Zodiac Academy: Fated Throne

by Caroline Peckham

  Smoke coated my tongue as I looked down at it. That wasn't just some random coin. It was a four hundred and thirty-eight year old solid gold aura from King Agrien's reign.

  I smirked as I bent down to retrieve the treasure, my inner Dragon chortling happily as I mentally added it to my treasure pile. Technically I probably should have made some effort to find the original owner and return it, but fuck that. This coin was mine. Mine.

  The other Heirs had already headed to The Orb and I started making my way there, keeping my pace casual as I tugged my Atlas from my pocket and sent Roxy a message. We hadn't really gotten back to messaging each other like we used to yet, but after we'd denied the stars to be together, I was hoping we were back on track at last.

  Darius:

  What are you wearing?

  Our unusual conversation starter made my heart race as I thought about how little she'd been wearing out in that field in a thunderstorm sent to tear us apart by the stars, and I almost didn't notice the glint of gold at the edge of the path to my right. But the Dragon in me wasn't going to miss treasure when it was up for the taking and my head snapped around almost of its own volition as I spotted another coin, this one even rarer - a ten aura piece from Queen Alanara's reign.

  I smirked as I picked it up, rubbing the gold between my thumb and forefinger and enjoying the little thrill of magic I gained from it.

  Just as I was about to turn away from the path, a deep blue gemstone caught my eye further into the trees and I grinned as I headed over to claim it.

  My Atlas pinged as I grabbed the sapphire from the ground and the Dragon in me tasted the hint of water magic lodged in the stone. This wasn't any old sapphire - it was an aqua sapphire, pretty damn rare. And pretty damn mine.

  I added the gemstone to the collection in my pocket and lifted my Atlas to find Roxy's message for me.

  Roxy:

  Just my uniform ;)

  There was a photo attached and I swallowed thickly as I opened the image of her with her skirt removed and her school shirt unbuttoned, revealing her black underwear alongside her knee length school socks and the stilettos she'd taken to wearing to class recently. Her thigh was bare and she'd removed the concealment from her skin so that I could see her tattoo.

  I wanted to go to her so badly that an actual groan escaped me and I just stared at the photo for way too long, wondering if I could convince her to fly out to some remote field somewhere again even though I knew that was a bad idea. If we kept riling up the stars and fighting against the fate they'd dished out for us, I was certain they'd strike back at us somehow. But I also knew I wasn't going to be able to stop. And I was quietly hoping that the stars would eventually see that they owed us a second shot at our destiny if we kept defying them, even if that was dumb as shit.

  Roxy:

  You never did finish telling me that story about you and Max doing that photoshoot at the beach last year…

  I sighed as I realised I had to rein my dick in and forget about the fact that she was dressed up like a wet dream right now. Besides, even if my cock wasn't going to be getting any action from her, I had her attention and I planned on keeping it. If that meant catching her up on stories about me and Max getting mobbed by a group of horny women and having to use our magic to ski away into the ocean, then I was more than happy to do that.

  But as I went to type out that message, a glint of silver caught my eye and I turned to look further into the trees, noticing a delicate necklace hanging there, swaying gently in the breeze.

  It wasn't normal to find treasure scattered through the woods. With a frustrated grunt, I stowed my Atlas in my pocket and narrowed my eyes on the necklace before stalking forward to claim it.

  If ever a trap had been laid for a Dragon, then this was definitely it. But as I lifted the one of a kind, platinum piece of jewellery from the branch, I couldn't help but grin again. All mine.

  Further into the trees, I noticed a golden broach cut with the shield of the Omega family who had died out around a hundred and ninety-six years ago. Nice. Mine.

  I continued on, keeping my guard up as I stalked into the shadows and collected treasure after treasure, unable to stop myself from smirking as I thought about adding them to the chest at the foot of my bed when I got back to my dorm later.

  I finally stepped into a clearing where a golden tiara sat on a rock. A cursory glance told me it was over three hundred years old, encrusted with air crystals and crafted with deft precision. Probably from King Hector's reign. Stunning. Mine.

