Chapter 34

Reign

"Your task has become critical, Darkthorn, now more than ever." Headmaster Draven prowled the length of his grand desk, made from the very wood surrounding the small village of Feywood. "There is something about that Kin, and you must discover what it is before it's too late."

Noxus, I hated this obnoxious, blustering male.

"I've already told you I understand, Draven."

"Do you, boy?" He crossed the space between us and loomed over the leather chair I was sprawled upon. "Do you truly understand what is at stake here?"

I lifted my arms and flashed the gleaming silver cuffs around my wrists. "Trust me, I am well aware and counting down the days."

"Don't be so selfish, Reign. This isn't simply about you. This is about the fate of Aetheria."

"I know," I gritted out, sitting straight up in the chair to meet his furious gaze.

"Raysa, in her infinite wisdom, must have chosen the girl for a reason. The king has been relentless in his inquisition, and I have no answers to provide. And now that she's been chosen by a dragon…"

"I've already told you, there is nothing unique about the girl. She is a mere Kin with barely enough rais to summon a radiant shield. You worry too much, Draven." The lies fell easily from my lips. I'd been living another life for so long now, I barely remembered who I was anymore. I could barely distinguish between truth and falsehoods, it all blended together as one.

The only thing that was painstakingly clear was Aelia. The hold she had over me was as inexplicable as a spell of starlight and shadow. Soon my threads of restraint would snap and then, the true risk would emerge. And now with the appearance of Solanthus, keeping my distance was no longer an option.

An initiate harnessing the power of a dragon was incredibly risky to a full-blooded Light Fae, but for Aelia, the ramifications were completely unknown.

"She cannot be a mere Kin!" Draven roared, returning my meandering thoughts to the present. "I want you at her side at all times, Reign. A Kin with a dragon is unheard of!"

"I have been," I gritted out.

"Then clearly you are failing in your duties if you've discovered nothing." He seared his watery gaze to my own. "Do whatever it takes to gain her trust and unearth her secrets."

"She doesn't know anything," I growled, unable to keep the anger at bay any longer. I believed her about the daggers. She truly had no idea of the infernium vein until Gideon discovered the truth.

"How can you be so certain?"

As Draven believed his silver trinkets to all but vanquish my powers, I couldn't quite admit my shadows had seen bits and pieces of Aelia's thoughts, had been able to decipher the truth from her aura.

"Just call it a feeling," I rasped.

He inched closer, his aquiline nose inches from my own. "Well, your feelings don't mean beetle dung to me." Saliva sprayed across my face, and my nails dug into my palms to keep from striking the old Fae down. "I need proof, something to deliver to the king."

"Proof of what, exactly?"

From the moment Draven tasked me with retrieving Aelia, I'd wondered how much he knew of her mysterious origins. He'd never mentioned the Twilight Prophecy, not once. Unlike my father who'd drilled it into my head from the moment I started my lessons in language arts.

My thoughts flickered to the past to a chamber of obsidian walls, the stone so dark it abolished all shreds of light.

"Reign! Are you paying attention, lad?" Hard eyes glared down at me, nothing but frosty, endless black razing over me. "You have few options now. If you fail me, I will have no further use for you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Father."

"Now memorize this. Finding the aforementioned child will be your duty to your realm. Do so and you will be greatly rewarded."

I stared at the ancient scrawling across the parchment, committing the foreign words to memory.

A child of twilight, born from the dance of light and dark, shall emerge with the power to reshape destinies. From the celestial embrace and the shadow"s whisper, a harbinger of cosmic balance shall be brought forth.

A fateful choice awaits her - to heal or to harm, to nurture or annihilate. Her every step shall resonate through realms, influencing the very fabric of existence.

When the child of twilight shall come of age, her choices, guided by the celestial and obscured by shadows, shall determine the fate of worlds. Whether she becomes a beacon of hope or a harbinger of oblivion, the child of twilight shall be the catalyst of an epochal choice - to bring forth a new dawn or plunge all into eternal dusk.

