Chapter 16

Aelia

It was no wonder we only had two classes per day, because they each lasted an eternity. Sweat trickled down my spine and exhaustion seeped into muscles I didn't even know existed. Rue might have been small, but behind that sweet smile lay a fierce Fae female.

I should have known since her brother was our squad leader.

Heaton watched from beyond the circle, his gaze intent on both his sister and me. For the most part, he'd allowed us to figure it out, rarely stepping in. We'd moved past the weapons portion of the exercise, and now Rue and I circled, each waiting for the other to make a move.

I clearly had a size advantage over her, but after the past two hours of training with short swords, I'd come to realize not to underestimate my feisty friend.

"Come on, ladies, do something," Sy called out from the sideline.

We danced around the circle, a nervous tension tingeing the air. The object was simple, get your opponent outside of the red sphere. In theory, I should've been able to use my larger size to push her out, but I hadn't been able to get close enough to lay a single hand on her yet.

"Oh, hush," Rue hissed over her shoulder, but somehow, her bright blue eyes never deviated from mine.

"Make your move, princess." An icy tendril of darkness licked across the shell of my ear. I swatted it away, half-expecting to find Reign behind me. Only he was all the way across the room, glaring down one of the first-years from Solar Squad.

How was that possible?

A petite form pummeled into me while I was distracted, and I hit the floor with a smack. "Son of Noxus!" I bit out, my teeth gnashing on impact.

"Sorry, A." Rue tossed me a wink as she hovered over me, her small hands holding down my shoulders.

Goddess, for such a little thing, she was strong.

I squirmed beneath her, vaulting my hips like I'd done when Kian attacked me and sent her flying back. Nearly outside the red line.

"Let's see what you've got, princess." Reign's voice slithered over my ear once again, taunting. "We're not here for playtime. You are here to train to become one of the great Royal Guardians of the court, and only the strongest will claim that title. The rest of you will return to the dismal holes you emerged from or worst, you'll spend the rest of your days patrolling the Wilds."

The Wilds? How had no one mentioned that yet?

I wouldn't allow him to distract me this time. Before Rue could get back on her feet, I jumped on top of her and straddled her slim hips. The top of her head was only a yard away from the red line now. I just had to push her across.

I dropped down and wrapped my arms around her, planning to carry her across the line if that's what it took. But her little hand shot out, and a blinding light emanated from her palm. My lids snapped shut as stars danced across my vision, and I let out a curse. How could I fall for that again?

"If she were a Shadow Fae, you'd be dead, initiate." Reign's gravelly voice surged all around me, and my entire body lit up at his presence.

I forced my eyes open and found our combat professor looming just outside the circle. He must have shadowtraveled across the room.

"Well, it's a good thing we're just training," I hissed.

Reign snapped his fingers and icy wisps of darkness curled around my arms and hauled me off the floor. The bastard let me hang in the air, legs dangling for an endless moment before he dropped me.

Looming over me, his body a hairsbreadth from mine, he whispered, "Let me give you a word of advice, princess. Don't choose a friend as your sparring partner. Your weak mortal sensibilities will deter you from doing what is necessary to win." He spun on his heel and pointed at Belmore. "You, come here."

All the air squeezed from my lungs as the big male stalked into the ring.

No. Why him? Of all the members of Flare Squad, why did Reign have to choose the male that hated me the most? Perhaps, I should have shared Belmore's involvement in my attack with my professor, but I'd been too embarrassed to bring it up.

Belmore's thin lips curled into a savage smile.

"No daggers this time, Aelia," Reign announced, eyeing my boots, "or you will be disqualified." He moved to the edge of the ring, dark gaze intent on mine. "I want to see how you fare against a real opponent."

I stood there, frozen, toeing the red line. Belmore crooked a long finger in my direction and beckoned me forward. "Come on, little Kin, let's see what you can do without your weapons."

This was hardly fair. The male easily outweighed me by a few stones. Not to mention I had no magic to speak of, and basic rais was allowed in hand-to-hand combat.

"Today, Aelia," Reign growled. "We'd like to make it to the banquet hall before it closes for the evening."

Gritting my teeth, I tossed him a sneer and stepped inside the ring. Please, Raysa, let it be quick. The moment my boot crossed the line, Belmore lunged. I darted to the right, just barely missing the swipe of his meaty paw. He let out a growl as we circled each other, the air thick with anticipation. I could feel every muscle, every sense, primed for battle. For an instant, I was back on the field with Aidan, his patient voice guiding me through the steps. Belmore was formidable, his body honed with muscled precision, his eyes gleaming with challenge. More than that, this was his chance for revenge, to embarrass me as I'd embarrassed him.

He lunged again, the clash electric, as his fist slammed into my gut with a force that sent shockwaves through the air. I gasped, my jaw nearly unhinging. He was relentless, each strike a thunderbolt, aimed with lethal accuracy. I staggered back a few steps, all the wind knocked out of me before I planted the heel of my boot at the edge of the ring.

"Come on, Aelia!" Rue's voice echoed behind me.

He swung his foot and kicked my legs out from under me. I slammed into the floor with a crack, my backside absorbing most of the pain. "Mother Raysa," I hissed out.

Belmore was on me again before I had a chance to stand. His big hands clamped down on my shoulders as he attempted to drag me past the confines of the circle. I kicked and squirmed beneath him, landing a knee in his groin.

His head fell back and he released a volley of curses. "Bitch," he snarled, his eyes flashing.

"Kick him in the balls again!" Sy shouted from the sidelines. "Anything goes!"

