The Court of Outcasts Page 5

  Not that any of those topics could be discussed with her mother.

  “How is school?” her mother asked at dinner. “And don’t say ‘fine.’” Her hazel eyes that were so like Nola’s bore into her from across the table, filled with motherly concern.

  Here we go. “It’s school, Mom. It’s a lot of work—”

  “You haven’t taken on any extracurriculars yet this year. What happened to art club?”

  Oh, not this. “I’m not really into that stuff anymore, Mom. At least not displaying it. My art is more personal, I guess.” She thought of the drawings she had of Kelty, Rowan, the many of Briar.

  Her mother sighed. “Your father has suggested we make you come home directly from school every day, what with the missing girl and everything.”

  “And you disagreed?” Nola asked hopefully.

  “I want to trust you, Nola.”

  Nola’s heart sank at her tone. “But you don’t.”

  Her mother started to reach across the table, as if that would fix things, but stopped and withdrew her hand. “I wish you would tell me what is really going on with you.”

  Yeah, because you would totally believe that there are faeries living in the woods and that I am somewhat like them now. Maybe even more like them than you.

  “Nothing’s going on, Mom. I’m fine.” Nola almost winced as she used the word her mother had warned her not to use.

  Her mother’s face closed off, causing a pang in Nola’s chest. But there was nothing more she could say.

  The rest of dinner was quiet and tense. Nola was glad to return home.

  She considered going out to the place behind her house and calling Briar once they got home in the late evening hours. It wasn’t far, and she could probably pull it off without her parents noticing her being gone a while. But then she decided this was not nearly alarming enough yet to do that. He hadn’t really specified it had to be an emergency, but Nola would’ve felt weird about just calling him there to ask him about a potential threat.

  School the next day was almost just as unbearable, though she at least had more to keep her mind occupied. Tris continued to poke Lauren about the mystery boy, and their banter was amusing enough to be a distraction. Mark barely paid her any attention, which was a relief. Jeanine threw Nola a questioning look at lunch, making Nola feel even guiltier about not going to the woods to show Kelty the note. She shook her head at Jeanine and mouthed “today.” The blonde girl nodded and flicked her hair over her shoulder as she walked away.

  Nola didn’t even go home after school this time, heading straight for the woods at a fast walk. She wove through the crowd of people milling near the front of the park and started down the path that would take her to where Kelty lived.

  The energy of the plants and earth washed over her in welcome, the soft glow of life moving through the natural world never ceasing to amaze her.

  If only I could connect with it better, she lamented once the initial calm wore off. Maybe then I could save myself.

  Then she took a breath, pushed the worry to the side, and looked above to sense Kelty’s energy, the purple tinge that would lead Nola to her.

  Deeper into the woods she walked, the paths growing narrower and the light dimming under the tree cover, and still no sign of the faerie.

  Fable better not have done anything to Kelty, Nola thought as she squinted upward. She was already concocting a plan to convince Briar to go on a rescue mission when the thought hit her.

  Or this might be a test.

  Three times without warning, Kelty had withdrawn her magic from the plants and trees and waited until Nola tried everything in her power to find her. It was a terrible trick. Though Kelty claimed it was necessary for her to “be able to identify a faerie even if they were being very careful not to be detected.”

  On all three occasions, Kelty had to reveal herself eventually, though Nola did sense her presence the last time, just not her exact location.

  Nola heaved a frustrated sigh. She was about to call out that she didn’t have time for this when she remembered the note in her backpack. The one supposedly written by a faerie circling at her school.

  If I can master this skill, it would actually be useful.

  She shook out her limbs as if getting ready for a run or something. Then, in a moment of inspiration, she took off her sneakers and socks so that her bare feet connected directly with the earth. Closing her eyes always helped her to initially tune in to the natural magic around her. She focused in on the light breeze, the rustle of the chipmunks in the leaves, the call of birds. And then Nola focused on the ground beneath her feet, where the life of the plants began, where Kelty’s power originated. Her strongest power, at least.

