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Rakarthen Academy

Page 19

by Clara Hartley


  “Have… have you killed anyone before?”

  He nodded. “There were zealots who worshipped the new gods. Every race suffers some insanity amongst their kind. I needed to take care of them. Together, we did. Cendri and Aland helped.” Nemreth reminded me of a blade. Cutting. Sharp. Dangerous.

  I swallowed hard. The attraction was mutual.

  Nemreth closed the distance between us and grabbed both my wrists. He rested them on his chest. My pulse quickened and my mouth went dry. His heat caressed my skin, and suddenly I was hyperaware of his presence. I pressed my thighs together, sensing my desire. I felt giddy.

  “Skatte,” Nemreth said. “This is… I’m not sure what I’m doing. Cendri would kill me if I took you.”

  Take me? “He’s always around other girls.”

  “I trust that his love for me is mine and mine only. Doesn’t matter if he sleeps with others. But… I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

  “How?”

  “Like he wants to taste you too.”

  “How do you feel about that?”

  “It excites me.”

  This was nonsense. Lust. When Nemreth had me so close, my body reacted in strange ways. He’d humiliated me far too many times. I couldn’t fall for this. But his scent… warm. Masculine.

  It confused me. Threw me off my game.

  And so I shoved him away. “No more of your tricks, fae,” I said. I sucked in a deep breath, attempting to steady the thumping of my pulse. “Let’s get on with this.” He wasn’t going to seduce me like that. Not before I got my revenge and made him beg. Forgiveness? I couldn’t do that. Kaji had forgiven me in the past, hadn’t he? But he was a far better person than me, and I couldn’t see through the flaws of my bullies like that. I knew how to hold a grudge, and grudges could be poisonous.

  Nemreth licked his bottom lip. He fixed his eyes on mine as he did. I ignored the way my stomach coiled as he ate me up with his gaze.

  I closed my eyes.

  My skin tingled. I still felt his hands around my wrists. He’d grabbed me so hard that my flesh there continued to ache. It shouldn’t. My dragon healing abilities ought to numb the pain. The memory of Nemreth’s touch imprinted on my mind. I just couldn’t seem to ignore the pull of lust.

  The winds.

  The salt.

  I wanted to think of anything but Nemreth. When he pulled me in like that and said those sweet words, it was like he’d breached a barrier. My attention continued to linger on my thoughts of want and need and desire. I chastised myself, blaming that intense look I’d seen in his eyes.

  I was Lyra Everborne.

  Second princess of Constanria.

  I knew I could be better than this. That I was more than just a fumbling teenager controlled by my hormones or emotions. Kael always warned me about my rash decisions.

  Godsdammit. I sucked at that.

  I pulled in a deep breath, again focusing my attention back on the sounds of the crashing waves. It helped that the water moved in a steady rhythm. Soon, the smell of the salt drowned out Nemreth’s smoky, manly scent. I reached out with my mind to the magical signatures Nemreth had talked about, pushing away the doubt that caused me to waver. You can use fae magic, I told myself.

  And so I did.

  I sensed it.

  The magical signatures felt like a light kiss on my skin, tugging at my senses. The cooling sensation seeped through my pores, intermingling with my insides. My eyelids shot open once the chill washed over me. Nemreth was in front of me, looking at me intently with his handsome, punchable face.

  “Well?” he asked.

  “It’s… relaxing. I can use it. Fae magic. I don’t understand why I have that ability, but it’s inside me, just as Cendri said.”

  “Here,” he said, walking to me again. I resisted the urge to shrink back, remembering how his being so close had messed with my mind. “Give me your hand.”

  “You’re… you’re not going to do what you did just now, are you?” I hated how timid I sounded.

  Nemreth seemed hurt by my rejection. But he deserved that pained look on his face. He’d tormented me first. “What I said was true. But no.”

  Cautiously, I held out my hand. He dropped a string of beads into it. It was a bracelet that glowed blue. I’d seen these beads many times before. My fathers used them for their experiments and to improve dragon technology. Soul beads were necessary to cast soul magic. Magic had a higher cost for dragon-kind. We needed to harvest the souls of creatures, and because the viability of the souls diminished quickly when not stored, we had to place the soul essence into beads first. “Isn’t this used for soul magic?” I asked.

