Academy of Falling Kingdoms Box Set

by Marisa Mills

  “I will confess that this meeting brings me no pleasure,” Kit said, “but my father insists it be done.”

  I felt the blood drain from my face, remembering the way Kit had effected his father’s punishments against Autumn. When I closed my eyes at night, I still saw her bloody open maw and the black holes where her eyes should have been. Kit was charming and handsome, but he was also powerful, and dangerous.

  “I won’t shoot the messenger,” I said, forcing a smile, even though my instincts were screaming at me to drop that glass and run. Kit’s grin didn’t reach his eyes.

  “His Majesty firstly wishes to apologize for this grave misunderstanding. It was not his intention to harm an innocent, young woman, much less a member of the Rosewood family. My father is also grateful for your help in uncovering Celeste’s treachery. You have performed an invaluable service to the Crown; however, my father advises you tread softly.”

  The king realized that I could speak to demons, something which should’ve led to my exile and execution. But he couldn’t prove I was speaking with demons without revealing that he also heard them; that’s why he’d wanted a private audience with only Dorian for my sentencing, and why he’d tried to force my confession.

  After my friends helped me escape my sentencing, we should all be in more trouble, but with Celeste exposed as the real villain who was loosing demons on the school grounds, it seemed like the king was eager to sweep his accusal of me under the rug, for now. Even if I’d saved myself at the forum, discovered a foreign spy, and revealed myself as a noblewoman’s daughter, none of that would change that I was a criminal. I knew secrets that the king wanted buried, which made me an enemy of the Crown. Tread softly, indeed.

  Kit ran a hand through his hair. “My father also wishes you to know that he is giving you this allowance only on account of your youth and heritage. Having been raised in Plumba—”

  My mind flitted to Briar, my brother, and Sterling, my best friend, still living in the Scraps with my abusive uncle Gabriel. Or at least the man I’d thought was my uncle. I chewed my lip.

  If your nobleman doesn’t come through with his promise to give Briar and Sterling a nice place to live—we’ll force his hand, Lucian whispered. It’ll be easy.

  But nothing was ever easy with Dorian.

  “We can’t expect you to know all our customs and laws here in Reverie,” Kit continued, “and given that you are a Rosewood, Father does not wish to pursue the ramifications of imprisoning or exiling a noblewoman’s daughter with the current political climate. He’d rather focus his attention on the situation in Aubade.”

  Kit’s blue eyes bore into me, like he was silently trying to express something he couldn’t put words to. But I understood enough. Rosewood blood or no, I wasn’t wanted here. I was being spared because I’d shown magical power and because I had the blood of a dead woman running in my veins. But if I came up against the king again, there would be no second chances.

  “I understand. Please, assure His Majesty that I—I am quite loyal. The Rosewood family has always stood behind the Crown and will continue to do so,” I said.

  That was more or less what Dorian had said when the king had called his loyalty into question, and I trusted Dorian to spin an eloquent phrase much more than I did myself.

  Kit sighed. “I’ll pass the message along,” he said. “You may go now. Try to… enjoy your evening.”

  As if I could. I curtsied and stood, abandoning my glass of wine on the first table I passed. Sure, the king hadn’t said he’d do anything awful to me, but the implications had been there. Tread softly. That surely meant no more investigating, no more looking for secrets.

  I paused at the door, tempted to ask Kit about Autumn. Something told me she hadn’t gotten off so easily. Now blind and mute, she’d no doubt been discarded like trash into the Scraps, as I almost had been.

  But how could I pretend that everything was fine, after everything we’d learned? Reverie was kept afloat by enslaved demons, but those demons were weakening and dying. The kingdom could no longer stay in the sky. Tatiana’s father Oberon said we might only have a few months before it all came crashing down. Something had to be done.

  Even if it meant making an enemy of the king. Eventually, we’d come head to head, and I wasn’t sure how things would play out next time. There suddenly didn’t seem to be enough air. I pawed at the heavy necklace around my neck, nearly stumbling over the heavy folds of my purple dress as I pushed forward down the hall. Alexander was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs.

