Chased by Darkness: A Reverse Harem Academy Romance: (Four Kings Academy Book 1)

by Taylor Spratt

“Christ, Seer! What the hell do you mean you’re not sure? Aren’t you supposed to be the gatekeepers of time and space?” Luca said.

  “My sentiments exactly,” Raiden replied.

  “Look, Look,” the bald man waved his hands for them to calm down. “The other seers and I came up with a contingency plan long ago. This is why we sent you all to this school. So that fate can reveal itself through your actions.”

  “What do you mean?” Alexander said.

  “It’s quite simple,” he replied. “Whomever marries her first will take the throne. That’ll solve everything.”

  Marries me first, huh? I’d like to see them try to make me after all this. I shifted in the vent, my fingernails wrapping around the edges of the vent opening. I should just yank this open and march in there right now, tell them just what I think about their little scheme.

  Raiden cleared his throat and with a hand to his chin he asked, “If you Seers orchestrated all of this, then how did you know for sure she would end up at this school to meet the four of us?”

  “Seer Andrew saw her in a dream a few weeks ago, in the Horetia forest.” The Bald man remarked, folding his arms. “He had to grease a few hands in the Enforcer’s senior ranks to do it, but in the end he managed to get the job done. The Enforcers staged a crime and got her arrested for it. Then she was practically forced to come here.”

  I froze, not believing my ears. It was him!?

  It was like time stood still then. My fist balled so tight; drips of blood spilled from my palm. This man in a red cloak, this, this Seer. He did this to me. He was the reason I was arrested, lost everything and was forced to come to this hellhole.

  The Void popped and sizzled in my chest, growing and expanding.

  I was taken here, against my will, all for them to compete over me, like some trophy?!

  I glared at the seer, thoughts of ripping his face off soaring through my mind. I couldn’t hear a single word more that was said between the men. All I could hear now was the pounding of my own heartbeat, until, ‘boom!’

  Cursed flames exploded in the vents, flying the hatch open and propelling me into the room head first. I thudded hard on the floor, and rolled like a giant bowling ball, a cloud of dark haze pouring out of the vents behind me.

  My roll ended with a harsh slam to Alexander’s leg.

  All eyes were on me, wide and unbelieving. Alexander, Luca and Raiden jumped, their hands reaching to pull me up. I pushed them off me, turning my head to leer at every man in the room. And with thunder in my voice, I demanded, “Answers. Now!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Aria

  “You liars!” I cried, “what is this prophecy? Is that what all of this is about? Think you can use me to get the Grand Lord’s throne?”

  “Beautiful, this is not about power,” Luca said, grasping my hands in his and stroking them reassuringly. “It may have been before but, I see you as so much more now, I truly feel for you.”

  Alexander shoved Luca’s arms off and took my hands in his. “Aria don’t listen to him” Alexander said, his eyes glassy, almost pushed to tears. “It was never about power for me. I’ve always loved you.”

  “Enough! I don’t want to hear anymore lies,” I said, turning to face Raiden.

  “Your turn. Is this why you decided to tutor me? So, you could use me?” Guilt rose in his eyes and he simply looked to the ground, nervously, not saying a word.

  My head jerked over to Bane. “And you! You’re the worst of them all, you were willing to torture me all to get your own ass on the Grand Lord’s Throne. How could you be so power hungry?” The tears now spilled down my cheeks.

  He snapped his head back, scowling as if I’d slapped him in the face with my words.

  The Seer approached us with a deep frown and said, “It is unfortunate everything had to happen this way. The last thing we wanted was bad blood between the candidates, especially so close to the foretold wedding day.” He sighed with a shrug. “Never the less, what will be will…”

  “Wedding day?” I interrupted, whipping my eyes to the Seer.

  Did he not hear a word I’ve been saying so far? Did he think I would actually to marry any of them?

  The seer gave me a look of pure contempt at my interruption.

  “Yes, wedding day,” he said matter-of-factly.

