Chapter 38

38

REYA

D arkness surrounds me as hundreds of voices whisper to me, flooding my senses and overwhelming me. It's too much. They flood my mind, all talking at once. There's so many that I can't make sense of their words. I cover my ears and shake my head, trying to rid myself of them, but, still, they drown me.

Eternal night.

The Ever Night Star.

Awaken the slumber.

Guide them.

Stop! I shout out. The voices continue, becoming frenzied and urgent, increasing in volume.

"Stop!"

My eyes flash open and I glance around me, disorientated. Where am I? I'm outside with the night sky above me. Thank the goddess. I tilt my head up and fix my stare on the stars in the sky.

"Reya."

His voice snaps my attention from the skies to the man sitting up beside me. Raegal. I look at him, dazed. My eyes flare when I realise I'm as naked as the day I was born. I glance back towards the also very naked man beside me. The events of the night all come flooding back to me. We had sex. A lot of sex.

"Are you okay?"

"Nightmare," I explain, swallowing. I place my hand on my chest to touch my pendant, but it isn't there. I reach for my neck to touch the chain but find nothing. "My necklace!" I jump to my feet and search the ground around us.

"What is it?" Raegal asks. He stands and watches me frantically search the ground on my knees.

"My necklace. The one my mother gave me. It's gone." I turn to face him. "I promised her. I promised her I'd never take it off. I have to find it!"

Raegal places a hand on my arm. "We'll find it. It can't be far."

I search the ground on my hands and knees, but it's not here. I gaze towards the lake and my stomach plummets. "The water. What if it came off in the water? We'll never find it." Anxiety rushes through me. I promised her. What will happen if I'm not wearing it?

Raegal guides me to my feet, and he touches my chin. "We'll find it. I'll search the water. You keep looking here."

I nod my head. He's right. It must be here. I watch as he strides towards the lake in his naked gloriousness. Any other time and I'd likely drool shamelessly as I admired that perfect male form, but right now I'm too focused on finding my mother's gift. I watch as he wades into the water and dives underneath. I continue searching where we fell asleep, but I find nothing. I walk to the edge of the lake and hug my arms as I wait. He doesn't surface after minutes. Do Shadow Borne need to breathe? What if he has got caught up in something and he can't swim to the surface? My anxiety climbs further. Should I go in after him? I step into the water just as there is a splash, and he resurfaces.

"Thank, Arawn," I mutter. I watch as he takes a breath and then disappears back under the water. What will I do if we can't find it? She was insistent that I never take it off.

R eagal dives into the lake again and again but comes up empty. It has to be here somewhere. I want to tell him to keep searching, but dawn is approaching, and we need to head back before Moryen discovers my absence. He wades out of the water, droplets running down his delicious body. He slicks back his dark hair away from his face. Images of last night run through my mind. I wondered all my teenage years what it would be like to lie with a man, and now I know. It was so much more than I could ever have imagined in my mind. In my head, though, it had always been Arkynn, not this magnificent specimen of a man in front of me. I fixate on his eyes, determined not to let my eyes drift south. His lips quirk as he walks over to me.

"I'll come back tonight. I'll find it for you, Reya. I swear it," he assures me.

"It was the last thing she ever gave to me," I say, my voice breaking.

"And we'll find it," Raegal says, tipping my face with his fingers so I'll look at him. "We need to go. Dawn approaches." He searches my face. "Do you feel okay?"

I nod my head, crinkling my forehead. Unsure if he means about what occurred between us last night or my missing necklace. "I'm fine. I just need that necklace."

"Come on," he says. "Let's get dressed and head back."

I reach for my bralette and jump when his shadows reach for me and swirl around me. I'm fully dressed without moving a muscle. "That's handy," I say, bobbing my head.

"I have my uses, Terror."

That he does. My mind returns to the sex last night. Every touch, every kiss. I shudder as need warms my blood. Raegal's nostrils flare and his dark eyes burn into me.

"We need to go," I say insistently, with flushed cheeks, knowing damn well he can smell my arousal.

"We do," he agrees with a grumble as he reaches for my dagger and hands it to me. I swallow when he comes in close, and his large hands encircle my waist. "Ready, Terror?"

I nod, unable to formulate words when he's so close. I reach around his neck and lock my hands together and stare up into his eyes. "We shouldn't have done that last night."

He looks down at me, his silver eyes holding mine prisoner. "No, we shouldn't have, but I can't say I regret it."

"Same," I confess. His shadows whip around us, and his darkness surrounds us in a cocoon from the world. I wish we could stay here, like this. Just him and me and hide from the realities of our situation. He is my enemy, and I am his betrayer.

