Academy of Falling Kingdoms Box Set

by Marisa Mills

  Though, I didn’t know what they could have said in my defense. We still couldn’t tell anyone how we survived our fall, or defeated Celeste, or how Reverie was literally falling apart as the magical wards faded, releasing the demons holding it up. The king accused me of being a fraud and a thief, and speaking with demons, and had me whipped for it; a few days later I was back at school like nothing happened. No wonder they were curious. A burst of giggles sounded from behind us. Viviane crossed her arms and glared so wiltingly that the entire class silenced.

  “How was your morning?” I asked quietly, trying to create a distraction.

  “Not great,” Alexander whispered, pulling out a note tied with red ribbon.

  “I learned my mother is ill.”

  “You… didn’t already know that?” I asked.

  Alexander frowned. “No,” he said, leaning closer. “Should I have?”

  Viviane’s eyes fixed on me shrewdly.

  “I overheard Eleanor saying the queen had been poisoned,” I said, keeping my voice low.

  Alexander furrowed his brow. “Last night?”

  I nodded. “They think… you probably want to be careful,” I said. “Eleanor and Dorian were theorizing that someone is trying to poison nobles.”

  “How did Eleanor learn that before I did?” Alexander asked.

  “She has spies,” Viviane replied. “Good ones.”

  “Everyone has spies,” Alexander said. “That isn’t the point. I should’ve been one of the first people to know, and Kit just told me this morning. He told me she had influenza!”

  “Maybe it was just a rumor,” I said weakly. “I don’t know anything for sure.”

  Alexander scuffed his shoe against the marble floor. He’d probably have kicked something if there had been anything in front of him.

  “This isn’t fair,” Alexander said. “Father sent Kit here to watch me like I’m five years old, and he’s not telling me anything—”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t be friends with me,” I said. “Maybe they’re afraid of my demonic influence on you.” I wiggled my eyebrows, forcing a sharp laugh out of Alexander, before he tightened his face again into a brooding frown.

  “She’s not wrong,” Viviane said. “I mean, you did steal your father’s pendant and rescue Wynter from her punishment.”

  “I put it back right away, I don’t think he even noticed it was gone.”

  “Still, I’m pretty sure your loyalty is in question. Maybe you should get better at lying?”

  “I won’t choose my friends based on their fealty to the crown—” Alexander cut off abruptly, lowering his voice so that I barely heard him. “My father is a hypocrite. He’s spoken to—to people like Lucian, too, but he’s keeping that power to himself. Imagine if we all had a charm that would allow us to hear demons. A constant reminder that our magic is based on brutality. And now, he wants to treat me like a toddler because of who I’m spending my time with? I can’t challenge my feelings. I don’t want to.”

  Alexander’s eyes were so intense and fierce that for a split-second, the whole world seemed to stop. I forgot about everything—about the Academy, about the other students seated around us, and even about Lucian’s fire crackling in the back of my mind. For a moment, it was just Alexander and me. When he realized what he’d said, his cheeks grew red. Viviane was staring intensely at her notebook, and Alexander glanced at her before returning his eyes to mine.

  “Hello, everyone.” At the sound of Jessa’s voice, I turned around so fast that it hurt. Despite the healer’s best magic, my ribs were still sore from our fight with Celeste. Viviane had used so much magic she’d nearly passed out, and Alexander had been skewered by so many pieces of sword he’d looked like a pincushion. With my mother’s charm and each other, we’d mostly come out unscathed, at least on the surface. But Jessa’s injuries were deeper. She trembled as she limped to her seat and lowered herself down. When Celeste’s water demon attacked Alexander and me, Jessa had been hurt trying to save us. Then she helped us fight Celeste in the chamber below the city. I frowned at her glowing runes running down her back; I could almost hear the straining of metal links as they shifted to keep her spine held together. She’d been studying dance before the accident. I wondered if she’d have to change her major.

  Jessa smiled and twirled a long, golden curl around her finger. She was wearing gray slacks and a pink cardigan. “It’s good to be back, isn’t it?” she asked.

