Page 1 of Court of Winter

CHAPTER1

“This is a good one, don’t you think, Ilara?” My sister, Cailis, held out a bread loaf for me to inspect.

The crust was firm and the loaf probably several days old. A few specks of mold discolored the bottom, but a sharp knife would cut it off, and the rest of the loaf looked edible.

I nodded. “Yes. Let’s take it.”

Cailis placed the bread in our basket as we carefully picked through the second-hand goods in Firlim’s outdoor harvest market.

A light dusting of crystalline snow drifted in the air. The dazzling snowflakes covered the vendors’ canopies in a fine layer of white lace as my sister and I shopped.

Today’s selection was meager, as seemed to be the case lately, but if we picked the right items, we would have enough ingredients to add a variety to our meals this week.

My stomach growled.Mother Below,I was looking forward to supper. We hadn’t eaten yet today.

Since the discounted portions of the market sat in sacks and buckets on the ground, we kept bending over, and as I neared the edge of the vendor’s table, a female’s cloak from the neighboring stall brushed against my face. She probably didn’t even know I was there.

“They’re dying, all of them,” the female hissed to her friend. “They say all of their fields are filled with black stalks and gray dirt.”

I cocked my head but stayed crouched.

“Oh, pish posh, you listen to too many rumors.” The female’s friend grabbed a warm shawl off the vendor’s table as translucent snowflakes continued to fall from the sky.

“It’s true.” The first female tried on a hat as a few flecks of snow fell onto the wide rim, which hid the tips of her pointed ears. “All of their crops are dead. I heard the entirety of Isalee Territory is worried about starving this winter.”

The other female sniffed. “It’s all rumors. Never you mind. The celestial events ensure the land stays fertile.”

“It’snota rumor. It’s true!” Her friend huffed. She planted her hands on her hips, and her wings flexed with her annoyance. “Neither the Safrinite comet nor the alignment replenished our continent’s magic. We were scorned, and because of it, our crops are dying. Just watch. We’re all going to starve.”

I straightened so quickly that my cloak’s hood fell off my head. I tried to pull it back up, but both females froze when they saw my hair.

“What have you heard about Isalee?” I asked urgently, ignoring their shocked expressions as they assessed my unique hair color.

Both eyed my wingless back, then studied my hair again. The first female backed up, then pulled her friend with her.

“Please,” I said in a softer tone, taking a step toward them. “Tell me.”

I opened my mouth to ask more, to see what further they knew, but they both shook their heads and made the sign of the Blessed Mother before scurrying away.

A pit formed in my stomach and not from their dislike of my defective state. My brother, Tormesh, had told us the same thing about the crops last summer when he’d returned home following his march with the Solis Guard. He’d been adamant that the crops were dying in Isalee Territory because our land’soremhadn’t been replenished during the last celestial event.

I squeezed my eyes shut at the memory of my brother’s face as a familiar pained ache clenched my chest.

A finger poked my side, and I whirled around, holding onto my cloak’s hood this time.

“Were they talking about dead crops?” Cailis said under her breath.

“Yes, it’s the same as what Tormesh claimed.”

A troubled look came over her face, but then she nodded at my cloak. “I keep telling you to secure it with clips.”

I shrugged. “I was in a hurry this morning. Besides, I can’t help that I’m different and defective, and if some fae are going to judge me for it, what can I do?”

Granted, even defectives had wings. Why the Mother hadn’t blessed me with those, I didn’t know, but no Solis fae had black hair. Everyone else’s hair was white or silver, like a normal Solis, not black as pitch like mine.

I shuffled closer to my sister. “Are we done? I’m not sure we’ll have enough rulibs to cover all of this.” I held out our full basket.

Cailis frowned as she surveyed our choices. “That bread loaf should last us at least a week if we don’t have more than one slice each morning. And the preserves are old, but they still appear good.”