"That is not appropriate formal wear," Calen said, but there was a smile on his face, and he was clearly trying not to laugh.

"Witch tradition is a black, cone-shaped hat," I said with a shrug. "This fits."

"It might have been that in another life, but clearly it's had a makeover in this one," Calen snorted.

My witch hat wasn't exactly traditional, but I adored it. It was a sturdy black hat with some purple airbrushing for texture, a few deep magenta highlights adding some dimension that looked a bit like the northern lights. I'd embroidered over the paint job with gold thread, creating a web that partially reminded me of my Threads, but mostly resembled a star chart running over the fabric. Finally, I'd attached purple, pink, and white silk flowers to one side, all of them sporting black silk leaves.

Witches typically wore hats for formal events. It was just the way tradition went. Most of us loved to customize our own, especially younger witches— decorating your first hat was a point of pride, a coming-of-age tradition. Not many people took the customization quite as seriously as I did, but hey, why not have fun with it?

"Since when do you get so caught up in tradition, anyways? You're trying to change tradition." I pointed out, adjusting the brim.

"Some traditions need to stay. If we don't know who we were, we lose who we are now."

"And yet, you aren't required to wear the hat at all," I grumbled. Hats were optional for male or nonbinary witches. Female witches had to wear them.

I didn't think a flowery hat was in danger of erasing all witch traditions, but at the moment, it didn't matter either way. This was the hat I'd decided to wear for our meeting with the Sylvan Council, and this was the only hat I brought. It was happening even if Calen thought it was silly.

I, for the record, thought it looked absolutely fabulous, and I had a wonderful time making it.

In addition to the hat, I donned a more traditionally witchy ensemble than my usual pastels. I kept plenty of black clothes in the closet, but mostly because they just went with everything. I didn't pull out black dresses too often.

Today, though, I dressed up a little. I still wore my combat boots and fishnet tights, but I paired them with a tea-length black dress. It had a halter neckline with a teardrop shaped cutout that accentuated my hourglass figure. I was a shorter, curvy lady with a soft tummy and thick thighs, and this silhouette was one of my absolute favorites.

To top everything off, I was carrying what looked like a goth version of Mary Poppins' carpetbag. I needed something to carry my overnight things, but it wound up making me look a little more like a witchy auntie visiting from out of town.

I didn't mind it. This was something to make a day I was dreading just a little more fun, though... it did earn us a few funny looks as we walked up to the Veil crossing point. Calen was also wearing all black, which didn't help, but as I said before— male witches weren't required to wear the hat, so I stood out more.

I waved as soon as I spotted Dante. He was sitting on a park bench not far from the crossing point, a book in his lap. He wore a pale blue pinstriped suit with a rose-colored waistcoat, though he opted to leave the tie behind. The color accented his eyes, and I couldn't help but think that if his wings weren't glamored, he would truly look like a fairy tale figure.

"Dante!" I called, trying to catch his attention without being too terribly overt. There were still humans wandering around this area, after all. They couldn't see the Veil, but they could certainly see a couple of weirdos dressed in black going to meet their friend.

Hopefully they just thought we were adults that never left our goth phase.

It took a moment for Dante's eyes to lock on me, but when he did, he immediately smiled, closed the book, and started to make his way towards us.

"Don't you look dazzling," Dante said, laughing, but he sobered quickly. "I was going to say to keep a low profile, but you... really want to advertise that you're a witch? Is that the best plan?"

I sighed. At least he didn't have a problem with the hat in and of itself. "It'll be fine. I want sylvans to understand that yes, I'm a witch, and I'm not here to cause any trouble. If I go in and out and leave a good impression, maybe it'll... I don't know, help?" I offered, shrugging.

"It's a sound theory, though I'm still a hair worried for your safety," Dante muttered, running a hand through his hair. "No one should bother you while you're with me, though. Just... don't cause trouble."

He glanced at Calen as he spoke. It was not sublte.

"Alright, then," I said, clapping my hands together and forcing a smile. "Shall we go?"

Dante nodded, gesturing towards the gates to a small park carousel. It hadn't run for years, though there were still lights on it at night, and now served as more of a memorial or a statue. At the gates, there was a small tower that looked like a castle guard house. Presumably, someone used to sell tickets from there, but now it was empty...