  If Jessa could be happy despite everything, I’d be happy, too, or at least, try to for her sake.

  “It is,” I said. I forced a smile, but it didn’t reach my eyes. I was too distracted, and I really wanted to speak to my friends alone and tell them what I’d overheard the night before.

  At least this class wasn’t all that bad. Professor Gareth was the one professor who knew pretty much everything that had happened. He didn’t know that Dorian had originally hired me to steal for him, or that I’d taken Nick’s journal from his own desk, but he knew that I was Gwen’s daughter and—more importantly—that I spoke to demons. Despite most of Reverie believing demons were evil incarnate, Gareth had learned to understand them, and even had a demon companion. I’d seen them on romantic walks around the edges of Reverie together, long before I knew Elaine was a demon.

  Gareth shot me a smile as he entered. He was a thin, spritely man with thick, silvery-white hair and dark robes that fit around him like a hooded blanket. He looked like a strong gust of wind would knock him over, and yet I knew his appearance was deceiving. The first time we’d met, he’d saved us from a demon during the welcome ball. That seemed like ages ago now.

  “How are your parents?” I asked, as Gareth started writing something on the board. I hadn’t met Jessa’s parents yet, but I knew they’d come into town to visit Jessa and been detained at the border.

  Jessa’s smile fell. She shot a quick, nervous look towards Alexander. “They’re being kept in a building near the center. Apparently, the King can’t unilaterally declare war without the approval of the Council and the nobles, but he does have control over the borders, and after Celeste, he’s certain foreign spies are infiltrating the kingdom. All citizens from Aubade are being arrested as persons of interest. They’re allowed out for a few hours each day, but my parents think they’re being followed.”

  “By who?” Alexander asked, his blue eyes blazing.

  Jessa sighed. “They—they think by someone working for the king,” she said. “But they aren’t sure. After what Celeste did…”

  “There’s no reason to think you or your family were involved with Celeste,” Viviane said. “Celeste tried to kill you, too.”

  “I know,” Jessa replied.

  I remembered the shadow by the Rosewood gates. Suddenly, it seemed a lot more serious.

  “Last night, I thought we were being followed, too,” I said. “On the way to the Dorian’s estate. I thought maybe I’d just imagined it, but…”

  Was the king keeping tabs on us, or were secret agents from Aubade dogging our footsteps? Neither prospect was reassuring.

  “We’ll just have to be on our guard, then,” Viviane said. “That’s all we can do.”

  But would that be enough when stuck between warring kingdoms? I squeezed my fist, wishing I could have kept my mother’s pendant. I’d never felt particularly magical, which is why it was still so hard to believe my true lineage, but holding that blue stone as decay swept out and started to unravel Celeste before my eyes—it was a truly awesome power.

  I was fidgeting, halfway through class, when Alexander raised his hand.

  “I’ve been reading about dimensional magic,” he said, “but my textbook was sparse on details. Would you mind giving me a brief overview?” Lucian shifted a bit, clearly interested. He’d agreed to stay mostly quiet during the day, since we didn’t know who else might be able to hear him.

  Gareth frowned over his round glasses, and gave Alexander a look like he should have know
n better. We’d agreed not to talk about anything demon-related in class; but I was glad Alexander had raised the question. Maybe he’d find a way to keep his promise to Lucian after all.

  “Our world,” Gareth said, flipping over the chalkboard, “exists as a plane.”

  He drew a straight line between two stars.

  “And there are multiple planes. The best way to think of them are as layers,” Gareth said. “Each one is similar to the one beneath, but not exactly the same.”

  That made sense. Lucian had once mentioned that he thought his world, the dimension where demons lived, looked a bit like parts of the Lower Realms.

  “And in some places, these layers may be crossed,” Gareth said. “Theoretically, a powerful mage could cross into these other dimensions if he or she found a place where these layers were fragile. We believe that this ability may be closely related to decay—or, as some have suggested—decay and healing existing simultaneously. However, very complex rituals are required because it still takes a great deal of power. According to legend, certain mages could vanish through the veils, returning to this one years later, without aging a day.”

