Chapter 6

Aelia

An odd, strangled sound erupted from my lips as I stared at the pristine silver-veined floor now marred by the ashy remains of the Light Fae.

The bearded male released a sigh, his shoulders rounding. "And he seemed to have such potential. One can never be too sure." With a shake of his head, he moved toward us nonchalantly, as if that Fae hadn't just disintegrated in an explosion of ethereal light right in front of us. He dipped his head, acknowledging Reign. "Professor Darkthorn, I'm pleased to see you had better luck with your most recent acquisition."

"Mmm, yes." Reign's dark gaze lifted to mine for an instant before returning to the elder male. "Aelia Ravenwood, this is Professor Litehaus, he is the Healing Light's instructor."

"Ravenwood?" The old professor's light brows knitted. "As in Feywood?" He lifted his spectacles from his aquiline nose and wiped both lenses with the hem of his tunic before replacing them. His slow scrutiny of my rounded ears had the hair on the back of my neck prickling. "Hmm, how very peculiar."

"I thought so as well, but she clearly bares the mark of the Court of Ethereal Light." Reign signaled to the neckline of my dress. "Show the professor, Aelia."

My lips screwed into a pout, the idea of baring my chest to this old man twisting my stomach, but this would not be the hill I died upon. Gingerly pushing aside the fabric to reveal a tiny corner of the mark, I held my breath as the professor moved closer to examine me.

"There is certainly no denying it, Reign. Rounded ears or not, the girl is imbued with rais." His eyes narrowed, a vein pulsing across his forehead. "It seems you've come across quite an interesting find, my boy. Well done."

Reign dipped his head. "I am merely a humble servant of Raysa and the King of Ethereal Light," he muttered.

"Blessed be their names," the old professor responded.

Humble? I nearly grunted aloud.

When Reign lifted his head, the tendon in his jaw twitched before that mask of calm slid back into place. "I must escort Aelia to the first-year dormitories. You'll have to excuse us."

"Oh yes, of course." Professor Litehaus signaled down the vast hallway and I moved into step beside Reign.

With everything that had happened since my arrival, I hadn't had a moment to take in the grand entrance of the Conservatory or the sprawling corridors that led deeper into the heart of the Fae institution. The arched ceiling towered over us, glass panes reflecting the golden sun's shimmering rays. It couldn't be possible, but somehow the sun seemed to shine brighter over the Light Court than Feywood. Perhaps, it was all part of Raysa's mystical powers.

As we crossed through the grand foyer adorned with intricate filigree and delicate archways, illuminated by the soft, ethereal glow of crystals embedded within the walls, I couldn't keep from gawking. The floor beneath my feet was a mosaic of shimmering marble tiles, reflecting the patterns of light that danced through the stained-glass windows overhead. It was incredible and completely unreal. Fragrant blooms and trailing vines cascaded from ornate planters, their vibrant colors adding to the magical ambiance of the space.

"Close your mouth, princess. Any Fae that walks these halls must act like they belong here."

"Right," I growled, adjusting the strap of my bag across my shoulders.

The slap of our footsteps across the marble resonated through the silent space, muffling my thundering heartbeat. For a university filled with blood-thirsty Fae students, I fully expected to see at least a few of them floating around the hallowed halls.

"Where is everyone?" I whispered, so as not to shatter the eerie silence.

"Still sleeping, likely. Classes go well into the evening so that the Light Fae may have a chance to train at twilight. It's never truly dark here, save a measly hour of dusk, while across the river, eternal night prevails."

A shiver crawled up my spine at the prospect of taking on one of those Shadow Fae in the dark without Reign's magical shadow-repelling cloak. Which reminded me…

"Is your cloak spelled against shadows?"

"Something like that," he muttered.

"How am I ever supposed to learn anything about the Shadow Arts with your cryptic responses?"

"It's your first day, princess. Relax. There will be plenty to learn in the next few years… if you survive that long." He muttered the last part under his breath, and irritation puckered my brow.

"I'll survive, don't you worry about that, professor." I hissed his title with the same disdain he typically used with my nickname.

Reign cast a sidelong glance in my direction, but the hint of a smirk curled the end of his lip. He led me around the corner of the glistening walls to a glass atrium. In the center, suspended in midair, a floating glass staircase spiraled all the way up to the soaring ceiling.

"The dormitories are that way." He pointed skyward. "The first floor is reserved for our most senior students, while the first-years are on the uppermost levels."

My head tipped back to the seemingly never-ending spiral. "How many floors up is that?"

"As you can imagine, first-years make up our largest number of students, especially at the beginning of the year." He ascended the first step, with me trailing after him. "Your birthday happens to fall close to the start of our next term, but due to the nature of our matriculation upon a Fae's twentieth year, we have a sort of rolling enrollment year-round. As such, the top four floors are reserved for our novices."

"Four out of?" I huffed out as we passed the second level.

"Eight. There are a few floors above, but they are of no concern to you."

Wonderful, so I'd be trudging up four stories at minimum, eight at the maximum. Considering my status as a powerless Kin, I'd likely be assigned to the highest level. As I followed him up the steps, I performed a quick calculation given the numbers he'd divulged.

"How many first-years do not make it to the second?"

"Roughly fifty percent."

"Stars, that's not too encouraging."

"It isn't meant to be, it's the brutal truth. Half of the novices at the Conservatory will return home in a gilded urn."