  “Fae magic is related to it,” Nemreth said. “It’s just far more efficient than what your kind uses. We can use fewer souls for stronger spells due to how the fae are more in tune with nature. We don’t have to use spell words, either.”

  “I noticed.” Nemreth and the others summoned spells with ease, as if they were carrying out the simple act of breathing.

  “You’ll go through this in the next term. We’re focusing on physical battles first, but you’ll learn of how to control your magic better later. I just thought I’d test your limits early.”

  “Why the impatience?”

  Nemreth raked his eyes over my body. “You ignite a certain level of that within me. It’s a rush. It makes me unable to wait. I’m not usually so brash, but that sensation…” Nemreth smiled. It was the same smile he used whenever he was trying to hide something. “I’m looking for an explanation.”

  I turned my attention back to his hands. They were large, and I wondered how they would feel when pressed flat against my skin. I swatted those pesky thoughts away. “An explanation for?”

  “Why I can’t stop thinking about kissing you.”

  Curse Aereala.

  His words felt like ice on my skin. I took a step back. I hardened my expression, sensing anger boil in my stomach. This asshole had left me to die. To be devoured! By dragon teramarth, no less. And now he dared to talk about kissing me? He must have hit his head on a wall, thinking that I’d let him have me just because he changed his tune.

  “You’re not doing any of that,” I said, shoving past Nemreth. I strode toward the hazelnut horse. It was grazing on a shrub, the weeds sticking out from its mouth. “What do you want me to do with the horse?”

  “Feed it your magic,” Nemreth replied.

  “Huh?”

  Nemreth followed me. He reached over me and grabbed the reins of the horse, then placed them in my hand. His fingers wrapped around mine when he did that. I focused on the magical signatures, again welcoming their cooling touch.

  Nemreth continued, “The horse reacts to you when you feed it magic. It becomes more battle-hardened, and the color of its wings will shift.”

  “This wasn’t in the lesson.”

  “Charmingface was saving it for the next.”

  “How do I do it?”

  “Pool the fae magic you feel in the air. Watch it gather in your hand. As you use your fae magic, some of the souls from the soul beads will be harvested. You’ll feel it. It’ll be like a pulling sensation.”

  As Nemreth muttered his instructions into my ear, I concentrated on doing as told. Why did his breath tickle my skin? Did he really have to talk in that low, growly tone?

  He sounded so sexy.

  And that made me want to kill him.

  A wispy, chaotic mess of magic gathered in my palm, and I thought I sensed a soul bead slowly dim.

  “Give it to the horse,” Nemreth said. Gently, he placed his hands on my hips.

  The magic faltered, as if it might suddenly dissipate. I’d almost lost control of it.

  I pursed my lips. “Hey, here, um, horse.” Did the creature have a name? I couldn’t go around calling it “horse.”

  The horse snorted.

  “It’s for you,” I said.

  Slowly, the creature raised its head until its ruby eyes looked at me. I offered the m
agic to it, and it opened its mouth, sucking it in. Immediately, its eyes flashed, turning from red to gold. Its wings sprouted from its back, shooting up in an arcing pattern. Just like its eyes, they’d turned to gold.

  Magnificent.

  Nemreth nudged my back. “Ride it.”

  “Hm?”

  “I’m certain you’ve never ridden a flying horse before. It’ll be an experience, for sure.”

  “How can the magic do this?” I asked, turning around to meet Nemreth’s grin.

  “Hazelnut horses are highly responsive to magic. They don’t have the ability to harvest it from the environment on their own, however, and so they rely on us. This one will like you now. You just fed it.”

  I walked away from Nemreth, thankful for the distance between us. I leapt onto the horse’s back, using my thighs to balance myself. The golden wings got in the way as I tried to keep steady. It was still wearing a saddle from the class earlier, however, which made sitting on it easier.

