Chapter 54

Aelia

A dense canopy cast the ominous Sombra Forest in perpetual twilight, shadows stretching and morphing on a light breeze coming off the Luminoc River. I stood between Rue and Symon, every nerve ending intensely aware. The air was thick with whispers—each shadow a voice, each murmur a potential deceit or hidden truth.

My fingers curled around the scroll that had appeared on my bedside table this morning.

The final trial: The Shadows Whisper

Objective: Traverse a dense forest where shadows communicate secrets and lies within the time allotted. Competitors must discern truth from falsehoods whispered by the shadows using their powers to illuminate the truth.

How did one illuminate the truth?

I would have asked one of our professors, but the moment Rue and I had gotten dressed, hoods were dropped atop our heads and we were whisked away only to re-emerge from the darkness a moment ago.

In Shadow Fae lands…

Beyond the circle of first-years gathered, Arcanum Citadel loomed in the distance, towering spires of obsidian stretching high into the endless night sky. Memories of the last time I'd found myself on this side of the Luminoc assaulted my senses. I scanned the murky forest for my professor, but he was nowhere to be found. And with the abundance of shadows slinking around every corner of the woodland, it was impossible to tell at this distance which were his. If any at all.

"Raysa, help us," Symon muttered. "Do you feel that? That emptiness?" He pressed his hand to his chest.

Rue nodded, so I numbly followed her lead. But it was a total lie. Instead of the void the others felt, I'd never felt so whole. There had always been some sort of trickle of energy when I set foot in the Court of Umbral Shadows, but never anything like this.

An unnamable force ignited in my core, slowly inching across my skin, through my veins. It was a prickle of awareness that sprang from the base of my spine and blossomed in my chest. My hand instinctively moved to the medallion beneath my tunic. The usually cool metal was warm beneath my fingertips, pulsing with life. Echoing the steady vibration was the dagger at my hip. The crystal seared through my leathers, warming the skin beneath.

Good gods, what if I was Shadow Fae?

As we waited in the ever-thickening silence, I scanned the lurking shadows, desperate to feel some sort of connection. I called to them, summoned the dark minions in my mind. The energy coating my veins flared, but not a whisper of darkness emerged.

This was crazy. Reign was driving me completely mad.

His original premise was much more likely. My rais was blocked somehow, and the spell cast was unraveling the more time I spent on Shadow Fae soil. That must be it.

The blare of a horn sent my pulse skyrocketing.

"Let's do this!" Rue pressed her palms together, and a faint glow lit up our murky surroundings. She took off a second later, winding through the thick copse of sprawling trees.

"Rue, wait!" I had to warn my friends about the gloomwhisper. Surely, the dark beast would be out tonight. I sprinted after her with Sy at my side. "We have to be careful. There are creatures out here…"

She twisted her head over her shoulder. Belmore and Ariadne along with Kian and Lucian were only a few yards behind. "I'm more concerned about the other first-years than the monsters lurking this side of the Luminoc."

Dark fingers of night curled between us as we ran. "They're coming for you," they hissed. "Trust no one, or you will not survive."

The menacing whispers echoed through the stillness, elevating the rapid pounding of my heart.

"Did you hear that?" Sy whisper-shouted.

I nodded slowly. "We cannot become distracted by their words. They're only trying to trick us."

"Right." Rue marched forward, leading the way through a dark thicket, hands still aglow.

"Do you know where we're going?" The darkness closed in around us, the canopy of trees overhead so thick, not a sliver of moonlight squeezed through. If it weren't for Rue's light, I was fairly certain I'd be unable to discern the tip of my nose.

"I have a general idea," she called out over her shoulder.

Another shadow circled, tickling the sensitive shell of my ear. And where Reign's shadows lit me up inside, these had the exact opposite effect.

"Aelia… oh, little Kin, you will never prove your worth among the Fae. You are nothing…"

I swatted at the dark wraith as its words hit a nerve, wishing I could slice my dagger across its ghostly form. Then it would see how worthless I was.

Ariadne raced past us with Belmore at her heels. The forest split ahead, a sharp V in the thick terrain. She paused for an instant at the crossroads before veering to the right.

"Which way should we go?" asked Symon.

"To the left." Rue raised her palm, lighting up the pathway.

"Are you sure?"

My roommate nodded. "Heaton said to always move East. There's a clearing in the center of the Sombra Forest which marks the end of the trial. The sun is in the west, in the Court of Ethereal Light, so if we simply keep moving away from our center, we will find our way."