My breath caught as images of the Fae male drifted to the forefront of my mind. He hadn't even survived crossing the threshold. How many others had suffered the same fate? Reign's whispered words as I lingered at the entrance upon our arrival echoed through my thoughts: May Raysa and Noxus be with you.

Professor Litehaus's prospective pupil had gotten no such blessing. I couldn't help but wonder what had earned me that benediction from the mercurial Professor of Shadows. I watched him from the corner of my eye as I trudged up the countless steps. Those wings of pure night clung to his body like silk, molding to his powerful shoulders.

And it wasn't only his wings, dark shadows now slithered across every inch of his finely sculpted form. Since he'd shed the cloak, every twitch of his muscled, tanned forearms caught my eye. Black runes ran up and down every inch of exposed flesh, only intensifying his dark aura.

"It's rude to stare, princess."

I started, his booming voice echoing across the vast stairwell and shattering the tense silence. I dropped my gaze to my worn boots. "I wasn't staring," I grumbled.

He lifted a cocky brow. "No?"

"I was merely observing. Like you said, if I plan on surviving the next few years, I'll need to understand what I am up against. And in case it wasn't clear before, I haven't exactly spent much time with Light or Shadow Fae."

"It's certainly clear."

With a grunt, I looked away from my professor, grasped onto the straps of my bag, and focused my attention on the top of the landing. With each step, I gritted my teeth as my daggers slid precariously closer to my lady parts. I'd never be so careless about their placement again, assuming I'd be forced into another gown. I simply wanted this nightmare of a day to be over, and it was only mid-morning.

A thousand years later, we finally reached the top floor. I'd been right, eighth level for the lowly Kin turned Light Fae.

Reign led the way down the quiet hall, shards of light spearing through the stained-glass windows overhead and bathing every nook and cranny in an otherworldly luminescence. I wondered how the Fae could sleep with the constant sunshine streaming in. About mid-way down the corridor, my escort stopped in front of a door made of such pale wood it was practically white. A glowing rune hovered an inch off the door, in the spot where a knob might have normally been.

"Go ahead, let's see how deeply buried that rais truly is." He signaled toward the dancing rune.

I spun at him, brows scrunched together. "What exactly am I supposed to do?"

"Unlock the door."

"How?" I all but shrieked, dropping my bag.

"With the protective rune. It has been spelled to recognize your mystical signature."

He may have been speaking the language of the savage wolvryn who roam the Wilds. "Excuse me?"

Reign expelled a frustrated breath, as if I were the stupidest Kin ever to walk these hallowed halls. I almost pointed out I was probably the only Kin to do so. "When you crossed the threshold of the Conservatory, your unique mystical signature, or aura, if you will, was imprinted into the university's network. With that, this rune was created. Only you and your roommate, along with select faculty, will have access to your dormitory."

"Please tell me you're one of the select few." The moment the words were out, my cheeks flamed at the insinuation. "I only meant because… It's not that I wanted you to enter my room?—"

Reign lifted a hand, cutting off my embarrassing ramblings. "No need to get so flustered, princess. I would never expect anything other than complete adherence to the rules from someone like you."

"What does that mean?" The embarrassment quickly morphed into irritation. He didn't know anything about me—and on the contrary, I was quite the rebel.

"Only that improper relations between faculty and students are strictly forbidden and, if you're so intent on surviving, I'd never expect you to suggest something inappropriate."

"Of course I wouldn't." That gods' forsaken heat blanketed my cheeks, and the ghost of a smile flickered across my professor's dark countenance. "I don't plan on pursuing any sort of relationship—" Oh Raysa, what was wrong with my mouth? Why was I explaining my plans for my depressing future love life to my professor?

"Will you just try the door?"

Right. Clenching my teeth to keep any more ridiculousness from dribbling out, I squared off with the door. I eyed it for a long moment, waiting for some mystical energy to bubble up inside me. Defeated, I turned to my irritating escort. "What do I have to do, exactly?"

"Simply sweep your palm across the rune."

"Why didn't you just say so?"

"It seemed more entertaining this way." A lopsided smile parted his lips, and stars, my heart attempted to somersault right out of the safety of my ribcage.

Clapping my hand over my chest to smother the traitorous reaction, I inhaled a steadying breath. When had I become one of those simpering females, knees wobbling at the sight of a handsome male? This was not like me at all. Throwing my shoulders back, I focused my attention on the rune and slowly waved my palm over it.

A flicker of warmth tingled across my skin and the door squealed open. "I did it!" I rose to my tiptoes, about a second away from dancing a happy jig when I realized I had no one to celebrate the accomplishment with.

"Well done, princess, you opened a door." Reign's sarcasm was so thick I could slather it on an entire loaf of stale bread.

I bit back a nasty reply, reminding myself he was a professor and not one of my friends from the village, and took a step toward the threshold before pausing. Spinning back around to said professor, I lifted a wary brow. "Will I be judged again? Any possibility of being torched from the inside out?"

He slowly shook his head. "Your worth was established the moment you successfully crossed the entrance of the Conservatory, Aelia. No one can take that away from you."

There was something about the sincerity in his tone that momentarily chased away the ice that had settled in my veins upon my arrival. Dipping my head, I picked up my bag, threw my shoulders back and stepped across the threshold into my new life.