  “I’m not marrying anyone,” I said folding my arms, “And there’s no way in hell you can m..”

  Before I could finish my sentence, the Seer drew a wand from his cloak sleeve and whipped it, right in front of my mouth.

  In an instant, my lips zipped shut like a sweater zipper, before vanishing completely. My fingers franticly scanned my face trying to find my missing mouth, my eyes flaring in panic.

  What in the hundred hells is this?

  “Why the hell did you do that to her?” Raiden yelled at the Seer, but he merely glanced over at Raiden, completely unconcerned at my struggling.

  “Calm yourselves. I did it because it is time for the Men to speak, my Kings.” The seer said, tucking away his wand and raising his palms to the air, in submission.

  “The fate of the very magical world hangs in the balance and I was hoping to leave it to the four candidates to decipher who would wed Miss Aria Void User. However, it has become more than clear that you four are simply not capable of peacefully setting aside your differences in deciding which two men will be the bridegrooms. Therefore, I have taken it upon myself to decide how the elimination process will commence.”

  “When you say elimination, you mean?” Raiden said.

  “There will be a Tournament,” the Seer declared with a nod and all four men gasped. “Winner take Miss Aria Void User as their Queen and wife.”

  What!? He planned to base the rest of my entire life, who I marry, on some silly contest? My trapped screams vibrating my cheeks so much that they now stung. My feet pounded the floor in protest, then I sprang for the Seer.

  But before I could touch him, all four kings grabbed me by the arms and waist restraining me. The Seer took me in, under his withered eyes as if he were witnessing the most distasteful thing he had ever seen.

  The kings let me go, and I just stood there, eyes fixed on the Seer.

  “My Goodness. This is n0 way for a Queen to behave!” The Seer exclaimed, hand over his lip. “This simply will not do!”

  The worst part of this wasn’t that I was now being judge by a man so evil he’d help frame a person for murder. It was watching the four kings. They just stood there. Taking in every word of this man like sponges. Were they actually considering this tournament idea?

  “If Miss Aria Void User is to be a good Queen, she must learn to be more obedient.” The Seer said, his eyes glued to the kings as if I’d already left the room. “It is fine enough for her to interrupt a lowly servant like myself. But to be so rude to her Husbands? This simply will not do!”

  “She must learn complete submission,” he declared.

  “Good luck with that,” Bane snarked, rolling his eyes.

  Submission? I felt that word to my core. I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but I knew I didn’t like it.

  “Oh, I think you will like what I have in mind for her training.” The seer said looking over at Bane then to the others. “There will be three challenges, each three days apart. And in the break between each, the winners of the previous challenge will do their utmost best to discipline the future Queen. Teach her how a Queen must behave towards her Husbands.”

  I froze speechless, and all eyes were on me now. The Seer flicked out his wand and finally open my lips. I coughed, swallowing a pit of air.

  “Look. Nobody’s disciplining me, as I refuse to be in any tournament. Do you understand?” I said staring down the kings.

  It was as if my words fell on deaf ears because not a single one of them looked the slightest bit concerned by what I had to say. The kings all just peered down on me, like hungry wolves eyeing their prey. As if the word’s ‘discipline’ and ‘submission
’ opened a door for evil and wickedly fiendish thoughts to fill their little heads and there was nothing I, or even the Gods themselves, could do to change their minds.

  “I don’t know what you’re all thinking.” I said nervously, slowly backing away from the kings. “But I want you to stop it, okay?” I squealed.

  Eight hungry eyes are fixed on me like glue; fantasies of my cruel disciplining no doubt filling their heads. All four kings stalked closer and closer to me, backing me into a corner.

  There was nothing I could do now. It was hopeless. In their minds, the tournament had already begun and for me, there was no escape….

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Aria

  More letters? Damn.

  I pulled the notice letter from under my door. It’s the tenth one so far, all from the Chancellor’s office. They all have ‘urgent’ printed on the front and inside they just say three words, ‘Please see me.’

