Academy of Falling Kingdoms Box Set

by Marisa Mills

  “We couldn’t do that even if we wanted to,” Viviane said. “It would take hours to free enough demons to make a difference. And we’d be fighting off demons at the same time.”

  “I like Wynter’s plan,” Alexander said. “We just steal as many crystals as we can carry, a few dozen, and transport them back to Reverie. Aubade will fall into a slow decline, and both kingdoms can call off this war.”

  Was that my plan? I frowned. I might have said something like that, but I’d been hoping we wouldn’t have to do anything that drastic.

  “If Dorian got here before us,” Tatiana said, “he could already be in there, doing who knows what.”

  Jessa’s face went tight.

  “Then we should at least check, right?” Alexander said. “We don’t even know if we can get in. But if we can look, at least to check, maybe we’ll figure out our next move.”

  “Fine,” Jessa said finally. “But just to check.”

  Viviane groaned and dropped her head, letting it rest against the piles of borrowed books and stolen papers. Her skin had taken on a strangely clammy look, and she kept rubbing her temples.

  “Can’t we ever just go to sleep early? Sneaking around all the time is exhausting.”

  “It shouldn’t be that hard actually,” Jessa said. “It’s considered a… sacred space. You aren’t supposed to go there without authorization, but people still do. I didn’t even realize there were demons there until we went to Reverie’s chamber.”

  “I’m sure the Chancellor would love to give us a permit,” Alexander said dryly.

  “After the war is over,” I said. “By then it’ll be too late.”

  “We could check the security,” Sterling offered. “In case we have to fight our way out—”

  “Fighting would draw too much attention,” Alexander said, “and we can’t fight the whole kingdom.”

  “Fine but I’m bringing my swords,” I said. “Both of them.”

  Jessa frowned, but nodded after a moment.

  “It’ll be dark,” she said. “Keep them covered.”

  “It looks like there’s an entry point near the Chambers,” Tatiana said, moving a finger along the map. I bit my lip and thought of Chancellor Jeremiah’s kind smile. If we were caught snooping around the demon chamber, he’d know I lied to him.

  “Maybe there’s another way,” I said.

  “I’m happy to listen to other solutions if you have them,” Alexander said, with a sigh.

  “Maybe we can talk to the Chancellor,” I said, “And—”

  “And say what?” Alexander asked. “We’re from Reverie. And we declared war on them. Somehow, I doubt the Chancellor is going to listen to anything we say.”

  Jessa drew in a sharp breath.

  “So we’re really doing this?” Jessa asked.

  “You don’t have to come,” Alexander said.

  “Of course I do,” Jessa said, standing up and dusting off her dress. “Though I think I’ll change into something more subtle.”

  We dug through the drawers and closets for darker material. Viviane emerged in a black maid’s uniform and a glare, as if daring any of us to comment. I found a gray sweater and a long black hooded cape. I pulled two throwing knives from my pack and tucked them into the waistband of my trousers. I favored my sword and Lucian’s fire, but I wanted to be prepared. I strapped Dorian’s sword to my thigh. Sterling helped pick out clothes for Alexander, who had no idea how to dress inconspicuously. When they came out they were both wearing dark hats with wide brims that hid their faces, and cloaks with high collars. Briar preferred a stocking cap and hooded cape, like me.

  It was dark when we crept into the city again. This time, we walked. It took us twenty minutes to reach the center plaza. We passed through a long park, filled with statues and landscaped waterfalls. The buildings along the canal were lit up, casting reflective glow on the water. A family living in a house boat were laughing, sharing a bottle of wine around a small table.

  At one edge of the plaza, a glass cube protected a flight of stairs going down. The door wasn’t locked, and there weren’t any guards. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck. This was too easy.

  “Stay alert,” Alexander whispered.

  Tatiana had taken the map of the Chambers, and along with Alexander, she led the group into the darkness. We went down an unfamiliar staircase and then through another corridor, turning deeper and deeper down into the depths of Aubade. My heart raced, anticipating some imminent threat. Sterling and Alexander were by my side, with Jessa, Tatiana and Viviane behind. What were we doing here? I shouldn’t have brought them into this.

