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Chapter Twenty-Eight

IVY

W ell, Torian Hunt had completely screwed up my weekend. At least Rain had been willing to tell me all about it during her Monday morning class, so I had all the information now. Sadly, the children in the dining hall had told more than just their friends. They'd also told their parents.

I'd received emails yesterday. Today, the phone calls started. The office staff was working overtime to take messages for me, and there was no way I'd be able to call everyone back by the end of my work day. That meant this mess was going to last at least a week.

Checking the clock, I scooped another bite of fruit salad into my mouth.

Tag had brought me a package of maple treats as well.

Candied maple syrup definitely counted as my preferred version of a pick-me-up.

Sucking back another bite, I looked over the stack of hand-written messages on my desk and fought the urge to sigh.

We needed more humans in here. They, at least, would be willing to tackle a keyboard and computer. Still, my former soldiers and aides had needed a job, and this was a safe one for them.

I'd just crammed the last two bites of my lunch into my mouth, and was struggling to chew around it all, when the door to my office slammed open.

Pearl Hawthorne's hand was on the handle, and she didn't bother to ask if I minded the intrusion.

No, she simply stormed in, dragging three adult fae behind her.

"Ivy," she said, "these parents have been waiting to speak to you. They were told you weren't available."

I chewed a little faster. "Mhm." That was all I could get out with the mouthful of fruit.

"Pearl!" Rose gasped, hurrying around the front desk to come to my aid. "I told you she's on her lunch break!"

"And we have parents who took time from theirs to have a meeting!" Pearl huffed.

But I'd finally swallowed my food. "Come in," I said, waving for them to enter my office. "Pearl, are these friends of yours?"

"Aster Black, Calix Hudson, and Oasis Cove," Pearl introduced. "Aster and Oasis are friends of mine, and Calix is a friend of theirs. They sent their children here because of my recommendation, Ivy."

I nodded, realizing why she was pushing this. "I see." Then I turned to the three parents. "And what can I help you with?"

"Is it true?" Calix asked, shifting closer.

"Is what true?" I asked.

"My daughter said the Summer Prince is here!" Aster burst out.

"And a duke," Oasis added. "A Summer Duke? Here? Attending with our children?"

I resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of my nose. "Yes, it seems that is true. However, they will not be treated as royalty or nobility while they're in attendance. The Summer Prince is not exempt from the rules of this institution, and we will not prevent him from socializing."

The three parents all exchanged excited looks, but I knew this wasn’t going to end well. It hadn't yet, and I'd been doing this endlessly since Torian had made his little scene in the cafeteria. Foolish boy!

"But this is a sign," Oasis insisted. "Ivy, it means our court has finally made it over!"

"He's been here almost two years," I said, dropping that out there.

"And you haven't removed the Winter students yet?" Calix asked, anger starting to color his tone.

"I have not," I said.

"We've been trying to prevent Torian's rank from becoming a problem," Pearl told them. "To protect him, of course."

I gave her a sideways look. Pearl Hawthorne hadn't known who or what Torian was until a few weeks ago.

Only a handful of us had been trusted with that information.

Yes, I'd thought keeping his rank to himself would be safer, but she made it sound like she'd known the whole time when she hadn't.

Then there was the fact she'd just told these people his common name.

"And my son's in a class with him?" Oasis asked. "Able to interact freely, and he won't be punished for his lack of manners? Sadly, I've never had a chance to teach him the ways of our court."

"Since we are on Earth," I said, "I expect the students here to act like it. I am not trying to recreate the fae society we left. The goal of Silver Oaks is to preserve our children, their knowledge of their abilities, and to keep our kind from being persecuted by humanity."

"What about the Winter students?" Aster asked.

"What about them?" I gave her a polite but bland smile.

"The prince is here!" she spit. "You can't risk having them around him!"

"The prince has friends from both courts," I said as calmly as I could.

"What?!" Oasis gasped. "No! That can't be allowed to continue! Those children need to be expelled."

"I am not expelling a student who is in good standing," I said, tired of this already.

"You must!" Calix insisted.

"One of them is his sister," Pearl said. "Same father."

I wanted to groan, but before I had to worry about that, Aster gasped. "A Winter Princess?"

I was not about to correct her - or Pearl. I knew Aspen had told a few people, but I did not agree with her decision. I also had no place to tell a queen to keep her mouth shut.

Instead, I said, "Yes, we have students from all classes and all seasons." Hopefully, they wouldn't realize I'd said all seasons instead of both. Explaining Earth magic would likely make this worse.

The words were barely out of my mouth before Aster shoved her way closer to lean in as if threatening me.

"Ivy, we are the ones who support this school of yours.

We had no problem with you taking in foundlings, spending funds to feed and house them, because they are our kind, but this?

Allowing our nobility to be threatened by another court? "

I really wanted to sigh. It was a bad habit, and I knew it, but my soldiers had always understood. These parents wouldn't, so I simply replied, "The prince is not being threatened."

"But now that he's here, it's time," Oasis insisted. "This is a place for our kind, Ivy, not theirs! We can't risk our prince being weak at the wrong season! Think what they could do to him!"

"Which is why my staff is well-trained, the building is highly protected, and my students are aware that any attacks will result in expulsion," I explained. Then I made sure that was clear. "Attacks are the problem, not seasons."

"But this is preposterous!" Calix huffed. "We're so close to regaining control of the power, but you're going to shelter them?"

"Calix..." Oasis whispered, sounding like she was trying to keep him from saying too much.

"No!" Calix roared. "I will not have my child at risk. None of us will. If we have to, we'll take the prince with us and find another way to train him. A way that will keep him safe until his mother has cured the plight on Faerie!"

