Chapter 14

Aelia

The chilly rapids enveloped my body in a cocoon of sparkling azure ice as I plunged into the depths of the Luminoc River. Stars! It was frigid. The tide swept me under a few times before I managed to keep my head above the water. I drew in a frantic breath and focused on swimming.

Come on, Aelia. You can do this.

I bobbed amidst the swirling whirlpool, the current ushering me in my desired direction. As I moved, I glanced across the river at the looming darkness just over the border into the Court of Umbral Shadows. Arcanum Citadel stood a towering monstrosity of obsidian stone. Had Reign attended those sacred dark halls?

The tides grew stronger and I forced my attention away from the rival academy to my present predicament. I'd nearly reached the glistening marble bridge that served as a crossing point between the eastern and western sides of the campus. The rippling waves pushed me under the channel and once I cleared it, the radiant dome of the Hall of Rais soared ahead.

I was nearly there. It had been much faster than if I'd dared run. Not to mention safer than risking another encounter with bloodthirsty first-years.

Just a few yards ahead, an alabaster staircase emerged through the dense foliage of the cliff. That was it! I willed my frozen arms to move and dragged myself through the rapid current. Thank the gods Aidan had insisted I learned the useful skill while most Kin remained landbound.

A swathe of land jutted into the river, and I lunged for it, propelling my sodden self onto the makeshift dock. My fingers dug into the earth, nails splintering as the river tried to force my body deeper into the whirling rapids. "Come on," I gritted out.

I lost my grip, one hand falling free, and my body lurched into the spiraling eddies once more. My shoulder was nearly pulled out of its socket as I clung on with one hand. With my free one, I reached for my knife beneath the water, jerked it out of my boot, and jabbed it into the soil. With the solid grip the blade offered, I finally boosted myself out of the churning waves.

Sprawled across the lush greenery, I released a haggard breath. "I made it." My clothes were drenched, but I'd reached the other side of campus in record time. No time to rest, Aelia. Forcing my weary bones to stand, I took the steps two at a time, pumping my arms, until I reached the eastern edge of campus. The Hall of Rais's pristine dome surged into the heavens, like a beacon of radiant light.

Wringing out the excess water from my tunic, I traipsed up the steps and between the massive, gilded columns of the building. Oh, please, let me have beaten Reign. If not, that death-defying act would've been for naught.

I barreled into the hall, my boots squeaking against the marble and long, dark locks dribbling water across my shoulders. All eyes turned to me, faint chuckles ringing out as the other students took in my haggard appearance.

But I didn't care. Because the one scrutinizing gaze that was noticeably missing was Reign's.

I did it!

As if my thoughts had conjured my enigmatic professor, the door swung open behind me and his ominous presence pressed into my spine.

"Aelia, what happened?" Rue's cheery voice echoed across the cavernous space a second before she launched herself at me. "Raysa, you're soaked!"

Reign coalesced in front of me, that dark gaze cloaked in shadows. "Decided to go for a swim, princess?" Amusement flickered across those midnight spheres, and something else, too. Pride?

No, I must have imagined it.

"You continue to surprise me," he murmured beneath his breath. That piercing gaze finally released me and dropped to the floor, to the growing puddle around my boots. "Try not to inundate my classroom, first-year."

"Oh, I can help with that." Rue flashed me a smile, and a now familiar golden glow lit up her fingers. "I'll have you all dry in no time." As my roommate lifted her hands and warmth seeped from her palms, the chill that had overtaken my bones since my leap off the cliff finally began to dissipate.

Reign stepped behind me and leaned in, his nose nearly brushing the rounded tip of my ear. "It's a pity. I think I like you sopping wet, princess," he whispered.

A flare of heat kindled below my navel and traveled across my cheeks. I was so hot I was fairly certain I had no need for Rue's magic at all. He shot me a feral grin before stomping to the front of the classroom. "Now, finally," he announced. "We shall begin today's lesson in Shadow Arts."

* * *

Sweat beaded across my brow as I trudged down the steps of the Hall of Rais with Rue skipping along beside me. After two hours with the grueling professor of Shadow Arts, not to mention the assault and impromptu swim in the river, I could barely lift my feet.

"Are you okay?" Rue cast a worried glance in my direction. "Maybe the healer's rais wasn't strong enough."

"No, my head is fine." It was every other bone in my body that felt like it had been shadowmelded. "I'm just exhausted." I'd given my roommate a quick summary of what had transpired with Kian and Lucian. She'd been furious, her cheeks burning until her freckles nearly popped off her typically pallid skin.

Rue curled a slender arm across my shoulders and drew me into her side, which must have appeared quite comical considering our rather noticeable height disparity. "Should we grab a bite to eat then return to our chamber?"

I shook my head. "I'm too tired to even eat."

"Oh, sweet Raysa, it's clear you weren't raised at court." A male voice echoed behind us.

I spun around, my fingers an inch from reaching for one of the daggers concealed in my boots. But an unexpected smile flashed across the Fae male's face. He held out his hand and dipped into a bow. "A pleasure, ladies. Symon Lightspire here, but please call me Sy."

