Zodiac Academy: The Awakening

I SAT ACROSS from Professor perfect-manicure Prestos who had been assigned as my Liaison while she tap, tap, tapped away on her keyboard. We’d had a thirty-five second conversation during which she had let me know that she intended to conduct this relationship via email after this meeting. She had zero interest in giving up her personal time to me a couple of evenings a week and was confident that sending me worksheets and corresponding online would be more than sufficient to bring me up to speed.

Aside from the fact that I was clearly not invited to spend more time with her than absolutely necessary, she did seem to know what she was talking about and had been forthright, if a little short, with the answers to every question I’d had.

She was currently in the process of sending me at least fifty emails containing information on everything from the history of Changeling Fae to news articles about our birth parents to resisting Coercion and even casting it: If I could learn to Coerce some of the asshole students in retaliation to their efforts against Darcy and me then I was definitely up for that and Prestos had encouraged a fighting back attitude which I appreciated.

From the example sheet she’d given me to peruse while she worked, I got the feeling that this was going to work out well for both of us. Though she clearly didn’t want to be directly involved with me more than absolutely necessary she was more than happy for me to contact her with any questions – strictly online – and the information she’d provided was thorough and easy to understand. I just needed to stop by her office every now and then so that she could sign off on our lessons together so that it looked like I’d physically attended. Simple.

She’d even given me a credit card with access to my sizeable stipend, emailed me a map and shuttle bus timetable for the local town and thrown in some advice on the best shops there for free. And judging by her outfit, her advice was well worth taking.

We were going to get on just great.

“Okay then, Tory,” she said with a flourish as she hit send. “I’ll have a meeting with you after The Reckoning once you earn your official spot in the Academy and we can discuss the new classes which will be added to fill in your timetable then. Other than that, I have a date in town and I’m already running late.”

She got to her feet and I followed suit as we moved towards the door.

“Well I hope you make him work for it,” I said, eyeing the tight fitting black dress she was wearing with a smirk.

“I always do, don’t worry,” Prestos replied with a grin before locking her door and strutting away from me in her three inch heels.

Well that was a lot less painful than I expected. What to do with my evening of freedom?

After spending half the afternoon traipsing back through the woods soaking wet and missing most of our following class, I had no desire to face The Orb for the dinner rush where no doubt all of the Heirs would be holding court and laughing about Seth’s prank.

I made my way down the steps of Neptune Tower where the brief meeting with Prestos had been held and looked up at the sky where the sun had begun to set. It was just eight-thirty and I wondered if I should try to contact Darcy. We’d had a Coercion practice session with Sofia after our last class of the day and I already felt slightly more confident at fighting it off but now I wasn’t sure what to do with myself.

 The campus was massive and there were countless places we hadn’t seen yet. I opened my satchel to search for my Atlas to call my sister but after a good few minutes of rifling through I had to accept that I’d forgotten it back in my dorm and I gave up with a sigh.

The evening was warm, a breeze filled with the memory of summer washing around me.

I crossed the path which led back towards The Orb and headed the other way, following the curve of the hill into the trees which marked the edge of The Wailing Wood.

I hesitated, after spending so much of the afternoon in those trees I wasn’t exactly keen to go in again but if I went the other way I’d have to pass The Orb and all its merry occupants. Where we’d grown up there was very little in the way of forests or any kind of nature at all. It was all stone and steel, urban and boring, the idea of heading into the silence beneath the trees was tempting enough as an alternative to any further interaction with my classmates today.

I glanced over my shoulder, making sure no Heirs or anyone else were coming my way but the path behind me was totally clear.

I moved further into the trees and followed the winding path up a hill which grew steeper the further I went. This would be a good place to run just as soon as I bought some workout clothes with the credit card which was burning a hole in my pocket already. Running always helped me clear my head and I could definitely use a bit of clarity these days. There was a huge leisure centre beside The Orb with every workout machine known to man but the one time I’d popped my head in there I’d spotted the Heirs lifting weights and decided against it. Besides, I’d always liked running in the fresh air.

As I made it to the top of the hill, I noticed a thin trail which led away into the woodland.

In all of my years in foster care I’d never had the opportunity to spend a lot of time in the great outdoors. And though I was a city girl through and through, the joyful cries of the birds heading to roost filled me such a sense of peace that I found myself wanting to just sit and admire it for a while. Besides, my only other option was returning to my room for the night and it was still so early that that idea was practically tragic.

I stepped off of the path, following the trail until I came to an open patch of ground on the top of a rock face which overlooked the campus below.