  “How was it?” he asked, falling into step with me.

  “Nothing I didn’t expect,” I replied. “The king isn’t happy with me. Kit told me to watch my back and enjoy my evening.”

  Alexander scowled. “After a royal interrogation?” he asked.

  “Evidently,” I said. “But Kit was nice, so I suppose there’s that.”

  “You’re a pretty girl. Of course, he was nice,” Alexander muttered.

  Someone’s jealous, Lucian said in a sing-song voice.

  “Well—” I began.

  “We should do something,” Alexander said, “this evening. I could take you—”

  “Wynter!” Viviane called.

  I halted at the foot of a staircase as Viviane hurried down. She’d changed from her blouse and trousers and into a green satin gown. I stared at her, wondering what she was dressed so nicely for. Maybe she was going to speak with Kit, too.

  “Are you ready to go?” Viviane asked.

  Ready to go?

  That’s right! Lucian laughed. You’ve got dinner plans with the nobleman and his sister! Poor princeling, I think he was going to ask you to go somewhere with him.

  I winced. “I already have plans,” I said, awkwardly glancing at Alexander. “Viviane and I are having dinner on Dorian’s estate.”

  Alexander looked like he’d swallowed something unpleasant, but he recovered quickly, fixing a polished smile on his face. “Then, I’ll come with you,” he said.

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Viviane asked.

  “Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “You don’t exactly like Mother or Dorian,” Viviane replied.

  “Of course, I don’t like them! Eleanor betrayed Wynter by telling everyone who she was, and Dorian personally persuaded my father to have me whip her!” Alexander exclaimed. “I can’t believe either of you still want to bother with them.”

  “Alexander,” I said carefully, “you remember Gabriel, don’t you?”

  Alexander grimaced. “It’s hard to forget a man who tries to kill you,” he said.

  “I spent seventeen years of my life thinking he was my uncle,” I said. “My family. And now, I have Dorian. And I don’t like what he did to me. But… if you had someone like Gabriel your entire life and learned you… I mean…”

  This wasn’t coming out right.

  “But you don’t need either of them,” Alexander argued. “You could just—just not associate with either of them.”

  “Hasn’t Dorian taken care of her since she came here?” Viviane asked. “Unless you’re offering to buy Wynter all her clothes and to pay her tuition—”

  “I could,” Alexander replied, as if considering it seriously.

  “I seem to recall you refusing to help Wynter and me steal Gwen’s charm from your father,” Viviane said, “so I don’t think you ought to criticize how other people feel about their relatives.”

  “I changed my mind,” Alexander frowned, “and I came to help.”

  “Please, don’t argue,” I said.

  “Fine,” Viviane said, “but I’m going to be furious if Alexander insults my family while eating their fine cooking.”

  “I’m not going to insult them to their faces,” Alexander said, rolling his eyes. “I know how to behave.”

  Viviane shrugged and quickly linked her arm with mine. “Suit yourself. Come on, Wynter,” she said, practically pulling me
along.

  “You remembered my name,” I said, my eyes widening. Normally, Summer was Viviane’s preferred form of address for me.

  “Well, we’re cousins now,” she shrugged, as if it was obvious. “I have to be nicer.”

  “I hope you’re going to be nicer to me than Dorian is to Eleanor,” I said.

  “Marginally,” Viviane replied with a smirk, winking at me.

  Alexander trailed us as we left the Academy grounds and continued down the crystalline road leading to Rosewood. Dorian’s estate was only a couple of blocks away, and by now, the path was so familiar I probably could’ve walked it blind. It was already late afternoon, and a half-moon rose, silver and luminous in the darkening sky, casting a blue sheen on the crystal and iron gate that ran along the span of Dorian’s property. I glanced at my reflection and saw a shadow move along the crystal. I thought it was Lucian at first, until I remembered he was back in my sword again. I halted and looked over my shoulder, but there was no one in sight.

