Chapter 59

Aelia

"Why are they here already? We were supposed to have three more days!" I paused midstride as we approached the glass staircase and tossed my heels over the banister.

Sprinting down the sleek steps, I cursed my cumbersome, trailing skirts, with Reign by my side. The halls were empty, the sound of our pounding footfalls matching the erratic tempo of my heart. All the other first-years were on the lawn, celebrating the Winter Solstice. They were drunk, chaotic, unruly. Oh, goddess, it would be a bloodbath.

"Damned Malakar likes to keep his students on their toes. He likely sprang this upon them too."

"Malakar?"

"The headmaster of Arcanum Citadel."

Right. And of course, Reign would be familiar with his tricks because he'd attended the elite Shadow Court academy.

A cacophony of screams and cries echoed just beyond the safety of the Hall of Glory. They grew louder with each step, sending ice surging through my veins. Oh, please let my friends survive this.

Focusing on the wispy strands that formed the bond between my skyrider and me, I searched for his comforting presence. Sol, I need you!

What's happened?

Arcanum began the assault early. They're here.

Curses. Where are you? Are you somewhere safe?

I'm with Reign, but I'm on my way to the battlefield. I paused in the grand foyer, steps away from the gilded front doors I'd crossed through only a few months ago, proving my worth at the Veil of Judgement.

No, Aelia. Stay where you are until I arrive.

I can't, Sol. The rest of my team is out there.

Steel bands encircled my arms, my shoulder blades smashing into a muscled torso. Rings of shadow curled around my form, tightening and constricting until I could barely breathe.

Sol!

Don't resist, Aelia. It's for your safety.

"What are you doing?" I shrieked at Reign.

"I'm sorry, princess, but I agree with Solanthus." His warm breath tickled the shell of my ear, his strong arms holding me tight against his body. "You cannot go out there. I will not lose you."

"Reign, this is madness! It's the final battle. If I do not fight, I will not pass the term, and I won't be allowed to remain at the Conservatory."

He spun me around, his shadows still coiled tight around me. "Fuck the Conservatory, Aelia, fuck this battle. Don't you understand that there are much more dangerous factors to consider?"

"No, I don't! Because you haven't explained anything." Gods, I wished I could move my hands because I would slap the idiot. "You tell me of this prophecy, then you disappear… Why do you think I am this child of twilight? And why hasn't anyone else heard of this prophecy but you and Draven? What more aren't you telling me?"

"I told you I would explain everything when I could, but right now, I must go out there." His arms fell away, but those shadows remained, relentless steel bands, pulsing and tightening.

"Reign, no!"

His brows furrowed, lips twisting as he leaned in and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I'm sorry, Aelia, but I've only just found you, and I'll die a thousand deaths before I let him have you." Those smoldering midnight orbs remained locked on mine for an endless moment before his murky shadows swallowed him whole.

"Reign!" I shrieked in vain, wriggling and squirming. Searching my core, I found the well of power pulsing at my center. Radiant light poured through my veins and blanketed the swirling shadows. Sharp hisses vibrated the air as the rais and nox collided in a tangle of vibrant energy. No sooner did one dark wraith disappear than another emerged in its place.

Squeezing my eyes closed, I searched the bond for my traitorous skyrider. Sol! Where are you?

Moving fast. I'll be there shortly.

A thought wiggled its way into my mind, only stoking the building anger. How did you and Reign conspire against me? I thought only bonded skyriders could speak telepathically.

I told Phantom to deliver the message.

What? But I thought you hated her.

I never said that. I said I didn't trust her. But it was an emergency and concessions had to be made.

About a hundred more questions sprang to mind, but I vowed to broach them later. The sounds of battle loomed just outside the walls, shouts and screams vibrating the grand hall. Right now, I had to find a way to reach the dagger strapped to my thigh. Luckily, my fingers were the only part of me not currently constrained. Inch by inch, I tugged at the layers of gilded satin until my leg was bared.

Reign's shadows wriggled and hissed as if aware of what I was attempting. Splaying my two freed fingers, I reached for the hilt. Got it! Gingerly sliding it up my leg, I sought a firmer grasp. The sleek metal slipped from my fingertips and clattered onto the floor.

No!