The dirt beneath my feet was well trodden and I could tell that this was a spot favoured by other students. There was a ring of tree stumps in the widest part of the clearing which had been set up as a seating area but I ignored them in favour of a more sheltered spot. There was no sign of anyone nearby so I took a seat by an uprooted tree at the far left of the space, away from the well-used area where I could look out over the view with my back pressed to its trunk and just hide from the world for a little while.

The view over the valley was beautiful. It was an endless sea of green treetops with countless birds swooping back and forth. As I watched, a huge eagle burst out of the trees, shooting high into the sky with a cry of triumph. My heart leapt as I realised it wasn’t just an eagle – it had the hind legs of a lion which kicked out behind it as its powerful wings lifted it higher and higher into the sky. 

My lips parted as I watched the Griffin circling above the forest and my brain struggled to accept the unbelievable sight. I guessed that it must have been one of the students who had shifted into their Order form but learning about such things and seeing them in the flesh were insanely different. That creature defied nature and yet as I watched the movements of its powerful body, I couldn’t help but appreciate the beauty of it too.

After around half an hour, the Griffin grew tired of circling the treetops and descended out of sight again. The last rays of the sun sent a glimmer of light dancing from the top of The Orb in the distance and the temperature began to drop.

The sun slowly sank out of sight and I began to wonder if I should leave before the light was stolen entirely and I was forced to navigate the trail out of here in the dark.

I pressed my hands to the cool ground beside me and began to push myself upright just as the sound of laughter reached me.

A shiver raced down my spine as one of the voices was raised above the others in a mockery of a howl. I had the feeling I knew exactly who was heading my way and they were the last people I wanted to meet while I was alone in the woods. I’d presumed that Darcy meeting the four of them here had been an unlucky coincidence but maybe it wasn’t. Maybe this was where they liked to hang out, away from all the other students.

I glanced around at the small clearing and shuffled further into the hidden spot behind my fallen tree. Unless they came right around it they wouldn’t see me and as much as I hated to hide from a bunch of bullies, I knew that I didn’t stand a chance against any of them alone, let alone all four together.

I shifted so that I could peek out into the clearing between the roots of the upturned tree while remaining concealed by it.

“I heard something pretty interesting today, Darius,” Seth cooed as he stepped into the clearing, dropping down on a stump which formed part of the circle. He’d tied his long hair in a bun at the nape of his neck and it brought out the angles in his face more noticeably than usual.

“Hang on a second,” Max said as he entered the clearing alongside Darius. “If you’re going to get emotional over this then I want in on your pain.”

“If you must,” Darius said, giving a half-assed attempt to seem irritated about it as they took two more of the stumps for themselves and Max threw an arm around his shoulders.

After what he’d told me about Sirens, I guessed he was planning on feeding on Darius’s power and I was surprised that the Ignis Heir was allowing such a thing so casually.

“Well,” Seth said, pausing dramatically. “I heard that you’ve promised Marguerite a meeting with your parents the next time they come for a visit.”

Darius snorted a laugh as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and Max was forced to shift with him to maintain the contact between them. “Well she can certainly come up with some creative stories even if she’s less imaginative than a potato in the bedroom.”

Seth barked a laugh which actually sounded half bark and Max grinned.

“Still all set to marry your cousin then?” Caleb teased as he emerged from the trees, rearranging his fly in a way that made me think he’d just been taking a piss. Lovely.

Darius released a noise that was more of a growl than anything else and the others all laughed in response.

“I’m not marrying my fucking cousin. Besides, she’s my second cousin,” Darius muttered and it sounded like this was something they’d discussed plenty of times before.

“Okay then, are you all set to marry your second cousin? And did she ever manage to get rid of that growth on her face?” Caleb jibed.

“What growth on her face?” Darius asked, his lips twitching with amusement.

“No, Caleb. That growth is her face. Remember?” Max said and the three of them fell about laughing while Darius tried to maintain the pissed off vibe for several seconds before caving to the laughter too.

“Ah, your joy tastes so much better than your rage,” Max commented with a grin as he tugged Darius closer, pulling him into a headlock.

“I swear on all the stars I’ve never seen an uglier girl,” Darius chuckled as he shoved Max off. The Siren shifted his grip but didn’t let go, clearly not done feeding on his emotions yet. “And I’m not marrying her. I’d sooner give up my claim.”

I couldn’t believe they were all sitting around discussing him getting married like it was a genuine possibility in the near future. He was a sophomore for God’s sake. Why the hell would his family be trying to marry him off?