"I think we should go this way." Symon pointed along the gloomy path down which Ariadne and Belmore disappeared.

"Why?" I inched closer to my friend. Unlike Rue, I didn't feel the magnetic pull toward the sun.

"I just have a feeling."

Shadows curled around Symon's back, writhing around his form.

"It's the shadows! They're only trying to manipulate you."

"What in all the realms are you talking about?" Sy stared at me as if I'd grown a second head.

"Don't you hear their whispers?"

He slowly shook his head, light brows furrowed.

"Don't you see them?" I pointed over his shoulder.

Sy spun around, squinting through the interminable night. "See what?"

Oh, stars. Grabbing my friend by the arm, I dragged him to the left path where Rue waited.

"You're sure it was Heaton that told you to go east and not some trick of the shadows?"

Her head bounced up and down. "Heat told me yesterday when we spoke of the upcoming trial."

"Then we go east, and we do not deviate, despite what our guts tell us."

"Fine," Symon grumbled. "You're lucky your ears are so cute, little Kin, or I would have abandoned you long ago." He threw me a cheeky grin, and I dug my elbow into his side.

We trudged through the unnerving forest for what felt like an eternity. Unlike in the other trials where the timeframe was clear, today we had no ticking timer, no idea when this event would come to an end. Worse, I was fairly certain we were moving in circles.

The twisting paths grew thicker, the trees more ominous, jagged branches reaching and scraping as we passed.

"Oh, goddess!" Rue came to an abrupt stop and clapped her hand over her mouth, pointing down a murky trail. "Is that Phoebia?"

Tipping my head back, my gaze traveled to where she pointed and up the enormous trunk until it settled on a body hanging over a large limb. Waves of blonde hair cascaded over the female's head, her slender form wrapped in thick, strangling vines. Dark purple veins crisscrossed her exposed flesh, and a sickly green pallor coated her skin.

"Oh, gods, how awful." I squeezed my eyes closed.

"Aelia, help me!"

My ears perked up at the familiar deep timbre. "Reign?" My legs were moving toward the sound before I could stop them.

"Aelia, where are you going?" Rue called out.

But I didn't slow, I couldn't. Not when Reign's voice sounded like that. Pain. Desperation. Agony.

"Aelia, please. Help me!"

I sprinted through the woods, jagged twigs lashing across my face until tears filled my eyes. "Reign! Where are you?"

"Over here! Help me!"

Pumping my arms, I willed my body to move faster. My legs ached, my muscles screaming from the strain, but I kept going. Jagged branches slashed at my face, biting into my skin as I raced through the forest. The faint sound of rushing water reached my ears, barely perceptible over the wild thrumming of my pulse. I pushed myself harder, faster. "I'm coming, Reign!"

My boots pounded the earthy terrain, moving so quickly they were nothing but a blur. The sole of my shoe slid forward, and my arms shot out to steady myself. Within a fraction of a second, I glanced down to see the thrashing waters of the Luminoc at the edge of the cliff I precariously wobbled upon.

No, no, no!

My hands scrambled for purchase, clinging onto a looming branch as one foot slid over the edge. Wrapping my fingers around the thick limb, I dragged myself back onto solid ground. My lungs heaved, constricting from the strain.

For Fae's sake, I nearly plummeted over the ledge.

Heavy footfalls pounded behind me, and Rue and Symon emerged from the darkness. "Aelia! Are you all right?"

I exhaled a sharp breath and nodded. "Just barely."

Symon's head swiveled over his shoulder, and his smile of relief twisted. "Emily?" His brows furrowed as he stared into the encroaching forest. "What is she?—"

"No!" I shouted. "It's not her."

He spun at me, panic in his eyes. "How do you know about Emily?"

"I don't. I only know that I just followed a voice that clearly wasn't real and nearly fell to my death."

His light eyes were wild, pain cutting into his handsome face. "It sounds so real, Aelia. Are you certain?"

Confirming the wicked shadows writhing between us, I dipped my head. "It's only an illusion, a trick of the shadows. I'm sorry."

Gritting his teeth, he released a shaky breath.

"Who is she?"

Sy shook his head, the haunted look in his eye stilling my tongue.

"And we've gotten completely off track," Rue grumbled, eyeing the river.

"I'm sorry, I thought it was Reign…"

She squeezed my shoulder and offered an encouraging smile. "It's all right. I know it's not your fault." Weaving one arm through mine and the other through Symon's she dragged us back into the foreboding depths of the forest.