  Decay. I knew that power. It, along with healing, existed inside my mother’s charm. I’d used it to destroy a portion of Reverie’s forum, tearing apart the marble foundations, and later, I’d used it to fight Celeste. I shivered when I thought of the black veins pulsing across Celeste, cracking apart her skin. I’d never hurt someone like that before, and even though I’d been protecting my friends and myself, my stomach still twisted when I thought about it. Now, that charm was in the hands of the king. Part of me was glad it was gone, it was a reckless kind of darkness, but I hated imagining it in the power of King Gregory.

  Does that mean your mother’s charm can enter different dimensions? Lucian asked.

  If it did, I didn’t know how to make that happen. Alexander gave me a thoughtful look, then passed me a note when Gareth wasn’t looking. I unfolded the creased paper in my lap to read the message.

  No sense freeing them if they can’t go home.

  I frowned at the note, but nodded.

  He’s just stalling for time, Lucian grumbled. Each day in captivity is torture for demons, but he refuses them the sweet taste of freedom, because they’re needed to fight his father’s war.

  He’s just trying to be logical, I thought. As much as I wanted to evacuate Reverie and release all the demons, I didn’t want us to be invaded by a foreign kingdom. After all, there’s no reason to believe Aubade wouldn’t just capture the demons again, especially if there was no way for them to get home. Lucian would just have to wait a little longer.

  I’m not the one waiting, Lucian said. Besides, how do we know the prince isn’t just using you to open the portal, so he can tear more of my kind from their families?

  I drew pictures in the margins of my book as Gareth kept talking, but stole a look at Alexander’s proud chin. It reminded me of his father. After all we’d been through, could I really trust him with Lucian’s entire race? He was still a mage after all.

  Professor Gareth dove into a complex expression of theoretical magic, sketching hasty symbols across the blackboard. He was a mage, too, but if he really cared about the demons, how could he be in here lecturing the future leaders of Reverie? He’d claimed once in class that Reverie wasn’t falling, but he’d known the truth. Was he keeping the secret to protect Elaine?

  Just because he freed one of us, Lucian said, doesn’t mean he’s willing to do the same for all demons.

  Maybe so. Still, I couldn’t help but feel like Gareth would help us, when we needed him to. If only Alexander was able to speak to demons so easily. Maybe it would make him more sympathetic to their plight.

  Gareth can hear us, Lucian murmured. But he chooses not to listen.

  ***

  “And I think that’s where we’ll end today,” Gareth said, smiling. I’d missed the last half of the lecture, ruminating on my anxieties and fears. There was a burst of sound as my classmates shuffled to leave.

  “About time. My head is killing me,” Viviane muttered. “I need to go back to the dorms.” She was already clutching the small device she used to smoke potion, as if she couldn’t wait to get outside.

  “Viviane,” Jessa said, “Maybe you need to cut back on the potions some. I know that headaches can be a symptom of—”

  “I know,” Viviane spat. “But else what do you expect me to do?”

  “What do you mean?” Jessa asked.

  Viviane curled her hands into fists. “I’m not really a mage,” she whispered, once she was sure we were alone. “I’m not really…anything. Not anymore. I need to keep up appearances to sell the lie.”

  “No one knows that but us,” Alexander said, his eyes darting to our classmates, filing out the door as quickly as they could.

  “And a few months ago, no one knew that Wynter was Gwen’s daughter,” Viviane said, “But look what happened.”

  “We’d never tell,” Alexander argued. “Besides, you’re decent with magic, even without the elixir.”

  “Decent, but not exceptional.” Viviane said, collecting up her things. “Eleanor always said so. Only now, we know why. Eventually, everyone will figure out the truth, and what do you think will happen, then?”

  “Nothing,” Alexander said. “Eleanor and Frederick aren’t going to—to just throw you out in the cold.”

