Chapter 97: _ The Princes all want to Follow Me

The shifters and Fae walked around in their robes and pristine armor, acting like gods among men, while the actual native creatures of this realm were hunted, demonized, and shoved into dark corners just for existing.

It sounded entirely too much like what the nobility did to commoners in the outer trenches.

"That’s awful. They stole their home and then labeled them as monsters for wanting it back." I murmured, crossing my arms.

Ajax glanced down at me. "History is written by the conquerors, little mouse. It has always been that way."

He gestured for me to follow him off the main dirt road, leading me down a narrow trail that wound through a grove of old trees with amber leaves.

The scent of wild pine and damp earth filled the air, overtaking the magical incense I had grown used to inside the academy.

After a few minutes of walking, the trees parted, revealing a quiet, sun-drenched cliffside overlook. Below us, a glass-like lake reflected the violet sky, surrounded by smooth white boulders. It was quiet, peaceful, and untouched by the chaotic politics of Last Bastion.

I let the cool breeze wash over my face, drinking in the scent of wild water and blooming flora, marveling at how a place this untouched could exist just a few miles beyond the dark, blood-stained stone gates of Last Bastion

"It’s breathtaking," I whispered, stepping right to the edge of the overlook, unable to take my eyes off the glittering water below. "I didn’t think anywhere in this realm could feel this quiet."

Ajax stepped up beside me, resting his hands on his hips as he looked down the lake. "Neither did I. That’s why I came here. Out here, no one is shouting about bloodlines, titles, or sovereign crowns. It’s just... space."

I took one last deep breath of the fresh mountain air, letting the beauty of the scene ground me before the harsh reality of my situation pulled me back to earth. I turned back to face him, leaning my shoulder against a gray boulder.

"Alright, Ajax. We’re out of the academy. We’re at your secret spot. Now answer the question you dodged earlier."

Ajax tilted his head. "Which question would that be?"

"Back in the courtyard, in front of half the academy," I said, fixing him with a stern gaze, "you claimed you had a strong feeling that I needed you today. Why did you say that?"

Ajax let out a quiet laugh, stepping closer until he was standing just a few feet away from me. "It is exactly what you’re thinking, Elira."

I frowned as my mind frantically tried to piece together his cryptic nonsense. "Exactly what I’m thinking? What does that even mean?"

Instead of answering with words, Prince Ajax slowly raised his right hand.

Smiling a wolfish smirk, he brought his forefinger up and pointed directly at my left arm—straight at the parasitic iron band on my wrist.

My blood ran completely cold.

"Because that bracelet, my dear Elira, was not only meant to summon me when you click on it. It was forged to tell me the exact moment your soul started bleeding."

I gasped, my hand instinctively flying to cover my wrist as my heart started to pound faster than ever.

"My soul... bleeding? What in the Hell Lord’s name are you talking about?!" I choked out, taking an instinctive step back against the cold quartz boulder.

Ajax didn’t answer with words. He casually raised the blood-red heartstone held between his fingers and gave it a squeeze.

BZZZZT!

The iron band beneath my sleeve exploded into a blinding flare of white-hot magic.

An agonizing shockwave shot straight up my arm, tearing through my nerves and ripping into my chest. Pain tore through my lungs. My knees buckled beneath me, and I collapsed onto the grass of the overlook, gasping for air as cold sweat broke out across my forehead.

Through the haze of blinding pain, I looked up.

Prince Ajax wasn’t laughing anymore. He stood over me on the sun-drenched cliff, his golden sovereign jacket catching the light as his eyes fixed on me.

"You felt it today, didn’t you?" Ajax whispered, dropping to one knee beside me, his long fingers hovering just inches over my burning wrist. "You felt it down in the security wing, didn’t you?"

Cold sweat soaked the collar of my tunic, but I forced my eyes up to meet his.

"What... what are you talking about? F-felt what? What do you even mean?!" I choked out, taking another step back.

"I’m talking about what you felt when you saw the Sylven in the cell. What you felt when you saw Remus and Zev fighting like rabid dogs over you in the Great Hall. What you felt the second you heard Raice was detained for murder. What you felt when Master Eldritch backed you into a corner and threatened your grade... and when Headmistress Maisie tried to force you into perjury."

I froze. The world around me seemed to stop spinning, plunging into a chilling silence.

I stared at him in utter shock.

"How... How do you know about all of that?"

Had he been following me? Had he paid wardens to shadow my every move? Was there a scrying glass tucked in my pocket that I didn’t know about?

Why on earth was every Prince in these Academies hell-bent on following me?!

He let out an exhale, dropping his hand from my arm and taking a half-step back to give me space, and then, his warm fingers brushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

His eyes softened, looking down at me with an expression so intense that for a wild, fleeting second, my brain convinced itself he was about to lean down and kiss me.

Kiss me? Oh, no. Not another Prince trying to kiss me... especially not one as questionable as Prince Ajax.

It just might be time to find a way to scram out of here... wherever it was.