Academy of Falling Kingdoms Box Set

by Marisa Mills

  “Why not?” he asked. “He hurts you and the people you care about. He’s utterly irredeemable.”

  “He’s my uncle,” I said, as if that explained everything. “And I don’t think I could just kill someone. No matter how bad they were.”

  Lucian sighed. “It’s admirable that you want to solve your problems without resorting to violence,” Lucian said, with a note of chilling finality, “But someday, your eschewal of bloodshed is going to get you killed.”

  Twenty-Four

  I COULDN’T SEARCH FOR THE journal during the day, so I decided to study. If I didn’t find it in the next two weeks, I’d be out of options—unless I was somehow able to pass the exams and buy myself more time. The library was packed with students preparing, so I checked out a few books and settled in the shared area of the dormitory. It was an oval-shaped room filled with comfortable chairs and long study tables. There was even a small kitchen with hot water for tea and a never-ending supply of cookies and sliced fruit. I sat on the rug before a massive fireplace, surrounded by piles of books. The flames popped and crackled cheerfully as I read over regulations for what was and was not allowed in a magical duel.

  Jessa frantically poured over her notes at a nearby table.

  “You passed last year,” I pointed out, flipping through pages of what looked like dancing positions.

  “I know,” Jessa said, “But they expected less of me last year! This year, they’ll expect me to be so much better, and if I’m not, they’ll cut me.”

  “They would be fools to cut you,” I said. I thought about her attempts to fight the demon, but wasn’t sure if I should bring that up. “You’re so enthusiastic about learning. Look at all the notes you have on dancing and…plants.”

  I waved a hand at her papers, full of nearly incomprehensible writing. Jessa’s smile was forced. “I take a lot of notes in the hopes I’ll do better, but…”

  “I saw you grow flowers,” I pointed out, “And make those vines come up.”

  “Yes, but you’re already summoning fire!” Jessa exclaimed with a longing sigh.

  I felt a sharp jolt of guilt for not really summoning fire. The other students were envious of my abilities, but they didn’t know I’d cheated on the entrance exam and that most of the magic I’d been able to produce had come from the demon I wasn’t supposed to be speaking with.

  “Hey!” Kris shouted at us from the doorway. “The whole dorm is going downtown to celebrate before final examinations have us all wanting to jump off Reverie. Are you two coming?”

  A few more girls were clustered around her. I recognized Tatiana and Viviane right away. Marina was there. And Jeannette, who I’d never spoken to but knew from Delacroix’s class. There were two other girls—second-year students like Jessa. I thought their names were Bridget and Lily.

  “Well…” Jessa trailed off. “It would be nice to get out. What do you think, Wynter?”

  “I don’t really—”

  Jessa and Tatiana were smiling at me, and I liked both of them. I’d already studied so much that the words were starting to blur together on the pages, and it was still too early to look around Du Lac’s office. Besides, Jessa looked like she really needed a break.

  “All right,” I said, closing my book.

  Jessa and I joined the group, and we headed out from the Academy. It was late evening, and the streets were bustling. We headed downtown towards the forum. I hadn’t seen what lay past that in this direction.

  “So is studying for the exams killing anyone else?” Kris asked.

  “Exams?” I asked. “I thought there was only one.”

  Kris laughed. “Oh, I wish! No, you have one for every class. It’s just that those aren’t going to have you dismissed from the Academy. You’re allowed to fail your exams and retake classes until you get better, as long as you pass the final examination. But if you fail that one, you’re out.”

  “Only having one exam would be great!” Lily said, twisting a strand of blonde hair around her finger. “I’d rather get it all over with at once. I’m seriously questioning my decision to focus in battle magic. I can barely manage water, and Delacroix already expects me to form ice.”

  “Ugh. I hate Delacroix,” Marina said. “I can never tell where I stand with her.”

  “She’s very…dedicated to her job,” Tatiana said.

  “I’d take Delacroix over Celeste,” Viviane said.

  “Really?” Lily asked.

  “You aren’t serious,” Kris added.

  “Celeste is nice, though,” I said.

