Chapter Six: How curious.
Elion POV
I enter the office, and with a wave of my hand, the mirrors dissipate, returning the space to its resting form—a room that blends library, forest, and fae den. Tree limbs curl through towering shelves of old tomes, glowing orbs swing from leafy branches, and four oversized leather chairs form a semicircle on an embroidered rug. The scent is a mix of parchment and crushed lavender.
"I told you to wait and you disappear for two hours, Elion," a voice drawls.
I glance toward one of the chairs, where Rolyn has materialized, half-sunken in its worn cushions. At six hundred years old, he appears to be in his sixties by human standards. His hair is silver braided with vine-like strands, his robes woven with threads of moon silk. He glares at me.
"Forgive me, Rolyn," I say, unbothered, as I drop into the chair opposite him. I lean in, voice low but amused.
"I found something too interesting to resist."
His eyes narrow. "Elion."
I grin. "Got a favor out of it, too."
For the first time in what feels like decades, I feel intrigued. Genuinely.
He sighs like he's been carrying this conversation for a century.
"I do not know why I'm still in this position, dealing with younger fae."
"Yet you're still here," I say with a shrug, "and not back in the Realm."
He leans forward, elbow propped on the armrest. "Because unlike you, I remember duty."
I stretch out my legs, gaze flicking lazily to the glowing tree overhead. "Duty is such a boring word."
"Everything is boring to you."
"Not everything."
He doesn't ask, but I continue anyway.
"She nullified my glamour. Didn't even flinch."
That earns a raised brow.
"And she offered a favor with no coercion. She walked through Thorns and Mirrors like it was a hallway, not a trial. And Rolyn, she's living two hours from campus in a cursed forest. Alone. "
He blinks. "A human?"
"Mage, technically. Solstice family. Light-wielders."
"A Solstice?" he adds, scrunching his nose.
I nod, feeling the same distaste. We fae are ruled by a council of noble houses, and of course, we have our own version of the Solstice family. Light fae. Stiff. Pristine. Arrogant. Perhaps the light breeds it in.
"How curious, isn't it?" I say smoothly.
"What in Mother's name would a Solstice be doing in Astral Academy?" he mutters.
"Oh, that's the interesting thing, Rolyn," I reply, shifting just enough to tuck my expression away.
No need to let him see too much. Not yet. Last thing I need is another fae snooping around.
She nullified my glamour. She shouldn't have been able to. And I can't have other fae sniffing around and ruining the one shred of mystery I've enjoyed in ages.
She's mine. My little source of entertainment.
I can't believe there's someone capable of nullifying my ability. How... curious.
Solstice blood shouldn't be that unpredictable.
I wonder—how long before the others notice her? This school is full of predators in sheep's uniforms.
How will she survive?
Is she predator or prey?
Is there more to the eye?
I can't remember the last time I felt this way.
Curiosity. Amusement. Maybe something far more dangerous.
And if I'm lucky, she'll turn out to be all of the above.
I can still smell her perfume—something expensive and unnecessarily floral. It doesn't match the forest, the gloom, the aura of decay that clings to this school. And that's exactly why it lingers.