The Woods

Chapter Thirty-Six

Lord Cawther wasn't kidding when he said we were to meet early. A maid woke me before the sun had risen, giving me only ten minutes to eat and dress. As I quickly swallowed a spoonful of porridge, cringing as it burned my throat, I glanced at the clock. It was barely six in the morning.

So that is how I found myself in Lord Cawther's study, bleary-eyed and yawning. He frowned when I entered, perhaps annoyed that I was so tired.

"Sit over there and read those books," he ordered, gesturing to a small couch in the corner of the room. The coffee table in front of it had a pile of old books. I did as he said, glancing over the titles. "If you have questions, ask."

With that, he returned to his desk, shuffling through his papers. I muffled my sigh, picking up one of the books and beginning to read. At one point, I was eager to learn about the Fae and drank up the knowledge greedily. But at six in the morning . . . I couldn't care less.

It was clear that Lord Cawther knew I was staring at the words without paying attention, and after hearing him pointedly clearing his throat, I got to work.

Despite my tired state, I had to admit that the books were fascinating. The book I was reading talked about the magic that each House possessed, but it seemed to be new, in a way. It only spoke about the remaining Houses – which still made it quite old, but it was odd to read something that excluded a third of them.

The book described the strengths and weaknesses of each House's magic, and how the hierarchy worked between Houses. The Wolves had ice, the Crows had night, the Lions had fire, the Monkeys had illusion, the Cats had magic that enhanced their physical strength, the Rabbits had enhanced senses, and the Stags had sleep.

"Sleep?" I blurted. Lord Cawther looked up, waiting for me to ask my question. "How is sleep a form of magic?"

To my surprise, he chuckled. "How do you think Dimah came close to murdering His Majesty?" I had to admit . . . I forgot that happened. "Those in the Stag House can influence people's state of mind. When Dimah tried to kill the king, she got herself close to him. They were courting, so getting his guard down was easy. All it took was to use her magic to influence him to sleep."

"But why would she kill him?" I asked.

"The Stag House was the second most powerful," he replied. "Power can be intoxicating. Killing the king would make her entitled to the throne. And she almost made it; slitting his throat was a mistake on her part. It would be a somewhat slow death – enough time for him to wake up, realise what she had done, and strip her of her title."

I found myself frowning. It would be a horrible life to always have a target on your back. Cain would have to keep his guard up around even those closest to him – even the woman he courted tried to kill him.

I tried to shake the thoughts away, thinking about the stripping of titles instead.

"And how does stripping titles work?" I asked. He tilted his head to the side for me to explain; an action that reminded me so much of Drake. It was unsettling. "This book goes into detail about how certain powers . . . have dominance over the others. How would changing the ranks work if some powers are inherently stronger than others?"

"Ah," he said, leaning back in his chair. Even he had to think for a few moments. "It is very complicated, and something I haven't studied extensively, myself. Stripping a title, or removing it, is simple. Dimah and the rest of the Stag House simply don't have magic anymore. When that happened, my House went from third to second. Stripping titles doesn't affect how the magic works."

But I could only assume that changing ranks would. I waited for him to continue, surprised that even he, being presumably very old, didn't fully understand the concept. If I were immortal, there would be nothing to lose in spending time learning things.

"Changing the order of the ranks is where things get complicated," he sighed. "I said before that His Majesty has no set power like the rest of us. Let's say for the moment that he lost his title as king and became second, switching places with me. He would receive the power of the Fox House – wind. And I would get the power he currently holds.

"That is a simple example, however," he continued. "If two Houses in the middle of the ranks were to switch, there would be a shift in the power they possess. One would lose some magic, and the other would gain some. That book you are reading explains the power differences as they currently are. The explanations change depending on which Houses are being compared. A topic that I do not want to go into."

It was fascinating. I would never have guessed that changing statuses, something that, from What Lord Cawther told me, could be done in seconds, would be so complicated. Perhaps it was that way to discourage the changing of ranks – I certainly would be put off from doing so. It seemed so messy.

Lord Cawther returned to his work, a clear hint that I was to continue reading. The book went on into more detail about the ranking system, but I noticed that it brushed over quite a few details. Perhaps the lord wanted to spare me from the complexities of the subject.

It was around noon that I finally finished the book, and set it on the table with a sigh. I felt stiff from sitting and reading for six hours, but reluctantly reached for another book.

"There's no need," Lord Cawther said, hunched over some paperwork. "Today you may stop early – I'm assuming you intend to go to the festival this afternoon."

I had completely forgotten, but he must have seen my face light up, for he waved a hand to dismiss me.

I slipped out of the room before he could change his mind.

***

A few hours later, I found myself dressed in a flowing blue dress, courtesy of a maid who came to help me prepare for the festival. She said it was a traditional dress that most women would be wearing that day – in their respective House colours.

Cain was the one to walk with me into the Woods. I had no idea where Casper and Merilyn were, and he didn't mention them, so I didn't ask.

"So where is the festival held?" I asked, glancing up at him. He had been oddly silent, though I couldn't blame him. As far as I knew, they still didn't know who attacked the castle.

"I mentioned once that the faeries live beneath the grounds in catacombs," he replied. "The festival is within the bowels of the catacombs. I don't know why, but I can only assume it has to do with avoiding the sun on this day."

I glanced up at the tree branches, my eyes flicking between the gaps that sunlight flowed through weakly. "I'm assuming the Fae don't hold such beliefs."

"Indeed," he murmured.

When we finally arrived, Cain stopped us before a massive hole in the ground. I peered in, paling slightly.

Only darkness stared back at me.

"Everyone else is likely there," Cain said. He turned to me, a smile tugging at his lips. "Forgive me, but this is the easiest way."

I frowned, unsure of what he meant, but suddenly felt his hand on my back as he shoved me into the gaping hole. I let out a breathless shriek, my body weightless and wind whipping at my hair. As the darkness swallowed me, the hole became nothing more than a pinprick of light.

I was going to die – I was sure of it. Either that, or I would fall forever. Moving so fast, I was unable to adjust to the darkness, so I just fell, and fell, and fell.

Just as I thought that, I fell onto something soft but firm, knocking the breath from my lungs.

For a few moments, I could do nothing but lie there, catching my breath. The room was still dark, but not as much as before. It still took me a few moments for my eyes to adjust, and to see the hand sticking out to help me up.

I grabbed it, thanking them, and they helped me stand. Just as I registered the large room of people, I found myself standing face-to-face with Anwir.

He grinned.