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Chapter Eleven

RAIN

W e got to the room where I usually had first period with Ms. Rhodes, but it was empty.

There were enough chairs for four, though, so Keir took the spot beside me.

Torian claimed the one that would be beside Ms. Rhodes.

Shadow took up its place on the wall across from the table where it was easy to see.

But the lack of Jack was weird.

It shouldn't be. He only weighed a couple of pounds and he didn't often talk during my Morrigan lessons, yet I felt like I'd left something on upstairs, or like I'd forgotten to do my homework.

There was just this base sense of wrong about it that made me realize how comfortable I'd gotten with his presence.

"What about protections?" Keir asked now that we were alone.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He wagged a finger at me, then pointed to Torian, proving the question was for him. "You can't make protections, Rain. Wrong magic."

"Are you sure about that?" Torian countered.

"No, but I am sure you can make protections for your sister."

Torian murmured at that, making it clear Keir had a point. "The problem is knowing what to protect her against. We'll also need something to hold them."

"Like?" Keir asked.

Torian smiled slyly. "Those rubber bracelets people wear in clusters work nicely."

Which made me think back to the first time I'd seen him.

Torian had worn a half dozen nineties-type bracelets.

They'd been black ones, but I knew they also came in neon colors.

I was pretty sure they had to be easy to get, although I'd never looked for such things.

But because they were rubber, they wouldn't interfere with a fae spell of any kind.

"Pretty sure Ms. Rhodes would approve a - " Keir paused as the door opened.

Looking weary, Ms. Rhodes walked in, but when she saw both Torian and Keir, her eyes narrowed. "And to what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked.

"The graffiti," Keir said.

But Torian leaned back and gestured for her to take the place beside him. "Concern for Aspen."

Ms. Rhodes dipped her head. "Thank you, Highness." But she stopped after pulling out the chair. "Where's Jack?"

"With Aspen," I explained.

"Hence why we're here," Torian said. "Look, we all know someone is after Winter users. Many suspect Aspen is exactly who she really is. After she was attacked, we came to a decision."

"Do I want to know?" Ms. Rhodes asked.

"We're done hiding," Torian said. "But before we could even act on that, this happened today."

"This," Ms. Rhodes said, "appears to have been planned after the last attack failed.

Or at least that's my working theory." She lifted a finger, begging us all to wait.

"We do have security in the school. It is typical, mundane equipment.

Oddly, when I reviewed the tapes with Ms. Hawthorne earlier, it appears no one painted the school. "

"Uh..." I had so many questions.

"Literally," she clarified. "The paint appeared on the walls, but the halls were completely empty."

"Magic," Keir explained.

"And either an enchantment or a conjuration strong enough I wasn't disturbed by it," Ms. Rhodes went on. "So I'm glad Jack is with Aspen. Torian, which classes does she not have one of the court with her?"

I had that answer. "First and third periods."

"Then I'll move you, Torian - "

"No," he said, cutting her off. "Aspen was right. She pointed out that having me follow her around makes her look weak. It's all but begging for these idiots to attack her again. Jack can watch her back."

"My bigger concern is her freezing in the face of a problem," Ms. Rhodes said, doing her best to be gentle. "Torian, we know she's not used to the same social situations you grew up with."

"Maybe not," he agreed, "but she can handle herself."

Keir murmured at that. "I'm more worried than you are, Tor?"

Torian tapped at the table before him. "Yes. I know she can escape. I can't be sure she'd fight back, but I believe she can defend herself with gusto if she chooses to. I know she will protect her friends, and that bird counts."

"So you think he's more of an excuse to make her act than any real protection?" I asked.

"I do," Torian admitted. "Don't get me wrong, Shadow made his point - "

"Its," I corrected. "I promise my shadow isn't male. I don't get the feeling it's female either, so let's just go with 'it?'"

"Its point then," Torian conceded.

And on the wall, Shadow held up its thumb.

