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“What is this meeting for?” I ask Eoin.
“Ostara preparation,” Rainer replies, narrowing his eyes at Eoin. “And it doesn’t involve humans.”
Of course it doesn’t. Any time I start to feel remotely normal here, Rainer reminds me of what a lowly human I am. How could I possibly forget?
“Are you coming?” Eoin whispers to me.
“No. I’d rather…” go find anything else to do. “Rainer just said it doesn’t involve humans.”
“Ignore him. Ostara is fun,” Eoin says, whispering in my ear. “Come back to brunch with us. For me? You need to eat.”
I shudder at the way his hot breath tickles the shell of my ear. And when he reaches out to touch my shoulder, I relax beneath his touch. A tingle courses through me—warm, comforting, magical. But I don’t think much of it.
Rainer’s nostrils flare and he storms off.
My stomach clenches with regret, but I have nothing to be sorry for. I don’t owe him anything.
twenty-seven
An Equally Troubled Brother
Alessia
Never have I eaten as many fruits as I have here in Avylon. I eat just enough to keep my stomach from grumbling, then I use my fork to push a blueberry around my plate as I listen to the fae’s conversation about Ostara.
To be honest, it isn’t nearly as exciting as I had hoped it would be. Ostara, apparently, is a fae holiday celebrated during the spring equinox. Folk from both courts along with some courts further away, get together to eat, dance, and drink. It’s a cultural way to honor Mother Nature for her magic and bounties.
“I’m appalled your gracious host hasn’t properly informed you of what Ostara is!” Sennah says. “Actually, I rescind that. It’s entirely in his character.”
“Oh, cut the prince some slack.” Viv angles her glass at the princess and purses her lips. I’m surprised when she speaks up on Rainer’s behalf. He dips his chin at her in a show of solidarity. She looks at me next. “Don’t you celebrate the Mother in Dovenak?”
I shake my head. “We have some similar celebrations—or rather, the wealthy do—but no one worships Mother Nature. They never did. Our celebrations originated from the gods. But no one even worships them anymore. Now, it’s more of a show for the rich to celebrate their own power and money. I guess you can say they worship themselves, in a sense.”
I hated holidays at the estate. Char and I would rush around, tending to the lord’s drunken acquaintances while simultaneously trying to remain invisible. The only thing worse than an intoxicated Lord Edvin, was an intoxicated Lord Edvin with a dozen of his closest and equally grotesque companions.
“Shame. Likely why humans possess no magic at all.”
“Because we don’t worship the Mother?”
“Among other things.”
“Like your blatant disregard for nature,” Rainer says.
Viv picks apart a muffin hungrily and Ken looks down his shirt, searching for fallen crumbs distractedly. Eoin chuckles softly. Rainer cocks a brow.
Sennah smiles, and it’s so genuine that I feel my own lips mirroring the motion. “The Mother is the one who gave us our magic.”
It hits me how easily I’ve fallen back in with the fae, and I mentally remind myself that they are not my allies. This isn’t a conversation between friends. Simply a way of gathering information as a matter of survival.
“Is she a goddess?” I ask.
“Sort of. She’s the goddess. Our balance. The original source of power. Fae have a much deeper respect for her—and the lesser gods she created—than the humans ever did.”
I lean forward, intrigued by the conversation. “So the gods are real?”
“The gods were real,” she confirms. “They were created by the Mother, tasked with watching over the unruly humans. They wielded an unimaginable level of power. Humans co-existed with them, honoring and worshiping them. But, of course, they began finding themselves jealous of the gods and desperate for their power. They stopped acknowledging the gods at all, stopped worshiping them and believing in them. Over time, the less the humans worshiped them, the weaker they grew until they became mortal altogether.”
“Jealous, power-crazed, feckin’—” Ken catches my eye and cuts his rant short. “No offense, little human.”
