Page 21 of A Deal with the Shadow King

“Sepals and stigmas,” she repeats patiently before pointing to my face. “Did you get slapped by a Nyx?”

I reach out to graze the tip of my nose. “Oh, yeah.”

“Pesky little devils. Don’t worry, the red mark will fade in about a day.”

“Good to know.” I lean on the desk, trying to contain the storm brewing in my chest. “Are there other…creatures I should be wary of?”

“Nope. The castle is pretty much empty. The other hunters are all away on assignments, and the weavers live in the new world. There are sixteen of us in total. Long before my time, I heard there were dozens, but—” Her gaze falls to the ground.

“Go on.”

“I shouldn’t. Not until you’ve taken your vows.”

My heart beats faster in my chest. This woman isn’t new to this world, and yet she’s not Fae, and so far I get nothing but good vibes from her. Maybe she’s my only chance to get real answers about what the king plans to do with me.

“Vows? What do they entail?” I ask wistfully.

Vows of chastity are spoken by Gaia’s priests and priestesses. Vows of obedience must be sworn in marriage. But I don’t think Lori means either of those types of vows.

“I can’t speak about the specifics. It’s an initiation thing. You can never know what’s coming. Only… Don’t expect to make it all the way through the ranks. There’s only been one new Sepal in the last few years, and there hasn’t been a Stigma in decades.”

Don’t expect to make it all the way…

My breath stutters. “What happens to the people who don’t make it all the way?”

“Sorry. I don’t know the details, and even if I did…” she trails off with a wince.

“You couldn’t say. Got it.” I rub my nails along a crack in the wood of her desk, searching for a more innocuous question. “Where is One?”

The stiffness in her spine eases. “I haven’t seen him since lunch yesterday, so he’s probably off-world, leading the great hunt.”

“Huh?”

A grin spreads across her face. “Great hunts increase the magic of the realm, but they are incredibly dangerous. You’ll be lucky to catch a glimpse of One before your first trial. Sucks for you that you got nightmares first. I got dreams, and Two craves his pupils’ attention.”

I blink away my surprise—and disappointment. I should be relieved, really, but I’m just confused. “What the crops am I doing here if the king and my mentor are nowhere to be found?”

Am I really expected to train, or is it just a ruse? So far, all my preconceptions about Faerie or my place here were misconstrued… I don’t know what to think anymore.

Lori’s face creases in either confusion or commiseration, or a mix of both. “Things get quite busy for Faerie folks before St-John’s Eve. One should be more available after the solstice.”

“St-John’s Eve is a Fae holiday, right?” I ask.

She gives me a sharp nod. “The Fae Summer celebration. Each Fae holiday”—she mimes air quotes with her hands—“brings the monarchs together for a ritual that ensures the survival of the realm. You should read about the Faerie seasons and rejuvenation of its magic. Foghar comes after summer and brings in the best food. And you’ll want to learn as much as you can about Morheim, the Shadow Court’s hunt. The hunters who do well there get to prove their worth, so to speak.”

She peruses the cart behind her. “And you won’t get into runes before you’ve completed the first trial, but it can’t hurt to learn the basics. Some of those suckers are so damn similar.” Her dislike for the “runes” is obvious despite the few odd words she used to describe them.

“How long have you lived here, in Faerie?” I ask.

I watch her open face for tells, but she exudes nothing but joy and confidence as she answers, “Fiona, Mitch, and I were all seeds last year.” Her eyes dim. “The other three girls that arrived along with us didn’t sprout.”

I want to ask more, want to know what happened to the seeds that didn’t sprout and get to the bottom of it all, but relationships need time, and confidences are earned. Lori has already told me a ton, and judging by her bubbly personality, probably more than she should have.

“Thanks for the insight.” I scout the rows and rows of books with a pang of longing, my mind struggling to keep the Faerie seasons straight. “Since I’m here…do you have specific books to recommend?”

Chapter 9

Seven Seasons

---