"Ok," Ms. Rhodes said. "But in full disclosure, and in the spirit of the agreement Rain and I have in this room, I'm worried, Torian. Her Majesty - "

"Aspen," Torian corrected. "We don't need titles or groveling. What we need are some of those cheap rubber bracelets, in bulk if possible."

"For?" Ms. Rhodes asked.

"Protections," I said. "I'd like to try making a few as well. I mean, wouldn't it make sense that Wild magic would protect better?"

"Or not at all," Keir said. "That's the nature of Wild magic."

"I can get the bracelets," Ms. Rhodes promised. "There's just one thing you three haven't considered."

"What's that?" I asked.

"You, Rain." Ms. Rhodes gave me a gentle smile.

The kind that looked like an apology. "Anything you touch will be negated.

That includes worn protections. I can't be sure how a protection made of Wild magic would react to being worn.

Would it be dangerous? Helpful? It's why I haven't focused on such things. "

"And that kills that idea," Keir grumbled.

"But Aspen and Torian need some kind of protection!" I insisted.

"I'm fine," Torian said.

So I canted my head at him. "Are you? Do you think Aspen agrees? Keir?"

"I am not sticking my nose in that," Keir mumbled.

I just gestured at him like he'd proven my point. "See? The chances of us pissing someone off are too high to just trust that we'll see it coming. We need some kind of protections! You and Aspen most of all, but Wilder too. The rest of us just because we'll become collateral damage."

"She has a point," Keir said.

Torian laughed once. "I know. I do, but I'm not used to having someone putting me on the list of people who should be protected."

So I leaned over the table toward him. "You're the Summer Prince, Torian.

Cool. That kicks ass, I'm sure. But more than that, you're my friend, Aspen's brother, and that means I hate the idea of anyone trying to fuck with you.

Not because of what you are, but simply because I haven't had many friends in my life. I moved too much. Deal with it."

The corner of his mouth curled higher, and Torian lifted those spring-green eyes of his to meet mine. "I'm dealing. This is me doing my best."

"Good."

"And worn protections still won't work," Keir said. "The bracelets might be good to have on hand anyway, but Ms. Rhodes has a point. So what other options do we have?"

"The one we've been training you in," Ms. Rhodes said with a sly smile.

"The court knows how to counter a conjuration.

You have the ability to detect enchantments.

Your skills are a good mix of abilities that can handle most situations, so what you need to do is trust each other.

I know that's harder for some of you than others. " She glanced at Torian.

"I'm learning," he mumbled.

"You are," she agreed. "Making sure Aspen has a reason to actually fight back?

That proves it. So trust that Jack is just as much a member of your court as the other wildlings, Torian.

Work together. I think those are the best protections you have, but I'll offer this as well.

I will support the court's decisions. I will back you up, run interference, or anything else you need - so put your own protection above all else. "

"Yeah," Torian said. "We can do that."

"So let's let Rain get back to her lesson and go think about all the ways we can stay a step ahead," Keir said as he pushed to his feet.

"Invent a few while you're at it," Ms. Rhodes called after them. "Earth magic might offer advantages we don't know about."

"True," Torian said. "I'll meet you at the top of the stairs, Rain." Then he turned to the wall. "Shadow." And he dipped his head before walking out like the arrogant prince he actually was.

When the door closed behind him and Keir, Ms. Rhodes finally slid the cocoa-coffee mixture toward me and leaned back. When she let out a heavy sigh, it was as if she was finally allowing herself to wind down.

"I was worried about you kids, you know," she said.

"My job here is to protect you - all of you - but this?

I can't stop someone I can't identify. I can't protect these royals without causing more problems and creating resentment.

I..." She lifted her cup, but paused before taking a drink.

"Rain le Fae, I am officially giving you authorization to break any rule you need to in order to protect the members of the court.

I'd prefer you don't, but I also know you were worried about being expelled last semester.

This? It's me making it clear you won't even be punished. "

Whoa. Ok, that was not at all what I'd expected, and it actually made me more worried.

"Because of the graffiti?" I asked.

