Page 26

Chapter Twenty

RAIN

T he jevadu thing came up again the next day. I was sitting in my weapons crafting class when I heard it. At first, I thought I had to be mistaken, but a few of the college students at the back were talking about it.

"I know Ms. Rhodes has a soft spot for kids, but a damned jevadu?"

"He hasn't hurt anyone yet,"

"He stripped her of her magic!"

I set down my hammer hard, spinning to glare at them. "So you'd rather Nevaeh killed me?"

"Rain!" Tag chided. "Focus on your own project."

"No!" I said.

"Yes," she countered. "You will not start issues in my class, and when it's not a conversation you were invited into, you keep your nose out of it."

"But there's nothing wrong with wildlings!' I insisted. "Jack's one. I use Wild magic, and I'm not evil!"

"You," the guy at the back said, "aren't Torian. You're actually nice, Rain."

"Usually," muttered the girl beside him.

I rolled my eyes, ready to spout off again, but Tag had this.

"There will be no bullying or hatred in this class," she barked. "Do your socializing on your own time. We're here to learn, people, not pick fights. "

I grumbled at that, but she had a point. And yet, another girl shifted a bit closer to me. "Is he a jevadu?"

All I could do was shrug. "I don't know. I only heard about those when people started calling him one."

"So blow it off," she told me. "People talk shit about the court all the time. I mean, they're a bunch of Advanced Placement students with too much magic and not enough ties to the Summer Court. They're all but asking to get shit on."

"Am I?" I huffed. "I don't have a single tie to it."

"Bracken adopted you," she countered. "Everyone knows that, and he's Summer nobility."

"And I use Wild magic!"'

"Rain!" Tag snapped. "Leave it alone."

Yep, I sighed. I also listened to her. After all, what else could I do?

Besides, this was Tag. Master Anita Taggart had earned her skills at renaissance fairs.

According to her, being a female blacksmith of her size was just asking for "it," so she didn't tolerate harassment of any kind.

Not from them, not from me, and not in her class.

Otherwise, she was pretty laid back about most things.

So I got back to work, trying to figure out how to lay carbon fiber on a piece of aluminum. Supposedly, I'd get to make the metal pieces next year, but for now, I had to focus on the basics. Not easy when I was sure those people were still talking about Torian like that.

So I leaned in to the girl beside me and dropped my voice. "What's the deal with Torian anyway?"

She gave me a confused look. "I thought you were his friend?"

"I'm his sister's friend," I corrected. "He hangs out with her, so I eat lunch with him."

"And got in the middle of his big fight on Winter Solstice," she countered. "Trust me, everyone heard all about it, even the ones who weren't here. The jesters got mad about something and went after Torian. Harper went after you, you sucked up magic, and then you released Wild magic."

"I didn't know I could do that," I admitted.

Which made her smile at me. "Manifestation sucks. Trust me, I get it. I did it in a foster home at two in the morning. Had a bad dream and pow , the whole house was flipping out because of glamours."

"I just had some shadows," I pointed out.

"But you have Wild magic," she reminded me. "You're the Morrigan, and with the gates being closed, it's a big deal to people. "

"Which people?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Anyone who wants to go to Faerie. I think that's most fae of any kind. And you're supposed to be the hero for us, which means you can probably stop the Mad Queen, right?"

"I don't even know what I'm doing with it," I admitted.

"But you will." She sounded sure of that. "It's just your friends are the ones with Winter magic, so it makes some people nervous, and since Torian's using it now too?"

"But he uses both, doesn't he?" At least I'd seen him use both.

She gave me a look like I was an idiot. "He uses the last kind he stole. Rain, that's what people are scared of. Nevaeh has no magic. Torian now has Winter magic. That means he stole it from her and now he's using it. And it's strong!"

"Was Nevaeh strong?"

Her brow furrowed. "No, not really. But that doesn't exactly make it better."

