Chapter 39

Aelia

"Get Aelia out of here!" Reign roared.

Heaton stiffened beside me, his hand sliding right off my back at the venom in Reign's tone, which is to say nothing of the murderous gleam in his eyes. "What about the other first-years?" he finally managed.

"I've already sent them to the catacombs in the library."

Aelia, do you need me? Sol's deep voice resounded through the impending chaos.

No, I'm safe. Reign is currently forbidding me from exiting the hall.

Good. At least that Shadow Fae is good for something.

I grinned despite myself. Where are you?

Hunting along the border of the Wilds.

So far? A gaping hole opened up in my chest at the mere thought of the great distance between us.

I can be back in no time if you need me.

No, I'm fine. Go have fun and fill your belly. I'll keep you updated should the training exercise worsen.

The sharp blare of a horn resounded across the hall, tearing my thoughts from Sol, and my heart flung itself into my throat. The warning bell. The upperclassmen would be racing down the steps any minute now, and I should have been running in the opposite direction. But for some unearthly reason, the soles of my boots were rooted to the ground.

The dagger at my waist called to me, my fingers itching to test the blade against another Shadow Fae. What if its strange power only worked against Reign?

As usual, it seemed as if my professor had read my thoughts. His dark gaze settled on the sheath strapped across my hips. He slowly shook his head. "No…"

"I must know the truth."

Thundering footfalls echoed behind us as students armed to the teeth spilled from the hall. Heaton squirmed beside me, his eyes intent on his classmates. "Professor, can you see to Aelia's safety? I should fight with my class. It could be one of the final exercises for the term."

Reign muttered a curse, but his head dipped all the same. "Fine, go and may the goddess be with you."

"And may her Light shine upon you." Heaton offered a quick nod, then his gaze pivoted to me, lingering for a long moment before he took off.

"Of course, he's smitten," Reign grumbled as his hand came around my forearm, jerking me up the steps of the hall.

Ignoring his comment, I made my best effort to wriggle free of his hold. "Reign, please, I have my own theory to test."

"Absolutely not, Aelia. You're not ready."

"That's absurd! I'll be battling Arcanum in a month. What is the difference?"

He halted midstride, and his glare turned lethal. "You will be performing a Conservatory-approved exercise against first-years from the Citadel, not this!" He threw his hands up and motioned at the chaos erupting in the sky.

A shrill cry blasted over our heads, and that now familiar pounding of air thundered from above. Reign tipped his head back and muttered another curse as he glanced through the clear dome ceiling. "For Noxus's sake, another dragon?" He squinted, his cheeks gone sallow. "And what the blazes is he doing here?"

An enormous slate dragon darted toward us, tearing through our aerial defenses. It let out a shriek and a torrent of white flames shot from its gaping maw.

"Oh, my gods," I hissed. "I thought you said there weren't any other dragons at the Citadel?"

"There weren't…" he murmured.

"Arcanum Choosing Ceremony?"

He nodded. "Must be." His gaze remained pinned to the sky, the brilliant light of day illuminating the creature's sleek scales, revealing every terrifying inch, from its crown of horns to its barbed tail.

I'd never felt a hint of fear around Sol, but this beast… Goosebumps rippled down my bare arms.

"Come on, princess, we're going. Now." Reign's hand closed around mine before he yanked me to the doorway, but my eyes never deviated from the sky. I could just barely make out the dragon's rider—a dark-haired male blanketed in shadows—before crossing the threshold.

"Wait." I dug my heels into the marble floor at the landing just before the doors leading into the hall. "I thought you said first-years didn't fight yet. If that Arcanum student was just chosen by that dragon, why is he in the battle?"

"Excellent question, princess. One I do not have the answer to; but it does not change the fact that you must get farther inside now."

"Fine," I gritted out and stepped through the threshold. The moment I passed, the doors slammed closed behind us, cutting off the raging sounds of the battle beyond. A dark shadow crossed over the glass dome overhead, turning my attention skyward once more. The giant dragon flew just over the academy's cupola, revealing the beast's soft underbelly.

"Is there somewhere I could at least watch?" I ticked my head to the stained glass above. "Perhaps, I could learn something."

A rueful smile flitted across Reign's mouth before it morphed into a hard line. "There's a covered balcony on the top floor. I suppose it could be safe enough."

I took off toward the floating staircase before my professor could reconsider my wellbeing—which for the life of me I still didn't understand why it mattered so. Except, perhaps, for whatever the grand prize may be for my survival.

