Academy of Falling Kingdoms Box Set

by Marisa Mills

  I didn’t believe him for a second.

  “With Alexander at your side, you’d make a fine princess. That much, I’m sure of. He may never rule Reverie, but you’d find a way to change things,” Dorian said, looking down at me. “You’ve already changed so much already.”

  “Gabriel would have a heart attack if I turned out to be a princess.” He still didn’t know the full truth. Neither, I realized, did Briar. The only family I’d ever known, and I’d learned recently I wasn’t even his real sister.

  “Tragic,” Dorian deadpanned. “I don’t know how you’d go on without that pillar of authority.” Thinking of Gabriel, the man I’d always thought was my uncle, made me reach my fingers under my arms to feel the bumpy scars where he’d cut me for misbehaving. I used to be afraid of him, but now I felt nothing, other than a simmering anger for what he’d done to Briar.

  “Did he even know you were a count?” I asked.

  “I may have left out that detail,” Dorian replied. “I never trust people I can’t seduce. At best, it’s an indication of poor taste; at worst, it means they’re monsters.”

  “It’s poor taste not to like the glorious Dorian, Lord Rosewood?” I asked.

  “Exceedingly poor taste.”

  Those words should’ve been arrogant, but Dorian had a way of making them charming. Endearing, even. Once we reached the Academy, the waiting guards bowed to him, and we walked in without being stopped. The sky was navy, and a few bright stars sparkled above the warm glow of the lamp posts lining the entrance. The wide, formidable building rose into the sky, clawing upwards with its steel and crystal spikes, as if Reverie could hang onto the sky if it squeezed hard enough. Windows in the upper floors cast a rosy glow, the light reflecting on the smooth cobblestones of the entrance and the calm fountain pools near the entrance. We paused near them, and Dorian pulled out a small cigar.

  “Would you mind?” Dorian said, holding it up. “Or should I ask Lucian?”

  I lifted my hand and Lucian sparked a small blue flame from my fingertips. Dorian leaned forward and lit the end of his cigar, sucking on it until it was puffing smoke from the smoldering leaves. I couldn’t remember whether I’d told Dorian about Lucian, but the sly look in his eyes told me he’d figured out enough. It seemed like ages ago now that I’d fallen from Reverie and freed Lucian to save me. At the time, Dorian had let me off the hook, and had somehow never pressed me for more details.

  “I’m sorry for not telling you sooner,” I said. “It’s not because I didn’t trust you—”

  He raised a hand to cut me off. “I’m glad you found each other,” he said. “This could have all worked out very differently, if you’d chosen a different magical object at the beginning of your studies. Lucian was very much an unexpected development, yet I can’t help but feel he still has a role to play in all this.”

  “If I could do it again,” Dorian continued, “I still would’ve gone to meet Gabriel and brought you to Reverie, but I’d have done better with it. Maybe… you and I could’ve been something more than we were. Something better. More like an uncle and niece rather than criminal associates.”

  I traced along the spine of my father’s journal and tried to put all my thoughts into order.

  “That’s very sentimental,” I said.

  “Immanent death has a way of making men sentimental,” Dorian replied. “Even ice-hearted battle mages, like me.”

  “Even if the king does want you dead, you’re too clever to let him win. You’ll manage to outwit him somehow.”

  “I look forward to trying,” Dorian said. “I couldn’t have a worthier opponent.”

  I felt like I was choking on my throat, on my own breath. This is how mages behaved. Clever banter and aloof distance, to stem the overwhelming flow of our true emotions. Dorian’s smile faltered. He looked like he was waiting for something, but I didn’t know what. Maybe saying goodbye would mean admitting that he’d played this wrong and that all his schemes had failed. I fidgeted with my hands and thought of the way he always said farewell to Viviane, with warm hugs and forehead kisses. My face warmed thinking about it. Dorian had never said farewell to me that way, and he’d only kissed me once—and that was only so he could whisper to me, in the king’s presence. It hadn’t been anything affectionate.

  “Promise me you’ll find a way to come back,” I said, pulling up short so he had to turn back and face me. “No matter what you have to do. Alexander and I will find a way to clear your debt and restore your titles. You’ll always have a place at Rosewood. It’s your home after all.”