"Or maybe he has a parent of each? I'm pretty sure that's not uncommon. From what I've heard, a lot of people married from the opposite court."

"Only nobility," she told me. "Most normal people didn't. My friends all say their families never even saw the courts.

Hell, the Winter Court was on an island!

So for the most part, they only knew those who lived near them, and so they married those they met.

You know, kinda like us." She gestured around the class.

"We date the ones we're getting to know because we spend time with them.

Enchanters with Enchanters because we share classes.

Enticers with Enticers. It's normal, I think. "

Ok, yeah, she had a point. I was also starting to realize everything I'd heard was mostly about nobility, and that was a pretty small group. Then again, if Aspen and Bracken were related, and his mother was Winter, did that mean Aspen's mom was some kind of nobility there? I knew Wilder was.

Granted, if she'd had a child with a jevadu, that probably wasn't done. I could see it being the sort of thing to have her title - if she had one - stripped from her. So was that why Aspen never talked about it? Then again, Wilder didn't either, and I was pretty sure he was a full-on duke.

Yet the reality was, most fae weren't nobility.

Most fae supported a court, but they were "peasants," as Keir called them.

He was! It also didn't really matter, because the gates were locked, and I was pretty sure I couldn't undo that.

Whatever big deal I was supposed to handle was probably going to be right here on Earth.

Thankfully, our class ended soon enough. Out here, there wasn't a bell, but there was a very large clock on the wall, and as soon as it hit the hour, people started walking out. I quickly put away my supplies, but one thing was missing: my crow.

"Jack?" I called.

"He's outside," Tag told me, waving me over.

Grabbing my bag, I headed that way. "Yeah?"

She murmured, her eyes going to the students making their way out. When the stream was far enough away, the giant of a woman looked down at me.

"Students will spread rumors. If you don't want them to gain traction, don't worry about them."

"You mean about the jevadu?" I asked.

"I mean about Torian Hunt being different," she told me. "And we all know he's different. He makes sure of it. So this? It's the price he's paying for showing off."

"But even if he is one - " I tried.

Tag held up a hand. "Rain, you know how cliques work, right?"

"Yeah," I mumbled.

"Well, the fae have them too. Winter magic users aren't popular.

No matter how much Ivy Rhodes tries to maintain equality of the seasons, the students here have learned from their parents, and those kids tell their friends, and the mere idea of being better than someone else is a dream these kids latch onto.

Now, they use it like a weapon, because if Summer is better, then they have a chance at being one of those betters. "

"Oh." Ok, that sorta made sense. It also sounded pretty sad. "Because most of us were fosters, right?"

"Exactly," Tag agreed. "Kids who have been shit on their whole lives could wake up and find they are a faerie princess.

Or maybe a duchess. Baroness? Whatever they're dreaming of, it sounds a lot better than just being the cleaning girl's bastard child, right?

But here's the thing. On Faerie, from what I understand, they don't work like that.

This whole concept comes from our fairytales - the kind from the Brothers Grimm and Disney.

Those things. The ones where it all works out happily in the end. "

"Yeah, but hasn't it?" I asked.

She rocked her head from side to side. "Depends on what makes you happy.

Most of these kids did not get adopted. Sure, they got a hand up, and yes, the fae communities will help them, but all of it comes with strings.

So if they can convince themselves the one kid who has far too much magic is a monster. .."

"But wildlings aren't monsters!" I insisted.

"Aren't they?" she countered. "Jack gave his magic to you, and look at what you can do with it already. What if Jack, with all his years of experience, still had control of it? What about a troll? A dragon? What would you call those things?"

"People," I insisted, knowing I was wrong but refusing to back down.

Tag just chuckled softly. "Keep thinking that way, Rain. That's exactly the sort of mentality you should have as the Morrigan. Oh, and how's the sword?"

I groaned. "Heavy, but I'm getting used to it. And I like how it swings. Good balance."

