sleek material felt so nice on my skin, and the sparkling sleeves made true darkness feel like an impossibility. But Rourke insisted I change into some training clothes, so I donned a pair of black pants, a black t-shirt, and my trusty boots for good measure.
Afterwards, he led me into a dusty, lofted room where students were busy practicing hand-to-hand combat with the instructors. I slowed to a stop and raised my eyebrows. The first-years were here, too. Sophia was pounding away at a punching bag, her fists wrapped tight in a splotchy gauze. It was the first time our instructors had taken us from theory to practice, and I had a horrible sinking feeling in my gut because of it.
I wanted to learn how to fight. Desperately so. But the timing could only mean one thing. Trouble was brewing.
Liam, Finn, and Kael all abandoned their posts, striding over to wrap their arms tight around me in turn. My heart swelled as Liam crushed me tight against him, as Kael whispered soft words into my ears, and even as Finn threw me over his shoulder for good measure. Even though Redmond had told them he hadn’t harmed a hair on my head, they’d still been worried for my safety. They’d even argued over who would release me from my cage.
After our reunion, the three of them dispersed, taking up their posts with the other changelings.
“Usually,” Rourke began as he led me to an empty punching bag near the rear of the room, “we hold off on this kind of training with first-years, and for good reason. Otherworld is new and confusing for you, you don’t yet know the true power of your gifts, and you have no idea what you’re capable of. If we let you loose with swords, you could end up doing far more damage than you realize. One time, a first-year Summer changeling ended up burning down an entire wing of the Academy when he got into a fistfight with one of the third-year Summers.”
“And yet they’re all in here training now.” I arched an eyebrow. “Why? And where are all the Royals?”
He pursed his lips. “After Redmond stole you away, the other Autumn Royals staged an assassination attempt on Alwyn. We were able to stop them, but one of them escaped, along with Redmond. We’re guessing they’ve gone straight home to report what happened. The Summer and Spring Royals have returned to their own Courts, too afraid for their lives to stick around here. The Autumn fae will undoubtedly send others to finish the job. So, the only thing we can do now is prepare.”
My mouth dropped open as I stared at him. “They tried to kill our Head Instructor? But why would they want to do that?”
“The answer to that question is what none of us knows. It seems they intend to take down the Academy,” he said with a frown. “Anyway, that is why it took so long for us to get to you. Redmond locked the door that led into the cells below, and he hid the keys. It took me some time to determine where he hid them. It turned out they were in your room, something I should have known as soon as I realized what he’d done. He has always been a fan of irony.”
“Why couldn’t Kael just shift into the cell to get me out?”
“What good are dungeons if Winter fae can escape them?” he asked.
“Good point,” I said with a nod. So maybe my inability to shift out of the cell didn’t mean I’d lost my grasp on the Winter fae magic after all.
“So what now?” I asked as I glanced around the room at all my fellow changelings throwing their hands and legs against the punching bags. They were trying, I’d give them that, but they looked about as skilled as I was. Which was to say, not very skilled at all. Their punches were wild. Their kicks awkward and messy. But they were trying. They were learning. Our instructors were finally teaching us how to fight.
Rourke’s lips twisted into a strange smile, and he patted the punching bag that dangled from the ceiling. “You’re finally going to get what you’ve been asking for, Norah. If the Autumn fae come back, I want you all to be ready for them. We’re not going to allow them to pick you off one by one. Ready to learn how to fight like a fae?”
A grin lit up my face.