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

Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

A elia

The murky waves of the Luminoc River lapped across the shore, a blustering wind splashing water across my boots. I stood beside Rue, Symon and the rest of Flare team, awaiting instructions, along with the other seven squads of initiates. Unlike the Ethereal Trials, we had not been given the list of events beforehand, so we were headed into the Court of Umbral Shadows blind.

Had I not become so habituated with overwhelming darkness on the other side of the river, I would have been twice as nervous. At least there had been one positive side to all my late-night excursions with Reign last term.

I bit back a smile as heated memories of the night before threatened to surge to the surface. I’d promised myself that the dance was the one single moment of weakness I would allow. Today, I was once again Aelia, carved of stone. If only I had my daggers, I would feel more the part.

Reign had again taken possession of them, and I wasn’t sure what that said about my sanity that I let him. It was his attempt at forging trust between us, but I only felt bare and powerless without them.

No physical weapons were allowed in this trial, but he had assured me that my rais would be more than enough to see me through the day. Still, the familiar feel of a hilt in my palm would have done wonders for the onslaught of nerves.

“What do you suppose they’ll have us do today?” Rue whispered.

“Didn’t Heaton give you any idea?” Sy interjected before I could respond.

“No, he’s not allowed. And besides, the trials vary from year to year.”

Heaton’s hard gaze flickered in our direction, and I offered a tight smile. The days with our team leader seemed measured. He’d been concerned that he would be shipped off to fight this imaginary war before the first trial, and so had I. At least he was here with us today. Right now, the little victories seemed to count as much as the big ones.

“Any news on Heaton’s graduation?” I whispered to Rue.

“Not yet.” She gritted her teeth and kept her eyes trained upon the encroaching darkness over the luminous bridge Professor Gleamer had conjured for today’s event.

“I’m sorry,” I murmured.

“Don’t be sorry yet, A. At least he’s still here.”

Nodding slowly, her words echoing my thoughts, I pivoted my gaze to Heaton once again. He stood in the center of our team, an unfamiliar darkness carved into his jaw. He may not have been called to fight along the border of the Wilds just yet, but he frequently disappeared in the evenings aboard his ligel, returning in the morning visibly exhausted.

What was happening out there?

A cloud of inky darkness emerged along the opposite riverbank, and one-by-one they appeared. Our enemies, our competitors. Over a hundred of them, at least, came grouped in eight squads, much like we were, only our measly count was less than eighty.

“It truly isn’t fair that we cannot travel through light as they do through shadow,” Sy complained.

“And realms, they do seem advanced for first-years,” Rue whispered. “I thought shadowtraveling was a senior level ability?”

“It is.” My thoughts flew back to all the times I’d been transported through the murky ether with Reign. It had required a tremendous amount of nox , so how were first-years able to wield it already?

Headmaster Malakar coalesced from the cluster of students as I scanned the line for a certain prince. Despite squinting to make out their shadowy forms, I couldn’t find Tenebris’s heir. Which prince would I get today, the one whose dragon tried to scorch me on that desolate isle or the smooth, charming one I encountered last night at the banquet?

“Welcome to the first day of the Umbral Trials, initiates,” Malakar shouted from across the river. A cruel smile flashed across the headmaster’s face, curling the corners of his thick mustache. “I will not bore you with speeches as my colleague across the river did last night.” The grin grew wider, more unhinged. “Instead, let us get right to it.”

He took a step to the side, and an enormous metal sphere materialized from the shadow of the Citadel. “I present the Luminescent Gauntlet. Students, you must navigate this labyrinth that alternates between complete darkness and blinding light. The goal is to reach the heart of the labyrinth, where a sacred relic awaits—the key to passing the trial and advancing to the next round of the competition.”

“How many rounds will there be in the trials?” I whispered to Rue.

“Typically, three or four.”

“What if we don’t advance?”

“We’ll be disqualified.”

“That sounds like the least of all evils,” Symon interjected.

“Not exactly.” She tipped her head to whisper between both our ears. “Those disqualified are forced to spend the remainder of the trial period at the opposing campus.”

