InkSpelled (InkHaven Academy Book 1)

by Kenna Bardot

  “Well, they stormed all the temples in the city - didn’t care what temple it was - and they destroyed all the artifacts - Zeevar jars, statues. The altars and offerings were desecrated and stolen. In some temples, Priests and Matrons and some of the most devoted who had been granted temple access were actually harmed or killed. They said they did this in the name of free will - to kill someone on a date they weren’t preordained to die.”

  He paused, and I pushed at him, “That can’t be it.”

  “No, of course it’s not.” He caught my hand, and he gave each of the tips of my fingers a soft, feathery kiss. The action made me shudder, but I swatted at him - I would not be distracted. “Alec Gaius!”

  “Okay, okay. You have distracting hands, Kaia Wren. Tiny, fragile and smooth as silk. I can’t help it.” He gave me a charming grin, and I narrowed my eyes on him. “Anyway, it was Zeevar. He sent half the Order with very strict and violent directions. At the end, it wasn’t a pretty sight but the message was clear. Do not question the faith.”

  “Sounds horrid.”

  “It does. Protecting the temple isn’t about keeping people out. It’s about reminding them that they can’t just go in and do whatever they want to do.”

  I gave my hand a tug when he started stroking it again, but the stubborn man refused to release it. “Mhmmm. I can’t imagine what that must have been like, but it’s interesting, you know, security duty.”

  “I think it’s boring, if I’m being honest.” Alec Gaius shrugged.

  “Trust you, Alec Gaius,” I laughed out. “But I can see how you’d hate just standing around and looking intimidating. Because how else could you display your talents if you only did that?”

  “I would. Don’t tell me you’re thinking security, Kaia Wren. You’re not intimidating in the least. Now Ronan, he’s the intimidating type.” He lifted an eyebrow at me.

  “I can hold my own,” I insisted. “Maybe.”

  “You did well in the Tumult.”

  I laughed, it was ridiculous because his voice was as patronizing as I'd have expected given the fact that I still had bruises from where Gonzalez had taken me by complete surprise. And my arms still ached from pushing him to his ass. “You mean after you saved me?”

  “Before. I’m not saying you didn’t need me, Kaia Wren, because you did especially after you lost your shield. But... you weren’t completely useless.” I rolled my eyes, and he looked at me woundedly.

  “I saw you. Fighting Hector Gonzalez, that creepy guy. Emerson doesn’t like that one, and you held your own,” he pronounced, a slight twitch of pride in his voice. He pursed his lips in contemplation, and I felt my own tip up to smile.

  You were watching?” I flushed, and then let the smile take over my face. “Did it pain you greatly? Giving me that itsy bitsy compliment?” I poked back at him.

  “I was since I was making my way towards you,” he ignored my teasing. “For a moment, I considered that perhaps you didn’t need me. But after you were knocked over and your shield flew off, I hauled ass. By the way, speaking of the Tumult - it became a tradition as a way of remembering that we’d done something brutal and ugly for faith. But also to remind us that we’ve found peace and balance after it.”

  “And you just like beating on each other?” I poked his shoulder.

  He corrected, “We. But sure. It’s fun.”

  “Zeevar, y’all are weird. Lottie told me the exact same thing.” I quieted, processing the information. “I don’t understand why they don’t teach this to Inkeds. It seems like such a vital, essential part of, not only Order history, but Inked history as well.”

  “I don’t know what sort of education an Inked gets since I was very young when I came to the Order,” Alec Gaius clarified.

  “How old were you?” I couldn’t help the curiosity to know him better, even knowing this - what we had - would never be more than good, satisfying, mind-shattering sex.

  “Ten,” he answered, and I felt my heart clench at the similarity to Vali. He’d only been a year older, and the two must have been so frightened to have to leave everyone they loved behind.

  “Well, we were just told to believe. Never why. A lot of whatever education I have I got from my mother. Even that doesn’t begin to cover everything, and she was part of the temple my entire life. But I get it, maybe they’re scared someone would think of doing it again. Death is not a pretty thing, I imagine. At least, not death as you describe it.” I shuddered as a cold chill ran over me, wondering what mine would eventually look like. Probably some horribly, gruesome and violent end.

