12. Twelve
Nyx is sick and everyone knows it. Between the constant fidgeting to find a comfortable spot in his bed, to him refusing food and drink even though he”s so cranky he needs it, Nyx Harland is easily the most annoying invalid. I fluff his pillows and bring him a second blanket when he complains about being chilled. Finn brews him a cup of tea and brings him some medicine that I secretly hope will knock him out and force him to sleep the rest of the day.
When it comes time for me to get ready to go to school, Nyx attempts to drag himself out of bed so he can accompany me. I protest, insisting he should stay in bed and rest. Quite honestly, I don”t want him whining all day when I have things to do, and I certainly don”t think he will be able to effectively protect me should I need help. His eyes are hooded and hazy and his cheeks are rosy, but the moment he smears snot across his face with the back of his hand like an ailing child, I muster the willpower not to retch. Calmly, without staring at the gross trail marring his cheek, I hand him some tissue, so he can clean his face.
”If I can”t go with you,” Nyx fusses between nose-blows, ”then you can”t go either.”
”And miss my classes?” I shake my head. ”I”ll be perfectly fine – ”
”What if something happens to you? My uncle will have my ass!”
I sit on the edge of his mattress and gently pat his chest to reassure him, ”I will be fine. You”ve taught me well and you said it yourself, there”s very little crime in Tronovia.”
”Are my ears clogged or yours?” he snarls. ”I said – ”
”I”ll walk her to school.” Finn shoves a glass of water in Nyx”s hand and tosses a couple pills into his open mouth. ”You need to rest, and Shaye has obligations. You think they won”t notice her missing? Stars, if she doesn”t show up to Atlas” class, he”ll break the front door down to make sure she”s safe.”
I squeeze Nyx”s forearm when he narrows his sickly gaze at his brother. ”See, I”ll be safe. Finn will make sure I make it to school in one piece, and I”m sure Atlas will walk me home. I”ll be back before you even wake up from your nap.”
His bloodshot eyes are heavy, so he surrenders to our will. Reluctantly, he nods and reclines into his pillows. ”Fine, but if something happens to her…” His threats trail off when his eyes flutter shut.
Finn and I both exhale a relieved breath. The beast slumbers.
Quickly and quietly, we slip out of Nyx”s room and once his door closes, I whisper, ”You don”t have to go with me to school. I know the way and I”m sure you”re busy.”
”Not too busy to keep my word.” Finn motions for me to walk down the stairs first. ”I”ll make sure you make it inside before I open the shop. It might be safe here in Tronovia, but you”re still new to the city and I”d hate for you to get lost or for someone to delay you.”
My brows crease. ”And by delay you mean…?”
”I”ve been conditioned to always watch my back – to never let my guard down.” Finn slips passed me when I stop on the second to last step and turns to face me. ”The moment you believe the lie that you are completely safe, something happens to shatter that blind mentality. Keep your wits about you.”
”Your uncle said the same thing to Atlas and Nyx after our meeting.”
”Consider it a family motto,” he smirks. ”I”ll get cleaned up and I”ll take you to school.”
Knowing there”s no arguing, I bob my head and get ready to leave.
Professor Riggs is awfully cheerful this morning. Perhaps it has something to do with the absence of a hulking six-foot-four Tronovian grumpily sitting beside me during his lectures. Nevertheless, today”s class is lighthearted and since it”s just the two of us today, Professor Riggs has me sit on the opposite side of his desk, so it feels more like two old friends talking than a lecture. We chat about the different types of fire magic and some of the greatest wielders in Tronovian history.
”Are there any legendary fire wielders still alive?” I ask out of curiosity. I”ve seen Ronan”s affinity in action and despite his nonchalant attitude, I know he”s a force to be reckoned with.
Riggs pushes his spectacles up the bridge of his nose and nods his head with a proud smile. ”I would dare say there are three fire wielders walking today that rival those who walked before. You already know Prince Ronan is a powerful wielder. Would I class him as legendary? Not yet, but I have a feeling we will be reading about his many victories for generations to come.”
”And his Transcendent state?”
He levels a look my way that causes my chest to flutter. For a split second, I wonder if he debates whether I”m gathering information about Tronovians, so I can return to Midori and use it against them, but I would never do that. I know I wouldn”t betray them. I just hope he knows it, too.
After a few agonizing seconds of him mulling over my question, he says, ”It”s called Torch.”
