Rakarthen Academy

by Clara Hartley

  “Shall we go back?” I said to Nemreth and Cendri. My point was aptly proven, and again, I felt like I’d won. The fae children were being saved and taken care of by a dragon-kind lady. I doubted Nemreth and Cendri would have anything to say to that.

  The two shared none of my cheeriness. Cendri hurried down the front steps while Nemreth followed behind him with a sagging posture.

  “Why do you look so cheery?” Nemreth asked.

  “Celebrating how I’m right. That’s all. Your accusations were unfounded. I deserved none of that bullying. I think I deserve an apology.”

  “Do you?”

  I scowled at that patronizing answer. A simple “sorry” wouldn’t have sufficed, but at least it’d be a start.

  We walked through the backstreets of Raynea. Nemreth and Cendri stood out with their pointed looks, and we received stares from the few people who spotted us. As we traveled out the city gates, I continued waiting for my apology.

  It didn’t come.

  Even after they’d summoned the portal to Thesnan and stepped through it, I heard not a single sorry.

  I shouldn’t have been surprised. They were probably too cocky to admit being wrong.

  Still, not hearing it got on my nerves.

  Twenty

  A week had passed since our visit to Constanria.

  Kaji had stolen food from the fae’s stores, as he’d said he would. He snacked on a crinkled piece of meat. It looked like the jerky I gave to Mayhem. I was already out of that. Ever since I ran out, Mayhem had been acting grumpier. The wolf watched me from the side of the class, his head resting on his paws.

  “Want some?” Kaji asked, offering me a piece of his snack.

  “What is that, even?”

  “Some kind of sugared meat.” Kaji plucked another snack from his paper bag and burned it with his flames. He, like most hidraes, enjoyed their food overcooked. “The fae really love their sugar. Weird tastes.”

  “I hate sweet stuff.” I hated how half the meals here were sweet.

  “That’s how we know you don’t take after Prince Micah.”

  I stuck my tongue out, disgusted. “The way he puts syrup on things is just maddening. How do you put up with that sweetness?”

  Kaji shrugged. “I’m hungry. This fills the stomach. You know I’m not picky about taste.”

  “You’re not picky about anything.”

  “A trait I’m proud of.”

  “It’s good to have standards.”

  “I’m not the princess. Better for a soldier not to have standards. Never know when you have to sleep in a ditch to serve your country, you know?”

  His snacking was getting us a few stares from the other students. We were in the middle of a lesson, after all. General Charmingface personally taught this class. Advanced equestrian was one of the more peculiar classes I’d had to attend. It involved a special species of fae horses. The hazelnut horses were found past the Bellquaine Bay, and they, just like Prince Micah, absolutely loved sweet foods. Sugared mushrooms made them obedient. The fae did everything weird. The horses back home had with carrots. Here, they feasted on mushrooms.

  Kaji tossed a piece of meat into the air and caught it with his mouth. It was impressive, but he still left a few stains on his cheeks. Typical. “It’s been so peaceful lately.”

  “Is that a complaint?”

  “No, just an observation. It’s been quieter ever since you returned from Constanria. You just showed the two fae a bunch of kids, really?”

  “I’ve said this multiple times. I brought them to the orphanage I usually go to.” I didn’t tell him about the children there being fae, however. It was probably why the story wasn’t convincing. I wanted to keep the identity of those children a secret. My big mouth usually let things slip, and I didn’t want any trouble to happen after all the effort Madame Gynelire had put into the orphanage.

  “Hm.” Kaji chewed, looking confused. “Nemreth and Cendri have been looking grumpier ever since coming back from Constanria. You’d think they’d take it out on you more.”

  “Don’t talk with your mouth open,” I said. “And why are you whining about them not bullying us anymore? Are you that hard to please? I, for one, am enjoying the peace. It’s easier to appreciate Thesnan when you don’t have to check your shoes for shards every day.”