  His expression softened, and he blinked towards the sky, the moon reflecting in his blue eyes, before nodding lightly. It wasn’t exactly a promise, but it was good enough, for now.

  “Goodbye, Dorian,” I said. I hugged him briefly, but pulled away just as I felt his arms close around my body. I spun quickly, walking as fast as I could away from him. I didn’t want him to see the tears on my cheeks. I slipped inside the Academy and headed straight to the dormitories.

  Why cry for the mage who bought you? Lucian asked. This is mostly his own fault.

  “You never liked him,” I said quietly. “You wouldn’t understand.”

  My whispering drew a few looks from the girls in my dorm, but I couldn’t make myself care all that much. I stuck my tongue out at them, before sinking back into the soft blankets and pulling a pillow over my head.

  We don’t have to like the same people, Lucian said. For what it’s worth, I hope he does return. Saddling you with a title in Reverie hardly seems fair when he’s already run his estate into the ground.

  As I sat on my bed, I looked at the vacant one beside me. Poor Viviane. Did she even know Dorian was leaving tomorrow? It was still early, and the other girls were probably at the library or in the vast dining hall, but I didn’t feel like talking to anybody.

  “Maybe he’ll come back,” I said quietly. “Maybe the king isn’t planning on killing him. And even if he is, I’m sure people have tried to kill Dorian before.”

  Someone probably tries to kill your nobleman every week, Lucian said.

  I nodded and tried to make myself believe that Dorian, who understood court politics far better than I, was just overreacting. But I’d seen the finality in his eyes when he said goodbye. Part of him didn’t believe he’d ever be back. I wondered which would be worse, whether he died in the king’s mad scheme, or succeeded in killing thousands and destroying a rival kingdom. I hated myself that I wasn’t sure of the answer.

  Eight

  THE NEXT DAY WE HAD a makeup lesson for the sigils class we missed. I’d stayed up way too late reading through my father’s journal. It was filled with sketches and doodles, half-finished limericks and notes from class. Even though I hadn’t found anything useful, I still enjoyed flipping through the pages, as if I could get to know him through the notes he’d left behind. Half the book was filled with thick layers of ink, from sigils being retraced dozens of times on top of each other. I reluctantly stuffed it under my mattress before getting ready for class.

  I yawned as Tatiana came and sat beside me. More students filed in and took seats, then finally the professor. It was the first time most of us had seen him since the attack. Du Lac’s face was gray, and two new guards now framed his desk. They looked bigger and stronger than the young man we’d seen last time. As Du Lac scribbled some notes onto the blackboard, I noticed his features looked sharper and more haggard, almost like he’d sunken in. Although he’d never liked me, I was glad he was alive, and I resolved to be on my best behavior in his class. Still, I held my breath as he walked past me and to his desk at the front of the classroom.

  He gestured to the guards and they began unpacking an oak crate near the desk, carefully setting up wine glasses and filling them with blood-red liquid. They put three before me and three before Tatiana.

  Normally, Du Lac’s boxes came with instructions, but the guards finished handing out glasses to each stude
nt, leaving us to study the deep, red liquid.

  “What do you think these are meant for?” I whispered.

  “I don’t know,” Tatiana replied.

  The guards moved to the edges of the classroom, one at the front and one at the back. I wondered how they felt about becoming classroom assistants and standing around doing nothing.

  “Isn’t it a bit early for three glasses of wine?” someone joked. “You know we’re students, right?”

  Du Lac pulled out a box and passed it around. My breath caught in my throat when I saw the knives inside, glinting in parallel like a row of teeth.

  This can’t be good, Lucian said.

  My hands shook as I took a knife and passed the box to Tatiana. I was comfortable with weapons, but I was used to large-handled hunting or throwing knives with wide blades. This one was smaller than my hand, with a thin, angled blade. It looked almost surgical. Tatiana’s eyes went round as she pulled out a knife and passed the box on.

  “I don’t like this,” she whispered.

  “Do we have a choice?” I asked.

