Page 83 of Prince of the Phantom Sky

As she pushed through the mirror, it rotated, forcing Kordelia to the other side. Burning red eyes ravaged Raiden as her shrill cry was dampened by the tar, attaching to its new host. Kora shot forward at immense speed as Aryn’s arrow returned, her arms reached out to them both.

Raiden fell from the void, his body smarting as he collapsed beside Aryn and Kora. Everyone panted around them, sweat slicking their bodies, Kora’s room in tatters from the Windwards’ power. Kora moaned, her eyes fluttering as her breathing deepened. Sirona rushed to her side, checking her over, probing gently.

With a single nod of her head, everyone collapsed to the floor, their pants in unison as their powers resettled into their bodies.

“That fucking sucked,” Skylar groaned.

36

Kora

Kora’s mind was the calm of the ocean before a storm, the stillness of a ship before a tempest. She rolled her shoulders, her spine cracking as she precariously balanced on the railing of her balcony. Her boots grounded her, crushing the ivy creeping up, as her arms rose above her head.

“Are you sure about this?” she yelled down to Raiden.

He laughed as he stood in a rectangular courtyard spanning this side of the castle. Curated with apple trees and simple, light pebbles. Matching baby’s breath and purple anemone flowers to Kora’s balcony interspersed the trees. Behind Raiden were various lush gardens, before meeting the sloping hill towards Mistros City, surrounded by sequoia trees and sugar pines.

“It’s test day. Time to see what you can do!”

Kora rolled her eyes. It’d been five days since Kordelia had consumed her mind, breaking through the barrier she’d established. It’d been confusing waking up to find Raiden, Skylar, Aryn, Aerion, and Sirona all staring down at her, eyes wide like deer caught by a hunter.

Blood had matted Raiden’s face, Aryn had been scarily pale, yellow bile coating his chin. All five of them were weak, their hair frayed, and her room . . . it was as if a tornado had hit.

Since then, Raiden had decided there was no time for rest. She spent her mornings training with Aryn—and surprisingly Skylar—after a hearty breakfast, then would spend an hour with Aerion learning about history, runes, and weapons. After lunch, she’d train her magic with Raiden until sundown, him determined that mastering magic meant she could grapple control within her mind. He’d been the most insufferable, evading her questions about the past, shying away from getting too close to her, always instructing at a distance.

After sundown, Kora visited Erick every night. Sirona always came with, probing Kora with questions about her new gift. She’d made it clear that she thought it was dangerous, that she believed Kora was upsetting the balance of nature. But she didn’t care if it meant Erick lived. He looked better every day that passed, like her magic was still lingering within him, healing every part of him.

And then came Raiden’s tests. He’d planned weekly tests to see if she’d met his goals, and apparently punishments were to be involved if she failed. She ignored how that made her twitch, a sizzle causing her thighs to squeeze together. Today was the first test day, and he’d asked her to walk off the gods-damned balcony.

“I don’t fancy dying today!” Kora called. No, she was meant to die some other time in the future, hopefully when her mission had been completed and the islands saved.

“Still scared of heights, Huntress?” The smirk was audible from up here.

“No, but normal people don’t walk off balconies.”

“Do you see any normal people here? Come on, Huntress. I’ll catch you if you fall.” Those final words had a slight tease to them, and Kora bit her lip as the heat between her thighs increased. Good gods.

With a deep breath, she lifted one foot and stepped off the balcony. Wind tore at her hair, bouncing off her leathers as she soared to the ground. She willed her elemental blessed strength, fortifying her limbs with imaginary steel. Her essence was growing each day, and Kora revelled in the physical and magical vigour returning to her body.

With a thud Kora landed with one leg knelt, the impact vibrating her skeleton as she grinned up at Raiden. The distance had nearly been higher than leaping from Hell’s Serpent, and pride bloomed within Kora.

“Passed.” He turned on his heel, beckoning her to follow.

“Do I get a prize?” Kora continued biting her lip, surprised at her own confidence as Raiden stilled at her flirtatious nature.

He pivoted, his chest so close to hers all she had to do was breathe deeply and they would touch. “What do you desire, Huntress?” His eyes were even more breathtaking outside. The muted Mist causing them to appear silver, like steel or armour, with nuances of green from the trees and orange from the castle.

“Answers,” Kora replied cheerily. “You promised if I best you in training, I could learn about my past.”

Raiden scoffed before walking away. “I recall Aerion’s stipulations being you had to pin one of us for three seconds—oof!”

Kora barrelled into Raiden, using a sliver of water magic to tangle with his feet. He went flying forwards, surprise on Kora’s side as she used her weight to push him to the ground. He sprawled on the pebbled path as Kora pushed her knees into his back.

“Ouch.” Raiden twisted his head to the side to look back at her with a grin.

“One, two—” Wind caressed her arms, lifting her off him. She groaned as he stood beside her, his magic stroking her neck lightly before fading.

“I think the less you know about your past, the better. We don’t know what it could do to your mind. But we know she can somehow use your understanding of that life to confuse you.”