His shadows disperse, and we're back in my room at the mansion. I untangle myself from him and his hand lingers at my waist before he releases me. "I must go. Duty calls," he says, with a tight smile.

I nod my head, rocking on the heels of my feet. "And I have classes."

"Until tonight." I watch as his eyes fall on my lips before he swallows, and his shadows whip around him and carry him away from me.

I release a deep sigh and throw myself face first on my bed. I ache, deliciously. Last night really shouldn't have happened, because now it has, I don't know if I want to stop it from happening again. I need to wash and shake some sense into my distracted brain. No more thoughts about how it felt when he came inside of me. Or the touch of his mouth against my core. I groan aloud as I take myself to the bathroom. I am royally screwed.

I 'm buzzing with built up anxiety and anticipation as we walk into history and culture class. This is my opportunity to ask some questions I'm desperate to have answers to. Saveya and I climb the steps to the row third row from the back so we can sit with our fellow dorm mates. Tyria smiles warmly at me and I hesitate before smiling back, reminding myself that these aren't the same girls from back home who ostracised me for all those years.

Professor Aven enters the room from where his office is at the back. He places his books on his desk and looks up at us.

"Good morning, ladies. I hope your assignments are progressing well."

Saveya snorts beside me. In all fairness, we have plenty of notes for our assignment. In terms of me sitting down and writing anything, well, I've been too busy figuring out if my crazy ideas have some substance to them. My mind returns to last night with Raegal. If I am correct and I am Night Borne, then I am sleeping with the enemy. I mean, slept with the enemy, because it won't be happening again.

"Now, before we dive into the subject of mating ceremonies, does anyone have any questions regarding their assignments?"

My hand shoots up in the air.

"Miss Lockwood."

"I have some questions about the demise of the Night Realm. Everything suggests the realm ceased to exist when it was betrayed and its king was killed, but why would the death of one man cause an entire realm to end?"

Professor Aven turns to the board behind him and writes three words:

Ever Night Star.

My eyes flare in recognition. The voices in my head earlier.

"The legend goes that the Night Realm relied on the power of the Ever Night Star to ensure the eternal night its people needed in order to survive and prosper. Someone stole the Ever Night Star from Vespera after killing the king, resulting in the realm being plunged into daylight and ultimately leading to the downfall of its people."

"So, they can't survive in sunlight?" I ask, confused.

"They can, but they weren't born to prosper and thrive under the light of the sun. Without the Ever Night Star, they could not survive. Naturally, all realms have day and night. Aster, God of the stars, wanted a realm that was forever bathed in night and to do this he plucked the Ever Night Star from the skies and placed it in his realm. The only star that burns with darkness instead of light. Its power blocks out the powers of the sun and ensures it is always night in the Night Realm."

"Is it possible that anyone survived and escaped to another realm?" Saveya asks, beating me to it.

Professor Aven purses his lips as he bobs his head from side to side. "Unlikely. They would have struggled to survive in other realms because of the presence of daylight."

"But don't they have crystals that strengthen them like the Flame and Shadow Borne do?" a girl called Iriel from the east dorm asks him.

"They do," Professor Aven replies, returning to the board to write on it. "Obsidian strengthened their night magic and amethyst weakened them."

Saveya grips my arm as a chill rushes over me and we glance at each other; his words sinking in.

"Amethyst weakens them?" I ask our professor, needing confirmation that I heard him correctly.

"It does. It weakens their night magic and their ability to read people's fears," he confirms, cementing what Raegal had told me last night.

My hand reaches for my necklace, which isn't there. My mother's face flashes through my mind. "Promise me you'll wear it all the time and never take it off? It's important, Reya"

Amethyst mountains surrounded our town. Gods, the crystal covered our house. Why would anyone who had night blood surround themselves with a crystal that weakens them?

To hide their natural self.

The words whisper through my mind.

I find it impossible to concentrate throughout the day. Saveya and the girls do their best to draw me into their conversations about the upcoming ball and our dress fittings, but all I can think about is that I may have night blood running through my veins. There are too many unanswered questions for me to confirm my fears once and for all, but the more I learn, the more my crazy idea takes solid form.

I'm usually excited about combat class, but today I'm too lost in my thoughts. I enter the arena behind Saveya and Tyria, wishing I could disappear back to the library and do more research. I feel his presence before I see him, but when I do sense him, it's completely different from when I could sense him before. It isn't the subtle tingle of awareness. It's like lightning, and I have to fight the urge to go to him. Swallowing, I take my seat, confused by these sensations. I dare to lift my head up and as soon as I do; I find his eyes on me. An image of us naked and fucking enters my head and his eyes flare wide. I dart my eyes away from him. I don't trust myself not to jump these seats and climb him like a tree. Mother Crystal, what is happening to me? I squeeze my hands into fists, attempting to control these racing thoughts and feelings.