Or so I thought?

Dante approached the little guard tower without hesitation, leaning down to say something to an occupant I couldn't see. Maybe there was a glamor on them, like the one Dante kept on his wings. Maybe they were simply hidden in the darkness inside the tiny structure.

Either way, Dante returned to us quickly, straightening his jacket.

"Step through the gates," he said, inclining his head towards the decrepit carousel.

I figured it wasn't worth questioning magic at this point. It didn't look any different than before, but keeping a Veil crossing point under wraps was essential to Sylvan survival. They probably picked this place specifically because it was nondescript.

Shrugging, I shouldered my carpetbag and sauntered towards the gates. I didn't check to see if Calen or Dante followed me, but I assumed they were coming.

Everything appeared normal until I reached the rusted gate that circled the carousel. It was stuck in a permanently open position, so there was no problem moving inside. However, as soon as my foot went past the iron hinges, the air around me seemed to ripple.

It was a strange feeling, almost like the falling sensation that jolts you awake from the brink of sleep. One moment, I was standing in the human world, in the middle of a local park in rural Virginia.

The next step brought me right in front of the gates to the Sylvan Court.

Stumbling, I squinted in the sunlight as I glanced up at the shining white palace. Unlike traditional human castles, this one appeared to be carved almost entirely from cloudy, white quartz. The sides weren't smoothed over, instead retaining the raw edges of the crystal in a way that made it glitter in the sun. The roof tiles also appeared to be some sort of stone. They were freakishly clean, sparkling dark blue on every part of the roof, every tower and turret and random room.

The castle was only a tiny part of the world beyond the Veil, though.

I hadn't ever really stopped to question what stepping into an entirely different dimension might be like, mostly because I assumed I'd never get to see this place. It was... incredible.

In the human world, it was late spring, bordering on summer. Here, though, it seemed to be fall. Live leaves still left on the trees glowed faintly in a bright shade of teal, while those ready to fall turned beautiful, rich shades of pink and purple before they fluttered to the ground. Even the grass had more of a blue tint to it than green, and it was so fine that it felt almost feathery under my fingers.

Strange, white-and-yellow fruits dangled from the trees near the palace gates, looking almost like raspberries the size of apples, and I wondered what they tasted like. The flowers in bloom on the bushes had petals that were so long, they curled in ringlets like hair. I even noticed a small rabbit munching the cream-colored clover nearby—

Except it wasn't a rabbit.

No. No, that was clearly a wolpertinger.

I didn't even notice Dante and Calen's footsteps behind me as I took in the surroundings. There was a whole city behind me, too, presumably the Sylvan capital city, but... wow. I couldn't stop looking at the natural surroundings near the palace long enough to even begin digesting a completely different city.

"First time beyond the Veil?" Dante asked.

"Yep," I breathed, eyes wide.

When I looked over, Dante was smiling. He always looked the most at peace when he smiled, and it made me happy to know that he liked having me here. I knew he took pride in his home, and I wanted to know more about him while we were visiting. Every time I learned something new, I liked what I heard.

His butterfly wings were in full view here. It was the first time I'd ever seen them so close without the glamor, not to mention in good lighting, and I found myself trying not to stare. The blue, black, and white patterning was beyond gorgeous, and there was a slight shimmer to them that I hadn't noticed before.

"Wow, the Council is a fancy place," Calen muttered. I could hear the bitter undertone in his voice, but I wasn't really sure what he was implying.

"The Court is the physical location and the title of the Sylvan Monarchy," Dante snapped. "The Council is the board of elected officials."

I could almost feel the tension in the air as Dante cut his eyes towards Calen. He was clearly on high alert, posture straight, butterfly wings stiff and twitching rather than languidly flapping behind him. Calen, on the other hand, looked like he might be walking in a park. He moved with a practiced, relaxed grace that likely infuriated Dante even more.

Even Calen's stride oozed irreverence.

"This way," Dante said, starting off towards the palace gates. "Your meeting is in the throne room. The Council and the King should already be present."

"Wait, wait— the Sylvan King? Not the Council, but the King?" I squeaked, scrambling to catch up with him. Calen followed, his long strides closing the distance in no time.