"Because the attacks on Aspen are getting more serious," she explained.

"Because the Hunt has been called here, and we all know Aspen's retaliation won't keep them away forever.

Because Torian's right. This situation with the crowns is a lot more serious than most people know.

If Aspen is killed, that means Torian will inherit the throne.

If not him, then Wilder. And if all three of them are gone?

" She lifted her hands, palm up. "There's no one else. "

"It doesn't just keep going down to the next Winter user?" I asked.

"Oh, it could," she said. "Sadly, none of them have the magical potential to harness the power of the crown. Whoever is killing off Winter users would find them easy to dispose of. Aspen and Wilder are the last Winter nobility I know of. The rest were killed by the Mad Queen."

"Even here?" I asked.

She nodded. "And worse than that, I'm sure Torian watched. That boy has never known anything but violence. Survival is his greatest talent. He has seen more cruelty and bloodshed than most veterans of this world's wars, and he's only barely old enough to be considered an adult by human standards."

"When would a fae consider him an adult?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Around fifty," she said. "So yes, your fae father is still basically a teenager to me."

"But I bet the same is true for whoever is trying to attack us," I pointed out. "They're kids. Students here. That means they're going to be as stupid as we are."

"Or so we hope." Finally, she took a drink. "My fear is there are adults involved in this. I've gotten enough phone calls from parents to know they're aware of the rumors."

"Which aren't rumors."

"No," she agreed, "but so far, they haven't been verified.

I'm not only talking about the royalty. I'm also talking about you killing a hunter.

Never mind that the Huntsman is speaking.

The frequency of the Hunt's visits to us, the loss of students…

All of that concerns parents who may only ever have one child in a very, very long life. "

"Ok, yeah, that's a good point," I relented.

"And I can't even tell them how you did it," she said.

"We barely understand what you do with your magic, Rain.

Joan was nothing like you. Yes, she was a Morrigan, and yes, she had the power of Wild magic, but she was trained to fight in a very different way.

Joan relied on iron more than magic. You?

Well, you make it up as you go along, and that seems to work best."

"Because swinging swords was done in Joan's day," I reminded her. "It was normal. Now? It's a weird historical thing that only really appears in fantasy books and movies."

"And when dealing with creatures who are all but immune to lead," she added. "But you killed one. Not stopped. Not sent away. You took the life of a hunter. The Wild Hunt is supposed to be immune to all things - but not you, apparently."

"But I don't know what I did!"

"I have noticed you often hold with your magic," she said. "First with Harper. Most recently, the four who attacked Aspen. You send your magic out like a net to trap them."

"It's actually more like animals," I admitted. "The magic takes on an animal's form, I mean. Wolves are common. Rabbits when I need it to be fast."

"Always Earth creatures?" she asked.

"No. A harpy helped with one of Aspen's attackers."

"And do you pick the form?"

I simultaneously shrugged and shook my head. "I don't know. I have a feeling like fast or strong, but it's Wild magic. It always feels like it has a mind of its own, so I just, I dunno, trust it?"

On the wall, Shadow was nodding, so Ms. Rhodes turned to it. "Does she pick the form?"

Lifting a hand, Shadow rocked it back and forth. The gesture was one I knew well, one that meant "sorta."

"Does she need to pick the form for it to work best?" Ms. Rhodes tried next.

And that creepy seam of no-shadow appeared, curling upwards into a smile. Slowly, Shadow shook its head.

"So is this an ability unique to Rain le Fae?" Ms. Rhodes tried next.

Shadow nodded. Then it did something that shocked me. Putting its hands together, the sentient Shadow used its hands to make the shape of a flying bird on the wall beside it.

"So Rain's bond to Jack is why her abilities aren't like other Morrigans of the past?" Ms. Rhodes tried.

Shadow thrust out its hand with the thumb up.

"See?" I said. "This is why I just sort of wing it. A lot."

"Then keep doing that," she told me. "So far, it seems to be working. And yet it's also creating a lot more questions than answers."