“I’d argue with you on that but I’ve seen her and I think I’d give up my claim to save you from that marriage too,” Seth snorted. “So maybe you will be presenting Marguerite as an alternative after all?”

Darius rolled his eyes. “No chance of that. Can you really see my father going for a Sphinx as an alternative? They’re ten a penny and half useless in combat, plus she’s only a level six in fire. No secondary power at all. Besides, I prefer my women to present more of a challenge and she’s far too… ordinary to make the cut long term.”

As far as I was concerned, Marguerite was a grade-A bitch but I still didn’t think it was particularly classy of Darius to be slating her behind her back while he was clearly screwing her.

“I can’t feel my left butt cheek,” Max complained. “Can one of you make these stumps more comfortable if we’re going to be sitting here?”

“Don’t look at me,” Seth said. “I’m tapped out until the moon rises.” He glanced up hopefully but there was no sign of it in the sky. I guessed that meant Werewolves replenished their power beneath the light of the moon.

Max turned his gaze on Caleb hopefully but the Terra Heir shook his head. “No can do, I rinsed my power in training tonight. Unless one of you wants to donate to the cause?”

“Not me,” Max said. “I’m still getting my own fix.”

Seth shrugged, already having confirmed that he didn’t have any to spare and Caleb shifted his gaze to Darius hopefully. It was weird to hear them discussing the idea of this so casually. Caleb usually just took what he wanted but he clearly wouldn’t attempt that with his friends. And I didn’t think it was because he couldn’t manage it. The four Heirs seemed fairly evenly matched and I was sure he’d at least have had a good shot at taking power from one of the others by force as he did to me. No. This was about respect. He cared about his friends and he would only take power from them if they offered.

“I’m already feeding one parasite tonight, you’re not seriously going to ask me to feed two are you?” Darius asked. It wasn’t a flat out refusal though. I got the feeling he’d give in if Caleb pushed for it which seemed more than strange as it was clear he didn’t really want to. I never would have expected Darius Acrux to give in to anyone.

Caleb sighed dramatically as he finally dropped down onto a stump. “I had planned on topping up from my Source at dinner but the Vegas never showed.”

I smiled to myself, glad that I’d managed to grab an early dinner before my Liaison meeting and avoided that particular run-in.

“You could bite any idiot in the school,” Darius said, rolling his eyes. “Why didn’t you just get your top-up elsewhere?”

“You know I like my power how I like my spirits,” Caleb replied dismissively. “Top shelf or nothing. I enjoy the way Tory tastes, she’s got more power in her blood than even you assholes.”

The other three shifted uncomfortably at that comment and Caleb shrugged, running a hand through his blonde curls.

“There’s no point in denying it,” he said. “We all know what their potential is.”

“Which is why we need to make sure they fail The Reckoning,” Max growled.

A shiver ran down my spine at the malice in his tone. Did they really think Darcy and I wanted their stupid throne so badly? Why hadn’t any of them even bothered to talk to us about this instead of just blindly fixating on getting rid of us.

“It’s all in hand,” Seth shrugged. “We can come up with some more ideas back at King’s Hollow. I think tomorrow should be a big day for those twins. And if you wanna come for a run with me at midnight then I’ll let you feed on me,” he added to Caleb.

“Or you can meet me at Ignis House in the morning and wait outside Tory’s room to surprise her,” Darius suggested with a smirk and I ground my teeth angrily. “If we get really lucky we might find out that she sleeps naked.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t found that out already,” Max said suggestively and Darius’s mouth hooked up into half a smile which made me bristle and flush red at the same time.

“Yeah… I might just take you up on that,” Caleb replied, his own smile widening.

“Why don’t we all show up,” Seth said enthusiastically. “We can give her a wake up call she’ll never forget.”

Thanks for the heads up, pricks. I know exactly where I won’t be tomorrow morning.

“Sounds good to me,” Darius said, getting to his feet and knocking Max’s arm from his shoulders. “I’m going to head to bed.”

“You’re not coming to the Hollow?” Max asked, looking disappointed.

“Nah, I’m beat. I’ll see all of you in the morning then? Wanna say six? She never gets up early.”

Stalker much? Was he really paying that much attention to me?

“Alright, we’ll work on something special for our Vega fun,” Seth agreed.

He shifted forward and pulled Darius into a hug, brushing his fingers through the back of his dark hair for a moment before heading back out of the clearing. Darius accepted the Werewolf’s tactile behaviour with an air of understanding that said he was used to it even if it wasn’t the way he’d choose to behave himself. Again, I was surprised that he would alter his natural behaviour to please one of his friends but it was clear that these four were more than willing to adapt their natures to come together as a group. I had assumed their bond came from being in the same position as each other as Heirs but there was more to it than just responsibility and expectation. They seemed almost like family.

