4
Alina.
I woke to the sound of someone banging on a metal pipe. It took me a second to remember where I was. The North Tower. Umbra Noctis. Not a dream, but a cold, hard new reality. For one brief moment, I thought maybe I could just stay in bed and let the world pass by outside the curtains. Maybe if I hid well enough, nobody would notice me for a whole year.
Then Kael's voice came through the dark, sharp and irritated. "Up. Now. Training starts in ten."
I sat up fast, heart pounding. My limbs felt heavy, like I hadn't slept at all, and the ache in my chest from the binding made every breath a little more difficult. The window above my bed showed the first weak hints of dawn, pale blue creeping into black. I'd slept in my uniform trousers, too exhausted to bother changing. I ran a hand through my hair, flinched at the roughness of my scalp, and forced myself upright.
Rowan was already dressed, combing his hair in the reflection of a windowpane that was more fog than glass. He caught my eye and smiled, a slow, knowing thing that made me nervous. "Big day, Adrian. First impressions last forever here."
Lucien was by his wardrobe, moving with the kind of perfect, controlled efficiency that made me feel like a mess just for existing. He didn't look at me. Kael paced near the door, rolling his shoulders, radiating impatience.
"Move it," Kael snapped, throwing a towel at me. I caught it on reflex and tried to mumble a thanks, but he'd already turned away.
My fingers shook as I washed up and tried to make myself presentable. I buttoned my shirt wrong twice, then fixed it, cheeks burning at the thought of anyone noticing. I could barely look at myself in the glass. I didn't look like Adrian. I barely looked like myself.
We left as a group, but not together. Kael stalked ahead, Lucien followed at a deliberate pace, and Rowan lingered at my side, almost as if he was bored enough to be my escort. Students filled the hallways, some silent and intent, others already laughing and shoving each other with too-sharp grins. I saw a boy with blue skin and a girl with little flames dancing along her knuckles. Nobody paid me much attention, and that should have been a relief, but it just made me feel smaller.
The combat yard was a stone courtyard surrounded by columns, the floor marked out in chalk for duels. The early morning chill seeped through my shirt, making me shiver. Students gathered in loose groups, some stretching, others already sparring. A few instructors watched from the edges; one with a scar down his cheek, another with silver hair pulled into a braid.
Kael stripped off his jacket, tossed it on a bench, and cracked his knuckles. He looked like he lived for this. Lucien simply rolled his sleeves up, methodical and almost bored. Rowan sat on the wall, one leg dangling, watching everything with that half-lidded gaze that saw too much.
I lingered at the edge, trying to look like I belonged. My hands wouldn't stop fidgeting. The air buzzed with energy, and I was suddenly sure everyone could see right through me.
The instructor, a tall man with a voice like gravel, barked out the rules. "Pair off. Standard rules. Don't kill each other."
He scanned the group, his gaze landing on me for half a second too long. "New blood. You're with Draven."
Kael grinned, all teeth. He looked like he'd just been handed a present he planned to break.
I took my place opposite him in the ring, trying to look steady. My heart thudded painfully in my chest. Kael flexed his hands, rolling his neck. He didn't bother with a greeting.
"Ready?" the instructor called.
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
Kael lunged.
I saw him coming, but not fast enough. He was on me in a blink, his grip like iron. My feet barely touched the ground as he swept me off balance and sent me sprawling onto my back. The stone was cold and hard, and pain shot up my spine.
"Get up," Kael said, sneering.
I scrambled up, heat flushing my face. My hands stung from catching myself. I remembered Maris's words; don't trust anyone, and tried to brace for the next attack.
Kael didn't wait. He moved like he'd been born to fight, all instinct and muscle. Every time I dodged, he was already there, crowding me, testing my reactions. He didn't hit hard at first. But it was just enough to show me how little I knew. My world shrank to the circle, the slap of boots, the sting of sweat in my eyes.
Lucien watched from across the yard, his arms folded, expression unreadable. Rowan's gaze never left me. I could feel him studying my every move, cataloguing each mistake.
Kael hooked my ankle, sent me down again. My head bounced off the stone, stars exploding behind my eyes. Laughter rippled through the watching students.
"Too slow, Adrian," Kael taunted. "You're supposed to be the Duke's son? Pathetic."
I bit my tongue, forcing myself up again. My whole body ached, but pride kept me moving. I tried to remember something, anything, from the fencing lessons I'd watched Adrian take, but it was all theory, no muscle memory.
Kael advanced again, this time swinging harder. I ducked, managed to sidestep, and his fist whistled past my ear. For half a second, I thought I'd finally done something right. Then he caught me with his other hand and drove me to the ground.
The instructor didn't stop it. Nobody did.
