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

Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

A elia

King Elian’s rousing speech echoed through my mind long after the royal had left the dais. He made it seem as if we were truly on the brink of war—and yet, nothing confirmed his foreboding words.

I remained in my seat long after we’d been dismissed, the weight of the king’s monologue, along with the impending meeting with my mentor keeping my behind firmly in place.

“Aelia? Everyone has long gone.” Heaton stood at the end of the row, light eyes intent on mine.

“Is it true what he said about the war?” I had been in the Umbral Court only a week ago and nothing had seemed out of the ordinary. And wouldn’t Reign have mentioned if his father was plotting to ‘plunge our world into darkness,’ as King Elian had put it?

Our team leader slumped into the chair closest to him and dragged his hand through the errant blonde strands which had come loose from the neat tie at his nape. “I suppose it must be if it came from the royal’s lips.” He shrugged, a look of defeat boring into his handsome face. “There must always be an enemy, Aelia. If not, what would be the purpose of these academies? Perhaps the idea of war is more important for stability between the courts than the enemy itself.”

I took a long minute to process his words before I voiced the question lingering in the back of my mind. “Did Rue tell you that we saw Lawson along the border of the Wilds?”

He nodded slowly, as if the faint movement were painful.

“He, too, insinuated that something was brewing across the boundary, but in all my years in Feywood, I have yet to spy a single terrifying beast.”

“I wish I could tell you more, Aelia. All I know is that the fourth-years are being called to graduate early to patrol the borders. I, myself, have been chosen for early graduation.”

“What? No…” I slid across the seats separating us and peered up at him. “How soon?”

“I’m not certain. It could be as soon as next week.” He blew out a slow breath.

A sliver of my heart crumbled, not only for him but for Rue as well. How would she take the news? “But the Umbral Trails… you’re our team leader.”

“I will be sure you all have the training necessary to succeed in my absence.”

“I don’t want another team leader, I want you.” I inched closer, my emotions suddenly overwhelming.

“Oh, Aelia,” he whispered, head tilting to mine. “You’ve never wanted me. Despite my best efforts.” A rueful smile crawled across his lips.

“Maybe not in that way,” I mumbled. “But you are the best Fae male I know, and we need you here.”

“I wish I had a say in the matter.” His hand lifted to my cheek, thumb gently brushing my skin.

“You must promise to stay safe out there, and to return to us…” Heat lashed behind my eyes, emotion tightening my throat. He’d been the first Fae to be kind to me.

“I still have some time, Aelia, there’s no need to say our goodbyes just yet.”

Blinking quickly to keep the tears at bay, I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Heaton’s forehead.

The sharp sound of a throat clearing at the back of the hall ripped my lips from his warm skin. Oh, gods, no, not him . “It is not wise to keep your mentor waiting on the first day, Miss Ravenwood.”

Heaton’s hand curled around mine as I stood. “Good luck,” he whispered.

“I’ll certainly need it.” Especially now that Reign had seen that kiss and surely misinterpreted it for something more. Releasing my team leader’s hand, I slipped through the row and marched up the aisle.

Reign’s shadows loomed aggressively, a torrent of night whipping around his ominous form. An inky coil surged forward as I approached, its icy touch skimming up my arm before settling across my shoulders. Every single hair on my body stood at attention.

“You better be careful, princess.” Reign’s menacing voice hissed through his dark messenger. “I have little control over my shadows when it comes to other males touching what is mine.”

Lifting my gaze to meet his lethal one, I lengthened my stride, anxious to have this confrontation over with. “I am not yours ,” I snarled, lifting to my tiptoes to jab a finger into his chest.

I barely registered Heaton’s quiet footsteps in the far corner of the chamber as he crept out of the hall.

“Smart man.” Reign’s murderous glare chased after Heaton’s retreating form.

“You cannot act like this.” I gripped the collar of his tunic, pulling him closer until his eyes locked with mine. “We will never be together, Reign. Not because I don’t wish for a different fate, but because the reality we face won’t change. No matter how desperately we might want to, we cannot undo the hand we have been dealt.”

“So you wish to be with him ?”

“No…” Gods, I wish to be with you , because I’m clearly a masochist . Somehow, I managed to keep the confession from sliding past my gritted teeth. “Heaton is my friend. A friend who may be forced to graduate early because of some war with the Umbral Court I’m not certain even exists.”

“It does not exist,” he huffed out. “And I do not understand why King Elian continues to torment his people with the idea of it.”

“And the Wilds?”

Reign shrugged. “I am not certain. It’s been years since I set foot in the deserted lands of the south.” Crossing his thick arms over his chest, his eyes dropped to his boots.

We stood there for a long moment, neither speaking, neither moving. Except for those shadows. They still circled me like wild, ravenous dogs.

I finally forced the dreaded words out, only because I needed an answer before I even considered the possibility. “Would you be able to handle it if I were interested in another male?”

His eyes jerked to mine, and a flash of fury streaked across those fathomless spheres of starlight. “No. Unless if by handling it, you meant squeezing the life out of the poor bastard with my nox .” A savage grin twitched his lips.

“Then I suppose it’s a good thing there is no one I have set my sights on.” I paused and sucked in my bottom lip. “Yet.”

“For the love of Noxus, princess, I beg of you to keep it that way. For both our sakes.”