  Kaji made another gruff sound, swallowing his food. “I check them anyway. Doesn’t hurt to be paranoid.” We watched as the triad helped Charmingface return the hazelnut horses back to the stables. The lesson was finishing. Today, we’d learned about how to calm the horses when they rode into battle. Charmingface had taught us a few tricks, like where to rub the horses to soothe them, and how to get the horses to sprout their wings.

  The horses could grow wings on cue, just like dragon-kind and dragon fae. Their wings were feathery, like a bird’s, and each horse’s wings had their own special blend of colors. One of the horses that Charmingface demonstrated with had feathers that were a mixture of purple and green.

  Why couldn’t Constanrian horses look like that? They weren’t as pretty. The fae were proving on all fronts that they were the more beautiful and magical race.

  The horses were cool, but mostly, they responded to fae magic, taking cues through that. I wouldn’t be able to use them properly, since, despite all that talk about me having fae magic, I had no idea how to command it.

  I thought the triad would return all the horses, but I saw Nemreth walking up to me with a spotted brown horse trailing behind him. As soon as I saw him, I put my guard up. What was his next mean comment? Was he going to ask me to go back to Constanria? Maybe he’d processed that he didn’t like what I’d shown him and decided that he absolutely hated my guts.

  “Good weather today,” Nemreth said.

  I blinked. The weather? That was what he was going to talk about? Kaji and I stared at him silently.

  “It’s cloudy, but not a chance of rain. Perfect weather for riding and training. And practicing magic, too.”

  I’d had enough of his talking in circles. “What do you want, asshole?”

  “Asshole.” Nemreth sniffed. “I’m trying to make conversation here. To be nice.”

  Nice? Since when did Nemreth being nice ever turn out well? “What kind of trick are you playing?”

  “No tricks,” he said. “Just the truth this time.”

  I eyed the hazelnut horse. Its eyes were red, like two rubies embedded in its skull. “Are you going to make the horse vomit on me?” Did the horse look sick? I couldn’t tell. It did seem angry, but that could have been due to the strange color of its eyes.

  Nemreth gave me a half-smile. “I assure you that the horse isn’t going to do anything of that sort. I thought this would be a good opportunity for you to test your fae magic. The horse responds to the slightest such magic, after all. It can change the color of its coat if you feed it the right amount, so it’ll be a good way to test your control.”

  I tilted my head, still unable to trust Nemreth’s sudden friendly demeanor. He’d been like that with me before when we first met. The half-truths he’d uttered had gotten me into this huge mess. “Does the horse have a taste for dragon-kind meat, perhaps?”

  “You think the horse is going to eat you?” Nemreth said.

  “It’d be a terrible way to go. Princess Lyra Everborne. Deceased. Cause of death? Eaten by a horse. I wonder what Mom would think about that.”

  “She wouldn’t be very pleased with the fae.”

  “No, not at all.”

  I looked behind Nemreth. Charmingface was done with the horses. He glanced at me and gave me a thumbs-up. I was uncertain what that was supposed to mean. Was I winning the triad over? They definitely still seemed cold to me, but with the taunting stopping, I guessed that was progress.

  With that, I remembered what Charmingface had told me about getting revenge. He’d won it not through knocking heads with the fae, but by getting on their good sides.

  Was I doing the same?


  Could I finally get what I wanted?

  Revenge?

  Nemreth passed the reins of the horse to me. “Here, take it. This can be your hazelnut now.”

  “It belongs to the school,” I replied.

  “Not anymore. I’ve decided that it’s yours.”

  “Can you do that?”

  “Of course. I’m part of the triad.” Again, his haughtiness did little to win me over, even if he did just give me a horse. Nemreth turned around and walked away. I glanced at the reins, then looked at the horse’s ruby eyes. What was I supposed to do with it? I still got the feeling that the horse wanted to eat me.

  “Are you coming?” Nemreth asked.

  I straightened my spine and cocked my head. “Where are you taking me?”

  “There’s another conduit of fae magic nearby. It’ll be easier for you to get in touch with that part of you when we’re closer to it. Kaji should probably attend the next class. I’m not going to come up with an excuse for him.”

  The school bell chimed, as if telling Kaji he should leave.

