Whispering Suits

Cyrus awkwardly pushes the food around on his plate, and I'm suddenly wishing we'd had this conversation before dinner. But, I don't want to be blindsided again. The next Faerie who stalks me might not be nice enough to just hurt me, they might kill me. “So, are you going to tell me what the deal with Maya is?” I finally say, my voice sounding harsher than I'd planned. Cyrus leans forward, bringing his hands up to run them through his hair. The single plait over his right shoulder swings slightly as he rests his head in his hands. “What is there to say?” he says, his voice coming out soft and warm. He lifts his head from his hands just enough for me to see his eyes. “Maya is possessive. It comes with the territory of being a court monarch. They don't ask for things, if they want something, they take it or it is freely given. It's something I've always disliked about my kind. If you give us enough power, we stop caring about what anyone else might want. I knew she wouldn't be happy about our deal, but I misjudged how she would react. I had assumed she would come to me first, I didn't anticipate her targeting you. I'm sorry this happened”. I sigh, I know he knows what I'm asking, and yet he is still avoiding the question. Why can't he just tell me, is it because it'll give me some power over him? We've only been at this for a couple of weeks but, when I think of how he behaves here in his flat compared with when he was at the party, or when he came to save me from Maya, he seemed so different. It's like, when he's around other Faeries, he turns into someone else. He turns into the Faeries they expect to see, the powerful, slightly cocky, in charge persona. When he's here, away from it all, he seems more relaxed. Like he's not performing for anyone. I shuffle in my seat. “Cyrus, I need you to be honest with me. Why is Maya interested in you? Why is she so bothered by you making a deal with me? I don't understand, and I know there is something you aren't telling me. If I'm going to risk being attacked again, I think you owe me an honest answer”. Cyrus avoids my gaze, he fiddles with his braid, and I can almost see the cogs turning as he thinks of what to say. He sits up, clasping his hands together anxiously in front of him. “I haven't lied to you. I just haven't told you everything. I am someone important to the Summer Court. Maya believes that a union with me would strengthen the connection between our courts….She may be right. But…I have asked the Summer King not to make a decision on it yet. I wanted time to see who I was away from my role, away from my title. This place,” he pauses to gesture around to the flat “this is my sanctuary…I will eventually have to go back to the Summer Court. Till then, I would prefer if we didn't speak of it. I know this is a lot to ask, but while I'm here, while it's just us, I would like to just be Cyrus. However, if you ask it of me, then I will tell you who I am. But once you know…it may make you wish to end our deal. The choice is yours”. I let the silence sit once Cyrus is finished. He's all but confessed to what I had already guessed, he is a high rank Fae. But, I suppose it doesn't really matter what his exact role is. If he wants to keep it to himself, who am I to argue. I need to continue these lessons either way, and at least now I feel we've addressed the elephant in the room. I stand up. “I appreciate your honesty. I am willing to leave it for now, but, only on the understanding that you tell me the truth when you are ready. Preferably before it gets me killed”. Cyrus nods. “I will” is his only reply. I start to get myself ready to leave. Cyrus stands up. “Before you leave…the Winter Solstice is in a couple of weeks. I will have to go back to Summer Court base. It's not safe, even for me, to be alone during the Solstice. The cold and dark weakens us to an extreme degree. We all have to gather where the Summer King dwells while the solstice passes. I won't be able to leave once the solstice has started. We'll have to postpone our lessons for that week, I apologise for the inconvenience”. I speak before I really think about what I'm saying. “What if I came with you?” The question hangs in the air for a moment. Cyrus laughs. “Are you genuinely suggesting coming back with me, to the Summer Court base. This won't just be like the party at The Sun. The Court Base is packed most of the time, but during the Solstice every Summer Faerie alive will be there. You're basically suggesting walking into the lions den without anyway to defend yourself”. Now it's my turn to chuckle, as an idea forms in my mind. “Look, we made a deal. Two lessons a week for six months. And, honestly, after what happened with Maya I think it's only a matter of time before I'm pulled deeper into your world. So, why not make it my choice. You have two weeks to train me, teach me about the tarot, teach me how to protect myself. That way, I can join you at the solstice and I can ask the Summer King directly for his protecion. It's not that bad an idea, if you really think about it”. Cyrus walks over to me, his brow furrowed in thought. “Indigo…if you do this you'd be trapped for the length of the solstice. The Summer King is not as strong as he once was, when he and the Summer Queen ruled together it was simpler. Their magic combined could keep the court warm throughout the solstice even if Faeries came and went. But…about twenty years ago the Summer Queen was killed. Ever since, the King has ruled alone and his magic is fading without his Queen there to support him. What I mean is, once the door is shut that is it. It won't open again until the solstice is over. It should be about five days, in Faerie time. Indy, it's a bout two weeks in the mortal world. Do you really want to be trapped away from your family for two weeks? On the off chance the king might agree to speak to you?” Cyrus's eyes are almost golden, and the fire in them reminds me of the summer sun when it's high in the sky. I think it through, I'd miss Christmas with Dan and Gran, and likely new years eve too. But if we can convince the Summer King to see me, and grant me his protection, then it would be worth it. Especially if I can extend that protection to Dan. Worse case scenario, I can squeeze some extra magic lessons out of Cyrus while we're there. I might even learn more about the court. Cyrus has gone out of his way to not talk about his home, about his court and what they are like. It feels like an opportunity too good to pass up. I give him a single confident nod. “We're doing this. So, what does one pack to meet a King?”