All That Falls

12 A Friend Indeed

Two Weeks Later

"There are three major courts in the immortal plane," Cass was telling me two weeks after our hushed discussion at my first morning prayer ritual. She had taken on the job of educating me about her people and their customs after Lark had apparently told her, in some conversation I had not been privy to, that it might be important for me to know this information if I was going to take part in morning prayers and holy feasts as I already had in the short weeks I had been here.

Lark had all but disappeared entirely. I hadn't seen him once since the day he proclaimed he was doing what was best for his people, not even at the morning prayers. Whatever he had managed to say to the Queen seemed to exclude him from all the mundane rituals and rites that the rest of us had to abide by.

"The Court of Blood and Bone, their color is black, that's us. The Court of Light and Life, that's this court and white, obviously. And the Court of Peace and Pride, their color is brown. Our court is at the southernmost tip of our realm. This court is at the north. All the minor courts fall in line between us and the Court of Peace and Pride encompasses us all, wrapping around us on every side except the south."

"What's in the south?" I interrupted, looking up from the notepad I had sitting on my legs where they were crossed beneath me in the conversation pit of our room.

"Hellscape," she answered.

I hesitated, my pen hovering over the page as my mouth fell open.

"Hellscape?" I repeated, stunned.

Cass nodded slowly from across from me where she was reclining, lazing on a mountain of cushions she had compiled for this very purpose.

"Yes," she told me. "It's a dark and desolate strip of land far to the south, even farther south than the Bone Court, where no Fae dwell. It has one entrance, the key to which is held by the appointed Warden, but no one ever comes or goes except to check up on things."

"Things?"

"Cerberus, Hydra, Minotaurs, Dragons," she listed and my eyes bulged more and more with every word she spoke. "All the nasty little beasts we banished from your world thousands of years ago and brought here with us to protect you from. They stay locked up in Hellscape and the Warden checks from time to time just to make sure they're still there."

"Who has dominion over Hellscape?"

"We do. The Bone Court always appoints the Warden and they always appoint one of their heirs. That's why everyone else thinks we're monsters, because we're in charge of literal monsters," she told me and then, a moment later, her head popped up and she looked at me. "Well, that's not the only reason."

I frowned. Right. Killing your own blood to take the throne might also have something to do with that perception.

"There are six minor courts between the Court of Light and Life and the Court of Blood and Bone," she continued her lesson, dropping her head back down as she spoke. "They are a rainbow. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple. You know that orange is the Court of Wanderers. They are the travelers, the ones tasked with holding the portal to the mortal realm. As such, they're also a big location for trade, specifically luxury goods like jewels and textiles. Above them is red. That is the Court of Rivals. You may have heard us talking about that being where Taurus is now. It's directly below the Court of Light and Life because the Ivory Throne is always trying to keep a handle on what goes on there. If you think the Court of Bone is a place of debauchery..."

Cass trailed off, snorting.

"They fight to the death for fun there," she said. "Just throw two Fae in the ring and let them tear each other apart. It's barbaric. Though the pleasure houses can be fun if you know where to look."