I breathe a sigh of relief that he answers. Without me having to pry, he continues. ”Torch is when Prince Ronan”s fire consumes his body, and he is a walking flame. His skin isn”t burned, his hair isn”t singed, and when he abandons the Transcendent state, he doesn”t even smell like fire. Torch isn”t rare by any means, but Prince Ronan is hands down the most powerful.”
”Thank you, Professor.”
He tilts his head the side, ”For what?”
”Answering my questions.”
By the warm smile and kindness radiating in his eyes, I know he understands what I”m actually trying to say: Thank you for trusting me.
”It”s an honor, Princess. I”m always happy to help.”
”Without seeming too forward,” I say softly, glancing from my fidgeting hands to meet his hazel gaze. ”Who are the other two fire wielders?”
He leans back in his wheelchair, sets his hands on his desk and interlocks his fingers. ”Rafe Harland and Soraya Delaney. Otherwise known as – ”
”The Harland brothers” parents.” I remember their names from the portrait Atlas painted of them.
Riggs bobs his head, excitement dancing across his face. ”Quite right! Accounts of Rafe Harland”s many victories in the Great War are well documented. His Transcendent state is fire breathing.”
I sit up straight, smacking my knee underneath the desk. ”Like a dragon!?”
He matches my tone, ”Yes! Just like a dragon!”
”And their mother?”
”Soraya Delaney is unquestionably the most dangerous of the three. She was denied the chance to fight in the Great War because she was pregnant with Nyx at the time, but if she had been able to go, I think she would have turned the tide of the war and aided the kingdoms to a swift victory.”
”What do you mean?”
”She is an Incinerator,” he says reverently. ”Her Transcendent state is called Hellfire, meaning she can rain down balls of flame from the heavens, turning a fleet of ships into ash, or leveling an entire city, if she felt so compelled. ”
If I wasn”t nervous about her before, I”m terrified of her now. ”The most dangerous of the three, you said?”
”Without question.”
As the bell chimes, signaling the end of our session together, I gather my bookbag, the one Nyx normally carries for me, and make my way toward the door. The second my fingers graze the brass doorknob, I whip around, capturing Riggs” attention.
”Is there something wrong, Princess?”
I meet his concerned hazel eyes and open my mouth once, twice, thrice before I muster the courage to say, ”I looked for information about Tethering at Calmara a few days ago.”
”And?” By the look on his face, he already knows the answer.
”There was only one book that retold the story of Oryn and Naya. Nothing else.”
He nods, politely. ”Can I be perfectly candid with you?”
”Of course,” I square my shoulders to his and listen.
”Tethering is still uncharted territory,” he slips his reading glasses off and sets them on his desk. ”I wish we had more information about the phenomena to study and subsequently teach, but the truth is, Oryn and Naya are the only ones we are aware of ever Tethering. By my estimation, Tethering is only possible for the Light and Shadow affinities.”
”And why do you think that?” I question. ”Is it just because that”s what Oryn and Naya”s affinities were?”
”It”s the ultimate balance. You cannot have light without the darkness and vice versa. They are two pieces to one puzzle.”
”So,” I take a hesitant step forward and lower my voice, ”by your estimation, you don”t think Tethering is possible for a water wielder and fire wielder, for example?”
Slowly, he shakes his head. ”No, I don”t. There are plenty of other scholars who would disagree with me, but the elements work in harmony with one another. All four – air, fire, water and earth – are the cornerstones of our world. But at the heart and soul, the core of the four elements, light and darkness have a home.” He rolls out from behind his desk and meets me by the door. ”I am of the opinion that the reason Light and Shadow magic is so rare in the mortal realm is because they only appear when the balance has shifted, and it needs to be restored. The Great Balance, if you will.”
”I”m afraid I don”t understand.”
”You and Professor Harland are a few years apart, correct?”
”I believe so,” I quirk an eyebrow, wondering where this is going.
”You were born one after the other because the magic – your magic – was needed. Oryn and Naya were also born a couple of years apart, she being the older of the two.”
I mull over that morsel of information, but I”m honestly not sure what else to say. If Atlas and I are here because we”re supposed to bring balance to our realm then that might mean everything the Tronovians believe about Bastian is true. I have no idea how long we have to stop him from finding and repairing the broken portal to the Underworld, but I have a feeling it won”t be as much time as I need. The nightmares of Bastian and Vesper getting their hands on Atlas and torturing him flash in my mind and a small cry escapes my lips.