  Nola breathed in and out, and on the exhale she thought she felt a hum on the very bottoms of her feet. Opening her eyes, she saw a distinct purple line starting at her feet, traveling down the path in front of her and straight up a large tree slightly to the right of the path.

  A wave of dizziness hit her so hard she fell to the ground. No, no, no. Fighting to stay conscious, Nola tried to breathe deeply.

  Nola felt a hand on her shoulder. The dizzy sensation immediately began to recede. She opened her eyes. Relief swept through her only to be replaced by unease as she waited for Kelty’s reaction.

  The faerie was crouched next to her, silver eyes locked on her and eyebrows knit together in what Nola liked to call the “what a strange human” expression.

  “You took off your shoes,” Kelty said eventually, startling a laugh out of Nola.

  “Guess that’s the trick.” Nola gestured to Kelty’s bare feet, which were somehow never dirty. “Faeries don’t wear shoes. I figured maybe I should be a little more like you for a moment. Though, that won’t work if I’m not on soil.”

  Kelty rose to her feet. “Faeries will not go near your human structures. You will not need to worry about detecting them there.”

  Nola stood up as well and dusted off her jeans. “But what if they have been outcasts so long that they are getting used to it?”

  Kelty looked up the slight distance into Nola’s face. “Why do you say that?”

  In answer, Nola dug the note out of her backpack and handed it over. Kelty read the words and then arched her brows at Nola as she handed it back.

  “Jeanine, Cameron, and Adam say the handwriting is identical to the one they called their benefactor,” Nola explained, putting it back in her pack. “They found this circulating at school.”

  “Have you shown this to Briar?” Kelty asked with a little heat.

  Great, this again. Well, at least he did as I asked and visited her.

  “No. I am showing it to you first.”

  Kelty gave her a disbelieving look, but dropped the subject. “I do not think it was Fable, if that is what you are asking. He seems to have moved on to bigger schemes.”

  “Well, who can it be if not him?” Nola asked. “Briar at least came to talk to you the other day, didn’t he?”

  Kelty gave her a slight nod, and her shoulders lost a little of their tension, although her eyes remained guarded. “Yes. Come. You must learn to master your magic before it overtakes your body.”

  She turned to walk toward her tree home, and Nola followed, the silence charged.

  Once they reached the little clearing before the tree Kelty called home, Nola blurted out, “So what did Fable want? What is the Court of Outcasts? Where is it?” She plopped down cross-legged and settled in to hear the answer.

  Kelty looked like she didn’t want to answer, chewing her lip with her teeth as she looked down at Nola, but then she started talking in a rush. “He offered me the throne. And I took it.” Kelty paused, then continued. “I did not consult Rowan. But I do not know how I will get rid of Fable if I decline. He is dangerous. Dangerous and unstable.” She finished and turned pleading eyes on Nola as if she might have an answer to all her problems.

  Nola stared up at her slack-jawed. It was the most human she had ever se
en Kelty. “Umm,” she started off. “Okay, so you’re a queen now.”

  “Ruler,” Kelty corrected. “And you need to stay away from the Court of Outcasts.”

  Nola rolled her eyes. “Yes. I know. The big question here is what are you going to do?”

  Kelty sighed, eyes troubled. “I don’t know.”

  After a few beats of silence, they slipped into a rather unfocused magic session. Afterward, Nola made her way through the park and to the marshier lands that would lead to her backyard on autopilot, the path so familiar she traveled it with ease. She thought about the note in her backpack. Despite Kelty’s assumption that it wasn’t written by Fable, Nola had a gut feeling it was trouble.

  I should ask Briar, she decided with a fair amount of trepidation. She didn’t know what their relationship was going to be like now that he was back. Her mind still didn’t trust him even though the rest of her body rebelled against it. Whatever we are to each other, he can help. Nola pushed aside the fluttery feeling in her stomach as she headed toward the bubble of safety in the marsh. He is the closest one to Fable. And at least he seemed to talk with Kelty like I asked him to.

