Crown of Flames and Ash (Courts of Aetheria #2)

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

A elia

Hidden beneath the thick canopy of leaves from the encroaching forest, I drew in a much-needed breath. I leaned against the massive trunk of an old willow and cocked my head to the dark sky. Through the tangle of twisted branches, a bright full moon appeared, and beside it, a myriad of twinkling stars. Each one reminded me of Reign and that unfathomable midnight gaze. What a fool I’d been to have not seen the truth all along. Curses, I’d even called him the prince of shadows once.

Prince Reign of Umber, heir to the great King Tenebris of the Court of Umbral Shadows.

As I savored the bitter taste of his royal title on my tongue, a sobering thought streaked across my mind. In that mid-air chaotic exchange with Prince Ruhl, he’d called himself the heir.

I am Prince Ruhl of Umbra, heir to King Tenebris of the Court of Umbral Shadows. And the male standing so protectively in front of you is my eldest brother, Prince Reign.

If Reign was the eldest, why wouldn’t he be the heir to the king?

So many unanswered questions. My lips twisted as I regarded the night sky, the endless obsidian stretching toward the Fae Courts to the north, to where that former professor of mine was apparently raining shadows. Had Reign returned to his home for the break? Was he too staring up at the same sky? Or was he trapped on Light Fae soil, playing the role of eager professor?

Shaking my head, I attempted to dislodge all thoughts of the duplicitous Fae. It does not matter what he is doing, Aelia, because he is no longer any concern of yours . No matter how many times I repeated the phrase to myself, my foolish heart could not seem to process the change of course.

The door to the pub squealed open, calling my attention to the familiar forms stumbling out.

“There you are, Aelia!” Rue sprang forward but her steps faltered thanks to the copious amounts of berl. Somehow, Sy weaved an arm around her before she fell, but he was in no better state.

The two toppled to the ground in a heap of legs and laughter. Mud coated the earth, immediately blanketing the pair in a layer of dark sludge. The absurdly comical sight brought a smile to my face as I marched toward my drunken friends. After the mini-kiss with Edgert and the ensuing sobering thoughts of Reign, my pleasant buzz had all but fizzled away. Standing over them, I waggled my brows. “It seems as if the two of you had fun tonight.”

“So much fun,” Rue purred.

“And the night is still young!” Sy grabbed my arm and pulled me on top of them. His sly fingers found my most ticklish spot, just under my ribs, and before long, I was squirming and cackling right along with them.

“Who knew rolling around in the dirt could be so fun?” Rue laughed.

“Oh, I knew.” Sy flashed my roommate a smirk, lilac eyes glittering with mirth.

Symon finally released me, and I sat up, lifting my skirts so they would not become even more caked in mud. “What happened to Myron and Gertie?” I glanced from one to the other.

Rue raised a dismissive hand. “We didn’t come all this way to Feywood simply to take advantage of unsuspecting Kin. We came to be with our friend.”

“Speak for yourself,” Sy grumbled.

I dug my elbow into his side, and he doubled over, laughing. “I jest, my little round-eared friend. You know no other Kin could compare to you, as no other ear is so perfectly round and tempting…” He stroked the tip of my ear affectionately.

“Oh, stop!” I wriggled free of his touch and forced myself up. “Well, if you’re certain you won’t be taking any company home, we should probably start back.” The threat of the Wilds had been drilled into me since birth, and lingering outside at the height of a full moon was never wise.

It was a pity we had sent my friends’ skyriders off to hunt with Sol. A quick flight home would have been preferable to the hike we were about to endure back to the cottage.

“Lead the way, oh knowledgeable one.” Sy dipped into an elaborate bow, pale blue moonbeams highlighting his flaxen hair.

The walk home passed quickly enough, filled with Sy and Rue’s easy banter. Symon was convinced he’d broken his curse with Kin and would surely succeed in claiming one upon his next visit. Surprisingly, Rue admitted she missed Devin. I half-listened to their stories, a part of my mind wandering. In only two days, we’d return to the academy. I hated to acknowledge that a tiny part of me was eager. The other, more sensible part was terrified, and rightly so.

Heaton had warned us that each term would be more difficult than the last.

The rustle of branches jerked my attention to the tree line to our right. Despite the berl, both Symon and Rue reacted as quickly as I did. All three of us spun in the direction of the sound, my dagger already unsheathed, rais blooming along my friends’ fingertips. Though my rais had certainly come a long way, I still preferred the use of my favorite weapon.

