Page 21 of Midnight Reign
I make my way through the twisting corridors of the Palace, heading for the royal archives. The few Dark Fae I encounter give me a wide berth, no doubt sensing the lingering anger and fear from my meeting with the King. Their eyes follow me, curiosity and wariness in their gazes.
The archives are housed in a vast, circular chamber deep beneath the Palace. The air grows icy as I descend, the burden of centuries pressing down on me. Row upon row of shelves stretch as far as the eye can see, each laden with ancient tomes, scrolls, and artefacts.
Pausing in the centre, I close my eyes and mutter an incantation. A ball of silver and black light pops into existence, ready to do my bidding. “Find those maps,” I murmur, and sit back to watch it work.
The orb floats away, weaving through the shelves with a ghostly grace.
Sooner than expected, the light returns, bobbing gently in front of me. It leads me through a labyrinth of dusty books and forgotten stories, until we reach a space in the stacks. The orb hovers in front of it.
“Here?” I mutter.
The orb bobs up and down.
I reach out, my fingers brushing against something solid. I grip it and pull back. An old, leather bound book swirls into view. “Cartographia Umbrae.”
I open it, and flick through the pages. The maps drawn inside are intricate, painstakingly detailed, and, most importantly, accurate. There are not just the parts visible to students and faculty, but hidden chambers, secret passages, and rooms that don’t appear on any official blueprint. My heart races as I flip through the pages, recognising names and locations that could hold the answers we need.
Tucking the book under my arm, I extinguish the spell orb and hurry out of the archives. I need to get back to MistHallow, back to Adelaide. We have work to do, and time is not on our side.
I step into the shadows, letting them carry me back to MistHallow. Back to Adelaide.
As I materialise in the familiar surroundings of the academy campus, the cool night air of this realm is a shock after the heavy atmosphere of the Dark Fae Kingdom. I take a deep breath, letting it clear my head. In the distance, I can see lights on in Adelaide’s tower room.
I hesitate, knowing that she’s on my dad’s radar now, for better or for worse. It’s up to me to protect her from that monster as much as I can, even if it means going against the very family I’m meant to be loyal to.
9
CORVUS
“Move,”I snap at Asher, who is standing in the way of the synthetic blood refill station.
He looks up at me with a smirk, I want to punch off his face. “Synthetic for the pure blood. Interesting.”
“Fuck off out of my face, you pathetic arsehole,” I growl, seriously in no mood for him and his idiot sidekick, Lucian.
Asher’s grin only widens as he leans against the blood dispenser, deliberately blocking my access. “Now, now, Corvus. Is that any way to talk to a fellow student? A fellow House Captain? I’m just making conversation.”
I clench my fists, fighting the urge to slam him into the wall. “Move. Now.”
“Or what?” Asher taunts, his eyes gleaming with malice. “You’ll sic your little half-breed on me? I heard she kicked Christos in the balls earlier. My kind of girl.”
Red clouds my vision as rage surges through me. I slam my hand against Asher’s chest, pinning him against the wall, my other forearm pressed against his throat. “If you so much as look at her, I’ll rip your fucking head off,” I snarl, my fangs dropping. “Just give me a fucking excuse, prick.”
Asher struggles against my grip, his eyes wide with something close to fear, but this fucker just doesn’t get it. He thinks he is untouchable because he thinks I won’t commit murder on Academy grounds. He is sorely fucking mistaken.
Asher’s eyes dart nervously between my face and my arm pressed against his throat. For a moment, I think he’s finally going to back down. But then that infuriating smirk returns.
“Touchy, aren’t we?” he wheezes. “What’s the matter, Corvus? Afraid someone else might get a taste of your little blood pet?”
With a roar of fury, I lift Asher off his feet and slam him into the wall hard enough to crack the plaster. His head bounces off the surface with a satisfying thud.
“She’s not a fucking blood pet,” I growl, my face inches from his. “And you’re going to stay the fuck away from her if you want to keep breathing.”
He tries to speak, but my hand is cutting off his air supply. Good. Maybe if I choke him out, he’ll finally shut the fuck up.
“Corvus,” Lucian says warningly, taking a step closer. “Let him go. You don’t want to do this.”
I ignore him, keeping my gaze locked on Asher’s reddening face. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” I growl.