”Does that happen often?” Professor Riggs” voice rings out, tearing me from the gruesome images.
”What?”
”Your hands.” He points. ”I heard rumor that it happens, but it”s intriguing to see for myself.”
For a split second, I wish Nyx were here with me, to gruffly tell the professor we were leaving and usher me to safety because I”m uncomfortable. However, Professor Riggs went out on a limb and offered me his trust in revealing all he knows about fire wielders and their power, so I”ll reciprocate and answer his questions. ”It”s been happening more frequently.”
”Do you know why?” The way he poses the question leads me to believe that he already knows the answer. Of course, he would. What doesn”t he know about?
”Atlas.” Is all I say, and it”s all he needs to bob his head in confirmation that his suspicions are well founded. ”It”s something that happens when I think about him,” I admit. ”Do you know how I can get it to stop?”
His eyes flick up to meet mine, but he doesn”t say anything for several treacherous heartbeats. ”You will never stop it from happening,” he says and my shoulders sag in defeat, ”but you can control it.”
”How?”
”Think of it as a box with separate compartments.” He quickly explains as footsteps of students approaching his lecture hall sound. ”When you think about Professor Harland, whether good thoughts or bad, visualize yourself putting them into a box in your mind. Those thoughts are for you and you alone.”
”What if I can”t do it?” I whisper as students trickle in the door behind me.
Professor Riggs” eyes are kind, but I can see the deadly storm brewing in them. ”You will have to learn. If the enemy discovers what Professor Harland means to you, not just as a partner in magic, but as a person in your life, he could be used against you.”
A lump forms in my throat. ”You mean, they would hurt him.”
”If they get their hands on him, whether or not they know about your hands glowing, they”ll torture him. He”s a Tronovian.”
”But you just said – ”
”Yes,” he interrupts with a hushed tone. ”Used against you in the sense that they would convince you to do horrific things in the name of saving the man you – ”
”I don”t,” I cut him off, more frightened now than before. ”He”s a friend. He”s just a friend.”
The suspicious quirk of his eyebrow leads me to believe he”s not falling for that lie, but he graciously humors me none-the-less. ”Of course. My apologies, Princess. I just meant, if you don”t get your tells under control, then you leave yourself and Professor Harland open to be used as bargaining chips. Keep your feelings to yourself, and only allow access to those you permit entrance.”
The second bell chimes and I realize Professor Riggs has a lecture hall filled with what looks like sixth years staring at us. My belly heats at the hundreds of eyes pinned on me, and it”s then I realize I”m late for Atlas” class. Fiddling with the backpack strap looped over my shoulder, I bob my head toward Professor Riggs.
”Thank you, Professor. Until tomorrow?”
He smiles sadly up at me and says, ”Until tomorrow, Princess.”
”You”re late.”
All excuses die on the tip of my tongue because although I can hear him, I don”t see him anywhere. I finally spot him at the top corner of the bleachers. His legs are stretched across the wooden row, and his arms are folded across his chest. Even though his back is pinned against the wall and his head is tilted back, he manages to address me without opening his eyes. It”s weird that he can sense me without looking my way.
”Where”s Nyx?” he asks.
”At home, sick.” I toss my small bag down onto the floor and rummage through it, snatching the gloves Atlas gave me and slip them on. I fiddle with the wrist strap, not able to get them on tight enough. I mutter a curse under my breath, using my teeth to pull the band. Clearly rattled by what Riggs and I discussed, I know if I don”t get my thoughts and jitters under control, Atlas will notice and question me. I”m not sure what I would even say. I haven”t broached the topic of Tethering with him yet and I want to have more understanding of the subject before I do.
”Let me,” he says, startling me. I hadn”t heard him come down and I certainly hadn”t noticed how close he”d gotten to me. I have to be more aware of my surroundings like Finn mentioned, keeping my wits about me. If he had been an enemy soldier, he would have gotten the drop on me.
When I nod in reluctant acceptance of his help, Atlas scoops my hand in his and quickly goes to work securing the fingerless leather gloves. The tips of his fingers graze mine and I”m suddenly very aware that we are all alone. As if he has the same thought at the same moment, he flicks his gaze up to meet mine and slowly finishes tightening my second glove.
”Nice gloves,” he teases.
”Thanks,” I steady my thundering heart and retrieve my hands from his. ”I intend to add a boot knife to my growing collection.”
