Page 73 of House Ignis

And the last thing I saw was a pair of silver eyes glowing in the dark.

CHAPTER NINE

Darkness cradled me.

It wasn't the comforting sort; it was the heavy, choking kind that pressed in from every direction. My lungs burned, and my throat felt as if it had been raked with glass. Every breath I took clawed like raw fire up my windpipe.

I gasped awake.

Harsh, clinical light stabbed down from above. My head throbbed with every pulse of my heart, and it took a disorienting second to realize the arena was gone. No shouting. No roaring fire. No crashing weight of water.

"No—" My voice cracked, barely a whisper. "Aether—?"

"He's fine."

That voice. Smooth as silk and sharp as steel.

Asher.

I turned my head too fast and winced at the flare of pain. He was leaning against the far wall of the infirmary, arms crossed over his bare chest. Shadows flickered lazily around his boots like loyal, watchful creatures guarding the room.

"You passed out," he said, his eyes unreadable.

"Dropped like a stone after Zorian tried to drown you in front of the entire Academy."

I swallowed, my throat protesting the movement. "Did anyone—?"

"See?" His brow arched slightly. "Oh, Princess. The whole damn arena saw."

My stomach twisted into a cold knot.

"Your little water prince is in deep shit," he continued. "Using Heightened magic in a sanctioned duel? Against you? That's not just arrogance. That's stupidity."

My limbs ached, and my chest felt as if it had been torn open from the inside. I could still feel the phantom pressure of Zorian's water around my throat.

The memory of the end played back in flashes: the sudden darkness, the guards shouting, Zorian's panicked swearing...

And silver eyes.

Glowing in the void right before the world vanished.

Those eyes. They belonged to only one person. I looked at Asher, my gaze narrowing. "Was that... you?"

He didn't answer. Only the faintest, most infuriating smirk played on his lips.

Before I could push him for the truth, the infirmary doors burst open.

"Ava!"

Ember stormed in like a hurricane, Maddy right behind her, and Ryven trailing them with a look that suggested he was ready to punch a hole through a wall.

"Gods—what the fuck were they thinking letting him fight you like that?" Ember cried.

"You were insane," Maddy added, sliding into the chair beside my bed. "Like, actual firestorm energy. You had him right up until the throat thing. What even was that?"

"Illegal," Ryven muttered darkly, his arms crossed over his broad chest.

I pushed myself up straighter, ignoring the sharp throb in my ribs. "Where's Aether?"