Chapter Twenty
Aelia
The training field still smelled like smoke.
Even after days of repair potions procured from Draven’s sources in Mysthallia, intense physical labor to rebuild crumbling buildings, and countless celestial wind glyphs, that charred scent clung to the edges of everything.
It was like the memory of the battle refused to let go.
Cracks still split the marble foundations of numerous halls, and scorched grass crunched beneath our boots, but somehow, that made it feel more real. It would ensure we’d never forget.
Hundreds of Light and Shadow Fae students moved in unison across the field, blades clashing, glyphs sparking, rais and nox humming in the air like an electric storm waiting to snap.
I watched them from the edge of the battle-scarred training ring, arms folded.
They were both beautiful and terrifying in the same instant.
A Shadow male with dark ebony skin and navy hair sparred with a fierce-looking Ariadne whose glowing luminescent blade mirrored the dozens surrounding them.
The pair circled each other warily before lunging at once, power flaring and blades ringing.
Reign stood beside me as always, silent, shadows licking at his leathers like a lazy mist. His arms were crossed as well, but I could tell he was pleased. He wouldn’t say it, of course. That would imply too much emotion, and he’d already come dangerously too close to that in recent days.
“You’re smiling,” I said without turning.
“I am not.”
“You are.” I nudged him with my elbow. “The great Professor Darkthorn, secretly proud of his students.”
“I will have you know I’m deeply disappointed in all of them,” he deadpanned. “Their footwork is atrocious.”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
“And you’re distracting me.”
I arched a brow. “You? Distracted? That doesn’t sound very Shadow Fae of you.”
That earned a small smirk. “Careful, starlight. Keep that up and I might be tempted to prove I’m still the superior warrior here.”
“Oh?” I glanced up at him, feigning innocence. “Are you challenging me, Professor?”
“Absolutely. We should show these students how it’s really done.” He stepped onto the edge of the field, conjuring his umbral blade with a flick of his hand. “Unless you’re too tired from all the supervising.”
I drew my twin daggers in a single, fluid motion. “Bring it on.”
The students paused, clearing a wide circle for us, murmurs rising as they gathered at the periphery. Rue and Symon were already placing bets, and I couldn’t help the smile that followed.
I took my stance, drawing in a slow breath as I centered the gale within me, rubbing the worn medallion beneath my tunic.
Light hummed along my skin, shadow curled beneath it, and zar pulsed in my blood like another heartbeat.
Across from me, Reign stood motionless. He was calm, collected, a predator waiting for the perfect moment.
Then, he moved.
Shadows erupted across his shoulders, launching him forward with a burst of speed.
I countered with a blast of pure light, the force driving him back just enough to let me duck and spin.
My blade met his in a hiss of sparks. His second strike was faster, powered by zar, and I felt the heavy pressure of it slam into my defenses.
I gritted my teeth, drawing on my trio of energies.
Nox surged with my shadows, twining through the light and strengthening the shield around me.
I twisted beneath his blade, slid to his flank, and lashed out with a burst of light-laced shadow.
He deflected it with a surge of raw zar, the air cracking like thunder.
“Sloppy,” he murmured.
“You’re bluffing.”
He smirked and vanished in a wisp of black smoke.
I spun instinctively. Too late.
He appeared behind me, blade poised. I dropped low, sweeping my leg out to knock him off balance.
Reign stumbled, but recovered quickly, pressing the attack with a storm of zar-infused slashes.
Summoning my radiant shield, I blocked each blow.
As the onslaught grew more powerful, my shield held, barely, flaring with starlight and shadow.
Then I released the full tempest.
All three powers poured from me in a radiant pulse—rais to blind, nox to cloak, and zar to strike. He blinked, just for a second, and I used it to dart around him. My luminescent wings flared, lifting me off the ground, and I crossed my daggers at his throat from behind.
The crowd went silent.
“I win,” I whispered in his ear, breathless.
He laughed, low and dark. “You cheated.”
“I simply used all my tools.”
He turned his head slightly, the heat in his gaze melting straight through me. “Then I taught you well.”
I let the daggers drop and stepped back, heart pounding. The applause from the students rang out around us, but I barely heard it. Not over the bond humming like a flame between us. Not over the quiet pride in Reign’s eyes.
“Bravo!” A booming clap resounded over the silence an instant before Ruhl materialized from a mist of shadows.
He eyed his brother, then me, a satisfied grin playing on his lips.
Something had shifted in the aftermath of the Night Fae attack and seeing that smile on Ruhl’s face settled some of the unease that had taken permanent residence in my core.
“If only the two of you could save all of Aetheria with your fancy footwork.”
