Jack nodded. "Court!"
And on the ground, Shadow pointed at the bird's silhouette on the floor.
"One court," Aspen breathed.
Shadow lifted its thumb. Then, it pointed to Pascal. After a few seconds, it lifted its thumb again.
"Enemy," Jack grumbled and began shaking his head. "Bitch!" And he nodded.
"Pascal's a bitch?" Rain asked.
Jack twisted his head.
But I understood this. "He's not in the court, and Jack doesn't have another word, so he reverts to that one because it's the closest he has - and kinda funny. Clearly, Pascal isn't currently our enemy."
"I'm not!" Pascal hurried to say. "I..." That wistful smile appeared again. "I'm Winter."
So Jack pulled in a big breath. "Courtier!" he forced out. In excitement, the crow nodded, bouncing on Rain's arm. "Courtier! Courtier, courtier, courtier!"
"You mean someone who helps the court?" I asked.
Both Jack and Shadow nodded. Then, of all things, Shadow smiled again, revealing its oddly white gaps of darkness.
"Do we get to be courtiers too?" Axel asked.
Jack nodded with excitement.
But Hawke grunted like he'd had an idea. "Jack? Are courtiers our allies?"
"Courtiers!" Jack proclaimed as Shadow nodded, clarifying that answer.
But now I had more questions than answers. Clearly, the Morrigan's helpers thought they could be trusted, but that was a very different thing from actually doing it. Trust? It was a thing people had to earn. Playing around in a safe room, with safe sticks? That didn't count at all.
But three of these guys had stepped in to help Aspen just because they'd been right behind her. Pascal had sworn a vow of loyalty to my sister, and the sort that had enough power in it to be binding. No, wait. That was it.
"Pascal, swear to her again," I demanded. "Now that you have access to your magic, even if you can't control it yet, swear to my sister that you will do her no harm."
"I swear," Pascal told her. "Aspen, I was willing to be loyal to you just because you were a friend of my friend. I stepped in simply because it was the right thing to do, and because that's what the sentinels are about." Then he glanced at me. "And I'm glad I have Winter magic, because I truly, with all my heart, believe you, Aspen, will be a good queen. I often have doubts about the Mad Queen's son's intentions, but as long as he doesn't harm my queen, I have no problem with him, and I promise I will fight for what I think is right. My queen's life, freedom, and safety are included in that."
When the ripple of his promise washed over me, it made bumps rise on my skin from the chill of it. That vow was not only true, but strong. If he broke it, I was sure he wouldn't survive.
So I dipped my head, doing my best to hide the cruel smile trying to take over. "Then you get a chance, Pascal. Don't fuck it up."
"And that," he told me, "is why I never offered the same to you. Kindness begets kindness, Torian."
"But suspicion keeps us alive," I countered. "I plan to make sure your queen lives averylong life."
He nodded once. "So do I."
Chapter Forty-Four
RAIN
Wilder started working with Pascal that evening. His goal was to make sure Pascal could at least contain his magic, if not actually use it. What surprised me most was when the Winter Duke went out of his way to casually point out - in the middle of an afternoon practice session - that Pascal's power wasn't weak at all.
According to Aspen, that wasn't normal. Typically, fae who manifested their power later on had paltry magic. The theory was they'd needed to build up enough to "break out." Pascal's magic didn't fit with that, though. Keir wondered if he may have had an unconscious bias against Winter, so he had been blocking himself. Hawke suggested that maybe looking like a Summer sidhe had twisted his expectations of himself, causing an accidental block.
Thankfully, they said none of that around him.
