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

Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

A elia

The final level loomed just over our heads, and excitement quickened my footsteps as I followed behind Heaton. A steady pulse of energy ignited in the air, a mix of rais and nox ; something with tremendous power. It had to be the sacred artifact.

“Psst,” Rue whispered, moving up beside me. “Are you really not going to tell me what happened with you and the prince back there? Or explain why those shadows are following us?”

I hazarded a peek over my shoulder at the coiling darkness hovering in the air only a few yards behind our squad. At first, I’d thought they were part of the labyrinth, but as they traced our every move, the answer became evident.

I knew without a doubt they did not belong to Reign. I would recognize his dark minions anywhere. Which meant, there was only one other Shadow Fae they could belong to. Ruhl.

“I have no idea,” I murmured lamely.

“A! You’ve got to be kidding me. They showed up shortly after the Shadow Fae prince miraculously assisted us. Why would he have done that, anyway?”

“Maybe because I helped one of his own?”

Her light eyes narrowed. “The prince does not seem like the type to be overly concerned about his teammates.”

“Maybe none of us know him as well as we think. Perhaps we know nothing about the Shadow Fae at all!”

Rue’s eyes widened, mouth curving and it occurred to me that perhaps I’d been a little overzealous on behalf of Shadow Fae—or of one, in particular.

“There!” Heaton’s cry of excitement sent my head spinning away from my best friend and toward our team leader. He pointed up the next incline to a shimmering pedestal. Something glittered atop the marble slab, but it was too difficult to discern what from this angle.

“Oh, Raysa, we made it!” Rue squealed, thankfully forgetting all about our current topic of conversation.

“And not a moment too soon.” Sy rubbed at his shoulder. “Everything hurts and my rais is nearly depleted from this infernal darkness.”

Belmore raced up the ramp, hands outstretched.

“No, wait!” Heaton shouted as Belmore lunged for the artifact.

As his hands closed around the shimmering object, a bloodcurdling scream tore from his mouth. The pungent odor of burnt flesh permeated the passageway, and the glowing stone toppled from his hands as he shrieked. The luminescent relic began to roll down the ramp as we all watched, frozen in place.

“Someone get it!” Ariadne cried.

No one moved. And it was no wonder. Belmore sat hunched on the floor nursing his scalded, blistering black flesh.

Before I could think better of it, I summoned my rais as my thoughts flickered back to one of last term’s trials. Ethereal Light Sculpting. It was one of my favorites. I balanced the sphere of luminous energy in my palm, then slowly stretched it using the other, thinning it out until I’d fashioned a lasso of sorts. Wrapping my hand around one end, I tossed the loop toward the fleeing artifact.

The circle of light landed just shy of the rolling relic.

Curses!

“Try again, Aelia,” Heaton shouted.

Reeling in the rope of pure light, I drew in a steadying breath before drawing it over my head and releasing it once more. It sailed through the air, as if in slow motion, before it tangled with a tendril of darkness.

The wisps of light and dark dropped right on top of the radiant stone. I tugged on the rope and the lasso tightened, cinching around the iridescent prize.

“Aelia, you did it!” Symon squealed an inch from my ear.

I carefully pulled on the shimmering rope until the artifact sat at the tip of my boot.

“What is it?” Rue peered over my shoulder on tiptoes.

“It looks like some sort of glowing rock,” said Sy.

Heaton appeared beside us, along with Belmore, still nursing his blackened hands, Ariadne, and the rest of the team. “Not just any rock, squad. It’s the Valorite stone, a mystical artifact that measures one’s courage and bravery. It is said that only those with impeccable strength of character may touch it.”

“Why didn’t you tell us that before?” Belmore grumbled.

“I’m afraid I’m only supposed to be here as your guide, team. There are certain things that I cannot disclose as your leader.”

“Well, that’s bullshit,” Belmore hissed, blowing on his hands.

“It’s the nature of the trials, unfortunately.” Heaton curled an arm around my shoulders and rewarded me with a soft smile. “Well done, Aelia. I have no doubt you could have touched the artifact yourself, but it was smart thinking being cautious. That mindset will serve you well throughout the remainder of the trials.”

“Ugh, of course, the little Kin is always so perfect.” Ariadne rolled her eyes.

“It will do you well to remember that this is a team effort, Miss Bamberlight. You’ll need each other in the weeks to come, and unfortunately, I may not always be here to guide you.”

That pit of dread blossomed low in my belly once more.