  We paused at a large, wooden door. Alexander twisted the knob, and it opened without difficulty. “This can’t be it already,” he murmured.

  Wynter, go back! Lucian shouted.

  But it was too late. The doors burst inwards with a cold gust of wind. Around us, the gas lamps burst into light, banishing the shadows and illuminating the figure in the room.

  “Did you really think it would be that easy?” Celeste grinned, a ball of yellow fire flickering in her palm.

  ***

  Her once-flawless skin was marred with raised, black veins, and her once-glorious white hair had shriveled, with a streak of midnight blue. My breath caught in my throat as I saw the lingering damage of the decay magic I’d used against her. Celeste’s violet eyes narrowed.

  I drew my sword. Beside me, Alexander did the same.

  “I only need Wynter,” Celeste said, her lips curving into a smile. “What does that mean for the rest of you, hm?” She flicked her wrist, launching a fireball at us. Sterling and Viviane dove out of the way, but I stood my ground. With a burst of flames, Lucian appeared. He stretched his large, black wings, absorbing the attack, and growled deep in his throat.

  “Oh, I was hoping you’d do that,” Celeste sneered.

  There was a burst of blinding light. A roar split the air, and a large wolf appeared next to Celeste. It was enormous, coming up to her shoulder. The demon’s fur was thick and black, and its eyes were red like blood.

  Lucian lashed his barbed tail along the floor. A strangled noise came from my throat when the wolf snarled. With a howl, the wolf charged at Lucian, who met it with teeth.

  “Lucian!” I shouted.

  Thunder boomed, and lightning crackled through the corridor. I dove to the side as lightning flashed across the ceiling, blowing out the lamp bulbs. The wolf’s jaws locked around Lucian’s throat and dragged him to the ground. The demons twisted and fought, clawing and thrashing at one another. The wolf smashed into a column, fracturing it, but recovered quickly, pinning Lucian’s wings with its heavy paws.

  Wynter, run! Lucian shouted. She’s too strong.

  Last time I fought Celeste I had Gwen’s charm, and even then Alexander had almost died. Without Lucian, I knew I couldn’t beat her again.

  Celeste unleashed a burst of fire. I darted to the side, feeling the heat across my back.

  Go! Lucian yelled.

  But I couldn’t leave Lucian.

  If you don’t, she’ll kill you all.

  Alexander seized my wrist and pulled me away, as the stone panels near our heads shattered into pieces. We ran, our footsteps pounding along the marble. Viviane ran ahead of us, but turned down another corner. Suddenly, the ground shook, and the marble floor beneath us burst upwards, shooting shards of marble through the air.

  Viviane screamed, but the floor had torn up so badly I couldn’t see her.

  “Come on!” Alexander yelled, pulling me in the other direction.

  We ran through a wide corridor, framed with tall golden figures on pedestals. Through the skylights in the ceiling I could see the stars and moonlight. A stitch formed in my side. I turned around suddenly, when I realized it was just Alexander and me. Where had everyone gone?

  Alexander was breathing hard, and then his leg buckled. I stumbled to keep my balance, then helped him duck
behind one of the statues.

  “Wynter, she’s after you,” Alexander said. “You have to go.”

  I stood in front of him and shook my head. How had this gone so wrong, so quickly?

  “If she has your blood, she can open the demon chamber in Reverie,” Alexander said.

  A high-pitched laugh filled the room, echoing off the halls. I peeked out over the pedestal and saw Celeste coming towards us.

  “I spent nearly a decade in Reverie trying to find you, Wynter,” Celeste said. “It was sweet of you to come to me this time. If I’d known you were coming, I could have just stayed home all these years. I don’t have to kill you,” she said. “But after what you did to my face, I can’t say I won’t enjoy it. I’ll kill all your friends too, of course. They’ll be the lucky ones. Those still in Reverie will fare worse when it falls.”

  I couldn’t let her hurt my friends. I pulled a knife from my waistband and hurled it at Celeste’s chest. The knife halted before it even reached her, then came whizzing back in my direction. I ducked as it smashed into the statue above us, breaking off several stone fingers.

  “That’s right, isn’t it?” Celeste said sweetly. “A finger for theft? How many things have you stolen, Wynter?”

