Rowan-In-The-Whispers led Ali and Sage through corridors that seemed to be made of crystallized sunlight. The walls shifted subtly as they walked, sometimes transparent enough to see the celebration continuing in the courtyards beyond, sometimes opaque and shimmering with their own inner light.
"The Summer Court is arranged in concentric circles," their guide explained as they walked. "The outer rings are for general court activities, celebrations, and gatherings. As you move inward, the spaces become more private, more... specialized." They paused at an intersection where the corridors seemed to spiral in impossible ways. "The tribute quarters are located in what we call the Dawn Ring—close enough to the center to show your honored status, far enough from the inner sanctums to maintain proper boundaries."
Ali tried to memorize their path but quickly gave up. Every turn seemed to lead to a corridor that shouldn't have been possible given the previous one's direction. She noticed Sage had given up trying to track their route as well, instead focusing on their guide's copper-wire hair, which moved like living flames despite the lack of any breeze.
"Here we are," Rowan-In-The-Whispers announced, stopping before a door that seemed to be made of mother-of-pearl and morning mist. "Your quarters for the duration of your stay."
The door opened at their gesture, revealing a circular room that took Ali's breath away. The ceiling was domed and seemed to show the actual sky above, though Ali was certain they had passed several floors worth of palace above them on their way here. The walls were the same shimmering material as the corridors, but somehow softer, more inviting. Two elegant beds that appeared to be growing out of the floor itself were arranged on opposite sides of the room, their frames made of twisting golden vines that bloomed with tiny, luminescent flowers.
"You'll be rooming together," Rowan-In-The-Whispers said. "We find tributes tend to... adjust better when paired. Your belongings have already been brought up."
Sure enough, Ali's vintage satchel was sitting at the foot of one of the beds. Sage's bag—a worn leather backpack—was beside the other.
"Fresh attire has been provided in the wardrobes," their guide continued, gesturing to what Ali had initially mistaken for mirrors but now saw were doors that seemed to be made of frozen starlight. "You'll find everything you need for tonight's celebration, as well as for your daily activities."
"Thank you," Sage said carefully, and Ali noticed how she avoided making the words sound too much like a debt of gratitude.
Rowan-In-The-Whispers nodded approvingly at the careful phrasing. "I'll return in two hours to escort you to the festivities. Until then, feel free to refresh yourselves and explore your quarters. The boundaries of your permitted areas will be... obvious." With that cryptic statement and another slight bow, they departed, the door dissolving into mist before reforming behind them.
As soon as they were alone, Sage let out a long breath. "Well," she said, "this is certainly not what I expected when my mom told me I'd be spending summer at 'finishing school.'"
Ali couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of that description. "Is that what your parents called it?"
"Until last week, yeah. Then they finally had to tell me the truth because, well..." Sage gestured at their surroundings. "Kind of hard to prepare for this without some warning."
"My mom's been preparing me for years," Ali said, moving to examine her bed more closely. The golden vines seemed to shift slightly as she approached, the tiny flowers turning toward her like miniature stars. "She went through it too, when she was our age."
"Really?" Sage sat on her own bed, which seemed to adjust its shape slightly to better accommodate her. "My dad was the one who had to do it in his youth. He doesn't talk about it much, just gave me some basic rules to follow."
"Like never giving your full name?" Ali asked, thinking of how carefully Sage had introduced herself earlier.
Sage smiled mysteriously. "Something like that." She stood and moved to examine one of the starlight wardrobes. "Should we see what they consider appropriate attire for a fae celebration?"
Ali joined her, and together they opened the wardrobe doors. Inside was a collection of dresses that seemed to be made of impossible materials—fabric that looked like liquid moonlight, woven starlight, captured aurora borealis. Each garment shifted and moved slightly, as if they were only barely contained by the concept of being clothes.
"Oh my," Sage breathed, reaching out to touch a dress that appeared to be made of dawn light and morning dew. As her fingers brushed the material, it shimmered and changed color slightly, adjusting its hue to better complement her skin tone.
Ali found herself drawn to a dress that reminded her of twilight—deep blue fading to purple, with tiny points of light that might have been actual stars woven into the fabric. When she touched it, she felt that same warm honey sensation she'd experienced passing through the boundary into the fae realm.
"I think they choose us as much as we choose them," she said softly, watching the dress shift and ripple under her touch.
"A bit like wands in Harry Potter?" Sage joked, but her voice held a note of wonder as her dawn-colored dress continued to adjust itself to her presence.
They carefully removed the dresses from the wardrobe, and Ali was surprised to find they were simultaneously lighter than air and somehow more substantial than any fabric she'd ever touched. There were also delicate shoes that matched each dress perfectly, and what looked like jewelry made from materials Ali couldn't begin to identify.
As they dressed, Ali found herself examining the room more carefully. Besides the beds and wardrobes, there was a sitting area with chairs that seemed to be woven from golden light, and what appeared to be a bathing area partially screened by what looked like a waterfall of liquid crystal that somehow didn't wet anything around it.
"Do you think it's all real?" Sage asked, carefully arranging her dress, which moved like liquid light around her. "Or is it some kind of illusion?"
Ali thought about her mother's warnings, about the tokens in the velvet pouch she'd carefully hidden in her satchel. "I think... I think it's real, but maybe not in the way we understand reality." She touched her silver bracelet again, drawing comfort from its solid presence. "My mom said the fae realm operates on different rules than our world. Maybe this is what happens when those rules take physical form."
Sage nodded thoughtfully, then moved to examine herself in one of the mirror-like surfaces of the wall. The dawn-colored dress made her look like she was perpetually standing in the first light of day, her honey-colored skin seeming to glow from within. "Your mom seems to know a lot about all this. Did she tell you what to expect at the celebration?"
"Just to be careful," Ali said, adjusting her own twilight dress. "Watch what others do before acting. Don't accept food or drink without seeing others partake first. Don't make promises. Don't..." She paused, remembering something else her mother had said. "Don't dance with the same partner three times in one night."
"That's oddly specific," Sage commented, turning to look at her. "Did she say why?"
Ali shook her head. "She doesn't explain most of her rules. Just says it's safer if I discover things naturally rather than going in looking for them."
"Sounds frustrating," Sage said, but her tone was understanding. "My dad was the same way. Just gave me a list of 'don'ts' without any context." She picked up a delicate chain that seemed to be made of captured sunbeams. "Do you think these are safe to wear?"
Ali examined the jewelry carefully, remembering her mother's warnings. "Maybe we should wait and see if the other tributes are wearing them first?"
Sage nodded, setting the chain back down. "Probably wise. Better safe than... well, whatever happens when you break the rules here."
They spent the next hour exploring their quarters, discovering new details with each pass. There were books on shelves that seemed to appear and disappear depending on the angle you looked at them. The crystal waterfall, when examined closely, seemed to be falling upward as often as downward. Even the floor held surprises—intricate patterns that shifted and changed whenever they looked away, like a living kaleidoscope beneath their feet.
Finally, there was a soft chiming sound, and the door dissolved into mist again, revealing Rowan-In-The-Whispers waiting to escort them to the celebration.
"Ready?" Sage asked, smoothing her dress one final time.
Ali touched her mother's bracelet, drew in a deep breath, and nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."
Together, they stepped through the misty doorway and back into the impossible corridors of the Summer Court, ready to face whatever wonders and dangers awaited them at their first fae celebration.