  “No, it’s not. We deal in death of course, but it’s never something to be taken lightly.”

  “I understand that now. Thank you for telling me.” I kissed his cheek but went back to my book. I had much more to cram before the next day.

  Ronan didn’t return to the room until late that night, when Alec and I were already asleep for the night. Well, Alec Gaius had been asleep. I had just pretended, eyes closed, so that I wouldn’t have to face the reality that was Ronan’s glare. I was also too busy thinking of the next day. I didn’t really think I was ready for my dreaded exam, but Alec Gaius had taken my mind off my books and notes when my vision began to blur. But, eventually, all we’d wanted was rest and sleep, though it continued to evade me for some time. Needless to say, Alec Gaius and I were finished with sex and studying for the night, so there was no pushing Ronan by getting into any funny business when all we did was really sleep.

  His glare the next morning regardless of the fact that Alec Gaius and I had done nothing but sleep since he’d come to the room seemed unnecessary. Then again, not much Ronan did seemed necessary in my book, especially where I was concerned. Alec Gaius had simply gone about his morning routine and ignored him, acting gentlemanly and making sure I had everything I needed to get ready for the day. I didn’t know how to tell him what I needed and missed the most was the easy camaraderie I had with Lottie in the morning as we got ready for class. He’d probably feel put out although I wouldn’t mind seeing him pout. He looked rather delicious with his full bottom lip pursed out, and I wanted nothing more than to nip it.

  He held my hand as we walked out the door, heading down to breakfast with Ronan glaring at my back the entire way. Sitting me down next to him with a smile, he proceeded to load my plate with food from the trays that he knew I’d have difficulty reaching.

  “Baby, you need to eat for your exam later! You need all the energy you can get.” I froze solid at the pet name, and my palms began to sweat with nerves over my exam. I’d been struggling to forget that today was the day that determined if I would move on to the next part of my education in InkHaven or be the failure everyone already believed me to be.

  I didn’t even bother telling him that he’d given me enough food for a week’s worth of meals and instead gave him a grateful smile. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear before placing a soft kiss on my lips. I could feel the weighted stare of the other students and flushed - digging into my food with relish to avoid thinking about what people might say about me.

  “I’ll be waiting in Gaylord’s room for you after your exam tonight.” His words made me blush again, thoughts of what had transpired in that classroom the night before filling my head. I wasn’t certain I’d ever be able to look at Docent Porter the same again.

  “Okay,” I said timidly with a glance around the room. My eyes met Lottie’s - hers bugged out of her head as she wagged a finger at me saucily.

  “I should get to class. I’ll see you later, baby. Eat well, don’t be late, enjoy your classes.” Another kiss, this time on top of my head. Ronan followed him with one last glare my way, and it only took a moment before Lottie plopped down onto Alec’s seat and bumped my shoulder with hers. All I could do was shake my head and smile. I couldn’t explain anything, since I didn’t understand what in Zeevar was going on.

  “I guess Wella was wrong,” a girl I vaguely recognized as one of the Ink students said from her p
lace a few seats away on the other side of the table. I poked at my eggs, my appetite dimming from just the mention of the bitch. “He certainly seems like he decided you were worth a round.”

  I gave her a catty smile. “Not just one round actually.” Zeevar, I was so sick of my sex life - or previous lack thereof - being the talk of the school. I figured I might as well give them something interesting to talk about.

  She barked out a laugh, the sound genuinely amused and not rude like I’d been expecting.

  A guy sitting next to her interjected. “He’s so smooth, isn’t he? I’ve never had someone quite so controlled and focused on making sure his partner gets off.” I hid my wince. The second and third times? Absolutely. Alec Gaius had been all about the slow seduction, but the first not so much. Though, admittedly, I’d pissed him off talking about another man.

  I grinned in agreement. “He was fun.” I tried to keep casual about the mention of Alec’s other partners, but the rock that settled in my stomach was undeniable.

  I was in trouble.

  “Better late than never, yeah, Kai?” Lottie teased with a grin as she stole some bacon off my plate.