  “If you don’t escape,” Alexander whispered, “a lot of innocent people are going to die.”

  I faltered, my gaze flickering between Celeste and Alexander. When I thrust with my sword, no fire emerged. Lucian must be too tired to power my fire. Alexander drew his pen and began scrawling sigils on the floor.

  Celeste raised her arm, and fire flooded the corridor. I screamed as pain burst through my shoulder. I rolled over onto my back to put out the flames, then I scrambled down another corridor and kept running. My chest and stomach hurt, but I just focused on running. Suddenly, my foot slid from beneath me, and I crashed hard to the ground. When I put my hand down, ice crunched beneath my fingers. Burning pain throbbed through my burned shoulder and my hip. I’d dropped Dorian’s sword when I fell, and I fumbled to retrieve it. My fingers closed around the hilt. A familiar boot came into view, pinning the blade to the ice.

  “Careful, little mage.”

  That wasn’t Celeste.

  My head snapped up. Dorian lifted the sword and twisted it in the light.

  “I told you to stay away.”

  ***

  “Celeste is here,” I said quickly, glancing behind me. “We have to leave.”

  “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that,” Dorian said, leveling his sword at me. Numbing pain spread through my chest, and my breath came out in frosty gasps.

  “What are you doing,” I gasped.

  “Keeping my promise,” Dorian replied. “Staying alive, no matter what.”

  My heart hammered against my ribs. Dorian had betrayed me.

  I swatted his sword away, putting all my force behind it. I had a half-formed thought of catching him off guard, but he parried easily and raised his blade to strike. He remained on the defensive, while I kept up a brutal attack. Delacroix had taught me well, but Dorian parried every thrust and swipe. Eventually he smirked, and in that instant he was the cruel mage who stole me from the Scraps and forced me to steal from him.

  Dorian’s parry became a thrust, and his rapier glanced off the edge of my blade. My mind whirled, flitting through everything I’d learned. Rapiers were thrusting weapons; my blade could thrust and slash. He had the longer blade, though, which meant more reach. I parried a thrust, but my movement was sloppy. My side ached, and my shoulder burned. I thrust again, and pain flared through my arm as Dorian swatted my wrist with the back of his blade, numbing my hand completely. My sword flew from my grasp and skidded across the floor.

  Before I could react, Dorian moved behind me. A second later, his blade was across my throat, and his hand twisted in my hair. I kicked backwards, and although my foot collided with Dorian’s shin, he didn’t budge. I reached for the knife tucked into the waistband of my trousers, and acting on instinct, plunged it backwards. It struck flesh and muscle, sinking down to the hilt. I pulled it back out, blood dripping onto my hand. Before I could stab again, Dorian pushed me away. I stumbled a few feet and whirled around. He thrust with his rapier, and I jumped back, expecting the blade to collide with my stomach. But it didn’t. Instead he pointed the sword towards the ground, raising his other hand above his head like a cobra poised to strike, then he spun quickly, flexing his arms and lifting one leg.

  There was a rush of cold as ice crept up my legs, locking me in place. I scowled and flipped the knife in my hand. Dorian had moved out of range, unless I wanted to throw my knife at him. Bnd that would mean surrendering my last weapon. Dorian leaned against the wall, breathing hard. Blood darkened the left leg of his trousers. I knew I’d struck deep.

  I bent over as best as I could, and keeping half my attention on him, tried to chip away the ice around my calves and ankles. But the blade kept slipping, and the ice was so cold it started to burn against my skin.

  “It’s either Celeste or me,” Dorian said. “You know you can’t beat both of us. And you know which of us would be gentler. He wants you alive, and unlike Celeste, I’d rather you stay that way.”

  I glared at him and straightened. He moved away from the wall, clearly favoring his right leg. I couldn’t believe he was working with Celeste.

  “What did she promise you?” I yelled.

  “A way out, for one,” Dorian said. “You know the king had me in an impossible position. I was never expected to succeed, and even if I had, I would have lost my title or my life. In Aubade I’ll get to keep both. You can come with me, if you want. A stern uncle and his doting niece. Just like you wanted.”

  “Come closer, and I’ll put this knife in your throat!” I exclaimed.

