Chapter 35

Aelia

Holding Sol firmly against my chest as we rocketed through Reign's shadows of endless night, I whispered soothing words of encouragement. Only a day with my dragon and already I was using baby-talk around the hatchling. I had to remind myself in a week he'd be a full-grown, fire-breathing beast capable of devouring me in one bite.

But right now, he clung onto me, claws digging into my leather breastplate as we shadowtraveled to only Noxus knew where. "We're almost there, little guy," I crooned. My arms already felt like lead weights after holding the dragonette for only a few minutes. I hazarded a quick peek over my shoulder at Reign who toted both of us within his cloak of shadows. Barely perceptible droplets of perspiration beaded across his brow and upper lip.

The moment we'd abandoned the Conservatory's wards, I'd felt Reign's powers dampen. The throbbing, pulsing nox that typically emanated from the male diminished, gradually leaking away the farther we traveled.

How far were we going?

The last time I'd shadowtraveled with my professor, we'd gone across campus and the trip had lasted mere seconds. This time, it felt like we'd been trapped in murky oblivion for decades.

I was mere seconds from asking Reign are we there yet? when a glimmer of light flickered at the end of the tunnel of fathomless obscurity. The shadows melted away and night coalesced around us, shimmering moonlight bathing the mountainous land in an ethereal glow.

As I placed Sol onto the dark earth, the steady rush of water spun my head around to a glittering waterfall. The cascade tumbled gently over a crescent of jagged onyx rock, softened by centuries of travel. The water somehow gathered the scant light, shimmering with hues of deep indigo and silver, as if moonlight had liquefied into a gentle stream.

I drew in a breath, unable to tear my eyes away from nature's beauty. "Where are we?" I whispered.

"The Darkmania Falls on the border of the Court of Umbral Shadows. It's a quiet stretch of land where we won't be disturbed." He ticked his head over the rocky crags towering above the quaint waterfall and wisps of dawn scattered through the murky night. "I used to come here to escape the demands of the Citadel."

I peered over his shoulder and could just make out the looming turrets at a good distance to the southeast. I supposed when you could shadowtravel or fly, it made exploration much easier.

"And why are we here now?"

The moonlight danced across Reign's dark hair as he cocked his head, casting it aglow in shades of silver and navy. "Why to train, princess." His unfathomable irises sparkled, more radiant than the starlit sky overhead. "I have another theory to test."

"You and your theories…" I grumbled as I crouched down and absentmindedly stroked Sol's bumpy head. He was entirely entertained by the bevy of insects crawling across the fertile earth.

"I would like you to attempt to access the bond between you and your skyrider upon Shadow Fae soil."

"You're still so adamant that my powers are being blocked somehow?"

"Yes. Especially now. There is no earthly reason that Raysa would grant you, a powerless Kin, a mighty dragon otherwise."

I bristled at the insult, but I held my tongue, fully aware he was simply baiting me. Knotting my arms across my chest, I glared up at Reign. "So what exactly do you want me to do, professor?"

Shadows shot from his fingertips, curling up my legs, their icy touch sending goosebumps rippling across my flesh. My knees hinged, and I dropped to the cool grass on my behind. With an excited squeal, Sol leapt into my lap and nuzzled my breastplate.

"You could have just asked me to sit," I snapped, rubbing my tender backside.

"But wasn't it much more fun this way?" He cocked a mischievous brow.

Not for the first time I noticed the volatile professor seemed to be in a better mood the moment we crossed into Shadow Fae lands. I wondered if it was a result of simply missing his home or if it had more to do with access to his nox.

He crouched down in front of me and reached for my hands. One was occupied with rubbing the scaly nubs atop Sol's head and the other dug into the blades of grass at my side. Neither moved at his offer.

"Princess…" he growled.

"What? I don't believe that touching is going to help with your keeping our distance decree."

"Damn it, Aelia." He grabbed for my free hand and squeezed it between his strong fingers.

Sol wiggled in my lap, whirled on my attacker and released a pitiful roar.

I had no control over the laugh that bubbled out despite the irritation at my professor. "Oh, Sol…" I laughed again as he flashed Reign his jagged little teeth.

"For the love of Noxus, Solanthus, I'm only trying to help you. We don't have much time." Reign dipped his gaze to the dragonette's eyelevel. "Trust me."

My little dragon snorted and plumes of silver smoke escaped his tiny nostrils.

"I don't disagree with you, little buddy," I whispered into what I assumed was his ear.

"Aelia, if this is to work, you must trust me. Despite your shaky bond with Solanthus, I'm certain he can feel you and sense your emotions. If you do not believe in me, then neither will he."

"Well, how can I?" I snapped. "You're kind with me one instant, and then a bastard the next. You treat me a certain, special way, then you're cold and distant. You abandon me, brutally reject me—. How can I put my faith in someone who guards his emotions with an impenetrable obsidian wall?"

Reign loosed a frustrated breath and dragged his fingers through his wild, midnight locks. "I don't know how else to be around you, Aelia," he rasped out. "The tethers of my restraint grow more tenuous with every moment we spend together." His jaw snapped shut as if he'd never intended for that confession to see the light of day.

He shot to his feet and paced a quick circle, the sudden silence overshadowed by the quiet murmurs of the cascades.

"I cannot be what you want me to be, princess," he whispered a long minute later, dark gaze fixed to his shiny boots. How could he know what I wanted when I certainly didn't? He finally lifted his chin, smoldering, unreadable orbs meeting mine. "But I will do my best to help you survive, if you'll let me."