  I gave her a mock glare as she bit into it with a crunch. “Yes, Lot.”

  “And who was right?” She stuck her tongue out at me as she reached over to take a piece of toast from a basket and buttered it with my knife.

  “You,” I admitted on a sigh.

  “Good.” She took a bite of toast, looking up at the time as she did so. She bounced up, pulling my hand along with her. “Come on! Tell me more on the way to class. We’re both on the second floor anyway. You bitch! I can’t believe I’m sans roommate again,” she rambled on and on, and I didn’t have the heart to remind her it wouldn’t be a frequent occurrence. No doubt Alec Gaius would find someone new to spend his nights with soon enough.

  ✽✽✽

  Dinner was a tense affair, I could not eat, and I couldn’t even really talk much. All I did was think and dread as I poked at my food completely without appetite. I forced myself to take a tiny bite and swallow every time Alec Gaius threw me a concerned glance or Ronan growled at me like a wild animal. Every bite I took felt like sawdust in my mouth and tasted even worse.

  I was going to throw up any minute.

  “Baby,” Alec Gaius began, but Ronan cut him off, stabbing the dining table with his fork so hard the prongs chipped into the wood and bent.

  “Woman, eat your damn dinner. There’s no use simply poking at it.” Ronan pointed at me, and I chuckled. He pulled his fork out effortlessly and used that to point at me instead. The prongs pointed this way and that, a wonky and crooked mess. Needless to say, I found that even funnier.

  “I’m not hungry,” I retorted, “man.” I giggled even more at that - it didn’t sound right. That Ronan looked at me like I’d sprouted two heads was another cause for laughter.

  “Man?” The indignance in his voice made me lose my breath from laughing, and it didn’t help that Alec Gaius joined in with me. Ronan shot him a disgusted look.

  “Zeevar, your face,” Alec Gaius barely managed to get his words out through peals of laughter, and Ronan scowled so deeply that his dimples winked at us angrily.

  “Shut up, you two,” he growled out.

  I took a deep breath to stop my giggles, but only managed to stick my tongue out at Ronan. “What? You man, me woman. I have a name, Ronan Daniels and would appreciate being called by it.”

  “She’s got you there, Ronan Asher,” Alec Gaius agreed with me.

  I turned to Alec Gaius and winged up an eyebrow. “Oh?”

  He had the decency to flush at my words, but smiled at me triumphantly. “Yes, Kaia Wren,” he said my name quite deliberately, and I pushed at him playfully.

  “Please eat.”

  I turned to stare and meet his blue eyes, deep with worry. On the other side of the table, I heard Ronan simply grunt his agreement. What was it about him and grunts?

  I took a bite of what I had stabbed with my fork - roasted fingerling potato - and smiled at them as I chewed it. I barely refrained from rolling my eyes.

  “Good girl,” Alec Gaius said as his fingers threaded through my hair, giving my scalp a soothing massage.

  I sighed into the relaxing sensation and just closed my eyes. “I’m scared. Just so scared. What will happen if I fail?” His fingers stopped their movement, and I felt him pull at my hair a little. I opened my eyes and met his angry glare.

  “Don’t you dare say that. Gaylord and I worked too hard to train you. That doesn’t even come close to how hard you’ve worked. When you first arrived it was almost certain you would fail, but you’ve improved so much in just eight short weeks. In sheer willpower alone, you deserve to be here.” He banged a fist on the table and some other students stared at us in surprise. Alec Gaius was not prone to outbursts.

  But I don’t belong here. I wanted to shout it for everyone to hear. I refrained. “I guess.”

  “He’s right. Even if he did keep you in bed long enough last night for you to lose out on study time.” Ronan sounded put out but maybe he just wanted his room back. Seemed extreme, really, when it had just been one night. So far.

  “Thanks, guys.” I didn’t have the heart to tell them that their pep talk was only making me more nervous.

  Alec Gaius spooned more food into my plate, piling it on top of all the other food that I’d so far not eaten. I opened my mouth to stop him and placed a hand on his arm to do so when I felt him stiffen. I turned around to follow his gaze and found Docent Porter lurking behind me. My eyes widened as I felt the butterflies in my stomach turn to stampeding buffalos.

