Here, Darren wasn’t second-born. No one cared that his brother came first. He wasn’t a non-heir when all they saw was a mage. Darren was still a prince, but he was free of the Crown. The masters admired magic and physical prowess, and that was all that mattered.
Darren was no longer the shadow in the corner. He was now the sun lighting up the room.
Much later that night, there was a clatter as Darren was gathering the last of his notes.
It came from up above.
The prince’s gaze shot to the stairs. Someone was here. He wasn’t alone.
Darren got up to investigate, and as his eyes adjusted to the dark, he saw a shadow descending a ladder from the higher floors. As it lowered itself to the stairs, the figure came into the light. He could see its outline through the flickering light in his fist.
When it finally turned around, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
“You?” Darren rasped.
“You’re not the only one who wants to get ahead,” the lowborn stated primly. Her gaze was defiant again. There was no hesitation, just challenge. “You know, us commoners, not all of us are just here to ‘socialize and talk about feelings.’”
For a moment, just a moment, Darren flinched. He had been cruel to her the day before in the hall. They both knew it, and the girl looked like she wanted to slap him across the face.
She was with Ella when she questioned your place.
Darren’s shoulders tensed and his eyes narrowed. He couldn’t believe he had almost apologized.
The girl seemed to recognize his expression. She sighed and broke his gaze, starting toward the door.
She was going to get caught if he didn’t warn her.
“Wait!”
The lowborn spun and Darren cursed his tongue, wondering why he had called out to her in the first place.
The girl shifted from one foot to the other, waiting for him to continue whatever he was planning to say.
“Don’t take the right hall.” The words spilled out of his mouth, and he couldn’t understand why. She was nothing to him. “Barrius had Frederick patrolling there last night.”
“A-all right.” The girl looked so confused. Her face was still lit up by the light in his palm—and Darren stared a moment too long. Her eyes weren’t just gray, he realized; there were flecks of blue too.
Not the blue of ice like his father and Blayne, but blue like a clear, rushing falls. Blue like the sky during that moment, that single moment at dawn, when everything ceased to matter, everything but that moment...
And despite the smell—she must have been mucking the stables, because it was something foul—the girl wasn’t nearly so ragged when she was fighting back a smile.
She might even be pretty.
What in the gods’ name is wrong with you? Darren scowled as he realized he had helped the lowborn despite all desire for the contrary.
“The last thing I need is for you to get caught and make it harder for me to come here at night,” he snapped.
The girl’s smile faded back to a glower of her own. “My furthest intention.” Her tone stated very clearly she shared his sentiment… for whatever this was.
Darren watched her go.
There was something about this girl. He wasn’t sure what it was, but every single time they crossed paths, she had found a way to get under his skin.
She’ll be gone by the end of the month. He had seen how she clutched her books. She was terrified of failure, and she was lowborn.
He was caught between admiration and distaste.
But she snuck out like you. Of all the first-years, she’s the only one who cared enough to risk her neck. She might not be the best, but she’s resilient.
Not even Eve or Priscilla had thought to go to the library. But this girl, whoever she was, had. She was going to fight for her place at the Academy. He had seen it in her eyes.
Something told Darren she would pick Combat. Not just any girl would challenge a prince.
And tonight, the girl hadn’t backed away.
She hadn’t shown fear.
She might be reckless, naive, and stubborn even, but she was a fighter.
And something told him he would want to know her name.
Ryiah and Darren’s story continues in First Year, Book 1 of The Black Mage series.
Author’s Note
If you’d like to be notified of my new releases, special updates, freebies, and giveaways, click the link below to be added to my mailing list:
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE MAILING LIST
If you want to keep up with me in the meantime, you can join my Facebook Fan Group, and follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Amazon.
DID YOU ENJOY THIS BOOK? Please consider leaving a review on the site you purchased it or Goodreads—even if it’s just a sentence or two. Every review makes a difference and helps other readers discover my books! If you leave a review, email me the screenshot or link & I’ll happily mail you a signed bookmark >> no matter what country you reside in.
LEAVE A REVIEW ON GOODREADS
Acknowledgments
This book would’ve never been written without the FANS. You guys are the ones who begged and wheedled for Darren, so thank you for finally convincing me to write this book.
Thank you very much to my awesome sauce beta reader SAKINA MADRAS for giving me the honest truth and your invaluable feedback on this (and also advocating for the fans and begging me to write this in the first place).
I’d also like to give a big thank you to my lovely PROOFERS who helped me in a last-minute crunch. You guys are much better at spotting those pesky typos than me: MIRANDA STEED, SANDRA DEEB, MEGAN MCGORRY, and ASHLEY CHEESMAN.