Novels by Hunith

Lys’s POVThirty minutes later, Lys pushed open the door to the training hall storage room. The faint smell of scorched cloth still lingered in the air from earlier.A few students paused and stared as he crossed the floor and went straight to the instructor’s observation balcony.They had obviously heard of his outburst in the council. At Ardentum academy, walls had ears and it wouldn’t take long for the entire Central Eldara to hear of his defiance.“Lys you are so dead…” he muttered to himself. His father was going to kill him and hang his body on the gates of the city, when he got back.The vault below was open when he got there. Warden Mira stood beside it, marking inventory.“Warden,” Lys called down, “was any weapon reported missing this morning?” he asked.The woman looked up, blinking at him. “Not until after the spar between Dorian and Kael. A ceremonial blade, standard training issue. Why?” she replied.“Where was it found?” he asked, not answering her question. He didn’t h

Lys’s POVThe Council Chamber at Ardentum Academy stood at the heart of the Spirehall, a ring of ironwood chairs carved with ancient symbols, facing inward beneath a stained-glass dome.The air buzzed with muted magic and muffled indignation. A student had used unauthorized magic against another student during a sparring drill, claiming that it was for defense against a hidden blade held by the other student.Both of which were a rule violation in the academy.Lys Ardent knew the truth, they had only gathered the head council because the said student was Dorian Vale. If any other student had been in Dorian’s place, then the council would not even be needed, because they would have been expelled.Lys sat rigid in his chair, eyes trained on the center where Kael’s name had just been read aloud, again.He was only allowed in the head council meeting because someone had to represent his family name. His father was on a trip, and both his brothers were not on academy grounds to attend the

Kael’s POVThe air changed immediately, denser, colder, like the space here remembered things no one else did.Kael didn’t have any magic, but he could tell that the magic of the place was old. It felt wrong for him to be there. It crawled along his skin, like vines brushing up his arms, whispering things in a language no tongue could form.They’d tossed him in here like garbage. As if he were some curse to be hidden away. The forbidden ruins of all places! It was clear as day that they wanted him dead, and what better way to get rid of the pain in their asses than by throwing him there to die.His stomach grumbled. Kael sighed. If he didn’t die of some ancient curse lurking in the shadows, he was sure going to die of hunger and starvation.Deciding to at least explore the place before he died. Kael stood up and took a single step forward. When nothing happened, he swallowed hard and kept walking.His footsteps echoed through the halls, dust-covered stone cracked with age, murals long

Kael’s POVThat evening, after classes, Kael stepped into the practice yard for assigned sparring drills with the other students. The yard was a circle of cracked flagstones and magical wards, humming faintly with protective runes. Students circled it like hawks, waiting their turns.Kael’s name was called first, followed by Dorian Vale’s. That only meant one thing, they were going to spar each other.The crowd grew quieter, waiting for the fight to start. He didn’t know why his Instructors and Masters always insisted on him taking part in training drills; it wasn’t like he could win, because everyone already knew who was going to win the spar.Kael had no chance against one of the best students in their class.Kael groaned as he stepped into the circle, waiting for his doom. His body still ached, so it was going to happen sooner than expected since he couldn’t hold on for long.Dorian stepped forward, smug and shining. Garron’s younger brother, though the bloodline didn’t need to be

Kael’s POVThe morning bell at Ardentum Academy peeled through the sky like a sword through silence, sharp and unwelcome, especially to Kael who was not ready to get up from the comfort of his hard bed.Kael climbed out of bed groggily, his limbs heavy with the kind of weariness that didn’t fade with sleep. Every joint ached, and when his bare feet touched the cold stone floor, he hissed under his breath.His bruises from the night before had stiffened, making even simple movements a quiet war. Kael couldn’t shake off the memory of last night. The low growl still echoed in his mind, primal and close, too close.Something had moved in the shadows, something not human. Whatever it was, it had sent Dorian and the others running without a word, their faces pale with fear. And that terrified Kael more than anything.He winced as the bell sound echoed again across the ivy-wrapped towers of the academy; a warning to students who were still in their beds to get up and get moving.He quickly g

Kael’s POVThe breath burned in Kael’s chest, sharp and dry, like he’d inhaled thorns. Branches whipped across his arms, slashing his skin, and roots snatched at his boots as he ran deeper into the forest.Kael didn’t look back. He couldn’t afford to look back. Not with the boys behind him; laughing, shouting, gaining ground.“Run, Weaveless!” one of them bellowed. “You think you can hide in the trees forever?”Their voices echoed in the dying light, cruel and wild, and Kael pushed harder, lungs screaming, legs trembling.Another voice cut through the dusk, louder and cockier. “He’s fast for a gutter rat!”“Must be all those years running from bath water,” a third sneered, and the others howled with laughter.Kael gritted his teeth as his foot caught a raised root and he stumbled, nearly falling.“Careful now!” someone jeered. “Don’t break those twiggy legs, Kael! Wouldn’t want you limping into the ruins like the rest of your kind!”“Aw, don’t be like that,” came another voice, Decker