Academy of Falling Kingdoms Box Set

by Marisa Mills

  WE WALKED UNTIL SUNSET THROUGH the forest, to put distance between us and any of Gabriel’s men who might come seeking revenge. Just before it got dark, Sterling picked out a flat area between a grove of trees to use as a campground. A small firepit had already been set up, and Briar gathered kindling while Sterling built a log-cabin style arrangement of sticks and logs. He lit a handful of dry leaves with flint and steel, and fanned the fire until the flames were waist high. Then, just before dusk, he collapsed the structure into a hot pile of coal and ash.

  “No flames after dark,” Sterling said, explaining to Alexander, who seemed strangely fascinated by the process. “There’s a stream nearby,” Sterling said. “You lot should clean up. Briar and I’ll catch something for dinner.”

  “Thank god,” Viviane said, wrinkling her nose at her soiled garments. She set down her pack and started taking off her jacket, before noticing Sterling’s eyes on her. He looked away quickly, his cheeks reddening.

  My feet found the path towards the water even before I heard the rushing of the creek. It was just a shallow stream of water at the bottom of a deep ravine. We had to use vines to climb down the side of the steep slope to reach the water.

  Viviane seemed reluctant to remove her shoes, but I told her she couldn’t get them wet or she’d get blisters. The water was ice cold, and I shivered as I splashed it over my body. It was already dark enough not to be too self-conscious, but I ducked when I heard shouting and the boys’ laughter downstream. Alexander had chosen to go hunting and said he’d bathe later.

  A small part of me remembered swimming in this river with Briar and Sterling, a long time ago, when the three of us were kids. Now, they felt almost like strangers. I wondered if Claribel and Beth brought us here even earlier, with Viviane. Jessa had packed soap and a washcloth, and she passed them to me so I could scrub my skin. Dark stains were under my fingernails, and somehow I knew it was Gabriel’s blood. My pulse spiked remembering the moment I’d stabbed him in the gut.

  My hands were shaking when Jessa took the washcloth back from me, and I don’t think it was just the cold. My former uncle was dead, and now we were chasing after Dorian, when he’d explicitly told me not to follow him.

  We changed into the fresh clothes we’d brought with us, and gathered around the warmth of the fire. Alexander was standing to one side, his face pale as Briar grabbed a frog and stuck it on a sharpened stick, before laying it over the fire. When its legs kicked, he looked sick.

  Your prince is afraid to get his hands dirty, Lucian teased.

  Sterling had also caught a water muskrat, and was sitting a littler farther away, peeling away its skin. When he’d finished, Claribel rubbed the meat with salt and herbs before laying it over the fire. She passed out a roll of bread and we tore off chunks of it to wrap around the sizzling meat. After dinner, we lay out under the open stars, sharing blankets and using our packs as pillows. The ground was rough but warm from the fire.

  “Tatiana?” Jessa called quietly, long after I thought everyone had gone to sleep. “Can you please sing something?”

  There was silence for a few moments, then I heard Tatiana’s voice, quiet and clear, filling the small meadow with a magic I could sense in my bones. It was a slow ballad, that somehow made me feel light and hopeful, as well as heavy and relaxed. I’d never really heard Tatiana sing, other than that time at my punishment when she’d shattered all the glass in the Forum. I’d underestimated the lulling power of the music. It may not be fire and brimstone, but it had its own kind of charm.

  Across the fire, I saw Briar’s eyes. His cheeks were wet, and it took a moment to realize he was crying. Despite his larger frame, he looked so vulnerable and innocent, I rolled closer to him so I could squeeze his hand. He snuggled under my arm and we fell asleep together, as we’d done so many times before.

  When I woke again, it was cold and quiet. The fire had died into black coals and a wisp of gray smoke in the darkness. Briar was gone, and when I looked across the camp, so was Alexander. I sat up quickly, pulling on my boots. Everyone else was still sleeping.

  “Lucian,” I whispered, once I was away from the clearing. “Did you see which way they went?”

  Lucian groaned, like he was rousing himself. My sword gave off a very subtle glow in the darkness, barely enough for me to see by.

