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Nobody gasps, nobody startles, nobody panics. Because nobody but the fucking Guild knows what the Basilica Realm is. Why the hell is there a man from south of the wall here? The mere mention of the place has the memory of the flickering flames and burning lava flashing through my mind.
My gaze flickers to Brax, the only one of my brothers I can see without drawing attention to myself, and his facial expression looks as pissed off as ever. But when I spot Grave past him, I instantly spot the tension in his jaw.
Yep. I definitely heard Burton correctly. What the fuck is going on?
“Professor Burton, you humble me,” the man states, his voice low and nasally as he spins to face us, sweeping his arms out wide in a grand gesture. “It’s Erikel, King of the Basilica Realm. I’ll also take the title of ruler as well, even Your Majesty, Your Eminence, Your Highness, whatever suits.” A smile spreads across his face, mostly hidden by the facial hair covering his cheeks and chin. A scar mars the skin down his left eye. It looks angry from here, hot and rigid, yet it also looks older than time.
“I do not like this man,” Raven whispers from her spot in front of me, and I place my hand on the small of her back, silently trying to comfort her.
“Of course, King Erikel,” Burton corrects as he clasps his hands together. “Erikel arrived this morning with some students from their elite academy, Shadowgrim Institute. It is noted in our original guidelines from when Silvercrest Academy was first opened that we welcome one and all.” The last part feels like it’s being said through gritted teeth, but if Erikel notices it, he doesn’t act as though he does. “With that in mind, Erikel and his students will be here for the remainder of the week, looking at how our academy operates and how our students achieve greatness.”
At the mention of Shadowgrim Institute, the six men turn around in their black uniforms with sullen looks on their faces. I can feel the tension increase around me as they look out over the crowd, but again, it’s only the Guild who seem to be having this kind of negative reaction. Everyone else simply seems intrigued by the new arrivals.
Were we this naïve and unaware a few weeks ago when we still didn’t know the Guild existed?
Fuck.
“You may see some of the students in your classes. Please, ensure you aid them where necessary. We want them to feel as welcome as possible. Additionally, we have decided to host a farewell ball on Friday evening. As it’s been so long since we’ve had visitors from another realm, it’s only fitting that we mark the occasion. I hope you all agree, as all your families will be in attendance, along with The Monarchy.”
My teeth sink into my tongue, trying to keep my mouth shut before I call out this bullshit. I’m usually the quiet and observant one. If I’m struggling, I can’t imagine how Zane and Raven are holding it together.
“Now, enjoy the rest of your day and follow the sun, destroy the shadows, and survive another dawn.”
For the first time since I arrived at Silvercrest Academy, I repeat those exact words along with my brothers, Raven, and every other student in attendance.
“Follow the sun, destroy the shadows, and survive another dawn.”
* * *
“I wasn’tsure if the training would still go ahead,” I admit as Grave greets us through the gateway. Today has been completely fucked up and I genuinely expected it to impact tonight’s meet-up, but the way he shakes his head tells me I’m wrong.
“Are you serious? We need it now more than ever,” he states, increasing the thrum of adrenaline coursing through me. He shakes my hand before moving down the line of my brothers and pausing at Raven. “Am I allowed to shake her hand, or will I wind up losing it?” He’s peering at Brax more than anyone, making Raven chuckle as she takes his hand before any of us can respond.
“I’m standing right here, Grave. You can ask me yourself.” She gives him a pointed look and he shrugs.
“I know, I’m just covering my back with these crazy fuckers. Especially since I’ve seen how this one handles a sword.” He points at Zane, who grins with pride.
“What the fuck is this all about with Erikel?” Brax asks, redirecting the conversation, and a gloomy expression passes over Grave’s face.
“We all have a lot of questions, and we’re desperate for the answers, but the truth is, there’s little anyone knows. I would give my left nut to know why we are just letting someone from the Basilica Realm into our academy. How did they even get here without being slaughtered for trespassing?”
I nod eagerly, completely in agreement with his line of thinking, but before I can respond, someone clears their throat from behind me. Peering over my shoulder, I find Professor Fitch with Leila at his side.
“As Burton mentioned, Erikel appeared with dated documents for the academy, forcing himself in with loopholes. If we knew his intentions, we would share them, but as it stands, we must remain vigilant and ready to act at any given moment.” Fitch glares at every member of the Guild who has gathered around us to hear him speak. He seems to dismiss us, but before he can get two steps away, it’s Leila who questions him further.
“Couldn’t we have said no? Who did he first approach to be let in? None of this makes sense. Now we have to mingle with some guys from another academy, completely unaware if they are gifted or not.” The moonlight reveals her reddening cheeks, clearly worried about questioning her father in front of everyone, but to my surprise, he doesn’t raise his voice or get angry. He just shrugs.
“That’s the thing, he was already in. Stepped through the fucking double doors of the academy like there’s not a magical forcefield around the place.” Fuck. How is that even possible? “Now, let’s get on with what we came here to do, shall we?” This time when he turns to leave, no one stops him. “We’ll be working on defensive magic tonight,” he explains, turning back to us when he’s a good distance away from the gateway. “You all know how to attack, but the ability to block and defend is just as paramount. It can be used as simply as mundane tasks can be done. Pair off with the fourth years; let’s get you up to speed and fast.”
The same fourth year, Dalton, who I worked with the other day, waves me over, and I accept his offer. He works quietly, my kind of guy. He doesn’t fuck around either, getting right to it. “What you want to envision is almost like a bubble or a shield that you can change the size and shape of. Focus on protecting you or whatever else might be important to you and it should start to form. Let’s get the basics of it knocked out first, then we can start trying to put it to use between us.”
I hold my hands out in front of me, just as he does, envisioning a bubble-like structure as I think about protecting myself. It’s frustrating at first, with very little showing, but I try to push through it.
“Are you thinking about what you would protect above all else in the realm?” Dalton asks, and I shake my head. “Maybe focus on that instead. That’s what works for me.”
I nod, shaking out my arms as I sigh, hoping to rid any tension from my limbs as I focus on what I would need to protect Raven. My eyelids fall closed and I instantly sense the magic between my palms. I peer through my lashes to find exactly what he had instructed me to envision.
“That’s it. Now drop it and go again. We want you to be able to produce it on demand.” I repeat the process over and over again until I’m almost doing it as quickly as him. “Perfect. Let’s start trying it with each other. Actual attacks can always help increase your speed too.”