Frustration bubbled in my core, a rush of anger and betrayal sizzling beneath the surface. How could Reign do this to me? Raysa, I was so tired of all the secrets, all the lies. A wave of power surged, and light exploded from my fingertips, a stream of rais that wrapped around the dagger and lifted it off the ground. I gawked as the weapon materialized in my hand, the crystal warm against my palm.

Without wasting a second, I slashed the blade across Reign's shadow minions. Screeches and furious whispers echoed around me, and for an instant I wondered if Reign could feel the pain of his shadows. Good, he deserved it for his treachery. Tossing the errant thought to the back of my mind, I sprang forward and raced through the gilded doors, prepared to face judgement once more.

A cloud of menacing darkness loomed over the Conservatory eclipsing the ever-present sun as the swarm of Arcanum students filled the sky. My breath hitched at the unearthly sight. There must have been at least two hundred Shadow Fae skyriders against our measly count.

I scanned the melee for any sign of Rue or Symon, but a knot of pure black encompassed the light. From this distance, I couldn't make out a thing.

As I raced toward the battlefield, a dark shadow streaked overhead. A wave of dragonfire lit up the murky sky and swallowed up two Light Fae skyriders. I watched in horror as the hippogriff and gryphon plummeted to the earth in a blazing inferno, their shrieks sending goosebumps across my arms.

Raysa, protect us.

Sol! Where are you?

Five minutes out. Where are you?

Still safe.

Aelia…

Just get here as fast as you can.

Clenching the dagger in my fist, I sprinted toward a mass of Light and Shadow Fae battling on the ground. I'd have to limit use of my blade for emergencies, or to make a kill strike. My stomach revolted at the idea. These were only students, like us, forced to train and fight for their king and court.

The air was thick with smoke and the oppressive weight of shadows, the sun barely a whisper in the sky as I stood on the field, heart pounding. I could feel the darkness pressing in, encroaching on the halo of light that pulsed from my core.

I drew a deep breath, feeling the familiar surge of rais flood my veins, a warm, glowing fire that danced along my fingertips. Just ahead, the Shadow Fae emerged from the darkness, their forms shifting and melding with the night, eyes gleaming with hatred. A tall male with eyes like black ice stepped forward, and the air around him seemed to ripple with dark energy.

Gods, he was beautiful in a terrifying way. And oddly familiar…

He lunged and I raised my hands, summoning a beam of pure, radiant light that cut through the darkness like a blade. He hissed and his shadows recoiled, their forms dissolving into wisps of smoke, but he surged forward, undeterred.

He moved with an eerie grace, his attack swift and relentless. I dodged a swipe from his umbral dagger, spinning to deflect another blow with a radiant shield that flared to life just in time. The impact sent a shiver through my body, but I held firm, pushing back with a burst of energy that sent my attacker reeling.

"You"re stronger than I expected, for a lowly Kin," the male"s voice echoed, cold and mocking.

My brows slammed together, fury coiling deep in my core. "Fae you," I gritted out.

He lunged again, and I barely had time to react, raising my arm to block his strike. His power was overwhelming, a crushing force of darkness that seemed to swallow the light. I gritted my teeth, summoning every ounce of my rais to push back. For a moment, we were locked in a battle of wills, light and shadow swirling around us in a chaotic dance.

With a cry, I unleashed a wave of blinding light, forcing him to stumble back. I seized the moment, channeling my rais into a spear of light that I hurled straight at his heart. He darted to the right and the ethereal weapon sliced across his upper arm. Eyes wide, he glared at me as he clutched his wound.

"Until we meet again, Aelia Ravenwood." The Shadow Fae male let out a low whistle and the thunderous flapping of wings vibrated the thick air.

The slate dragon dropped low from the sky and the male leapt up, catching one of its enormous talons. I watched in awe as he scaled up his massive leg as the dragon drifted higher. Stars, I needed to learn to do that.

A flash of gold upon the horizon caught my eye, pivoting my attention to the serene blue of Mysthallia to the west.

It's about time you joined the battle.

Sol's roar reverberated across the field as he swooped closer, and everything else went still. For a long moment, all eyes focused on the enormous golden dragon soaring ever closer. He released a torrent of dragonfire and Shadow Fae skyriders scrambled across the flight field.

From just overhead, a familiar voice broke through the uproar. "Aelia!" Rue waved as she zipped by on Windy. Beside her flew Griff with Symon aboard.

Thank the goddess they were safe.

