Chapter 10

Aelia

"You have to teach me how you did that with the dagger!" Rue's pale blue eyes sparkled with excitement as she nibbled on a biscuit.

I couldn't get the flaky pastry into my mouth fast enough. It tasted like the glorious afterlife, the crusty dough melting into a puddle of honey on my tongue. I couldn't remember the last time I'd eaten something so delicious.

"Sure, I'd be happy to," I replied around a mouthful.

I sat across from my new friend in the sprawling banquet hall, the echo of excited chitter-chatter bouncing off the glass-domed ceiling. Like every chamber at the university, sunlight streamed in through the multitude of stained-glass windows, illuminating every crevice in ethereal light.

Beside us, but not too close, sat the rest of Flare Squad. Heaton had given us a grand tour of the Conservatory grounds, and we'd spent most of the day traipsing across the yards and yards of campus. It had been quite a blur, and I doubted I'd remember any of it by tomorrow.

I only hoped the mystical scroll would appear with an updated map. According to my schedule, I'd have Illumination Sight and Shadow Arts tomorrow morning. Unease prickled at the thought of an entire two-hour class with the broody Shadow Fae professor.

Rue leaned across the table, her expressive irises glittering with curiosity. "I've never met a Kin before in person, I just have so many questions. What is it like living in Feywood? What did you do all these years? And how did you not know you were a Light Fae?"

The questions spilled out, one after another, but unlike the scornful stares I received from the other students, no malice laced her tone. She simply seemed curious about my life. And to be honest, escaping this new, unreal existence for a few minutes to delve into the past didn't sound that awful.

"It was lovely," I finally answered. "And difficult. I can only imagine what life at court must be like, but in Feywood, everyone works hard. We're up at dawn and we work until the sun set?—"

"Wait a second! The sun sets in Feywood?"

I nodded quickly. "And not in the middle of what should be the night, like here. We have about twelve hours of daytime and twelve of night."

"Wow… it's like a perfect mixture of the Light and Shadow Courts."

"I suppose so."

"And what about the Wilds? Is it as terrifying as I've heard? I do not relish the idea of being posted anywhere near there."

I shrugged. Though we lived in constant fear of the monsters to our south, I'd never encountered one in my twenty years. "One simply grows accustomed to the looming threat, and of course, we never wander south of the Feywood border."

"How frightening."

I took another bite of the biscuit and washed it down with a big gulp of honeyed wine.

"Oh, by the way, you better be careful with that." Rue motioned at the gilded goblet filled to the brim with the golden-hued wine.

I'd already admitted to never tasting the Fae special spirit when we'd strolled through the buffet line. "Careful, how?" I took another long sip. It was the most incredible thing I'd tasted—next to everything else I'd eaten since my arrival at the university.

"Its effects can be unpredictable if you're not accustomed to drinking it."

I glanced around the room at the dozens of other first-years enjoying the sweet beverage and shrugged. "Everyone else seems to be fine."

"Everyone else also grew up at court, living off the stuff." She grinned. "When my oldest brother, Lawson, came home for a visit after his first year, he brought a bottle of it, and I spent all night on our rooftop alternating between howling at the moon like a crazed wolvryn and belting out my favorite song while dancing a jig." A cackle burst free. "Pa had to drag me down when the neighboring dogs started joining in the chorus."

An unexpected laugh pealed out as I imagined the cute Fae dancing atop a thatched roof. Uncurling my fingers from the stem of the goblet, I searched the front of the hall for a less questionable beverage. "Maybe I will go find some water."

Still in the middle of a fit of the giggles, she nodded as I rose. Scanning the gilded hall, I moved between the long banquet tables to the front where the sprawling buffet sat. Beside the bottles of honeyed wine, I finally found a few silver pitchers of water. Or at least, what I assumed was water. I poured a bit into a cup and sniffed the clear liquid. Seemed okay, but one could never be too sure in this strange land.

A cool breeze lifted the tiny hairs on the back of my neck an instant before icy breath ghosted across the shell of my ear. "Are you worried about being poisoned already? That typically doesn't occur until at least a few weeks in."

I spun around as my heart rioted against its skeletal confines.

Reign leaned against the buffet table, back once again in a simple black tunic, highlighting the dark runes inked across his arms, and matching breeches. The hint of a smile teased up the corner of his lip, and goddess, it simply wasn't fair how someone so frightening could also be so beautiful.

Steeling my spine, I snapped my shoulders back and glared at the intimidating male. "It's clear no one wants me here, so I must stay vigilant."

"Good girl, you're already learning."

"Aidan always said I was a quick study."

He reached for my cup, and the shadows peeled away from his form before slithering across the liquid's surface. Then his fathomless eyes lifted to mine. "Perfectly palatable."

I eyed him warily as he handed the goblet back. "How do I know your shadows didn't just do something nefarious to my water?"

A crooked grin settled across his mouth. "Well, you could simply take my word for it, or I could let you in on a little secret." He inched closer, and my skin prickled at his proximity.

"Go ahead…" Raysa, why did I sound so breathless?

"Every term the professors wager on the initiates they are sent to collect. As you were my acquisition, I have an inherent interest in your success."

Interesting. That certainly was valuable knowledge to have.

"And after that move against Belmore" --a chuckle rumbled his broad shoulders --"the odds on you have gone up exponentially."

That explained Heaton's comment earlier after the dagger incident. Looks like you picked a good one, professor.

"I'm so thrilled to hear the esteemed staff makes wagers on our lives." It seemed awfully cruel, but then again, it did seem right in line with everything else I'd learned since my arrival.