  “I’m not your brother’s keeper,” he mumbled. But a small bright light, about as big as a hummingbird, fly up over the trees, guiding me through the thick pines. It blinked when it reached a wide grassy meadow, before going dark again in my sword.

  I gasped as my eyes adjusted. The grass was up to my waist, and some kind of light grain shone under the sliver of moonlight and stars. Hundreds of green and yellow fireflies bounced above the grain, giving the illusion that the whole meadow was teeming with magic.

  I startled when my eyes found the dark silhouette to my right.

  “Briar?” I called softly. The shape moved closer, and I could see it was Alexander. He reached out a hand to me and I joined him, looking out over the field. At the other end of the meadow, over the tops of the treeline, a handful of bats flew through a brighter section of the sky.

  “Aubade,” Alexander said, pointing at the bright light behind the clouds. “My whole life I’ve been in Reverie, looking out of the horizon, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything this beautiful. I had no idea what was down here.”

  “Did you see Briar?” I asked.

  “I followed him here,” Alexander said. “But then lost him. I’m sure he’s fine.”

  “It’s a lot to take in. He probably just needed some space.”

  I nodded, as Alexander curled his fingers into mine.

  “You know,” he said, “we never did get that dance.”

  I looked at him askance, my mouth opening in surprise. I’d asked him once, when we first met. At a welcome ball. Instead he’d pulled me into a dark hallway to humiliate me.

  “If we’re to begin courting, a dance would be the natural place to start.”

  “Are we to begin courting?” I asked, my cheeks warming.

  “I’m not opposed to the idea,” he smirked.

  “Then maybe you should haven’t already kissed me four times.”

  “You’ve been counting?” he asked, lifting his eyebrows.

  “No,” I lied.

  “Besides, I’m pretty sure at least one of those times, you kissed me.”

  “I would never,” I said, acting offended, like an outraged mage.

  He smiled, reaching for my other hand, his eyes hooded.

  “Go ahead, ask me again,” he murmured, his lips brushing against my neck.

  “I’m not asking you again,” I said, “after what you pulled last time.” I moved to leave, but he caught my wrist and spun me towards him.

  “Then allow me,” he said.

  He found my palm and reached his other hand around the small of my back, leading me into short, simple steps. It was similar to what I’d learned in Conrad’s class, and I surprised myself by picking it up quickly this time.

  After a few minutes, I stopped watching our feet and looked up in awe. The fireflies were pulling closer, drawn by the magic. Alexander spun me faster, and my heart fluttered, feeling light and open. The winged insects grew brighter as I laughed out loud, then spiraled together into the air above us.

  I watched them, until a bright orange light flared on the horizon. Far, far away, I thought I heard the sound of drums beating. Alexander stopped dancing and followed my gaze, without letting go of my hand. We watched the clouds grow angry and red, until it looked like the sky was on fire.

  “It’s Aubade,” Alexander said. “They’re marching to war.”

  ***

  Sleeping in the forest had not gone well. Every twig digging into my back and every howl made me cringe. Viviane sat braiding her hair, the motions shaky and mechanical. There were bags beneath her eyes, and her skin looked paler than usual.


  Briar ran his hands through his hair, seemingly in a futile attempt to smooth it down. Tatiana laughed as it popped up again, and he gave a shy smile. Near him, Jessa gazed distantly into the forests around her. I wondered if, coming from Aubade, she’d seen these forests before. She was studying the pale pink primroses on the edge of our campsite, and a circle of tiny mushrooms that had popped up overnight.

  “Careful dear,” Claribel said. “Those ones will kill you.”

  Jessa pulled her hand away suddenly, like she’d been burned. Sterling made small bowls out of folded leaves, and Claribel heated up a watery soup in a small pan, using last night’s leftovers. Then we doused the fire and continued on our way.

  Alexander told the others what we’d seen the night before, and we agreed to go carefully, keeping conversation to a minimum. Which wasn’t really a problem. Tatiana sometimes asked Claribel and Sterling questions about the local herbs. Viviane was complaining of a headache almost immediately, and once I caught her throwing up behind a tree stump.

