the closest us changelings came to real hands-on training.
“Yep, I’m coming,” I said as I finished lacing up my boot. “I don’t even want to imagine how Rourke would react if we were late.”
“Came here to tell you that Watch Duty has been postponed for tonight,” Griff said with a frown. “Really sucks.”
“Wait, what?” My heart dropped.
“You heard me. No Watch Duty tonight for us. We’ve got to entertain some royals or something instead.”
“Royals?” My ears pricked up at the words. While we’d spent many hours learning about Otherworld— the creatures, the ancient history, the types of weapons we would one day learn to use—my instructors had been strangely silent about the political side of the faerie world. It was almost as if they weren’t yet ready for us to know. That coupled with the strange dark clouds in the sky that Rourke had pointed out…well, my curiosity had been piqued. Like, seriously piqued. I was dying to know more about the four Courts.
“Some members of the Winter Court have come to meet the new changelings or something,” he said with a shrug. “We’re supposed to go to the Great Hall and be on our best behavior or something. Sounds dumb. I don’t care about royalty or politics. I just want to learn how to fight and keep everyone safe.”
“Same, Griff,” I said, giving him a soft pat on the back. “But trust me. I’m sure you and I will be right back on Watch Duty tomorrow night.”
Griff and I were the last two changelings to enter the dining hall, and I could see that we were somehow late even though I’d just learned about the visit from the royals five minutes ago. The fourteen other first-year changelings were sitting quietly and tensely at the table where we usually gathered for breakfast, lunch, and dinner while a cluster of extravagantly-dressed strangers turned their gazes toward me and Griff.
“Ah, here we are,” Kael said as he flashed me a tense, irritated smile that made my toes curl with annoyance. It wasn’t my fault I was late. “These are our last two changelings, Norah and Griff. They were assigned Watch Duty for this evening, hence their late arrival to meet you.”
A tall thin male strode forward and sniffed. His coal black hair hung in loose curls around his angular face, and his eyes were a deep black that seemed almost endless. A crown perched on his head made from glistening knotted brambles. I sat hard on the bench next to the other first-year changlings, struck by the aura of power that radiated off his golden skin.
“This is the King of the Winter Court, Brannon Glass,” Kael said as he gave the ruler a half-bow. He then turned to gesture at the woman who stood just behind the King’s shoulder. Her hair was nothing like his. It was a bright, brilliant blonde that lit up the entire room. “This is his Queen, Orla Glass.”
The changelings and I merely sat silently, staring at the two royals. They were dressed in varying shades of gray and black, with the male in an elaborate, billowing cloak and the woman in a sparkling gown that touched her toes. I glanced down at my black tee, my black jeans, and my muddy boots. Clearly underdressed, as always.
Kael cleared his throat and gave us all a strained smile. His eyes drifted to me. For a moment, the world seemed to stop around us. Something strange sparked within my chest. An almost…recognition. And then it was gone again as Kael pulled his eyes away.
I shook my head. What the hell was that?
“The Winter Court was interested in seeing the new changelings for the year. As you know, four of you will be joining them after you graduate from the Academy, so your development and training is of interest to them. They wish to see a bit of a demonstration from you.”
Blood drained from my face, and I shifted uncomfortably on the hard bench. A demonstration? Surely he didn’t mean that we had to show the Winter Court what we could do. Because...we couldn’t do much. Not yet, at least. And certainly not me.
And this could be my court. As the days passed, it seemed more and more likely that Winter was where I belonged, and I didn’t want to look like a fool in front of them. My roommate was very obviously a Spring fae while Lila and her fiery temper could only fit into the Summer Court. That left