"But Father, how will I find the child?"

"Noxus will guide you."

My brows furrowed as I stared at the words so intently, they began to blur.

"Are you up to the task, Reign?"

"Yes, Father."

"Good boy." His big hand patted the top of my head, the touch so surprising I flinched.

Blinking quickly, I banished the memories of the past to the dark corners of my mind where they permanently resided, except for the prophecy. Those words resonated across my skull constantly, a never-ending battle cry promising a future I'd been, up until now, denied.

Could Aelia Ravenwood truly be the child of twilight?

From the first moment I saw her standing in the threshold of that old cottage, I'd felt something. Was it in fact Noxus guiding me as Father had promised?

"Proof that our fate is changing." Draven's sharp words chased away the spiraling questions.

I was not the only Fae in this room concealing secrets. If Draven was aware of the prophecy, he too, was guarding it closely. But why?

Either way, it was clear the headmaster would not give me the answer today. Sliding to the edge of the cushion, I waved the odious Draven back and rose to my feet. "I will continue in my efforts with Aelia."

"Good. The end of the term will be here before long, and it is essential the Kin has mastered her mount by the battle with Arcanum Citadel. I cannot wait to see King Tenebris of Umbra's face when he sees our dragon." A sinister smile lifted the tips of his snowy mustache.

"Yes, that will be quite a sight." I hadn't laid eyes on the Shadow Fae royal in years. I hadn't missed him one bit. Dipping my head, I turned for the door. "I must go, I cannot be late for class. It's the first with the initiates and their hatchlings."

"More like babysitting this week." He scoffed.

"You know as well as I how important the initial bonding period is."

Draven grunted and flopped down on the grand chair behind his desk, his alabaster robes flurrying around his tall, slender form.

"As a matter of fact, I'd like to suggest something unique for Aelia and Solanthus. May I have your approval to take her off campus for the day? Professor Lumen could cover for me? As you said, it's only babysitting…"

He waved a dismissive hand. "Yes, yes, whatever you feel will help the process."

"Wonderful."

I raced out of the headmaster's office in the Hall of Luminescence before he could rope me into further conversation. How I'd put up with this blowhard male for three entire years only Noxus knew. But it would seem Father's intuition coupled with the seer's warning that the time was upon us had been right. What better place to find the child of twilight than at a prestigious university for the most powerful Fae?

Father had enough eyes across the river should the child pop up there, but here in the Court of Ethereal Light? That was the true test.

My feet carried me through the gilded halls and out the shimmering double doors into the blasted eternal sunlight. Some days I craved the cooling darkness so intensely I spent the morning huddled in the closet of my chamber. Nothing empowered my dwindling nox like the frosty arms of night.

As I emerged onto the training field, the sun's incessant rays drilling through my tunic, my footsteps quickened, an invisible tether drawing me forward. My boots caught the gleaming light as I moved, drawing my attention to the bite mark across the left toe. The hint of a smile slid across my face at the reminder of Aelia's skyrider. That little beast would be a handful.

Perhaps when he was full grown, I would introduce Solanthus to Phantom, if they weren't acquainted already. I worried about the solitary life she was forced to lead.

A flash of raven hair streaked across my periphery, and my strides lengthened instinctively. Aelia ran across the lush grass with Sol scampering behind her, the unwieldy little thing tumbling from side to side. My shadows buzzed with excitement, a slight hum coursing through my veins at the sight of her. Noxus, what could it mean that a so-called Kin had such an effect on me?

As if she'd sensed my approach, she spun toward me, her smile falling. Her eyes narrowed when they latched onto mine and pops of energy lit up my flesh. My reactions to her were growing stronger by the day, despite my best efforts. And now, this wonderful idea I had would only put us in closer proximity.

Noxus, help me.

My shadows slithered away before I gave the command, wrapping their silky tendrils around Aelia. I threw my voice with my whispering shadows, and her brows slammed together, as they often did when I used my powers. "Come, princess, we have training to do."