Zodiac

by Romina Russell

  I follow the sound, as if I’m an object in Space being sucked by its gravitational pull. The voice is coming from Helios. I reach a hand out to the burning mass and dip my fingers in its yellow light.

  Then I vanish.

  11

  I’M NOT IN THE SHADOW WORLD, and I’m not in the Ephemeris. . . . I’m in a kind of passage through Space. Objects are whizzing by me—meteoroids, stars, debris. Everything is moving too fast, like I’m in a slipstream.

  Who are you?

  The commanding voice booms through the wind tunnel, and an inhuman coldness grips my heart.

  Rho Grace. Guardian of the Fourth House, Cancer.

  There are stories about the original Guardians that say they didn’t use Rings to communicate through the Psy. The stories claim they could manipulate Psynergy without external aids. After all, they were once part of the night sky.

  Ophiuchus? I chance.

  The instant I speak the name, I glimpse a face. A face from my childhood nightmares.

  Colorless, hairless, with eyes as black as the night—the thirteenth Guardian has features carved from ice. He flutters in the wind like a clear flame. You are a child. A girl. How dare you look upon me? How did you access this dimension?

  I heard a voice . . . coming from Helios.

  Impossible! I glimpse a hand reaching toward me through the darkness. Then his whole body blinks into view, solid and glassy. You are a mere mortal. You could not have heard me. Now I will learn the truth for myself.

  His hand is so close I almost dodge—then I remember. He can’t touch me in here.

  Why did you attack—

  But I never get the rest of my question out. His frosty fingers close around my head and squeeze.

  I scream as his icy grip burns through me. This can’t be happening—it’s not real, he can’t be touching me—

  And yet, I can sense him probing through my thoughts, reviewing my memories. I struggle against him, but he’s like a block of ice. He pulls me in closer, and I see his tongue melting and refreezing in his mouth.

  So you are on my tail, are you? His touch infects me with winter, and I feel every organ and muscle within me frosting over.

  Let go of me!

  Shockingly, he does.

  You are no threat. They will never believe you. He glares at me, his eyes like black holes. Even still: Speak of me again, and you will die.

  I’m trembling so hard, I can barely feel my fingers as I reach around the floor blindly with my hand, trying to grip the black opal. When I find it, I shut the Ephemeris down.

  Once the starry projection blinks off, the phantom vanishes, and the room is gray and ordinary again. I rub my head. The pain where he gripped me is gone.

  I have no idea how any of that happened—but there’s no time to wonder. I have to warn Virgo and Gemini they’re next.

  Speak of me again, and you will die. The ice man’s threat clangs through my skull.

  But whatever the risk, I can’t let Ophiuchus ambush them the way he ambushed us. I have to tell the other Houses what’s coming.

  Opening my mind to fuse with the Psy, I touch my Ring and launch the urgent alarm. Wake up! Virgo and Gemini are in danger! Ophiuchus was behind the attack on Cancer, and he isn’t finished!

  Harsh squeals scramble my thoughts.

  What’s wrong with the Psy? I can’t sense the communal mind. It’s like it’s not there anymore—but my Ring is heating up.

  A voice hisses through the chaos of psychic noise, like a gravelly breath of wind. I warned you not to speak.

  I gasp. Ophiuchus is in the Psy—any attempts I make to access it will make me vulnerable to him. I try to yank off my Ring, but it’s stuck.

  Bitter laughter grinds through my mind. No one will believe you, little girl. And now you’re going to die.

  With a hard pull, I wrench off the scorching Ring and throw it to the floor. Still barefoot, I grab my Wave and flee from the lecture hall, where half a dozen Zodai are working the nightshift. I must look wild, because they turn and gawk.

  “Where’s Mathias’s room?”

  As soon as I say the words, I realize Mathias is the wrong person. He’s not going to be easy to convince. I’ll need backup. “Actually, where’s the girl from Sagittarius, Nishiko Sai?”

  I follow one of the Zodai as she leads me down a bisecting corridor, to the girls’ bunkroom. As we run, my thoughts tangle. If Ophiuchus strikes me here, he could kill everyone on Oceon 6. He could even attack our planet. I can’t let that happen.

