Page 66 of Rebellious Royals

"The Silent," I mumbled, glancing back to where Pascal was leading the guy through quickly emptying halls. "Ok, let's go make sure he doesn't fuck with Pascal?"

"The Legacy?" Nevaeh asked.

"Yeah, the guy who just jumped in to help you," I reminded her.

"No." She caught my elbow, turning me after Pascal. "I mean those fuckers won't care about him. Pascal's clearly a faeling, but he doesn't have Winter magic."

"Yeah, but who's to say they won't wonder if he might, since he has no magic at all," I pointed out. "I'd rather not risk it."

"I just want to know why they're jumping people now," Poppy said, following beside us. "I mean, they've been attending Silver Oaks for generations. Um, well, let's go with decades."

"Definitely decades," Nevaeh agreed. "But now there's that rumor about Aspen being a princess."

"And Torian a prince," I grumbled.

Which made Nevaeh smile. "That didn't sound like a lie."

"Because that is the rumor," I told her. "Thus, it's a truth, it's annoying, and this bullshit? It's all stupid."

"That's what I keep saying!" Poppy agreed. "They're all trying to worship some asshole who won't even say who he is? So if he is the prince, he's ashamed of it. If he's not, then he doesn't deserve their worship. Either way, this isn't Faerie, and there are no courts here!"

"But some people wish there was," Nevaeh said. "I mean, they think they'll be on it, and that's why."

"Wait." I looked between them. "Is that why Ms. Valentina wanted to hurt Aspen?"

"She's got Winter magic, and too much of it," Nevaeh explained. "They think that if Winter's gone, then the court - just the one - will be even more powerful. And yes, Ms. Valentina is sure she'd be on it. After all, she knew the Queen."

"TheMadQueen," I pointed out. "The insane one who convinced everyone to abandon Faerie? That's the queen they're sucking up to?"

"Knowing she likely will have no clue?" Poppy added. "Yep, that's the one, but Mom keeps saying the monarch doesn'tmatter. The court does, because this much power needs a government, and a human one won't do."

"Because they aren't trying to follow the Mad Queen?" I asked.

"I don't think they fucking care," Nevaeh said. "They just want power. With the pure fae, it's always about power."

"And yet they keep having us," Poppy grumbled. "Then get pissed when we aren't pure. It's a no-win situation."

"One where Winter users are the losers," Nevaeh said. "But that's the thing. Even if their idea fails, we'll still lose, so that makes it good enough for them."

"Assholes," I mumbled, making both of them nod in agreement.

Chapter Twenty

RAIN

Ms. Rhodes ended up having questions for all of us, once we reached her office. Most of them were the normal kind, but one surprised me. She wanted to know what I'd done to that guy's hands. The shadow-mittens were still encasing them, and I wasn't sure how it worked, but I knew they'd keep him from casting any spells.

I, on the other hand, had questions for Pascal. "Hey," I whispered when Ms. Rhodes was busy questioning Nevaeh and Poppy. "How do you always end up in the right place lately?"

"Shit," he chuckled under his breath. "Rain, I would not call this 'being in the right place.'"

"Nevaeh would."

And his shoulders slumped. "Oh. Yeah. I guess that changes things, huh?" But he just shrugged again. "The truth is, a few of us have a class over by your second period. Me, Bran, and Axel. That's why we were just behind Aspen when shit went down. And my next class was the way we were going. Theirs is the other way. I knew you were close and wanted to check on our mutual friend..."

Hawke, he meant. I nodded to show that made sense, but something felt off. Ok, maybe that was just paranoia, but still.How many times had someone been attacked lately, and I'd been there? Were they trying to make me out to be the bad guy somehow? Were they testing me? I honestly didn't know. And who were "they?!"

But when Ms. Rhodes was satisfied that she knew what had happened, we were all released. Pascal, Poppy, and Nevaeh were allowed to head back to class. Ms. Rhodes told me to do the same, but when I turned, my dad was standing in the door of his office, watching me.