Sol landed with a ground-shaking thud, his nostrils flared as he flattened his body to the ground so I could climb up his leg.

"I'm glad you finally made it."

And I am not pleased to find you in the middle of this disaster.

"Where else would I be?" I bit back.

Reign was supposed to keep you safe.

I'm alive, aren't I?

Where was my professor? In all the chaos, I'd nearly forgotten about him. Or at least, I'd pretended to.

Once I was firmly seated on Sol's back, his wings pounded the air and we catapulted into the gloomy sky. Smoke and shadows blanketed the pale blue, casting the battleground in darkness.

We must get Arcanum to retreat. It's the only way to win.Sol's voice streaked through my frazzled thoughts.

Okay, and how do we do that?

Like this.

Solanthus, the Sun Chaser, flexed his wings and darkness once again reigned supreme, those massive leathery appendages blocking out what remained of the sun's glittering rays. With a spine-tingling shriek, he bored down on the tangle of skyriders.

Griffons, ligels, hippogriffs, all scrambled at the sight of the monstrous golden dragon.

"Hold the line!" A shout came from across the aerial battleground an instant before the Fae male I'd fought earlier appeared atop the slate dragon.

Oh, for Fae's sake. Do you know that dragon, Sol?

Mmm, unfortunately.

How about the rider?

My inquiry remained unanswered as Sol's earthshaking roar vibrated through his entire body, making my thighs quiver. He surged forward, straight for the dragon in question. Scorching flames filled the air as the beasts clashed mid-air.

Snarls and deep growls blasted over the chaos of combat, and I gripped onto Sol's wingbones with everything I had as he dodged sharp talons and torrents of dragonfire. The two wild creatures were relentless. Squeezing my thighs until my muscles burned from the strain was all I could do to keep seated.

"Surrender, Kin!" A shadow curled around me, delivering the message. "You are sorely outnumbered, and half of the first-year Light Fae have already fallen. Arcanum Citadel has won the battle."

"Never," I hissed back.

Dark orbs pinned to mine, and that familiar twinge deepened. "You prefer to die, then?"

"I am not the one dying today."

"Arrogant words for a lowly Kin."

"I am not a lowly Kin," I snarled. "I am Light Fae!" Splaying my fingers on one hand while keeping a firm hold of Sol with the other, I released a solar flare. The radiant energy smashed into dragon and rider, alike, sending both hurtling back.

"Aelia, watch out!" Another shadow danced across my ear, the familiar icy touch a comforting one. Reign emerged from the shadows between us an instant later, Phantom's immense onyx form blotting out the other rider.

The slate dragon spun around, maw wide open and nostrils flared. A tornado of pure night whipped through the wind, speeding straight for me.

Reign leapt from Phantom's back, his shadows morphing into airy wings. He landed atop Sol and jerked me behind him. "No, Ruhl!" he shouted at the approaching rider. "Not her!" My eyes snapped to Reign's profile. "I'm sorry," he murmured, glancing quickly at me before turning away. Darkness curtained those piercing irises. "For everything."

"Are you out of your mind, brother?" The Shadow Fae male loomed closer, his dragon hovering only a few yards from Sol.

Brother? What the actual Fae?

"Not her," he hissed again.

"What is the matter with you?" Ruhl snarled. "Do you have any idea what father will say?"

"I don't give a fuck."

"That's what you've been doing all this time?" His dark brows furrowed, a thin line slashing across his mouth. "Instead of doing Father's bidding, you've fallen for the girl?"

My mind spun as I attempted to process the Shadow Fae's words, but everything was happening too quickly. My heart kicked at my ribs, my lungs tightening with each ragged breath.

"Who are you?" I blurted, peering around Reign and pinning the Fae male in my sights.

"Who am I?" A sinister chuckle pierced his lips. "Oh, Reign, you haven't told her?"

"Shut your mouth, Ruhl!"

"And miss this opportunity? Absolutely not." He spun his wicked gaze on me. "I am Prince Ruhl of Umbra, heir to King Tenebris of the Court of Umbral Shadows."

All the remaining air vacated my lungs, and stars danced across my vision. Gods, this wasn't happening. It couldn't be…

"And the male standing so protectively in front of you is my eldest brother, Prince Reign."

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EEK! I'm sorry, that really was an evil cliffhanger!! But, the next book in the Courts of Aetheria, Crown of Flames and Ash, will be here before you know it!