4. Ryker
Ryker
Raea is catching her breath when I help her off the floor. I try not to snap at Ciara for tackling her to the ground, but I feel on edge. I can’t stop checking every corner, every alcove. Why have I never noticed how many places there are to hide in this building?
“Where have you been?” Ciara asks, looking between us. “We thought you might not return.” She laughs, but I feel Raea tense beside me.
Raea grimaces. “Sorry—”
“There she is!” Tate bellows from across the common space, arms open.
Raea smiles and runs straight into his arms. He picks her up, spins her, and makes her giggle. He’s one friend of hers I don’t mind, though I don’t appreciate the way she’s wrapped up in his arms.
Has no one heard of boundaries?
I turn and see Trysten walking down the steps, analyzing his surroundings the same way I do.
He reaches us, slapping me on the back as he leans in for a hug.
“Ryker.” His eyes hold every question he knows I can’t answer here.
Being friends for most of our lives has taught us to read each other’s tells.
“Later,” I respond quietly.
He nods, stepping away as Raea pulls him in for a hug. He lifts his arms like he doesn’t know what to do. Finally, he lowers them and awkwardly hugs her, patting her shoulders.
Ciara and Tate leave just the three of us to reunite.
“Shall we?” I gesture toward the stairs. Raea takes my hand, glancing at me, then at the few lingering students watching. I pull her hand to my lips, kiss the back of it, then wrap my arm around her shoulders.
Raea pauses when we reach the third level. “I need to talk to him.”
I sigh and look past her toward Kellan’s room.
“He’s not there,” Trysten supplies. “Professor Ainslyn has him testing the new simulator for the short sword.”
At this, Raea startles. She looks between the door and then back to Trysten. Her features fall, but she masks it quickly. “Oh,” she says with a small smile. “Good.” She nods to herself as she continues up the steps.
If I didn’t know her, I’d think she was confused, but I do know her. I wish that I could offer her whatever reassurance she needs, but the truth of it is that I don’t give two shits about him.
We stop outside of her room, and she looks between Trysten and me, then toward Ezra, Rune, and Aksel in the background, not blending in at all.
“I need a minute alone,” she says nervously. “I just need to talk to her.”
Instinctively, I want to pull her into my arms and lock her in my room, but I know I can’t. I can’t protect her from everything, and shit, she doesn’t need me to. She’s more powerful than anyone I know.
I shove my hands into my pockets to keep from reaching for her, and nod to Ezra, who steps forward.
“Let me at least clear the room.”
“What the fuck is happening?” Trysten asks.
I tilt my head, signaling for him to follow me into my room.
School suddenly feels pointless. I’ve never cared much for it to begin with. There are a million things I could be doing instead of pretending that everything is normal.
Once Aksel clears my room, he heads back out to the hall, lingering between my door and Raea’s. Ezra is stationed outside of her room, so I guess it’s safe—for now.
I shut my door and drop onto the end of my bed, burying my head into my hands with a long sigh. “Well, Raea and I have gone public.”
He snorts. “No, shit. I’ve been following.”
I nod. I haven’t even bothered to look at what the team has been posting and sharing. “There was another kidnapping attempt on Raea.”
Trysten shoots to his feet. The color drains from his face, and he looks ready for battle, though there isn’t anyone to fight. Not yet, anyway.
“King Alexi—we had to leave Mori.” I tell him the whole story. Why we were in Mori looking for Elison, Raea’s magic, and about the note. I’m still unsure who sent it, but it said they were sorry and to leave as soon as we could.
Trysten nods and listens as I continue. About our escape, the attack of the creature, and the burials.
And somehow, I know this is only the beginning.
“I need to go,” I say. “Professor Ainslyn is waiting for Raea and me.”
Trysten drags a hand down his face. “I know this goes without saying, but if either of you needs anything, I’ve got your backs.”
I pat him on the shoulder. “Yeah, I know.” I pause once I make it to the door.
“Actually, can you help me put together a list of recon guys who have experience in undercover ops. I need to learn more about King Alexi, and we need to figure out what his next move is. Do it covertly. I don’t need the quadrants finding out about this. Or my mother.”