"Welcome ladies," Captain Loring greets us from where he stands beside Raegal. "We have a little surprise for you today, one which we will grade you on." There is a wave of murmurs around the seating area as everyone digests this news.

"Today, you'll each choose a champion to represent your district. Your chosen champion will complete the gauntlet—a physical obstacle course we have all our army recruits complete as part of their training. You get five points for each member of your house if you cross the finish line and a further five if you finish with the fastest time. I'm giving you two minutes to decide on your champion."

There's a flurry of chatter as each group of girls from each district gather to choose their champion. I pity the east district, as they only have three to choose from with the two girls missing. I gather into the circle of our girls.

"I think we all agree Reya is our champion," Saveya says straightaway, and all the other girls turn their attention towards me and nod their heads.

"You're the strongest out of all of us," Alora insists. They all look at me expectantly. I'm taken aback at their blind faith in me.

"But what if I fail?"

Tyria shrugs her shoulders. "If you fail, then we'll know you did your best and be there to commiserate with you at the end."

I stare at her for a second. I've never had a team behind me before. Never had peers who believe in me and support me, now that I do it renders me speechless.

"We trust you Reya," Saveya adds. "West team!" she says, putting her hand out in the centre of our little circle. Tyria grins and places her arm out and her hand on top of Saveya's, followed by Alora and Imrie, and then they all wait for me. Nodding my head and smiling, I place my hand in the centre. "On three. One, two, three. Go west team! Reya, you've got this!" Tyria chants, and we all cheer and pull apart. Saveya envelopes me in a hug when I stand to make my way down into the ring. "Go smash it, girl."

I make my way down to where Captain Loring and Raegal stand waiting and I can feel his eyes on me with every step I take down the steps towards them.

"Miss Lockwood. Are you the confirmed champion for the west?" Captain Loring asks me, and I nod my head. "Excellent. If you'd just turn left at the end of the tunnel and get changed."

Raegal doesn't speak, but as I walk past him towards the tunnel, his hand brushes against mine and we make eye contact at the same time. As I walk away, I lift my hand and rub it where he touched me. I change into the form fitting navy trousers and fitted long sleeved navy top and put on the sturdy boots. I sweep my hair up into a secure bun on my head. I need my hair out of my face.

I follow the girls from north and central back out into the sparring ring and I grin and flush red when Saveya and girls stand to their feet and shout for team west.

"Ready to face the gauntlet, Miss Lockwood?"

"I was born ready for this, Lord Commander," I assure him with a confident grin.

His lip quirks at the corner. "I don't doubt it." He looks beyond me at the other girls gathering behind me. "Okay, ladies. Shall we?" he asks us as he holds out a hand to Shalia. Of course, her dorm mates have chosen her. We each hold on to each other as Raegal's shadows enclose us in their power and transport us to the gauntlet.

"Oh, wow we have an audience," Eilana, a girl from central, exclaims when we arrive at the gauntlet, and we all follow her line of sight to the lines of seated soldiers.

"We thought we would give our men the afternoon off to watch you ladies. Now you just need to show them you can do it as well as they all can," Raegal tells us. "We'll wait for your house mates to arrive and then we'll begin the challenge. There is to be no foul play or cheating ladies. We want a fair competition."

I scan the lines of soldiers, looking for the Asen troops, and my eyes land on Arkynn, third from the end of the second row. He sees me spot him and stands to his feet and waves at me. I grin over at him.

We line up at the start of the gauntlet and my heart's pumping with excitement. This is what I am meant for, not crocheting and dance classes and making babies.

Shalia goes first and when the cannon goes off, she springs into action, climbing the steep wall to reach the main part of the course. She struggles as she gets near to the top, but she pulls herself up over the ledge at the top. She doesn't have time to catch her breath as she moves onto the next part. Large wooden cylinder plinths stand between her and the next platform. Each of them climbing twenty feet into the air and spaced apart, but that's not the only challenge. In the middle of the steps, there are large wooden boulders that move back and forth, designed to dislodge you and send you tumbling into the cushioned hay bed below. I watch as she takes a breath and sets off. Shalia leaps and makes it on to the first step, wavering slightly as she tries to get her balance. She waits for the boulder to pass and then she leaps. Shalia misjudges the distance and her foot slips off the other side, and she almost topples off, her eyes bulging in her head. She makes it safely across the next two and has one more to leap before she reaches the safety of the wooden platform. She jumps and as soon as her feet leave the ground; I know she will not make it. I wince when her foot hits the edge of the step and her body falls and smacks against the side of the column and she plunges to the floor. Shalia lands on the cushion of the soft hay and lies there for a second, catching her breath before a soldier helps her to her feet.

