Chapter 9

Aelia

No, I was wrong.

It seemed Rue was the only shred of light in this horrible place. I thanked my lucky stars I'd ended up with her as my new roommate as I walked beside my lively companion into the Hall of Luminescence. Not only would I have been terribly lost in the never-ending, winding hallways, but I'm also fairly certain some Fae would have thrown me from the spiral staircase, judging by their hateful sneers. Even now, dozens of scathing glares bored into the side of my face, from teachers and students alike. Only Rue was completely oblivious to their hostile stares.

My roommate ushered us to the front row of the cavernous hall, much to my dismay, right in front of a raised dais. In a sea of blonde, honey gold and silver, my raven hair stood out absurdly amongst the other students, even the streak of platinum only seemed to call more attention. The arched rafters of the soaring ceiling loomed above us, brilliant light cascading in and casting a spotlight right on my rounded ears. An older male stood at the pulpit, his flowing white beard trailing down past his chest. Dazzling golden wings, seemingly made of Raysa's light themselves, fluttered across his shoulders. His crushed velvet robe was lined in gold piping, the indigo so deep it reminded me of the eggplants we grew in our garden. His curious gaze razed over me as I settled into the chair beside Rue.

Muttered voices echoed across the hall as more students and faculty arrived. Professors walked up the steps onto the stage, each one blatantly staring at the mortal Kin disgracing their hallowed halls. A dark form caught my attention from the far corner of the room, and my breaths quickened before my lips formed his name. Reign.

A thick silence descended over the hall as Professor Darkthorn stalked to the platform. It wasn't just the students that gave him a wide berth, but every member of the staff, too, seemed to balk at his presence. It was oddly comforting to know I wasn't the only one who found the Shadow Fae so intimidating.

Slithering shadows crawled up and down Reign's menacing form as he scaled the steps to center stage. He sported a similar doublet to the one he wore yesterday, only today the black satin was embroidered with hints of gold that popped against the dark background that clung to his muscled form like a second skin. His dark gaze chased in my direction, those bottomless onyx irises searing into me. I held that piercing stare for only a moment before my eyes cast down to my tangled fingers.

Once the professor of Shadow Arts was seated in a high-backed leather chair, the quiet murmurs began once more, and the tension in the room slowly dissipated.

"I see you've met Professor Reign?" Rue whispered.

"Hmm?" I attempted nonchalant, but judging by the arc in Rue's light brow, I was failing miserably.

"It's not like he's one who is easily missed. He is the only Shadow Fae at the university." Her lively eyes cast in Reign's direction.

Following her line of sight, I allowed myself a moment to take in the sharp lines of his handsome face. "Why is he here, anyway?"

"No one knows for certain, but Heaton said that according to rumors, our Headmaster, Draven Lightshade, found him half-dead along the border a few years ago. He was banished from the Court of Umbral Shadows, which usually means a death sentence here in Light, but for some reason, Lightshade petitioned the Court Council to keep him." She shrugged. "He's proven an invaluable asset to the Conservatory from what I understand." Then she ticked her head at Reign seated on stage with his hands folded. A glimmer of silver caught my eye peeking from beneath his long sleeves, and I immediately recognized the thick bangles I'd noticed on the flight over. Rue followed my gaze, and a wicked grin curled her lips. "It's rumored that those bracelets keep his nox in check. Without them, he could overpower nearly anyone on campus."

A tremor raced up my spine as the power I'd felt surrounding the professor rose to the forefront of my mind. I wouldn't be at all surprised. There was something dark and lethal about that male's presence.

The elder Fae standing atop the stage cleared his throat and his luminous wings snapped out, bathing the male in an unearthly radiance. The entire hall fell silent. "Welcome initiates. For those of you odd souls who do not know me, I am Headmaster Draven Lightshade. Acceptance into the Conservatory of Luce is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a Light Fae young adult. You have been chosen among countless Fae and only the most gifted, most powerful have been selected by the goddess herself. You will spend your years at the university honing your skills to serve King Elian of Ether and the mighty Court of Ethereal Light as the next generation of Royal Guardians of the Court." He paused with a dramatic flourish, his words echoing across the sprawling chamber.

"We have been fortunate to live in peace since the Two Hundred Years War ended nearly thirty years ago, when our enemies in the Court of Infernal Night were vanquished. It is our duty to keep our neighbors across the Luminoc River, the Court of Umbral Shadows, in check, and to ensure they never rise against us. And that is why we train, to preserve the fragile balance between the two remaining courts. You'll be honed to lethal perfection, to become the Crown's instruments of destruction. As you know, we are also tasked with the protection of the powerless Kin to our south. Without us, they would undoubtedly succumb to the blood-thirsty creatures hidden in the depths of the Wilds. And without the mortals, we would lose our pool of laborers. Our duty to the Crown is of the utmost importance. Therefore, I want to make this abundantly clear; your life belongs to me for the next four years unless Raysa chooses to call for it sooner."