  “That would probably kill me,” Dorian said, lifting an eyebrow. There was a challenge in his eyes. He was waiting to see if I’d really do it. My stomach twisted painfully as I pictured him bleeding out.

  “I don’t care,” I said. “You—you’d deserve it.”

  “You’re a terrible liar,” Dorian said softly, “Just like Gwen was.”

  “I’m sorry we can’t all be like you!” I snapped. “Do you think Gwen would’ve wanted this for you? To kill her daughter? To destroy her kingdom?”

  “How would you know what Gwen wanted?” Dorian scoffed. “You never knew her.”

  That hurt more than it should’ve, but he was right. I hadn’t known her. My breath came in awkward, fleeting pants, and my knees shook.

  “Cold?” Dorian asked.

  “No,” I answered through trembling lips, just to spite him.

  Without warning, the ice melted to water. I fell on my knees, and when I tried to stand, I stumbled. I couldn’t feel my legs, but I forced myself up. I threw my knife, aiming for Dorian’s shoulder, but he moved. The knife barely grazed him. I bolted. My arm was bleeding. Maybe I could use the blood to draw the sigil that called lightning.

  I caught sight of Viviane’s wide eyes and pale face, peering from behind a column. Tatiana was crouched beside her. I froze for only a second, and it was all Dorian needed. He wrenched my arm behind my back. I tried moving back into it, despite the pain shooting through my arm. Maybe I could throw him off balance. Black spots obscured my vision. My lungs froze as ice crept up my chest. Pain shot through me, and I slumped back against Dorian. I couldn’t draw enough air to fight him anymore.

  “Lucian?” I whispered.

  But the demon didn’t answer. A rush of panic overtook me. Had Celeste hurt him?

  Dorian forced me down the hall towards the stairs. He must not have seen Viviane or Tatiana. If they ran now, maybe they could make it out of Aubade alive. I had to keep Dorian’s attention on me so he wouldn’t realize they were there.

  “I can’t believe you’re doing this,” I said.

  “Doing what? Choosing the winning side?” Dorian asked, pulling me along. “I’m sure you’ve seen it, Aubade
is the better kingdom. It deserves to win. Plus they offered me a very nice palace.”

  I struggled against him, even though I knew it was a losing battle. He half-dragged me over to Celeste, who stood waiting. My sword was in her hand. If she was here, what happened to Alexander the others? I’d lost everyone in all the chaos. Tatiana and Viviane seemed fine. But what about Jessa? This was a terrible idea. I should’ve kept everyone away. I should have come by myself.

  “Where’s Lucian?” I asked.

  “Where demons belong,” Celeste said. She couldn’t have put him in the sword so quickly; he was probably in a gemstone somewhere. I’d freed Lucian, only for him to be put right back where he started. This was all my fault.

  It isn’t, Lucian muttered, his voice tired.

  My heart leaped at the sound of his voice. Maybe it wasn’t too late. I just had to figure out how to free Lucian again. But even if I did, I knew we couldn’t defeat Celeste and Dorian at the same time. They’d do better to run. At least then, they’d be free.

  Celeste moved behind me.

  “Here, take this,” Dorian said, shoving me towards her. Before I could think about running, something sharp and tight wrapped around my ankles, pulling me to the ground. I hissed between my teeth and rolled over, glaring at the thorny vines ensnaring my legs. Dorian held my sword, and Celeste loomed over me, dangling a pair of shackles in one hand. She swooped down. I kicked weakly, but I was too tired to resist. In only a few seconds, she’d chained my wrists together. The vines retreated, and Celeste pulled me up again, digging her nails into my bicep.

  “I was a fool for ever trusting you,” I said. “Either of you.”

  “Poor, little Wynter, did you trust me? Did it hurt when I betrayed you?”

  Celeste smiled sweetly. I couldn’t believe the expression used to make me feel so warm and wanted.

  You weren’t a fool, Lucian said. She’s a monster for—

  “Oh, are you talking about me?” Celeste asked.

  My breath hitched. “You can hear him?” I asked, I asked, my eyes widening. How could she possibly hear Lucian? She hadn’t been able to hear demons before.