  Sterling led us up a steep ridge, and we followed the crest for a few miles, looping down again before crossing a suspended log across a wide stream. Soon we were all sweaty and out of breath. We stopped for a break, and Sterling hacked apart a woody vine into sections. He titled one up over his mouth, releasing a steady trickle of fresh water.

  Jessa and Tatiana clapped their hands, and Sterling looked pleased with the attention. But when I smiled at him, he wouldn’t meet my eyes.

  A few hours later, the trees cleared. We emerged from the woods on the edge of a wide river; it was mostly dry now except for a few small streams, but the sand and rocky expanse stretched into the distance. Scraps of concrete and metal peppered the surface, and halfway across I could see the ruins of a giant bridge, taller than anything I’d ever seen.

  On the other side of the delta, Viviane pointed out small flecks of blue and gold.

  “The colors of Aubade,” Jessa said.

  “We can’t go across,” Alexander said. “It’s too exposed, they’d see us right away.”

  “Is there any other way?” I asked.

  “We could go around,” Sterling said. “But it’ll take a week.”

  Viviane frowned.

  “We don’t have that much time,” I said. “if Aubade is already marching, there could be war in days. We have to reach Aubade before the real fighting starts.”

  “What about the tunnel,” Briar asked. Sterling shot him an angry look, then sighed.

  “It’s something I found a few years ago. It’s ancient, runs under the bridge. But it’s full of monsters. They seek out dark, low places, sinking into the dirt like crabs.”

  “We’ve fought monsters before,” Alexander said. “And they’re not as bad as demons.”

  “It’s an unnecessary risk,” Sterling said. “Can’t be responsible for your safety.”

  “We’ll be quick,” I said.

  “Fine,” he sighed, finally. “Follow me.”

  He gestured towards a broken stairwell, down the side of the hill. At the bottom, almost buried, I could make out the top of a sloping archway. It was cracked and broken, and nearly filled with dirt and boulders, but Sterling showed us a small hole hidden by bushes and pulled himself through. Inside it was pitch black. I pulled out my sword, and Lucian’s flames flickered in the darkness. Viviane and Alexander drew sigils on their palms, emitting a pulse of white light that cut further into the void ahead.

  The enormous round tube was half filled with sand and settlement, and the remains of some kind of metal cubes with round rubber wheels. Briar stood next to the rusted remains of one, marveling at the inside. In places, the roof had caved in, revealing small oases of exotic flowers and trees, reaching up towards the shafts of light. We passed three of these in the first hour, but the second hour was spent in almost utter darkness. Hissing filled the chamber, the subtle buzz echoing off the walls. I hoped it was just rushing water at first, but as the voices grew louder, I began seeing shadows in the darkness and the clicking of movement.

  “Keep moving,” Sterling said. “We’re almost there.”

  Alexander pulled out his blade and I squeezed mine tighter. I spun around as a dark shape lunged from behind one of the steel cubes. It reared on its back legs, fangs extended, as I slashed my flaming sword at it. It scurried away, but not before I saw at least three more behind it.

  Alexander and Viviane shone their lights backwards, revealing a dozen more monsters. In the darkness, it looked like one great black beast, with hundreds of legs, filling the walls and roof of the tunnel.

  “Run!” I shouted. After a few minutes, we could see light at the end of the passage. Sterling scampered up the incline of rocks and boulders, reaching his hand down for us and shoving us up through the opening. It was my turn, when I glanced back and realized Briar was no longer with us. Alexander shone his light and my heart froze in my chest. Briar was down below, surrounded by a ring of monsters that circled him slowly. Illuminated in the beam of Alexander’s light, Briar held his hands out in front of him. One monster bent down beneath it, until Briar could touch his palm against its inky black shell. When he turned up to look at me, his eyes were blank husks of onyx.

  “I tried to tell you,” Sterling muttered. “It’s too late for him now. Whatever Gabriel did to him, he’s not the same boy he used to be.”

  ***

  A faint roar struck my ears as Tatiana helped pull me out of the ancient cave. Sterling and Alexander had waited for Briar, and I gave him a tentative hug once he was safe. His eyes were normal again, but he looked ashamed, as if he’d done something wrong.

