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

Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty-Eight

A elia

The week came and went in a blur of strenuous training and sleepless nights. Unlike the other trials we’d encountered, the Mirror of Illusions would test our mental strength.

According to Heaton, we would have to face and defeat mirror images of ourselves that reflected our inner fears and weaknesses. My fingers instinctively drifted up to my rounded ear. If only I’d learned the truth of my origins on our journey to Mysthallia, maybe I wouldn’t have so many damned fears. The visit with Melisara had only left me with more unanswered questions.

As if my own concerns weren’t enough, I could practically feel Reign’s bleeding out from the tense set of his body, the twitch of his jaw, the deep furrow of his brow. He had spent the last two nights skulking over the border to Arcanum to meet with Gideon in hopes of finding answers about the inexplicable zar binding my powers.

So far, their efforts had proved fruitless.

An unnatural shift in the air drew my attention from my spiraling thoughts. That now familiar cloud of darkness blossomed along the foot of the Luminoc an instant before the horde of Shadow Fae first-years appeared on the river bank.

Rue bristled beside me, and her typically congenial expression morphed into something harder, fiercer today. Maybe I wasn’t the only one with secrets. Beside her stood Sy, and just beyond, Liora. She’d been training with Flare team all week, and as much as I wanted to hate her, she’d been cordial, nice even.

The flood of hostile nox from the approaching Shadow Fae writhed across my skin, compelling my rais to the surface. Throwing my shoulders back, I stiffened at the influx of power, steeling my resolve. Never show fear . It was one of the first lessons Reign had attempted to instill when I arrived at the Conservatory. My eyes darted to the left where our professors stood behind the headmaster beneath the shade of an enormous weeping willow. As Malakar and his students marched closer, my fingers twitched for the daggers I should have had at my hips.

There were no weapons allowed today, the battle would be won with mental resilience alone. I only hoped my radiant energy would be enough to dispel the tangle of fears that would be magnified in those mirrors.

As the Arcanum initiates filed into a line across from us, a dark gaze caught mine. Prince Ruhl stood in the middle of the pack, a devious grin hitching up the corners of his lips and setting his pitch eyes ablaze. “Good luck,” he mouthed.

The words were so unexpected that inexplicable heat flushed my cheeks. Instead of responding, I pivoted to the Hall of Luce, focusing my attention to where the trial would be held. Though we hadn’t been informed of the details, Heaton had said the interior hall would be transformed for the event, much like for the grand Opening Night Ball. Only this time, instead of chandeliers and fineries, we’d be stepping into a battleground to face our greatest fears and inadequacies.

“First-years,” Draven bellowed, and all eyes turned to the headmaster, including Ruhl’s, saving me from their intense scrutiny. “Today, you will be facing off with the Mirror of Illusions, possibly your greatest foe yet. You will enter the hall in pairs, one student from Luce and one from Arcanum at a time. Light Fae must use their radiant energy to dispel the shadows of their fears, while Shadow Fae must embrace and manipulate their fears to overpower the illusions. You will have thirty minutes to complete this trial. Those who do not pass will spend the remainder of the trials at the opposite academy.”

A frosty chill skirted up my spine at the mere idea of it.

Malakar stalked forward, a whirl of shadows following in his wake, nearly blanketing Headmaster Draven in darkness. “The first competitors to enter the hall will be: Prince Ruhl of Umbra and Aelia Ravenwood.”

All the air caught in my throat, an embarrassing choking sound erupting from my depths. Rue’s panicked gaze zipped to mine, her hand clamping around my clammy palm and offering a quick squeeze before releasing me. “You’ve got this,” she whispered.

“Both of you, step forward,” Malakar drawled. No title for the prince, no royal monikers were used this time. It seemed as if the prince truly was treated like any other at the Citadel.

I attempted to obey, but the soles of my boots seemed to have suddenly grown roots and buried deep into the ground. Ruhl’s dark eyes caught mine from across the line, a taunting twist to his lips. He stepped forward, and a surge of nox crashed over me, compelling my own movements. My feet rushed forward of their own accord, and I heaved in a breath of relief. We met in the center of the line, our respective classmates on either side of us. In oddly perfect unison, we pivoted toward the open doors of the hall.

“I certainly hope your fears won’t get the best of you today, Kin,” Ruhl whispered as we marched toward the entrance.

His weak attempt at an insult only stiffened my spine, strengthening my resolve. “What fears?” I countered.

A sharp laugh vibrated his chest, the sound lacking the warmth of Reign’s hard-won genuine chuckles. As if my thoughts had summoned the other Shadow royal, his dark gaze chased to mine from within the semi-circle of professors. He dipped his head, the movement so faint, I doubted anyone else would’ve noticed, myself included, had I not been so damned attuned to the male.

We reached the doorway and an icy blast of air raised the tiny hairs along my bare arms. Despite today’s trial being a non-combative one, I still chose to wear my sleeveless tunic and fighting leathers for optimal range of motion.

“The time starts, now.” Draven’s deep voice echoed behind us.

A flicker of amusement flashed across Ruhl’s face before he crossed the threshold. “See you on the other side, little Kin.”

With one last, steadying breath, I willed my legs forward. The vast, circular hall was lined with hundreds of polished mirrors, each one shimmering faintly. I took another step, and my breath caught as the door sealed shut behind me with a soft hiss. Relax, Aelia . As I approached the center, the mirrors rippled and morphed, revealing hundreds of twisted, distorted versions of myself.

From the corner of my eye, I could just make out Ruhl already halfway down the immense room. I forced myself to focus, calling on my rais , building a wall of it, higher than the great peaks of the Alucian Mountains.