Trysten nods. “Yeah. And Ryker?” He pauses. “I’ll watch her back, too. I’d gladly go to Umbrith with you and back, but her—” He shakes his head. “You’re a package deal now.”
I nod, something burning in my chest. Trysten has always been there.
Every fight. Every bad decision. Every version of me.
We have stirred up shit together, bailed each other out, and were there when we got our first tattoos.
Every big event has always included Trysten.
To know he cares about the most important person in my life means more than he’ll ever understand.
With that, I step out, grabbing Raea. We need to get to Professor Ainslyn, and then we need to figure out where the fuck we are sleeping.
“Ah, so good to see you both,” Professor Ainslyn says as he steps around his desk to meet us at the door. He’s still every bit the warrior despite the prosthetic leg. I’ve watched him take men twice his size to the mat.
Raea smiles and leans in for a hug. “Good to see you, Professor.”
He looks between the two of us. “While you were gone, I took it upon myself to see to your magic training.”
Raea steps back and collides with me. I steady her, running a hand down her arm.
“The simulations won’t be enough anymore,” he says.
“I converted one of the unused forest structures into a training center.” His gaze lands on Raea.
“Princess Raea, you need to practice controlling that starlight. I’ve been working on a simulation room that will shoot blasts of cool air if you start to overheat.
The simulation will be shadow figures. Since we aren’t sure what they actually look like, they’re just human shadows for now. ”
He turns to me next. “Prince Anders, you’ll be working with the elements.
It’s a good place to start. Your simulation room has access to water, soil, and a fan for wind.
You’ll have shadows attacking you as well, so I want you to figure out how to access those strands of magic quickly and try sending them at the shadows. ”
It seems straightforward, but Raea’s starlight…
She can’t contain it. She’ll probably melt the entire building.
When he gestures to the seats, we take them. The lights dim as he projects the new training center into the room, walking us through all the different features. The building used to be known as The Overlook, but the structure is half-hidden by forest now.
“Professor,” Raea interrupts. “When we were on Mori…” Her voice trembles before she inhales and squares her shoulders. “When we were on Mori, we were attacked. I used my starlight. It will melt all the equipment. I can’t practice safely.”
He hums, stroking his beard that is now long enough to run his hand over. “Do you think you could control the direction of the heat?”
Raea tilts her head, thinking. “I don’t know. I still don’t know how it happened. I was so scared, so angry, and before I exploded with energy, there was just an awareness. It was everywhere all at once. It was like pulling back the curtain.”
Professor Ainslyn goes quiet for a minute as he paces back and forth. I use the opportunity to take Raea’s hand. She interlaces our fingers without a thought.
Weeks ago, touching her like this would’ve been overwhelming for both of us. Now it feels natural.
Just when I’m about to voice my thoughts, Professor Ainslyn says, “If we go up to the mountains, I’ll stay back. You can try to summon it. That’s all I want you to do for now. Don’t worry about control, first you need to access it. It should become second nature.”
At this, Raea softens, and I see a weight lifted from her shoulders. “Thank you.”
“What about the energy from Sgya?” I ask. “We need to practice accessing and channeling that as well.”
“Correct,” he says, taking a seat. “I have been thinking about that. Ryker, how does the Veil feel? My working theory is Raea is able to channel the power from the planets, and you channel it to the Veil, not back to the planet.”
Raea’s head snaps toward me. “Oh,” she says, smiling now. “That would make sense. You can feel the Veil. You’ve always felt it.”
I inhale deeply, searching for the strange energy. It doesn’t belong to me, but it’s like I can see it. Like there's a window within me that grants me access. When I look, I mentally do a double-take.
Shit.
“There’s something wrong,” I report. “It’s not—” I shake my head. “It’s not right. It’s always been a single current, like a ring. Now…it’s missing a piece, and there’s no current.”
The blood drains from Raea’s face. “What do you mean?”
“I can always tell if the current is weak. I can even pinpoint where now, but this…” I shake my head. “It’s like a section has just been cut out. It's just gone.”