"Next is Eilana of the east district!" Captain Loring announces and there is a cheer from the audience behind us as those from her district cheer their support and encouragement.

Eilana is fitter than Shalia. Her father is a farmer, and she spent her childhood helping around the farm. If anyone was going to beat me, I would put my money on her. She gazes across the gauntlet with an expression of unwavering determination on her face, and the moment the cannon sounds; she's off. As soon as she reaches the first platform, she takes a running jump and leaps across the air safely onto the first column. Eilana makes it all the way across the first obstacle with hardly a step wrong. The next part is to cross the gap using the wooden monkey bars. This requires good upper body strength which Eilana should have if she's used to lugging sacks of vegetables around. I study her every move, looking to learn from her technique and any potential mistakes she makes. Eilana makes it to the next stage of the course, which is a large wooden balance board resting on top of a wooden pyramid. She steps on cautiously and holds out her hands as she tries to steady herself as it rocks and tips violently. Eilana steps forward and takes another step to her right to even out the rocking board. She's taking it too slow. The trick with this one is to move fast and get across it as quickly as possible. Somehow, she makes it, but that last one cost her valuable time. The next challenge is a steep rope climb to the next higher platform. Eilana makes simple work of it, using her upper body strength to pull herself up and she reaches the top with sweat dripping off her forehead but a confident smile on her face. So far, so good. Next, she must face a spinning carousel with wooden daggers sticking out at different levels all the way around. One wrong move and she would get a nasty hit and plunge to the ground below. I watch as she studies the carousel, mapping in her mind her way around it. She jumps, ducking and diving. Eilana gets across to the other side to a riot of cheers from her supporters. Three more to go and she's on the home stretch. This one was again about balance. Two giant planks pivot on wooden beams. She'll have to jump down and land on the beam and then run up it to get it to balance out in the middle. The challenge then will be to cross from one plank to the other. We all watch with bated breath as she gets to the middle of the first plank, and it tilts vicariously up and down. Timing. It is all about timing; I think to myself. She makes a break for it, running the far length of the plank and leaping into the air. Eilana lands hard on the other plank, smacking her chest into the plank and holding on with her arms to stop her falling to the ground. And then she's up and running the remaining distance and lands securely onto the last platform. Eilana struggles with the last hurdle, which is a steep wooden ramp with ropes slick with oil to climb it. She looks exhausted as she grasps the rope and attempts to complete it. She slips and falls three times, but she doesn't give up, and finally she throws herself over the top of the ledge and lies there for a beat as she catches her breath before she stumbles to her feet and races up the tower steps and rings the bell at the top. The spectators roar in celebration and applause. Eilana laughs in disbelief that she made it before she greedily accepts the jug of water from a soldier.

I watch as Merlara from north goes next, and she fails at the monkey bars, not having enough upper body strength to get herself all the way across. Captain Loring announces I am up next, and I make my way up to the start of the course. I picture in my mind me tackling each obstacle and passing it with ease until I ring the bell at the end. My childhood days spent balancing the rooftops of the town with Arkynn will come in handy today. The cannon fires and I waste no time climbing the wall, having mapped my way up it earlier. I reach the platform and take a step back and then run and spring into the air then land on the first platform. A raindrop hits my face. You have got to be kidding me? It hardly ever rains here in the south. Another rain drop hits my head. It looks like the Mother Goddess is determined to test me today! I leap across the rest of the columns without a wrong step as the rain comes down heavier. Clutching the monkey bars is challenging in wet conditions, but I make it across and hoist myself onto the platform. I stare at the large balance board, now soaked with rain. It looks slippery. I know not to hesitate on this one and to move with speed and confidence. I make it across. I think I did it faster than Eilana. The rope climb is next, and it's no easy feat when the rain is pouring down on top of me, but I make it to the top without slipping down once. Next is the carousel. This should be an easier one for me with my sword fighting skills. I was an old hat at ducking and diving from Arkynn and his swift sword moves. I bend and twist and contort my body to avoid the spikes on the carousel, and apart from one snagging and tearing my top at my side, I make it across. I can hear cheering in the background, but I tune it out, needing to focus on the final challenges—the planks and the ramp. I look up at the wooden tower and picture my brothers waiting for me up there, and it spurs me on. Jumping onto the plank, I throw my arms out for balance and then I sprint to the middle and give it a moment to settle before I make the sprint down the other side and leap onto the other waiting plank; I land funny on my ankle and I experience a brief sharp pain, but I don't have time to waste. Seizing the rope, I grip it in my hand. The rain has made it even slipperier than intended. I grasp on and haul myself up, using my legs to maintain a sturdy grounding as I climb the steep ramp like it's the only thing standing between me and the life I'd choose for myself. And then I'm at the foot of the bell tower. I sprint up there as fast as I can, soaked through from the rain and panting for breath, and I let out a cry of relief when I ring that bell, and the crowd below erupts into cheers of celebration. I pump my fist in the air to them all below and take a much-needed drink before I make my way down the tower steps down to the bottom of the course.

