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

Chapter 50

Chapter Fifty

R eign

Slivers of light stretched across the horizon, bathing the dark greens of the Feywood Forest in an ethereal glow. As the cool darkness gave way to the sunlight, I searched the tree line for any sign of Aelia, or worse, Ruhl. I’d spent the entire night sick with worry and completely helpless. Noxus, it was pure torture being forced to remain here, waiting and watching, unable to act, unable to protect her, unaware of what she was facing.

Aelia was out there somewhere with Ruhl at her side, plotting, strategizing for only the gods knew what. How my brother had managed to secure Aelia as his partner yet again was beyond me.

The Malakar I knew bent to no one, not even the heir of Shadows.

Could it be Draven, then? Had my deceitful half-brother found a way to bribe his way into his good graces?

I stalked a path along the edge of the trees, the same one I’d been trampling all night. What did it matter at this point how he’d done it? What I needed to determine was why. My little brother had shown far too much interest in Aelia already, and I needed to put an end to it, once and for all.

The familiar beating of wings sent my gaze skyward to a flock of skyriders approaching from the north. Without even getting a good look at the lead rider, I already knew who was to bless us with his royal radiance this morning. King Elian’s rais filled the sky, casting swathes of glittering light in his wake. And behind him, his ever-faithful Royal Guardians, along with one sniveling headmaster.

Why was the king here today?

The flight of skyriders angled their wings to the ground in astonishing unison, and the wave of accompanying rais barreled over me as they alighted only a few yards from the forest where I stood in the shadows. Spending all night here was hardly part of my duties, as professor or mentor. The less attention I drew the better.

So, I watched from a careful distance as King Elian dismounted from his fiery phoenix. The royal oozed power, a shimmering, corporeal host of pure light. The king’s mount was a borrowed creature, much like Pyra, as once a Fae lost their bonded skyrider, they were unable to bond again. According to old war stories Father had recounted, Elian’s dragon had been killed in an attempt to save the prior Light king, Alaric, his brother. The beast was brought down, and Elian too nearly met his fateful end.

Instead, it was Alaric who died and, with no heirs, his brother, Elian, assumed the role of king upon his passing. Fate truly was a fickle bitch.

A sudden shift in the air jerked me from musings of the past and to the flicker of darkness pooling only a few yards from the entourage of Light Fae. Nox crawled across my skin, eager to break free of its skeletal confines, and my shadows raged at the sudden influx.

A cloud of pure onyx shadows burst from the ether, and my heart ground to a halt. Turbulent, overwhelming power poured over me, further inciting my shadows into a frenzy. The King of Umbral Shadows emerged from the swirling darkness, his Umbral Guard in tow, and the streaks of first light appearing over the horizon all but stilled at his presence.

What in all the realms was he doing here?

Father rarely left the comfortable confines of his Shadow Fortress. And now, he’d come twice this term. Was it truly to keep an eye on his great heir, or was it something else?

The king did not so much as spare a glance in my direction, which should have pleased me, but somehow it only rankled my nerves. Instead, he marched straight for King Elian, the typical swagger in his step. Even from this distance, I could see the Light royal’s unease. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one caught off guard by my father’s arrival.

The crackle of leaves beneath heavy footfalls sent my head spinning toward the tree line, all thoughts of the royals forgotten. The hair on my nape prickled and an invisible tether forced my feet forward. My pulse ratcheted up as I fixed my gaze to the murky woods, waiting…

She stepped forth from the darkness, a beacon of shimmering light, and I could suddenly breathe again. Worse, I hadn’t realized I’d ever stopped. Aelia strode toward me, cradling the artifact with a victorious smile etched onto her face.

I surged forward, barely able to restrain myself from touching her. She kept a careful distance, holding the artifact against her chest. The multi-faceted crystal was encased in a delicate frame of silver that twisted and twirled into intricate filigree patterns, resembling the branches of an ancient tree.

“Well done, princess,” I whispered.

“Thank you.” She inched closer, holding the relic between us as if it could somehow protect her. “Lucian’s dead,” she murmured on an exhale.

“What? How? Are you all right?”

Aelia nodded slowly, the satisfaction from the win fading. “Ruhl killed him.”

“For attacking you?”

She shook her head. “No. Lucian slaughtered two Shadow Fae females from his team. I guess he actually cared about them.”

I snorted on a laugh, rolling my eyes. “Ruhl doesn’t care for anyone, princess. Don’t ever make the mistake of believing otherwise.”

A hint of irritation deepened the groove between her brows. “I don’t think you know your brother as well as you believe you do.”

Now I was the one becoming irritated. My fingers curled into my palms, nails biting into flesh. “You cannot be serious? You spend one night in the forest together and you think you know him better than I do? You forget that I have twenty years of experience with that little tyrant.”

“Maybe,” she muttered, “but he’s not all bad, Reign. Maybe you should get to know this new version of him. Four years is a long time and people do change.”

I couldn’t believe we were having this discussion. It was completely absurd. Peering over the top of her head, I searched the dim woods for Ruhl. “Where is my new and improved brother, anyway?”

As if my words had summoned him, he emerged from the thick copse, hauling something over his shoulder.

