Court. Fae in each season tend to have certain traits and certain dispositions. That said, it’s not always the case. Many times, a changeling recruit will start her first year believing she’s of one Court and find she’s of entirely another. It’s a process, one we’ll determine through training and challenges.”
A hand shot up near the end of the table. With a frown, Alwyn nodded at the student. “Yes?”
“Why don’t you know what we are?” the guy asked. “I mean, you guys keep saying we’re changelings, and that we were swapped at birth. So, we were born here, right? Are we not in the same Court as our, uh…” He trailed off, swallowing hard.
Our parents. My skin and neck began to tingle, and a heavy rock tumbled down into my gut. I still hadn’t come to terms with the fact that my mother wasn’t my birth mom. And I had a feeling that most of the new recruits here felt the same.
“Excellent question.” Alwyn steepled her hands underneath her chin and smiled. “Yes, your Court is hereditary. Only in rare—and I do mean rare—cases does the son or daughter not fit within their natural born Court. And yes, we do keep meticulous records on each of our changelings. Unfortunately, Magnus Farrow, our previous record-keeper, died in a fire seventeen years ago. With him went all of his records and knowledge about the changelings. We don’t know who each of you are. That knowledge was lost. So, that’s why we must perform these tests. The changelings who come to the Academy two years from now will no longer need to undergo the introductory first year since our current record keeper is alive and well, and the files are routinely copied down. We won’t make the same mistake again.”
Well, that was certainly interesting. And, in response, half a dozen more hands shot up.
The Head Instructor held up her hand with an irritated sigh. “Let me guess. Your next question is why we’ve been swapping out human babies with fae. Well, here is the very long answer made short. There are more realms than just the human and the fae. There is a realm of darkness, of demons. Each year, we must pay a Tithe to that realm. Sixteen fae babies must go into the human realm, and sixteen human babies must come here. If we do not keep up our Tithe, the darkness will not only descend upon us but it will descend upon the humans as well.” A tense, uneasy silence followed, and she smiled. “So, you see. We must do this. Or else we would cause the Apocalypse to arrive in both our realms.”
Every single one of the new recruits stared at Alwyn with a mixture of confusion, horror, and fear. Including me.
“Luckily,” she continued as her face slightly brightened, “we can make the swap back during the Summer Solstice. You will each be trained in the ways of the fae, and you will each be trained to fight. Once your training is complete, you will join your Court along with your male or female mate, those of which are on this stage and will be working with you throughout your time at the Academy.”
Hold up. My eyes widened. Had she just said mate? The words from Finn began to tumble over me. By my side. I swallowed hard, and my heart began to race. Murmurs began to echo all around me, the rest of the changelings as thrown by this new information as I was. In fact, it almost felt more shocking than the reveal about the demons and the Tithe to hell.
Almost.
A girl stood from the table, her long fiery hair swishing around her shoulders. “You can’t just assign us mates. Don’t we get some choice in the matter?”
“It will be your choice, eventually,” Alwyn said coolly. “You’re from Manhattan, yes? Then, one of these four males here will be your mate. Finn, Rourke, Liam, or Kael. And trust me when I say that you’ll be happy for it, as strange as it may seem to you now. The magic of Otherworld has brought you here together at the same time. You may not understand it yet, but you will in time.”
“But wait,” another girl said, standing from the table, her voice a heavy Irish accent. “First, you’re telling us that we were taken from our homes at birth. Then, you’re telling us that we have no choice in what we do from now on, including what Court