Page 89 of Mistaken Magic

"BestThanksgivingever,"Ibreathed.

"Welcometo the fae celebration of winter,"Hawketold me. "Wedo something similar in the summer for theFourthofJuly."Thenhe looked across the table atAspen. "Happywinter, beautiful."

Shesmiled at him. "Happywinter to all of us," she said. "Thisyear,I'vedecided we should be thankful forRain."

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Thistime, the meal wasn't a buffet we could wade through.Thekitchen staff actually came around with trolleys of options.Whenthey got to us, it wasWilderwho made the choices.Hepointed to me and asked for a traditional meal, then gestured to the rest of them and said simply, "Fae."

Fiveplates were quickly handed out.Thefirst four were theirs, filled with fruits soaked in honey and syrup.Therewas an arrangement of little flowers on the side, and it looked like the kind of thing someone would take a picture of for social media.Thenthe server reached for a lower level of her cart, picked up a plate with a silver cap, and set that before me.

Onceshe left, my curiosity got the better of me.Liftingthe lid,Ifound the typicalThanksgivingstyle meal.Turkey, ham, stuffing, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and even a green bean casserole.Therewas just one problem.Myfae friends didn't really do meat eating.Nervously,Ichecked to see if anyone was staring.

WhenIlooked to my left,Hawkeleaned in. "You'refine," he assured me. "Noone's going to steal your meal."

"No, it's - "Hislook made the words die on my lips.

"Aspenhas made it clear you're allowed to be as human as you want.We'reallowed to be ourselves.Stoptrying to be nice,Rain.It'sreally not your style."

"Itkinda is,"Iassured him.

Hiseyes dropped to my lips and he smiled softly. "Andit seemsI'myour unofficial date for the night."

"Uh..."Myeyes jumped across the table toAspen.

"Unofficial," he said again. "Believeit or not, we know more than you can guess.Herhighness over there talks to us."

Irolled my eyes at him. "Youwere almost being nice,Hawke."

"I'mbeing as nice asIcan," he promised. "This?"Heran a hand down his tie. "It'scalled plausible deniability.Mighteven keep the jesters off you for the weekend."

"Sowhat's the deal with that?"Iasked. "Whydo they hate you four so much?"

Asmirk took over his face just as someone began tapping at a crystal glass.Allaround us, the room fell silent, and the entire court turned to look in the same direction.Followingtheir eyes,Irealized the entire end of the dining hall had been turned into a long table for the teachers.Ms.Rhodessat in the center.Therewere a few teachersIdidn't know on either side of her - and they all looked very fae - and then moreIknew sitting further down.

Liamcaught my eye.Hesat next toBracken.Tagwas onBracken'sother side.Oddly, the three of them were looking our way.Ismiled atLiamand lifted my hand, hoping to let him knowIwas aware of the inspection.Hesmiled back and then leaned towardsBracken.

ButMs.Rhodeshad stood. "Forthose of you new toSilverOaksthis year,Iwould like to wish you all a happy winter.Regardlessof the court you or your parents supported inFaerie, here winter is allowed to be a time of renewal.Asthe power of summer slumbers, a few among us will enjoy increased strength.Thisis the natural way of things, and not a cause for strife.Thinkof it more as a time for reflection."

Shepaused, smiling at the room filled with students. "Mostimportantly, as tradition dictates, there will be no classes tomorrow.Becauseof this, curfew for ourAPstudents will be moved to midnight tonight."Shelifted a finger. "Donot assume that means we won't be watching.Allother rules - including the opposite sex in your rooms - will still be strictly enforced.Forthose of you leaving this evening to spend time with your families, you will be expected back onSundayby nine p.m.Foreveryone else, the grounds are open.Thissemester is almost over, and midterm exams will be coming faster than you think.Pleasekeep in mind that passing grades are required to continue attendance here.And, as always, theWinterSolsticewill be celebrated theMondayafter the term ends.Pleaseplan your winter holidays accordingly."Thewoman smiled as murmurs filled the room. "Andwith that, let us all be thankful we've found each other.Happywinter, everyone.Enjoyyour meals."

"Short, sweet, and to the point,"Wildersaid, reaching to pluck a slice of glazed orange from his plate. "Gottaat least give her that."

"Ms.Rhodes?"Iasked.

"Yep,"Torianagreed. "ThedeanofSilverOaks."Hesaid that like he knew something.

"She'ssupposed to be our floor's chaperone, right?"Iasked, becauseI'dnever seen her there.Maybethat was it?

Aspenleaned in. "Sheis.Sheactually does a few things here.See, that woman designed this entire school.She'sthe reasonSilverOaksexists, so she's dedicated to keeping it running smoothly."

Ah, well, that explained it.Shewasn't merely the dean.Shewas the architect of all of this.Ok, that was pretty cool, and if the rumors were true, she had a little experience to draw on.

SoIlooked between my friends. "Iheard she's like five hundred years old."

"Atleast,"Torianadmitted. "Iknow she served theQueenfor centuries.Believeit or not, she used to be a general of theSummerSoldiers."

"IvyRhodes?"Yeah, that was hard to believe.

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