But as I thought back to the conversation I’d overheard, I knew that that wasn’t right. Whoever he was here to meet didn’t really want to see him. And their business didn’t sound like fun.
I glanced up at the moon, wishing it would take a break from its position in the clear sky above me then darted out into the clearing. I raced to the fence and hurried after Darius as the soft grass bent beneath my feet, muffling my approach.
I kept going, wondering how he planned to get inside the complex before finding out as I reached a patch of the thick fencing which had been melted to create a hole more than wide enough to admit me.
Subtle, Darius.
I slipped inside, carefully avoiding the melted iron which still glowed red with the heat he’d created to destroy it.
For a moment I stalled, unsure of where to go then the sound of angry voices drew me between the houses to my right and around the back of them.
As I drew close, I forced myself to slow, pressing my back to a cold, stone wall as I slid down a narrow alley and took cover behind a low hedge.
“-I told you not to come here!” Orion snarled as he stepped right up into Darius’s face and snatched hold of his grey t-shirt, bunching the expensive fabric in his fist. “If someone were to see you-”
“I think you’re forgetting who you’re talking to, sir,” Darius snarled, shoving Orion’s chest so hard that he stumbled back a step and was forced to release him.
They glared at each other for several seconds as the promise of violence danced on the cool wind before fading away.
“You know how much I care about this,” Orion bit out. “I just don’t want us to fuck it up when we’re so close.”
“So why are we waiting? We know where they are. We could go there now and find them while they’re sleeping - end this once and for all,” Darius pressed, his voice low with anger which seemed ready to burst free at any moment.
“Not yet. If we’re wrong we could end up taking innocent lives,” Orion insisted. “It’s too hard to be sure with the information we have. Just give it a few more days. I’ll see her again, I’ll confirm our suspicions.”
“In a few days they could be even more powerful. You’ve seen what’s happened since the start of term. The longer we give them to adjust to their power, the more chance we have of them figuring out how to harness it and turn it against us. If you’re afraid that you aren’t up to the job then let me call on the others for help. You know they want to destroy them almost as much as we do.”
Orion ran a hand over his face, shaking his head. “It’s too risky. Seth can’t keep his mouth shut, he’d tell every member of his pack before sunrise and Max’s powers soften him to others no matter how much he might deny it's true.”
“What about Caleb then? Or is your petty rivalry too keen for you to look past, even with the threat we face here?” Darius demanded. He started pacing and I shrank back as my heart pounded. Were they talking about us? It sure sounded like it but why were they so threatened by two girls who didn’t even know how to harness our powers yet?
“It’s not about rivalry,” Orion spat. “It’s about strength. You know him better than me but I’d judge him to be too impulsive for this. If he were to strike too soon then all the work we’ve done to get to this point will have been for nothing. The same goes for if we try to kill them now. While we still aren’t sure. What if we fail and they manage to escape us? Or we succeed but we miss something vital and it sets something greater in motion-”
“You’ve been consulting with those damn bones again,” Darius snarled.
“I have,” Orion agreed darkly. “And though they aren’t revealing many answers to me, one thing is clear. This is not our moment.”
Darius fell still, releasing a long breath through his nose as he fought to rein in his temper. “Sometimes I wish we didn’t live in a world where everything was mapped out for us as if our lives are nothing more than pieces in some greater fucking puzzle and we get no say at all.”
Orion sighed, moving closer so that he could place a hand on Darius’s shoulder. “Is this about your father? Is he still putting pressure on you to-”
“Of course he is. It’s all he ever thinks about. It’s like he hasn’t even noticed that the world we live in could be teetering on the edge of chaos.” Darius shook his head before shrugging Orion’s hand off of him. “Don’t worry about my father, I’ll bear the brunt of his wrath as always. Once the other Heirs and I sort out that situation, he’ll back off anyway. You just focus on confirming everything so that we can act.”
“I’m meeting with her again in a few days. I’ll do a reading. Make sure that we have every piece of the truth,” Orion replied with a firm nod.
“And then?” Darius pressed, seeming to need an answer before he’d allow himself to be turned from the path he’d pictured.
“And then... well then we'll do what we have to before anyone finds out it was us.”
“Good,” Darius replied and his face lit with a smile sharp enough to cut glass.
He didn’t bother with farewells before turning and striding away from Orion. My heart leapt as I recoiled further into the shadows but thankfully he chose a different alley and I waited as his footsteps beat a path away from me.
Orion stood there in the moonlight for several seconds, his gaze locked on the alley Darius had taken long beyond the time when he must have moved out of sight.
Eventually he released a curse beneath his breath before turning and marching away too.
I let the minutes tick by as I hid in the shadows. There was only one way back to the Academy from here and I wasn’t going to risk bumping into Darius on the way. If he found out that I’d followed him, he’d probably incinerate me on the spot.
By the time I eased out of my hiding place and crept back into the woods, Darius was long gone. I hurried back along the twisting paths as quickly as I could, aiming for my bed and my Atlas so that I could call Darcy. I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d just overheard but one thing was clear. Darius and Orion were keeping secrets. And if there was even the slightest chance that they involved my sister and I then I intended to get to the bottom of them.
