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

Chapter 58

Chapter Fifty-Eight

A elia

Despite knowing it was coming, the tiny flare of hope Symon had instilled a few moments ago deflated as Malakar spoke the dreaded words. Today, I would be forced to fight the prince. In front of everyone. Worse, the moment the proclamation was out, King Tenebris materialized on the dais, inching closer to the two headmasters, his entourage of dark minions coiling and twisting around his ominous form.

He didn’t speak, didn’t utter a sound. Instead, he only stood there, his intense glare razing over each member of Flare Squad before settling on me. Heady, overwhelming nox polluted the air, pressing against my burgeoning rais . Every hair on my body stood on end as shards of ice surged through my veins at that piercing stare.

Frosty tendrils raced across the shell of my ear, followed by Reign’s agitated voice sailing across my eardrum. “Do not engage Ruhl, Aelia. Do you understand me? Do what you must to keep your distance. I don’t care if you must lose to avoid him. There is a reason my father is here, and I guarantee it is not to cheer on his favorite son.”

I nodded ever so slightly, worried the king would notice the swirl of darkness churning around me. His gaze never deviated, never confessed whether or not he had noticed Reign’s ghostly messenger.

The king’s heavy stare grew more suffocating, as if a bubble of nox surrounded me, squeezing the air from my lungs. My rais blossomed, surging below my skin, eager to fight the invasive intruder. Just when I was certain I couldn’t stand the onslaught for a moment longer, Ruhl appeared by his father’s side, diverting his attention.

Finally free of that overwhelming presence, I heaved in a breath, and my lungs began to function once more. Sweat slickened my brow, tiny droplets slinking down my back from the strain. Stars, that male was powerful.

“Now, it is time for the first two teams to take their places!” Draven bellowed.

I attempted to move, but my feet were rooted to the spot. Ruhl still stood beside the dais, speaking to his father, and Raysa, I wished I knew what they were saying. I briefly contemplated a celestial glyph to bolster my hearing, but the last thing I needed was for Draven to catch me listening to the Shadow royals’ conversation.

Ruhl’s gaze flickered in my direction for an instant as he turned away from his father and marched across the field to where Mordrin stood in front of the assembly of Shadow skyriders.

“Aelia, come on!” Rue waved at me, now a few yards down the field. Symon had already mounted as I stood there frozen.

“You can do this, princess.” Reign’s deep voice flitted across my ear. “I have the utmost faith in you.”

“How am I supposed to win if I cannot engage Ruhl?” I gritted out through clenched teeth, hoping no one was watching me talk to myself. “You know he will come after me.”

“Find another way, Aelia, please. This is the first time you’ve been forced to battle directly against Ruhl in the trials. If he feels the true extent of your offensive power, he will know, if he doesn’t already. And he’ll run to my father who will call in my vow. We cannot let that happen, no matter the cost.”

“So you’d rather I lose and spend the week at Arcanum?”

“I fear it’s the lesser of two evils.”

Gods, this was impossible. Blowing out a breath, I tried to force my legs to move. And to my surprise, they finally obeyed. A flurry of motion drew my attention across the field as Light and Shadow Fae initiates scrambled to board their mounts. Eight of us remained from Flare team, thanks to the addition of Liora, against the ten from Ruhl’s squad. I supposed I should have been appreciative to Lucian for taking out those two females in the last trial or we would have been even more outnumbered.

As I marched closer to Sol, I searched our mental link. It seemed quiet, but a hint of light trickled through. Sol ?

Yes, Aelia ?

Oh, good, I’m glad you’re still there.

I couldn’t very well abandon you, now, could I? A plume of silver smoke billowed from his wide nostrils.

I wasn’t sure after yesterday…

I apologize for my outburst. It had little to do with you, and more to do with my frustration with our current predicament.

And what is that ? I closed the final distance between us and stared up at his looming shadow.

I’m not even certain where to begin.

I suppose now isn’t the best time to discuss it anyway.

No, it is not. Right now, we must destroy that savage bastard. His reptilian irises narrowed to furious slits as he glared across the divide between the Light and Shadow teams.

Ruhl?

No, Mordrin . I had a chat with Phantom after our disagreement yesterday evening, and she brought certain truths to light.

A follow up question lingered on the tip of my tongue, but I never got the chance to voice it because a buzzer rang out, interrupting our mental conversation.

“That’s the warning bell,” Rue called out from Windy’s back a few yards away.

“Good luck, Rue!” I shouted.

“Same to you, A.”

Symon darted by, Griff’s wings already pounding the air. “I’ll see you ladies in the winner’s circle.”

A smile curled my lips despite the building tension as I waved one final time at my friends. Sol extended his leg, and I quickly climbed up, expertly avoiding the jagged protrusions. Once I was firmly seated between his wing bones, I cocked my head over my shoulder. Ruhl sat atop Mordrin, the smoky gray dragon glaring in our direction.

One day soon you’re going to have to fill me in on your history with that one.

Hopefully after today, I won’t have to suffer Mordrin’s presence any longer .

Unease rolled through me as I processed the lethal edge to his tone. I had never heard or felt that depth of fury from my dragon before. It was more than alarming.

“Initiates, take to the skies!” Draven called out.

I hazarded a quick glance at Rue, then Symon, and my heart pinched. Belmore, Ariadne and Liora were all nearby aboard their skyriders, and I sent each a tight smile. The mad pounding of wings beat the air into a whirlwind, echoing the escalating drumbeats of my pulse. This was it.

