Secrets of Alkrose : (Book Two in the Alkrose Academy Series)

Chapter 1

Terra

The air of Alkrose Academy is thick with power, making the hairs on the back of my neck rise.

I stare at my dear brother. After everything that I’ve gone through to get here, why am I not relieved to see him? The betrayal of my emotions confuses me.

Neither of us is hasty to speak. Edgar stands prim and proper, wearing black Fernestian tactical gear with a white cloak clasped at his neck, a bright crescent moon emblem at its center. His eyes glow with turquoise lines that weave through the normal green hue, like shattered glass—fissured and broken. The dark circles beneath his eyes make him look paler than I remember.

“Edgar.” I say his name in a hushed tone, unintentionally voicing my confusion and sadness. He looks so much older, yet it’s only been a matter of a month. It’s sickening how much can change when your entire life is ripped out from beneath you.

His glare is accusatory, hostile, filled with hatred. A dreadful sensation sinks into my bones as the air between us ignites with dark energy. So much anger and chaos flickers across his eyes.

His Shadow is a presence my own rejects, pushing against each other like opposing magnets, but the tension feels so much heavier than that. Amser shudders under my skin.

Edgar and I are predators intruding on one another’s territory. The two of us stare at each other in horrible, festering silence before Edgar coldly turns away. His light brown hair still curls at the ends just enough to give him the innocent appearance of a boy, but his stride has new purpose, his fists clench tightly at his sides with a million things he’s refusing to say.

What is it he thinks I’ve done?

My fists curl instinctively with the rejection, but that’s where my emotions stay. I don’t let any of it sink further than that. My Shadow keeps my heart guarded. It’s a nice way to avoid the situation.

That’s what I’m good at, after all: avoiding shit.

I glance back to the portal we stepped through a mere moment ago, shimmering like black diamonds. Elias emerges last. The portal seizes behind him and dissipates into shadows. I smile hesitantly at him, admiring the way his cold, callous eyes remain impassive to all but me. Once he sees me smiling at him, his features soften momentarily.

I’m comforted that he’s here with me. We weathered the worst of Barkovah together. Though, he is the reason it went to shit there to begin with—the beacon for the Void. There’s a voice screaming somewhere far beneath the icy veil inside me. My Shadow, Amser, mutes the voice, but I can still hear the faint whispers of my conscience.

He killed everyone. He’s responsible. He’s the assassin of Fernestia.

I blink to clear my head and let the voice fall into the depths.

It’s better this way. I’m better this way.

Arthur smiles nostalgically, staring up at the balcony. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been back here.” His words lift through the impossibly tall ceilings of the foyer, traces of sun trickling through the enormous windows. The stone walls are immaculate; hardly so much as a crack runs through the gray structure. The fine, glossy floors are marbled and slick. A curved staircase sits on each side of the foyer, joining at the center on the second-floor balcony. Dark shadows cling to the hallways above, drawing my curiosity. I wonder what things this castle hides within its walls.

It’s a castle, a really fucking nice one. Alkrose Academy. The mysterious and looming name finally has an image. In my head, it seemed black, like a smudge on a map that held only death and illness. A place to die. But it’s anything but that in person.

“What exactly is Alkrose’s purpose?” I murmur absently as I take in the space around us. Raine looks around with wide eyes as well. He’s still completely covered in blood from the fight back in Barkovah. His black hair is wet and slicked to his head. Those blue eyes are bright in contrast though, the crescent Nova moons still glowing around his irises with a turquoise hue.

He seems different. I don’t know if it’s because of his new Shadow or because of everyone and everything he lost in the city. Or perhaps both. I don’t know him very well, seemingly, as we have only known one another for a little more than a week. But there’s a distinct change in his mannerism—his air.

I think of the way he pinned me in the stairwell not but ten minutes prior. Destiny… For all I know, he may have lived a thousand lifetimes inside his head in a mere moment. His tired posture, slumped shoulders, and weary frown make me want to hold him and ask him a thousand questions about those possible lifetimes he’s already witnessed.