  I knew we’d have to talk about it, but for now I was glad we were all still alive. I turned, my eyes widening as I looked into the surrounding forest. The rushing noise sounded different than the demons or monsters. At first I thought it was Aubade’s army, but Sterling said we’d already passed them.

  Jessa led the way this time, cutting through the sparse trees until we arrived at a cliffside. The ocean roared beneath us. Its waves capped white and crashed along the stones below. It was so vast and so incredible that I had no words for it.

  Beautiful, Lucian murmured, his voice soft. It sounds just like I remember.

  “We can go down this way,” Sterling said, pointing out a narrow path. I followed him down the path cutting through the rocks, but even then, I couldn’t help but keep glancing at the ocean waves. When we reached the beach, the sand was firm and salt was in the air. I felt as though the water was calling to me. I wanted to run into it, to feel those waves crash over me, but I knew there wasn’t time. Alexander picked up a piece of driftwood and chucked it towards the water. Tatiana started collecting tiny pink shells.

  “When I was a little girl,” Viviane said, her voice hushed, “Dorian used to tell me stories about the ocean and how big it was, but I didn’t realize it was this vast.”

  “Or so loud,” Alexander said.

  Jessa dipped her hand into the water and let the waves wash over it.

  “How’re the fish, Sterling?” Briar asked.

  Sterling shrugged. “Dunno. I don’t normally come this far.”

  “There’s a beach to the east of Aubade where my family used to go,” Jessa said, “During the summers. I always burned so badly in the sunlight. I think it’s near here.”

  I caught a flash of movement from the corner of my eye and spun around, searching the rocks. My hand drifted to my sword. For a few seconds, no one moved.

  “Did you see someone?” Briar asked.

  “It could be a scout,” Alexander said slowly. “Both Reverie and Aubade would’ve sent them out. They won’t attack us, but they’ll likely return with mages.”

  “So what’re we gonna do?” Sterling murmured. “Scale the cliffs in the hopes of finding a ladder?”

  “That’ll take too much time,” Claribel said. “We’d do better to keep going to this Float.”

  Jessa took the le
ad, setting a faster pace. I kept a hand on the hilt of my sword as I followed. Hopefully, it was nothing. We walked around the edge of the peninsula, gaining ground again on the other side, and after another hour, Aubade came into view. It was afternoon, and the pink clouds reflected across the teal blue horizon to the left. Straight ahead and practically filling my vision to the right, was the Kingdom of Aubade, hanging in the sky like the top of a fancy cake, its round, pointed towers like dollops of cream. The space underneath was filled with colorful, bright balloons, moving up and down between the kingdom and the ground.

  “What are those?” Tatiana asked.

  “Hot air balloons,” Jessa said. “No walls, no cable car. We just have to find the nearest station.” We walked a few more miles, twisting along the coastline, the magnificent view beckoning through the trees, becoming more fantastic with each step. I’d grown up seeing Reverie in the sky, but it had always seemed like a harsh and unnatural fixture, like the sky had cracked. Or maybe we were just more used to it.

  When we got closer, we found what Jessa had called a station. As the sky darkened, the colorful balloons shone against the dusk sky like huge lanterns, tied down by ropes. A small cabin was set in a clearing. A large purple balloon was rippling in the air, an old man with a mustache standing near the basket.

  “We need passage,” Jessa called, hurrying over to him. He looked down at her clothes, then glanced behind her towards the rest of us as we emerged cautiously from the trees.

  “Putting her away for the night,” he said. “Shops and hotels will be all closed up, anyway. Stay here if you want, the missus will put some soup on. We can go up in the morning.”

  “I have family in Aubade,” Jessa said. “They’re expecting me.”

  The man scratched his head, turning back up towards the balloon and shaking one of the tethers.

  “Please,” Alexander said. “It’s urgent. We’ll pay double the usual rate.”

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of coins, letting them jingle against his palm. Jessa shoved his hand down, pulling out her purse instead and counting coins into the man’s hand. I noticed the coins were different than the ones I was used to; they had a symbol of an eagle clutching a snake.