  “Something wrong?” Alexander asked.

  Maybe the recent demon attacks and the darkness had made me paranoid. I shook my head. “It must’ve been my imagination,” I said. “I thought I saw something moving in the shadows.”

  “Let’s not take our chances,” Viviane replied dryly.

  As we quickened our pace, I kept my attention on the crystal fence, but I didn’t see anything else. The shadow must’ve just been a small animal, maybe a stray cat darting between buildings. Finally, something that wasn’t trying to kill me.

  Two

  WHEN WE ENTERED THE PARLOR, Dorian and Eleanor were sitting on a small sofa by the window. It wasn’t clear if Eleanor had sat first and Dorian thrown himself over the rest of the sofa to annoy her, or if Dorian had been seated first and his sister forced him aside. Whichever it was, the end result was Dorian sprawled over most of the sofa with Eleanor crammed against one end, her icy blue skirts fanned out and struggling with the tight space.

  Frederick, Viviane’s adoptive father, sat in a chair across from them, looking at his wife and brother-in-law with a strange mingling of disappointment and fondness. He was a warm-looking man with red-blond hair and wide, brown eyes.

  Seeing us, Eleanor rose and smiled radiantly. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever met, and tonight, she’d clearly wanted to look her best. Her autumn-brown hair, the same color as Dorian’s, had been pulled back and embellished with sparkling gemstones and pale blue ribbons, save for a few tendrils that framed her lovely face. The last time I’d seen her, she’d been scratched and bruised. Tatiana’s distraction to save me from being beaten and exiled had involved shattering the crystal and glass in the forum, and shards of it had struck Eleanor and her brother. But now, Eleanor’s face was smooth and uninjured. Her eyelashes were rimmed with black, making her icy blue eyes look even brighter. “Your Royal Highness, what a wonderful surprise!” Eleanor exclaimed, sweeping into a flawless curtsey.

  Alexander smiled. “There’s no need for that,” he said.

  Alexander had determined to spend a year not being treated like a prince, so despite knowing Alexander for months, I’d seen very few people bow to him or use his title. But watching Eleanor curtsey reminded me that I was a part of this world now. Sort of. My grandmother had been a countess, and I was still struggling to wrap my head around what that meant for me.

  While Eleanor hugged Viviane, I crossed the room and stood before Dorian, who languidly climbed to his feet. Unlike Eleanor, Dorian’s face still bore the marks of Tatiana’s glass. His right eye was injured by a visible scratch and a thin, fog-like scar; the blue was barely visible beneath.

  “I hope you’ll forgive me for not providing prior notice,” Alexander said.

  “Of course,” Dorian replied. “A member of the royal family is always welcome on my estate. Shall we go to dinner?”

  As we headed into the dining hall, Eleanor immediately took to Alexander’s side, Viviane following a half-step behind. I wondered if Eleanor was still trying to match Alexander and Viviane together even after everything that had happened.

  I’d seen Dorian’s dining hall before when he’d taken me around the estate and shown me all the rooms, but I was still taken aback by the size of it. The room was massive, the floor and table made of a red, polished wood. Above us, candlelight flickered along the crystals of chandeliers, held aloft by magic rather than chains or fixtures. Dorian took my hand and guided me to a seat. As I sat, I stared at the multiple plates and silverware before me. I vaguely remembered Dorian once mentioning formal dinners and etiquette, but we’d always eaten in the small kitchen area or one of the sitting rooms.

  What was I supposed to do with this? I wondered, eyeing the smallest of four forks.

  Scratch out his other eye, Lucian said.

  Dorian saw me hesitate and leaned closer.

  “Just watch Viviane or me, and you’ll be fine,” he whispered.

  Dorian sat beside me, Eleanor across from him. Without any hesitation, Alexander took his place at the head of the table. Frederick and Viviane sat across from me. I realized belatedly there was a formal arrangement to all this.

  How awful, Lucian muttered. What if you’re always being seated near someone you hate because you happen to have the same rank?

