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I held my breath. Voiler was the first one to kill another in sparring. And it was Espek.
“We’ll resume sparring next session,” Commander Macanthos announced. “And unless you have as much control over your blood magic as this one, I suggest you do not attempt what you have just witnessed.”
And that was it.
Voiler had killed with blood magic, so effortlessly and precisely that we hadn’t even had a chance to stop it.
Hells, maybe Commander was right before. Maybe I wasn’t the only one wearing a mask in this academy.
The next day, Wolf and I trained alone in the secret courtyard. I liked it there. I could be myself, I could train without prying eyes, could actually grow stronger. Better.
It was what I needed considering the Transcendent was only a week away.
I sat in the grass, absolutely exhausted, and let my body relax. “You never told me why you fell,” I started. “You’re a fallen angel, I mean. What happened?”
He sighed but eventually made his way to sit beside me. He stretched his long legs out before him, leaning back onto his hands. His black wings grazed the tall grass beside me.
“There were many things,” he explained. “But the ultimate reason had to do with my father.”
“You didn’t kill him, did you?” I was only partially joking.
Wolf laughed under his breath, moving to pick at the grass between us. I couldn’t help but smile; he looked so young, so innocent. The corner of his mouth tilted in the smallest hint of a smile as he thought about what to say next.
“No,” he replied. “But there have been many times when I wish I had.”
Another silence lingered, the sound of snapping grass strands filling the air between us. This quiet grew heavy, though, as the weight of his words fell onto me, tightening my chest with an invisible fist.
“But he’s an angel?” I pushed, ensuring my voice held a certain delicacy.
Wolf hesitated before answering, “Yes, my father is an angel.”
“Is that why you’re trying to make it into The Golden City?”
His chest rose and fell with a long breath. “I was born there, you know. I lived there for years. When I fell, I was exiled. I was told to never return. When I woke up the next morning, I was in the middle of Khaer, with no clue where I was. My white angel wings had turned black, and I had been stripped of all my possessions. That was a long time ago, but yes, I guess you could say that’s why I’m trying to make it into The Golden City. This might be the only way back.”
My chest tightened at his blatant honesty. He had been exiled from his own home? And he was forced outside to live with nothing and nobody? Hells, that couldn’t have been easy.
“And you think they’ll let you back in?”
He shrugged. “If I make it back fairly, yes. My father may not be thrilled, but The Golden City is big enough for us to live in peace. Besides, I have to try. It’s… it’s different there. I can’t say my experience on the outside has been fortunate.”
Another silence lingered. Wolf’s eyebrows drew together, his bright eyes darkening in thought.
“What’s The Golden City like? Is it as beautiful as they say?”
The corner of Wolf’s mouth twitched, but his expression remained dark. “It’s unexpected. It’s constantly changing. There are always new threats, and the angels are very strict about keeping order.”
“Is it true that there is no crime and no poverty?” Excitement leaked into my words. I couldn’t help it. Imagining a place so unlike Midgrave made my stomach flip. If I were being honest, I struggled to imagine such a place. I grew up fighting to survive. The people of Midgrave were not inherently violent or aggravated, but hunger would make any sane fae do something they might regret.
People in Midgrave starved to death. In The Golden City, that would never happen.
“Trust me,” Wolf said. His voice grew distant. “There is plenty that will surprise you about that place.”
I closed my eyes and let my head fall back, breathing in the cool night air. It was nice to be here with Wolf, I had to admit that much. Even though every part of my body burned with exhaustion, even though my eyelids were heavier than they had ever been before, I didn’t want to leave.
Not with him beside me.
We stayed that way for a while. The soft flow of air blew the tall grass, creating a soothing sound of comfort. Out here, we couldn’t hear the constant voices that echoed through the massive walls of the castle. Hells, for once, I wasn’t constantly listening to the sound of my heart.