  “Class,” Du Lac said when the box was empty and each student held a knife. “Since our last class was interrupted by a very effective display, I thought this week we’d learn some ways to deter poison attempts. Unfortunately, it would take years to learn all the different variations, but there is a simple sigil that will detect tainted dishware and reveal contaminants.”

  “For the charm to be most effective, however, it must be personalized. And thanks to the king’s recent lifting of the ban, I have been authorized to reintroduce blood magic into the curriculum.”

  There were gasps behind me as the other students reacted to this news. I heard Tatiana suck in a quick breath behind me. I didn’t know enough about blood magic to be horrified, other than that it had been banned after the last war. The only spell I’d learned was the sigil Lucian had taught me, the one that had freed him and let me pass through walls. It didn’t seem that terrible.

  Du Lac pounded on the table until the room was quiet.

  “This is an incredibly dangerous and volatile form of magic but also very powerful. While we will be learning this in class, no one is supposed practice this outside of the classroom without special permission.”

  Du Lac’s eyes lingered on me. Was it because he suspected I’d used blood magic before, or was it just that I’d branded myself a trouble maker?

  “First, we draw blood.”

  Du Lac took a knife and sliced along his bicep, just thinly enough that red beads of blood sprouted on the surface of his skin. I tensed and rolled up my sleeve, folding the fabric to cover the scars running up the underside of my arm. I took a steadying breath and sliced against one of the old scars. My stomach churned. Cutting myself always felt unnatural, but I didn’t want to give Du Lac another reason to tease me in class, and I wasn’t afraid of blood.

  Tatiana held the knife against her arm, but her hand was shaking too much to draw blood.

  “I can’t,” she said finally, lowering the blade.

  “Would you like me to do it for you?” I asked.

  Tatiana shook her head and placed the knife back on the desk. “I won’t do it,” she said. “I’m not going to practice this—this witchcraft. I’ve studied blood magic, and it’s bad for mages. It hurts us more than any other form of magic.”

  Lucian had told me as much. Demons could use blood magic without difficulty, but mages were corrupted by it, because it didn’t come naturally to us. Eventually it always led to madness and destruction.

  Or maybe only the cruel, ambitious mages are daft enough to risk it, Lucian said.

  “It was developed with one purpose only, and that was to hurt other mages more efficiently,” Tatiana said, her green eyes bright. “To cause pain.”

  “All magic demands sacrifice,” Du Lac replied, “when you defended yourself from a demon, did you not first attack it? Causing both it and the demon in your pen considerable pain by stealing its energy and keeping it prisoner? Is it not kinder to pull energy from yourself, rather than force it from another?”

  He’s got a point, Lucian said.

  Some of the other students shifted uncomfortably, and I wondered if they’d ever really thought about where their magic came from. For most mages, an enchanted pen or sword could be used to channel energy. They might recognize on a conceptual level that the magic came from demons, but without hearing their anguished screams and pleads for help, it was easy to ignore the voiceless.

  “I’ve read about the war with Aubade,” Tatiana said, tightening her fists. I was surprised how determined she was being. I didn’t realize blood magic was so controversial. “And the horrors that blood magic unleashed. Battle magic was developed for combat and duels. Blood magic was made to torture other mages or to force them to do your bidding. Those first young mages, who didn’t realize the dangers, paid dearly for their use of blood magic. And after what happened to Viviane, I can’t just—”

  My eyes lifted suddenly. Viviane was being controlled by blood magic. I’d never forget the wild look she’d given me, just before she attacked me in the ballroom. She wasn’t herself, and she was channeling so much power she tore a chunk out of the ground, through Reverie’s stone mantle. She would have killed me if I hadn’t stopped her first. Would Tatiana end up the same way? Would I?

  “This isn’t a request, Tatiana,” Du Lac said, leaning over her desk. He clutched the blade in one hand, as blood dripped down his other arm, staining the cuff of his rolled-up shirt. He looked like one of the monstrous mages from the scary stories Gabriel used to tell me when I was just a girl.

  Tatiana’s head snapped up to meet his cold eyes, and she crossed her arms defiantly.

