Page 60 of Drama Queen

Pix slows a bit, making herself easier to see as she continues to fly around examining them, me, and the room itself, and guilt sinks in my stomach like a stone.

“The Unseelie are the opposite. They find the shadows comforting and are regarded as dark and dangerous. They areno less beautiful, but it’s not the same beauty. Bloodshed is just a part of life, and the chaos is soothing,” I tell them, feeling the truth of my words deep in my bones.

“I am both Seelie and Unseelie.”

I push on despite their looks of confusion, trying not to lose my nerve.

“About a millennium ago, the two courts were at war. Neither was particularly fond of the other before that, but it escalated. Where attacks between the kingdoms used to be skilled assassins or trickery in the form of games and bets, this was literal war.”

I pause for a moment to give them a second for it to sink in. All eyes are on me, and their reactions to my words are very different. Aldric looks at me like he’s worried I might have hit my head or just be downright crazy. Silas seems intrigued, but I kind of expected that from him; he loves knowledge and soaks it up like a sponge. And Carver… Well, he seems more worried about Pixie as she continues to float around the room than listening to a word I’m saying.

“I’m not sure how it started, none of our histories say, and anyone who was alive then is hush-hush about it all.” Carver’s mouth pops open, and I glare at him. I’d hardly even begun to explain, and he’s already not listening. He matches my glare with one of his own, and I see the battle waging in his eyes. His need to argue with me wars with his need for answers. Answers he knows he might not get if he should interrupt me.

Eventually, he concedes. His mouth snaps closed as he rolls his eyes so hard I think he saw his brain; if he had one, that is. His nostrils flare as he lets out a huff of annoyance but otherwise remains silent.

“The war lasted for a few hundred years, with neither side making any real headway. For every battle the Seelie won, the Unseelie would win the next. They might be opposite courts, buttheir powers are pretty well matched. Around the five-hundred-year mark, though, things started to change. The realm itself was falling into disarray. Never in the history of the courts has the other worked to destroy the other. Yes, there was fighting between the two, but not like that. That’s not how things work. The day cannot be without the night, just as the opposite is true. The two courts might not agree on many things, but they’re balanced together.”

Pixie finally stops flying around, coming to land on my shoulder and tangling herself in my hair with a laugh, and I take comfort in her presence before pressing on.

“The war threw that careful balance into chaos. Lands produced less food, and the night lasted longer than the day in the Seelie Court and vice versa in the Unseelie.”

I watch as Aldric moves around the living room before dropping onto the couch. Carver and Silas follow him, and I take that as a sign to continue.

“It wasn’t until about a few years later that true chaos began, though, as both courts began to realize it wasn’t just the land. No longer was just the vegetation producing less; it was everything, everyone, until the day came when new life ceased. For one hundred or so years, not another creature was born. Not an elf, pixie, goblin, troll, unicorn, or centaur. Nothing.”

Taking a deep breath, I let it out in a rush with my words.

“Long story short, the courts had to come together, or the realm would have died. My sister, Ivy, and I are the first heirs to be born of both courts and in the joining of the courts, Ironcrest Academy was born.” I pause for a moment to see if they're even listening, and I’m pleasantly surprised to find they are.

Well, mostly. Carver leans forward, looking at the small table in front of the couch, and cocking his head to the side. It takes me a second to realize what he’s looking at, but his confusionmakes sense when I spot the mirror—one of the few other things I’d brought with me.

Shit!

Explanation forgotten, I lunge for the table, scooping the mirror up, and try to keep my panic at bay. Just because he’s reaching out like this doesn’t mean something’s wrong, right… Right?

“Zeph?” I call his name as the ripples work across the mirror, making it appear more like a liquid than a solid.

“What the fuck is happening?” Carver asks from over my shoulder, but I ignore him. I can explain in a minute. Right now, I need to see Zeph and figure out what he wants before I work myself into a damn panic.

“Emory?” Zephyr’s voice comes through a little choppy. I still have my glamour on, so I can’t push as much magic into the connection as I usually would. It probably only takes a second or two, but it feels like an eternity before he comes into focus. I search his face, looking for some hint that he’s hurt or in trouble, but come up empty. He looks just like he did when I left, and I sag in relief.

“Don’t look so worried, my lady. Someone might think you care about me,” he says with a chuckle. His cocky grin makes me wish I could reach through the glass and smack him, or maybe hug him.

“Not funny, asshole!” I snap, but can’t stop the smile that pulls at my lips, seeing him in one piece and joking. That’s a good sign. “I thought something was wrong.”

“Nah, it’s been a minute since we’ve talked, and I wanted to check-in. Plus, I missed your pretty face.” His brows dip as he looks at me, his eyes roaming my face. “Getting pretty good at the glamour, I see,” he says with a nod, and while he sounds proud, I get the feeling he doesn’t actually like it.

Not that I blame him; I’m not exactly fond of it either.

“I still hate it. Stupid thing is suffocating,” I say with a huff, and he throws his head back, laughing out loud.

I'm glad someone can enjoy my suffering. He might be good with glamours, but he never has to use them like this.

“Good to know you’re the same no matter what realm you’re in, Em,” he says, shaking his head and getting back to business. “So, how goes the hunt? Any luck?”

Instead of answering him, I turn to look at the guys who sit watching me have a conversation with someone through a mirror. Where they have phones and computers for this kind of thing while we have magic.

Leaning back, I turn the mirror to let them see Zephyr and for him to see them. I guess this is as good a way as any for them to see the truth for themselves.

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