Taking the steps two at a time, I reached the top floor only slightly winded. Apparently, my endless training sessions did account for something. Reign moved in front of me, taking the lead down the narrow corridor. I had never been to this level, my eighth-floor dormitory was the farthest up I'd dared.

At the end of the hall, a rainbow of light spilled from the stained-glass windows etched into a narrow door. Reign reached for the ornate handle and canted his head over his shoulder. "Let me go first to ensure it is clear."

My head bobbed instinctively.

A torrent of wind sent hair whipping across my face as the door swung open. Holding onto the doorframe, I stepped out onto the small balcony behind my professor. The gray dragon zipped by us, and my gaze followed Reign's skyward.

"He's nearly as large as Sol," he muttered.

"How do you know it's a he?" I followed the dragon's path across the sky, then focused on the rider. From this height, I could make out his features a bit more clearly. Like all Fae, he was gorgeous, with the same liquid midnight hair as Reign.

"Male dragons tend to be larger than females. Phantom is one of the biggest females I've ever heard of, and this one appears larger, still." Though he spoke of the animal, his gaze never deviated from the rider.

"Do you know him?"

"Hmm?" His head slowly turned toward me as if having to force his attention away from the Shadow Fae rider. An unreadable mask slipped over his handsome face.

"The rider, do you know him?"

"How would I, if he clearly seems to be a first-year?"

It never occurred to me to wonder how many friends, or at least acquaintances, Reign must have been forced to abandon when he'd been run out of Shadow Fae territory. And what of his family? Consorting with a traitor was treasonous and punishable by death. Did his family have any idea what had become of him? A pinch of pity stabbed at my heart.

"Aelia, watch out!" Reign's shout pierced my eardrum, sending all thoughts scrambling.

I dropped to the ground as a gryphon whizzed by and dark tendrils of power exploded around me. Reaching for my dagger, I clenched it tight in my fist as I pushed myself up in time to see an Arcanum student land on the edge of the balcony.

Shadows whipped around the male, a sinister glint in his eyes as he scanned Reign, then me. "Ah, the traitor…"

"Get back on your skyrider, boy, before you regret it," Reign snarled.

The Shadow Fae's powers circled his form and a pair of umbral blades coalesced in his fists. I fingered the hilt of my own dagger and slowly pulled back my arm. It was time to test my theory.

As Reign kept the male occupied, I released my dagger. I held my breath as it flew end over end in seemingly slow motion. From the corner of my eye, I could just make out Reign and the expression of horror carving into his jaw. The blade ripped right through the shadows and the student's mystical weapons disintegrated right in his hands. The male's eyes lifted to meet mine, his mouth curving into a capital O. "What in all the realms…?"

It worked!

"Damn it, Aelia," Reign hissed. His shadows shot from his fingertips and curled around the Fae, wrapping him in a cloud of pure night.

The Arcanum student released a sharp cry as the coils of darkness seeped into every orifice before dragging him off the balcony and back into the halls of the building.

"What are you doing?" I cried out as I followed behind them.

"He saw your dagger, Aelia. If we let him go now, he'll go straight to the headmaster at the Citadel and your secret will be no more."

The boy writhed on the marble floor, his dark hair and black uniform a stark contrast to the pristine white marble. Reign's shadows constricted, tightening around the male like serpents.

"So you're going to kill him?"

His hard eyes met mine. "What other choice do I have? I must protect you—your secret."

"But he's only a boy…"

"He's a second-year, Aelia, and he knew exactly what he was getting into the moment he set foot upon that balcony."

The Fae paled as the shadows laced around his throat, and he let out a strangled cry.

My hand gripped Reign's forearm, and his tense muscles twitched beneath my touch. "Please, don't do this."

His expression hardened, those bottomless pupils like obsidian stone. "I must. It's my duty to keep you safe. You are my acquisition, and I'd ravage this entire battalion of Shadow Fae if it meant your survival."

Of course. His precious acquisition. One day I'd have to ask him what he stood to win…

A shriek filled the quiet hallway, and I spun around in time to watch the life drain out of the male's eyes. His body spasmed, then went completely still.

"Why couldn't you simply change his memories like you did with Rue?" I shrieked.

"Tampering with the mind of a Shadow Fae is trickier, especially an elite student from the Citadel. There was a chance his memories would return. I couldn't risk, damn it, Aelia, not with you."

Oh, goddess. This was my fault.

My feet took off of their own accord, pushing me past the dead Fae.

"Aelia!" Reign's voice echoed across the narrow corridor, but I refused to stop.

That boy was dead because of me.