"What did you find?" Aspen asked, moving to my side.
I reached over for her hand, hooking my first two fingers around her smallest two. "It can't be good if it couldn't wait," I pointed out.
"I wouldn't call it good or bad," Ms. Rhodes assured me. "Interesting is the word I used. You see, Shadow told me to go back, so I went as far as I could with the histories we teach here. In one of the upper-level books, I found one line. That sent me back further and further - to books too old for students to have access to - but there aren't many books on Earth with the information I needed. Lucky for me, Pearl Hawthorne has a collection. She agreed to let me have this one."
"What is it?" Daivon asked.
She offered the book to me. "This is the history of Ceto, the first Morrigan."
"Whoa," Keir breathed, turning to gape as I accepted the heavy thing.
"I have a feeling you'll say that again," Ms. Rhodes warned us. "You see, the stories say Ceto wasn't chosen by the Crow King. In fact, when he stepped up to fight for the balance, he didn't even have magic. The man was merely a Faerie-born human. Without any magic, this man started a rebellion simply because he didn't think what was happening was right."
"Whatwashappening?" I asked.
"Wildlings were subjugated," she explained. "Elves ruled our world. The fae were considered lesser beings - "
"Wait, wait, wait," I broke in, turning to set the book down before my arms gave out. "Ms. Rhodes, are you saying there areelvestoo?"
"Were," she clarified. "Ceto decimated them." But she paused for a moment. "No, that's not quite right. Queen Somni destroyed the elves."
"And now I'm confused," Pascal said.
Ms. Rhodes lifted a hand, begging for a chance to finish explaining. "The short version? Elves - and that's the human term for them - were convinced they were superior creatures. Sidhe were considered acceptable as people. Then humans - because we have brought many into our world throughout history. Some have stayed, made families, and had descendants there, just like some of us have done the same here. Beneath all of those races were the wildlings, who the elves named as monsters."
"Is that why we use the term?" Wilder asked.
She nodded, glancing at Hawke. "It is, and it was created to be a derogatory term. However, one of those illustrious elves was fooled by a wildling. As today's events prove, the difference between types of fae is a slim one. The sidhe aren't the only sentient creatures who live on our world, nor the only ones with a humanoid body. A young woman named Somni married a prince - the spare, not the heir. Due to the bloodthirsty nature of elves, the king and his heir died, leaving that spare to inherit. Thus, Somni became a queen."
"A wildling?" Hawke asked incredulously.
Again, Ms. Rhodes nodded, but this time she looked over at the sentinels, checking their reaction.
"They're good with me," Hawke assured her. "We already talked it out."
"I also said something before the court even arrived, making sure of it," Bracken admitted. "The rest of my sentinels have come to ask about what happened at lunch. Most wanted to know what he was. Others wanted to know if he was going to be expelled. None of them had a problem with Hawke. All of them agreed he acted in good faith and should be respected for it."
Hawke smiled, but waved for Ms. Rhodes to keep going. "She didn't come out here to talk about me. I want to know about Rain's magic."
"Shadow!" Jack cawed as he sailed across the room to land on my shoulder.
"Well," Ms. Rhodes said, "Somni was more than merelyawildling. She was one of the most dangerous types. But when her husband betrayed her repeatedly, going so far as to destroy the only home she knew, Somni chose vengeance. Ceto's family was killed in that event, and he started his rebellion. In the end, the pair joined forces to end the subjugation of people..." Her gaze shifted from person to person. "And created the three thrones we still have today."
Created the thrones? Like Summer, Winter, and Wild? Ok, this sounded like ancient history, but I had to be sure. "So like, long, long ago?" I asked.
"Very. The date would've ended with B.C.," Ms. Rhodes said. "The important thing from this story isn't the creation of the three courts, though. Rain, it's that Ceto wasn't picked by a crow. The history here says he was empowered by magic itself."
"I thought you said he was human?" Torian asked.
"He was." She sounded almost smug about it. "Magic came to him in his shadow. It empowered him, allowing him to do miraculous things. The sort of things no elf could stop and the fae celebrated as heroic. However, Ceto's battle was to save the 'monsters' - because that was how wildlings were known. They were classified into types. There were beastly monsters, like kelpies and gargoyles. Minor monsters, like trolls and redcaps. It went all the way up to legendary monsters..." She turned to Hawke. "Dreamwalkers, jevadu, caltheron, and fear-eaters fall into that category."
"Based on what?" Hawke asked.
"Based on their ability to mimic the elves in appearance, and their power to control others through their magical nature. When the queen - also a legendary monster - overthrew the system of oppression the elves had made, she wanted to makethings better. She saw some fae used magic that was white and strengthened in winter. Others used green that was stronger in the summer. In an attempt to balance those seasons, she had two crowns made, but her distrust of strife between the peoples convinced her the ultimate power should reside with the one user of magic who could see into the future." And she looked over at Jack. "The crows."
"Jack-Jack?" he asked, twisting his head.
"Yes, your ancestor," Ms. Rhodes said. "That is why the Crow King is the one who has the power to make a new Morrigan. It's why the Hunt is sealed by Wild magic. Every major working that will alter Faerie must be approved by the Crow King to keep any sides from tearing the other apart. All of this happened because Somni wanted to change the system, and Ceto helped make it possible. I do not know if Magic started this or ended it, but I can say Ceto's shadow was his strongest weapon."