“What in the realms?” I cocked a brow as he marched closer with an immense satchel woven of shadows slung across his back.

“Clarys and Evin, Ruhl’s teammates and friends, as it seems,” Aelia whispered as she began to turn away. My fingers ached to grab her arm and wrench her back, to beg her to understand what Ruhl was truly like. But I couldn’t, not with so many spectators. Before she got far, she canted her head over her shoulder, bright eyes meeting mine. “You of all people should know how much these academies can change you, Reign.”

Without another word, she hurried behind Ruhl to greet the royals and claim their win.

Hours passed before all the competitors emerged from the forest, some victorious and others… dead. The crowd grew ever larger, until nearly all the remaining students were accounted for. Draven and Malakar hovered anxiously over their respective first-years, counting and recounting to determine which academy would be victorious.

Aelia remained far away from me surrounded by her friends and teammates. At least she seemed at ease. I reminded myself that was all I wanted for her: to be safe and alive. Still, every so often her gaze caught mine, and I could feel something there. Something more she wanted to tell me, perhaps?

Ruhl, too, kept his distance, surprisingly. I fully expected the triumphant bastard to come over and gloat over his win. Not only had he and Aelia been the first to find their relic, but they’d also set a Conservatory record in how quickly they’d been able to retrieve it. A part of me needed to know how they had accomplished that.

Determined to find out, and also lacking any other good excuse to speak to Aelia, I forced my legs forward. Shoving by Belmore and Ariadne, I found the semi-circle gathered around her as they all recounted their exploits of the evening. Even Liora had pushed herself into the mix, squeezing between Rue and Symon to regale the others of her harrowing tales.

“Excuse me,” I mumbled when I reached Liora.

She twirled around, a beaming smile on her face. “Did you see how well I did, professor?”

“Yes.” I dipped my head. “A fine job, indeed.” Clearing my throat, I ticked my head at Aelia. “I need a moment with my other acquisition.”

“Your first acquisition,” Rue chimed in.

“And favorite.” Symon threw me a cheeky grin.

“You know, I clearly remember a time not so long ago when you were both terrified of me.” My shadows coalesced over my shoulders, stretching into looming wings over my head. “I believe I preferred those days.”

“We didn’t.” Rue grinned up at me, but a tiny sliver of fear flashed as she took in the whirling mass of darkness over my head.

“Mmm,” I grumbled. “Aelia?” Offering my hand out of habit, I nearly snatched it back, but she surprised me by placing her palm in mine. Perhaps, I was right and there was something more she wanted to tell me.

I led her to a small grassy knoll beyond the forest, well into Feywood land now. Just over the rolling hills, the Wilds extended—barren, untamed land to the south. Neither of us spoke until we reached a shaded spot beneath a sprawling willow where the land began to grow steeper.

Aelia dropped to the ground, leaning on the slight incline, gaze locked on the cottony clouds overhead. I folded down beside her, careful not to sit too close. We were far enough away from prying eyes, but one could never be too sure, especially with both kings in such close proximity.

Which reminded me…

“Did either of the royals explain the reason for their surprise appearance today?”

She shrugged, keeping her gaze trained to the pale blue above. “They claimed to have come to wish us well.”

“And you don’t believe them?”

She propped herself up on her elbows and swung her blue-eyed gaze at me. “Do you?”

“Of course not.”

“Well, I think some of your cynicism has worn off on me, professor.”

“I hope that’s not the only thing.”

“No, also your ruthlessness, savagery, and general disregard for life.” Aelia blew out a breath, returning her gaze to the sky.

“Now, I know that’s not true.”

“I told Ruhl to kill him,” she whispered, her voice so quiet I could barely make it out. “I wanted him to destroy Lucian.”

I remained silent, allowing her to process the confession as I knew she needed to.

“But I changed my mind in the end. I couldn’t allow Ruhl to go through with it.” She paused, sucking her lower lip between her teeth. “I tried to stop him. I wasn’t fast enough to save Lucian, but I did get to Belmore in time.”

“You saved that arrogant Light Fae bastard after everything he’s put you through?”

Her voice dipped, expression thoughtful. “I may be Light Fae, possibly even Shadow Fae,” her voice dropped to barely audible levels, “but I refuse to be ruthless, savage, heartless?—”

“You refuse to be like me?”

She sprang up, hands flailing at her sides. “Yes! Is that so wrong?”

A regretful smile spread my lips as I regarded the female the gods had chosen as my perfect mate. How could they have made such an error? She was everything I was not, everything I could never be. Maybe it would be a mercy to sever this bond between us instead of tying her to such a selfish and cruel mate.

“No, it’s not wrong at all, Aelia. If there were more Fae like you, we would not endlessly find ourselves on the brink of war.”

Her expression fell, the mask of confidence she’d learned to wear crumbling. She sank down onto her knees beside me, brilliant irises opaqued. “I am the child of twilight, I know it now. But I refuse to be the dreaded ‘harbinger of oblivion’ the prophecy speaks of. I will instead be a beacon of light with the power to reshape destinies for the good of all Aetheria.”

A knot of tension coiled in my stomach. “How do you know?”

“My mother came to me in the forest. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it was her, I’m sure of it.”