“Um, then there was this rogue faerie who got a bunch of supporters together and rebelled against the Unseelie and Seelie Courts. They were going to take over the Mortal Realm, so they tried to force magic to flow through our world, and it tore apart cities with pure Unseelie chaos instead. All over, there were storms and earthquakes and fires and whatnot. Neither of the faerie courts liked that—and neither did the people who, you know, lived here. So finally, the humans and faeries ended up allying to defeat them.” His face colors a little. “My ancestors, apparently, led the charge. On the human side, at least.”

“And then what happened?”

He shrugs. “I guess we won, since we’re still here. They tried to put things back the way they were, but...the world was never the same after that. Therefore...places like this.” He finishes with a grand gesture that encompasses everything in our surroundings.

“And that’s when the worlds were sealed off from each other,” Isolde says, understanding dawning in her voice.

“Well, mostly,” I add, thinking of the spots where it’s all too easy to slip between one realm and another.

“Basically,” Raze says. “I got a variation of that lesson every year, except it always lasted, like, a week, and I never paid that close attention. So yeah. Something like that.”

I feel my brows scrunch together as I look up at him. “Why doesn’t everyone know about this?”

“That’s what I’m saying!” he laughs, in a way that is directed specifically at me and makes me feel uncomfortably close. I don’t like agreeing with Raze on anything.

“The world moves on,” Olani says with a shrug. “Things that happened five hundred years ago leave an imprint on the world, but does knowing what left the imprint really change anything?”

No, I suppose it doesn’t. It’s strange to think about a world I never lived in, a world destroyed so thoroughly that its remains are unquestioned and ordinary. But knowing doesn’t change anything.

“Fate, Olani, that’s heavy,” Isolde complains.

Olani points at Raze. “He’s the one talking about the destruction of civilizations like it’s last week’s gossip!”

“It’s something everyone should know!” he says defensively.

Isolde laughs, throwing her head back. “I would like to formally recommend that we all start bullying Raze for being a spoiled little rich boy, just to keep him humble.”

“Recommendation noted and seconded,” I say quickly, giggling a little at Raze’s betrayed expression.

“Then, I guess we’re all agreed.” Olani nods.

“Hey!” We all make a big show of pretending to ignore him, which is very funny until he stands and stretches and says, “Iselia, this is your most blatant attempt to get out of magic lessons yet, and frankly, I’m disappointed in you two for falling for it.” Suddenly, they all turn on me, in the same joking way we were allied against Raze, but less fun now that I’m on the other end of it.

“I’m not trying to—” I cut myself off, because that would be a lie.