  “Knock your feet on its sides,” Nemreth instructed me. “It’ll take off.”

  “I know how to ride a horse.”

  “Just a friendly reminder.”

  “I don’t trust you when you’re friendly.”

  “I don’t blame you.”

  I wrapped my fingers around the reins and tapped the horse lightly. It fanned out its beautiful wings and took to the skies. My heart surged. Up and up it went, at a speed I’d never known. Not in human form.

  The horse was like a lightning bolt, zipping through the clouds as if they meant nothing at all. Exhilaration rushed through my veins.

  This… this was fun!

  I laughed as my giddiness made me high. I pivoted to my right, and the horse banked that direction, too. Gods. Riding the horse made me think of my family and how much they’d love this. Kael, especially, would be beside himself, treating the horse like a new toy. I could already imagine Mom chastising him for playing with the hazelnut horses too much and disregarding his duties.

  I wondered if the creature could go faster. Out of curiosity, I kicked its side again.

  And it sped up.

  Until the wind felt like blades across my skin.

  Too fast.

  I pulled on the reins, willing for my ride to stop. A girl could only take so much speed. The horse listened to my demands, slowing down obediently. My hair must have been a mess, my clothes all ruffled due to the adventure I’d just put myself through.

  I loosened my grip on the reins. “I don’t know if you have a name yet, but can I call you Quick? Because that’s what you are.”

  Quick neighed, as if agreeing. His wings were beating at a slow rhythm. He moved at a steady speed, one that didn’t threaten to peel my skin off.

  I was giggling when Quick arrived at the island again. I leapt from the saddle, not being careful, then regretted acting that brashly. I lost my balance. The rush of the ride still bubbled in my veins, giving me a groggy sensation.

  Before I face-planted, Nemreth caught me. He had me in his arms.

  Green eyes oozing with lust searched my face. “Are you all right, Lyra?”

  “Never better,” I replied, pretending that Nemreth’s touch didn’t affect me at all. “That… that was wonderful.”

  “Wonderful,” Nemreth repeated huskily. He was looking at me so hard that I didn’t think he was referring to the ride at all.

  I pushed him away from me. I could stand up by myself. I’d faltered a bit. That was all.

  “Um, thanks,” I said, avoiding Nemreth’s gaze. “We should head back. I’m late for the next class, and Kaji’s probably worried.”

  “I’ll ask the teacher to let you off the next lesson.”

  “Will you? You don’t usually treat me this nicely.”

  “Well, it’s not too bad for things to change every so often.”

  My guard was up, and I made certain my emotions were shielded from his advances. Spinning around, I had a retort on the tip of my tongue.

  But Nemreth had taken off, bringing Quick with him.

  Quick’s wings were losing their golden hues, turning back into an equally pretty red.

  I muttered a curse at Nemreth, telling him to let himself get ripped apart by dragon teramarth. But I lacked the guts to shout it, and that insult was too soft for him to hear.

  Twenty-Two

  While I dreamt about my ploy to backstab Nemreth and the others, a shrill, loud alarm blared through the academy’s grounds. We’d rehearsed for this sound before. During teramarth basics, Nemreth had demonstrated a softer version of it for us.

  “We have to be at the back gates,” Kaji said. I peeled open my eyes and pushed myself from the bed. The sun was not even out yet, and our room was cast in darkness. Kaji grabbed his sword and hooked the sheath to his belt. “That alarm means that there’s a teramarth swarm coming for Rakarthen.”

  My stomach growled. “I haven’t had breakfast.”

  “There’s no time for that.”

  “You know I can’t exercise on an empty stomach.”

  “This isn’t an exercise. If the swarm gets through, the whole of Cardell will be destroyed. They’re the first line of defense against the teramarth.”

  Kaji threw me my sword. I’d barely grabbed it when a piece of leather armor smacked against my face. I scowled at him, but Kaji already heading toward the door. “I’ll wait for you outside to give you some privacy to change.”

  “I could use the restroom.”

  “That’s more walking. Takes more time. You have to hurry up.”

