Page 2 of A Hunt So Wicked
I chuckled. “How could I forget? None of you were born when the last one happened, but as we live in the Faolan Kingdom, there were three royal weddings held publicly at the castle!”
“My mama went! She said she’d never seen anything so beautiful…” Sarah trailed off, a dreamy look on her young face.
“Did you go, Miss Evie?” Nikolas asked.
“No, I didn’t make it,” I replied. I hadn’t gone because I didn’t want to, and my father would’ve never allowed it.
“I heard they’re going to be collecting the girls soon! My brother said they send out a whole escort of royal guards!”
The entire classroom exploded in whispers and excited chatter. I ran a hand down my face. I would give them a few minutes to get it all out of their systems, and then I would get them back on track for the fiftieth time today. The Sova family tree would be a good thing to teach them, and then maybe some of the other royal families. I picked up my chalk to do just that, but the damn thing was now the size of a small pebble and slipped between my fingers, causing my nail to scrape on the chalkboard. Goosebumps erupted across my body at the sensation and sound.
Fuck this.
“Alright, that’s it! Class dismissed! Enjoy your Recurrence celebrations, and I’ll see you in a month!”
Twelve shocked faces and open mouths stared back at me like this was a joke. But it wasn’t. I was tired. I was pissed about the chalk. Now what was I supposed to write with, my blood? I was done for today, and so were the kids. Dismissing an hour early wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
“Unless you guys want to stay the last hour of the day?”
It was comical the way their chairs skidded across the wooden floor and how they moved faster than I’d seen in a long time. Laughing, I called out above the ruckus, “That’s what I thought!”
“Hey, Miss Evie, maybe you’ll get selected for The Hunt!” Hanna shouted, and I had to work harder than usual to hide my grimace. When you fake a smile enough, strangely a smile and a frown can look the exact same.
“Yeah, wouldn’t that be something, Hanna?” I replied as I began packing up my things.
“Can you imagine?” Sophie shrieked, having apparently just realized I was actually eligible to be chosen. Not that it would happen, and it certainly wasn’t something I had any interest in.Pompous, selfish royals.I wanted nothing to do with any royalty who was comfortable sitting in their lavish lifestyles while their countryside villages rot.
Rebecca gasped. “Oh. My. Goddess! You could be the next queen!”
I snorted and rounded up the remaining lovestruck girls, escorting them to the door. “I could never be queen. Not when you ladies are going to be eligible for the next Hunt.”
The sounds of their excited giggles and laughter lingered in the air long after they disappeared over the hill to return to their homes. My own laughter slipped out when I thought about me inThe Hunt. A tradition that started with the original treaty between the kingdoms as a way to bring together the different monarchies and people from all stations. Ever since the downfall of the Sova line twenty years ago, things had changed. Instead of every year, the hunt only happened every ten years. We still paid respects to the lost family but on a much smaller scale. Now The Recurrence had turned into a month-long excuse to cancel work and school.
With there being so many eligible royal bachelors this time, the chatter throughout every village and city was at an all time high. Families hoped their daughters would be lucky enough to be chosen to attend. The men and selected women would then travel to The Roaring Isle, just off of the east coast.
I was convinced it was just another opportunity for boys to act like boys and boost their egos by hunting stag, bear, boar, and whatever other poor creatures crossed their paths. Names were pulled blindly and then royal decrees were written, summoning the ones selected to travel to the Isle to essentially spectate and look pretty. The incentive for the women was that by the end of The Recurrence, all of the royal men participating would choose a wife from the selected maidens. The chances of being selected were slim to none since there was no shortage of women available.
Not that I thought I’d be picked, but if I were to be, there was no way in hell I would leave my village. The children needed this school, and they needed a teacher. History proved that kids who didn’t get basic schooling, which is what I taught, would never make anything of themselves. They would likely end up living a life of thievery, field work, or be forced to do things for money in order to survive. Knowing how to read and write was crucial in offering services and goods in any business setting, and I made damn sure every child who showed up learned at least those two things.
The Recurrence and the royals had taken up enough of my brain space over the last few weeks. Anticipation was building, and with it, the entire town was buzzing with excitement. I couldn’t get away from it. Everybody knew someone who might get selected, and the delay was driving people mad.
I’d be glad when the celebrations were well underway and some of the anxiety eased. People couldn’t handle the stagnancy of waiting. I was looking forward to the time off. I needed to get some vegetable planting done around the house, and my father was needing more and more help with his exercises. In his sixties, his body was feeling the effects of farm life, and it had always just been the two of us, plus the cows weren’t going to milk themselves. Now that it was my break, I would have time to make him more tinctures and powders that eased his aches.
Dad and I lived in a modest-sized, two-bedroom wood cabin that he built when I was a baby, and as luck would have it, it was right behind the school. I was never more thankful for the closeness than I was today, though. The unmistakable sound of horses tearing up the dirt road met my ears as I was putting the last of my things into my bag. Was someone in trouble? I threw the strap over my head and headed for the door. I barely had a chance to lock it before the sounds of anger reached me.
“–CAN’T HAVE HER!” I caught the end of my father yelling, and my brow furrowed. Curious now, and a little anxious, I ran around the back of the school building and froze. Ten or more horses with riders that wore gray and silver, the colors of the Faolan Kingdom, stood tall and menacing in a half circle at the front of my house, my dad in the middle of them.
“Becket,” one of the guards spoke. “It has been decreed. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
My father leaned heavily against his cane as he rose to his true height of 6’6”. “The only thing that’s been decreed is that your mother is a who—”
My eyes nearly popped out.Oh shit.“Father!” I shouted, interrupting his insult before he could get it all the way out. There were only a handful of times in my life I could remember him getting aggressive. He was always such a gentle and loving man, so my guard was up immediately.
My father’s blue eyes landed on me and widened like he was desperately trying to tell me something that I couldn’t understand. If he thought I would leave him to take on these bullies on his own, he didn’t know me one bit. I marched through the grass with my chin held high while my black hair blew around my face, courtesy of a much needed breeze.
“Evie, go back to the school,” Father ordered.
The guards ignored him, turning their full attention to me now. “Evelyn Quinn?” the head guard questioned, and I nodded, crossing my arms. He smiled. “By Royal Decree, you are to join us as we escort you to The Roaring Isle as you’ve been selected for this Recurrence. You are to be amongst the pool of eligible women for our brave and strong royals to select a wife from.”