"Both," Dante said with a shrug. "All."

"Oh," I said flatly, spirits sinking a little. "I don't... am I really important enough for that?"

"Yes," both Dante and Calen said at once.

I snorted. At least that was something they seemed to agree on, though it would probably be the only moment like that for the duration of the visit.

Luckily, neither of them said a single word as we went inside the palace. The guards certainly seemed— well, on guard— but none of them made any aggressive movements towards us. Dante led the way inside the massive front doors of the palace, escorting us down the hall and off towards somewhere in the middle of the structure.

I half expected the inside walls to be raw crystal as well, but they looked a little more like a human structure. The hallway had strange textures swirled into the plaster, and I longed to run my fingers over them and see how they felt. That was the curious part of me, the part that loved the sensory appeal of all this.

The more logical part of myself really just wanted to get to the throne room as quickly as possible, because if my heart started beating any faster, we'd all be in trouble.

"When we reach the throne room, you'll meet the Council and the Sylvan Court," Dante said quietly. "There shouldn't be an audience, but I wasn't privy to the specifics of who might be allowed inside."

"The... King and Queen?" I clarified.

"Yes, and any of their children that might decide to make themselves known, though that is unlikely. They aren't particularly fond of politics," he said with a huff.

"How is this going to... go?" I asked, fumbling for words. "Like, what do they want? What are they going to ask me?"

"Not entirely sure," Dante muttered. "The King and Queen preside, and they'll direct the session. Sylvan royals are more than only figureheads, they're the foundation that we stand on. Council members can jump in at any moment, but they don't technically run the session itself."

I knew a little about the Sylvan government, but not enough to understand what I was walking into, so the explanation helped.

Still, when the doors opened, I wasn't quite prepared for what I saw.

The throne room was circular. Half the walls were massive, gilded windows that overlooked the forest outside. The rest was set up a little like a circular ampitheater.

Calen, Dante, and I walked down a center aisle that led right to the middle of the room. In here, some of the raw crystal showed through the walls, but not enough to be distracting. Blue carpet covered the white-and-gold specked floor, even up through the aisles leading to circular seating. It was almost like a court room or the US Senate, set up in a circular fashion looking down on the unfortunate soul that happened to be on display.

Today, that was me.

The seats around the room were empty, though. This wasn't a public event, and the occupants at the room all sat near the front. In the center, seated comfortably on a raised dais, were the king and queen. Both of them had hair as black as night, and they wore deep blue ceremonial garb. The Queen's long dress train trailed down the steps of the dais almost to the floor, and she seemed stern at first glance, but she smiled at me as we entered. The King was clean-shaven, his sharp gaze following me like a hawk as we entered. Both wore silver circlets.

Around them, the fourteen elected Sylvan Council members sat, seven on each side. The two rows of seating on each side, placing four members in the back and three in the front, were arranged in perfect symmetry. The Council members also wore blue, but it was lighter, grayer, a little muted. Their robes looked quite a bit more like choir robes that went over normal clothes.

Dante bowed to the Sylvan King and Queen first, then to each half of the Council in turn. It was probably best to follow suit rather than standing here staring.

I bowed as well, bending at the waist and holding onto my hat with one hand. It was possible I should have removed it, but witches didn't remove them for our ceremonies, so... I hoped they'd grant me some kind of cultural difference leniency. Calen shot me a perplexed look, and it took me a moment to realize that he probably thought I should curtsey.

... Eh. Gender roles are silly.

"Sunday Waters, I presume?" the Queen asked, nodding towards me politely.

"Hi," I said, giving an awkward little wave. At least she seemed even a little friendly. The Council members around the room sat silently, stone-faced and very judgy-looking. I wasn't looking forward to whatever opinions they might have on the whole situation.

"And you," the King said, turning to Calen. "You speak for the witches?"

"Some of them, certainly," he said, nodding. "You know as well as I do that witches never established a formal government among themselves. I can hardly claim to speak for them all."

His speech was... oddly congruent to that of the Sylvans, I noticed. It sounded natural when he spoke, but it flowed in a way that felt older.

I wondered how many Sylvans he'd spoken to in order to develop that speech pattern, or perhaps he'd come from a family of old world witches.

"Why are you here with us today, then?"

