Page 19 of Faerie Trials

She stopped then, groaning, and I sensed enough from what she didn’t say: she felt sorry for me and everything I’d experienced. She wouldn’t want to trade places. Not that I blamed her for it. If I were in her shoes, I would have chosen the sheltered life as well.

On the way back to the castle, I told Bronwen everything I’d said to Selene and Buzz. She needed to be aware in case something like this happened again while I wasn’t around.

“I think more than anything, the anger worries me. You remember. We were always taught in the pack to control our emotions because it’s the only thing separating us from the beast in our blood. Things get bad when we lose our heads. This kid? He was on the edge.”

“It doesn’t sound like he was sorry for running into you, either. Do you know what kinds of people they accept into the academy there?”

Realizing she waited for my answer, I shook my head. “I’m not sure. I didn’t really do any research on it before crossing the portal myself. I imagine they would have to be bright to make it through the culling. So whoever the boy is, he’s intelligentandhas anger issues.”

“A terrible combination.”

“I always thought half shifter, half Fae were rare,” I told her. “Now it seems as though they are overrunning wherever I am.”

“Well, there have been rumors over the years that Dorian Jade is behind the influx of half-shifters in Faerie,” she said with a shrug.

I stopped at the name. Literally stopped. “Dorian Jade?”

I’d heard the name many times over and couldn’t find a single speck of information about the man behind the troubles.

“Apparently Jade has taken it upon himself to set up a kind of underground railroad for shifters. That’s why there are so many of us here in Faerie. He’s responsible.”

“The Unseelie King?” I asked sarcastically.

“I understand it’s a little much for you to take in at once.”

She had no idea.

“I mean, yeah. And now having one of our own kind out there slaughtering full-blood Fae as they see fit? It’s scary! And if Dorian Jade is responsible for bringing the rogue halfling in, then it creates all kinds of problems—problems you and I aren’t equipped to deal with but will feel the effects of nonetheless.”

We stalked through the snow with our shoulders occasionally touching and the temperatures freezing my face until Bronwen remembered her magic and set the temperature-altering spell in place. “The rumors are unsubstantiated,” she continued without looking at me, “but you know all rumors tend to be rooted in fact. Right?”

9

To say I slept horribly would be the understatement of the century. And despite the burning malice I remembered in the shifter boy’s eyes, I woke up the next day to a shining sun and gardens bedecked in banners and flowers. For the courtier family, more than likely. The world continued to turn no matter what kind of bad people were out there.

There was a thin haze of clouds Wednesday morning, and when I threw the window open, I sensed a distinctive wet chill in the air. More than likely we’d have more snow before the day was up and suddenly, from the safety of my warm comforter when I snuggled back under it, I was glad to have a direct portal to the Elite Academy instead of hoofing it to the train station.

Yes, I thought again, being friends with the prince definitely had its perks. And although I hadn’t been allowed to move out of the castle and into the apartment with Melia, it was the one aspect of my life that didn’t seem too bad right now. The portal, Mike, and our renewed friendship.

After showering and getting dressed, I gathered the books I’d need for classes today and waited outside of my room for my escort. Mike arrived right on time and the two of us walked to the portal together.

Different class schedules kept us apart for the rest of the day. Luckily, I had a free period between lunch and herbalism and used it to infiltrate the academy library with their vast array of resources. It put the library at the mortal halfling academy to shame, and I’d once thought it to be one of the best I’d ever seen.

It was time to do some serious digging on Dorian Jade.

I’d asked Mike about him once but he didn’t have much information for me. In fact, the only thing he could tell me was that Jade had set himself up as a sort of monarch to the Unseelie Fae, constructing a magical wall dividing Faerie into two distinct parts. Mike’s people, the Seelie Fae, weren’t allowed to pass over the wall and into Dorian’s territory.

Mike had also told me his father had worked to try and create an image away from the black and white lines of the old Fae court system, no light or dark, until Dorian came in to fan the flames of chaos among the people of this land.

None of this was taught in class. Probably for multiple reasons. I remembered Mike saying Dorian was too powerful for anyone to move against right now, so the professors had more than likely been instructed to keep their mouths shut and their students in the dark as to the conflict.

I grabbed a few books on the history of the old court system and chose a table nearest the windows, where the sunlight felt thin and cold. Good thing the library had multiple fireplaces to keep the room cozy.

Dropping the books on the tabletop, I stared at them, an ache forming between my eyes. How would I focus on the words when I could barely make out the titles? Except this wasn’t something I could just let go.

Shaking my head, I grabbed the top one in the stack and flipped to the first chapter. I made it all the way through the third chapter before I jerked back, half asleep. I wasted precious time before I remembered Raelynn’s brain boost powder. Practically burning a hole in my backpack, waiting for me to use.

With a small smile, I unzipped the large pocket and drew out the plastic bag. It looked like normal white powder, like maybe a magnesium supplement, so if anyone asked, that’s what I’d say. I glanced around the library and saw no one around.

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