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We were bound to the island we were born on until we turned seventeen and could Passion, unless we were one of the few lucky girls chosen by the fae first. Tomorrow, my chances of being chosen would be gone, and Cal and I could Passion. As soon as the sun rose, we’d dedicate ourselves to three years as apprentices to our chosen Passion—painting for me and academics for him.
“Everyone has to Passion,” Cal said with only a hint of steel to his words, directed at our father, who was inspecting the silver. I knew it was only our father’s extensive battle training that kept either of us from his neck. “Just as everyone is meant to attend the Queen’s Day Ceremony.”
Father’s eye twitched as he watched us, as if he’d set a trap and now waited for the bait to work.
I had plans of my own, and his money would help that. Tonight, I’d steal some of his recent loot and stash it below the boards with the rest of the pile I was saving for Malcom to survive on after Cal and I chose our Passions tomorrow. Next week, Father could place another bet and lose it all—but he’d always go back, drunk on his game of luck and foolish wishes. When I followed my Passion, I needed to know Malcom would be cared for.
The thought of leaving him here on the center island, built for battle and betting, made my stomach tighten. It was a rich city, but a ruthless one, and our father’s determination to have one of his children Passion as a soldier would multiply when only Malcom was left. Our little brother would be in the arenas before the sun came up every morning with a blade in his hand.
Cal and I survived the merciless training, and Malcom would too. I wouldn’t Passion as a soldier and remain here. I felt as if I’d been fighting my entire life. I wanted to stop.
Trumpets sounded.
Cal tugged my arm. “We need to leave if we want a decent spot. Are you coming?”
Father plucked a fistful of coins and let them drop one by one with elaborate deliberation. “Go. I’ll see you when you return.”
Cal tucked Malcom’s hand into his and stepped into the dusty courtyard to make way for the street. I paused at the door. “Are you certain you don’t wish to come? This is my last year eligible.”
Never mind that all the other girls had every relative surrounding them like a flock to cheer them on. That every other girl had been doted on all week to exemplify her beauty in preparation for today.
I didn’t need a flock. My mother couldn’t cheer from the grave, and my father was not cold-hearted enough to wish his daughter not to be chosen. Though, to stand by my side wasn’t why I asked. I wanted to unravel the mystery of why he was the only one in the five islands not drawn to the presence of the fae.
I studied him as his eyes fixed on the glint of silver between his fingers. He’d given the same answer as every year, and this year it carried more enmity than usual. “I won’t go. I don’t care for them.”
“But why?”
I’d hardly said the words when his head snapped up to lock eyes on me. “Thea. Stop. I will not.”
I will not speak on it.
I will not explain.
I will not see the fae.
It was all I’d ever get. His sharp words sliced the air with hints of stories untold. Before I could pull the door shut behind me, Father added a new string to his usual answer. “Although, I’m very invested in this year.” A coy smile played on his lips, and it gave me an uneasy feeling. The way he said “invested” didn’t rest well.
“You made a bet on Queen’s Day.”
There was a gleam in his eye. “The best kind there is. I bet you’d win.”
The breath was knocked from my lungs. Out of all the girls on the center island, my odds of being selected were miniscule. One girl was chosen as the fae’s new high queen. One girl, her name plucked from a large bowl. There was no way to guarantee the outcome when there were thousands of names to choose from.
I couldn’t win. The odds were too low.
But those same odds made betting on the new queen-to-be this island’s favorite gamble, as well as the most foolish. As often as my father bet, he’d never been this reckless. I clenched my teeth to bite down the anger. “How much?” I steadied myself for his answer.
“Everything.”
“You fool!” I spat. “You absolute fool. I won’t be chosen.” Angry tears heated my lids, but they were only a sliver of the fury writhing inside.
Trumpets called again. I couldn’t wait any longer, even if I wanted to. The fae were here, and the desire to see them couldn’t be dimmed. I turned away, taking my fuming malice with me.
Father’s voice came. “Goodbye, my child. When I see you again, you’ll be a queen.”
I turned back and saw him stare toward the sound of the trumpets, while his pale eyes filled with a clarity I hadn’t seen on him in years. He let out a long breath. Then he closed the door between us.
I hurried on, hoping my pace could strip his words off me. He’d been like this for half my life, making bets and collecting winnings. Losing everything the next month. Providing us with the finest clothes one day while hardly buying food the next. We would go from being the richest in all the five islands to hardly scraping by, and while Father claimed it built character, it bred resentment much faster.
