"Torian?" I guessed.
Pascal nodded. "Yeah, that's what people are saying. Remember how everyone used to joke about him being real nobility and shit?"
"Yeah..." Because anyone with significant power got accused of that. They also denied it, since it was basically a death sentence. The Queen still had loyalists, even on Earth. "And?"
"Keir!" Pascal groaned. "Bracken's definitely powerful enough to be a noble.Hecan't do that. Torian? The guy's like seventeen. His power is still manifesting! There's no way, not even if he was the Mad Queen's son himself, you know? So what the fuck is he?"
I paused, my feet slowing as I realized what he was saying. "You sure he didn't manifest early like Aspen?"
"She's still manifesting too," he insisted. "Strong fae get their powers earlier, but they also grow longer. Trust me, I kept hoping for a manifestation long enough that I memorized all this shit. Plus, with fewer Winter fae, it means more for the ones that remain, right?"
"Not sure that's how it works," I countered.
"That's what Ms. Hawthorne said," he assured me. "Last semester, in Concepts of Magical Enhancement, she said it was why we need to still be pushing ourselves, because some of us - " He pointed at himself with both hands. " - might still manifest."
"So maybe Torian manifested Winter power?" I asked.
Pascal scoffed at me just as we reached the back doors to the cafeteria. "Doubtful, but it was the Solstice, so can't rule it out. The real question is how he stripped Nevaeh's magic - and so easily. I mean, I heard - "
The scream of a girl cut him off. Without thinking, the pair of us rushed forward to see a girl face down on the ground. It looked like Nevaeh. A guy stood over her. They weren't the ones screaming, though. No, that was one of the eleventh graders, a girl named Poppy.
"I don't care!" she was screeching at the top of her lungs. "You do not treat a woman like that!"
"Oh fuck off." That voice. Yeah, I knew it well. It belonged to my suitemate,Fin.
"Let. Her. Go!" Poppy demanded.
Slowly, Fin turned to her, and I could now see the smile on his lips. It was cruel. "Beg. Oh, I bet your mother would love to see that."
Because Poppy was Ms. Hawthorne's daughter. More than half fae, she was strong for her age, but not strong enough. The moment her eyes met Fin's, he had her. The girl's shoulders softened, her stance relaxed, and all of her defiance vanished. It was enough to make me forget about Nevaeh laying sprawled on the floor.
"Fin!" I snapped.
He chuckled. "Beg, little girl," he told Poppy.
And slowly, Poppy sank to her knees before him. I was sure I couldn't be the only one to think her pose was just a little too suggestive. I also knew she was no longer in control of herself.
Fin was an Enticer. His power - and he had far too much of it - was in taking over other people's minds and forcing them to obey his will. When Poppy began to blather about her stupidity at interrupting, I was sure of it.
Beside me, Pascal growled under his breath and stormed forward to shove Fin's shoulder. I was only a step behind. Fin staggered, but that wasn't enough. Poppy was still rambling about her mistakes.
"...Never should've interrupted. You know what you're doing, and she's a Winter bitch. She deserves what she gets."
"Fin..." I warned. "Stop it, or I will."
He tensed up. "Thought you were fucking the crow girl, not the ice princess?"
"Let. Her. Go."
His smile grew a little more and Poppy's voice got louder. "I just wanted you to notice me," she declared. "My mother won't approve -" A hint of blood was visible at the edge of her mouth. "- but you're so hot. I know I'm nothing - "
I didn't give Fin a second chance. Lashing out, I shoved magic through Poppy, severing any connections to her. It was a shield of sorts, shattering the magical bridge between her mind and Fin's. I also knew the moment it snapped.
Poppy lurched forward, bracing her hands against the ground. Fin grunted like he'd been punched in the face. The snap hit both of them, which was why I'd hoped he'd release her, but better a little pain than what he'd been doing to that girl.
"Do not," I growled, taking a step closer to Fin, "ever," and another, "try that shit in front of me.Am I clear?!"
"Prick!" he snarled.
