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Chapter 5
Bree
The next morning,Bree met Rafe inside the dungeon-like room that Taveon had dubbed the Dark Fae Academy. He had never come to her bed that night, his hours spent locked up with the council. She had wanted to tell him about the dead raven and all her fears, and she had wanted to feel his arms wrapped protectively around her. But he’d been up all night, making plans with Dagen and theothers.
The Academy was dark and dreary, just like most of the rest of the castle, the only window a tiny square at the very top of the domed ceiling. Moonbeams slanted through the thick dust, casting the entire arena into a strange misty light. Even when she’d first come here and had hated being in Underworld, Bree had enjoyed her training sessions with Rafe. But, right now, she wanted to be anywhere other than here. Someone had poisoned the King, and Bree needed to find out who andwhy.
And she needed to figure out what Fillan was up to before he realized she had no intention of helpinghim.
“Bree.” Rafe whispered out from the darkness, seemingly out of thin air. He did that sometimes. Just like Fillan. Just behind him, two more formless figures strode forward, their shadows dropping away to reveal a female and a male. Both around Bree’s age. And both with sharply pointedears.
Bree widened her eyes. What the hell was this allabout?
“As I am sure you recall,” Rafe began, gesturing to the two fae who flanked his sides, “Taveon always intended the Academy to expand once he became King. I would like to introduce you to your new fellowtrainees.”
Bree frowned and flicked her eyes toward the female, whose long fire-red hair was pulled back into a high ponytail to reveal sharp cheekbones, a long, slender neck, and collarbones that could cut deeper than the sharpest blade. She looked unlike any fae that Bree had ever seen, and she was so tall that she was practically twice Bree’sheight.
“This is Lyra. She is like me in that she is part Wilde Fae and part DarkFae.”
“A shapeshifter as well.” Bree gave a nod. She should have known that any trainee Taveon wanted for this Academy would be a fellowshifter.
“She has spent some time in the Light Fae realm as her Clan kicked her out when she was just ababe.”
“Some of the Redcaps took me in,” Lyra said, in a deep melodic voice. “They practically raisedme.”
Bree gave a nod and turned toward the male who was watching the exchange with crossed arms and narrowed eyes. He was the total opposite of Lyra. His hair was dark and cut close to his scalp. Thick and muscular, he was practically a tank. And he was only about as tall as Breewas.
“This is Eurig. He comes from the outposts in the furthest sea downsouth.”
Bree raised her eyebrows and gave Eurig a nod. She knew little about the outposts and next to nothing about the sea that stretched out across most of the realm. From what Taveon had told her, Bree understood the outposts were miles and miles away, and they were governed by their own rulers instead of by Taveon’s Court. It was a deal that had been made by Midas, one that formed a strange between them. Midas, of course, had always felt as though the outposts were stillhis, and he merely allowed them to make their own laws as they sawfit.
“I didn’t know that the outposts hadshapeshifters.”
Eurig lifted his eyebrows. “Of course you would not know. Why would anyone give any thought to us? We are meaningless to yourCourt.”
“No need to get snippy,” Bree replied as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I only got here a couple of months agomyself.”
“Yes, I know.” He flicked his gaze up and down Bree’s body as if he were sizing her up, and she couldn’t stop the embarrassed heat from spreading across her cheeks. “So, you are the famous champion who ‘defeated’ all of the Prince’s enemies. It certainly was lucky for you that they all happened to end up dead before you were forced to fightthem.”
Irritation flickered through Bree, and also guilt. He had no idea just how close he’d come to the truth. And she had to make sure he didn’t find out. As much as she wished she could trust her new fellow trainees inexplicably, she knew the danger inthat.
“Funny, I would have liked a shot at them myself.” She smiled. “Or my beast would,really.”
“You are just a Redcap.” Eurig flicked his hands as if dismissing her shapeshifter form as nothing more than a pesky fly. “And one who was once human. I doubt you could have beaten them allyourself.”
“Oh yeah?” Bree raised her eyebrows and took a step closer to the hulking fae. “What do you shapeshift into then? Because I can guarantee it’s not more dangerous than mybeast.”
Eurig’s lips twisted into a strange smile. “You will just have to wait and see, now won’t you? I would not want to take away the surprise. It is quite…an impressive display of viscousness andstrength.”
Bree shivered despite herself. Taveon had once told her that there were no other shapeshifters in the realm who were more powerful than Bree. But had he been right? And had he been including the outposts when he’d said that? She knew they had not chosen to partake in the Battle for the Crown because they had their own throne and their own crown to worryabout.
Rafe cleared his throat, bringing their attention back onto him. “You will both have a chance to display your strength. To each other and to others as well. As the months here progress, the King will be inviting more and more fae to join us here as trainees, and you will be trained by a variety ofinstructors.”
Bree couldn’t help but feel a flicker of disappointment by the news. All along, she’d known Taveon’s intentions to grow the Academy into its former glory, but that hadn’t stopped her from wanting everything to remain the same. There was something intimate in the way she’d been trained so far. Just the two of them. Working together to fight against the world. She loved the one-on-one with Rafe, though she had to admit that most of that had to do with how she felt abouthim.
She just had to remember that every step forward was another step in the right direction. Another step toward ending theTithe.
“Right,” Rafe said with a clap of his hands. “Let us start this session with a shift into your other forms. Bree and Eurig, I believe you should both go at the same time due to the nature of yourbeasts.”