Elias straightens his back and cracks his neck as he walks ahead of us, gesturing to the castle itself in an exaggerated manner. “It is a school for those cursed with Shadows. We break your fucking soul down into powder, add blood, mash you up into clay, then reform you into whatever the fuck the headmaster wants. The heartless will thrive.” He recites the latter sarcastically.

Arthur sets his hand on Elias’s shoulder. “Let’s not give them the entire morbid mantra just yet.”

Elias’s gray eyes harden at us, ignoring Arthur. “And the ones with hearts will die.”

I narrow my eyes and share a concerned look with Raine. His lips press together and a muscle feathers on his jaw, but he remains silent.

“Glad I’m so listened to,” Arthur says with a mild grin. He comes off as difficult to piss off. Patience and understanding seem second nature to him. “Anyway, you’ll have to excuse Edgar for the time being, Terra. He was restored last night and… well, he isn’t taking to it so well, I’m afraid.”

Restored? What did they do to him?

Arthur reads my expression and clarifies, “His memories were lost. I gave them back to him and he’s having a hard time processing them.” He looks back to Elias without skipping a beat, not giving me a chance to press him on it. “I’ll show them to the Nova House.” The white cloak around Arthur’s shoulders lacks any dirt or grime. His beautiful raven-colored hair looks soft and only makes his gray eyes appear more haunting and alluring.

Elias nods to him and looks back at me, want and something else I can’t place rimming his eyes. “You will be assigned your own rooms. Arthur will take care of you until I return this evening,” he says tepidly.

After all the time we’ve spent traveling together and all the people he killed so coldly on my behalf, it feels strange to part with him again. We’ve only just been reunited. My brows pull together tightly but I keep my mouth shut. One thing I’ve learned with Elias is that it’s his way or nothing.

“That’s fine with me,” I reply, threading my fingers through Raine’s and smiling. Arthur’s lips quirk into a grin at my remark but Elias lets out a long breath.

“You’re insufferable,” he growls, his voice low. “Arthur, I’ll leave them to you now. I need to speak with Emerai.” He shoves his hands into the pockets of his black military pants and walks up the curved staircase. I fight the urge to watch him go.

Arthur smiles and waves for us to follow him. “Sorry about Elias, he’s always been rather arrogant.” We follow behind him as he leads us down the corridor beneath the balcony.

“Is he truly the Assassin of Fernestia?” Raine asks as we come out the other end and reach another set of massive stairs. They are straight, made of stone, and much wider than the curved sets in the foyer, facing the outer wall of the castle.

We ascend to the second story and find ourselves in a magnificent hall with high ceilings stretching to the other side of the castle. Maroon banners hang on pillars that frame lancet windows. They emit lovely ambient light, making me and Raine look like heinous murderers.

I focus on how dark the blood is on my hands, trying to place how many people’s last drops might be clinging to my skin. Arthur has hardly acknowledged our abhorrent appearances. We stop at two large doors before Arthur turns to look at Raine.

“Yes, he is. And you’d be smart to remember it. Elias is Dr. Cein’s right-hand dog and the headmaster’s favorite weapon. He’s hardly even human anymore. I’d stay far from his bad side.” He gives me a pointed look as he says the latter. “Whatever kindness he’s shown you up until now will most likely stop. That man has no heart.”

No heart.That can’t be true. He and I have a connection, one that seeps deeper than just our Shadows, no matter how much I despise it.

“Does he remain here at Alkrose?” I dare ask. I’m not sure whether I’d prefer his presence here or for him to leave and forget about me forever.

“Of course. He goes out on missions occasionally like he did for this operation, but he’s the destruction class instructor. You’ll have classes with him weekly.”

Raine groans at that but Amser warms in my chest. Gods. I can’t deny the relief I feel within my own heart as well.