"I'm here for my girlfriend," Calen said calmly, reaching over to thread his fingers through mine. "It's been approximately two weeks since she was attacked with a fireball. I'd like to do what I can to prevent that from happening again."

"At least on that matter, we all agree," the King said, nodding.

Then, unfortunately, he turned towards me.

"Do you understand why you are here?" the King asked, leveling his gaze at me. I didn't cower, as much as I wanted to.

"Why don't you explain it to me in your own words, just so we're all on the same page?" I adjusted my hat as I spoke, just to have something to do with my hands.

"You are here because you are the most current Weaver," the King said slowly.

"That much, I've got," I said, nodding. At the very least, I understood that they were concerned about what I planned to do with my magic.

"The Weaver is an ancient role. We aren't entirely certain where it originates or how the magic is passed from bearer to bearer. Witches and Sylvans alike have been Weavers across the centuries," the Queen explained. "It is some of the most powerful magic in the known universe."

"The first witch was the first Weaver," Calen said. "Tell me you at least have that in your records."

Say what, now?

When this was all over, I needed to sit Calen down and have a talk with him. He acted like he'd never heard of my abilities before I told him, but this... didn't line up. He seemed to have a strange amount of knowledge of magical history. If he knew enough to know that the first witch was the first Weaver, then why wouldn't he have said something before?

Was he trying to protect me?

Or was he trying to hide something?

The King glared, but he nodded. "That is a likely conclusion, yes, though it has not been entirely proven."

Calen rolled his eyes. I wanted to shrink into the floor, but luckily the King kept going as though he hadn't seen anything.

"With the power of the Weaver and the Hourglass combined, it's possible to make... unprecedented changes," the King said carefully. "The two combined could go so far as changing history as we know it, warping time and space to their will, and no one would ever be able to tell the difference between what was before and what came after."

That probably should have scared me. It was a terrifying thought, but it seemed so far-fetched compared to what I knew of my own abilities that I wasn't concerned at the moment. In fact, I was mostly just annoyed.

"Ah, the famous Hourglass," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "So famous that no one has really told me anything about them at all. I assume we're here to fix that?"

I turned left and right, broadly looking at the Council as well as the King and Queen. I came here for an explanation. I was damn well going to get it, starting with the Hourglass.

"They're meant to balance each other, to keep each other in line, but..."

"But you wouldn't be here asking me these questions if that was working like it should," I muttered. "So, in short, you're afraid one or both of us is going to go rogue and try to control the fate of the known universe?"

The King and Queen exchanged glances.

"I'll answer that," Dante jumped in. "Yes, that is exactly what the Council is afraid of. Thank you for voicing it instead of letting us all wilt through attempts to wheedle the information out of you."

"Dante," the Queen said sternly, but he didn't seem affected.

"Oh, please," he said, sighing. "It would be best if we all just skipped the pleasantries and implications. The Council and Court would like to know, if push comes to shove, what do you plan to do with your magic, Sunday?"

I paused, glancing between Dante, the Council members, and the King. Dante held my gaze, nodding encouragingly.

He was probably perfectly happy to cut to the chase because he already knew the answer to the question. I'd already told him I had no intention of using the Threads to do anything for my own self-gain, but also... what did the Council want me to do with them? Because I wasn't going to use them on behalf of anyone else, either.

"I... um..." Swallowing hard, I took just a moment to gather my words, but they still came out softer than I wanted. "I would really rather not have this magic at all."

A few of the Council members turned to each other, speaking in hushed voices as they cast glances at Calen and I. The King and Queen said nothing, but they did exchange a long look. I wondered, for a moment, if they had some kind of telepathic connection, but it could also have simply been the result of a long marriage.

I wondered if I'd have that with Calen one day. Right now, I couldn't read him at all. He stood stock still, glancing around the room like he was waiting for someone to attack us from behind.

No one did, of course.

"Dante tells me there have been attempts on your life?" the Queen asked, breaking the silence.

"A few," I squeaked.

"We suspect the Hourglass is behind it," the King explained. "We've put the vast majority of our resources into trying to find him."

"The... random person with magical abilities supposedly meant to balance mine is doing the killing?" I asked. "The random person that none of you has ever seen? That isn't leaving any evidence?"