A faint snicker echoed from a few rows back, and the headmaster's pale mossy irises nearly doubled in size. His sharp eyes focused on an initiate in the last row. "You, what is your name, boy?"

The silver-haired male stood and dipped his head. "Isaac Glimmersky."

"You find these sacred proceedings comical?"

"No, sir."

"Then why did you laugh?"

"I simply don't understand how Raysa, in her infinite wisdom, could have made such a mistake as inviting a lowly Kin to join us at the Conservatory."

Every head in the hall whirled toward me, dozens of scrutinizing gazes fixed to my dark hair and curved ears. Questioning murmurs filled the air, all clearly wondering the exact same thing. They weren't the only ones if I was being perfectly honest.

"It is not your job to question the goddess," the headmaster hissed. "It's treasonous." Then he pivoted to Reign and dipped his head ever so slightly.

A sinister grin curled the Shadow Fae's lips, and the inky darkness that cloaked his form shot across the room. I gasped as the bolt of pure black whizzed by, nearly decapitating my head from my shoulders. The dark tendrils of power found the Fae male, coiled around his lithe form, and a wordless scream curved his mouth. The shadows wrapped tight around his silk tunic until his choked gasps filled the air.

The female seated in the chair beside him buckled over, the sounds of her retching overpowering the boy's final attempts at drawing in blessed oxygen. Dark, twisted veins crawled across his skin, and his knees wobbled for an instant before he dropped to the ground with a sickening slap.

Reign's shadows receded from their victim, returning to their master atop the stage. I sat there, mouth agape as horror iced my veins. He stole that Fae's life like it meant absolutely nothing, and at the command of the headmaster, no less.

"Let that be a lesson to all of you," Lightshade proclaimed. "Raysa's word is law at the Conservatory. Should you choose to question her will, you shall face a similar fate regardless of the circumstances." He shot a narrowed glare in my direction before he turned to Reign and barked, "See to it that the initiate's body is returned to his family in a nice urn."

"Of course," Reign snarled.

I couldn't help but lift my wide eyes to meet his. How could he be so cruel?

As if he could read the disgust in my gaze, those bottomless orbs pivoted away from mine. His fingers clenched around the silver cuff circling his wrist, and a scowl carved into his wide jaw.

"And now…" The headmaster continued his speech, diverting my attention from the haunted look in Reign's eyes. But try as I might, I simply couldn't focus on Lightshade's words. One small slip up and I'd be returning to Feywood in a box. If they'd treated a Light Fae so callously, I doubted they'd even bother with a gilded urn for a lowly Kin.

* * *

Once the headmaster and professors stepped off the stage, the tension in the air dispelled as the students began to move around the hall. Rue spun at me, a tight grin across her face. "That was intense."

"I can't believe he did that." I cast a quick glance in Reign's direction, but the Shadow Fae professor had disappeared.

"I know. Questioning Raysa is unforgiveable." She slowly shook her head.

"No, I meant the professor killing that male!"

Rue waved a nonchalant hand. "I forgot you didn't grow up here at court. I suppose it must seem quite callous." She leaned in close and whispered, "I'll let you in on a little secret, Heaton and I didn't grow up at court either. We live in the far outskirts of the realm, so before Heat ended up here, I was nearly as na?ve as you. Don't worry, you'll learn the courtly ways quickly."

"I hope so."

"Speaking of Heaton, there he is." Her lively eyes lit up as her brother marched onto the stage.

"Listen up, first-years, I need all members of Flare Squad in the left corner of the hall."

The squeal of chair legs across tile urged my weary body to stand. The idea of meeting the rest of the students in our squad had anxiety brewing in the depths of my core.

"Come on, Aelia, that's us." Rue curled her arm beneath mine and dragged me to my feet. "This is so exciting."

I disagreed but forced a smile all the same.

"Let's go meet our team."

I followed my overly cheerful new roommate to the far corner of the hall as instructed, ignoring the myriads of curious stares as I passed the other students. Perhaps, I should have worn one of those gowns, after all. I suddenly felt greatly underdressed in the sea of vibrant tulles.

Heaton stood in the back, surrounded by fawning females who giggled and circled the attractive male. If I didn't despise all these arrogant Fae, I'd admit how flawless each and every one was. Heaton, with his high cheekbones, straight nose and shimmering blue eyes was the picture of male perfection. Clearly, the other females had taken notice.

"Looks like we're going to have to push our way to the front." Rue cocked her head over her shoulder at me and grunted. "The girls have always flocked to Heaton like denga flies to unicorn manure."

A faint laugh tumbled out despite my best effort to keep it in.

"Most of these Fae grew up at court, so Heaton is somewhat of a novelty, I suppose. Since he's been at the Conservatory, I swear he wrote home about a new female every week." She crinkled her freckled nose in disgust.

"Oh, letters!" That reminded me. "Then we are permitted to write home?"

"Not for the first term, I'm afraid. Once we pass our first semester exams, then we are allowed correspondence."

All the hope evaporated in my chest and my shoulders rounded. I must have made a face because the sea of females who'd surrounded Heaton parted, his attention already turned in my direction.