"Well done, Miss Lockwood. Impressive," Captain Loring says. "I think you may have won yourself an army of admirers in our men."

"It's nice to see that we women are being recognised for more than our dance and sewing skills," I reply, as I wring out my wet hair with my hands. I sense a touch of shadows at my wrist before they engulf me, and when they withdraw, I'm completely dry.

"Thank you, Commander," I say, turning to face Raegal, who has remained quiet up to now. I don't need to see which man those shadows came from. As soon as they touch my skin, I know who they belong to.

He nods his head before he strides off to confer with the timekeeper. Eilana walks over to me grinning and offers me her hand. "I knew you'd be my chief competition. I think you were the fastest."

I place my hand in hers, and we shake. "I had the benefit of watching and learning from you, though."

Captain Loring walks over to us and place a hand on both of our shoulders. "In my eyes ladies, you are both winners because you are the only two females ever to complete the gauntlet."

I bob my head, impressed. "It was fun and good to have a challenge."

Eilana laughs. "I thought dance class was challenging enough for you."

"Oh, that it is," I agree, joining in with her laughter.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Raegal announces. "We have our winner confirmed."

Everyone goes quiet as we wait to hear whether the east or west dorm will be the winners. My heart thunders in my chest. I don't want to let my team down.

"And the winner, by a six second difference, is Miss Eretreya Lockwood of West district!" Raucous applause and cheers break out from the crowd and I'm all at once, surrounded by Saveya and the girls who all enclose me in a group hug.

"We knew you'd smash it! You did amazingly, Reya!" Tyria grins. "Thank you so much."

I bat away her comment with a jerk of my head. "I couldn't let you all down."

Alora looks at me and her eyes soften. "If you'd have lost, we'd have still been super proud of you for trying your best, Reya. You don't have to prove anything to us to have our friendship."

I swallow, my heart squeezing in my chest. Is this what it feels like to belong?

"Now, ladies, as well as your points, we are gifting you a prize of your choosing," Captain Loring informs us as we pull apart from our team hug.

I glance over at the girls and Tyria nonchalantly bobs her shoulders. "You choose. It's only right."

I chew on my lip. I should choose something girly, like a pampering day or a day of shopping, but neither of those things leave my lips when I speak. "My girls and I would like a night of celebration at the inn."

Captain Loring's eyebrows rocket heavenwards. "Well, I, uh, we'll have to determine if that is suitable."

"They can have their night in the inn, captain," Raegal tells him, coming up behind him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "A little revelry won't do any harm."

Loring looks unconvinced, but he nods and doesn't question his commander's word. "We shall ask the innkeeper to close the inn to the public."

"Nonsense," I say, and I don't miss the deep frown he sends my way. "I mean. We wouldn't want to upset the locals and besides, where's the fun of an empty inn?"

"Agreed," Raegal says. "The ladies will be fine, Captain. Jasiel and I will escort them and ensure they are safe."

Loring nods his head and walks away grumbling to himself.

"Ladies, let's get you back to the mansion so you can freshen up," Raegal suggests, ushering us closer to him so that he can shadow weave us back home.

W e arrive back at the mansion, and Moryen steps into the hallway when we arrive. She fights a smile at our brimming excitement, and Saveya excitedly tells her how amazing I was. Raegal asks Moryen if he can have a word and the girls make for the stairs. I linger back and touch his elbow as follows in behind Moryen.

"Thank you. For today. I know that happened because of you," I say. "It was the best day."

Raegal looks down at me and he smiles. He reaches out and runs his finger under my chin. "I'm finding making you smile is one of my favourite things to do, Terror. Now go be with your friends and enjoy your victory."

I grin back at him and, nodding my head, I take a step back and head for the stairs.

"Oh, and Reya," he says, causing me to pause and glance over my shoulder. "You were amazing out there today."

I flush red at his compliment, and ducking my head, I ascend the stairs. As I make my way to the west wing, I can't wipe the smile from my face.