A wicked smirk plays on his face. ”Is that so?”
”It is.”
”You seem awfully confident today.”
I shrug, doing my best to mask the panic brewing inside. The thought of him harmed and used against me is all I can think about. I pray to the Father of Light, the stars above and seas below, that he won”t pick up on my mood, but either the higher ups despise me, or they use my embarrassment for their amusement, because Atlas dips his head low to catch my line of sight.
”What”s wrong?” A seriousness washes over him.
”Nothing,” my voice cracks.
”Did something happen?” He steps closer and looks me up and down, as if scanning for physical injury.
”I”m fine.”
He curls his lip, not buying a word I say. ”The truth. Now.”
”Nothing that concerns you.” It comes out more forcefully than I intended. I take a couple steps away from him, but his fierce gaze doesn”t leave mine for a second.
”Don”t push me away. Talk to me.”
”Lesson or I”m leaving.” It might be cowardly, but I don”t want to talk about everything running through my head. At least, not yet.
He looks like he wants to argue with me, but whatever words he”s ready to fire my way, he swallows and points to the mats in the center ring. ”By all means. Let”s spar.”
Grateful for his surrender, I take my stance opposite him and prepare for him to attack me the same way he did last week. But this time, I”m more than prepared, thanks to Nyx. I”m faster, stronger, and even get a few good licks on him which surprises him.
”You”ve been practicing.” He doesn”t sound impressed. He sounds… jealous?
”I have.”
”Might I ask who you”ve been practicing with?”
My eyebrows lift. He is jealous. ”You can ask,” I backpedal to my side of the mat. ”Doesn”t mean I”ll answer.”
He smirks, though there is danger held in his gaze. ”Should I be worried?”
”About what?”
I”m so focused on his violet eyes and throaty tone that I miss his shadows slip around my legs and back until they hoist me toward him. ”Should I be worried about another professor giving you private lessons?”
Excitement pulses through me, but Riggs” words bubble to the forefront of my mind, and I attempt to do what he said of compartmentalizing my feelings. I visualize myself shoving the attraction I have for Atlas into a box and placing it on a shelf. I can feel the magic humming at my fingertips, but I”m pleasantly surprised my hands aren”t glowing brightly. There is just a flicker of light, as if a flame is about to go out. His gaze slides downward and takes in the sight of my magic fighting to be released.
”Compartmentalizing, are we?” His eyes flick up to meet mine. ”I suppose I have Riggs to thank for that.”
”I wouldn”t be worried about Riggs, if I were you, Atlas.”
”Oh, no?” he coos. ”And what should I be worried about, Strenlys?”
I inch closer, his shadows still curl up and down my limbs, flicking lazily at my lower back, and I whisper, ”Your footing.”
Before he has a chance to react, I wrap my leg behind his knee and pull, causing him to fall backward. What I didn”t account for was him dragging me down with him. He smashes to the mat with a grunt. I scramble to get off of him, but his shadows hold me firmly in place, rendering me completely useless. I knew his magic was powerful and extremely dangerous, but seeing how little effort he needs to put into restraining me is incredibly humbling.
”Let me go,” I demand.
”Tell me what”s bothering you,” he counters.
I narrow my eyes, ”Are you holding me against my will to force me to talk to you?”
His shadows instantly dissipate, and his violet eyes return to their natural green. He splays his arms wide across the mat, giving me the opportunity to stand up, but I can”t seem to get my body to move.
”You are free to dismount me, Princess.” His voice jars me, spurring me to slide off him. He hops to his feet and puts a healthy distance between us. Raking a hand through his hair, he says, ”You don”t have to tell me what”s bothering you, but I wish you would.”
I could tell him everything. Tell him about the Tethering. Tell him about Oryn and Naya. Tell him about changing my mind about marrying Bastian. Tell him I have feelings for him. But I say none of those things, instead I throw a mental wall up between us. Thoughts of how I don”t deserve him, how he”s so much better than I could ever be, that even though I”m in Tronovia for the moment, I might not call this home, even for him, torment me.
He wants me to open up to him, but that”s not something I think I can do.
I turn on my heel and beeline for my backpack.
”What are you doing?”
I haul the strap over my shoulder and head for the hall leading to the stairs. ”I need to go.”
”Go?” His steps thunder behind me. ”We aren”t finished here.”