Aster crossed her arms over her chest. "Our community is unanimous, Ivy. If the Winter students are not removed, we will cease funding Silver Oaks."

"I have other backers," I assured them.

"But you're destroying our children by exposing them to such things!" Oasis said. "What if they make friends from another court? What if they get ideas?"

"Such as?" I asked.

Calix tried to step forward again, but Oasis caught his arm. Clearly, these three had some serious biases. Their ranting was also much too close to the things The Silent had been saying. The threats, the warnings, and the drive for seasonal purity were all tied together.

Which meant I needed to keep an eye on their kids. If they had ties to the Children of the Exodus, then I'd prefer these people had no claim on Silver Oaks at all. I could get more money. The Fae didn't care about it, but we tended to come by it easily.

Sadly, these three were only an example of the response I'd been getting.

Most called, but could I really consider this merely parental overprotectiveness?

Three others had demanded I remove all Winter students.

I was sure there'd be more. Not that I would, but was the prejudice against Winter really that strong on Earth?

There had to be communities of Winter users.

I was sure plenty of fae had access to both seasons.

Naturally, those wouldn't be calling about this.

They'd remind their children to be polite around nobility, simply because nobility was unpredictable.

But with the stack of messages I had on my desk, I was starting to think I'd vastly underestimated the hate out there.

Yet instead of yelling at these three, I simply leaned back, keeping my voice calm and authoritative. "Let me make this clear, ladies and gentlemen. This is my school. This is the future for our kind here on Earth, and that future is dependent on both courts."

"But the two seasons weren't meant to be together!" Aster said, cutting me off just as I was getting started. "That's why there are two separate courts! And if they weren't here, none of this would be happening!"

This time, the sigh did slip out. I also didn't give them the chance to complain about it.

"And yet the magic comes in two seasons," I said.

"Most of us can't use but one. Those who can touch both tend to be stronger in one than the other.

They also can directly trace their ancestry to a marriage of alliance. Often a noble one."

"And if Winter was gone, we'd be able to use that too!" Calix insisted.

I just lifted my chin. "I don't care. In case you forgot, I'm the one who made this school.

I'm the one who has found a way to protect our children.

I have devised an education for them that blends seamlessly into human society.

I am the one who vowed to make sure our culture wasn't lost, and that culture includes two seasons, two courts, and two thrones! "

"But we only have a handful of Winter students," Pearl pointed out, reminding me she was hovering quietly beside the door. "Ivy, surely something could be arranged so they could have a school of their own?"

"No."

"What?" Aster asked, dropping her arms in surprise.

So I turned my eyes on her. "I said no."

"Do you know who I am?" she demanded.

"No," I said. "Do you know who I am?" Finally, I stood, centuries of military duty making my posture straight and stuff.

"I am Ivy Rhodes, the General of the Summer army, fiercest of the troll army, Guardian of Elysian Fields, and savior of Avalon.

I am the one in charge here, and if you'd like your children to continue to get the fae privileges they've enjoyed while here, you will stop trying to persecute my students! "

"I won't have my son here," Calix said.

"Me either," Oasis agreed.

"I will be packing my daughter up today," Aster informed me. "And you can kiss your annual donations goodbye!"

"I'm sure they'll be missed," I told the trio. Then I looked over at Pearl. "Would you help your friends find their children's dorms? That will make it more private when they break the news to them."

"Ivy..." Pearl breathed.

I gave her a long look. It was a warning, so when her mouth shut quickly, I knew she'd understood.

"With the Summer Prince in attendance, I am required to be even more careful than normal. I cannot take the risk of extremists around royalty. I also do not appreciate anyone trying to dictate the operations of my school. Do not let it happen again - am I understood, Pearl?"

"I thought I was helping," Pearl mumbled. "I'll handle them - and maybe convince them this is a good thing."

"Good." And I gestured for her to follow her friends, who had just stormed out of my office.

Then I finally got to sigh the way I needed. A good, heavy, and stress-relieving expulsion of air that served for all the profanity I really wished I could use in its place. Sometimes, I truly envied the children for their freedoms.

But the moment they left the main office and stepped into the hall, I leaned and gestured to get Rose's attention.

"Yes, Ms. Rhodes?" she asked, hurrying into my office.

"Did you get the names of those parents?" I asked.

She nodded once.

"I want you to keep an eye on their kids. If they leave, then fine, but mark their files, because I have a feeling they will be back."

"Should we allow them to return if they withdraw?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yes, Rose. Minds can't be changed if they only hear one thing. Opinions are only honest if someone is given access to all the information available. Otherwise, it's merely propaganda, and we do not do that here."

Rose quickly licked her lips. "Should I wait before giving you the next batch of messages?"

This time, I groaned. "No, you might as well bring them."

"I can find a substitute for your evening classes," she offered. "We don't want you working all night."

"No," I agreed. "And they can wait until I get to them in the order their call was received, Rose. Most just want to know if the prince is here."

"Does Torian know he caused this much trouble for you?"

I shook my head. "No. He's just a boy. He doesn't need to worry about this. I think those kids have enough on their plates."

"And you're just letting them do what they want?"

"No," I assured her. "I'm letting them figure out who they want to be. Not who their parents, or friends, or anyone else expects them to become. I'm trying to let them make up their own minds, and I think we'll all be better for it."

Rose nodded. "I've turned off the curfew alerts for all of their rooms. Is there anything else you'd like me to do?"

I paused tapping at my desk. "Have the staff reinforce the building's protections. We've been focused on the Hunt for too long. We need to make sure we're able to withstand an attack from our own kind as well."

She dipped her head again. "Yes, General."

"Thank you, soldier," I replied much too easily.