  Viviane rolled her eyes. “Oh, sure, she’s nice, but there’s just something about her that bothers me. It’s like she’s too nice.”

  “You only say that because your mother makes you take extra classes with her, Viv,” Kris replied.

  We stopped before a building made of cobbled together stone. The doors were wide open, unleashing a torrent of music and conversation onto the streets. My eyes widened as I gazed over the stone floors, the wooden counters and tables, and the crowd of people. “Is…is this a tavern?” I asked.

  Kris laughed. “You don’t have clubs in the Lower Realms?” she asked. “Life must be so boring for you. Come on!”

  They all went in, so I did, too. Still, I remained close to Jessa and Tatiana. Kris didn’t hesitate in going to the bar and asking for her drink. I waited back and listened to what they were ordering. I really didn’t have any familiarity with specific types of alcohol. There were only a few taverns in the Scraps, and they sold ale and brandy.

  When the barman turned his attention to me, I asked for red wine. I didn’t know anything about wine, but I’d seen Dorian drink it. I was fairly sure I could mimic the way he did it, and if I couldn’t, I could take my cues from Viviane, who’d also picked a wine.

  Kris commandeered a table in the corner, and we all shuffled in around her. I sat on the edge of my chair, listening and swirling my wine around in its glass.

  “How was lunch your mother?” she asked.

  “The usual,” Jessa said, sounding deflated. “Honestly, I feel like a brood-mare sometimes.”

  “I understand that,” Marina replied, “But at least, you have marriage prospects. My engagement to the viscount fell through again.”

  Viviane laughed bitterly. “I think I’d best hope my dear uncle dies young and childless. Maybe I’ll begin slipping arsenic in his tea.”

  “Ah, it is unfortunate about Lady Eleanor’s estate,” Bridget said. “Are her finances truly as bad as the rumors suggest?”

  “They must be if Eleanor is hoping you eventually marry Alexander,” Kris said. “I mean…”

  These girls were all far too young to be worrying about marriage. I wondered if it was a nobility thing. I didn’t understand it, so I took a tentative sip of my wine and immediately grimaced. It was the most awful thing I’d ever tasted. Like moldy woodchips. Lucian laughed.

  “You don’t like it?” Kris asked.

  “Not really,” I replied. “I thought it would be sweeter.”

  “You should try something else,” Jessa said.

  “Do you want a sip of beer?” Lily asked, pushing her tankard towards me. “Truly, a drink worthy of demon slayers.”

  I felt sick at the comment. I hadn’t even slain a demon—just fought it.

  Without warning, Viviane reached across the table and took a large gulp of my wine. She swirled the glass around and considered it. “It tastes fine to me,” she said. “You’re likely just sensitive to the tannins.”

  “The…what?” I asked.

  “Viv, you know wines,” Bridget said. “Why don’t you get Wynter something sweeter?”

  Viviane rolled her eyes but left without any complaint.

  “I don’t like wine either,” Kris said.

  “What about you,” Marina asked. “Any boys in Argent?”

  I thought of Sterling. I felt a rush of emotion, but it was the same kind of love I had for
my brother. Loyalty, protection. Nothing like the mess of emotions I felt when I was around Alexander, or the heat I’d felt with Lucian the night before.

  “There’s a boy, but I’m not sure how I feel about him,” I said. The others leaned in, but I didn’t know what else to tell them. “He’s kind, handsome, and loyal. And he loves me. But his family isn’t wealthy.” Understatement of the century.

  “How romantic!” Jessa exclaimed. “It’s just like a fairy tale. Star-crossed lovers.” I practically spit out my wine at that. They were all assuming I was some rich heiress from the Gardens, instead of a street rat from the Scraps. The truth was, Sterling and I were the same. We belonged together. But then, why didn’t I feel anything for him?

  “Speaking of fairy tales,” I changed the subject. “I heard there was a mage from the Lower Realms who was in love with a noblewoman, but it ended tragically.” It was an awkward transition, but everything seemed to lead back to Guinevere. Maybe if I found out more about what really happened to her, it would help me understand what Dorian was really searching for, and why.