I WAS JUST drifting off to sleep when my Atlas starting pinging. I took it from the nightstand, finding Tory calling me.
My heart beat harder as I tapped the screen to answer, fearful that something had happened to her.
“Tory, are you alright?” I asked.
“Yeah, I'm good. But can I come stay with you tonight? I heard the Heirs plotting to jump me in the morning and...well there's something we need to talk about too.”
“Sure I'll meet you outside Aer Tower,” I said, sitting up with a yawn.
“I'm already here,” she said with amusement in her tone.
I grinned, springing out of bed as the line cut out. I grabbed my sports sweater and pulled it on, heading quietly out into the corridor. My bare feet grew cold against the hard stone floor and I started tip-toeing to save my heels from its icy touch.
Moving into the stairwell, I hurried down at double speed, the tower achingly quiet around me. I made it to the ground floor, only receiving two glares from a couple of students on their way to bed. Win!
I tugged the large iron door open and stepped outside, searching for Tory as the chilly night air blew around me.
“I’m here,” she said, stepping out from behind a bush that clung to the wall. She gave me a frown that said something was bothering her. “If Seth catches me, the game's up.”
“He won't. Come on.” I raised a hand, casting a gust of wind at the Aer symbol above the door to open it again. I led the way inside and Tory kept on my heels as we hurried up the spiralling staircase.
I nearly tripped over a step as I veered into my floor, muttering a curse at myself as I hurried along the corridor to my room. I jammed the key in the lock and a second later we were safely inside.
I gave Tory a triumphant smile but she didn't return it.
“Darcy, s
omething really weird is going on,” she said, dropping down to perch on my bed and planting her bag by her feet.
“What do you mean?” I grabbed the desk chair and turned it around to sit before her.
She pulled her hair over one shoulder, knotting her fingers in it. “I followed Darius tonight. He split up from the Heirs and was acting all shady so I went after him. And he led me right to Orion.”
“Orion?” I breathed in confusion. “Why?”
“They were hiding something.” Tory relayed everything they'd said and my mind snagged on the worst of it all. That it very much sounded like Darius and Orion wanted us dead.
I chewed on my lip as I willed my heart to settle. “Maybe you misunderstood?” I tried and Tory nodded slowly.
“Maybe...but I'm pretty sure.”
“Then what do we do?” I asked.
“What about Falling Star?” she suggested. “Didn't they say something about Orion? That he wasn't telling us everything. Maybe they have the answers.”
I frowned, my gut knotting. “We don’t even know who they are. They could be an Heir messing with us for all we know.” I didn’t like the idea of placing our trust in some unknown source. “What if we’re just playing into the Heirs’ hands by responding to that account?”
“Seems like a weird game to play,” Tory encouraged. “They haven’t exactly said anything to hurt us. Just...confuse us.”
I remained quiet, lifting a hand to wrap my hair in my fingers.
Tory’s brow wrinkled as she looked to me and a flash of pity entered her gaze. “You don’t have to trust them, Darcy. Just see what they say.”
I nodded, giving in as I took my Atlas from my bag. I jumped onto the bed with her, sitting cross-legged as I lay the device on my lap.
I brought up the chat window and tapped out our question to Falling Star as my heart hammered violently beneath my ribcage.
Darcy Vega:
You said there were things we didn’t know about Orion. Care to explain?
We waited in tense silence and I wondered if we shouldn't expect an answer until tomorrow. It was past midnight and most students were in bed by now.
A moment later, three dots appeared at the bottom of the screen, telling me Falling Star was writing a reply.
I shared an anxious look with Tory as we waited in tense silence and finally the message came through.
Falling Star:
I don’t like the company he keeps.
Darcy Vega:
Do you mean Darius?
My heart was fit to burst as we waited on their reply again.
Falling Star:
Yes.
“Holy shit,” Tory breathed in my ear.
I tapped out another question, my teeth clenched together.
Darcy Vega:
Do you know what they’re up to?
Falling Star:
No.
I sighed, lowering the Atlas when another message came through.
Falling Star:
But I do know this…
Anyone in allegiance with the Acrux family is bad news.
Don’t trust them.
Darcy Vega:
But why?
Tory's shoulder pressed against mine as she leaned in closer, both of us hanging on their reply. I was now convinced this couldn’t be the Heirs messing with us.
The three dots taunted us as we waited with bated breath.
Falling Star:
I believe the House of Acrux was involved in the death of your birth parents.
And I have my suspicions that the other Heirs’ families assisted.
I turned to Tory in alarm. “Do you believe this?”
Tory gazed at me, her eyes wide as she thought on it. “I don't know. We don't even know who this Falling Star person is.”
“But if they're right and Darius and Orion are coming after us then...” Fear crackled in my chest.
“Then we're so screwed,” she whispered.
My Atlas pinged as another message came through.