Max and Caleb both clapped Darius on the arm before they headed out of the clearing too and Darius hesitated a moment, pulling his Atlas from his pocket as he waited for them to go.

A couple of minutes ticked by as I waited in silence for him to leave and he finally dialled a number on the device in his hand before clipping on an earpiece.

Darius ran his fingers over his jaw as he waited for the call to connect and his brow dipped into a frown.

“Took you long enough,” he growled when the person on the other end finally answered. “I need to talk to you in person… No, not tomorrow; now. This situation is going on too long, we should have dealt with them by now. I think we need to escalate the plan… Just stop. I’m coming to yours now.”

Darius killed the call and got to his feet, the rising moon throwing his features into shadow beneath his scowl. A prickle ran along my spine as I tried to figure out who he’d been talking to and what it was about. He said he wanted ‘them’ dealt with. Could he have been talking about me and Darcy?

He moved out of the clearing and I slipped from my hiding place, watching as he reached the path. Instead of turning left and heading back towards Ignis House, he turned right and set off at a fast pace.

I crept onto the path behind him, watching his silhouette slip away between the trees. Why had he lied to his friends about what he was doing? And who had he been talking to if it wasn’t one of them? If there really was a chance that he was plotting something against me and my sister then I needed to find out what it was. But if he caught me following him then God only knew what he’d do to me.

I hesitated and he moved around a bend, slipping out of view. I made a snap decision which I hoped I wouldn’t regret and hurried after him.

I’d been stealing bikes since I was fifteen and one thing I knew how to do better than anything else was move silently and stay hidden in the shadows.

I adopted a careful jog to catch up to him, following the path as he strolled away from me. His long stride and obvious desire to get to his destination meant that he was moving quickly but he also wasn’t making any attempt to check for possible tails. Rookie mistake. Rule number one where I came from: always make sure no one is on your ass. Be it a cop or another thief hoping to cash in on your hard work, you can never be too careful about watching your back.

I crept closer, slipping into the cover of the trees once I made it within a few meters of him. I was too exposed on the path should he look back and I had zero interest in incurring the wrath of Darius Acrux.

I’d never been on this side of the campus and had no idea where we were. We were deep into Earth Territory but I couldn’t see anything other than trees. It occurred to me that without my Atlas and no other souls in sight I could easily end up lost again in these woods tonight.

I shoved that thought aside and firmly forced it from my thoughts.

It’s a bit late to consider that now, Tory.

When he made it to the edge of The Wailing Wood, he hesitated before a wide clearing and I shifted through the trees to try and get a look at what was out there. Darius straightened suddenly, turning to look back into the trees and I flattened myself to a hulking trunk as his gaze swept over my hiding place.

My heart raced but I kept my breaths even. This was where holding my nerve would count the most. When you knew someone had caught on to you your body would always try and urge you into action but the only solution to this situation was complete and utter inaction.

I froze and my magic coiled within me like a living thing as he tried to spot me in the dark. He may have felt my eyes on him but there was no way for him to be sure. Nine times out of ten this was when the mark would dismiss their bad feeling as paranoia and carry on. It was the one out of ten I worried about. Someone with the right instincts would catch me. But I had the feeling that Darius was just arrogant enough to believe that no one would dare to follow him like I was. 

But then I’d never been the kind to let fear rule me. Was I afraid? Hell yes. Would I turn back? Hell no.

Darius turned away from the trees and headed out into the clearing beyond. I shifted closer slowly, darting from trunk to trunk and using the deep shadows to hide me.

He crossed a clearing and approached a gated complex of apartments with a wide swimming pool in front of them. A sign had been thrust into the grass a few meters from the edge of the trees and I squinted to read it in the moonlight.

Asteroid Place.

Faculty Accommodation Only.

Strictly no students at any time.

Failure to comply with this rule will result in serious consequences.

My interest piqued as Darius cut through the distance to the complex before heading off around the right hand side of the wrought iron fencing. Whatever he was doing it was shady as shit and it looked like it involved a teacher.

My mind snagged on Professor Prestos in her perfectly presented glory and I wondered if I’d just followed him all the way out here for the sake of some sordid affair. She was definitely attractive enough and if any student was going to catch a teacher’s eye it would be Darius Acrux with his unnaturally rugged run-your-hands-all-over-me perfection. Not that I’d noticed.

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.