I nodded slowly, the intensity in his gaze dropping my chin. He'd said it from the very beginning: we could never be together. It was forbidden. Despite what he may have felt, he'd been clear. I needed to get over my ridiculous, childish daydreams and face reality. I needed his help.

"The Ethereal Trials will begin at the end of the week, once your skyriders are full grown, and will culminate at the year-end battle with Arcanum Citadel. It is paramount you succeed in both if you wish to live."

Good gods, only a week—where had the time gone? "Fine," I gritted out. Lifting Sol so his fiery golden eyes met mine, I announced, "Solanthus, the Sun Chaser, Reign is our friend, and he will help us. He has a dragon, too, just like you, but that's our little secret. Can you trust him?"

My little dragon let out a happy chuff and wiggled until I released him. I tried to search the faint bond between us, and a faint pulse vibrated between the gossamer strands. Holding out my hand to Reign, I grumbled, "Okay, we're ready."

He kneeled in front of me and wrapped his big hands around mine. That familiar pulse of Reign's energy whipped through me and lashed at my veins.

"Goddess, did you feel that?" I cried.

Reign's head dipped, but that unreadable expression remained carved into his stubborn jaw.

"What was that?"

"I assume it's your rais attempting to rise to the surface."

Wow, it was incredible.

"Now, focus on the bond between you and Solanthus. It should be a shimmery strand deep within your core."

"Yes, I know…" Squeezing my eyes closed, I locked onto the gauzy strings fluttering wildly within my chest. That faint presence blossomed and filled my heart so fully I wondered how I'd ever lived without it. Sol. Sol, can you hear me?

Reign's hands tightened around my own and warmth flooded my veins. Tiny sparks danced across my palms and a swirl of power tangled with my own, beating against my ribs.

Sol?

Aelia Ravenwood? A rough, beastly sound like waves across gravel caressed my mind. It sounded nothing like the cute, little creature in my lap.

Is that you, Sol?

It is I, Solanthus, the Sun Chaser.

You sound so different…

Though my body is new, Aelia, my soul has wandered these lands for many lifetimes. As I'm certain you know, very few dragons remain in existence today. Our souls reincarnate by the powers of the gods, the perfect balance of light and dark, and now Raysa has delivered me to you.

I did not know that. Gods, I needed to study more. How can I hear you now?

The little dragon lifted his chin toward Reign. I imagine it's his nox flooding your system that is giving you access.

So we won't be able to speak once he releases me? The thought alone had a gaping hole opening deep in my chest.

I'm not certain, Aelia. Everything seems different about you, but I suppose that is what will make our bond unique.

Reign's grip softened, then his fingers untangled from mine. I blinked quickly, the air whooshing from my lungs as Sol's presence was torn away.

"What happened?" I snapped.

My instructor heaved out a breath, his complexion a shade lighter than normal. "I couldn't sustain the connection any longer."

"But I heard him, Reign, I finally heard him! Can't we try again?"

"I said it was enough for now," he barked before he marched off to the edge of the glistening lagoon. Crouching in front of the water, he dipped a hand in and splashed the crystalline liquid across his face.

I eyed him as he stretched out across the bank and closed his eyes, as if he were moonbathing beneath the twinkling stars. "I thought we came to train."

"We did, princess."

"Then what are you doing?"

"I'm getting a good view." He cocked his head, leaned into his palm and smirked. "Start practicing your radiant shield. You must be able to summon it as easily as taking your next breath. I will time you."

Sol darted across the clearing, flapping his small wings as he chased yet another nocturnal creature.

"You better get started, princess. Once you manage that, I'll have you shield your skyrider as well. And trust me, once Solanthus reaches his full size, it will become much more difficult, so I suggest you master it now."

"Unbelievable," I grumbled as I squeezed my eyes closed and searched for the tiny hint of rais that flickered at the pit of my stomach. I focused on the swirl of energy and imagined it growing inside me, until it filled every inch of my being. Then I pushed it outward until it flowed from my pores like the rushing waterfall cascading down the cliff.

A flash of golden light crept across my periphery until it blossomed into an enormous, gilded orb encompassing my entire body and extending around Sol who frolicked in the grass a few yards away.

My gaze darted to meet Reign's wide-eyed one.

Energy unlike anything I'd ever experienced before punched through my system, emanating from the very soles of my boots and shooting through my veins to every inch of my flesh. The sphere grew larger, the power intensifying until a tremor raced through my body.

"Aelia?" Reign appeared beside me, his black tunic aglow with my protective shield. "Are you all right?"

A flicker of heat ignited in my core, a slow trickle before it intensified and expanded outward until it felt as if fire consumed my entire being. The scorching flames surged like liquid lightning and a scream tore through my clenched teeth.

Hands so cold they felt like ice closed around my own, and frosty tendrils of darkness curled around my body. Another tremor rolled up my spine, my teeth chattering from the strain. My heart pounded, an incessant drumbeat drowning out all else. My lungs constricted as the sizzling inferno scorched my insides and made it impossible to draw in a breath.

"Aelia!" Those icy fingers squeezed my shoulders and gave me a rough shake. Blazing midnight spheres met mine, and somehow that voice, Reign's voice, crept through the chaos of my mind. "Let go, Aelia, release the energy before it kills you."

Reign's soothing darkness infiltrated the fiery dawn, weaving shadows between the light.

Shut it down, Aelia, before it is too late. That rough, beastly voice snaked through my frazzled thoughts.

Sol?

Well done, child, now rein the power in before it consumes us all.

I blinked quickly, drawing free of the mental conversation with Sol and just caught the whites of my professor's eyes as they rolled back into his head an instant before he crumpled to the ground.