  “Oh, that story!” Kris said. “He started hearing voices, so he cut her into pieces and drank her blood. My father used to tell it to me all the time. I think it was his way of keeping me away from boys. Or have a proper respect for the dangers of magic.”

  “Kris!” Jessa exclaimed. “You don’t have to be so grotesque with it!”

  “That never happened,” Tatiana said. “If a noblewoman was really dismembered, why don’t we know her name?”

  “Tati, you believe the sky is falling,” Lily said, drawing peals of laughter. “How is this any less likely?”

  Poor Tatiana seemed to wilt in her seat. I smiled at her, hoping to offer some measure of reassurance.

  Lily leaned forward and looked sharply around.

  “And we do know her name. She was one of the Rosewood siblings. Gwendolyn?”

  “Guinevere,” Bridget said, looking uncomfortable.

  “I thought she killed herself,” I said.

  “Oh, that’s what everyone says,” Lily replied, “But we all know Viviane’s uncle went a little strange after that. He was convinced someone murdered Guinevere.”

  “Or he had a difficult time understanding why his sister killed herself,” Jessa said. “I’m sure most people would.”

  “But that’s interesting! I heard after the man chopped her up, he threw her body off the edge of Reverie and down to the Lower Realms. Then, he jumped himself,” Kris cut in. “Isn’t the Rosewood estate near the edge?”

  “It wasn’t just some random mage though,” Lily said. “He was a student in the academy, from the Lower Realms.”

  My heart pounded at this news. Du Lac had mentioned a student from the Lower Realms as well. Was it the same man in all the stories? The one dating Guinevere before she died? The pieces were all starting to fit together. If so, the man I’d been searching for, Nicholas Armenia, was from the Lower Realms before being accepted into the academy, just like me.

  Maybe he’s also the rogue mage blamed for loosing demons last time, Lucian said, adding to the puzzle.

  “If any of us disappear and end up dismembered,” Lily said, smirking at me, “We know who to blame.”

  Kris gasped. “We’ve given her ideas now! What if this was all part of Wynter’s evil plan?” The others laughed, but quieted quickly with nervous eyes when Viviane returned and planted a new glass of wine before me. For a few seconds, no one said anything. Marina broke the silence by whistling between her teeth.

  “Viviane, you and Wynter kind of look alike,” she said.

  Viviane scowled. “Hilarious,” she said sarcastically. “Honestly—”

  “But they do!” Kris said, leaning forward.

  Viviane stormed back to her seat, clearly irritated. I took a few sips of the wine, and surprisingly, this time it wasn’t that bad. It looked exactly like the first one, maybe more purple than red, but much sweeter.

  “You could pass for cousins,” Tatiana said. “I don’t think sisters, though.”

  “Can we talk about something else?” Viviane said. “We were supposed to be out to enjoy ourselves. I’m going to watch some drunken fools attempt to dance.”

  I looked around and didn’t see anyone dancing.

  “More like join in,” Kris said, standing and swaying her hips. “Let’s go!”

  Everyone filed out of the nook, and I followed. We walked upstairs to another room, filled with so many people that it was nearly suffocating. Pink, neon lights flashed from the ceiling, and a few people were playing instruments in the corner, although the crowd was too thick for me to see them. Kris and Marina joined in with the people dancing without any hesitation. The other girls formed a circle around them, until I was left with my glass of wine and Tatiana.

  “I’m not much of a dancer,” I told her.

  After a while I headed back downstairs. I returned to the bar and lingered there, trying to pick up pieces of the conversations. “—did you hear about that ‘sky is falling’ man?”

  That had potential, and it came from a table behind me.

  “—I heard the Council found him dead this morning! They’re saying a demon might’ve killed him!”

  It seems like the demons aren’t only attacking students, then, Lucian mused.

  But why hadn’t we all heard about that at the Academy? I thought about the sigils on the dragons and how my professors had lied about those. Maybe lying was just the way things were done in Reverie. I wondered if the ‘sky is falling’ man knew Tatiana or her father. I hoped it wasn’t her father.

