The Return Of The Queen

Raven Academy

"My lady, the portal is here"

Cas's words pulled me back from my thoughts.

"Is everything set?" I ask him, remaining in front of the window.

Spring and summer barely touch the mountain tops in Dracori. The

Trees had long adapted to the cold. Their leaves grew in hues of white and

their trunks a muted pale black. Rivers flowed with vibrant greens and blues

beneath the surface, while the banks were covered in snowed that never seemed to melt.

During winter the tree leaves turned icy blue while the trunks turn almost pitch black.

The rivers never froze and the lakes only formed a thick enough layer of ice to walk on.

"Yes my lady. Everything has been sent over to Raven Academy and our spies

have been imbedded through out. There isn't a single area that hasn’t been covered

by us." Cas confirmed what I already knew. I merely wanted to stall for a moment longer.

I couldn't wait forever though, eventually academy guards would march through the portal and drag me away. That was an outcome I couldn't afford.

"Very well, let us go then. I'll see you on the other side." I didn't wait for confirmation that

Cas would follow me. He is my sworn protector and no matter where I went he would never be far behind.

//////Flash Back//////

"Cas it's time to go to Notorn. Meet me at the docks, we'll portal down on the beach to avoid the magical sensors." I mirrored called Cas after I had reach the villa that was my hiding spot in Eldur.

"Is everything alright my lady?" He asked concern lacing his words.

"Cardan betrayed me, He will announcing a formal mate bond with the princess of Westia before he attends the academy with her." Cas cursed at the news. We had both hoped Cardan would be the one I chose to mate with because the other prince's I had spied on proved unworthy. Turns our Cardan was just better at hiding his true nature then the others. That left me with the one option I had been avoiding.

"When will you be at the docks?" Cas asked. He didn't question my choice or try to convince me to look at the other prince's again. We both knew I had one option left but at least it was one I already knew.

"I'll be there in ten, I'm finished at the villa." With everything packed away in my bottomless bag, getting to the docks would be easy. The bag was a rare item I found in a treasure vault in the Castel Kingdom. The only one of it's kind, I could place anything of any size inside it with no limit to amount of items and it would feel like an empty bag. Getting it bonded to me was trickier than stealing it, but I had succeed…barely. If I had gone home to my massive library and researched how to bond it, well it would have been a lot easier but that trip hadn't been in my timeline. Neither had been staying in Eldur and look where that got me.

Cas of course had reached the small section of beach near the docks before me. What he does when he isn't within throwing distance of me, I didn't know and I never asked. He gave me a reason to ask.

"Where in Notorn are we going? He won't be happy when you randomly show up without an invitation." I rolled my eyes at him.

"I'm not stupid enough to try and sneak in Cas. We're going through the front door." Cas shot me an annoyed look.

"You don't mean the fighting pits?" His tone was one of exasperation.

The fighting pits was one of the things Notorn was famous for and one of the reason it was the most dangerous kingdom. Add in that it's the home to all the deadly beast of the Fae world and being it’s the second largest kingdom in Itholonia. It's not the friendliest place to be, it's also the hardest place to try and spy on. Not a single one ever came back alive or reported anything intelligible before their quick death. The fighting pits though, are by far the worst place to be. It's where the beasts fight to control their urges and it's in the heart of the kingdom.

"Yes Cas. We're going to the fighting pits." With a groan Cas opened a portal and we stepped through. I could only hope that he wasn’t too angry at my sudden appearance when I swore never to see him again.

////Present Day////

As the swirl of the portal magic cleared the large looming doors of the academy appeared before me. The doors were said to have been hued from one solid piece of stone that was perfectly cut down the middle. They currently sat open, the entrance large enough to fit a full sized boat through. Raven academy had once been a castle that a long forgotten race of fae had once called home. It is a fortress of both beauty and darkness that puts every other castle in Itholonia to shame in shear size alone.

Multiple towers stab toward the sky like spears thrust into the ground hilt down. The tips looking sharp enough to impale a giant. Black and Grey stone weave together in seamless unity. The entire outside of the academy looked like it was carved from the side of a mountain not peiced together by large bricks of stone.

The interior is no less impressive as the exterior. White marble with wisps of gray cover the floor giving it a smoky affect. Chandeliers of gold hang down from the vaulted ceiling in a flowing pattern like a fae had tossed a bucket of liquid gold in the air.

pillars lined the large space marking the different hallways that branched off from the main entrance. Each one carved for a different beast or magical creature that roamed the fae world. it screamed power and dangerous elegance. Fitting for an academy that only accepted the most powerful fae.

The clicking of heels drew my attention to the hallway on my right as a familiar face appeared around one of the pillars made to look like a dragon.

"My Lady, yomu have finally arrived. I had begun to worry. You are the last to arrive." I gave a nod to the short fae female.

"Lucinda, it is lovely to see you again." Lucinda often visited my icy home in the mountains over the years. She always felt more like an aunt to me despite not being related.

"Please come with me, I can take through the attendant's corridors to your tower." Without a word I followed her to the dragon pillar. At its base closest to the wall sat a faint outline of a door. She gave it a tiny flare of magic and with a swooshing of air the stone door slid inwards to reveal a corridor.

Surprisingly it was larger inside then the doorway lead it to be. Five fae could stand comfortably shoulder to shoulder and not bump one another while walking.

"Lucinda, have all the royals arrived?" I asked walking next to her while she wove her way through the twisting passageways.

"Yes they have. This year we have two members of royalty from each kingdom attending. Both the heir and second born." My Intel had told me as much but having it confirmed is always a good thing.

With every heir and second born in attendance, this year was definitely going to be fun, for me at least. He was the only one I was worried about however.