Wings of Sky

Chapter Four

News of Lord Marexi's application for courting me had spread quickly. It was too salacious a piece of news for the queen to attempt stamping down. Whenever we met in the hallways, Karike would greet me with her usual cold civility, giving no indication that she considered me anything of a threat. The queen must had had told her of her plan.

For most of the past week, gossipmongers watched me avidly. Rumours of my Yun demon magic thrived. They almost reached the fever pitch of the rumours that had accompanied my court debut all those years ago. Thankfully, it was far easier as an adult to dismiss talk of my heart-devouring, rabbit-slaughtering habits than as a teenage girl.

"After so much talk, are you not curious about how a raw heart might taste?" Lily asked.

I grimaced at her. Taking the staff from my young student and putting it back on the racks, I said to Lily: "What kind of heart?"

We ignored the startled look the girl shot us as she bobbed into a bow and scurried off at my dismissal.

"Well ..." Lily looked thoughtfully at the row of young noble children queuing up to return their equipment. "Perhaps the hearts of curious young boys."

She smiled wickedly at the next student, a boy who paled immediately. He could not run off more quickly after handing me his staff. There would be talk of the half-demon royal bastard dragging the sweet princess Lilinke down to the Underworld now.

"You are not really helping me," I told her with some asperity as I worked.

She tossed her head back and laughed. "No. But it's fun to toy with them. How they talk about you is too ridiculous to be left alone."

"And you think adding to the talk would be better?" I asked, my eyebrows raised.

"It's exerting control over what they say about you," she corrected me. "You are the one who said you eat children's hearts, not them. Take control of the stories about you out there."

"By telling stories that contribute to their agenda?" I said sceptically. "I do not quite see how that would help me."

"But it's still your story, isn't it?" she said with a shrug. "You will always have power over the stories about yourself if you are willing to embrace the worst they can say."

"Perhaps instead of children's hearts, I should be – " I gasped, " – eating babies' hearts!"

I sent off the last of my students. They scampered off down the hill, laughter bright in the late afternoon. Lily glowered, trailing me as I headed to the cleaning supplies closet.

"You refuse to take my advice," she complained, accepting the broom I passed her.

"It wouldn't matter what I say," I said tiredly, taking a broom for myself. "It wouldn't change what they think."

We swept the arena in silence. The ground was relatively clean, only the few leaves blown from the forest above or balls of fallen hair and dust. The students dared not leave any litter. They would have to face not only me, but also Lady Ranwen.

I had been helping Lady Ranwen train her youngest students for the past five years. It was enjoyable work most of the time. Most of the children were young enough to be terrified enough of my reputation to dare not challenge it. In the beginning, the adults had made a fuss, but after Lady Ranwen had refused to train their children, they had no choice but to give in. Lady Ranwen was the greatest teacher in all five islands.

I was sure she had to suffer some lost of patronage and rumours of demon-bewitchment for standing up for me.

"You are quick to silence Nad and I if we attempt to speak well of you, but you do nothing about those who speak ill of you," Lily said as we stowed the brooms away.