The buzzer rang out, and chaos erupted around me like a violent storm unleashed.

My stomach dipped when the winds roared past me as Sol spiraled upward into the cloud-marbled sky. Below, the vast expanse of the forest surrounding the Conservatory blurred into a sea of greens and browns.

Reign doesn’t want us to engage Ruhl . I sent the thought through our bond, dreading Sol’s response.

Of course he doesn’t , he snarled.

To protect me .

He snorted his reply, more dark smoke muddying the air.

The sound of growling beasts and metal clashing resonated from below as we climbed higher. I kept my gaze fixed on the mystical border outlining the aerial battlefield, one half bathed in light, the other in murky shadows. After our last mid-air encounter with the Arcanum first-years, I’d spent many excruciating hours growing accustomed to the thinner air at these heights. I would not be caught off guard this time.

The steady thrashing of wings turned my attention over my shoulder. Curses. Ruhl and Mordrin cut through the clouds like a shadow at dusk. Sol roared a fiery challenge that resonated across the vast sky, his wings beating with a fury that matched the pounding of my heart. We had trained for moments like this, to face the Shadow Fae and their mounts in battle, yet as I clamped my thighs tight around Sol’s neck, a surge of apprehension washed over me.

Ruhl’s dark eyes caught mine across the expanse of blue, and Reign’s warning echoed through my thoughts. Do not engage , I growled through our bond.

Still, Sol surged forward, his wingbeats growing more frantic as Mordrin hurtled toward us.

Sol !

Don’t worry, little Kin. We won’t be needing your powers today. I will be the one to ground Mordrin with my bare fangs and claws, once and for all .

An unexpected pang shot through my chest at the vivid image of a broken and battered Ruhl plummeting from the sky. When had Reign’s brother become someone I no longer despised, in spite of everything?

You cannot kill Mordrin without taking Ruhl down with him .

And why is that a problem ?

The distance between the two dragons grew smaller with each massive wing flap, and my heart hammered more erratically with each yard closer.

You simply cannot Sol. To kill the Shadow heir would only escalate the tension between the two courts. You could start a war.

The heir knew very well what he was getting into when he enlisted at the Citadel . Sol roared, unleashing a wave of dragonfire that lit up the sky.

Gods, Sol, what did Mordrin do?

Not now, Aelia!

Mordrin dove, evading Sol’s flames with an agile grace that contradicted his massive form. Ruhl glanced upward, his piercing gaze meeting mine. In that brief look, I felt the unspoken challenge along with an echo of the tumultuous connection that neither of us could deny. He was the enemy, the prince of the Court of Umbral Shadows, one wrong move and he could be my death sentence. And still, I couldn’t be the cause of his end.

“Sol, easy,” I murmured. He snorted, his fiery breath a brilliant contrast against the cooling air as we grew closer to the border between the courts. Mordrin retreated to the darkness and Sol followed, the tension radiating from his scales seeping through my skin.

Ruhl and Mordrin ascended swiftly, looping over Sol in a daring arc. Ruhl’s dark gaze was fixed to the starlit sky, his body moving in perfect sync with Mordrin. They were a formidable pair, and every innate instinct urged me to end this threat, to protect myself and my secret at all costs.

Letting Sol end both their lives would have been the smart decision, the ruthless way of the Fae. I didn’t doubt that Reign would understand. Even Ruhl would take some sort of twisted pride from it.

Yet, I held Sol back as we soared higher. Not a kill, Sol. We only need to incapacitate them . I only hoped my dragon understood my internal conflict. He growled his response, a rumble of disgust, as his eyes locked on Mordrin once more.

Sol plummeted, a spiral of light chasing shadow, the distance closing between us with heart-stopping speed. Mordrin swerved at the last moment, but Sol was faster, and his talons grazed the slate dragon’s hide. An unearthly roar shook the heavens, vibrating the air whizzing by. Ruhl shouted at his dragon, a sound lost to the wind, and for a moment, my heart plunged along with our diving forms.

With a powerful thrust of his wings, Sol pulled up, and we hovered, watching as Ruhl regained control. His eyes found mine again across the turbulent air, dark and intense. There was no hatred as I’d imagined, only the heavy burden of duty that shadowed his features.

The battle calmed as both dragons circled warily, each of us contemplating our next move under the weight of potential loss. I breathed deeply, feeling the chill of the altitude seep into my bones, mingling with the heat of adrenaline.

Below us, few riders remained. I sent a quick prayer to Raysa that my friends were safe. With the intensity of the battle, I hadn’t had a free moment to search for Rue or Symon, let alone the other members of Flare Squad.

“Ruhl,” I called across the wind, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside. “Stand down!”

A sharp chuckle iced the blood in my veins. “I’m afraid that’s impossible, duskling.” He ticked his head below, to the mass of remaining battling bodies and beyond that to the canopy where the royals convened. “Only one of us will be the last to fall today, and it must be me.”

“Sol wants Mordrin dead!” I shouted. “You know that doesn’t bode well for you.”

“Then let him try.” With a wink, he turned his dragon, urging him farther into the depths of the Umbral Court. He likely thought my rais would diminish the deeper we went. Little did he know my powers only came alive beneath the cool darkness.

Curses… A whisper of fear throttled the air from my lungs. What if Ruhl suspected the truth? What if he was drawing me farther into the Shadow Court to test his own theory?

You could be right . Sol’s reluctant tone echoed through my mind.

So now what do we do ?

End them both .