My silly heart fluttered at the intensity in his gaze, at the wild frenzy of his twisting shadows. How could I ever consider another when it was only Reign who made my soul tremble with desire?

My mentor offered his arm, cocking a dark brow. “Come, we have training to do, mentee. In a short week, you’ll be facing Ruhl across the river, and it is my duty to ensure you survive.”

“Remember, keep that unpredictable rais of yours contained, princess.” Reign’s shadow slid across the shell of my ear, delivering his message before returning to its home in the dark folds of his cloak a yard away. He ticked his head toward the steps of the Hall of Luce where the king and his entourage watched the initiates train.

“I’m trying,” I called back as I unleashed a dozen luminous blades at that smug smile. “Innocent enough?” I mumbled under my breath. His shadows sliced through the air, curling around my projectiles, but a few met their mark all the same.

Thanks to that sensitive Fae hearing, he must have heard my reply, either that or he read my lips. It would explain that unyielding gaze now focused solely on my mouth. I refused to consider any other reason for that hunger in his eyes because as Sol suggested I was guarding my heart above all else.

Returning my focus to training, I glanced around the field at the dozens of first-years taking turns sparring with their mentors. It suddenly occurred to me that I was the only initiate who wasn’t forced to share a mentor with at least two other students.

Calling back the burgeoning rais strumming through my veins, I dropped my defensive stance and marched toward my professor. “Why do you only have one mentee?”

“Because I do not wish to waste my valuable time on sub-par students.”

I wasn’t sure if I should be proud of the compliment or insulted on behalf of the rest of the Light Fae student body. “Surely, there was some other first-year worthy of your time.”

“Not in the four years since my arrival.”

“What? You’ve never mentored another student?”

He shook his head. “Need I repeat my explanation once again?”

“So you only did this for me?”

His lips twisted before settling into a hard line. “I would have volunteered anyway, but as Draven forcibly suggested it, it wasn’t necessary for me to do so.”

“He still suspects me?”

“Of what, I cannot be sure yet, but the prophecy is still the most likely option.”

“Of course it is.” That goddess-cursed prophecy seemed to be the main cause for many of the issues I faced these days. I released a dramatic sigh and flopped down onto the soft grass.

“What are you doing, princess? He is watching.”

I cast a casual glance over my shoulder to find the king’s penetrating gaze fixed in our direction. “Am I not allowed a water break?” I pointed at the waterskin across the lawn.

With a dramatic eyeroll, Reign released one of his shadows, which darted across the field, returning with my water seconds later. “Do you wish for King Elian to believe I’m your lap dog too?” A glint of amusement sparked in those midnight orbs.

“It would certainly do nothing to raise his opinion of me.” I smirked.

“You’re right on that count. I am certainly not one of his most favored professors.”

I lowered my voice to a mere whisper. “How does he not know who you really are?”

He dropped down beside me. “The children of the royals are typically kept hidden from prying eyes of the enemy court. And even more so when they are of questionable parentage. When I attended Arcanum, I did not receive quite the same fuss my brother has. No one knew who I was. If I hadn’t bonded Phantom, no one would have thought twice about me.”

I prickled at the insult as if it had been levied upon me. Despite the hard mask Reign wore, I could tell his impure bloodline weighed heavily on the proud Fae. “I suppose it’s a good thing you weren’t recognized, then.”

“Always so optimistic, my little Kin.” A wry smile spread his lips for an instant before it faded once more.

I took a long sip from the waterskin and glanced up at the enigmatic male. There had been something else I’d been curious about. “What of your other acquisitions? I know you’ve had others over the years. So what’s happened to them?”

“They’re all dead.”

The breath caught in my throat as I pictured dozens of dead Light Fae sent to their homes in gilded urns.

“And I vowed that would never happen with you.”

“Before or after you knew—or rather suspected—who I was?”

“From the moment you passed through the Veil of Judgement, and I saw something in you that was glaringly missing in all the others.”

“And what would that be?”

“There was a fire in you,” he said, his voice low and steady. “A defiance that refused to be snuffed out, even when faced with the impossible. The others… they were strong, yes, but they lacked that spark, that will to survive no matter the cost. But you, Aelia, you have the spirit of a warrior, the heart of a queen. From that moment, I knew you were different. I knew you were the one worth saving.”

His words sent a shiver down my spine, the weight of his admission settling over me. This wasn’t just about survival anymore—this was about something far greater, something that connected us in ways I still couldn’t understand.

A long moment of silence passed between us as I slowly sipped the cool water, mulling over his words. No one had ever thought so highly of me; maybe Aidan, but he’d never spoken the sentiment aloud, much less so candidly.

“I have another one coming soon,” Reign finally whispered.

“Another acquisition?”

He nodded. “The beginning of the term is my least favorite time of the year.”

“Do you know anything about the new student?”

“Only that they are female, and I am to retrieve her from the northern part of the court, near the border along the Darkmania Falls, actually.”

My thoughts whirled back in time to our visit to the mystical cascades and our night spent in the caves. Squeezing my eyes closed, I buried the fond memories and focused on his quiet words. “A female?” An unexpected twinge of jealousy speared me between the ribs.

“Will you be able to handle that, princess?” He threw my earlier question back at me with an amused glint in his eyes.

“Of course, I will. I’m very capable of sharing your attention.” Even as I spoke the words, I could feel the lie through my teeth.

“Good. Now get up, you’ve had more than enough rest.”