  "And with one fell swoop, the Acrux Heirs did perish!" Geraldine cried as she dropped a concealment spell that had been hiding her to the side of the clearing and did some kind of weird flourish thing with her arms.

  "What are you playing at?" I asked, noticing Xavier looking a little sheepish behind her as I resisted the urge to place the tiara on my head and added it to the collection in my pocket with the rest of my new treasure. She sure as fuck wasn’t getting any of that back.

  "You both fell prey to my lurings," she said smugly. "If I had been of wicked intent then likely you both would have perished."

  "Not likely," I disagreed. "I was well aware I was walking into a trap and I was more than prepared to fight off whoever the fuck thought they could take me on. You forget I'm one of the most powerful Fae in the kingdom, Grus."

  "Second," she said haughtily.

  "What?" I questioned.

  "One of the second most powerful Fae in the kingdom. Although now I'm thinking on that, I wonder if you’re third really as my ladies jointly claim two places at the top." She tipped her head up towards the sky and placed a finger on her lips as she pondered on that and I arched an eyebrow at her.

  "We disagree on that little nugget of shit, and you well know it. When the Vegas manage to put me on my ass and stand over me in victory, I might consider your point valid. But seeing as that day is unlikely to ever come, I'll sleep happy at night knowing the Heirs and I outrank them."

  Geraldine burst into a fit of laughter, doubling over and clutching her stomach as Xavier raised his eyebrow at her like he was wondering if she was even sane and I folded my arms as I waited her out. It took a long time.

  When she finally straightened again, all signs of mirth had fallen from her face and she looked fierce enough to shift into her Cerberus form and try to rip my head off.

  "The day fast approaches, Master Lizard. Beware the bell that tolls," she said seriously, glaring at me.

  "What?" Xavier asked. "Is that a prediction or something?"

  "No, fine steed, I am not blessed with The Sight, but I do have a river of faith and a mountain of belief in my ladies. Now, quit lollygaging and let us set off." Geraldine took off into the trees and I arched a brow at her retreating back.

  "Where the fuck do you think you're taking us?" I asked.

  "I assumed you wished to visit your mother," she called back without bothering to look at us again and I exchanged a more excited look with Xavier before taking off into the trees after her.

  "Really?" Xavier asked, hurrying to catch up to Geraldine and making me quicken my pace too.

  "Of course. My dearest Papa is expecting us, and he has been making sure she is quite well looked after during her stay at our abode. I am certain you will be most pleased to see how well she is doing," Geraldine explained and I really hoped that was true, because our mom deserved the chance to be happy after so many years chained to that monster she'd been married to.

  We kept pace with Geraldine as she headed through the trees towards the gap in the fence and I nudged my brother to get his attention.

  "What did she lure you into the trees with?" I asked him, knowing his instincts wouldn't have made him follow treasure the way I had.

  "Oh, erm." Xavier blushed a little and I was enough of a dick not to let him off the hook, waiting for the silence to stretch out before he admitted the truth. "Carrots."

  I snorted a laugh and he did too, pulling a juicy orange carrot from his pocke
t and grinning as he took a large bite from it.

  When we made it beyond the fence, Geraldine took some stardust from her pocket and swept us through the heavens to land outside her family's property. It was a huge white manor house set amongst a garden filled with every kind of tree and shrub imaginable, the clear use of expert earth magic making flowers bloom even though it was winter so the whole place was bursting with colour and life.

  Geraldine led us through the gate, using her magical signature to open it and explaining that they’d given the staff the evening off to hide our visit as we walked up the gravel drive.

  I found myself filled with anticipation as we drew closer to the place our mom had been hiding, wishing I could have come sooner and trying not to focus on all the horrendous shit she’d been through.

  We entered the house and I was surprised to find that despite its huge size, the place was homely and cosy, full of warm features and the scent of freshly baked bread in the air. I knew Hamish Grus had been alone since Geraldine's mother had died years ago so I was guessing that he had kitchen staff whipping up the delicious smelling food and I was hoping we would be fed while we were here.

