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

Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

A elia

Thank the gods the code of conduct was back in place, because my protective shadow had gone into hiding since our return from the deserted isle days ago. A swirling void had blossomed in my chest in Reign’s absence. I reminded myself it was what I wanted, but still, the ache grew worse. We could never be together, so keeping our distance was the best strategy. As I kept reminding myself. Being in close proximity proved much too difficult, and now that I was once again relatively safe, there was no need for my overprotective professor to spend every moment guarding me.

“Any questions about the mentorship program?” Heaton’s voice tore me from my internal musings. Mottled shadows darkened the soft skin around his eyes, and there was something about the rounding of his shoulders that betrayed his exhaustion. Heaton had been oddly absent this term, along with most of the fourth years. I’d seen them flying off in the odd hour of twilight more than once this past week. I’d asked Rue if she knew where they were going, but apparently her brother had been sworn to secrecy.

And now, our team leader had summoned Flare Squad to the small auditorium in the Hall of Glory for a pre-class meeting.

“I wonder who I’ll get as a mentor.” Rue jabbed her elbow into my side. “I hope it’s not Gleamer, he’s dreadfully boring.”

“Ten gildings says Aelia ends up with Darkthorn.” Sy poked his head between us from the row behind.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” I muttered.

“Are you two fighting again?”

I shot my round-eared-obsessed friend a scowl. “We’ve simply decided it’s best if we kept our distance going forward.”

“Right…” Rue whispered. “Anyway, Draven will be assigning the pairings, so ultimately it’s up to him.”

My stomach bottomed out at her words. Maybe I should have been listening to Heaton’s speech more closely. If the headmaster was still set on Reign spying on me, he could very well appoint him as my mentor.

Ariadne’s hand shot up a few seats over. “Can we make a specific request for a professor?”

“I’m afraid not,” Heaton replied.

Wonderful. I suppose that meant we wouldn’t be able to switch if we didn’t approve of Draven’s choice either.

“Trust that our headmaster will be guided by Raysa when making this important choice. Your mentor will lead you through your remaining years at the academy. It is not a position taken lightly.”

As Heaton’s words echoed in the background, it occurred to me I’d never heard Reign mention any of his other mentees, or acquisitions, for that matter. A pit of dread formed in my gut at the insinuation. Were they all dead?

“One more thing before you are dismissed for morning classes. King Elian will arrive on campus tomorrow. He will be here to observe as you train for the Umbral Trials, which will begin in one week’s time.”

“Great,” I murmured.

“Don’t worry, A, you’ve got this.” Rue squeezed my shoulder and offered her typical bright smile.

It wasn’t so much the trials I was dreading, but rather facing a certain student across the river. There was something about Ruhl that had warning bells ringing, and yet, I couldn’t help the curiosity that came along with it. I needed to know more about the heir to the Shadow throne.

“Not to be the bearer of bad news,” said Sy, appearing between us once again, “but I’ve heard the trials will be even more difficult this term due to this year’s special attendee.”

“The prince of the Court of Umbral Shadows,” Rue grumbled.

“What do you know about him?” I attempted nonchalance, but even I could hear that the pitch in my voice had risen a few notches.

Rue shrugged. “The royals tend to keep their offspring out of the public eye as much as possible. No one even knew he’d been enlisted in Arcanum until the final battle last term.”

Glad to hear I wasn’t the only one.

“He was ruthless mid-air,” Sy interjected. “And that dragon, even more so.”

“I cannot wait for Sol to take him on in the Skyrider Battle.” Rue clapped her hands as I groaned internally. Heaton shot his sister a narrowed glare, and she tucked her hands beneath her thighs.

“If there are no more questions,” said Heaton, pausing for a long minute, “you’ll find the name of your mentor in your scroll tomorrow morning.” He scanned the remaining members of Flare Squad. “Then you are all dismissed.”

Belmore straddled me on the mat, his knees boring into my ribs and his hand wrapped around my throat. My arms were pinned to my sides, and only my fingers were free enough to give an occasional wiggle. I heaved out a breath, my lungs tight from the strain. And to think, if Reign hadn’t erased his memories of the other day, would my teammate and I be on better terms? Or would this stalemate have continued?

