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

Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty-Nine

A elia

The chaotic shuffle of bodies drowned out the mad thumping of my heart against my ribs. “Come on, Aelia!” Rue’s hand closed around mine and she dragged me toward the open door, where it was jammed with figures, both light and dark. I could feel the tension in the air as we stood at the threshold, the weight of what lay ahead pressing down on us.

“Flare Squad, follow me!” Heaton led the charge, pushing his way through the mass of bodies attempting to squeeze through the opening of the giant metal globe. “ Rais at the ready,” Heat called over his shoulder, his voice calm and authoritative, cutting through the tension like a blade. "We stick together, and no one goes off alone. This labyrinth will try to divide us, but we’re stronger as a unit. Trust in your abilities and in each other."

Inky darkness poured forth and tendrils of night stretched beyond Heaton’s large frame. A heady surge of rais flowed through our squad and a dozen ethereal blades blinked into existence, illuminating the black. My own luminous dagger materialized in my palm without much effort. It wasn’t as comforting as my typical blades, but it would have to do for now.

“Which way do we go?” Ariadne pushed her way to the front to stand by Heaton, a glowing sphere in one hand and a light spear in the other.

A series of ramps and walkways stretched high into the cupola, shifting and twisting as blasts of light and streams of darkness wound around the metal globe.

“These artifacts could be anywhere,” Belmore huffed.

“Well, there’s nowhere to go but up.” I tipped my head back and scanned the tangle of passageways. A scream ricocheted overhead, and my stomach lurched as a body plummeted from a level above. The female Light Fae hit the floor with a sickening smack, landing only a few yards from where I stood, her neck contorted at a gruesome angle.

“Oh, Raysa, bless her,” Rue muttered.

I hazarded a quick peek at the girl. She looked familiar, though I didn’t know her well, possibly from Burn Squad. We had spent more time with that team ever since Rue and Devin began seeing each other. Now with their relationship a bit unresolved, we’d stopped frequenting the Burn floor of the dormitories.

“Aelia’s right,” Heaton called out, returning our attention from the fallen Fae to the trial. “We must continue upwards.” If we didn’t want to join her in eternal rest in the arms of Noxus, we had to win. The idea of spending a week or more at Arcanum was motivation enough to speed up my sluggish movement. “This way.” Heaton sprinted up a ramp to our right, in the opposite direction of the body splattered on the floor.

Ariadne and Belmore fell back, whispering amongst themselves so I took the opportunity to drag Rue and Symon past them, Sylvan and Zephyr. I would much rather Heaton’s company anyway.

“How is it that you’re allowed to lead us on this trial?” I asked as I moved into step beside him as my friends followed just behind.

“To ensure our Shadow Fae counterparts behave.” A somber expression cut into his jaw. “They are given the same allowance when they attend events on our shores, but they do not always take advantage of them.”

“I see.” A moment of silence passed between us as he scanned the passage ahead. “Well, I’m glad you’re here with us, Heaton.”

“As am I, Aelia. I only hope I will be able to lead the team through all four trials.”

“Still no word on when you might be called to the front lines?”

He gritted his teeth. “Not yet.”

A cloud of sheer black swallowed up the mystical light from our weapons, and we were plunged into complete darkness. “Flare team, get ready for anything!” Heaton shouted.

A figure emerged from the shadows, a dark Fae female with a luminous blade protruding just beneath her collar bone. Dark blood trickled from her mouth as she staggered toward us.

“Oh, gods…”

“Help me,” she rasped out, her hand reaching for my own.

She inched closer, and Symon’s ethereal sword illuminated his palm.

“Take her out!” Belmore yelled.

“No. She’s injured, can’t you see that?”

“She wouldn’t think twice about ending your life, you stupid Kin,” he barked.

“Hey!” Rue cried and stepped between us. “Don’t talk to her like that.”

“Help me,” the dark-haired female whispered, her voice faint.

My head pivoted to Heaton, eyes searching his weary ones. I couldn’t leave her like this, and I certainly wouldn’t allow one of these bloodthirsty fools to take her life. Our team leader’s head slowly dipped, and I closed the distance between the female Fae and me. Blood dribbled down her chin as she watched me warily.

“I’m going to help you.” Or at least I’d try. I’d seen Elisa perform the feat countless times, searing a wound with powerful light. “What’s your name?”

“Clarys.”

“Okay, Clarys, you’re going to be just fine.”

“We’re wasting precious time,” Belmore barked, and a few other members of the team echoed his sentiments. Zephyr and Silvan both nodded, attempting to move farther up the ramp.

“Go on without me, then, I’ll meet up with you.”

“No, we stay together,” Heaton interjected. “Just do it, Aelia.”

Gingerly, I reached for the blade of light and pulled it free. The female hunched over, hissing curses as dark, nearly black, blood spilled from her wound. Before she bled out, I lifted my palm and power flickered to the surface. Summoning my rais, that inexorable energy pulsed through my veins. I pressed my palm to the wound and the sizzle of charred flesh pierced the dense silence. The unmistakable odor reached my nostrils next, and my stomach churned. Holding my breath, I seared off the wound as the female clenched her teeth, but not a single cry erupted from her pinched lips.

Good gods, that had to have been horribly painful. How could she withstand it?

As the fiery heat in my hand died away, dark eyes lifted to mine. “Cheers,” she gritted out. Before I could reply, she spun around and disappeared into the encroaching shadows.

Well, you’re welcome .

“Now, if you’re quite done saving our enemy,” Belmore hissed as he stalked past me, “we have an artifact to find. I personally would rather die than spend a week in the hands of Arcanum students.”