  Geraldine kicked her shoes off and gave us a pointed look which made us follow her lead before delving into the depths of the house down a narrow corridor.

  The smell of cooking food grew stronger the further we went and the sound of laughter drew a smile to my lips. This place wasn't just a house like the one we'd grown up in - it was an honest to fuck home. And I found I really liked the idea of my mom being here.

  "Don't tease me, Kitty," Hamish Grus's rumbling voice carried to us from beyond the door at the end of the hall. "You have me drooling over here and I'm going to need a taste."

  I wrinkled my nose, wondering if Geraldine's dad was fucking one of his staff then wondering why the fuck Geraldine was still walking right towards the door where the sound was coming from.

  "You'll spoil the anticipation," Mom's voice came next and my frown deepened.

  "You know I can't wait, I am such an impatient porcupine," Hamish groaned.

  "Open your mouth then," Mom said with a soft laugh and I growled, shouldering past Geraldine with every intention to rip her father's head off. My mom had come here to escape lecherous old men, not fall prey to another one.

  I threw the door open ahead of me, snarling loudly just as my gaze fell on my mom where she stood beside the oven and Hamish Grus who was sitting in a chair next to a wooden dining table laid out for five. He was a big man, thick with muscle with a shining bald head, a black handlebar moustache and bushy mutton chops which were certainly a choice. Though somehow he managed to pull the look off with an air of ‘I don’t give a fuck’.

  He was leaning back in his chair and had his mouth open and Mom tossed him a bite of bread which he caught between his teeth like a dog, grinning widely as he chewed.

  While I tried to figure out what the fuck I was witnessing, Mom turned to look at me with a squeal of excitement and darted across the room to pull me into a hug.

  I remembered a beat too late to hug her back, smiling as she squeezed me tight and trying to adjust to the difference in her since she'd been freed from Father's control. My chest tightened at the thought of all of the years we'd missed out on. All of the love I'd been lacking while he kept her from me and my heart ached at the thought of it.

  Xavier appeared beside me and she released me to hug him next before falling into a tirade of 'look how big you both are', 'oh and so muscular too', 'my tiny babies are bigger than me now', 'oh look how perfectly you shimmer in the light, Xavier', and so on. We just drank it in, grinning at her and letting her fuss and fucking loving it even while we pretended to groan and downplay her compliments.

  She looked good. Damn good. Her complexion was richer, her eyes bright and full of life and her long, dark hair spilled down her back in waves. I'd never seen her looking like anything aside from the plastic perfection Father expected and it only made me realise how little we'd gotten the chance to know the woman she truly was. She was at home here, wearing a green apron over a sweater dress with a pair of fluffy socks on her feet and a smile bigger than I'd ever seen on her.

  While we stole her attention, Hamish and Geraldine set to work dishing out a huge pot of stew with bread rolls, butter and bottles of wine with a homemade label which said they were made from the Gobblesome Grus Grapes which I was guessing indicated home brewed.

  Mom ushered us to sit down at the round wooden table and we all filled our own plates, not a servant in sight. And from the easy way Hamish handled himself in the kitchen, I got the impression that that was the way it was here. It clearly wasn't like he lacked the funds for staff, but he seemed content to keep his home for his family and I found I really liked that.

  "Thank you for this glorious and most splendiferous meal, Kitty Cat," Hamish said, smiling warmly at my mom as she took a seat beside him and beamed proudly.

  "You know I was only able to cook it because you taught me, Hammy," she teased, smacking his arm playfully and batting her eyelashes before turning to watch me and Xavier take a bite of our food.

  It was nothing like the pretentious shit that we always ate with Father. This meal was warm and wholesome and full of love and I grinned in appreciation across the table at my mom. "This is amazing," I told her honestly.

  "Freaking perfect," Xavier agreed and she beamed before tucking into her own food.