The chamber was unnervingly quiet, the only sound the faint hum of energy that vibrated through the air, as if the walls themselves were alive. The circular hall stretched endlessly, lined with hundreds of mirrors, each one gleaming in the dim, ethereal light. Their surfaces rippled like water, reflecting not just my appearance, but something deeper. Something far more dangerous.

As I took another measured step toward the center, my reflection flickered, twisting unnaturally. My eyes narrowed, heart thundering louder with every step. The farther I walked, the more the reflections distorted. The mirrors weren’t just showing my face, they were showing my fears—twisting my features, distorting my essence. One moment I was bathed in light, then the next, dark shadows warped my features, plunging me into darkness. I could feel the pressure building in the chamber, the weight of my own insecurities pressing down on me like a suffocating blanket.

The prophecy.

The child of twilight.

Shadow Fae.

Light Fae .

Who are you, Aelia ?

The wicked whispers twirled in the air, and my reflection suddenly froze. It wasn’t my image staring back anymore. A version of myself, cruel and mocking, took form in the glass. Her lips curled into a sinister smile as she stepped out of the mirror, a strikingly beautiful version of myself with sharp pointed ears and incisors, her eyes filled with all the doubts and failures I fought so hard to bury.

A child of twilight, born from the dance of light and dark, shall emerge with the power to reshape destinies. That sinister voice, my own, echoed across the chamber.

Will you bring forth a new dawn or plunge all into eternal dusk ?

A dark shadow raced across my peripheral vision, stealing the remaining air from my lungs. I whipped around to find Ruhl racing past. His hands were clapped over his ears, face twisted in fear.

"You don’t belong here," my reflection sneered, turning my attention to that voice dripping with malice, each word like a dagger slicing through my confidence. "You’re just a lowly Kin, a pretender with your power bound. You believe you can survive these trials? You think Reign or anyone else will care when you fail?"

The hissed words hit me like a punch to the gut. I swallowed hard, fists clenching as the mirrored version of myself circled me, her form wreathed in dark, writhing shadows. The air around her seemed to darken, as if she were sucking the light from the room itself.

“You’re nothing,” she hissed, her voice rising, the shadows swirling closer to my feet. “You think you’re special? That the goddess chose you in her infinite wisdom? It was a mistake. You belong at the mercy of a Fae lord, nothing but a warm body to fill his bed.” Cold tendrils snaked up my legs, nothing like the pleasant icy tingles Reign’s shadows elicited, threatening to pull me down into the void.

“You, the child of the prophecy, will plunge us all into darkness.”

“No, it’s not me!” I cried. “It can’t be.”

“You can delude yourself all you want, Aelia, but you know the truth.” My reflection stabbed a very real-feeling finger into my chest. Pure obsidian bled across the familiar blue irises, morphing them into liquid pools of night. “Despite the binds that steal your powers, you can feel it. There is real darkness inside you, waiting to break free. That is why your abilities were bound.”

“No, you’re wrong.”

“Even Reign won’t be able to help you. Worse, he won’t want to.”

“No…”

I forced air into my lungs, focusing on the countless hours of training. My rais surged to the surface, a shield of liquid light. I wasn’t just a powerless Kin anymore; I was Light Fae, and possibly Shadow Fae. But more importantly, I was more than the doubts festering in the depths of my mind. Even if I was the child of twilight, I would choose my own destiny. I would never be the worst version of myself. My hand glowed with the faintest flicker of light as rais flowed through my veins, the warmth of it spreading from my fingertips, steadying my resolve.

“You’re wrong,” I said, my voice steadier now despite the panic clawing at my insides. “I’ve survived much worse than you. Or me, rather.”

My mirror-self laughed, a cold, cruel sound. But I ignored it. I allowed the light to grow within me, forcing the shadows back. I was not just this broken version reflected in this cursed mirror. I was stronger than my fears, stronger than this illusion.

None of it was real.

From across the hall, I could just make out Ruhl battling his own inner demons, his nox penetrating the air. It washed over me, tangling with the rais rushing to the surface. The surge of power clashed, siphoning all the air from my lungs. I channeled the heady, icy nox and drew it inside me until the dark, smoky energy filled my core. My knees trembled, but I held fast, channeling the potent influx.

The light in my hand intensified, flooding the chamber with radiant energy. The shadows recoiled, and my twisted reflection began to waver. With a final push of rais , I splayed my fingers and flung the light toward the mirrors, the blinding flash shattering the illusion around me.

The glass splintered and fell, the entire chamber quaking at the explosive rush of energy. I dropped to the ground, shielding my face with my arms until the tremors subsided.

“What the realms was that?” a familiar voice growled from a few yards away.

I spun around to find Ruhl crouched beside a crumbling column, shards of glass strewn across the marble floor. I heaved in a breath as the air grew still once more, the oppressive weight lifting from my chest. Pushing myself off the floor, my heart racing, I surveyed the remaining fragments. Now the only image reflected was me.

My hair was disheveled, and I’d earned a few new scratches, but I’d survived. And I vowed in that moment that no one would ever force me to doubt myself again.

Ruhl stalked closer, dark eyes tapered at the edges.

A twinge of fear rekindled in my chest. Had he heard the whispers too? Did he know about the prophecy?

As he approached, a wild expression in his eye and his cheeks a sallow hue, my worries were assuaged. Whatever he’d seen must have been just as bad, if not worse, judging by the haunted look in his eyes. If I hadn’t seen his fears, he must not have noticed mine either, right?

Pressing his palm to his chest, he moved his hand in a slow circle. Curses, had he felt me draw on his nox ? His eyes sharpened as he regarded me. “It seems to me you’ve been holding out, little Kin.” The darkness in his gaze relented, replaced by something more frightening still.

Curiosity.