“There was an emergency Circle meeting called during the night. Lady Magdalina informed us that our mission is concealed, for now. As far as the monarchy knows, the liberation was led by a group of isolated abolitionists. Eli doesn’t suspect that it was part of a rebellious uprising,” Ethan said. “But he’s going to figure it out soon. We got away last night, but next time, we might not be so lucky.”
“Lady Magdalina is helping you?”
“Yes. She’s our inside on the Circle.”
I was surprised, but I shouldn’t have been. Lady Magdalina had been increasingly vocal about how terrible things were in the country, and she was a woman of action. It wasn’t shocking that she’d gotten tired of waiting for a change and done something about it. Again, I aspired to be like her.
“Do you think freeing the slaves is really going to upset the balance here in Dolinska?” I asked.
“I am sure of it,” Ethan said somberly. “It won’t be long before the city starts to collapse. You’ll see.”
Well, good. If we were using slaves to fulfill our labor needs, Malovia deserved what it got.
Ethan was right. Within a few hours, the news was full of all kinds of panic. Stocks had completely fallen. The trade routes with other magical communities had halted altogether, due to worries they wouldn’t be able to fulfill orders. Businesses had to scramble to find people to do the jobs that had been filled by slaves. By the afternoon, the Malovian government had lost millions of dollars. People rushed to the stores to buy up supplies, leaving most places empty.
The week passed by, and the city was plunged further into chaos. The government had done its best to replace the slaves with temporary laborers, but it was a slow process. Royal gossip columnists said the palace was in shambles and the king and queen were doing their best to keep things together, even lowered to the standard of doing their own laundry and cooking their own food.
Poor them, right?
The spring festival for Milonna was canceled.Boginavalpassed on February twenty-eighth with hardly any fanfare. It was like all of Dolinska forgot the holiday because of what was going on. To mark the occasion, I put an offering for Milonna of flowers on my dormitory windowsill. The next morning, I touched the objects, and I felt all the magical energy from them had been taken. Milonna had been by to visit me, and thanked me for the offering by leaving behind her motherly countenance. I smiled, so grateful she’d been in my presence. I needed her, especially in times like these.
Arcanea University was the one place of refuge, it seemed. Because it was run by Lady Magdalina, who ran a tight ship, our classes weren’t affected. She’d obviously prepared for this moment beforehand and been ready for it when the time came.
I was due to visit my grandparents on March fifth. When I came out of my room with my winter cloak around me, Ethan was standing in the hallway, in his wolven form.
“I will go with you. The city is not a safe place at this time,” Ethan said.
I nodded, and climbed on his back. I was excited for him to meet my grandparents, but wished it was under different circumstances. Ethan took me down secret pathways in the city that he’d learned as the Phantom, and stuck to the outskirts of town. As he ran, I heard the sounds of glass breaking and people shouting from afar. Fae were rioting again.
Ethan avoided the noise and kept his ears up for any threats. When we got to my grandparents’ house, I slid off his back, and he changed so we would walk inside. The warm comfort of home swathed me in cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. As we walked into the living room, I saw Babcia was at the hearth, stirring a cauldron of mulled wine over the fireplace.
Arthur was already there. Vara was sitting on the rug in front of the fire, rubbing Puck’s belly. She brightened when she saw Ethan and I walk through the door.
Babcia’s eyes drew sharply upward. Bapa rose from his seat to give Ethan a firm handshake, and Babcia said, “It’s nice to finally meet you, my prince.”
“I am a prince no more, my lady,” Ethan said, giving her a slight bow.
“Nonsense. Don’t talk like that.” Babcia slapped a dish towel against Ethan’s chest. “We can’t give the king everything he wants. He thinks he can change your name. Bah. He can shove it up his arse.”
Ethan smiled. Bapa had the news on, which was showing footage of the current riots. He noticed me eyeing the screen, and shrugged as he turned it off. “It’s interesting.”
I scoffed. My grandparents were the type of people who watched the grim news with popcorn and snacks. Nothing bothered them.
“How can you have that on without getting upset?” Arthur asked, and he wrinkled his nose. “It’s nothing but bad news.”
“You shouldn’t concern yourself. This has been a long time coming. It’s written in the stars,” Babcia said.
“Stars?” I asked.
“Astromancers are supernaturals who gain their magic from the stars. We are friends with quite a few of them,” Bapa said. “We met many on our ventures around the world. Your grandmother and I used to be quite the world travelers, before we settled down and had your father.”
“Yes. The Astromancers have been predicting this kind of turmoil in the world for years,” Babcia said. “The planets are aligned in such a way that has rarely happened before. The Astromancers have been telling us for many decades this time would be a time of great turmoil and change, and now we have to face it.”
“But why do we have to go through it? Can’t the world be easy to change?” I complained.
“Because only by upheaval and remaking the old way can we create a brighter future. Many will resist what’s coming, but it’s futile. It will be a painful and dark time, but I promise you, by the end, the world will be better for it,” Babcia said. “Think of this as labor pains, the birth of a new world. To get there, we must have sacrifice. But I believe this better world will be worth the price we all have to pay.”
She gestured for us to sit down on the couch. I took a seat in between Arthur and Ethan. Puck laid his head on Vara’s lap and drooled.