  We stayed there throughout the evening, demolishing our meals and listening to all the fun things Mom and 'Hammy' had been getting up to since she'd come to stay with him.

  They'd been working to build up a list of Fae who were unhappy with Father's rule which Hamish kept referring to as 'la rebellion' without explaining his need to add the 'la'.

  Mom was actually really helpful as far as figuring out who my father’s enemies were because she’d spent years by his side, attending events with him and seeing the relationships he had with many powerful Fae. Father liked to listen to the sound of his own voice, so he’d also vented to her about Fae he didn’t like and given her plenty of ammunition to use against him when Hamish approached them now.

  They were being careful to keep my mom’s involvement out of everything, not letting anyone know she was alive aside from him and I found myself really warming to this man who owed us absolutely nothing and yet had taken her in when she needed help without so much as a question over her loyalty.

  The rebels had been creating networks across the kingdom to help hide the persecuted Orders and get them to safety and they even had the beginnings of some plans to break the Tiberian Rats my father had imprisoned in his Nebular Inquisition Centres free.

  Geraldine gushed about the A.S.S. and how they’d been secretly meeting up still and between the two of them it sounded like there was a strong rebellion growing out of sight, ready to come and stand against my father as soon as we were ready to strike. I mean, yeah, they intended to back the Vegas for the throne, but they were also happy with the idea of me and the other Heirs continuing on as Councillors. They’d just have to accept the fact that the Vegas wouldn’t actually be wearing any crowns when the time came for the kingdom’s new rulers to ascend. Because to claim the throne they’d have to prove they were stronger than us and I had trouble believing that day would ever come to pass.

  Aside from their work against my father, Mom had thrown herself into being domesticated. She was learning to cook and bake and spending time with Hamish while they worked on honing their earth magic - hence all the beautiful plants everywhere. In short, she was happy. And the knowledge of that soothed the pain and heartache in my soul in a way I hadn't even realised I'd been needing.

  She gushed about getting to choose what time she woke up in the mornings and picking her own clothes and the evening she’d spent reading a book just because she felt like it, and my heart ached for the life she’d been trapped in. But here she was finally free, and it felt so damn good to just have something to be happy abo
ut for once that I bathed in it for the entire evening, never wanting to leave this little place of contentment.

  The Gruses might have been pretty damn weird at times, but they were seriously good people and I owed them a debt that I would never be able to pay back. So I'd have to settle for killing my father and making sure this bubble of peace was able to extend beyond these walls one day.

  “T uck your hineys!” Washer called as we did squats in the mud, the rain beating down on us on the Pitball pitch.

  We never shielded from the weather while we were training so we got used to all conditions during a match. No magic could be wasted for that when we had to reserve it all for fighting the opposition. Washer had had some mercy on the cheerleading squad at least after making them rehearse in the pouring rain until their costumes were drenched, and he’d finally let them head off to the changing rooms to shower.

  “Do we really need to do any more of this shit?” Darius barked at Washer who was casting the rain away from himself as he sat on a fold out chair in some lycra shorts and a yellow turtleneck sweater.

  He’d taken over Pitball training since Professor Prestos had been overwhelmed by all the extra classes she was teaching. He didn’t even freaking like Pitball and his grasp on the rules was next to none.

  Nova apparently didn’t give a damn if our team went to the dogs. She probably hadn’t even noticed, what with her head being so far up the King’s ass. I got the feeling she’d assigned Washer to this role to punish him for breaking up with her too. But the only ones really getting punished were us.

  “No, you’re quite right, Mr Acrux,” Washer called. “Pair up. Boys with girls. That’s it, you can pair with Mr Capella, Miss Vega,” Washer directed Seth over to me while wetting his lips thirstily, giving me the chills. He paired up the rest of the team, taking his time over deciding who went with who like it mattered. “Mmm that’s it, now all the girls get on your backs and stretch one leg as far over your heads as you can. Boys, press your weight down on their thighs to really widen the stretch.”