He gave a lazy shrug before reaching for an applett off a serving platter and taking a big bite of the crisp, ripe fruit. My eyes fixed to his lips as he devoured it with an enthusiasm that had heat rushing below my navel.

What in all the realms?

My head suddenly spun, and my hand shot out to steady myself, gripping the edge of the table. Oh, no. My vision blurred, the bottles of Fae honeyed wine blinking in and out. The wine! Rue had said its effects were unpredictable. Darkness seeped into the corners of my vision, and I heaved in a steadying breath to keep from succumbing.

"Aelia, are you all right?" Reign's words were muffled, the concern on his face distorting as he stepped closer.

"I—um…" I keeled forward and strong arms laced around my waist.

My face was buried in his dark tunic and icy shadows pinned me to his chest. I should have been mortified, but instead, an embarrassing giggle pealed out. Then a hiccup. Oh, goddess, no.

Reign's head dipped, and he inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring. "Oh, Noxus, princess, don't tell me you drank too much of the honeyed wine?"

"I didn't know," I tried to mumble lamely but my pitch was off, and it came out in a silly sing-song. I snapped my mouth closed before I could further embarrass myself.

"Come on, I'll take you back to your room." A steel band tightened around my waist before turning me toward the end of the banquet hall.

My knees wobbled with every step, cheeks heating as dozens of judging gazes abandoned their suppers to gawk at me. Why, oh, why didn't someone warn me about the wine sooner?

"Aelia?" A familiar, sweet voice echoed behind me. "Are you all right?" Soft footsteps pitter-pattered behind us.

"She's fine," Reign barked. "Finish eating first-year, you'll need your strength for tomorrow's class."

I could barely make out my roommate trailing behind us from the corner of my eye. "R—Rue?" My tongue felt like a hyppo sat atop it. It was heavy and sluggish, and I could barely form words.

"I'll make sure she gets back to her room safely," he called out over his shoulder.

At the end of the banquet hall, a vaguely familiar form coalesced, that long flowing beard reminding me of newly driven snow.

"Stand up straight," Reign snapped.

"Whhat?"

He hissed a curse between his clenched teeth and his hold around my waist loosened, only to be replaced by the support of icy shadows. They crept up my tunic until my spine snapped straight from the frosty chill.

I barely muffled a gasp as we reached the headmaster. The old Fae's face swam before me, twisting and turning like the image in a cracked mirror. I blinked quickly trying to clear my vision. Reign's hand on my lower back was nearly imperceptible through the haze of shadows surrounding us. Or maybe that was simply my scattered vision unable to focus.

"Everything all right, here?" Headmaster Draven asked, his mossy green eyes darting between us.

"Yes, fine," Reign replied before I could remember how to open my mouth. "I was merely escorting this initiate to her chambers. She nearly took Belmore Dawnbrook's ear off with a concealed dagger."

The ancient male's silver brow perked up. "Did she now?" The hint of a smile twisted his flowing mustache.

"Mmm. I will see to it that she spends the rest of the evening in her room studying the Conservatory's code of conduct."

"Very well." He nodded and Reign shuffled me through the door, his shadows nudging me across the threshold.

As soon as the gilded door closed behind us, my legs gave. Reign's arm encircled me once again, keeping my knees from crashing onto the cold, marble floor.

"Gods, princess," he snarled, heaving me up. "How much did you drink?"

"Not a l-lot," I stammered. "And why did you lie to the headmaster? You made it seem like?—"

He pressed a finger to my lips, and all the words died on the tip of my tongue. "It's better that Draven sees you as a threat than weak. How many times must I tell you?"

"Blah, blah, blah…" I snapped my loose lips shut, but it was too late. Curses!

Reign's hold fell away, his shadows peeling off my form and the hallway whirled, the stained-glass ceiling spiraling. "If you prefer, you can crawl back to your chamber, princess."

"No, please," I spluttered, my hand reaching out for his. My fingertips brushed the silver cuff around his wrist, and his dark gaze chased to mine. "What are these?"

"None of your business," he snarled. His fingers wrapped around mine—a bit more enthusiastically than necessary, if you asked me—and he hauled me down the quiet corridor. "Now, hurry up, before anyone else sees you like this. Or more than have already witnessed the embarrassing spectacle, that is."

"What's the big deal? Does no one get inebriated at this great, sacred university?" Oh, my goddess, I simply couldn't control my tongue. Or my body apparently. I leaned into him, wobbling.

A dark chuckle rumbled his chest, vibrating through my own body as he held me tight against the hard planes of his form. "They do, princess, just not before the first day of classes." He paused for a moment, his expression pensive. "If you survive the first term, there will be quite a celebration on the Winter Solstice, the Night of the Longest Shadow."

"Don't sound so forlorn, professor." I slapped my hand across his chest, because clearly, I'd lost all sense of self-preservation, and my head snapped back at the unyielding muscle. Still, my mouth continued to spew nonsense without my control. "One would think you actually cared about your round-eared acquisition."

A feral grin crossed his face as he held me out to arm's length. "The only thing I care about is you surviving so I may win the hefty pot of gildings."

My traitorous smile must have faltered at his words because his jaw clenched, eyes searing into my own. If it wasn't for his iron grip on my shoulders, I would've hit the floor, my head spun so badly at the jostling movement. "You must understand something, Aelia. No one here is your friend. Not a soul here cares for you beyond what you can do for the Crown. The sooner you grasp that, the safer you'll be."

"You included?" By the gods, please, someone strike me down already!

His lips thinned, impenetrable darkness cloaking those fathomless spheres that seared into me, burrowing into the farthest depths of my soul. "Me, most of all."