Chapter 28

Aelia

"But that's not possible." The words rushed out on a single breath. The Court of Infernal Night no longer existed. The Two Hundred Years War had ensured the extermination of all Night Fae, as well as the complete destruction of their lands to the south.

Reign's gaze remained fixed to the blade balanced on my palm. "It shouldn't be. All Night Fae weapons were supposed to have been incinerated by dragon fire." He reached for my dagger, but I pulled my hand away and tucked it behind my back. The corners of his eyes tapered as disapproval carved into the hard set of his jaw. "And yet, this one remains."

"I'm certain Aidan had no idea when he gifted it to me."

His brows furrowed, dark lines etching into his forehead. "If you say so…"

"How would he? Kin were not permitted to fight in the Two Hundred Years War. We only sat on the outskirts and starved."

"Mmm." Reign's expression turned pensive as he eyed the silhouette of the other dagger tucked into my waistband. "Aelia, if Gideon is correct, that blade is extremely rare; not only does it counteract Shadow Fae nox, but also Light Fae rais."

"If he's correct…"

He nodded. "There's one more thing." He turned his palm up and crooked a long finger. I reluctantly pulled the dagger out from behind my back but refused to hand it over. "That crystal embedded in the hilt, Gideon's never seen anything like it, nor could he find any information about it in the archives. Its origins are not of the Court of Infernal Night. He said he did detect some sort of power emanating from the gem, and strangely enough, it was a mix of nox and rais."

How was that possible? And where in all the realms had Aidan procured this extinct artifact? Amidst the deluge of questions, one thing was clear, I had to protect these daggers and keep their survival a secret.

Tucking the weapon into my waistband on the side opposite it's twin, I lifted my gaze to his conflicted one. "Reign, you cannot tell anyone else of their existence, please, you must promise me."

He heaved out a breath, his head slowly twisting from side to side. "I cannot, Aelia. Do you have any idea what this could mean?"

"We don't know anything for certain yet. Your friend could be wrong."

"Doubtful," he murmured.

I reached for his hands, squeezing them between my own. My skin tingled at the contact with his rough, calloused flesh. "I'll do anything."

"Princess," he snarled and jerked free of my hold, "I warned you about this. Never make a deal you will not be able to carry through."

"I'm not."

Those pools of inky black sparked with excitement, and Reign's typically obscure aura lit up so vividly that barely a dark shadow remained. He captured me in that hypnotic gaze, a wicked grin teasing at his lips. "Anything?"

I nodded, anything to be free of that overpowering scrutiny.

"This deal will be binding for as long as we each draw breath. You understand that? And you agree to allow me to call in this promise at any time and for whatever reason I see fit?"

My chin dipped again, and I prayed to the goddess I was doing the right thing to keep my precious daggers from falling into the wrong hands. What could my professor possibly ask of me?

"So be it," he grumbled. "Repeat after me… I, Aelia Ravenwood of Feywood, vow to submit to any request at any time made by Reign Darkthorn of the Court of Umbral Shadows in exchange for the aforementioned secret about the daggers. Should I fail to do so, may Raysa strike me down on the spot."

I repeated the words as Reign took my hand, and a swirl of energy surged between our palms. A tangle of light and murky shadow enveloped our interlaced hands and invisible binds laced around my heart, tightening until my manic pulse slowed to nearly a standstill.

"I, Reign Darkthorn of the Court of Umbral Shadows," he murmured, "vow to keep your secret, Aelia Ravenwood of Feywood, regarding the aforementioned daggers. In exchange, you owe me a favor I may claim at my discretion. Should I fail to keep the secret, may Noxus strike me down on the spot."

We remained perfectly still for a long moment after we'd both spoken our vows, a weighty silence lingering between our interlocked hands.

"It's done," he finally whispered and withdrew his hand.

