"Torian is the Prince of Summer!" I shot back.
"And he can't let that be known."
I sliced my hand through the air. "No."
She leaned back. "Excuse me?"
"No," I said again. "You just told me some Winter guy was bullied last week. He was attacked in a way that could be called funny if they got caught, but which couldkillhim if not, right?"
"Well..." She paused, clearly hitting a block between what she wanted me to think and the true words she could actually speak. "We also had vandalism in the elevator that makes me think some guess who Torian really is."
"And?" I pressed.
"And the Summer Prince would only make the rift worse."
"Even if he's seen supporting Aspen?"
She nodded. "Because it puts a target on Aspen's back and a crown on Torian's head. They won't stop to ask him what he wants. It's likely he won't be willing to say, and that would only make it worse, so the best thing is to avoid the rumors when possible."
"So you want Aspen to hide from the bullies. That's what you mean?"
"It would be safer for her," Ms. Rhodes said.
But I wasn't ok with that. "So, you think people will forget she has Winter magic?" I lifted a brow. "Or maybe they'll lose interest in these rumors going around? Some of the faelings can lie, Ms. Rhodes. They'll embellish them, and anyone who hears it will believe it's true. When someone like you, who has authority here and can't lie, spreads what you honestly believe but is wrong? It's taken as gospel."
"Well, yes, but - "
"And that just rewards the bullies!" I snapped, cutting her off. "She hides, they win. She can't leave, or they win. Torian will go off the rails, which means they win. Your big plan is to avoid confrontation because it's what, easier?"
"Less dangerous," she clarified. "Rain, Aspen's control has been fragile. She is still struggling to master the power she had, and now that she's claimed the crown, she'll be able to access even more."
"Court!" Jack cawed.
"It seems," I explained for him, "the crown is helping her more than harming. She says her control is holding. Torian isn't - " I snapped my mouth shut and looked up.
Which made her chuckle. "Aspen told me about their mental and magical bond. Not everything about it, but enough to see if I could help. I can't."
I nodded. "Well, I know more than you, but I'm not talking about it unless I have to. I also think asking the court to sit down and shut up is the wrong way to handle this."
She jerked her chin at me. "Why's that?"
I slowly turned my mug of coffee on the table before me. "Jack, help me out here?"
"Jack!" he agreed, which didn't help at all.
So I pulled in a deep breath and tried to lay out this thing I didn't really understand, yet still felt in my bones. "My magic is weird, right?"
"I don't care for that word, but yes."
"And Aspen's a problem because she's not supposed to exist?"
"Correct."
"And Torian's a problem because of his mother?"
"Right," she agreed.
So I kept going. "And Wilder's a duke ofWinter. Keir is using Earth magic. Hawke is a monster, or so people will think. I'm a freak because of Jack's magic. Ms. Rhodes, we're all the outcasts. Don't you get it? We're the ones people bully! Everything about making the court hide who they are, what they can do, and why they're here? It'sturnedthem into targets!"