  But I can’t let him silence me either, or more innocent people will die. The Houses must be warned—immediately.

  The Zodai leads me to one of the spokes of the wheel-shaped satellite. Nishi’s quartered in a storage hold that’s been commandeered as a dorm. About twenty folding cots are wedged into the space, and the light’s almost too dim to see who’s who.

  While the bewildered Zodai waits near the door, I tiptoe among the sleeping bodies, searching for Nishi. Finally, I spot her black hair spilling across her pillow, and I shake her awake.

  “Huh? Who is it?”

  “Nish—it’s me. Hurry.”

  My voice is like a shot of wake-up gas because she shoots up, sleep forgotten, and follows me outside.

  “That research you’ve been doing, is it with you?”

  “Always.” She touches the heavy Tracker on her wrist.

  “Beam me anything new you find, okay? I’m going to need it.” I unfold my Wave and mate it with her Tracker for a download of what she’s found so far. “The blast on Thebe was definitely triggered by the Thirteenth House.”

  Nishi’s eyes go wide. “You saw that in the stars?”

  “Virgo and Gemini are next. I have to warn them.” I shut my Wave and glance at the Zodai, who’s watching us in confusion. Should I tell Nishi about Ophiuchus’s threat on my life? The memory of his hatred blows through me again, and I feel queasy. I peek up at the ceiling, half expecting to see a rain of fire.

  Nishi follows my gaze. “What is it, Rho?”

  The Zodai is eavesdropping, and since I don’t want to spread a panic, I turn and face her. “Please take us to see Advisor Mathias Thais, quickly.”

  Nishi frowns. “You want me to come, too?”

  “Please. I need your help.”

  We sprint down the corridor at top speed, and I try to sort through the chaos in my mind. Two things I know for certain. One, Ophiuchus will strike Virgo and Gemini very soon, and I have to warn them. Two, he’s determined to stop me from speaking up, which could mean striking me here.

  I can’t Wave the other Houses because holograms can be faked. I can’t use the Psy because Ophiuchus will kill me before I get the words out. There’s only one option left.

  I see the answer in my mind, but I don’t want to face it. After everything that’s happened, home is where I want to be.

  I’ve never left the Crab constellation, and I have no special skills outside the Psy—the one place I now have to avoid. I’ve no business traveling through Space.

  But I have to draw Ophiuchus away. The only way to save home is to leave it.

  12

  MATHIAS ANSWERS ON THE FIRST KNOCK.

  When he opens the door, his dark hair is mussed and his collar’s undone, like he passed out in the middle of working. Nishi and I dart in.

  “Before you disagree, hear me out,” I start, breathing hard from our run. “I was just reading the Ephemeris when I saw a warning for Virgo and Gemini. And then—when I was leaving—I heard this voice, and it’s just what Nishi and I thought! Someone from the Thirteenth House caused our moons to collide—”

  “Slow down,” says Mathias, cupping my shoulder firmly. “What—”

  “I can’t slow down. He’s going to strike Virgo and Gemini next.”

  “Who?”
r />   “Ophiuchus.”

  Mathias’s expression settles into an uneasy grimace, but I refuse to see it.

  I describe everything I saw in the Ephemeris: the Dark Matter around Virgo and Gemini, the voice inside Helios, the phantom made of ice and wind . . . but I hold back his death threat. Mathias—I mean, my Advisors—will never let me go if they know someone’s trying to . . . to murder me.

  “I have to warn them,” I say, shaking my head to refuse the desk chair he pulled out for me. He keeps his hand on my shoulder, and it feels like the only thing anchoring me to the ground. “I can’t wait another moment—”

  “Rho, settle down.”

  The soothing quality of Mathias’s voice is different from what it was when I showed up. The more upset I get, the calmer he becomes. This is going exactly how I didn’t want it to.

  I take a few breaths and make my voice as even and sane-sounding as I can. “Please, Mathias, I’m asking you to trust me—”

  “Where did you leave your shoes?” The way he asks the question, it’s clear he isn’t listening.

