Page 54

"I didn't realize," Dawn finally breathed. Then she looked over at Ms. Rhodes. "I heard what happened to Iolanthe, and I came straight away."

But the other teacher reached over for Aspen's shoulder. That was when I recognized her as Ms. Linden, Aspen's biology teacher.

"Aspen, I think this will calm down sooner if the court lets the dean handle it," she whispered, tilting her head back toward the cafeteria.

"Yeah," Aspen agreed, catching Torian's eye. "Let's get lunch."

But behind us, that woman was still going. "Why didn't we know there was royalty here, Ivy? This is something we should've been made aware of. I am Iolanthe's mother, and I expect her education to..."

Her words faded as Ms. Linden herded us all through the doors and into the cafeteria.

I had to hold the door for a second to let Jack in with us.

He shot past us, but came back quickly, making me offer him an arm so he could land.

With a little bob of his head, he walked sideways up my arm until he was once again on my shoulder, but he was being oddly quiet.

Not chattering in frustration like I was used to.

Ms. Linden stopped the court just inside the door.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that, Aspen," she said before looking over at Torian.

"And I'm very sure you could've handled it, but Ms. Rhodes would've been the one suffering for it in the end.

Between the attacks happening here at school and the frantic parents wanting her to reassure them, I merely stepped in to give both you two and her an excuse. " She offered him a kind smile.

"We know," Torian assured her. "What happened was hard for many."

Ms. Linden glanced away, but her eyes drifted back to Wilder slowly. "Your Grace..." She paused, almost like she was changing her mind.

"Just Wilder," he assured her.

"No," Ms. Linden said softly, glancing around before moving a little closer to him.

"Bianca told me what you did. I owe you loyalty, Your Grace.

You should not have to be anything more here than a student, and yet you stepped up, saving my wife's life without hesitation.

There is no way for me to ever repay that, so I'll promise you my loyalty instead.

.." Then she looked at Aspen. "And through him, you as well, Your Majesty. "

"Ms. Linden..." Aspen tried, her eyes widening.

But Ms. Linden just smiled. "Aspen, I have never had a problem with your season because I fell in love with it long ago.

To see that your court is made of such impressive nobility?

The least I can do is be proud of my respect for all of you, but after the attacks?

" She looked at Wilder again. "I will spend the rest of my life repaying the debt, Your Grace, and gladly. "

Yet Wilder's lips parted at her words, and he tensed a bit.

That was enough to make me look at Ms. Linden.

Right before my eyes, her hair was fading, but only in two chunks on either side of her part.

The woman's chestnut hair was shifting too, or there was something going on with the light in here.

It was changing from warm brown to cool.

"Does anyone else see that?" I asked.

"Her hair..." Wilder breathed.

"I've never seen an enchantment like that before," Torian said.

Yet Ms. Linden looked at him with only confusion on her face. "What enchantment?"

"Your hair just turned white," Aspen said. "Well, streaks. They just appeared as we all watched!"

With a flick of her hand, the botany teacher created a hand-held mirror out of pale light and held it up. The kind smile was still toying with her mouth right up until she saw the change in her hair. Then she gasped, shocked enough she even let go of the magically made mirror.

Time slowed. Ms. Linden slapped both hands over her mouth, but I reached, trying to catch the mirror.

Keir did the same, yet we didn't stand a chance.

Torian's attention was locked on the woman's hands.

Aspen was shaking her head as if trying to make sense of this.

Hawke had moved in front of Wilder, and for that split second, we were all distracted - until the mirror hit the floor.

Glass shattered loudly, the sound echoing in the dining hall.

On the far side, someone screamed. Dozens of people flinched.

In the line for meals beside us, a girl squealed, the staff ducked behind the serving counter, and one person conjured a shield, protecting the entire group.

But at my feet, the shards of glass were all evaporating into white sparkles that vanished quickly, almost like they were evaporating.

"Winter," Wilder breathed.

"The shield," Keir said, looking over at the students in the line. "Who did that?!"

"What was that?" Poppy demanded, proving it was her. She also still had the shield up.

"It's ok!" I told everyone, aware the entire room had paused. "It was just a broken mirror. Everything's fine." But I saw Poppy's shield too. I watched as she dismissed it.

Across the nearly translucent barrier, swirls of blues and greens were obvious, but pinks, golds, and purples were in there as well. The surface colors were faint, but the only word I had to describe all of it was iridescent.

And when I turned, wondering if Keir had seen it too, my eyes landed on my shadow. Against the wall beside me, it was grinning. This time, one eye was white. The other was green. The large curve of its mouth? That was a rainbow.