“War is nearly upon us. The courts will not be able to hide the truth for much longer.” The words were so faint, I wasn’t certain I’d heard them correctly. My head whirled between my two friends, but neither seemed to have heard the ominous whispers. Was I simply hearing things again, like in the final trial?

“Who’s there?” I hissed.

“I told you we never should have come this close to the village,” a male voice grumbled.

“I had to piss,” replied another.

“Come out from there and show yourselves,” I shouted, clenching the dagger in my fist.

Two forms emerged from the bowels of the forest, pushing aside gnarled branches until the males were revealed. I immediately recognized the distinctive alabaster uniforms of the Royal Guardians from the Court of Ethereal Light.

“Lawson?” Rue yelped, lively blue eyes wide.

It only took me an instant to recognize the name.

“Rue, what are you doing here?” The tall male with pale silver hair gaped.

Without responding, my friend launched herself at her eldest brother, her squeals of happiness echoing through the quiet woods.

“Oh, Lawson Liteschild!” Sy’s eyes widened in understanding. “I thought her brother was stationed in the eastern parts of the Court of Umbral Shadows, near the Shadowmere Sea,” he whispered.

“As did Rue.”

As the siblings spoke in hushed whispers, Sy approached the other Light Fae male in uniform. “Hello, sir. I’m Symon Lightspire, initiate at the Conservatory of Luce, and who might you be?”

The Fae dipped his head. “Gareth Glower, graduated from the Conservatory with Lawson here just last year.” His eyes darted to mine, first to my dark hair and then rounded ears, before settling on the glimmer of the mark along my chest. “And you are?”

“Aelia Ravenwood, also an initiate.”

“And Light Fae,” Sy added proudly.

The Royal Guardian’s brows knitted as he regarded me. Anything he may have wanted to say died on his tongue when Rue bounded into the center of the conversation, hauling her brother along with her. She held onto his arm tightly, as if he might disappear if she released him.

“This is my brother, Lawson. Law, my roommate, Aelia, and our friend, Symon.”

I offered a tight smile. There was something about his wary gaze that had unease churning in my gut.

“They’re patrolling the border along the Wilds,” Rue explained.

“Why, has something happened?” I blurted.

Lawson shook his head, but again, there was something about his expression that didn’t evoke much confidence.

“Law, if you know something, you must tell us.” Rue tugged at her brother’s arm. “Aelia’s adoptive father lives near the border. She’s worried for his safety, that’s all.”

The tight set of his jaw softened a touch. The elder Liteschild’s gaze held nothing of the warmth of his younger siblings’. Had he always been like that, or was it the result of his training at the Conservatory?

“There’s nothing solid I can share, but there are rumors?—”

“Watch your tongue,” Gareth snapped, cutting him off. “You know the information is confidential.”

Lawson turned to his companion. “She’s my sister, Gareth, and she’ll be one of us before long. They all will.” He paused, blowing out a breath. “Raysa, willing,” he murmured softly.

“There’s nothing to tell,” Gareth muttered. “All we’ve heard are unsubstantiated reports.”

“About what, exactly?” I stepped closer to the Royal Guardians, that hint of unease only growing more potent with this strained exchange.

“Movement across the border.”

A carousel of images raced across my mind of terrifying creatures making their way toward the edges of Feywood. “Then you must stop the beasts,” I cried. Memories of the blood-thirsty gloomwhisper came next, flitting to the surface, and fear for Aidan constricted my lungs. “The Kin here are powerless. They’ll be slaughtered.”

The Royal Guardians exchanged a hesitant gaze.

“Please, Law,” said Rue, “if you know something, you must tell us.”

“I don’t know anything.” He turned his pale blue eyes on me. “Just tell this Aidan fellow to be prepared for anything. There are much worse things beyond the borders than the frightening beasties they told us about as children.”

I swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in my throat.

“We have to go, Lawson.” Gareth signaled toward the forest. “The commander will have wondered what’s happened to us.”

Rue’s brother nodded. “He’s right. We’ll have to say our goodbyes now.” He curled his arm around his sister’s shoulders and drew her into a hasty embrace.

“But we barely had a chance to catch up.” Rue stared up at her brother, eyes glossy.

“I hope to be home upon the Spring Solstice.”

“That’s six months from now, Law.”

He bent down and cupped Rue’s cheek, harsh lines cutting into his jaw. “I know, and if the gods are good, we’ll both survive that long.” With a quick wave over his shoulder to the rest of us, he spun around and marched toward the edge of the forest.

We watched the Royal Guardians for a long moment, with their broad shoulders and gleaming white uniforms, until the darkness swallowed them whole.