“I believe the other Houses are outside at the moment, so now is a good time for me to show you two around. You’ll both be under my guidance here. The other Houses are beneath our Nova status, but you can still mingle with them. Terra, you will be pleased to know that Edgar is in our Shadow House as well,” he says with that same mild grin. I’m starting to think Arthur has no other expression than the placid and somber one he wears now.

“What? Really?” I blurt out. Hopefully that means I can speak with him tonight about why he’s so angry at me. He’s the only family I have left in this cruel world, so we can’t leave things as they are, especially when all I want to do is hug him and talk for hours about what’s happened.

Arthur leads us through the hallways, a maze of white marble floors and gray stone walls, as he explains the different regiments. Cosmos, Ekko, Polaris, Tauri, and Dvars are on the first and second floors of the main tower. The lofty House homerooms are appropriately labeled with small signs, and emblems hang above the doors.

“As I mentioned, you two are in a higher Shadow House than the rest.” Arthur continues to give me long, uncomfortable glances—not in a way that creeps me out. Perhaps it should, but Arthur is so handsome and familiar, someone whose attention you crave. He has a warmth that you’ve known before. “Terra, you are a Nova. Raine, a Solas. Typically we would have Solases stay in the Cosmos House, but Raine has been blighted with your Shadow already, so he will remain in the Nova House.”

“Wait, what do you mean I’ve been blighted?” Raine stops and glances out one of the lancet windows, gazing down at the grounds in front of Alkrose. Hundreds of people stand in a wide, uneven circle in the snow, a few in the center of it… fighting. The space in the center is marked with fresh, bright splashes of red.

Arthur holds his hands behind his back and looks down from the window next to us. His gray eyes are lifeless and tired. “There’s a long, scientific version I could tell you, but I’ll keep it basic. Novas are the elite Shadows—gods of the gods. Should you be near one during a moment of uncontrolled hysteria or intentional malice to mark you, you will be blighted. Cursed.”

My bones chill. “Cursed in what way?” I ask with bated breath. Raine doesn’t look at me, but his jaw is set with tension. His Shadow is fate itself, all-knowing. Is it really a leap to think that it’s whispering awful things to him right now?

“Blighted individuals don’t live long. Their powers are enhanced briefly, leeched from their Nova counterpart, but blighting is a death sentence no one has survived.”

The blood leaves my face and my stomach twists with horror.

Raine looks away and grits his teeth. “You speak from experience, don’t you?” His blue eyes are already starting to pale into a gray-navy hue, the crescent moon burning green in comparison—My blight,I realize.

Arthur doesn’t respond to him, and he doesn’t need to. The pain that lingers in his eyes conveys all the answers. His jaw is tense and his mild grin has faded into a reminiscent frown.

“Did Elias blight someone?” I ask, feeling my suppressed emotions trying to coil inside my chest.

Arthur’s jaw tightens at the question. “Yes. And he’s since learned to keep from blighting ever again. It’s the main reason we keep Novas separate from the others. We would run out of powerful Shadows to observe and mold into power-hungry brutes if we let you blight everyone by accident.” He tilts his head at me, his long onyx-colored hair resting just above his shoulders. “Worry not. Elias will teach the Novas how to prevent any further blights from occurring.”

Raine looks at me for a long moment, then shrugs. The motion stills my warring mind. “Just part of my story,” he mumbles mindlessly, like it doesn’t matter that he’s been sentenced to die.

The voice hidden beneath my Shadow cries out. I want to let her in, but I know she only promises pain. She’s crying and curled up in depths I’m not sure I’ll ever pull her out from again. I don’t feel anything. I don’t want to feel it.

The guilt.

“Right, well, let’s get you two to the homeroom so you can rest before the banquet this evening,” Arthur says as he resumes his steady stride down the hallway.