  The thought sparked a pleasant warmth within her.

  Nola walked another few steps, and then, for a reason she couldn’t quite figure out at first, she froze. Shifting so that she was mostly behind a thick tree trunk, she tried to tune into her “faerie sense,” as she called it.

  On the other side of the tree in front of her was something magical. She was too far away from the safety bubble, and this was more than the energy of the woods.

  It must be a faerie.

  Nola’s heart started to pound. But is it a friendly one? Her better sense told her to back up and quietly walk away. But curiosity won out.

  She peeked around the edge of the tree, slowly, as if that would give her a better chance at remaining unseen—and immediately jerked back as a small bird whizzed past her ear toward the source of the magic. Putting a hand to her chest, Nola took a steadying breath and peeked back around again.

  An unfamiliar faerie stood about ten feet directly in front of where Nola hid. Her coloring was like that of the sunrise—skin of rosy pink and wings of a dusty orange. The hair gathered loosely at the back of her neck was a light blonde. Kelty had told Nola most faeries would never dream of cutting their hair. In fact, she tended to stare at humans with short-cropped hair with a look of disbelief on her face. This faerie’s whole demeanor was more open. Her smooth face and wide eyes combined with her petite figure accented by a wrap of beige fabric—covering her body in all the appropriate places but just criss-crossing over her stomach and down her legs—gave off the impression of a sun sprite. Nola could barely make out the mark on the faerie’s temple, but she guessed it would be a sun for one of the Day.

  “Those of the Day are harsher with punishment,” Kelty had told her during one of their lessons that usually diverted into talk of Faerie. “I would venture to guess most of the outcasts here are not my kind.”

  The separation and unity of the magical, foreign world of Faerie captivated Nola’s attention, and she prodded Kelty about it whenever she could. Though the faerie couldn’t give her much detail about the Day Court’s dealings, she admitted to spying on the commoners of the Day and told some tales about those she worked with as a part of the force meant to keep the balance and peace of Faerie. Kelty explained that the Day Court was much larger, as was their territory, and the ruler of the Day, The Glorious, held most of the power in Faerie. Thus, more of a reason to banish those wrongdoers.

  The bird that had flown past Nola was now seated on the faerie’s outstretched arm. The faerie stared intently at the bird, who stared back. Neither made a sound.

  What in the world?

  As Nola tried to puzzle out what was happening, her senses tingled at another presence of magic behind her. She tensed, eyes going wide.

  And then she recognized the cool energy that slipped up beside her, hidden within the foliage to her left. She let out the breath she was holding.

  Why do they always have to sneak up on me like that?

  Ignoring Briar for the moment, Nola turned her attention back to the sun faerie. As her eyes landed back on the peculiar scene, the bird took off into the trees in the direction of Kelty’s woods. The faerie’s eyes followed the bird’s path with a bemused expression.

  Briar gently grabbed Nola’s arm and pulled her back behind the tree before she could see any more. When she gave him a questioning look, he just shook his head.

  That better mean you will tell me later, Nola grumbled internally. Kelty will not be happy a strange faerie was in the woods.

  After a moment, Briar nodded. “She is gone,” he said in a soft voice as he gestured that Nola could move out from where they were almost pressed together behind the tree.

  Nola scurried to the side as she realized just how close they were. “Who was that?” she demanded, looking forward so maybe he wouldn’t see her cheeks flush.

  He walked along beside her, thankfully looking forward as well. “Lark,” he answered.

  “And what was she doing?” Nola prodded immediately, now used to the half answers.

  “Spying.”

  So she was communicating with the bird. “Spying on Kelty? Why?”

  “They are curious to know of their new ruler. Some are smart enough to do their own investigating,” he said wryly, not meeting her eyes.

  He seemed pensive, his responses shorter than usual and clipped instead of containing their usual amount of snark.

