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The field trip to the Unseelie Court was scheduled for next week, and I couldn’t wait to see Crassus’s homeland. For now, I was having a rather great Monday with my guys, since the Unseelie guards weren’t allowed on Seelie territory. My father had, of course, insisted they accepted Crassus at least, but the Seelie queen wouldn’t hear of it. The rivalry between the Seelie and the Unseelie was deep and old, and as childish as it sounded to literally everyone else, they took it seriously. Basically, the idea was that they could never decide which was better, – art or combat, – and who was of more use to the world.
We found a portal on the very grounds of the Academy, deep in the woods. The Seelie Court was accessible through a certain type of tree called the Fay’s Alder. It had plump, serrated leaves, and long catskins that were colored pink in the daylight, and sparkled with fairy dust at night. Professor Maat took us to the tree at 12 PM sharp, and we waited with bated breath. At exactly 12 and 12 minutes, the air around the tree started shifting and shimmering, and when Professor Maat pushed her hand through it, it disappeared inside the tree. One by one, we walked through the Fay’s Alder into the first pocket universe we were going to explore this year, leaving the chilly October air behind, and embracing the warm sun of spring.
Yes, it was spring at the Seelie Court, and as we were getting ready for winter, they were getting ready for summer. What a perfect world to live in!
“Let’s behave,” I whispered to GC and Pazuzu. “Maybe the queen likes me, and then I can spend my vacations here.”
GC laughed, Paz hit him in the ribs, and I realized I was wasting my breath. I picked up the pace and caught up with Francis. He was always super well-behaved, so maybe some of his politeness would rub off on me.
“How’s Sariel?”
He shrugged. “You know, as usual.” He threw me a side glance. “You’ve been showing a lot of interest in him lately.”
“I’ve just found out he lost his wings. I think it makes sense to be concerned about him. Aren’t you?”
“He’ll live.”
“You’re his best friend.”
“And as his best friend, I’m telling you: he’ll live.” Before GC and Paz caught up with us, he managed to whisper: “Your boyfriends need your attention more than Sariel or me.”
“What are you talking about?”
He bit his lower lip but remained silent. When GC and Pazuzu fell in step with me, he walked faster, pretending he was suddenly very interested in Professor Maat’s presentation.
What’s wrong with him? His comment about my boyfriends made no sense. Even with Morningstar doing everything in his power to separate us, I still made sure they got plenty of attention. Is Francis… jealous? I silently laughed at the silly thought and focused on something else.
The Seelie world was small, cozy, and quaint. It was mostly rural, with one-story houses and cottages huddled together at the foot of a hill upon which more modern houses rose in steps toward the top. At the very top, the castle of the Seelie queen presided over the landscape, with its tall, marble turrets reflecting the sunlight and the deep blue of the sky. The road to the castle was long and winding, so we hired a couple of carts to take us, and we sat back, enjoying the beauty of the countryside, the song of the birds, the chirpy voices of fay children playing in the dirt, and the mouth-watering smell of food and baked bread wafting through the open windows.
“Your childhood would’ve been similar if you’d stayed in Bulgaria,” Paz pointed out as we went past a group of noisy children.
“Maybe, maybe not.”
The carts left us before the mighty gates of the castle, which were open. Fays were going in and out, carrying fruit, vegetables, and bags of grain, supplying the castle with goods and workforce. A woman and a man were waiting to escort us to the throne room. They were both breathtakingly beautiful, and so alike that I thought they were siblings. As it turned out later, they weren’t even related.
“The Seelie almost never marry outside of their species,” Professor Maat explained in a hushed tone when our escorts stepped away to introduce us to the queen. “That’s why they all look the same. Unfortunately, their numbers keep dwindling every year. Because of centuries of inbreeding, many babies don’t make it past nine or twelve months.”
That kind of ruined our day.
Queen Lilla received us with open arms and a bright smile. She and Professor Maat embraced for a brief second.
“Nefertari, my dear, it’s been too long.”
“Indeed, my friend. I’m glad to find you well.”
I knew what “too long” meant. Two hundred years. The last time Nefertari Maat had visited her friend at the Seelie Court had been when she’d last brought a bunch of students on a field trip. The Violent Death Cabal was first to visit the Seelie, as usual, and in the next two weeks, Professor Maat would come here three more times, with the Righteous Death Cabal, the Neutral Death Cabal, and the Merciful Death Cabal. Sariel would see this place last. What a shame. I realized that I missed him today. I’d visited Heaven and Hell last year with all four boys, and now our group wasn’t the same without the archangel. Err… Fallen One.
We visited the castle, had tea with the queen, then we were free to roam the gardens while she caught up with her old friend. As GC, Paz, Francis, and I made our way through labyrinthic alleys, we noticed there was something in the air here. It was fresh and sweet, but also warm and a bit dusty, the sort of warm and dusty that enticed one to sleep and laziness. It reminded me of long August days when I was a kid and things hadn’t yet gotten that bad with my adoptive father. I’d take my toys and play in our small, cramped backyard, on an old blanket that my mom didn’t need anymore and hadn’t washed in years.
At the far back of the gardens, we found an enclosed space – a fence of stone and vines separating the roses from the rest. It was as if it was a garden within a garden.
“A secret garden.”
It took us a while to find the gate, as it was hidden behind a wall of vines, thorns, and wild roses, but when we did, we entered a world that was more beautiful than Heaven itself. Marble statues covered in roses, small fountains sprinkling water toward the sky, wooden benches strategically positioned under tall arches of roses.
“I don’t think we’re supposed to be here,” said Francis. “It seems to me this must be the queen’s special place.”
“We’re not staying long…” I stretched and yawned. The first bench I found, I lay on it, with my head in GC’s lap, and my feet in Paz’s. Francis sighed and sat on the ground. He pulled out his phone and grunted in annoyance when he realized he didn’t have a signal here. The Seelie had their own phone providers. “Relax for a minute, will you? Let’s just enjoy the peace. Away from the Academy and away from my father… We deserve today.”