Rolling his eyes at his half-brother, Reign turned back to his awaiting students. “Continue with the sparring exercises, everyone. You have another half hour before you get another break.”
Muttered groans rolled through the crowd, but Reign ignored them, now focusing on his brother who stood beside me at the edge of the training ground.
Ruhl had been sent to request an audience with King Tenebris in the aftermath of the attack.
We’d hoped that after seeing the damage the Night Fae had wreaked at the Conservatory, the Shadow King would amend his position on the matter.
Reign leveled his dark gaze on the younger prince. “Any luck with Father?”
He snorted on a laugh. “It went about as well as last time.” He cocked his head forward, offering it to Reign’s snaking shadows. “Care to take a look?”
“No, there’s no need. I can already imagine how it went.” Reign’s anger poured through our bond, the intense emotion drawing my thoughts to his.
It’s time to deliver my father to King Elian. I’m done waiting. He’s outgrown his usefulness to us. With Ruhl as king, at least we’ll have the full power of the Court of Umbral Shadows behind us.
It hit me like a slap of ice water. The thought zipped through my mind as clearly as if it had been my own. I was certain Reign hadn’t meant for me to hear it, but I did. Lifting my gaze to his, I searched those piercing midnight orbs.
Ruhl continued on about the chaotic state at Arcanum and the reluctance of half the student body to fight King Elian’s war. Reign wasn’t wrong. With Ruhl ascending the throne, unifying the Light and Shadow Courts would be much less challenging.
But what would it cost Reign?
Though Tenebris had been a horrible father, he was still his sire, his blood. Without knowing anything about his birth mother, he was the only parent he’d ever known. Surely, ushering him to his death at the hands of the Light King would have devastating effects.
“…Why don’t you have a go at our stubborn sire, Reign?”
Ruhl’s question drew me from the spiral of inner musings.
My mate remained silent for a long moment. A tendon in his jaw fluttered before he clenched his teeth and slowly nodded. “You’re right, brother. It’s time for me to pay the king a visit.”
“Or perhaps, Malakar could do it,” I blurted.
Both princes whirled in my direction. “Why Malakar?” Ruhl’s dark eyes narrowed.
“Well, since Reign has already succeeded in forcing his will upon him, perhaps your father would be more willing to hear the truth from a neutral third party.”
Ruhl laughed again. “The king doesn’t take suggestions from anyone well. Just because Malakar oversees Arcanum, doesn’t mean my father cares one lick about what he says.”
Reign nodded, resignation settling across his grim gaze. “Ruhl’s right. It must be me.”
“But Reign—”
Slowly shaking his head, he reached out his hand. “Come, starlight, let’s speak in private.” Then he pivoted toward his brother. “Can you take over the training session?”
I fully expected a resounding no from the mercurial Shadow Prince, but surprisingly, a wicked grin curled the corners of his lips. “There is nothing I would enjoy more.” With that, he turned on his heel and marched into the center of the sparring students. “All right, warriors, listen up…”
“Ruhl as a professor? I never thought I’d see the day.” I grinned as I watched him rally the first- and second-years.
“Really? You couldn’t imagine the future king taking pleasure in commanding others?”
“Well, when you put it that way…” I curled my arm around Reign’s, and he immediately turned me toward the shadows of the Hall of Luce’s crumbling remains. My feet dragged across the scorched lawn, knowing full well what he would say next.
When we reached a quiet niche with an overhang blocking the incessant sunlight, Reign drew in a pained breath. “You already know what I’m going to say, don’t you?”
“I do.”
A rueful grin crept along his lips. “You need to stop stealing into my thoughts, starlight.” His hand cupped my cheek, drawing my gaze to his burning one.
“I can’t help myself. Not when you continue to make foolish decisions without consulting me.”
He loosed a frustrated breath. “King Tenebris’s death is inevitable in this. It is the only way to ensure your safety and that of the entire realm.”
“And what about you, Reign?” I pressed my palm to his chest, eyes fixed to his.
“Who will guard your heart? Your soul? I know you love me; I feel it in every breath you take. I know you'd shatter the vow your father bound you to if you could. But he’s still your blood, the last tie to the life you once had. Can you truly let that go?”
“Tenebris means nothing to me. To him, I was never a son. I was only a weapon, forged in cruelty and sharpened by pain. My sole purpose was to destroy the child of twilight. To destroy you, my mate. For that alone, he has earned his death. And when the moment comes, I will feel nothing but satisfaction as I watch him fall.”
I swallowed hard, the violence in his tone and the fury surging between us driving the truth home.
“Please, do not worry for me, my love. You are all I need in this world to survive.” He closed the distance between us, sealing the vow with a kiss that burned with promise and desperation. It was as if he was branding the memory of me into his bones before fate could steal it away.