  Outside, feet smacked against the floorboards. The students were hurrying, too. Kaji slammed the door behind him, moving with haste and all the seriousness he could muster. Kaji was never usually as serious as this. That was how I knew that skatte was going to go down.

  Skatte?

  Gods, that was a fae term.

  I was starting to talk like them, too. In my attempt to get on their good side, I’d assimilated too well.

  Quickly, I changed into my gear, fastening my sword to my torso. The dorms were eerily calm despite everyone readying for battle. Everybody was probably too focused to talk, and chatter died down.

  Before I placed my hand on the doorknob, my heart sank. We’d fought the teramarth before. Nemreth had called that swam small. But it felt like an army to me. Just how terrifying were these teramarth going to be? How many of them?

  And did I even need to join this battle?

  I had no allegiance to the fae. They’d brought me here to torment me. To make me a pawn in their stupid games. The evaradrae were my people, and I wouldn’t mind fighting by their side to die with them. Here, I’d had my beautiful hair cut off, and they said nothing when Nemreth humiliated me at the pits.

  “Ly,” Kaji said, knocking on the door. “You ready? Most of the students are out of the dorm.”

  The threat of death loomed around us.

  “Ready,” I said.

  I turned the doorknob and stepped out.

  I’d lied, however. I wasn’t prepared for battle.

  Twenty-Three

  They’d positioned me in front of the rest of the students, next to the triad and Charmingface. A battle horn sounded in the background. It was too noisy and quiet at once. There were many sounds coming from all around us. The horn, the rumbling of the Wall of Thorns before us. The thunder in the clouds. My heart had been slamming against my ribcage ever since I’d heard the alarm. But not one of the students made a sound. They didn’t even want to speak about what was to come.

  There are going to be many deaths today.

  Mayhem stood next to Kaji. I thought about leashing the ingoria, not wanting to put him at risk, but his whimpering had told me that he wanted to come.

  I glanced behind me. The fae used to look at me with scorn and contempt. There was none of that now. They only wore masks of worry and fear. A girl broke down crying. Rakarthen was supposed to be filled with elite warriors, hardened from training. I guessed that such training was
n’t enough to prepare the students for death.

  Bless me, Aereala.

  I would live through today. I had to.

  Why was I so afraid to die, then?

  The horns quieted, and the sound of Charmingface’s voice boomed over them. “The mage meister, Neremin, has detected huge discrepancies in the magical signatures. The orb, as defective as it is, has warned of a large attack coming for Rakarthen.”

  As if to back up his words, lightning flashed from above, and another rumble of thunder traversed the lands. Charmingface was perched atop a hazelnut horse. A whole platoon of fae and hazelnut horses stood a couple yards away from me. All of them had their wings summoned. Golds. Blues. Reds. They looked too pretty to be entering a bloodbath.

  Kaji must have sensed my apprehension. He reached over and wrapped his fingers around mine. “It’s going to be all right, Ly,” he said. “I’ll protect you.”

  “It’s so sudden,” I said.

  “War usually is. One moment, you think it’s all fine, and the next, your siblings are dead. Remember these faces. I’m not sure if this is the last time you’ll see them.”

  I didn’t want to look at them anymore. Better to not know who died and who lived. The gravity of calamity would be easier to handle that way.

  Charmingface continued to speak. As he did, there was a change in his entire disposition, one I wasn’t sure if the others noticed. His voice lowered, sounding raspier, almost like that of a teramarth. I thought I saw his skin turn ashen. For a second, he reminded me of Alyxe Bellquaine, Cendri’s odd sister. Her skin was ashen, and sometimes I mistook her for a teramarth, but that might have been me overthinking.

  It must have been the fear causing me to imagine things.

  Charmingface was back to his original self, as if the sudden change in him hadn’t happened at all. “We’ve studied constantly for a day like this. Fight valiantly. Put your hearts and souls in it, because that is what the fate of Cardell depends on. Be confident that we will rise above this and come out victorious.”

  I thought I wanted to see the fae die. Now, when my own life depended on how well they did, I had second thoughts.

 

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