  Dorian’s servants arrived with wine and water. Aside from a few awkward greetings at Dorian’s door, I’d never been formally waited on in my life. We got started on soup and salads, and then when the conversation reached a lull, Alexander turned towards Dorian and nodded at the dark, complex symbol on his wrist.

  “I never noticed you had a tattoo,” Alexander said. “Which sigil is it?”

  Dorian rolled up his sleeve, revealing the blue, flower-like mark on his wrist.

  “It prevents demonic possession,” I said.

  “Does it?” Alexander asked. “It doesn’t look like the usual sigil for that.”

  “That’s because it isn’t,” Dorian said.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Allow a man some mystery, dear,” Dorian said, his blue eyes gleaming with mischief.

  That was Dorian’s favorite excuse for not answering my questions, and it was getting on my nerves. After all we’d been through, was he going to continue keeping things from me? I rolled my eyes and turned towards his sister.

  “Aunt Eleanor?” I said sweetly.

  “I haven’t the faintest idea what that over-embellished thing is,” Eleanor replied. “I keep my sigils simple and effective.”

  “A valiant effort,” Dorian whispered.

  Well, there’s one way to learn if it prevents demonic possession, Lucian said.

  Absolutely not.

  Oh, come on! It wouldn’t even hurt him. I don’t think, anyway. I’ve never possessed anyone, Lucian mused.

  I’d seen Dorian’s tattoo quite a bit. I could probably replicate it if I needed to. At least, well enough for my favorite professor to tell me something about what it really was.

  “So would it prevent…” Viviane trailed off. “Other types of possession? Like when Celeste used her sigils to—to control me?”

  Frederick wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. “She isn’t going to hurt you ever again,” Frederick said lowly.

  Servants arrived with trays of appetizers, providing a welcome distraction. Although I’d had nothing to do with it, I still felt a bit like I’d failed Viviane. After all, I slept right next to her in the dorms. If I’d said something about her odd behaviors, everyone might’ve realized Celeste was hurting her sooner.

  “It might prevent another mage from controlling me,” Dorian said. “I’m fairly sure I could replicate the sigils Celeste used. We could find out, at least. I know a very clever mage who is excellent at putting these on people. He did mine and Fran’s.”

  “Where is Fran, anyway?” Eleanor asked. “She didn’t answer your door.”

  “She had another engagement,�
� Dorian replied.

  “Isn’t that your apothecary?” Alexander asked. “Why does she answer the door?”

  His assassin, according to Viviane.

  “Fran’s tattoo assures that no one sneaks up on her,” Dorian replied. “It’s beneficial to know who is always coming and going in my estate.”

  “You could’ve given yourself that talent,” Eleanor said.

  “I could have.”

  “But if no one can sneak up on… Fran, doesn’t that mean she always knows where you are?” Alexander asked.

  “Of course.”

  Alexander looked confused. “You must trust her greatly if you can’t go anywhere without her knowing.”

  “Trust her greatly, indeed,” Eleanor said.

  “Fran manages my health,” Dorian replied. “Of course, I trust her.”

  Frederick waved with his empty wineglass, and a servant hastened to fill it once more. “Be nice, children,” Frederick said.

  “We are being nice. If we weren’t, I’d have stabbed Dorian with a hair pin,” Eleanor said.

  “And I’d have dropped a chandelier on you. When are you returning to court?” Dorian asked. “I’d like some news.”

  “Come to court and get it yourself,” Eleanor replied. “I’m not doing your dirty work for you.”

  “I don’t like the thought of being a day’s ride away from home,” Dorian said. “You never know when there will be an emergency of some kind.”

  “I’m a day’s ride from home,” Eleanor replied, “And Sherrinford is managing fine.”

  “I’m not concerned about the estate,” Dorian said.

  I picked apart my bread between my fingers. “You don’t trust me alone, Dorian?” I asked.

  “Oh, I trust you, dear,” Dorian replied. “It’s… other people I’m worried about.”