Zodiac Academy 4: Shadow Princess

As December crept around, the academy transformed before my eyes. Half a foot of snow coated the ground and the entire campus had been decorated for Christmas. It wasn’t just festive, it was like a winter wonderland on speed.

The water Elementals had cast beautiful ice sculptures outside all of the buildings and gleaming icicles hung from every roof and window ledge. The Pegasus herds had worked with them, adding glitter to the beautiful creations, including an archway in front of The Orb which was as clear as glass and featured each of the Elemental symbols.

The fire Elementals had set ever-lasting fires burning all along the pathways which hovered above the snow and were charmed not to melt it. They’d even set up a huge tepee in Fire Territory where students could get mulled wine and cider in the evenings and sit by a roaring fire pit inside. 

Usually, I loved Christmas, it was my favourite time of year, but I didn’t feel like I could enjoy any of it without Tory.

The weeks had slipped past with us barely talking and I was worried how we were ever going to fix things between us. Seth tormented me as often as he could and gave me daily reminders that he would only keep my secret if I played along. It was driving me to insanity. And Orion was on the verge of snapping too. He still wasn’t speaking with Darius and I knew it was putting a serious strain on him. The bond between them was causing him physical pain, but he was too stubborn to go and talk to his friend.

I sat in The Orb in the early hours of the morning, drinking a hot chocolate and nibbling on a cinnamon bun as I thought over what to do. It was the same every day. I’d wake up early, anxious about all of my problems and not knowing how to handle any of them. The one good thing I had to hold onto was the information Orion and I were gathering about building a bridge for Clara. She still called to me in my dreams most nights, begging me to save her.

After what Orion had told me about the wound she’d given Tory, I was anxious about bringing her back. But he felt sure he could draw the darkness out of her once she returned to the Fae realm. The shadows had consumed her, but I’d watched her eyes light up when she’d seen her brother. It had brought her a pure moment of hope. Like she was just a lost girl, desperate to come home. If it had been Tory trapped in the darkness, I knew I’d do anything to pull her out of it. And if Orion said he could help her when she was free, then I believed him.

I had to hope Tory was coping with the shadows. She wouldn’t talk to me about them at all now and sometimes I caught sight of them coiling in her eyes. But while we were arguing like this, I simply couldn’t get through to her.

I checked my horoscope as it arrived, wondering if it held any clue of how to solve the problems hanging over me.

Good morning Gemini.

The stars have spoken about your day!

With Neptune in your chart, you must ride the turbulent waves it sends your way. Although it may seem as though the planets are working against you at times, there may be a glimmer of hope yet if you pay attention to the changing tide.

Your soul feels divided and you may be tempted to fix the unhealed wounds which ail you today. Without the sun, the moon cannot shine, but be warned, timing is everything and if you get it wrong, your day could take a turn for the worse.

I poured over the words, hunting for clues hidden between the lines. The A.S.S soon arrived and I gave up and moved to join them.

When the bell finally rang, I headed to Practical Astrology which was held in the classrooms at the bottom of Earth Observatory. Though I loved learning about the ways of the stars, I was always uncomfortable around Professor Zenith who taught the Astrology classes. She wasn’t just an advocate for the Vegas, she had to shout about us in front of everyone plus give us preferential treatment. It was the last thing I wanted.

I arrived at the base of the immense building of shining black stone, the dome of the observatory at the top of the tall tower casting a shadow over the ground.

As I filed inside with the other students, I spotted Zenith standing before the elevators, her jet black hair cascading over her shoulders and her pointed features angled right at us. “We’ll be having today’s lesson on the fourth floor. I’d like you to do some observations of Zodiac Academy’s Horometer. Follow me.” She turned and we all moved after her into the large elevator, shuffling close together.

I spotted Tory through the crowd and my heart twisted in the way it always did when I saw her. We hadn’t ever fallen out like this before. Sure, we’d had the odd disagreement over the years and we’d fought sometimes as kids, but this felt different. Like a solid wall had been built between us and I didn’t know how to get past it.

Sofia stood with her and threw a look over her shoulder, her eyes meeting mine and a frown pulling at her brow. I offered her a small smile and she returned it before turning to say something to Tory.

The doors reopened and I followed the rest of the class as Zenith led us down the curving corridor. The whole building was shaped like an upright tube so there weren’t any corners. To my left was a row of full length windows that looked back down over campus. A group of juniors from my House were having a snowball fight, propelling the compacted balls at each other with shots of air. The attacks were vicious, especially as none of them seemed to be shielding themselves.

“Hey chica,” Diego said, moving to my side.

“Hey,” I breathed as Zenith led us up to two huge metal doors then turned back to face us.

“The Horometer is kept at the centre of this building and the walls which surround it all have a thick layer of iron built into them. This blocks any Celestial signals that could impede the readings of the machine. Every horoscope you receive on your Atlases each morning is divined by this incredible instrument.” She placed her hand against a scanner on the wall and magic flared beneath her palm. The doors hissed then slid apart and intrigue filled me as I headed after the rest of my classmates into the room.