At least now if we did, perhaps someone would show us mercy as we’d shown them. Too much to wish for, surely.

“Let’s move,” Heaton commanded.

The darkness was so thick it felt like it was pressing in on us, suffocating in its intensity. We walked on in the interminable void for what felt like hours. I had to reignite my light, but I needed a moment to replenish the well of power in my core. That and the thought of what else might be waiting in the shadows, drawn to the illumination like moths to a flame, stilled my hand.

"Now, Aelia," Heaton urged quietly. "We need light to find the markers."

Taking a deep breath, I summoned a small orb of light in my palm, just enough to cast a soft glow around us. The darkness recoiled, revealing a narrow pathway lined with ancient stone walls that seemed to pulse with a faint, eerie glow. On the walls, faint glyphs flickered in and out of existence.

“Celestial glyphs!” I whisper-shouted.

"There!" Symon pointed to a glyph that flashed brighter than the others, a faint outline of an arrow etched into the stone. "That’s our direction."

We moved cautiously, the light barely strong enough to cut through the thick darkness. The path twisted and turned, and every step felt like it could lead us farther into a trap. The silence was unnerving, broken only by our soft footsteps and the occasional drip of water echoing somewhere in the distance.

The darkness around us began to shift, pulling back as a blinding light burst forth from the walls, flooding the corridor in an overwhelming radiance. I winced, shielding my eyes as the light burned through my vision, turning everything into a blinding white void.

"Not too pleasant is it, my Light Fae friends.” A familiar voice echoed just behind me. I twisted around and came nose to chest with Ruhl. His cool shadows coiled over his skin, dampening the overpowering light. “Hello, little Kin, so lovely to see you again,” he whispered.

Even with the intense flare nearly blinding me, I caught Rue’s eyes widening from my periphery as she watched our exchange. Heaton moved beside her, and a sword of pure rais appeared in his palm.

“Care for some assistance?” A mischievous grin split the Shadow prince’s lips.

“Why would you help us?” I squealed.

“Because my team, Midnight Squad, has already found our relic, and I’m bored.” He lifted a nonchalant shoulder. “Besides, if you get eliminated so soon, what fun would that be?”

I slapped my hands on my hips and glared at the cocky male. “What are you playing at, princey?”

“Nothing. I swear.” He lifted his hands, palms up, the picture of innocence. “If you do not care for my assistance, I’ll be happy to be on my merry way.”

My eyes darted to Heaton’s who slowly shook his head. Of course he wouldn’t trust him. And why should I truly? But there it was again, that unnerving sensation that always accompanied Ruhl’s presence.

“Have I ever lied to you, Aelia?”

Curses, it was as if he’d plucked the thoughts right out of my head.

“In fact, as I recall, I was the only one who told you the truth.” Those shadows tightened around his form, like an armor of liquid night.

“Fine,” I gritted out.

Ruhl sketched an elaborate bow. “At your service.” He acted instantly, casting shadows that danced and twisted, creating a makeshift shield against the intense light. The contrast was disorienting, the blinding light against the pitch-black shadows making it hard to focus, hard to think.

"This way!" Heaton commanded, pointing toward a faintly visible marker that flickered between the two extremes of light and dark.

Before following behind our team leader, I met Ruhl’s glinting eyes. “Cheers,” I murmured.

“Cheers, little Kin. Until we meet again.” With that, the royal heir vanished into the ether. I half believed he’d never been there at all. Why would he help us?

“Aelia, come on!” Rue shouted.

I darted behind them, ducking beneath the shadowy veil and pressing forward. The heat from the incessant light was unbearable, despite the swirling shadows Ruhl had lent us. I could feel my energy draining as I struggled to keep my own light steady, guiding us through the chaos.

Just as I thought we’d cleared the blasted light, the ground beneath us began to tremble. A low rumble echoed behind us, and I glanced back just in time to see the walls closing in, the corridor narrowing dangerously.

"Run!" Heaton shouted.

We bolted up the ramp, the light and shadows shifting around us with every step. My heart pounded as we raced through the maze, every twist and turn a potential dead end. The walls seemed to have a mind of their own, moving to block our path, forcing us to change direction, again and again. It was as if the labyrinth was trying to separate us, the very air between us thickening, pushing us apart.

"We’re close!" Symon yelled over his shoulder as he pointed at another luminescent marker up ahead. "Just a little farther!"

As we neared the glowing rune, the floor beneath us suddenly gave way. A scream ripped through my lips as we plunged into a freefall, the light and darkness spiraling around us in a chaotic blur.

“Rue! Symon!”

I screamed again, reaching out desperately for something, anything to hold on to, but there was nothing but the disorienting whirl of light and shadow.

Then, just as suddenly as we fell, we landed with a jarring thud, the ground solid beneath us once more. I groaned, pain flaring through my side when I hit the ground. Rolling over, I forced myself to stand, scanning the area for my friends.

"Heaton? Rue? Symon?" I called out, panic rising in my throat.

"We’re here," Rue’s voice came from my left, shaky but alive. A few other familiar voices muttered in the background. Ariadne and Belmore had survived the fall too. Lucky me.

Symon was already on his feet, helping Heaton up from where he’d fallen. We were bruised, battered, and exhausted, but we were still together.

"The heart of the labyrinth must be close," Heaton said, his voice rough. "We can’t let it break us now."

I nodded, feeling a new resolve harden within me. The end was in sight—we just had to keep pushing forward, together. Drawing in one last, determined breath, I ignited my light again, stronger this time, banishing the darkness as Flare Squad moved as one toward the top of the Luminescent Gauntlet.