  “She can use my blood,” I said.

  “She’ll do no such thing,” Du Lac growled, grabbing Tatiana’s neglected knife.

  “Learning blood magic is a requirement of this class. Now give me your arm.”

  Tatiana pulled her arm back against her chest as Du Lac swiped the blade towards her.

  “I don’t…” Tatiana trailed off, shrinking against the back of her chair. “I can’t do it.”

  “Then, because of your insubordination, you’ll forfeit your position at the Academy,” Du Lac said. “As a student, you are to obey your professors. As a citizen of Reverie, you are to obey the king’s orders. Is this truly a battle you wish to fight, Tatiana? Even if it raises concerns about your family’s loyalty to our kingdom? Shall I send troops to investigate the kind of incendiary material your father is peddling in that stuffy bookshop of his?”

  Tatiana froze at the threat, her cheeks turning red.

  “Why can’t she sit this one out,” I asked. “If she doesn’t want to—”

  “Do you think I wanted to be poisoned?” Du Lac spat. “As I recently learned, you can be poisoned without giving your full consent. This isn’t a game, and the sooner you learn that, the better it will be for all of you. The king has given me unilateral power within the Academy to weed out possible traitors. Tatiana can either do as the king has ordered, or she can join the other treasonous bastards who plot against us.”

  A shadow flickered across the ground, but I caught sight of Lucian’s movements too late to stop him. Du Lac shouted and grasped his wrist, which was suddenly bleeding from a row of short puncture wounds. I stared, horrified, as my professor pulled his hand away. Blood splattered on my desk before Du Lac managed to stem the flow by tracing healing sigils across his forearm.

  “What did you do?” Du Lac snapped, eyes widening.

  “Nothing!” I exclaimed.

  I will not just sit here and witness this maltreatment, Lucian hissed.

  But he had to. If the professors learned about Lucian, they’d imprison him again, and I might not be able to save him this time. Du Lac leaned closer so only I could hear him whisper.

  “I guess poisoning me wasn’t enough?”

  My eyes widened, and I r
ecoiled at the accusation. He thought I’d done that?

  The guards were coming over, drawing their weapons.

  “I didn’t do anything!” I protested. “How could I?”

  Du Lac clenched his jaw. He didn’t have an answer, and he knew it.

  “If I was the king, I’d have sent you right back to that hole you crawled out of,” Du Lac said through gritted teeth.

  I wondered if he was still looking for my mother’s pendant, or my father’s journal. He’d blackmailed me to get the Rosewood tiara. He must know by now it didn’t have the answers he was looking for.

  That tiara is probably worth a fortune, Lucian said. We should steal it back.

  For a second, I almost pitied him. In his own way, he was probably trying to stand up against the plotting nobles and actually help Reverie. But then he lunged at Tatiana, reaching towards her red hair, and a sort of numb fury spread through me. I pushed back my chair and slapped his hand away, knocking the knife to the ground. It scattered across the room, and one of the guards stopped it with his foot.

  Du Lac looked livid, and both guards had drawn their swords. I stood facing them, and their eyes widened as Lucian’s blue fire flickered up my arm, teasing my dark hair.

  Tatiana caught my wrist and pulled me back into my seat.

  “Wynter, it’s all right,” she said, her green eyes shining. “I—I’ll do it.”

  Slowly and shakily, Tatiana extended her arm. Du Lac grasped her wrist and held it so tightly that it had to hurt. Then he grabbed her knife off the desk and sliced cleanly through her pale skin. Tatiana lowered her gaze and stared at the blood welling from her arm, as Du Lac drew his pen and traced healing sigils across her palm.

  “All this fuss, for barely a scratch,” Du Lac chided. “Some of you are going to need to toughen up in the coming days. Your parents have clearly spoiled you. Now, finally, back to the lesson.”

  He approached the board again and sketched out three simple sigils, then showed us how to combine them into one design. “This sigil will detect poisons,” he said. “While there is no reason to suspect that the general student body of the Academy is in any danger, it’s better to be safe than sorry. You will draw a sigil on each glass before you; one contains a poison. Your task is to correctly identify which one.”