My fingers twitched at the loss of his warmth, and I reached for my dagger out of habit. I certainly hoped all of this would be worth it. Only the gods would know what I'd committed myself to. I thumbed the smooth crystal and a flicker of energy danced across my skin. When I removed my finger, a swirl of darkness spiraled around a spark of light. Aidan had gifted me these daggers at the age of sixteen, and they had never done that in the four years since.

"It's reacting to your rais."

I barely contained a snort. "You said yourself I have no more rais than a tiny tot." I bristled at his earlier insult. Why did I care so much what he thought, anyway?

"That was not what I said, princess. I said you could not summon your rais, not that you did not possess it."

"Semantics."

"Not at all." He loomed dangerously close, those starlit orbs pinned to mine. "There are a few possible reasons why you would not be able to access your powers. For example, they may be bound?—"

"Bound? But why?"

"I have no idea, it's only a theory. But since your arrival in the Court of Ethereal Light, it does seem as if the binds seem to be loosening, which brings me to my second theory."

"Which is?"

"Try to summon your shield now."

I eyed him warily. He knew very well the only times I'd been able to coax it out were when I felt truly afraid.

"When was the first time you managed a shield?"

"With the gloomwhisper."

"On Shadow Fae land," he countered.

My brows puckered at his insinuation. "Because I was a moment away from being devoured by that monster."

"And you were healed by the pond's mystical power."

My heart fluttered like the whipping wings of a hemmingbyrd, battering my ribs. "Because I'm Kin."

"Maybe, or maybe not."

"What are you saying?" I blurted, a tornado spiraling through my insides at what I was certain he was getting at.

"For Noxus's sake, Aelia, just humor me and try to summon your shield."

"It's not going to work," I hissed, my fingers tightening around the dagger's hilt.

Reign's shadows shot out and tendrils of darkness snaked around my throat. Their silky touch incited a ripple of goosebumps down my arms. Until the whispers of night began to constrict.

"Reign," I choked out. "Stop…"

"No," he snarled, and another band of shadow wraiths circled my form, lifting me off the ground.

"Let go!"

He stalked closer, inky darkness pouring off his form. "Make me!"

I jerked my dagger out and slashed at the umbral forms wrapped around my torso, and each one disintegrated with the slice of my blade.

"Use your shield, damn it," he growled.

Squeezing my eyes closed, I cursed the son of Noxus from here to kingdom come. Then I felt it. That tiny familiar flicker of energy in my core. Reaching for it, the well of power blossomed, growing more quickly with each ragged breath.

A golden glow, so brilliant I could sense it through my closed lids, exploded around me. Reign's shadows fell away and I dropped to the ground, my boots sinking into the hardpacked earth. My eyes snapped open to a radiant gilded orb surrounding my form.

Reign's umbral minions poked and prodded at the mystical shield, but it held against their onslaught. A smile crawled across my lips at the frustration in his eyes as he released torrent after torrent of dark energy.

An endless moment later, sweat trickled down my spine and a tremor raced through my body. Perhaps, my newfound power wasn't exactly limitless. As if Reign could feel my strength falter, he folded his arms, recalling his shadow minions into his form. The scowl of frustration softened, and something like pride gleamed from within the bottomless depths of onyx.

"Why are you smiling?" I gritted out as the shield sputtered out.

"Because I was right." His grin grew wider. "Your rais reacts to the nox in Shadow Fae soil."

"So what are you saying?" I rasped.

He paused and licked his lips, and I could practically see the gears spinning in that twisted head of his. "Two possible explanations come to mind."

My stomach churned as my own head reeled with the possibilities.

"The first and more likely scenario is that your abilities were bound by a powerful rais spell and the nox in the Court of Umbral Shadows somehow counteracts it."

"Or?" I held my breath as I waited for his response.

He crept closer and every nerve screamed at his proximity as his obsidian shadows folded around me. "Or…" He tipped my chin up with one long finger and trapped me in his mesmerizing gaze. "You have some Shadow Fae blood coursing through your veins, princess."