Chapter 2｡｡
The sun, a cold white coin in a pale sky, beat down upon the training yard. It was an amphitheater of ritualized violence, and today Corvin Umbraea was the main event.
Around him, the shouts of the sword masters cut through the air, but the only sound that truly mattered to him was the low, mocking rumble of Kael’s laughter.
Kael was everything Corvin was not. He was a slab of muscle and bone, his face a rough-hewn canvas of minor scars, his movements as direct and brutal as an axe strike. The other princes, his loyal and vicious pack, stood in a loose circle, their faces alight with anticipation.
At sixteen, Corvin Umbraea moved through the shadowed halls of his home like a ghost. He kept his head bowed, his emerald eyes focused on the intricate patterns of the cold stone floor, as if to find meaning in the chaos of his life.
Today, his destination was the library, a rare sanctuary in the heart of the palace's brutal indifference. The training yard, a distant amphitheater of shouted commands and clashing steel, was a sound he had learned to tune out. He was just a few paces from the library doors when a voice, like the rasp of a rusty blade, stopped him cold.
Kael Umbraea (Crown Prince)
Leaving so soon, brother?
Corvin kept his gaze fixed on the ground. He had mastered the art of non-existence. He could not run, so he learned to be a ghost. He continued to walk, each step a silent prayer that Kael would let this one go.
Kael Umbraea (Crown Prince)
Did you not hear me?
Kael's voice was closer now.
Kael Umbraea (Crown Prince)
Are you so intent on being a coward that you cannot even acknowledge your betters?
Corvin's knuckles whitened around the worn leather spine of the book he clutched to his chest. He took a single, deliberate breath.
Corvin Umbraea (Prince)
I heard you, Kael. But I have no desire to waste my time.
A low, guttural laugh came from behind him, followed by the sound of heavy boots on stone.
Kael Umbraea (Crown Prince)
Waste your time? You are a waste of a prince. You disgrace our blood with your… your effeminate air.
A hand, heavy as a stone slab, slammed into his back, pushing him forward. He stumbled but did not fall.
Corvin Umbraea (Prince)
I am a prince of the Umbraea. That is my name,
Corvin said, his voice a low, steady whisper that held an ice that went far deeper than Kael’s rage.
Kael Umbraea (Crown Prince)
Then act like it.
He grabbed Corvin’s arm, his grip a vice, and shoved him towards the training yard.
Kael Umbraea (Crown Prince)
You will not hide in your books like a common scholar. You will fight. Now.
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