“Alexei, what are the ranks in the cult?” I asked. They had to have them.
“The acolytes are at the top,” Alexei said. “They make all the rules. Then under them are the oppressors— they’re the acolytes’ guards, and will do anything they tell them to. They’re the ones that hunt down the people who want to escape, and torture them. They’re the only people besides the acolytes who are allowed to use magic. They’re the people the cult used to attack Dolinska onPallenoc.Then there’s the initiates. That’s the bottom ranking, the people who the cult uses for work. You have to prove yourself to the acolytes if you want to advance, though most people never make it past the first stage. Most don’t have the stomach to become an oppressor.”
I nodded. “Let’s make them believe we aren’t a threat, then.”
Alexei brought us to another chamber. This one was packed with people, who were sitting at tables and chairs, doing work like organizing papers or fixing hems on worn clothes. People glanced up when we came in, and just as quickly looked down.
I was hoping we’d stick together, but that wasn’t the case as Acolyte Xantha gave us our assignments. Alexei was pulled to the kitchens, to sort food. Kiara and Emma were asked to wash the cult’s laundry in tubs.
I was assigned to cleaning the compound— which was a mostly worthless endeavor, because the floor was always wet, and we were in the catacombs, so it was constantly dusty or murky down here. As I swept and mopped, I kept my eye on the doors that surrounded the various hallways, any possible exits we could use to escape. All of them were guarded by oppressors, bulky shifters who’d definitely stop us if we tried to sneak out.
Alexei wasn’t lying when he said it was near impossible to leave. I didn’t know how we’d get out of here without creating a scene once we had the griffin stone.
Another cultist had been assigned to clean with me, and show me the ropes. Her name was Beatrice. She was a wolven, with white hair and age lines. She could’ve been my grandmother. She hummed a pleasant tune as she dusted, as if she was cleaning her own home and not a cultist’s lair.
“I wish you could’ve seen us when we had a compound!” Beatrice went on. “It was so much bigger and brighter than this damp hall— though I shouldn’t complain. A home is a home, after all.”
She was such a sweet old woman. I used illusion magic to manipulate the broom, so it could sweep as I mopped. Beatrice’s eyes widened, and she gave a happy clap. “Isn’t that darling? I justlovewatching illusions.”
“Why don’t you cast one yourself?” I suggested. “The cleaning would go faster.”
“I don’t know any magic.” Beatrice’s eyes fluttered. “I never went to school, or any of that. I can do a few simple spells, here and there, but it’s mostly just changing the color of my sheets to brighten things up, or applying a little lipstick when I need it. Useful magic is out of my reach, I’m afraid.”
My stomach hollowed out. I bet most people in the cult were that way. Alexei hadn’t ever been taught to manage his empathy magic until he came to Arcanea University. The cult kept people helpless, to manipulate them easier.
“They didn’t teach you any Unseelie powers?” I asked.
“Goodness no!” Beatrice burst. “That’s only for the acolytes. They deserve that right. I’m just little old me.”
I remained silent, and she went on. “I know what you’re thinking,” Beatrice said. “It’s strange that the family doesn’t teach us magic, but I swear, it’s just fine. I’m happy with my life. I live it in service to Droga, and what better lifeisthere, being in service to my god? One couldn’t have a happier existence.”
She dropped her voice. “Though, if I’m being honest, some of the teachings are a bit… well. I don’t agree with them, let’s just say that. But I’m sure the acolytes know best. They’re so full of knowledge that I can’t understand.”
“Why do you stay, if you don't agree with the teachings?” I asked.
“Oh, it was very important to my mother. She was one of the last full-blooded Unseelie, and she wanted me to grow up among my own kind,” Beatrice said. “I couldn’t bear to leave her. If you leave you’re shunned, you know. We’re not allowed to communicate with any outsiders. She was very sick, and she needed me. She wouldn’t have survived as long as she did if she wasn’t allowed to be in contact with me. It was for the best.”
“Your mother is gone now,” I said, implying that she could be free.
She gave a laugh. “I grew up in the Black Claw. It’s all I know. Can you imagine an old woman like me, trying to make it in that cold, dreadful world? No. I’m quite content where I’m at.”
“Did you ever want to go to school?” I asked.
“I thought about it,” Beatrice said. “But the outside world is a terrible place, and the Seelie fae hate us. I knew if I was found to have Unseelie blood, I’d be rejected and scorned, maybe even killed. The acolytes said I’d be an outcast, and I daresay they’re right.”
She wasn’t completely wrong about the prejudice against the dark fae, but at the same time, the acolytes were purposefully misleading people.
“Why did you join our family?” Beatrice asked. “Your Unseelie blood must be important to you.”
I pondered her question, before answering, “I knew the Black Claw could give me something I couldn’t get on my own.”
“That’s the answer forsomany of us,” Beatrice swooned. “This family is the only thing we Unseelie fae have left in the world. I know it’ll be uncomfortable, settling in at first, but I promise you’ll get your bearings here. Once you do, you’ll realize you’ve done the right thing.”
Beatrice was obviously convinced, but I was not. She grabbed my arm and said, “Since you’ve been in Dolinska, you must have heard about the Hidden King! I bet King Elijah and Queen Gabriella are fascinating. What do you know about him from living in the city?”
I tried not to respond harshly. “He’s… certainly something wondersome.”
As in, I wondered what was going on in his crooked head most days.
