Chapter Fourteen
Reign
Damned Malakar and his waffling. My shadows gathered around my shoulders as I stalked toward the training field, irritation furrowing my brow.
Ruhl had done his part, despite my qualms to the contrary, and had spoken with the headmaster of Arcanum about commencing joint training sessions against our new foe.
According to my brother’s shadow messenger, he wasn’t keen on going behind our father’s back.
If Ruhl couldn’t convince the head of the Citadel, then I would be forced to return to my old home and speak to Malakar myself. Not something I looked forward to. We hadn’t parted on the best terms upon my graduation from the Shadow Academy and had little contact since.
Malakar was one of the few souls alive in the Shadow Court who knew my father’s dirty little secret.
Me. His silence had been bought by the king long ago when I’d attended the Citadel.
What he didn’t know was why I’d been banished.
But Malakar was a smart man, so I avoided the headmaster whenever possible, afraid he’d one day put the pieces together and recognize me for who I was.
Now, none of that mattered. If Ruhl wasn’t successful in securing his loyalty, I’d use my zar-fueled shadows to force it upon him.
An overwhelming sense of dread coiled in my gut. Every quiet day was a page torn from our dwindling chances to prepare. And I had no doubt Helroth was counting them. What was he waiting for? And what role would Aelia play in his plan?
Walking along the curving path that led to the training field, I suddenly halted, a flicker of shimmering movement catching my eye. Aelia.
I watched her dance across the lawn like she was born of starlight and war.
Her form blurred through the haze of sun-glinting blades and humming shields, her luminescent weapon slicing the air in a graceful arc before colliding with Symon’s raised defense.
The clash sent a ripple of pale gold through the rais barrier, flaring like lightning before it dissolved into harmless sparks. She didn’t even flinch.
Gods, I’d seen her fight dozens of times, had trained her myself across the shadow-marked fields along the Luminoc. But here, under the clear skies of Luce with the other students watching her like she was a ghost risen from myth, she was something else entirely.
There was awe in the silence. Uneasy reverence… and fear.
They stared at her like she might unravel before their eyes. Like she couldn’t possibly be real.
The majority of Flare Team, along with the rest of the academy, had all believed she was dead.
Killed by an unknown foe. Erased. A powerless Kin whose story had ended in tragedy.
And now she stood before them, hair whipping behind her like a dark comet’s tail, blade dancing with the glow of a thousand stars.
Alive. Stronger. Otherworldly.
Draven’s proclamation of her miraculous return had spread like wildfire, the curious whispers hissing across the hallways this morning. He’d praised blessed Raysa for returning her safely to us, the speech a bit overdone considering his typical apathy toward the students in general.
Aelia had squirmed beneath his flowery words, crimson coating her cheeks.
We’d spun a tale of her lost in the treacherous Wilds and having stumbled upon the Night Fae.
Aelia had been adamant about keeping her imprisonment a secret.
I couldn’t blame her. I could only imagine what sort of questions would come of that.
Rumors about the Night Fae lingered upon the tongues of every student at the academy. And now it was time to put their curiosity to rest. There would be no foolish trial this term. Instead, they were to begin training for the real battle that was sure to come.
As I remained in the shadows watching, my dark wraiths curled restlessly at my feet, mirroring the crackle of nox deep in my chest. Not in warning. In reverence. Even they knew better than to disrespect the goddess wearing my mate’s skin as she trained.
Rue flanked Aelia’s right, eyes narrowed and blazing as she launched a stunning burst of light at Belmore, who yelped and dove sideways. Symon circled left, strategic and steady. They moved as one again, Flare Team reformed, rebuilt around the one they’d lost.
And still, the others kept their distance.
Second-years clustered at the edge of the field, whispering, glancing, pretending not to watch. But they did. All of them. Even the instructors. Aelia’s name was already stirring across campus again. Only this time, it wasn’t in hushed tones of pity or doubt.
It was fear and admiration. And maybe some suspicion.
I could feel her determination burning across the bond, sharp and steady like a blade pressed to flesh. She was proving herself, not just to them, but to herself. That she belonged here. That she had finally earned her place among them. That she wasn’t broken.
I almost went to her. Almost couldn’t stand it, seeing her teammates’ eyes dart her way like she was something unnatural.
But then Rue let out a triumphant whoop, slapping Aelia’s shoulder with a grin that made something knot in my chest. And Aelia, my fierce, reckless starlight, laughed. Full and bright, like she wasn’t being weighed down by prophecy and bloodlines and the burden of being everyone’s hope.
She didn’t need me to fight this battle.
“Are you going to join us, professor?” Aelia shouted across the field. The teasing lilt to her voice had a smile sliding across my lips. Clearly, she’d overheard my thoughts through the cuorem.
If you keep looking at me like that, we won’t be able to hide what we are much longer. Every Fae on this field will know you’re mine.
Would that be so bad? she teased.
No, but it would lead to more questions.
About my blood…
I nodded. Though Aelia’s parents were cuoré, a pairing across courts was extremely rare.
It would only lead to more speculation about her lineage.
Most of these students had no idea about the dreaded prophecy or any of the disastrous ramifications.
Only the royals were privy to the foretelling words of the seers.
Better to keep it that way as long as we could.
Still, I closed the distance between us, unable to keep my whirling shadows away from her. “But maybe,” I whispered against the shell of her perfectly pointed ear, “it would be acceptable for them to know there is something between us.”
“And go against the code of conduct?” Her voice rose a few octaves.
“I’ll speak to Draven to see if there’s a way we can get around that.”