I vaguely recognized the light-haired male who'd winked at me when Flare Squad was first assembled in the Hall of Luminescence. And that name also struck a bell, but I couldn't quite place it. Dropping my guarded stance, I allowed my weary muscles to relax and returned a tight smile.

"Hi!" Rue bounced up and down on her tiptoes. "Lightspire… do you have an older sister?"

"I do. I believe Sissily is in Heaton's class."

"Yes, that's right. That's why I recognized the name." Rue leaned in and whispered in my ear. "She and Heaton had a thing for a minute when they were first-years."

"Ah, I see."

"That practically makes us family." Symon wrapped an arm around each of us, and every muscle in my body tensed. I was not accustomed to being touched by Fae males, and especially not by ones I barely knew. "Shall we go dine at the banquet hall?"

"I was trying to convince Aelia, but she claims to be too tired."

"Now, that's nonsense. No one is ever too tired to eat, my new round-eared friend." He flicked my ear, almost tenderly. I shooed him away, but his smile only grew wider. "No disrespect intended, Aelia, I just find those rounded things so erotic."

I nearly choked on a laugh. "Excuse me?"

He chuckled. "Oh, apologies, I forget how easily flustered Kin can get about sexual matters. I've just never been with a mortal, so color me intrigued."

"Well, everything that you've heard is true. We do have incredibly delicate sensibilities, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't touch my ear. Or any other part of my rounded anatomy."

A wild cackle burst free, and his head fell back, tumbles of wild curly blonde hair spilling across his forehead. "Aelia, I think we are going to get along just splendidly."

"How do you know so much about Kin?" Rue asked.

Despite my best efforts to steer us to the dormitories, I found our threesome moving toward the banquet hall. With a grunt of irritation, I allowed Symon to usher us toward the scent of roasted meat and vegetables already tingeing the air. I reminded myself that I needed nourishment to keep my strength up if I was expected to survive more days like these.

"I spent a month in Feywood as part of my studies in secondary school," Symon replied, and my ears perked up.

"You did?"

His hold tightened around my shoulders as he drew me into his side. "I did. Being so close to the Wilds was unnerving, and the living conditions were truly atrocious, but there was something calming and pleasant about the simple life." His slim shoulders lifted. "And despite my devastatingly charming personality, I was unable to bed a single Kin."

Rue giggled, but I couldn't suppress the dramatic eyeroll.

"Perhaps female Kin don't find you as irresistible as the Fae."

"Female, male, I do not discriminate, but neither would put out." His bottom lip pushed into what I had to admit was an adorable pout. Like most Fae, Symon was beautiful. With light lashes that fanned across high cheekbones and those mesmerizing lilac eyes that twinkled with each cheeky grin. "I blame my father. A large portion of the farmable lands in Feywood belong to our family. The Kin didn't simply dislike me, it was my last name they despised."

Lightspire! No wonder the name had seemed familiar. I'd spent the better part of my adulthood tilling their lands. "Thank the goddess I never ran into you," I muttered.

"You see!" Symon clucked his tongue. "Completely biased and unfair."

"Why would you even want to bed a Kin?" I blurted. "I'm sure we're very similar to Fae in the anatomical respect."

His light brow arched as he eyed my ear.

"Oh, Raysa," I gritted out, earning a chuckle from the surprisingly friendly male.

"It's not only that," he continued. "From what I understand, mortals feel things more acutely, something about their shortened lifespan enhances life's pleasures." He shrugged again.

I didn't dare announce I wouldn't know since I'd yet to have lain with a male, Kin or otherwise. It wasn't as if I'd never had the opportunity, it was simply that none of my suitors ever seemed that appealing. It was as if I'd been waiting and waiting for that special moment that just never came.

Symon paused in front of the Hall of Elysia, drawing all three of us to a halt. The mouthwatering scents perfumed the air and my stomach let out an embarrassing rumble.

"Well, it's clearly settled." Symon threw me a lopsided smile. "Aelia of Feywood, you are hungry, and we will all be dining together this evening so that you may tell me all the secrets of the Kin so that next time I find myself in your lands, I will be certain to cajole an innocent victim into my bed."

An embarrassing chuckle erupted at his ridiculousness. Rue was already grinning like mad.

"At worst, I will provide some entertainment before I accompany you lovely ladies to your chambers."

"To the door and no further," I interjected.

His hand jutted out, and long fingers gently caressed my ear as he sucked his lower lip between his teeth. For some inane reason, I let him. Perhaps it was simply because it was the first time a male Fae had showed me an inch of kindness or interest. Pathetic.

"You wound me so, Aelia." His smile grew downright wicked, but he finally released my ear with a sigh. "One day?" His brow lifted into a mischievous arch.

"Doubtful." I countered with a sweet smile.

He mimed a knife plunging into his heart and dramatically clutched at his chest. "Fine, fine, fine. I'll settle on friendship then."

My silly heart grew wings as I glanced between Rue and Symon. I had friends who were actually Light Fae. Reign had been wrong with his gloom and doom speech. Not everyone here was my enemy.