I do. My sister is fierce. I maim by accident. She does it on purpose. Much more premeditated. But I don’t like that many powerful Idols in her orbit. My pulse climbs.
“Violent how?” Hart asks, sounding impressed.
Eron’s expression pinches. “She threw a quill at an Idol.”
“A quill?” Malachi repeats.
“A quill,” Eron confirms. “It was symbolic. The pen is mightier than the sword. It became… effective.”
The genie coughs a laugh into his fist. “That’s my girl.”
“She’s not your girl,” Nash points out.
“I meant spiritually,” the genie replies, offended. “By chaos alignment.”
“Back to the Idols squatting in the library,” I say.
“They’re not passing through,” he continues. “They’re staying until the Stone sisters show themselves. The Hallows is in chaos as the Idols make ridiculous demands on The Hallowed.”
“Ridiculous demands,” I echo. “Like what? Please tell me one of them asked for a throne made of teeth.”
“Oddly specific,” Malachi says.
I shrug.
Eron’s stare goes flat. “Worse.”
“Worse than teeth?” I whisper.
He nods once and shifts closer. “They have rebranded the Hallows.”
Silence.
“Explain,” I demand.
“They hung banners,” Eron says, as if it pains him. “Large ones. Very loud ones. They read: WELCOME TO THE HALLOWS, HOME OF AUTHORIZED NARRATIVE.”
My stomach drops. “Authorized,” I repeat, tasting the word like the poisoned apple Snow refused.
“Yes,” Eron continues. “And they’ve instituted a new rule.”
My pulse thuds. “Go on.”
“No one may say ‘once upon a time’ without filing a request in triplicate.”
Hart makes a strangled sound.
“They’ve also posted a guard at the stairwell to the library with a sign that says: QUIRKY FOREST COLLECTIVES REPORT HERE.”
Nash goes still beside me. “They’re recruiting.”
“They’re sorting,” the genie murmurs. “They’re categorizing the realm like it’s a ledger.”
“Is the All Knowing unaffected?” I ask.
Eron’s gaze sharpens. “Of course. He is apart.” Not sure what that means. “But the rest of The Hallowed are in chaos as they react to their demands.”
“Time for a dose of their own medicine,” I mutter. It won’t do them any harm to understand how it feels to be treated with inferiority.