“You’re shitting me…” Sy hissed, and a long moment of silence stretched between us.

“Are there any sort of rules that apply while we’re there?” I blurted.

“In theory, we are meant to survive the stay, but who knows with those Shadow Fae…”

A heavy silence descended over us. A long minute later, Sy’s lips quirked. “Something to stew over another day. Then again, perhaps I’ll have better luck with the Shadow Fae females. Have you seen some of them? That dark hair, those mesmerizing onyx eyes…”

“Okay, we get it, they’re gorgeous and exotic.” I huffed out an irritated breath until my friend’s fingers wrapped around a lock of my own raven hair.

“Just like you, my little Kin.”

Heat burned my cheeks as I fought a smile. “You’re impossible.”

“Can you three be quiet?” Ariadne hissed, pressing a finger to her lips. “I’m trying to listen.”

Belmore stood beside her, ever the doting boyfriend. At least he’d been so wrapped up in his little fling, he’d left me alone since the code of conduct slid back into place. A sneer twisted his lips, and as I forced my gaze away, I caught the glimpse of a pale blonde, shorn head of hair standing a row behind him. Wonderful, Lucian. Oddly, and luckily enough, I had yet to have an encounter with him this term. Besides passing sightings, the Light Fae had remained predominantly in the shadows.

Was it because of Kian? Did he have any idea what we’d done to his friend? No one had mentioned a word about his disappearance. Then again, students occasionally vanished around here, whether it was desertion or something else, no one ever talked about it. Lucian’s mossy green eyes caught mine, and he lifted his index finger to his neck, slowly dragging it across his throat. His mouth twisted into a sinister smile. Well, it seemed as if my short-lived reprieve was about to come to an end.

“And now, if all the Light Fae initiates would kindly join us on this side of the river?” Malakar’s voice put an end to all my dark contemplations about Lucian to focus on the new, more essential threat, the fierce Shadow Fae we were about to compete against.

The leader of Scorch Squad set foot atop the luminous bridge, the shifting substance made only of light and rais shimmering beneath his boots. Then his team followed, and I couldn’t help but keep one eye on Lucian as he crossed over. Would he use this opportunity to finally stab me in the back while I was distracted by our real enemies?

“Flare Squad, let’s move,” Heaton announced, and we all stepped into line behind him.

For the first time since we’d congregated along the river, my head twisted over my shoulder in search of the one who shall not be named. For some reason, as we left the relative safety of the western bank, I needed the reassurance of his presence. Would Reign be permitted to join us on Shadow soil, or would he be forced to remain here, the banished traitor?

A flash of darkness snaked through the outskirts of the gathered squads, and as always, I could feel his aura without having to see his face. Those shadows were a constant—watching, waiting, protecting.

The moment my boot landed on Umbral soil, the invisible binds that often constricted my rais began to unravel. I could breathe more freely, and a rush of power surged to the surface. The medallion tucked beneath my tunic began to warm, quickening my pulse.

This wasn’t the first time I’d felt my necklace react to my burgeoning rais , but I’d never experienced it on this side of the river. Maybe it was time to share this development with my professor. If we truly were to go to Mysthallia to find a Spellbinder to break whatever this hold was over my powers, he needed to be privy to all the details.

As hesitant as I was to impart them…

“Welcome to the Court of Umbral Shadows, young Light Fae.” Malakar stood in front of the enormous metallic globe with arms outstretched. “This will be the first trial of four you must master in the next four weeks. Should you fail, and not die, you will spend the remaining time as our guest at the Citadel.” He waved his hand at the jagged, obsidian turrets that stretched to the midnight sky.

Then he turned to the troop of gathered Shadow Fae students. “The same is true for the lot of you. And may Noxus bless you if that is your fate.” Muttered groans escaped from the Shadow side. “The rules are simple: there are none. Your only goal is to retrieve the artifacts as a team. There are fourteen sacred relics, and as you can see, there are sixteen teams. Therefore, two squads will come out of this empty-handed. You do not want to be one of them.” A sharp keening sound sent my heart leaping up my throat, and a hidden door in the sphere glided open. “May the gods be with you.”