I ignore him, hastening my pace.
”So, that”s how we”re going to handle things?” Even though he”s not chasing after me anymore, I can hear the pain and anger in his voice, and it stings. ”You”re just going to quit? Run away? Hide what you”re thinking and feeling instead of opening up to me? What do I have to do for you to see that I”m not your enemy?”
I halt in the tunnel and let loose an aching breath. I swivel to face him but don”t know what to say.
”If you choose to shut me out, that”s your choice,” he says, ”but don”t walk out on a lesson. Don”t quit.”
”I”m not quitting,” I growl. ”I”m taking a break. I”m tired.”
”Do you think our enemies care about what you”re feeling?” He points toward the dome for emphasis. ”Do you think they”ll give you a break on the battlefield because you”re tired?”
”Lighten up!” I shout, matching his step with one of my own. ”You”re such a pain in my ass!”
”I”m a pain in your ass!?” Gone is any sympathetic or yearning look. This is Professor Harland, the feared shadow wielder, glaring at me now. ”Listen up, Princess. I”m the only one in this school fighting to make sure you stay alive when you face those who want you dead. We”re not done here.”
”Yes, we are.”
”Hit the target.”
”What?”
He points at a wooden board crafted in the shape of a man at the far end of the room. ”Hit the target. You don”t want to spar with me, fine. Use your magic and show me you can hit that target. Give me something.”
”I thought we weren”t using our magic – ”
”Hit. The. Target.”
I drop my bag and snarl at him, ”I said – ”
”And I said,” he interrupts me and motions to the target on the other side of the room, ”hit the target! When you”re on that battlefield, or you”re on the run and are being pushed past the point of exhaustion, you will have to dig deep to find your strength. If you aren”t willing to push yourself, then you will fall in battle and there”s not a damn thing I can do to stop that.”
”Get off my ass, Atlas.”
”Hate me all you want. Fight me all you want. I”m going to make sure you don”t quit because it”s comfortable.”
”You want to fight?” I say, eyes blazing, hands glowing in anger, not caring about compartmentalizing. ”Let”s fight.”
I blast a ball of light at him, but he swallows my attack with his shadows, deflecting them. Shot after shot, he avoids my wrath, redirecting or flipping out of my path.
I frown, sweat beading around my hairline as I continue to pump light from my hands to knock Atlas on his ass. I advance toward him, ready to put the moves Nyx has taught me to good use.
Once I”m within an arm”s length of him, I drop to the ground to sweep his legs out from under him, but he hops over me with ease, avoiding the maneuver. I tumble away to escape his grasp and leap to my feet, taking my fighting stance. I throw a punch and he deflects, giving me the opening I”m looking for. I smash my boot against his chest, landing a solid blow that makes him stumble backwards. I try to take advantage of his momentary misstep, but he”s faster than me and is back on his feet before I can land another hit.
Like a deadly dance, we spin, kick, flip, tumble, and spar with one another. Ready to end this stalemate, I fake one way but turn in the opposite direction. With him slightly off-kilter, I take my shot and tackle him to the ground.
”Looks like you owe me a boot knife – ”
My victory is short lived when he rolls me off him and slams me on my back, grabbing my wrists and pinning me down. I grunt, trying to escape, but he”s not budging. Hovering above me, breathing just as heavy as I am, his hair tickles my forehead, but I refuse to react to it.
”Are you done?” he growls, not in anger, but in exhaustion. ”Are you done running from me?”
I narrow my eyes at him, nostrils flaring. We”ve been in this position before when he caught me trying to escape in Bava after sinking his ship. At the time, I was plotting his demise. This time, he”s so close to me, if I wanted to, I could kiss him. So, I do. I shoot up a few inches and smash my lips against his. He releases my wrists and slides a hand to cup my jawline. With my hands finally free, I two-hand shove him over, so he”s lying on his back. I mount him, squeezing my thighs around his torso and sweep my tongue inside his mouth, drawing a ragged moan from him. The peppermint on his breath drives me wild and the roughness of his fighting leathers between my thighs has me seeing stars.
Seven hells, what am I doing?
I tear myself away and peer down at his confused, hazy eyes. Coming to himself, he opens his mouth to say something, but I hop off of him. He lifts himself up onto his elbows, but I don”t wait to hear what he has to say. This time, I snatch my backpack and walk through the tunnel, practically sprinting down the spiral staircase, and don”t look back.