Page 88

MS. RHODES

T he grandfather clock in my office was chiming twice, marking the early hour, when my door creaked open. Looking up, I saw Tag doing her best to quietly slip in. One hand held a six-pack of beer. The other hand - a plate of fruits and flowers.

"Babe, I figured you hadn't even thought about food yet, but your fairy ass won't do well on air alone."

I laughed once at her joke. "The beer sounds just as tempting," I admitted. "Even if I'm not supposed to have it down in the student areas."

Tag blew that off. "Glamour it to look like soda if either a student or an inspector comes in at two in the morning." Then she crossed her muscular arms and gave me a pointed look. But it only lasted a second before she smiled and stepped around my chair. "Did you get the head count?"

Again, I laughed - and then moaned when her hands began to knead the knots in my shoulders. "I do not deserve you, my dearest," I said, relaxing into the massage. "And yes. All students are accounted for. At least one hunter is not."

"Yeah," Tag said, leaning in a little more to lower her voice. "Rain killed him?"

"She did." And I lifted a little note written in a cramped and hurried hand. "This also magically appeared on my desk an hour ago."

Tag opened it, but I knew exactly what it said. Torian's writing had been short, sweet, and to the point.

Hawke killed one. Two hunters dead. We need to talk.

"Hawke?" Tag asked, stepping around me so she could see my face. "How? He can't stand iron!"

"Better than me," I countered, "but not by much." Then I sighed. "Tag, wildlings aren't as sensitive as we are. They're not immune, but they can touch it, and no one needs to know that."

"Are the kids going to be ok, though?" she countered. "That's what we really need to worry about, Ivy. They're kids . They shouldn't have to worry about such things at this age, and considering how old they'll get, I can't imagine it makes it any better!"

"Bracken assured me Liam will stick his nose into their lives," I said. "We will make sure they are fine - or as fine as possible. Anita, it's the best I can do. This isn't something the rest of us can do for them."

"Why?" Tag asked. "Ivy, what aren't you telling me?"

"There's more going than you know," I admitted. "That's all I can - "

But the sound of voices made me pause and look up. They were trying to be quiet, but at this time of morning, on a floor that should be empty, the rushing steps of Pearl Hawthorne and Bracken Stone were impossible to miss.

"She is a student here!" Bracken insisted. "Regardless of her rank, or anything else, she is a fae on Earth. She has power that needs to be trained, and she is already -" The door opened as they both stormed in. "- here!" Bracken finished.

"She is the reason the Hunt has been coming!" Pearl said, turning to face me. "Ivy, tell him."

"What am I telling?" I asked, flicking my hand to glamour the beer, just as my girlfriend had suggested.

"The Wild Hunt has been coming more often than ever before," she hissed.

"It's that girl! Mr. Greene said the Huntsman called her the princess!

She has Winter magic! She is the heir to the Winter Crown, and the Summer Queen sent the Hunt for her.

That's why our students are being hunted and endangered! "

I just nodded slowly. "So you've already heard?"

"Of course, I heard," she sputtered.

"Did you hear the Morrigan killed one?" I asked. "A hunter is dead by Rain le Fae's hand."

Pearl's entire body twitched. "What? That's impossible. "

"And yet it still happened," I said. "She's also friends with Aspen Fox, so I'm not sure what you're hoping I will do."

"Let the Hunt have her!" Pearl insisted. "Give them what they seek and they will move on!"

"No." I waved that away.

"You must! For the safety of the rest of us, you have to at least consider it!

" She stepped closer, then leaned over my desk.

"Ivy, in the course of creating this school, we have all done things we never would've considered, but we are here.

The gates are closed. We cannot get back, so we must think of the greater good. "

I murmured and leaned back, keeping my face as emotionless as possible. "How do you think her brother would feel about that?"

"Torian?" she asked.

"Yes, him," I agreed.

"Well, the peasant boy is shielding him, isn't he?"

"Pearl..." I paused, unsure if I should even put this out there, although it wasn't hard to figure out. Still, it seemed the rumors about Aspen were flying, so the point of secrecy was long gone. "If Aspen is Torian's sister, what does that mean?"

"They're related?"

"And three days apart in age," I pointed out, since that was in their student records, and any teacher could see it.

"Ok?"

Bracken laughed once. "So not the same mother, Ms. Hawthorne."

Immediately, Pearl jerked upright as the truth hit her. "He's the Queen's son? The one sired by the Winter King? Torian Hunt is the Summer Prince?"

"Apparently so." I glanced at Bracken, who gave me a look that said he was as confused as I was.

"He's the heir to the Summer Crown!" the woman gasped. "The Queen's own son, and he's here? Royalty?"

"He also loves his sister very much," I pointed out. "So tell me, how do you think he'd take it if you tossed his sister out into a storm?"

"Oh." She grabbed the chair in front of my desk, pulled it closer, and then sank into it. "Oh, no that would not do. The Prince's wishes must be respected."

"And," I said, "we must protect the last of the Winter royalty.

" I had to choose my words well, but I didn't think this woman would notice.

She was too focused on her own prince being here this whole time, and she'd missed it.

"Pearl, Silver Oaks was created to preserve all fae history and heritage.

Our responsibility is to maintain our own culture - including the magical abilities of our children - in a place where they will be safe .

" I tapped the surface of my desk with the last word.

"Safe is what we all agreed to, and disposing of a girl because she is inconvenient would be anything but. "

"But the prince must be recognized!" she insisted. "It's not right for us to disrespect his authority."

"He's still a child!" I snapped, pulling her out of her daydreams. "A very dangerous one who needs stability and rules to manage the power he has inherited. One with a temper to match that of his mother."

"Oh." She nodded. "Yes, that is a good point."

"And together," I went on, "those two are more powerful than any of us could have ever imagined. Pearl, that is why we must continue to train them just as we have before. They do not need the distraction of their titles or rank. This? It is bigger than all of us, and our duty is to instruct them."

"It's more than that, Ivy!" she shot back. "We must prepare them for when the gates open again."

"They are sealed," I reminded her. "Closed. Locked. We don't know if they will ever open again."

"The Summer Prince is here," she countered. "The Queen will open them to get him back. She worked too hard to get him in the first place!"

"And I'm not sure the magic cares." I reached up to pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to ignore the headache that was quickly forming.

"A hunter has died. The Huntsman is speaking.

The Morrigan has arrived. Right now, all signs point to the magic being awake and aware.

Things are changing, and that can only mean one thing. "

"That we'll finally get to go home?" Pearl asked.

"No," I said, shaking my head to make the point.

"War is coming. The Morrigan has come, and war always follows.

We always knew this day would come, so it's time to repair the division between the seasons.

Healing our people is the only chance we have of stopping it.

" I lifted my eyes, looking at Bracken, then glanced back at Tag.

"We also need to make sure we're on the right side. "

"Summer?" Pearl asked.

"No," I corrected. "Theirs. All of theirs."

"And god help us," Tag added, "the kids are calling the shots."

Bracken laughed once. "Aren't they always? We just tell ourselves we're guiding them. Mostly, it's more like herding cats."

"Fae cats," I agreed. "Here's hoping fae royalty listens a little better."