She beamed. "Good. Go show Bracken what you've learned with it. And yes, I'll keep the wildling hate out of the Forge, ok?"

"Thanks, Master Tag!" I said as I turned for the door.

But that had taken some time, which meant I had to hurry to get to class. Unfortunately, I still didn't know where Jack was. "Outside" was a big place, and knowing my bird...

I was barely past the first cedar tree when I found him. What shocked me enough to make me stop hard was the guy leaning against a bare trunk only a few feet away, tossing something at him. It was Hawke, and it sure looked like he'd been out here a while.

"Hawke?" I asked. "Jack?"

"Jack-court!" the bird replied.

Hawke rolled his eyes. "I'm not giving you bread because you're on the court, man."

"So why are you?" I asked.

Hawke lifted his eyes, trapping me with that warm amber color. "We were just waiting for you." His expression looked almost guilty.

"Mhm..." Yeah, something was up. "Hawke, can you tell a lie?"

"No, ma'am," he replied, making it overly formal.

"Ok, that doesn't really work," I realized, "because if you could..."

"And that's the catch," he agreed. "But the truth is I was waiting for you, and I think Jack knows where we are, because he found me. Now he's sharing my snack."

That snack looked to be a roll, or what was left of a hamburger bun. Probably not a burger, though, since the fae were all vegan. It didn't matter. Jack loved bread, even if it wasn't great for him.

"Why were you waiting for me?" I asked, pretty sure there was something here I was missing.

Hawke pushed himself away from the tree, tossing the last bit of bread at Jack in the process. "Liam wants me to tutor you in math. Aspen said you have a detention class too. Tor said you're the reason Liam's signing for him and his sister to get STI prevention and birth control - "

"I can't believe this fae shit works on guys!" I broke in.

He shrugged almost shyly. "It's fae. I mean, on our world, women are just as powerful as men. For every King, there seems to be a Queen who puts him to shame. Even the monsters often come in female versions. Usually very beautiful ones that are twice as deadly."

"Like sirens?" I asked.

"And mermaids," he agreed. "Harpies, nymphs, and so on. Yes, things on Faerie are pretty, but tricky."

"Are you tricky?" I asked.

He flashed me a smile that was different than I remembered. More relaxed. "I am, actually. I also wanted to apologize for something I said a while back."

"What?" I asked.

He paused, turning to face me. "Aspen made it clear it freaked you out when I said I wouldn't mind kissing you. Or whatever I said exactly." He glanced away, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. "Um, it's just that... See..."

"What?" I pressed. "Hawke, I've learned a lot since then, and I'm mostly just rolling with it all."

"But that's the thing!" he insisted. "You're not scared of us. Not of me, not of Torian, or Wilder, or even Aspen! Not even when you thought you had no magic!"

"But you're my friends," I countered.

He stepped closer, clasping my arm. "I am, but everyone's scared of us, Rain. Everyone but you. I just want to make sure you're truly ok with me tutoring you in math, not doing it because Liam wants you to."

"I'm still not scared of you," I reminded him.

He groaned, just as a breeze picked up - and it was cold. "No, not that. Because I said something about kissing you, and now it's weird."

"I kissed Keir," I reminded him, reaching up to push back a bit of hair trying to get caught in my lashes .

"Hell, I'd kiss Keir," Hawke said, smiling a little bigger. "I mean, I'd kiss Aspen too, if she was into that sort of thing." Then he jerked his chin. "And I'm pretty sure that's her, heading to her botany class."

"What?" I turned to look. Sure enough, that was definitely her. I'd know her coat anywhere. "But her botany class is inside."

"They do plant shit outside once a week or so," he explained, right as the bells rang in the main building. "Shit!"

"Ugh," I groaned - but a gust of wind cut me off before I could complain about being late.

A cold one, and it felt... wrong. Hawke and I realized why at the same moment, turning to each other as fear took over.

Behind us, Jack took to the air, screaming, "Hunt!"