We walk for what seems like forever. The castle is going to be a pain in the ass to memorize. On the fourth story we approach large, black double doors that lead outside. They open to a marvelous stone bridge that pillars far above the frozen lakeside. The structure is brilliant—as wide as the walls in Barkovah were and surpassing the view.

I wasn’t expecting such wondrous scenery to surround the castle. The steep mountains that border us are capped with white peaks. Mist covers them like a blanket; the tops of the pines are barely visible through the clouds. The lake below is the culprit of the thick air that fills my lungs. Fresh, cold breaths cloud into the winter sky. A smile spreads across my lips.

What a beautiful, slumbering place, hidden away like a cancerous beast.

The three of us cross the bridge to another enormous part of the castle. I glance back to the circle of people standing before the main doors. Raine’s eyes are trained on them too. They’re all circled around two individuals.

“What are they doing down there?” I tentatively look ahead at Arthur. He walks in a slow, steady stride, his hands tucked into the pockets of his dark military jacket.

“Hm? Oh, they are participating in the Culling Assessment. We can’t take in too many students at a time. It’s horrible, but what hasn’t been awful in this war? Most of them are Tauris or Dvars anyway. Many don’t even make it to the doors of Alkrose; they are either euthanized or sent to the front lines as bait.” He says each word heavily. He hates what Fernestia is doing as much as we do.

“Why not just send them to battlefront then? Why do all of… this?” Raine asks coldly.

Arthur nods thoughtfully. “Would you send potential experiments to the battlefront without assessing them first? Everything here is closely observed and documented. Also, we can’t have strays causing problems on the front lines. If you were sent, you’d surely run away, wouldn’t you? That leaves a good chunk of soldiers who need to be babysat. The purpose of this is quite simply power—destruction of all the Shadowless. Dr. Cein is particular about his vision for Fernestia, a perfect world of only strong individuals in whom he sees purpose,” Arthur mutters with a calm voice. He tilts his head at Raine. “Does that answer your question?” he asks, not unkindly.

I butt in before Raine can respond. “Why are you doing all of this if you clearly don’t approve?”

Arthur’s shoulders tense. “What makes you say that?” He shifts, those gray eyes giving nothing away. “I suppose I’m just tired, is all. You mistake my boredom for disapproval, I’m afraid.” My brows pinch with skepticism but I decide he’s not going to tell me even if I press him about it, so I let my eyes fall to the hundreds of students once more.

Raine watches the fighting below, wincing when one student slices anothers head clean off. The spray of red is easy to see against the bright snow backdrop.

My eyes trail, indifferent, to the next section of the castle. The Nova House is its own separate structure. It looks like a cathedral, cold and lonely against the harsh, biting winds. It boasts extravagant two-story lancet windows that reflect the world behind us like mirrors. Twin ebony doors arched into a point open seamlessly as Arthur pulls the handle. As we step inside, it’s as if we pass through a veil of magic keeping the heat inside from escaping.

My eyes widen and Raine’s do too. Arthur grins as he catches our surprise. “Nifty little trick we’ve come up with. Sealing veils are rather complex; I’m afraid you won’t learn those until your second year.”

I press my hand through the doorway to feel the odd invisible veil once more. It’s like slipping my fingers through water, only breaking the surface to find the emptiness of air on the other side. “How long are we supposed to stay at Alkrose?”

“It is like any other academy—four years. Each is broken up into two semesters, at the beginning of which we hold an exam.”

Raine shifts on his feet uncomfortably at my side as he asks, “Like the Culling?”

Arthur smiles but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yes. Precisely. The first-semester exam always starts, unfairly, the day after the first-year students arrive. Shall we continue?” He turns and lifts his arm sweepingly to show us the room.

I interject, “Why aren’t we down there then?” Not that I want to be, of course, but it seems wrong that we get to skip it while the others… Well, the others are slaughtering each other.

