Shadowborn Academy_ Year Three (Dark Fae Academy #3) - G. Bailey Page 0,39
very castle walls I stand in now, and we will never forget.
I walk to the edge of the balcony and look down at the centre of the royal courtyard where something special to me rests. Closing my eyes, I turn into my raven and fly down to the courtyard, landing on the rose covered ground before shifting back and looking up. The statue of my mother doesn’t look down at me but stares up at the sky above, her one hand reaching for the stars. Her crown rests on her long hair that falls down with her ball gown, and even though this is just a statue, it is so much more. I feel her soul here, watching over me, protecting me. Using my wings, I fly up a little, so we are face to face.
“I miss you, Mother,” I whisper as I place my hand on her cheek.
I sense the god before he speaks. “I suspect she misses you as well, little queen.”
“Ambrose!” I chuckle, spinning around. I fly to him, and he opens his arms, embracing me in a tight hug as I rest my head on his chest. After the war, Ambrose decided he wanted to see the human world and live in it for a while. He still comes back every so often to check on me, mostly because he knows I would hunt his ass down if he didn’t. I pull back and Ambrose rests his hands on my shoulders. Even with the biggest smile on his face, the sadness never quite leaves his eyes.
A vision flashes into my mind so quickly it makes me stumble. I smile as the image leaves my mind.
“What did you see?” he asks with a frown, always suspecting the worst.
My visions are a new power that I suspect was given to me as a blessing from Selena when I ascended the throne. I’ve been having visions in my sleep of anything from danger to joy, and everything in the middle. Usually, the visions come in my dreams, but lately touching people or objects bring them on. The healers believe it’s just a natural progression of my powers. Remnants of the sword’s magic still lingers in my blood, making me stronger than ever.
“Only that your story is just beginning, and a wild card is coming your way, Ambrose,” I say, winking at him.
“You fae and your secrets,” he grumbles and stretches his arms above his head. “I’m starving. Do you think the kitchens will have anyone awake at this time?”
“Nope but I can make a mean ham and cheese sandwich,” I tell him, hooking my arm with his as we head to the doors to the castle. “If you’re lucky, I might throw in some crisps.”
“Fingers crossed,” he drawls and I laugh in response, resting my head on his shoulder as two of my guards open the doors for us with a bow. Their purple and black armour shines from the moonlight, highlighting the raven sigil on their breastplates. My guards were all chosen and trained by Pitch and Zander, who now train and look after our army. Many were lost in the war, but like this castle, time moves on and new things can be found in the darkness.
“How is the human world treating you?” I ask Ambrose as we head down the corridor and a flight of stairs to the kitchens. It’s silent in here, nothing but the sounds of the crackling embers in the fireplace in the centre of the floor. Ambrose takes off his brown leather jacket. He hangs it on the back of a seat before sitting on the edge of the counter, watching as I head straight to the fridge.
“I’ve just accepted a job at a reform school in the back end, middle of nowhere Scotland,” he tells me, and that was more random than I expected. “Sheep for miles, I’m telling you.”
“Why the heck would you do that?” I laugh as I grab the ham and cheese, thinking of all the human students who wouldn’t have a clue that the God of Life is their teacher.
As I make the sandwiches, Ambrose talks. “The reform school is for teenagers and young adults who fucked up, but it is built on an old source of power, something of my mother’s. The school itself is laced with magic, and a lot of the students are not what they seem. It’s a mystery I want to investigate.”
“Sounds like fun,” I say, handing him a plate with his