  If I had to guess, I’d say the Academy doesn’t want people to panic, Lucian said.

  It didn’t matter, anyway. I couldn’t let myself get distracted with mage politics and demon attacks. All that mattered was the journal I was supposed to find. With a burst of inspiration, I walked over to the table and smiled at the two men I’d been eavesdropping on. “I’m looking for Nicholas Armenia. Have you seen him?”

  Blank looks. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but unfortunately, no one had any idea who I meant. I was surprised it hadn’t worked. I began to feel groggy, and the room was spinning.

  It’s probably the wine, Lucian said.

  I hadn’t even noticed I’d finished the whole glass. With a sigh, I dragged myself back upstairs. I spotted the other girls quickly. Kris, Jessa, and Marina were still dancing, all together in a group. I didn’t see Tatiana, Lily, or Bridget.

  Viviane remained against the wall, sipping her wine. She met my gaze and waved me over. I joined her, and she smiled wryly. “Do you want to go back?” she asked. “The two of us should be fine.”

  She was being… uncharacteristically nice. There was a strange fuzziness echoing in my ears. I frowned and wondered if this was what being drunk felt like.

  “I wouldn’t mind going back… but not with you!” I blurted.

  I clapped a hand over my mouth, unsure what had just happened. It didn’t feel like I said it. Instead, it felt as if someone else had said it for me.

  Viviane smiled. “You shouldn’t have drunk that wine,” she said.

  “Did you poison me?” I asked.

  “No,” Viviane replied. “I just slipped you a truth potion. You aren’t really a lady from Argent, are you?”

  I choked in my attempt not to answer. “No,” I replied, through gritted teeth. “Viviane, you can’t—”

  “Why?” Viviane asked. “Are you afraid you’ll say something I can use against you?”

  I turned to run, but Viviane tightly seized my arm and dug her nails into my skin. “Of course, I am!” I replied.

  “I’ve thought there was something odd about you since the beginning. Why are you here?”

  I pulled my arm free and tried to run, but I couldn’t force myself to do it. I felt like I was choking, and there didn’t seem to be enough air in the world.

  “I’m stealing for your unc
le,” I said.

  Surprise flickered across Viviane’s face, but it disappeared, quickly replaced by something angry and cold. “Consider this a warning,” she said slowly. “Stay away from Alexander, or I will ruin you.” I laughed at her threat. I was being blackmailed for so many different reasons now, it was hard to keep them straight. And the idea that she was going through all this trouble over a boy seemed ridiculous to me.

  “If you ruin me, you’ll ruin Dorian, too,” I said simply. It was the truth.

  Viviane seemed to waver for just a second. “So be it,” she said. “My mother has been trying to ruin Dorian for years, so she can be Countess of Rosewood. Betraying my uncle would make Mother prouder of me than she ever has been.”

  A jolt of fear shot through me as she stormed away. Viviane was the last person I’d have wanted to realize I was a fraud. And now that she knew the truth, it was only a matter of time before she told Alexander everything.

  Twenty-Five

  I WALKED HOME ALONE, PULLING my cloak against the cold air. I was so flustered, I got turned around twice and had to backtrack through unfamiliar streets. At one point, I crossed a narrow bridge over nothingness. The stars above were obscured by a thin mist, like the distant lights of campfires and torches in the Lower Realms down below. My head was spinning, and for a second, I couldn’t tell which way was up or down. It was like I was standing in the center of the universe. Only the hissing lamplights guided me towards the right path. I wondered if there was a demon in each one, burning every night just so drunk mages could find their way home? What a waste of magic.

  I’d been lucky Viviane was so focused on Alexander. She should have asked how I was a fraud, or doing the magic, or what we were trying to steal. As it was, her accusations would be weaker without any specific details, and despite her threats, I didn’t think she’d really be so keen to destroy Dorian’s reputation. He was still her uncle, after all. I hated the idea of Alexander discovering the truth, but there were more important things to worry about than how some rich prick felt about me.