  Obviously, I’m not going to go. If he wants to silence me for walking in on his little backroom deal with the Seer, he’s gonna have to come get me himself. I balled up the notice and threw it to the trash basket in the corner of my room. I don’t know what he wanted from the Seer and frankly I don’t give a damn. I’ve got bigger things to worry about now.

  It’s been five days since the meeting of the Four kings and they’ve refused to leave me alone. They’ve been springing up in all my classes and in every hallway I pass through like weeds. And every time I see them, I run.

  I’m not even safe in my dorm anymore. Luca and Alexander bang relentlessly at my door. Night after night, feeding my head with useless apologies and phony declarations of Love. I haven’t once opened the door. I refuse to hear any more of their damn lies.

  What bothers me most about all of this is they haven’t once said they won’t go through with the tournament. I guess they’re not ‘sorry’ enough to do that.

  The tournament starts today and thoughts of just packing my bags and running for the hills have been chasing me everywhere I go. But somehow, I just can’t bring myself to do it. I feel like I’m always running from something and I’m so tired of it.

  I left my room, needing the comfort of Cas’s smiling face. Today of all days, I didn’t want to be alone. Not with the tournament starting in a few short hours.

  Cas’s dorm was up ahead, I could already see the sign at the end of the hallway. It was right above some bitchy mean girl with way too much make-up on. And yes, they’re glaring at me, as usual. Guess they don’t much care for the resident Void User mucking up their hall.

  But today I don’t give a damn, I hadn’t seen Cas since yesterday so I strode past them and pushed open the double doors, leading to the hall common area.

  I was almost to her door, and I gave a deep exhale. It was like everything was finally sinking in. After the first tournament I would be taken hostage and submitted to God only knows what. All in the name of disciplining me?

  No matter who wins the battle, I lose. I’m likely never going home and I can kiss my dreams of a peaceful life goodbye. If these Kings can cause this much havoc in one little school, imagine what they’ll do as kings of the world.

  I arrived at Cas’s door. Room I7I. I knocked twice and there was no reply.

  “Cas! I really need you right now. Open up.” I knocked again and there was still no answer. When I knocked again, the door creaked open.

  “Hello?” I said, before stepping inside. My eyes scanned the room and my hands covered my mouth in pure horror. The dresser and chair were overturned, her wood desk shattered to splinters. Explosion marks from Cas’s orb energy attack scarred the walls in deep cracks and big white blotches, bleaching the wall paper.

  Blood stained her white bedsheets red, the blood trailing along the floor in drips, all the way over to the door, like she’d been dragged from the room, fighting for her life.

  “Oh my God!” I cried. My head whipping around in search of help. “Somebody please! Oh my God, somebody please he…”

  Just then, a hand came squeezing over my mouth, covering my nose and lips in a sour smelling cloth. I thrashed and screamed as an arm wrapped around me from behind with a viselike grip. I struggled for a second more, feeling dizzy and weak and then everything went black.

  ***

  I awoke in a small square room with bright lights overhead and a thick red curtain, drawn closed in front of me. I sat in a chair, my hands tied from behind and my feet roped to the legs of the seat. Was I on a stage?

  My head whipped in every direction, trying to find my attacker.

  “I see you are awake, Aria Void User,” a man’s voice echoed in the room, the Seer gliding up from behind.

  “Did you do this?” I demanded. “Drug me and take me here?”

  “Why yes, of course,” he said almost proudly, smiling and folding his arms.

  “What in the hundred hells is wrong with you?”

  “A small security measure. It was feared you may try to escape the tournament, I merely wanted to make sure this didn’t come to pass,” he said.

  “Did you see me running, Asshole? I was only going to see my friend, and she’s in danger!” I started struggling in the chair, rattling the legs over the wooden floorboards, desperate to break the ropes. “Now, untie me. I have to go find her!”

  “Hmm,” he said with a hand placed over his mouth as if to ponder, then he frowned. “I am afraid the time for that has passed. Now is the time to face your Kings.”