  Nola reached out a hand and touched his arm. He froze at the contact.

  “What is it?” Nola demanded quietly, not removing her hand. “If we are in more danger than we know, I think we have a right to know.”

  Briar looked at her with a strange intensity in his eyes. “I will handle it,” he said. Then he nodded behind her. “Go home, Nola.”

  Nola frowned in irritation and turned to demand answers from him, but as she did the phone in her pocket buzzed. Nola winced. Late again. My parents are going to kill me. Or ship me off to boarding school somewhere where they won’t have to deal with me.

  Briar stepped back and then executed a twisting maneuver into the air that turned him into a dark blur before he disappeared into the trees.

  Nola heaved a sigh and trudged home.

  Halfway across her yard, she realized she hadn’t asked him about the note.

  Chapter 12

  Kelty sat high up in her home tree, her gentle hand examining the leaf before her. One green vein ran strong down the center, offshoots leading off in different directions. Something her father said to her long ago surfaced from the memories she tried to suppress, not because they were horrible, but because they brought a pain to her heart.

  “See how the one vein remains straight and steady through the entire leaf, and the many others leading off of it are shorter and thinner?” he had asked. It was during a time Kelty was having doubts about her place in the court, her destiny, and life in general. “You must find the one true path that will take you to the end, rather than getting lost on the alternate paths that will not bring you happiness.”

  I thought I knew my one true path. I thought I knew exactly what my life was going to be like. I was prepared for it.

  Her finger traced one of the offshoot veins. I thought this path I am on was a mistake, an alternate path that would lead nowhere, and that eventually I would find my way back to the true one. Now I don’t even know what my true path is.

  As she contemplated her next actions, that familiar warmth started in her core. In the next moment, Rowan appeared next to her, coming to land on a slightly lower branch of the tree adjacent as if he had been there the whole time.

  Heart in her throat, Kelty looked in his handsome face apprehensively as she let go of the leaf, the branch it was attached to gently falling to the side.

  “I was once tricked into eating jamroot,” he said bluntly. “My skin was pink for days.” />
  Kelty was startled into smiling. When she had complained about barely knowing him, he started sharing random snippets of his past with her, sometimes at the most random times. Now, she supposed he meant it as a way of apology.

  “I’m sure that was a sight.”

  He gave her a small smile. “I saw what Fable showed to you,” he said then, casting his eyes downward.

  Annoyance bubbled up inside Kelty. “You were watching me?” Then that annoyance gave way to anxiety.

  He would have heard me declare myself the ruler of the Court of Outcasts.

  Rowan looked back up at her. “He is dangerous. We still don’t even know how he captured me. And the things I have heard about his position at the Day Court are truly vile.”

  And now he is going to hold on to his reaction until I cannot take it any longer.

  “She used Fable to erase the memories of her courtiers,” Kelty said before he could go on, referencing the Day ruler.

  His eyebrows rose. “How do you know of that?”

  Kelty leaned her head back against the tree and averted her eyes. “Briar told me some. I guessed the rest.”

  There was a short silence. For the first time, it felt as if there was a distance between them, like they were on different parts of their journey.

  Then a familiar intensity came back into Rowan’s face. He grabbed a branch above and swung himself up so that his feet were directly in front of her crossed legs. In this crouched position, he put his face close to hers.

  “If I could take you home right now, would you go with me?” Rowan asked.

  Yes. Faerie is my home. Yes. That is where I belong. Yes. That was our plan, to be together in Faerie. The words rose in her throat and stuck there.

  “You know I cannot, now,” she said softly.

  “You spoke the words but have done nothing else.”

  Kelty narrowed her eyes at him. “Do you have a way?”

  A muscle in Rowan’s jaw twitched. “No,” he admitted. “But you dodged the question anyway.”

  “There is good I could do here,” Kelty said in a soft voice, not meeting his eyes and instead focusing on his mouth.