  “Maybe not,” Viviane replied, “but without…without magic and Rosewood blood, what does it matter? My whole life was built around being a baron’s daughter. I needed to marry up. And now? I’ve learned that I’m not even… I mean why would anyone want to marry me?”

  My eyes rounded as I looked over Viviane. She was as stunning and poised as the day I’d met her, and she rarely voiced her insecurities.

  “You’ll still inherit part of Rosewood,” Alexander said.

  Viviane had already pushed back her seat and stood. “Sure,” she said flatly. “I can’t wait for my beloved uncle to die, so I can inherit his property. If it’s even mine to claim.”

  She shot me a look and there was a question in her gaze, but she turned away quickly. If it wasn’t hers to claim, who’s would it be? Mine, I realized. Even as an illegitimate heir, Viviane had a potential claim to the Rosewood estates in the absence of alternatives. But now there was me, Guinevere’s actual daughter.

  Assuming there was an inheritance. I wondered if I should tell Viviane that Dorian had inherited a pile of debt. He’d hired me to track down Nick’s journal, hoping to discover where Nick had hidden the magical weaponry from Reverie’s early kings, which the Rosewood family had been charged with safeguarding. Gwen and Nick had stolen artifacts from the family’s vault to set free the demons powering them. I had no idea how many were even left.

  “Well, maybe you won’t have to wait too long,” Alexander said darkly.

  Viviane’s face had turned white and she clutched the edge of her desk. Alexander put an arm around her shoulder, wearing his most charming smile, but she pushed him away.

  “It was just a joke, Viv. You make jokes about Dorian dying young all the time,” Alexander said.

  “That’s because he’s my—” Viviane cut off abruptly. “He—he’s my family. You don’t get to make comments like that.”

  Having overheard Eleanor and Dorian’s discussion about nobles being poisoned, I really didn’t want to stand around and discuss anyone’s death, even as a joke. Were any of us safe?

  “I’ll catch up with you all later,” I said. “I want to ask Professor Gareth something.”

  “About what?” Alexander asked.

  “I’ll tell you later,” I said.

  As my classmates filed out, I wove between the desks and headed to the front of the room, avoiding the stacks of musty books that held open the thick purple drapes. I knew Gareth had a class after this, so I’d have to hurry. “Professor,” I said.

  Gareth smiled. “It’s good to h
ave you back in the front row,” he said.

  “Thank you,” I said. “Do you have time for a question?”

  “Sure.”

  I pulled a piece of paper from my textbook. I’d spent part of the morning trying to get the sigil right, and if it wasn’t perfect, I was confident that it was at least legible. Gareth looked over the paper. His eyes widened as he traced a finger along the paper. “Oh, this is beautiful! Where did you find something like that?” he asked.

  “Dorian has this tattooed on his wrist,” I said. “He said it prevents demonic possession, but Alexander pointed out last night that it doesn’t look right. The sigil, I mean.” I didn’t know exactly what I hoped to find, but Dorian was clearly worried about something, and if this was some kind of protection spell, I wanted to learn it.

  Gareth pulled a scrap of paper from his desk and drew out a familiar sigil. I recognized it as the one that was supposed to keep demons from entering spaces. Alexander had drawn it once on the floor of an abandoned cottage.

  “At a basic level, it will immobilize a demon from passing through barriers. Once sealed inside an object or gemstone, this symbol will keep a demon trapped; additional sigils and runes are carved to channel the demon’s energy towards a specific charm or outcome. But Alexander is correct, Dorian’s version has been modified. There is a level of variation in sigils,” he said.

  “So you mean there are multiple sigils that do the same thing?”

  “Not quite,” Gareth said. “Think of them as shades of colors. You can have turquoise, sapphire, and cobalt. They’re all blue, but they aren’t the exact same shade. It’s something you’ll learn once you reach your advanced sigils classes.”

  Assuming I managed to survive Du Lac’s introductory sigils class. The only bright spot there was that I had Tatiana to suffer alongside me, though she seemed to manage better than I did. Gareth traced over what I’d drawn; it was almost a star, but the lines were curved rather than straight.