Theo folds his arms. “We have sword training.”
A cold sweat breaks out on my nape. Me and enormous blades. What could go wrong?
“You should both go,” the librarian states, moving back to his desk with a shake of his head. I think we just lost our position at the library.
“Gwyneth did nothing,” I blurt. Gwyneth’s gaze narrows on me. “She should continue to work here, because she’s the hardest working, most intelligent Burgher in all the realm. You’ll be lucky to have her.”
With a deep, exasperated sigh, the librarian rubs his forehead. “Fine, be back at mid meal.” I let out a whoop. “Not you,” he says. “You need to be reassigned.” I frown. Did no one tell him we’re a package deal? Where she goes, I go, or I wasn’t going to make it to sundown.
Gwyneth presses her lips together. “It’s okay, Daph, we will figure something out.”
“We will keep you with us,” Malachi announces. Um, that seems like a terrible idea. Being around sword wielding violent knights that sacrifice damsels feels like a step towards danger, not away from it.
“We don’t need her,” Hart growls. “We’ve never needed a Burgher, especially not one who creates chaos wherever she graces.”
Nash frowns at me like he’s trying to decipher my mind, then starts toward the door. “Bring her if you must,” he mutters. “I’m sure we can find a use for her.”
I don’t like the sound of that. Useful Daphne isn’t safe Daphne. Malachi strides after him. I peer over his shoulder, finding a thunderous Hart, an amused Theo, and a pensive Gwyneth all following us.
We take multiple twists and turns in the hallways before we exit the palace into a courtyard. I feel the reverberations of metal clashing against metal, causing my teeth to throb.
Malachi drops me to my feet near a set of raised benches. “You think you can sit there without endangering your life?” he asks.
Gwyneth’s hand threads into mine. “I got it from here,” she mumbles, dragging me up the steps to the highest bench. Seems like an odd choice, given my recent difficulties with gravity. That is, until we pass the lower benches, which have suspicious crimson stains and splatters on them. She’s always thinking ahead. We sit without event and Nash strolls up towards us, sitting next to me, his knee brushing against mine. I must be coming down with something. Whenever the Stirling brothers touch me, I feel fevered.
There’s a darkness in Nash that isn’t in the others. Sure, Hart is all scowls and bluster, but deep, deep down, he’s a fluffy capon—I just know it. Nash, however, is the opposite. He wears a polite demeanor like a jacket, tricking everyone around him into thinking that he is safe—but there’s a jagged edge to him that will cut you to shreds if you remove that coat. I don’t know how I know this, I just do. Like I know that Malachi is the happy twin, and his light could shine bright enough for everyone. And Theo, he’s the real conundrum. Like Nash, he puts on an act for everyone to see, but danger lurks in his eyes and it’s closer to the surface than Nash’s.
“Aren’t you fighting with them?”
Nash’s lips compress into a thin line and he taps a quill on the book open in his lap. “No, I am assessing their progress this diurnal.”
I turn back to the courtyard as the brothers each collect a sword from a nearby stand. Malachi twirls his blade around with a mischievous wink in my direction. Hart follows his brother’s gaze and rolls his eyes. Theo launches a fierce attack against them. The twins enter a duel with an impossibly fast and strong Theo. They parry back and forth, showing skill and determination. They don’t tire or slow down. Theo nicks Malachi’s cheek and Hart’s arm. I’m torn between cheering him on and cursing him to the Idols for damaging the twins’ flawless flesh. If it’s possible, they are even more desirable with little wounds of their battle on display. There’s something wrong with me.
Nash’s hand grips my knee, making my gaze collide with his. “What?”
His fingers tighten, sending little shivers dancing up my leg. “Stop shaking your knees. They are fine. No one will be mortally wounded.”
I glance down at his hand and then back at him. “I’ve stopped.”
“They are Hallowed, not weak Burghers, you don’t need to fret. The Idols created us, the Hallowed, in their image,” he says. “Our sole purpose is to keep alive the sanctity of their historic and momentous legends. We strive to be the best, and only those strong enough to hold the power of the fairy tale will ascend to the narrative.”
I lean forward because this part has always confused me. So there are twelve Charmings all vying for the position in the Cinderella fairy tale. What happens to the eleven unsuccessful Charmings? They can’t all become tutors.
“There are many jobs in The Hallowed that need to be filled,” Nash says. I must be speaking aloud again. “Those born of little or no magical descent are sent to Far, Far Away, where they work to provide us with the materials we need to live our blessed lives. Should the Idols feel you have lived your life in blessed servitude to preserve their legends, then you too can join them in Idylican.”
I huff. In my opinion, living your life within the boundaries of expectations set by Idols you’ve never seen or met is a miserable way to live. “Daphne, you are speaking aloud again,” Gwyneth mutters.
Nash smothers a chuckle, while a few of the Charmings stare at me like I am a three headed dragon. I wave at them.Peep a boo, mellows.
“According to the Idols, daily prayer is encouraged if you wish to ascend,” Gwyneth says. “Regular sacrifice and offerings will also curry favor.”
“It’s all to ensure their fairy-tale legend is kept alive. Only if someone works to deviate from it—then, and only then, do they pay attention,” Nash adds.
“So doing nothing gains the attention of the Idols?” I ask. Seems counterproductive and not a way to run one’s religion, if you ask me. They should offer encouragement and support to those bolstering their legends. “When you ascend to the legend, you inherit the power of the fairy tale?”
“That’s correct, until the next set of Hallowed is ready to take it from you,” Nash tells me.
I glance at Gwyneth, who looks enraptured with the whole thing. People might think that it’s because she’s overcome with how blessed everyone is, but it’s just her huge brain taking in all the knowledge. It’s like a drug for her.