“Now that he’s your lapdog that should be easy enough,” she whispered before tossing me a devious smirk, and I gritted my teeth to keep from capturing those tempting lips.
“Professor Darkthorn,” a familiar deep voice called out, and irritation instantly flared.
“What is it, Belmore?” Though the Light Fae seemed to have made peace with my Aelia, I’d never forget how he and his friends had tortured her during her first year at the academy.
Ariadne moved to his side, her luminescent sword sputtering out in her palm.
“Are the rumors true?” He eyed Aelia, suspicion knitting his ashen brows. “Are the Night Fae truly still alive?”
I nodded, my jaw set in a tight line. “Unfortunately, so.”
“And we are to fight them?” Ariadne asked.
“Once you’ve all been adequately trained.”
Groans and grumbles of disapproval rolled through the crowd of second-years.
“I assure you I would never send you out to be slaughtered.” My voice echoed across the field, strong and steady. “We’ve faced the Night Fae before, and we won. I am certain we can do it again.”
“We fought for two hundred years,” called out one of the students from Burn Squad. Muttered agreement sailed across the clearing.
“But you never had me to train you.” I shot them a smirk, earning an uneasy chuckle. “Or the full breadth of Shadow Fae forces at your side.”
More uneasy murmurs. Getting Light and Shadow Fae to fight together, let alone trust each other, would be more than half the battle.
Liora stepped forward from between the mass of gathered students. “Can you demonstrate for us, professor?”
“Certainly.” I grinned before crooking a finger toward Aelia. “If you’ll assist me, Miss Ravenwood?”
Her answering smile had my nox abuzz. “I’d love to.”
Shadows slithered beneath my boots, alive with anticipation, but even they knew who we were facing. Our cuoré would not take it easy on us.
Aelia twirled her blade, the luminescent edge materializing in her palm catching the light. A smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. Try not to hold back, Shadow Prince. I’d hate to win too easily. Her voice sailed through my mind, and the cuorem hummed in delight.
You haven’t won yet. I rolled my shoulders, stretching the tightness from my spine. Though I do appreciate the confidence, starlight.
She lunged first. Smart. Fast. Her blade arced toward my ribs, and I barely managed to parry it, shadows surging to bolster my strike. The clang of our weapons echoed across the field, followed by the sharp sound of her laughter.
Gods, I loved sparring with her.
Not just for the rush of power or the way our energies danced together, the nox, rais and zar humming in sync, but for the way she made me work for it.
We fell into rhythm. Strike, dodge, counter. The world narrowed to the weight of her eyes, the rhythm of her breath, the fire in her smile when she landed a glancing blow across my side.
“Getting slow, Professor,” she teased, breathless.
“I’m pacing myself,” I ground out, though my muscles were starting to burn. “Didn’t want to embarrass you too quickly.”
She snorted, then vanished.
I blinked. One second she was in front of me, and the next, a swirl of zar-slick shadow and light erupted behind me. Her presence crashed into my back, her blade at my throat before I could fully turn.
My shadows surged defensively, but she’d already disarmed me, one foot planted behind my heel, the other braced forward as I stumbled back onto the ground. Flat on my back. She sat on top of me, straddling my hips, smirking like the goddess of victory herself.
“Yield?” she asked sweetly, pressing the blade gently to my throat.
I huffed a laugh, chest heaving beneath her. “To you? Always,” I whispered low enough so only she could hear.
She leaned in, mouth grazing my jaw, her breath warm against my ear. “Good answer.”
Noxus, she was tempting when she was fearless.
Had there not been dozens of Fae surrounding us, I would have claimed her right here on the lawn beneath a cloak of my shadows.
Instead, the moment Aelia rolled off me and offered her hand, a murmur swept across the field.
I took her palm, let her pull me to my feet, then turned to face them all.
“When we fight against each other, it is inevitable for one of us to fall, but if we learn to work together…” I allowed my words to fall away.
Aelia stepped beside me, her light sparking just beneath the surface. Even standing still, she seemed to glow. She was sunlight kissed with starlight, power coiled tight and calm in every breath.
“We’re not fighting one another anymore,” she said, loud enough for them all to hear. “Not Light versus Shadow. That time is over.”
“And it’s time you learned what true unity looks like,” I added.
She made a show of reaching for my hand. I didn’t hesitate. Our palms met, fingers interlocking, and the cuorem flared to life, burning bright between us. The wind stirred, picking up strands of her hair as her wings unfurled behind her in a shimmer of luminous gold and onyx.
Shadows poured from me in ribbons, curling along her light without smothering it. Instead, they danced together, swirling, merging, dark and bright coiling in tandem, not opposition.
With a shared breath, we released it.
A blast of radiant dusk shot skyward, spiraling like a storm made of moonfire and shadowflame. It cracked the clouds above, scattering a burst of starlight so blinding and beautiful the students shielded their eyes.
Our combined powers arced across the field, painting the grass with glowing vines and whispering tendrils of smoke. The air hummed, alive with energy and balance.
No destruction. No chaos. Just perfect, harmonious force.
When the energy dissipated, we stood in the silence it left behind, hand in hand, power spent and still pulsing faintly beneath our skin.
The field was utterly quiet.
Then, Rue whispered, “Realms…”
Symon let out a low laugh, shaking his head. “Raysa, that was beautiful.”
“It’s incredible,” someone else murmured.
I glanced sideways at Aelia. She didn’t need to smile. I felt it in the bond, the satisfaction, the strength, and the certainty. This was what we were meant to be. Not weapons. Not monsters.
But a promise. A reckoning. And a beginning.
“And that is how we will defeat the Night Fae. Together, Light and Shadow.”