I leapt to my feet as he circled me once again. If I could just avoid him, maybe I'd be able to tire him out. My own muscles ached, the fatigue from the endless day of sparring boring into me. As the battle wore on, I danced on the edge of his reach, my movements a whisper against his storm. He was powerful, but I found power in agility, in the spaces between his strikes. It became a rhythm, a deadly dance of advance and retreat. One in which neither of us was winning.

Belmore finally grew tired of the waltz and charged, his arms spread wide as he barreled into me. The force of his weight sent me sprawling to the ground. My head smacked against the unyielding floor and pain ricocheted across my skull. Gritting my teeth through the agony, I attempted to scramble to my feet. My vision was hazy, and Belmore blurred in and out as he rushed toward me.

Oh no, not again.

Clenching my fist, I pulled my arm back and landed a punch to his exposed right side, just under his ribcage. Belmore let out a howl and buckled over, retreating a few steps. A shot to the liver was excruciatingly painful, Aidan had taught me that. A correctly placed hit could incapacitate even your strongest opponent. And I had something more than just strength; I had resolve, honed from years of being underestimated.

With the big giant still folded over, clutching his side, I launched my attack. In that split second with his guard dropped, and with all the force of my being, I unleashed a flurry of strikes, a tempest that he hadn't expected. He staggered back a step and then another. The red line loomed ominously less than a yard away. Dropping my shoulder, I released a feral growl and pummeled into him with the last shreds of my remaining strength. He teetered on the edge of the red circle for an endless moment before his heel inched across the line.

Rue and Sy let out a resounding whoop, wild applause drowning out the mad thumping of my heart. My chest caved, heaving in ragged breaths as I stood in the center of the circle. Belmore glared at me from across the divide, defeat in his eyes as he muttered a curse and spun away, still gripping his side.

The moment he stalked away, I dropped to the ground. The gymnasium tilted again, and I blinked quickly to right the domed ceiling, which had suddenly dropped between my legs.

Reign's dark form coalesced before me, a glimmer of something unreadable in his midnight irises. "Do I need to send you to the healer again?"

I shook my head, slowly, so as not to aggravate the spinning. "I think once is enough for the week."

The ghost of a smile kissed his lips. "Well done, princess. I knew you could do it." He offered me his hand, and I eyed it skeptically for a long moment before my fingers closed around his palm.

Tiny jolts of awareness seeped into my hand and surged up my arm until goosebumps cascaded over my skin. Goddess, what sort of nox was that? I stared up at him for an endless moment, our gazes locked in an epic battle. The air became charged, the entire atmosphere thick with his oppressive power. Those shadows swirled across his form, growing larger and more potent with every exhale.

Rue suddenly bounced between us, throwing an arm across my shoulder, and Reign's hold fell away, both the physical and metaphysical one. With the connection severed, I dropped my gaze and drew in a lungful of much needed air.

"Well done, first-years," Reign barked from somewhere behind me. "We're finished for today."

From the corner of my eye, I watched as the prince of shadows stalked toward the door, his power thrusting in waves all around him.

"Do you feel that?" I whispered to Rue beside me.

"Feel what?" She followed my line of sight to Reign's retreating form.

"That overwhelming power any time he's in the room."

Her slim shoulders lifted. "Sure, a little. He's a formidable Fae, Aelia, and as our illumination sight grows stronger, his aura will become more defined." She offered a smile and a pat on the back. "It's a good sign that you can already pick up on it."

My lips slid into a smile, but it didn't quite feel right. There was more to it, I was certain of it. I couldn't read anyone's aura as clearly as Reign's. It was as if I was somehow attuned to his power.

Symon threw his arm across my shoulders, pulling me into his side. Every muscle ached at the unexpected jostling. "Well done, my little Kin!" He pressed a kiss to the shell of my ear and the smack echoed across my eardrum. "Tonight, we celebrate your victory."

"What? No…" My head whipped back and forth as he steered me through the gymnasium doorway.

"Yes," Rue squealed, scampering beside us. "We must!"

"It's a Conservatory of Luce tradition," Sy interjected.

"What is?"

"Surviving the first ten days of the term."

I cocked a skeptical brow. "Seriously?"

Symon held up his hand, his expression one of utter solemnity. "If I'm lying, may the great goddess strike me down." He tipped his head up to the brilliant sunbeams crisscrossing the cerulean sky. "You see?" His smirk was contagious, and I found myself laughing at my ludicrous friend.

Rue bounced on her tiptoes as we crossed the lawn toward the Hall of Glory. "Oh, and Heaton smuggled in some laegar from our hometown."

"What's that?" My nose crinkled, because I already had a pretty good idea.

"It's a special brew distilled from the wheat native to our little corner of Aetheria."

Sy's lilac eyes lit up. "Oh, yes, girl! I've heard that draught is potent."

"It is. Especially the way my Pa makes it."

My thoughts whirled back to the honeyed wine, and my lips puckered. "Sorry, friends, but I will not be indulging in any exotic Fae beverages again any time soon."

"Fine," Rue grumbled. "Just come with us to Heaton's tonight. It will only be Flare Squad and a few of my brother's closest friends. You don't have to drink a thing." She offered me her pinky, and I eyed it, thoroughly confused.

"What? It's a pinky promise. You don't have the Kin version? It's like a light form of a Fae bargain."

Oh, gods, no, even I knew never to strike a bargain with the Fae.

"Relax, A." Rue tossed me a smile. "Just come tonight. I swear it'll be fun."

Famous last words.