“Novas don’t need to be culled. It’s mainly to gauge the other students, specifically Polaris, Ekko, and Cosmos,” Arthur says plainly. Raine shifts uncomfortably beside me and I remember we’re still covered in dried blood. When neither of us says anything else, Arthur returns to his gesture of the grand room.

Everything is adorned in black: the walls, tiles, furniture, and drapes. The only source of light is the massive fireplace. A roaring blue fire licks into the air ferociously. I’ve never seen such an alluring flame, cobalt colored and obviously filled with magic. An enormous coffee table sits in the middle of the homeroom, four long couches surrounding it. Ebony fur blankets and pillows are neatly placed on the corners.

It looks like no one has ever lived here. Everything is untouched .

Did Elias live alone here all this time?

“This is the Nova House homeroom.” Arthur makes eye contact with me again and I quickly look away. Elias would be pissed if he knew my cheeks warmed under Arthur’s heavy stare. It’s not fair that he’s unnaturally beautiful and reserved—he doesn’t flash haughty smirks that drip with lust like Raine and Elias do. “We will hold meetings here, but it is also your new home, so please do make yourself comfortable. The other House students will likely congregate here so you can all get to know one another.”

Raine steps forward and brushes his fingers along the spine of the black sofa. “Do you reside here in Nova House?” he asks Arthur.

Arthur nods. “Yes, my quarters are across the hall from Terra’s room. My study is in the east tower.” He tilts his head to an ascending staircase on the right side of the homeroom. Another staircase leads upstairs on the left, which I’m assuming is where our rooms are located.

My brows knit together. “Was it just you and Elias here until now?” There’s a coldness here. Perhaps it’s the dark colors, or the emptiness. The lonely look in Arthur’s eyes makes more sense now that I’m breathing the stagnant air of his home.

“Yes, for quite some time. But I spend most of my time at Za’Afiel now. There’s more laughter there and the children don’t fight for their lives like the adults do here. They don’t even know where they are, they just know they’re content. I dread the day that Dr. Cein approves them for further… studies.”

Raine tsks and gnashes his teeth. “How could they be content? Their entire families have been slaughtered. And what the fuck do you mean by studies?”

Arthur dips his head momentarily, and when he lifts it again, his face is somber. “I take their memories and keep them locked away until they’re ready to join us at Alkrose. Za’Afiel is the only peaceful place left in the world. Laughter and ignorant bliss fill the halls.”

“So, what, you just sit in a dark study all day, alone, and listen to the last cheerful voices before theyre eventually extinguished?” Raine snaps at him, but anger doesn’t take Arthur’s emotions. He nods and firms his lips.

I can’t help but feel bad for him. “You hold onto all their memories? How does that work?”

Arthur lifts his shoulders and drops them softly. “Some might think I’ve lived many lifetimes through this power of mine. But really I’m just a cataloger, holding onto terrible things that are best left forgotten.”

My breath stills inside my lungs. “Is that what happened to Edgar?” He looked so disheveled and lost within himself. I have no doubt he’s spoken with his Shadow, a Nova; his fractured eyes told me the moment I saw him.

“Yes. Edgar didn’t take too well to his restoration,” Arthur mutters as he slowly slides his hands back into his pockets. “He blighted his friend too, which he will not take well. He’s in a fragile state of mind.”

“Why was he so—” I clench my hand over my chest, small ebbs of pain burning there from deep within. My Shadow snuffs it out and I’m left hollow. “Why was he so angry with me?”

Arthur opens his mouth but seems to think better of it. He pauses. “I’m sure you two will figure it out.”

Raine looks at me, the color of his pale skin showing beneath the cracks of dried blood.

“Go on, head upstairs. Your rooms are at the end. Edgar might be in his. I have matters to attend to but will fetch you both when the Culling is complete. Try to rest until then.” Arthur leaves us standing in the black, dreary room.

Raine gives me a sideways glance, tired but comforting. “Shower with me?”

I nod slowly. “Can we talk to Edgar first?”