander?

Another look goes between them, and I roll my eyes. “Okay, how much do you hear downstairs?”