  “Why you son of a…”

  ‘Shhhhhhhhhh’ the red curtains to the stage drew open and a thousand students stood in the distance, still close enough I could make out a few faces. And they were all turned in my direction. They were separated by faction, with Flamenados on the left and Floodquakes on the right. They all cheered excitedly, twirling flags and rags in red and blue.

  The tournament was starting already?

  All four Kings stood on a podium directly in front of the stage, their eyes hard on me, eyeing their captive prize.

  They were all shirtless, together forming a mountain of impenetrable muscle. Sensual and captivatingly handsome, they looked like warriors ready for battle, soldiers hungry for war and by the way they looked at me, hungry for me too.

  “Welcome students of Ravenwell Academy to the first challenge in the Four King’s Cup,” the Seer said, his voice magically amplified so that all could hear him. The crowd of students cheered, waving their flags and stomping their feet before going silent.

  No King looked back at the crowd. They all looked up at the Seer now, stern and focused on the upcoming challenge.

  “The trial for today is an obstacle course featuring challenges based on the four Elements themselves. Earth, wind, water and fire, with an additional surprise challenge at the end.” The Seer raised his hand to show the massive obstacle course on the Field in the distance, past the crowd of students.

  “The rules are simple. Kings Bane and Luca are one team and Kings Alexander and Raiden are on the other team. The first man to cross the finish line, wins the first challenge for his team and will take home Miss Aria Void User to keep until the next challenge commences.” The seer said, his eyes leaving the crowd to land on the Kings. “You may use your Elemental Magics as well as any and all other magics at your disposal to overcome each obstacle. Now, are you ready?”

  The four nodded, turning to face the obstacle course.

  “Good,” the seer said. “Now, on your marks, get set, go!”

  And with that all four kings sprang into action, leaping off the platform and sprinting for the obstacle course in the distance, the sunlight glistening off their muscular backs as they went.

  Okay. So Cas’s probably being tortured by her boyfriends gang and I’m just supposed to sit here waiting for the Kings to finish their stupid tournament?

  Without warning, the red curtains slid closed, blocking out the tournament and the crowd. The Seer’s head spun around, confused by this. Whatever this was, it wasn’t a part of his p
lan.

  Then out of nowhere, a long red beam of light came flashing through the stage area and whipped across the Seers chest at an incredible speed. There was a loud slicing sound ,and the Seer froze on the spot.

  His horror-stricken eyes trailed over to me before a gush of blood squirted from his mouth and after giving out a tiny cry, he thudded to the floor.

  I screamed at the top of my lungs, trembling at the sight of the pool of blood forming under the Seer’s cloak. He didn’t move an inch or make a sound. All there was now, was the boom of heavy feet clacking towards me from behind.

  “Somebody. Somebody help us!” I said as the void rose in my chest, bubbling and expanding like tar. It knew I wasn’t defenseless, but I feared even my Void wouldn’t be strong enough to stop whatever hit the Seer.

  “Hello!” A voice said merrily, as a tall man in a brown leather jacket, with eyes as black as midnight and a curly mustache walked up to stop right in front of me.

  He wore a hat like I’d seen in books about cowboys and tipped it in greeting. But this man looked anything but polite. His eyes bulged wildly, almost popping out of his head, his mouth twisted into an eerie grin and every tooth in his mouth had rotted, brown as wood.

  “Good evening madam,” he said, the foulness of his breath hitting my nose like a knife. “They call me the Butcher; would you happen to be Aria Kolgrim?”

  I bit my lips, refusing to answer.

  He came for me?

  “Well,” he scratched his chin. “You sure look like the description. But, what I can’t figure is how a nice-looking witch like you would get mixed up with that crazy Succubus Queen.”

  “What? I don’t know any Succubi, you have the wrong girl,” I insisted, breaking my silence, my hands struggling to break free.

  “Well, her name is Galima and I’m afraid I don’t make mistakes, little girly. So, you must be the one,” he said, inching closer, his eager grin creasing his cheeks now.