  “Alec Gaius, Ronan.” He nodded at the men before turning to me, those dark eyes serious and somber. “Miss Shaw, I’m afraid it’s time.”

  I swallowed nervously and nodded. “Yes, of course.”

  “Baby. Kaia Wren,” he corrected with a smile. “You can do it. I believe in you.” He threw a glance at Gaylord who nodded at him, tight-lipped. “I’ll see you in Gaylord’s classroom after.”

  “Miss Shaw,” Docent Porter simply repeated, stepping back to give me room to stand. I did, my knees buckling a bit as I stood. I slung my sword, in its holster, across my body and gripped the strap tightly as I walked away from the table.

  Docent Porter led me out of the dining area, my footsteps echoing on the wooden floor. That’s when I realized the room was dead silent. I knew that the moment we left, talk would be of me, of Docent Porter leading me out of the Dining Hall. Even before my exam ended, InkHaven would have an idea of what was going on. It didn’t matter. Pass or fail, things would change by tomorrow anyway.

  We walked in silence towards an area of the Academy that was unfamiliar to me, which wasn’t a surprise as it was a huge building. I knew that there were several different wings and at least three towers and as we climbed more and more stairs, I figured that we were going to one of them.

  Docent Porter broke the silence by clearing his throat and turning to me. “I’m not going to ask how you are, Miss Shaw. I know you’re quite nervous, but I just wanted to assure you that I’ll be there for the entirety of your examination.”

  My lips felt dry and it was a challenge to let out any sound. “Thank you, Docent Porter.”

  He sighed and nodded. A few more minutes passed and we kept going higher. “Zeevar, such dramatics. I can’t believe they decided to use the Air Spire for this.”

  “The Air Spire?” I asked. Even though I couldn’t muster any genuine curiosity, I could distract myself with conversation.

  “Yes. The Air Spire is the most holy place for Air Mages in InkHaven. Didn’t you know that a part of this academy is a sanctuary for certified Air Mages too?”

  I shook my head at that. “No.”

  “It is. When Chrilam and Zimyle had this place built they both had their own private sanctuaries installed. Mostly, legends say that they used these places as a way of finding solitude from one another. After some time, ours became a
meeting place for Air Mages. Of course, when the population of The Inkeds increased on the outside, so too did the number of Air Mages, and the Air Spire was no longer enough to house all of them. That’s when the Airquarters was built on Order grounds. Of course, the spire still remains our sacred place. Speaking of which, just one more flight to go.” He gestured to a set of spiral stairs and where, in my previous life, I would have already been complaining I was surprised to note that I was barely winded. All the training sessions certainly seemed to have paid off in some way.

  We stopped in front of a big red door with an intricate brass handle. A voice from inside called out for us to go in after he knocked. He stepped in first and announced, “Miss Shaw.”

  When I walked in, Headmaster Stewart, Docent Frost, Docent Ho and another man I did not know sat in intricate, high-backed chairs in the middle of the room.

  Docent Frost spoke up, “Thank you, Porter. You may watch, but do not meddle.”

  Docent Porter gave a curt nod before he muttered under his breath, “Good luck, Miss Shaw.” He moved off to stand by the wall, a silent sentinel that gave me a comfort I would not have otherwise felt upon seeing what awaited me in the room. The spareness of the space was quite daunting and made me feel so small and inconsequential. Insubstantial, as Alec Gaius had once said.

  “Miss Shaw, if you will.” Docent Frost pointed at the space in front of him, and I forced myself to take those dozen or so steps forward on wobbly legs. Headmaster Stewart, his fingers steepled in front of him, had yet to say a word but hatred emanated from him in palpable waves.

  He nodded and spoke at last, “Miss Shaw, welcome,” the way he said it made me feel the complete opposite. “I must admit that this is a highly unorthodox meeting, but then you are a highly unorthodox person, aren’t you?” I did not answer, he didn’t seem like he needed me to.

  A beat passed in complete silence, and I felt a bead of sweat run down my back. If the aim was to completely intimidate and frighten me before we began, then they succeeded.