  Kaji placed his hand on the hilt of his glass sword. “I don’t want to leave Lyra’s side.”

  Nemreth flicked his hand. A glowing stream shot out from his palm and reached toward Kaji. I stiffened, wondering how I was to save Kaji should Nemreth’s magic hurt him, but the stream merely pushed Kaji backward. “Go, please,” Nemreth said. “You’ll serve as a distraction for Lyra, and she needs all her focus. Commanding fae magic as a beginner is no easy feat.”

  “I still don’t understand why you guys keep saying I have fae magic. You’ve never seen me use it.”

  “You wouldn’t have been able to use Rakarth’s essence otherwise. We know, princess.”

  Kaji glanced at his sword, then back at me. I noticed that he’d dropped his bag of food, not caring about it anymore. For someone who liked to pretend he was carefree, Kaji did take his job quite seriously.

  Nemreth held his hands out in front of him. A huge shield appeared, a gleaming barrier that looked like it’d take a considerable amount of energy to get past. Kaji clenched his jaw and looked resigned.

  “Don’t hurt her,” he said.

  “I won’t.” Nemreth continued onward. “Besides, she’s beaten me before. You have to give Lyra more credit. She’s a capable young woman. One deserving of respect.”

  I knew he believed what he said. He couldn’t speak falsehoods.

  But that didn’t sit right with me.

  Twenty-One

  Nemreth dived, tucking his wings into his back. He hadn’t slowed down for me when he flew. I growled, annoyed and wondering why I bent to his will this much. Nemreth had a certain pull about him that was impossible to ignore. Was it his false charisma? I wouldn’t fall for it. Not completely. I knew how he lied. Still, that lazy smile wrinkling the corners of his eyes gave him a striking charm.

  It did seem like I was at his beck and call, following him just because he’d asked me to. Maybe I was just waiting for the right opportunity to strike. Nemreth and Cendri had shown me some of their weaknesses. If I smiled and hung out with them more, I’d find out about more of their vulnerabilities. Then I could make them pay for all the trouble they’d put Kaji and me through.

  “Are you struggling to keep up, princess?” Nemreth asked, twirling around so he could face me. His body fell through the clouds. He smirked. The wind brushed his short hair upward, giving him an unkempt, devilish appearance that was sinfully attractive.

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m keeping up just fine, no thanks to you.” I’d tucked my wings inward as well, letting gravity take me as I dropped to the ground. We were above water, the bright blues of the Bellquaine Bay sparkling as it reflected the sun. Outside Cardell, the winds were far stronger. A leaf flew past me. I didn’t think much of it at first, but when it flipped around, a tiny figure greeted me, giggling and waving its stubby fingers.

  I tracked it with my eyes. I’d learned of this creature in one of my classes. A leaf fairy. They lived in deserted areas, like the small island in the middle of the Bellquaine Bay.

  The leaf fairy waved at me, making shrill sounds as the wind took it farther away. I thought I saw it blow a kiss.

  Nemreth opened his wings slightly, slowing his dive. “You do know I’m slowing down for you, right? Your hazelnut horse is already at the meeting point.”

  “How does it even understand you that well?” Nemreth had given it orders on where to meet earlier, and it had zipped off.

  “Most fae creatures are very intelligent. That is why we don’t eat our beasts, not unless they’re insects. Don’t you think that it’s quite savage to consume creatures that can serve a better purpose? They can be more, not simply a source of food.”

  “The hazelnut horse looks tasty.”

  “You were complaining about it possibly eating you earlier.”

  I raised my hands. “It’s a creature-eat-creature world out there. You never know who’s going to be munching on who first.”

  “Is this how dragon-kind usually think, or is this just you being daft?”

  “Kaji does say that I can be quite imaginative sometimes. My mind’s just awfully creative. It’s good at thinking up possible means of death.”

  “You could use that brain of yours to solve problems instead.”

  “That’s not how it works. You don’t choose creativity, it chooses you, and for some reason my imagination likes to tell me that horses want to eat me.”