  The fact that being barefoot makes me less trustworthy to Mathias is so ridiculous that I’m suddenly angry. The current of emotion takes control of my vocal cords, and I can’t hold my feelings back. “I know you don’t think I should have been made Guardian.”

  His whole face slackens like it’s been slapped. Even Nishi edges along the wall, like she doesn’t want to be contaminated by the conversation. What I’m going to say next will only make it worse, but even if it costs me his friendship—a friendship I fought hard to earn—I can’t let Mathias ignore my warnings. Not if it means more people will die.

  “You thought it should have been you.”

  His face flushes dark and he backs away, letting his hand fall off my shoulder. “We each have our duty, Guardian.” His voice comes out low and taut. “I know mine.”

  My heart hammers its dissent to what I’ve done. I want to take back what I said and beg his forgiveness. But there are too many lives in my hands to stop and worry about my own.

  “If that’s true,” I say, “then as your Guardian, I’m asking—I’m begging—you to trust me. Nishi, could you show him your files?”

  She unpeels herself from the wall and goes through all the literature with him on her Tracker. The whole time, Mathias reads the red holograms with stony eyes, and I realize I’ve gone about this wrong. Angry Mathias is no better than skeptical Mathias.

  “If Ophiuchus is immortal, why haven’t we heard from him before?” he asks. “Why has he waited all this time to get his vengeance?” His hardened tone means I won’t get anywhere with him fast.

  I glance up at the ceiling, half expecting Ophiuchus to blow it apart and send us floating into soundless Space. Every minute, he gets closer to his next attack. Time for plan B.

  “Mathias, it’s fine if you don’t believe me, but I need you to find me a ship. Something with an autopilot that even someone who’s never flown could fly.”

  He snaps his gaze from me to Nishi, gauging how serious I am by her reaction. When she doesn’t contradict me, Mathias turns and pours me a glass of water from the carafe near his bed. “You’ve been up too many hours, Rho. This was an emotional night, and you’re not thinking straight.”

  I brush off the glass he offers me. “You’re not hearing me! I’m going to change into my compression suit, and by the time I return, I need a ship. I’m leaving immediately.”

  “Take it easy.” Mathias sets down the water and digs into a bin. He pulls out a pair of socks. “Sit down.”

  “No.”

  He pivots me around by the shoulders and pushes me down on the bed.

  “Mathias, stop—” My protest dies in my throat when he kneels and starts sliding the socks on my feet. His hands are warm and gentle, and when he’s done, he meets my gaze. His blue eyes are soft, and I know this time I’m looking at my friend, and not the Zodai who doubts me.

  “Please say you believe me, Mathias.”

  He doesn’t look away, and as I watch the transformation in his eyes again, I realize the person Mathias is fighting is himself. Like me, he wants so much for us to be on the same side in every situation.

  But we’re not.

  “I believe that you believe,” he whispers.

  The thing I’d been trying to avoid since being named Guardian is now unavoidable. I will always have Mathias’s allegiance and protection . . . but I don’t have his trust.

  “Let’s consult Admiral Crius,” he says, standing up.

  “We don’t have time,” I argue, also rising. “He’ll laugh in my face.”

  Mathias starts moving his lips, conversing through the Psy, and I wring his hands in panic. “Stop! Ochus is in there. He’ll hear you.”

  “All right. Relax. I’ll use my Wave.” With a patient sigh, Mathias takes the clam from his pocket, unfolds it, and calls my three most senior Advisors. I hope this way is Ochus-proof.

  Ten minutes later, Crius, Agatha, and the holographic Dr. Eusta meet us in the lecture hall. I’ve changed into my skintight black compression suit, my Wave and the black opal in my pocket. I pick up my Ring from the floor and stuff it in with the rest.

  My hair is still long and wavy like a mermaid’s, the way Leyla styled it, and I find myself wishing I could have said goodbye to her and Lola. I packed the Zodai suit they made me, along with the velvety makeup and glossing hair spray. Mathias’s distrust tonight made one thing clear: When selling the unbelievable, appearances matter.