"Everything all right, Aelia?" He flashed a perfect smile my way, and… okay, maybe now I understood why all the others were drooling over him.

All eyes pivoted toward me, and I could practically feel the hatred lancing into me at stealing the attractive squad leader's attention.

"Oh, yes, fine," I mumbled. Then I took a step back, wanting nothing more than to disappear among my pointy-eared, light-haired classmates. Excited whispers swirled all around as a few more males and females joined our corner of the hall.

By a quick count, there seemed to be twenty of us in each squad, with eight squads of first-years in total. As I scrutinized my new team, I was relieved to discover I wasn't the only one without wings. In fact, even our squad leader was missing the luminous appendages.

At least that was one thing that wouldn't immediately mark me as different among the ocean of blondes. A tall male standing across the gaggle of students shot me a wink, a shock of golden blonde hair tumbling over twinkling lilac irises. Was he actually smiling at me or was I imagining it?

"All right, everyone." Heaton clapped his hands, and the hushed murmurs fell away. "Welcome to Flare Squad. For those of you that don't know me, I'm Heaton Liteschild, and I will be your squad leader. I want you all to look to your left, and now to your right." He paused until everyone did as he'd instructed. Rue stood to one side and another blonde female lingered a few feet away to my right. It was as if she were scared to stand too close and catch my Kin-ness. "Only one of the students beside you will survive the first year."

A gasp squeezed through my clenched teeth as my head whipped back and forth between both females. I sent a quick prayer to Raysa that it would be Rue who survived.

"The Crown needs only the best to serve as Royal Guardians of the realm. Though the methods at the Conservatory may seem brutal, it is to ensure only the strongest survive. The title of Royal Guardian is a highly coveted one. It is a great honor to serve the king and the Court of Ethereal Light. You must remember that."

"I give the Kin a week, tops," a male with long, blonde plaited hair snickered.

My hackles rose, and the desire to reach for my dagger and show this arrogant Fae exactly what he was up against rushed my veins.

"Belmore Dawnbrook, correct?" Heaton growled, cutting off my dark musings.

The faery fool dipped his head.

"I wish to make this clear today. You are a team, and you will act as one. I expect you all to return to your rooms this afternoon and study the Conservatory manual and code of conduct. Until then, I will emphasize rule number one: Your squad comes above all else. As the famous quote goes, ‘The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.' You'll do well to remember that, Belmore, or you will suffer the consequences."

"If that quote is true, it's not fair we're stuck with her." The girl who stood beside me raised her long nose in my direction. "What can a powerless Kin bring to our team?"

"I'm not powerless," I gritted out.

"Your rounded ears say otherwise," the blonde male, Belmore, interjected.

Rue glanced up at me, a look of pity on her kind face. I knew she only wished to provide comfort with that glance, but it had the opposite effect. My entire life I'd been looked down upon, pitied by powerful Fae. This was my chance to prove them all wrong; I knew I could.

Before I could think on all the reasons why this was a terrible idea, I reached for the dagger strapped to my thigh and sent it sailing end-over-end at the cocky Fae male. The blade's tip caught the oversized golden hoop dangling from Belmore's ear and impaled him to the wall.

His eyes widened to the size of giant emeralds, mouth curved into a satisfying capital ‘O'. "Noxus's nuts!" he cried out, his chest heaving.

Heaton turned his blazing gaze on me. "Aelia…" A flicker of a smile ghosted over his lips before he hardened his mouth into a thin line. "As impressive as that was, you'll have to refrain from attempting to skewer your teammates, despite their ignorant comments."

"That was refraining," I muttered. "I didn't aim for his chest, did I?"

A dark chuckle resonated behind me, and my entire body lit up at the sound. I hazarded a glance over my shoulder, but I already knew exactly who I'd find. Reign stood a few yards away, his arms crossed tight over his broad chest, those dark shadows slithering over his form like venomous snakes.

"Looks like you picked a good one, professor." Heaton shot Reign a smirk.

"Well, she's certainly not powerless." His dark eyes tapered as they razed over me.

That look, alone, had goose bumps rippling over every inch of my exposed flesh. He kept his gaze fixed to mine for an endless moment. Every second was torture. When I couldn't stand the intensity for an instant longer, I dropped my chin and clenched my fingers behind my back.

"As I was saying," Heaton continued as he pried my dagger from the wall, the crystal within the hilt shimmering beneath the sun's striking rays, and freed Belmore. "It is against student conduct to attack a fellow squad member." He leveled Belmore, then me with another glare. "I will allow a pass for both of you today since it's the first day and I appreciate you may not be familiar with the code, but tomorrow once classes start, you will be held accountable. Are we clear?"

I mumbled a half-hearted, "Yes," and Heaton handed me the dagger.

"That goes for all of you. And given that you may not know, that rule does not apply for the other students at the Conservatory. In an attempt to weed out the weak and strengthen their chances of survival, the other squads will attempt to eliminate the competition. Take advantage of your team and foster a relationship that will grow over the next few years. It will mean the difference between life and death."