  Nemreth spun back around, sensing that he’d already neared the ground. He skimmed the grass, brushing it with his fingers, then landed with ease. I got distracted by him and nearly lost my balance, but I caught myself just in time. I doubted I looked as good as he did when my feet touched the sand. I steadied myself, then straightened my spine.

  We’d landed right next to the hazelnut horse. It whinnied, as if welcoming us.

  “Do we really have to be here for this?” I asked, feeling my wings retract. It was much cooler here than in Cardell. Nobody lived on the island. White sand stretched across it. The soil didn’t seem great for plant growth, but shrubs grew from the sand anyway. Waves crashed against the shore, reaching over it before pulling away in a steady rhythm. I breathed in the salt. The wind blew my hair over my face, so I reached to tuck it behind my ear. Touching my hair reminded me of how Nemreth had chopped off a good chunk of it.

  “We’re only here to test out my fae magic. Couldn’t we do that in Cardell?”

  “Can you not feel the changes in the atmosphere?” Nemreth asked.

  “You’re talking about the wind.”

  “No.” Nemreth shook his head. “I’m referring to the magical signatures. Your connection to nature should be stronger here. There’s another conduit nearby, this one much larger than the one at the pixie pit.”

  “I’m not fae,” I said. “I can’t use your kind of magic.”

  “Try,” Nemreth said. “I sense it in you, and you should be able to. You can’t because of what you tell yourself. If you believe that you can’t use fae magic, then you won’t. You need to accept the magic before it does the same for you.”

  “Why do you want me to do that, anyway?”

  “Consider it my way of making it up to you. I’m training you to be stronger.”

  “Nemreth, are you apologizing to me?”

  “I didn’t say anything about that.”

  “You want to make it up to me. That means you agree that you’ve wronged me.”

  He raised his chin. “I’m trying to make you a better fighter, princess. Just accept my offer while it’s still available.”

  “You refuse to admit it because that’ll make you look bad.” I knew I was gloating. I’d won. I should celebrate that.

  “Focus.” Nemreth scrunched his nose up, looking annoyed.

  “I want to hear you say sorry, at least.”

  “How long are you going to stay on this topic?”

  “Forever. I can be very persistent. Just ask Kaji. Being stubborn
is one of my best traits.”

  Nemreth grunted. As if supporting him, the horse mimicked him. He pinned me with his gaze. “I’m… I… Bah.” He threw his hands up and turned around. Folding his arms across his chest, he took two steps forward, putting more distance between us. “I apologize.”

  He’d uttered those two words so softly that I had to strain to listen. “What?” I asked, cupping my hand over my ear.

  “You heard me the first time.”

  “No, I didn’t. I heard some weird, indistinct muttering.”

  “Whatever. Are you going to try to use your magic, at least?”

  I wondered whether I should drag out Nemreth’s torment. He did look awfully cute whenever he struggled with himself like that. A couple more minutes of seeing him act frustrated wouldn’t hurt.

  But I was feeling merciful today, and so I let the matter rest.

  “All right.” I lifted my hands, letting the sea breeze slip through my fingers. “How is this supposed to work?”

  “It helps if you close your eyes.”

  “So you can stab me?” His apology wasn’t going to make me trust him. I wasn’t so easily won over.

  Nemreth groaned. “I’m not going to stab you. Why do you suspect me?”

  “Many reasons.”

  “Like?”

  “Really? You’re pretending the last month didn’t happen?”

  He rubbed his hand over his face. “Oh, skatte, you’re such a difficult student. This is going to take forever.”

  “I’m just asking for clarification. Don’t good students ask questions?”

  “Not like that.”

  “Okay, then just tell me why I should trust you enough to close my eyes around you. You and Cendri have been utterly horrible to me, and—”

  “Because I admire you and it’d be a shame to see you injured.”

  My eyes widened. “You what?”

  “I admire you. Want you. Gods, Lyra, ever since I laid eyes on you, I’ve wanted to taste you, and—” Nemreth bit his tongue. We shared a long, tense stare. “I told you why I hate you. Back at the pit I said it. My attraction to you makes me want to hurt you more. But I can’t kill someone I’m drawn to this much.”