“Miss Sosna, you are permitted to leave class,” Professor Desmona said. Her eyes were dark with sympathy. Just before I’d left for championships, she’d praised me for having the best swing out of everyone.
My throat pricked. I nodded and packed up my sword, avoiding everyone’s gaze. I tried not to cry as I brought out my wings and flew back to the castle. When I got to my dorm, I tossedLodburzanin the closet next to my skates and slammed the door.
Tygrys mewed. I took a few deep breaths and stroked his ears with my finger. I felt so frustrated that I wanted to scream. Ethan tried to push his way in again, but I wouldn’t let him. Didn’t he have his own classes to worry about?
I was looking for a distraction, so I left my dorm. I smelled the scent of strawberry jam wafting through the Rec Room, and followed it. Odette, Ozzie, and Jasper were in the kitchen off the recreation area, baking thumbprint cookies. Soft boppy music was playing, which Ozzie was dancing to as he dusted powdered sugar over the cookies, singing along and shaking his butt.
“Hey, guys. Whatcha up to?” I asked.
“Making illusion cookies! They’ll transport your mind to a brand new place each time! They’re made of almond flour— try one!” Ozzie said in excitement.
I took a cookie from Ozzie’s hand and bit into it. Once I did, the kitchen dissolved around me and became a ballroom. I watched as figures in beautiful dresses and coat tails twirled around me, while a string band played in the background. I looked down and saw that I was dressed in a big blue gown, my hair done up in curls.
The illusion slowly faded, though I knew if I took another bite, it’d strike back up. I devoured the rest of the cookie, and enjoyed the illusion for a few more moments before I said, “Very good, Ozzie. I’m impressed.”
“Each cookie has a different illusion in it,” Jasper explained. “You never know what you’re going to get.”
“This one is my favorite,” Odette gushed. She pushed another cookie into my hand, and I took a bite. This time, the illusion changed so that I was floating on pink clouds. I could bounce from one cloud to the other like they were trampolines, my body soaring seamlessly through the sky like I weighed little more than a feather. The clouds giggled and cooed when I landed on them, as if it tickled.
“What are you making them all for?” I asked as the second illusion ended. I looked over the table. They’d made over a hundred cookies.
“We’re having a bake sale,” Ozzie said. “We’re raising money to start a club at the university.”
“What kind of club?” I asked curiously.
“Fae volleyball,” Jasper blurted out, but I knew by the way Ozzie glanced away that he was lying. Were they thinking of starting an LGBTQ club at the school, when they knew same-sex relationships in Malovia were outlawed?
It was scary to imagine. Were theytryingto get themselves killed? I knew activism had to start somewhere, and someone had to take the risk if things in Malovia were going to change… but why did it have to be my friends, people I cared about? I just wanted them to be safe.
Jasper dabbed a bit of icing on Ozzie’s nose, and he giggled. Jasper bent in to lick it off. I cast a glance over my shoulder, to make sure no one else came into the kitchen at the wrong time. These two were gambling with their lives by thinking about living out in the open.
Still… if someone tried to keep me away from Ethan, I’d be the same way. Things were never easy when my mate and I denied our feelings for each other, no matter how difficult royal society and vigilantism had made our relationship. It was easier to fight against the world together, rather than fight against each other. I couldn’t blame them for wanting to be together. They were mated— no laws could keep Ethan and I apart, just as no laws should separate Ozzie and Jasper because of the opinions of a few prejudiced fae. It was wrong.
“Odette has picked out thebestrainbow ribbons to tie the bags we’re putting the cookies in,” Ozzie gushed. “Isn’t that right, Odette?”
“Yes. They’re simply perfect.” Odette’s cheeks tinted pink.
I frowned. “Just be careful, okay?”
“We are,” Jasper said, and he put a hand on mine. “You don’t need to worry about us, Em.”
I did. I was the Worldweaver. I had to worry about everybody.
I could stay there all day, trying all kinds of different cookies and transporting myself into different illusions, just to get a break from life. But just as I finished another cookie, and came out of an illusion that had transported me straight to an endless lake full of giant lily pads, Ethan poked his head into the kitchen.
“Emma, can I talk to you?” His tone made it obvious I couldn’t refuse.
Ugh.I groaned, and left my friends behind me. When we left the kitchen, Ethan pulled me to a deserted corner of the Rec Room, taking a wide stance.
Oh, great. He was going to lecture me. This was, for sure, one of the worst parts about Ethan. If I’d been bad, I’d rather he’d spank me over it. At least it’d be enjoyable.
“I heard Professor Desmona excused you from Arcanean Swordplay,” Ethan began, crossing his arms.
I felt my ears burn. “Yeah. So?”
“That’s not acceptable,” Ethan said shortly. “Emma, you’re the Worldweaver. The fae are dependent on you. You have to know how to fight.”
“I can use my magic.”