"I understand it isn't the most helpful situation," the Queen sadly. "Unfortunately, we have very little to go on."

"Do we even know if the Hourglass is a witch or a Sylvan? If they're reincarnating like I did, they could be anywhere. There's no reason to focus all efforts on looking for this one person."

"You're correct," Dante said, smiling in a way that showed a flash of teeth. "I told you she was sharp. Just tell her the truth."

The King sighed.

"There is... a prophecy," he said carefully.

"Do I get to see it?"

"It's best if you don't, considering your skill set."

I was going to explode.

"Can somebody at least tell me a little more about the Hourglass, then?" I asked through gritted teeth. I was trying very, very hard to keep my voice even, and probably failing. "Just like... maybe a teensy modicum of information? I don't even know what I'm supposed to be looking out for, not really. You've all decided that I'm in danger, and then you cut off all my resources to learn about it because witches can't access the Sylvan Library."

Calen hid a smile behind his hand. That point did, most certainly, work in his favor. The library was a major point of contention between witches and Sylvans, and would certainly be on the Virginia Witches' Collective radar.

The Sylvan Library was the most impressive collection of magical books and papers known to humans and Sylvans alike. There were a few private witch libraries scattered throughout the world, but most of them were carefully guarded family tomes, and public access information on witch history was hard to find.

Ironically, most of it was said to be kept in the Sylvan Library, which existed at Court.

Before the violence broke out, apparently it was common for witches to come and do research. My grandmother talked about witches getting Veil crossing library cards solely for the purpose of looking at books. They couldn't take them out of the library, but at least they had access.

Those didn't exist anymore. I'd checked.

The king glanced at Dante. "Take her to the library later, son. Show her the books."

Son?

Calen recovered from that shock before I did.

"So you're the Sylvan Prince, are you?" He raised an eyebrow, looking Dante up and down. "Not what I was expecting."

I openly stared. Dante certainly looked like a prince, but I'd never considered that he might actually be one. He'd never said a word. He'd never even said a word when he'd mentioned the King and Queen's children earlier—

"Miss Waters," the King said.

I snapped to attention, tearing my eyes away from Dante to look directly up at the King.

"How can I help you?" It came out on instinct. Luckily, the king laughed.

"It's ironic you'd ask," he said. "We need a formal statement from you. I understand that this magic is not something you've asked for, but the reality is that we are on the brink of magical war."

It felt like a brick hit me in the stomach. I knew it was bad. I didn't know it was this bad, though. Magical war could be devastating, even waged in the shadows away from humans... and something in me didn't think it would stay in the shadows.

"What... statement do you need?" I asked, blinking.

"He wants you to choose a side," Dante said curtly. "He won't say that outright, but he wants you to choose, and he's offering protection as a bribe."

"Dante," the King sighed. "It's not a bribe. She needs it."

I did need it. That was the worst part.

I also didn't know who I needed protection from, though. I hadn't identified who was behind the attacks. For all I knew, I could be playing right into their hands with this. I didn't know who was after me, I didn't know what they wanted, and this... This was war.

This wasn't something I could back out of if things turned for the worst.

"What would you want me to do if I side with you?" I asked, eyes narrowing.

"Sunday—" Calen started, but I held up a hand. He didn't get to brush this off. This was my decision, and I needed to know.

"Quite simply? Not using your magic against us would be an excellent start," the King offered, shrugging.

"You're not going to ask me to shape the Threads so things turn your way?" I pressed.

Silence.

Silence from the Council, from the royals, from Dante.

It made me absolutely furious.

Everyone wanted something from me. They wanted me to fix the Threads for them, wanted me to change the world for them, and for what? Promising I'd live another day if I did? That sounded like the shittiest deal in the world to me. I didn't want to live my life weaving fate for people in power just because they had power.

I'd rather die.

"I... need some time to think," I said, trying to quell the anger in my chest.

"That's understandable," the Queen said, nodding. "The protection we can offer you outside our territory is limited, but we will do our utmost. You have one month."

"And what will you do if I haven't made my decision in a month?"

There was a long, chilly silence.

"We hope you will make a decision sooner rather than later," the King finally said.

After that conversation? I wasn't in a hurry.