Falling Star:
I can’t share all of the findings through FaeBook. It’s not secure.
But read this and I’ll be in touch soon.
A link came up beneath their message and I clicked on the site, finding myself looking at what appeared to be a news report printed the day after the deaths of our real parents. Heat rolled down my spine as I started reading it.
King Hail Vega, his wife Merissa and their two children, Roxanya and Gwendalina, were found dead in their palace beds at 7:08 yesterday morning. King Hail, termed The Savage King during his reign, and his two children were the last living heirs to the throne of Solaria. Their deaths have now been declared as murder and the evidence points to a calculated Nymph attack involving two or more of the creatures.
With the kingdom already in turmoil, the four Houses of the Celestial Council (Acrux, Rigel, Altair and Capella) have stepped up to rule in King Vega’s place.
Lord Lionel Acrux was the first on the scene in an effort to help his life-long friend King Vega when a distress call was reportedly sent to him. Unfortunately, his arrival came too late and the Nymphs in question still remain at large. The offending Nymphs now possess the magic of the royal line and are the most powerful and dangerous of their kind ever to have existed. A mass hunt has begun in an effort to destroy the creatures before they have time to harness their newly absorbed powers.
The news has been taken with a mixture of grief and celebration since the reign of King Vega was one of hardship and turmoil. Professor Astrum of Zodiac Academy was quoted as predicting what he termed as 'the bloody decades' through Tarot and star charting before the King's ascension. Though dismissed previously, his words have since been adopted to describe the reign of The Savage King and are now printed on banners across the City of Lunar in protest to the millions of aurums being spent on a funeral organised by the royal supporters.
One lead advocate of King Vega and his family, Hamish Grus, demanded that the throne be handed to the nearest royal bloodline. But with only distant cousins remaining in the Vega family, the four houses of the Celestial Council are in opposition to this proposal. They are currently petitioning for the throne to remain empty until an appropriate ruler can be found. Royal blood or not. In the meantime, the four houses will rule together - a motion which has been greeted with open arms by many in Solaria.
I dragged my eyes from the article with a heavy breath and Tory flopped back onto the bed beside me.
“Falling Star could be right,” she said and I nodded.
“The Heirs' families had motive to kill them,” I agreed with a sickly taste in my mouth. “But this report says Nymphs did it. And Diego was telling me they do something weird like... stab you in the heart and suck out the magic with their claws.”
“Ew,” Tory breathed. “There would have been evidence of that.”
“Yeah...” I desperately wanted to rule out the possibility that the Heirs' families could have been involved. That one of them was coming after us. And Professor Orion was helping them. Because if it was true, I didn't know how we'd ever escape.
I sat in Cardinal Magic with a tightness in my chest. Orion was late. And I kept glancing at the door, half-expecting him to march in with a machine gun to take out Tory and I.
Stop getting carried away.
Besides, he wouldn’t need a machine gun, he could cut you to ribbons with his cheekbones alone - not to mention his fangs...
After everything we'd learned last night, I'd barely gotten any sleep. And I'd been dreading this lesson all morning.
Diego looked between us, his pale blue eyes twinkling with concern. “Everything bien? You guys look like the undead today.”
I forced out a laugh but it didn't sound very convincing.
“I missed you last night,” Sofia whispered to Tory. “It's not the same in Ignis without you.”
Tory gave her an apologetic smile. “The Heirs were out for my blood. I had to lay low.”
&nbs
p; Sofia sighed, painting a circle on the table with her finger. “I wish they’d back off.”
Kylie was parading through the room, handing out bright pink leaflets as she danced between the aisles. “Fresher's party in The Orb next Friday!” she said brightly, arriving at our row.
She clutched the leaflets in her hand as she glanced between Tory and I, her rich amber eyes moving between us like a viper about to strike. “Oh I suppose you guys won't be coming.” She waved a leaflet in front of our faces with a mock frown.
“Why?” Sofia took the bait.
“Because no one wants you there,” she said with a poison ivy glare and I bristled with unease.
The door swung open and Orion strode in, causing my heart to clench into a hard ball. He took one, sweeping glance at the classroom then at the leaflets in Kylie's grip.
“No,” he snarled, waving a hand so every single leaflet in the room swept toward him on a violent breeze then slammed into the trash can beside his desk.
Kylie froze, looking to him in alarm, turning as pale as a sheet. “Sir, I-”
“Miss Major if you ever hand out garbage in my classroom again you'll be banned from attending a single one of this year’s formals.”
Kylie's mouth dropped open and I couldn't help the little thrill I got at seeing her knocked down several pegs. Even if it was by a potential psycho.
“But sir!” she gasped.
He flicked his hand and the remaining leaflets were snatched from her grip and torn to shreds, cascading over her in a shower of pink confetti.
Oh my God he could probably do that to me if he wanted to.
Then why hasn’t he yet?
Laughter rang out around us and a small snort escaped me as Kylie turned bright red and rushed back to her seat.
Zodiac Academy: The Awakening: An Academy Bullymance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts Book 1) Page 20