My rais flickered to the surface, desperate to let loose on this bastard Fae squeezing the remaining air from my lungs, but our Combat professor had been adamant. No rais today. A part of me was certain Reign had concocted this rule just for me. To force me to bolster my other skills so I wouldn’t be so reliant on my powers when they failed me, or worse, when they grew uncontrollable.

“Come on, A!” Rue’s shout of reassurance drew me from my wandering thoughts.

I bucked my hips, but Belmore remained rooted atop me like an ancient willow, roots dug deep beneath the earth.

“Come on, little Kin,” the Light Fae rasped, dipping low so his spittle sprayed across my face. “Show us the mettle borne in the wilds of Feywood.”

“If you insist.” I smiled sweetly as my fingers crept down my side in search of the dagger hidden beneath my waistband.

Reign had said no rais , but he’d never said anything about weapons.

My fingertips found the familiar cold metal and wrapped around the hilt. Before I could release the blade from the sheath, an icy shadow crawled across the shell of my ear.

“No daggers, either, princess,” Reign hissed, his voice so clear it felt as if he stood right beside me instead of across the gymnasium.

Son of a Fae. Releasing the hilt, I glared up at Belmore, his brawny form pinning me to the mat.

“Still waiting…” A cocky grin slashed across his perfectly carved features.

“Punch him in the balls!” Sy cried out. “He deserves it!”

I barely restrained a wild chuckle from spilling free.

“Shut your mouth, Lightspire,” Belmore gritted out. “You’re nothing but a rounded-ear, Kin-loving traitor.”

“Enough, gentleFae!” our Combat professor roared across the chamber. “Too much chatter and not enough fighting.” He stalked closer, eyes intent on the enormous male holding me down. “Aelia, finish him or tap out.”

Belmore snorted on a laugh, his big form vibrating with mirth. “She’s not even close, professor.”

Reign’s dark glare followed the movement of Belmore’s body until it landed on his thighs, or more specifically, his crotch, where it draped across my lower half. His nostrils flared, and a wave of shadows surged from his skin, circling his form in a mad tempest.

Belmore dropped down again so his body was flush against mine, completely oblivious to the chaos unfolding behind him. “I’ve got her flat on her back, like a good Kin whore,” he whispered against the shell of my ear.

Oh, Raysa, he did not just say that.

A dark tendril zipped by, hissing, and Reign’s little messenger minion whispered, “Get that Fae off you or I will be forced to remove him myself. Trust me, princess, you will not be happy with the results.” The feral edge to his tone had every single hair on my body standing at attention.

Focusing my scrambled thoughts, I glared up at Belmore. With his weight shifted, now sprawled on top of me, his enormous Light Fae head weighing him down, I was able to get the leverage I needed. If I only had a little help. Searching my core for the rais brimming over, I channeled the energy to my lower half. Please, let this work. Technically, I wasn’t using my rais to subdue him with a solar flare or to protect from his assault with a shield—instead, I only needed a hint of that power to strengthen me physically. Much like when we used celestial glyphs to enhance our abilities.

Rais flowed through my veins, the power a heady tangle of energy with no point of release. Heat surged through every inch of my being, and I channeled all that fire into my pelvis. With an explosion of energy, I vaulted my hips. Belmore’s eyes widened, jaw nearly unhinging as I launched him, arms flailing, across the entire gymnasium.

“Woohoo!” Sy and Rue shouted, their applause echoing across the now silent auditorium.

All of Flare team stared with matching expressions of shock as Belmore pushed himself off the floor and staggered toward the exit.

Reign appeared beside me as I smoothed out my crumpled tunic and rose. I fully expected a reprimand, as he must have surely noticed I’d gone against his instructions. Instead, a wry grin melted across his face. “It was about time,” he ground out.

Rue and Symon surrounded us a second later, each spouting out congratulations. “That’ll teach him to mess with you, A.” Rue gave me a squeeze.

“I say we finish him off in the next trial.” Symon’s eyes flashed, a bloodthirsty expression carving into his jaw. “It will be such chaos in the first trial against Arcanum, I doubt anyone will notice.”

It still struck me in times like these how different I was from these Fae. Despite the Light Fae blood clearly running through my veins, I would never be like them. I simply couldn’t take pleasure in the kill. I doubted I ever would.

“Let’s focus on the Arcanum students,” I muttered. “We don’t need to battle each other as well." Shaking my head, I turned toward the door.

Perhaps I’d only been deceiving myself into believing I could ever truly be Aelia, carved of stone.