"Enough, Draven," Lucien called finally, his voice cool and bored.
Kael looked over, annoyed, but let me go. He stood, brushing dust off his trousers. "Not bad, for a human."
I lay there, catching my breath, staring up at the gray sky. My lungs burned. Every inch of me felt battered. The instructor grunted, unimpressed, and waved for the next pair.
Rowan hopped off the wall and sauntered over. He crouched beside me, his smile a little too wide. "You still breathing?"
"Barely," I muttered.
He reached out, almost touched my arm, then seemed to think better of it. "Don't take it personally. Kael's like that with everyone. He's just meaner before breakfast."
I managed a shaky laugh. My hands wouldn't stop shaking. "Great. Only every day for the rest of the year."
Rowan's gaze sharpened. "You can quit, you know. Some do. But then everyone remembers you as the kid who couldn't survive a week."
"Thanks for the pep talk," I said dryly.
He grinned, stood, and offered a hand. I hesitated, but took it. His grip was surprisingly strong, pulling me upright with zero effort.
I tried to straighten my clothes, ignoring the eyes I felt on me from every direction. My scalp prickled with embarrassment.
Lucien approached, his movements so precise they made me self-conscious. He glanced me up and down, his lip curling. "Don't let Draven make you his chew toy. It's undignified."
I flushed. "I'll keep that in mind."
He studied me for another second, then dismissed me with a look. "Don't make us look weak."
That stung, more than I wanted to admit. I wanted to snap back, to say something clever, but the words dried up. Instead, I squared my shoulders and tried to remember how to stand tall.
The rest of training was a blur. More drills, more bruises. I was paired with another human for a spar, and even that didn't go well. My body wasn't built for this. I was too slow, too soft, too… me. Every slip was met with laughter, every mistake catalogued by sharp eyes.
Kael watched, sometimes smirking, sometimes just staring with that animal intensity. Lucien barely glanced my way after his initial warning, but I could feel his judgment hanging over me. Rowan floated through the session, offering commentary, dodging blows with effortless grace, making friends with everyone. He never seemed to sweat. When he watched me, though, it felt like he saw straight through my skin. Not in a cruel way but just observant and calculating.
After training, I limped back toward the dorms. My hands were raw, knees scraped, ribs aching. The hallways buzzed with the sound of other students; some comparing bruises, others already planning t he next class. I kept my head down.
Kael caught up, walking just close enough to block my escape but not close enough to pretend we were friends. "You need to toughen up," he said. "Or at least learn to fall better."
I wanted to snap at him, but the truth was, he wasn't wrong. "I'll work on it."
He gave a low grunt, something almost approving, and stalked off.
Rowan appeared on my other side, practically floating. "Don't let him get to you. He's just upset you didn't cry."
"I almost did," I admitted, voice low.
Rowan grinned. "That would've made his day. He likes breaking things. Especially things that look like they shouldn't bend."
I glanced sideways. "You talk like you know him."
He shrugged. "I know everyone. Or at least, I try to."
Lucien was already ahead, climbing the stairs, not sparing me a backward glance.
When we reached our dorm room, Kael kicked off his boots and dropped onto his bed like a rock. Rowan sprawled across his mattress, legs dangling. Lucien sat by the window, flipping through a book.
I sat on my bed, trying to move as little as possible. My muscles ached, and every breath reminded me how tightly I was bound under the shirt. I wanted nothing more than to crawl under the covers and disappear. Maybe Maris was right. Maybe I was braver than I thought. Or maybe I was just stubborn enough to survive out of spite.
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to steady my breathing, but the day replayed behind my eyelids in bruising color. Kael's fists. Lucien's cold stare. Rowan's unreadable smile. The laughter of the other students. My own shaky hands.
What was I even doing here? I was pretending to be someone I wasn't, surrounded by people who'd eat me alive if they knew the truth. I couldn't fight. I couldn't even keep my hands from shaking.
I thought about home, about the quiet of the east wing, the shadowy halls, Maris's gentle hands. I'd wanted adventure. I'd wanted to matter. But now, sitting in a strange bed in a strange room with monsters for roommates, all I wanted was to survive the week.
Lucien snapped his book closed. "Training again tomorrow. Don't embarrass us."
Kael snorted. "If he survives."
Rowan just watched me, his eyes bright and curious. "Maybe you'll surprise us all, Adrian."
I doubted it. But I didn't say so.
As night fell, I lay awake, aches blooming across my skin. I listened to the others breathing, the distant howl of something outside, the low hum of magic in the walls.
I wondered how long it would take before someone realized I didn't belong. Before I broke in a way that couldn't be fixed.
Maybe I was braver than I thought.
Or maybe I was just very, very stupid.