Page 61 of Faerie Marked

I knew Melia was joking as we stood watching the rest of the list change to reflect the new stats, including the deletion of several of my classmates. And there I was, my name shining from the top, and I couldn’t be less thrilled.

If anything, I wanted to throw up. But I didn’t think anyone would take kindly to me emptying my stomach right there in the hallway.

“You can take the credit if you want,” I told Melia with a grin. “I don’t mind.” She was probably the only reason I stayed sane in this place. Shedeservedthe credit.

Melia leaned her head on my shoulder and her curls tickled my nose. She groaned, a happy sound. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of you. Seeing your name at the top of this list is my crowning achievement for this year.”

I wrapped my arms around her automatically and closed the distance between us. “I couldn’t have done it without you. And Mike. You two were and are so supportive of me.”

But I kept my suspicions to myself, drew any and all worry into a dark corner of my mind and stashed it away to examine later when I was alone. I didn’t want to worry Melia if we were right with our theory about the top students being murdered.

“I’m still shocked you and Michael are friends,” she said with more than a little incredulity. “Have I told you lately?

“Weare friends,” I corrected her. “The four of us. I will never forget our heated lunch debates. Maybe one of these days when we aren’t stressed, we can get together and do something for fun.”

“Yeah, the four of us…lunch debates! I’m shocked about that, too. The Crown Prince of Faerie wants to sit and talk to me at lunch. Me!” Her laugh was disbelieving.

We moved away from the list when more students crowded closer for a second look. I tried to ignore the congratulations I still heard in my wake without seeming ungrateful for the sentiments. But it wasn’t right. It didn’t feel honest.

“What do you think about Mike and the royal family?” I asked, remembering what Persephone had told me. “I mean your real opinion of them.”

“What do Ithink?” Melia repeated. She shrugged the strap of her bag higher on her shoulder. “Well, I like Mike. Never thought I’d meethim, girl, let me tell you. But I like him. He’s genuine and he seems to have a good head on his shoulders. He’s more down to earth than I would have thought after seeing his pictures.”

We fell in step together, away from the crowd of students. “Why do I sense abutcoming on?”

“You are not going to repeat this to anyone. Understand?”

I crossed my heart with my index finger. “Yes. I understand.”

She dropped her voice low to prevent being overheard, turning the corner toward the library in order to avoid the main hallways with all the mirrors. She thought it was just a quirk of mine, the way I avoided mirrors. I hadn’t told her about the real reason and didn’t plan on it.

“Something about the king has never set right with me,” she whispered confidentially. “From everything I’ve heard, he’s a bit of a mystery, and I don’t like secrets in a leader. He’s also been in power for a long time. Longer than any other monarch in the history of Faerie.”

“Wow. How oldishe?” I wanted to know.

“No one seems to have any idea! Our kind are long-lived, of course, but his reign has outlasted all who’ve come before him. He’s managed to squash any kind of rising threat without casualties to his family or court. I don’t know, girl…I kind of feel like maybe his long reign has warped his mind. I haven’t met him, okay? But I get this odd sensation when I think about him or hear his voice. Something I can’t shake telling me to look deeper. Then I get nervous and switch off entirely. I try to change my thoughts around.”

I started and tried not to let Melia see my reaction. “If what you say is true, then it’s a scary thought.”

“I mean, this is just me sharing my opinion with you. It does seem scary. And his wife is almost never seen in public. It’s like the king hides her away, ashamed of her or something, I don’t know. Now you understand why it really took me by surprise to see Michael here. I think it’s great how he’s learning about his people and really becoming immersed in the experience. It shows he cares. And that’s a good thing, don’t get me wrong. But something smells off about the whole situation.”

I stared at her, the way lines of intense concentration formed on her brow, the set of her chin. “Why haven’t you told me this before?”

“Because it makes me sound like a crazy person!” Her hands went wild around the side of her head. “Would you believe me if we had just met and I came out and told you there was something wrong with the monarchy? Heck no, people don’t say those kinds of things. If anyone overheard me, I’d be interrogated. Or worse.”

I tried to shrug off the slight chill. This was the second time I’d heard about how things with the royal family weren’t quite how they appeared. But it wasn’t my place to question it. I had enough to worry about in the present without thinking how the monarchy of Faerie would impact me once I got there. I needed to keep my gaze focused on getting through the Fae Academy. Once I was safe, then and only then could I let my imagination run free.

We stopped outside of the library, the press of students slowing down to a trickle on this end of the castle. Not many people would choose to spend their afternoon among the dusty tomes. No wonder I liked it here.

“This is just a feeling I’ve had, Tavi,” Melia clarified without blinking, her honey-brown eyes round. “And I want to make sure you don’t repeat this to anyone.”

“Not a chance. My lips are sealed.”

But something about her statement struck me as truth, and feelings among the Fae are often a lot more truthful and insightful than commonly accepted facts. If anything, I’d learned to trust my gut more and more since coming to the academy.

Lunch came and Melia and I took up our normal seats across from Mike and Roman.

“Hey there, you,” I said immediately, flashing a smile toward Mike.

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