The memory of Rain's shadow looking at me with the tint of my season inside it kept popping into my mind, and I couldn't explain that either. Had it stopped me somehow? But how? Why?! Rain said she couldn't control it, and yet the thing seemed to be a part of her - or at least tied to her.
But was it?
And worse, if I couldn't remove the power from anyone who broke my rules, then what punishments did I have left? Sure, I'd stripped Nevaeh easily enough, but had that simply been because no one had claimed the crown at that time? Now that Aspen was recognized as the Winter Queen, would I be just as helpless in her season as I'd been yesterday?
I hated not knowing. Worse, I despised how those people were doing this in the name ofmycourt. The students here had no clue how terrifying my mother really was. All they knew wasthe Mad Queen ruled them, and so they'd decided to take the easy path to improving their lot. They'd chosen to suck up to her rather than fight back.
And I hated them for it.
I hated the way they put power over people. I despised how they ignored the atrocities we learned about in class every year. I abhorred the selfishness it required to see someone else suffering andenjoyit. Worse, I wanted to ask why they were doing this now, when the gates had been closed for so long, but I was pretty sure the answer was me.
And I hated myself for that as well.
If Aspen and I had listened to Ms. Rhodes and kept our royalty hidden, none of these attacks would've happened. This entire cult - because I didn't know what else to call them - would have no one to rally behind except a bitch on the other side of an unbreakable gate. But now they knew who I was, and they were showing their true colors. Too bad for them, I was not an obedient son.
At least Ms. Rhodes had told Aspen, Wilder, and me about the little information she'd gotten from this group. It wasn't much, and they still fell silent when asked about who'd planned this or who'd arranged the attack. That meant we couldn't stop them, but knowing a little was better than being completely in the dark.
They thought Pascal had to be Winter because he'd stood up for Aspen. As a Legacy, he'd never manifested his power. When they found out he was most likely descended from Summer, all four had supposedly been shocked. To me, that confirmed they were specifically attacking Winter students, just like we'd suspected.
There weren't many here. A dozen? Maybe a couple more, but few enough that we could keep an eye on them. I had every intention of bringing it up with the court, hoping someone wouldhave an idea for an effective enchantment when I headed into the dining hall.
"Torian!" someone yelled before I'd even made it to the line for food.
I turned, trying to identify who'd be so bold as to call me out. Over there, I spotted Hawke filling up a drink. Rain was in line, with Jack on her shoulder. Keir was by our table, looking like he was about to sit down. Aspen and Wilder already had. But it was the jesters who were trying to get my attention. Curious - and still hanging onto my anger about the attack yesterday - I headed toward them.
"What?" I asked, glaring at the guy who'd yelled for me.
In unison, the entire table stood, faced me, and then most of them dropped down to one knee. The guy, Jayden, stayed on his feet, waiting until everyone else was kneeling before he spoke.
"Torian Hunt, is it true that you are the heir to the Summer throne?" he asked.
"Yeah," I grumbled. "It is."
Looking right at me the whole time, the jerk knelt as well. Clearly, no one had taught him to lower his gaze, because this felt like it was supposed to be some show of respect. Too bad for them, respect had to go both ways, and I wanted none of this.
"We vow," Jayden said, lifting his voice like he wanted everyone in here to hear this, "to respect and follow - "
"No!" I snapped, cutting him off. "Do not recite that oath unless you know what it means!"
At least five of them looked up in shock. "What do you mean?" Camila, that stupid bitch, asked.
I turned my anger on her. "It means you don't get to taunt us, bully us, harass my advisor, and then think it all goes away with a little vow. It means you'd be giving me the power to do anything I want with you..." I took a step toward her. "And your friends."
"But you're our prince," another girl breathed, as if none of this made sense. "We're supposed to vow our loyalty to you!"
"Which means you should've been loyal," I shot back. "Or have all of you forgotten how I got this title? Did it slip your mind whose cunt I fell from?" I glared at each person in this group. "This apple did not fall far from the tree, and you want to beloyalto me? You want to align yourself with my version of evil?"
"We want to respect our own court!" Jayden snapped. "Torian, we're trying to do the right thing."
"It's 'Your Highness,'" Camila hissed at him like a rebuke.
"It's Torian," I said. "That's theonething he's gotten right so far. The words should also be said in Faeril, not English. The vow should be offered one at a time, not as a group. None of this is right, and I reject it all! I do not want you. I refuse to call you my subjects!"
"What..." A guy looked at the girl beside him. "What does that mean?"
"It means you're peasants, unacknowledged by the court, and useless to the crown," I told him. "All of you are pathetic. You're more human than fae, but you want all the benefits of both? You think a few seconds on your knees will erase the years of taunting? Do any of you think I came here because I want to return to how things were?" And I slashed my hand through the air. "I will have none of you!"
Then I turned and stormed toward our table. No, I hadn't gotten any food, but I no longer wanted it either. Inside, I was fuming, but I had to keep my calm. Too many eyes were on me. Too many whispers were following, making it clear that had been more of a scene than I'd intended.