“Come, now, we have the artifact, and that means Flare Squad has passed the first Umbral Trial. It is time to celebrate.” Heaton squeezed me into his side as we began the slow descent to the entrance. I should have been happy, I deserved to celebrate, but I couldn’t keep the unease at bay. Not only was the possibility that Heaton would not be with us in the second trial a great one, but also, there was that little shadow who’d directed my lasso and saved us in the last second.

Why would Ruhl help me? And worse, what would he require in return?

The evening’s celebrations in Heaton’s room were cut short by a sharp knock on the door. Dropping my goblet filled to the brim with lager, I spun toward the entryway. The hair on the back of my neck had already begun to bristle, signifying the approach of my new mentor.

Before Heaton made it to the entrance, the door swung open and none other than Reign darkened the threshold. What I had not been prepared for was the female at his side.

“What the realms is she doing here?” Rue spat as her gaze followed mine.

Symon unraveled his arms from around our shoulders. “Oh, come on, girls, the more the merrier.”

Rue shoved our friend off the divan, and he slid to the floor in a tangle of long legs.

“Hey!” he grumbled.

“What is the matter with you?” Rue smacked the back of his head. “You know we are team Aelia and Reign.”

“And don’t you see that’s exactly what I’m trying to do? If I manage to steal her attentions with my ruggedly handsome good looks then she’ll leave the shady professor alone.” He threw me a wink, the smirk setting off a twinkle in his light eyes.

“Oh, stop, both of you.” I knotted my arms across my chest and sank into the soft settee. “What Reign does with his new acquisition is up to him.”

“Well, he’s coming this way,” Sy whispered. “Don’t worry, my little round-eared friend, I’ll have the new female in my clutches in no time.”

A cackle erupted through my pursed lips despite my best efforts. Gods, I loved Symon, despite his ridiculousness. In fact, it only made me love him more.

Reign’s overpowering presence washed over me an instant before his looming shadow appeared over my shoulder. “May I have a word with you?” His deep voice traveled through his dark minion as he circled the shell of my ear.

“In private or along with your newest acquisition?” I whisper-hissed. “How many gildings do you have riding on her success?”

Both of my friends kept their gazes pinned straight ahead, but with their sensitive Fae hearing, I was certain they’d heard every bitter word. What did it matter, anyway?

Firm hands clamped down on my shoulders from behind, then icy shadows crawled beneath my underarms, and for an instant, I was completely weightless. Darkness consumed my vision for a long moment, until I was unceremoniously dropped onto the floor just outside Heaton’s dormitory door.

A pair of blazing midnight irises found mine, and a haggard breath flitted across my lips. “What the stars happened in the gauntlet today?” he growled.

“What do you mean?”

“One of Ruhl’s shadows sent me a message shortly after you finished.”

“What did he say?”

“He said I owed him for saving my girlfriend.”

A stupid grin crept across my face, and I clapped my hand over my mouth.

“Oh, you think this is funny, princess?” He pinned me to the wall, those shadows surging over me like a tidal wave. “You thought owing me a favor was bad, you would never survive Ruhl.”

“I didn’t ask him for help.”

“It doesn’t matter. He easily could have turned his favor against you.”

“But he didn’t…”

“This time.” He pressed closer, those shadows like frenzied beasts as they swirled between us. “You cannot trust him.”

“I don’t,” I spat. “But what I suppose you’ll say next is that I can trust you ?”

“Always.” His jaw slammed shut, his mouth slanting into a hard line. He took a step back, and my lungs began to function once more, now that I could breathe air untainted with his musky scent.

I leaned against the wall, my entire body deflating. “Why did you bring her ?” I muttered.

“I didn’t bring Liora, Aelia. I ran into her along the way. She followed me, and I could hardly say no.”

I stepped closer and gripped his jaw, fingers digging into his cheeks. “It’s very simple. You merely move your mouth like this and say no …”

He swatted my hand away, the hint of a smile ghosting across the hard set of his jaw. “I suppose I have a weakness for my acquisitions.”

“Bastard,” I gritted out before spinning to the door.

“You’re going back in?”

“I am.”

“Since you have the day off tomorrow, I thought perhaps it would be the perfect time to go on a little trip across the border.”

My pulse quickened as I whirled back around. “To Mysthallia?”

He nodded. “I’ve already gotten Draven’s permission to give you a day of leave on top of tomorrow’s respite. That leaves us two days to find the answers we need.”

That familiar tangle of nerves surged in my belly. If we could find a way to break the spell, we would be one step closer to uncovering the truth of my past. But would it also confirm the dire truth of the prophecy?

“So, what do you say, princess?” He offered his hand, an unreadable expression on that brutally handsome face. “Are you ready to learn the truth?”

I drew in a deep breath and steadied my racing heart before I placed my palm in his. “I will be by tomorrow.”