  I waste the first five minutes of the meeting having to insist Nishiko be allowed to attend. So far, she’s the only person who believes me, and I need an ally. When we’re all seated, I repeat what I told Mathias. I show them Nishi’s research, and I tell them my plan.

  Only Dr. Eusta laughs. Crius snarls, and Agatha wants me to consult the Ephemeris once more . . . but I can’t face that monster again.

  “This ice phantom,” says Crius. “You say you touched him?”

  “I did. I felt his skin.” I don’t mention that he tried to crack my skull.

  “And how does one touch a phantom?” Dr. Eusta’s hologram asks. “I think the salt water you drank at the ceremony is addling your brain.”

  I throw up my hands. If my instructors had taken my test results seriously the first time, we might have saved lives. I can’t let my Advisors’ distrust condemn the people of Virgo and Gemini. I won’t stay silent anymore, not when speaking out can make a difference. No one here can help me now.

  In a nervous voice, very unlike her usual assertive one, Nishi speaks to my Advisors for the first time. “You should listen to Rho. You may regret it if you don’t.”

  Mathias scrutinizes her, then me. I’m so furious with him that I’m trembling. Does he really think I would be going through this if I wasn’t sure of what I saw? How can he swear his allegiance to me on his Mother’s life, and a few hours later turn his back when I need him the most?

  He’s just like Dean Lyll, Admiral Crius, Dr. Eusta. . . . They don’t take my readings seriously because they don’t take me seriously. They don’t respect me. Mathias doesn’t respect me.

  He seems to read the emotions in my eyes, because he turns to my Advisors and—to my bewildered relief—says, “Would it do any harm to alert the other Houses? Just to be safe?”

  Dr. Eusta shakes his head, only it’s more of a jerk. “That would completely undermine our credibility.”

  I have to make a deliberate effort not to hit something. “We Cancrians are people of honor,” I plead. “Twenty million of our citizens have just died. How many more will die on Virgo and Gemini if we don’t warn them to take precautions?”

  Crius crosses his legs. “The Houses don’t have a history of mutual trust. When they hear this overblown tale, they may suspect us of treachery.”

  I feel the short hairs on my ne
ck standing on end. “Look, you chose me to be Guardian. My job is to read the stars, and I have. We can’t wait longer.”

  Agatha rests her cane across her knees. “Mother’s right. We must take her word on faith. Let’s send the alert.”

  I blink, stunned by her support, by the sudden reversal of the tide. She touches her Ring and moves her lips, and I spring over and grip her hand. “He’s in the Psy. He’ll hear you!”

  She stares at me, wide-eyed. “Then how do you propose we do this?”

  “An encrypted Wave,” suggests Mathias. “Or we could send a hologram.”

  “They won’t believe a hologram.” When she says this, Nishi looks directly at Dr. Eusta.

  “Exactly,” I say. “Trust Only What You Can Touch. Holograms can be counterfeit, and encryptions aren’t foolproof. I have to go in person to prove my warning is real.”

  “You’ll go yourself?” When I nod, Agatha leans back in her chair. She seems to be studying me with new interest.

  “Impossible!” barks Crius. “Our people need you here. We’ll send someone else.”

  “Who?” I ask. “Which one of you believes what I’m saying?”

  For a minute, no one speaks. Anyone could read the doubt on my Advisors’ faces.

  “I’m the one who saw Ophiuchus. I’m the only one they’ll believe.” When they still look doubtful, I stand up and say, “I need a ship with an autopilot.”

  “Out of the question!” roars Dr. Eusta.

  “I agree. It’s far too risky,” says Agatha, and now the tide’s turned back against me.

  “Do you think I want to leave home?” I snap, for the first time sounding semi-hysterical to myself. I take a deep breath and with my eyes closed say, “We can’t stand by while Virgo and Gemini are attacked.” I turn to Mathias and make my voice deeper and steadier. “Advisor Thais, I order you to find me a ship that I can take to the other Houses, alone. Please.”

  He glares at me, and while we stare, no one interrupts. Then he starts speaking soundlessly, and as the others begin to do the same, Nishi pulls me aside. “Don’t leave me behind, Rho. You said I could help.”