As I slipped through the door, an icy chill swept over my skin. A mist hung in the air, veiling my view and I shivered, letting my fire magic sweep through my veins and chase away the cold.

The doors slid shut behind us and we moved around a metal platform which ringed the edge of the room. A railing stood in front of us and as I moved to the edge of it, the mist started to disperse. From within the depths of it an enormous golden model of the planets appeared, each slowly moving around the gleaming golden sun at the heart of it. Above and below, the domed ceiling and floor glistened with a million stars. The constellations glimmered brighter than the rest, each marked out with lines of silver.

I clutched the icy railing as I stared down at the beautiful machine, watching as the planets slowly moved around, hovering on nothing but air.

Zenith came to a halt on the other side of the room and called out to everyone. “When new students arrive at the school, their name and birthday are entered into the Horometer, then each day after that it will chart the stars for you and give you the most accurate horoscope in Solaria. This device was made for the academy by one of the most gifted horologists in history. Lillian Foresight was a notable Fae of her time and even worked here at the academy for a few years before being granted a position at the Court of Solaria to offer predictions to the nobles.”

“Oh this one’s no good for you then, Darcy,” Kylie’s hushed voice reached me and I glanced over my shoulder as the back of my neck prickled. She stood nearby with Jillian and a few more of her vile friends. “You need a Whoreometer to give you a Whoreoscope. I don’t think they keep one on campus.” Her friends fell into silent fits of giggles but Kylie fixed me with a dark glare without even breaking a smile. Hatred seeped through her gaze and I knew she was still furious about me sleeping with Seth. I would have been more than happy to tell her I hadn’t, but she’d probably go running to him to rat me out.

I rolled my eyes at her instead and trained my attention back on what Zenith was saying.

“-and a Horometer can even be used to discover some types of Star Bond.”

My ears pricked up at that and she suddenly had my undivided attention.

“This control panel is designed to read the energy of souls and is fairly effective in deciphering whether two Fae share a divine bond. Of course, in the case of Astral Adversaries, it would be quite the challenge to have them stand side by side in a room together to test them. And Elysian Mates can never be predicted. But a Nebula Ally is easier to detect. So let’s have a demonstration. Where are my two wonderful Vega girls?”

My heart pinched as her eyes fell on me then she beckoned Tory from further down the walkway. I sighed, moving away from Diego as I walked around the platform to where Zenith was standing before a large screen on a podium.

Tory stood on her other side, looking disinterested and refusing to meet my eye. For a second, shadows swirled in her gaze and my throat constricted as it remained there. Luckily the room was dark, but if anyone looked too closely at her, she’d give away the darkness sleeping beneath her flesh. Or perhaps it wasn’t asleep at all…

The shadows finally receded and the tension ran out of my shoulders.

“Now,” Zenith said brightly, directing us forward. “Please place one hand onto the screen side by side. You’ll feel a little zing then the Horometer will begin its assessment. Do not take your hand off the screen or the results will be void.”

I nodded, placing my hand down and Tory sighed before doing the same. We were shoulder to shoulder and yet I’d never felt more distance between us. It hurt like hell. She wasn’t just my sister, she was my other half. And without her, an entire piece of me was absent, leaving a bloody wound behind.

My thoughts were cast aside as the Horometer hummed loudly down below and the constellations on the ceiling and floor began flashing and sparking.

A shot of energy rushed up my arm and I gasped as a floating feeling seeped over me, making the hairs on my arms rise to attention. The feeling intensified and suddenly all I could see were the stars above and below, some of the constellations fading while others became brighter and brighter. Gemini was burning as white hot as the sun and I could barely look at it as a sharp ringing sounded in my ears.

All at once, the lights began to fade and the screen turned green beneath our palms.

“That’s it girls, step back,” Zenith instructed excitedly and we did, moving either side of her once more as she bent forward to look at the screen. A symbol appeared in silver and blue, like two interlinked moons.

“You’re Nebula Allies,” she gushed and a smattering of applause sounded around the room. “But of course you are, I could have predicted it myself.”

I looked to Tory and she met my eye for half a second, then her lips pursed and she turned away, walking off into the crowd.

“Who else would like a go?” Zenith asked, patting me on the back, not seeming to notice the tension between Tory and I.

I moved away, my chest aching as I was parted from her once more. It didn’t even surprise me that we were Nebula Allies. How could we not be? No matter how different we were, our souls were the same. But right now, we were anything other than aligned.

Pairs of friends and random classmates took it in turns for the Horometer to assess them, but there was only one other pair of Nebula Allies in the room. A guy and a girl who’d been dating for a few weeks.

I moved to join Diego again as another couple stepped up to the panel and a strange look of concern entered his eyes. “Chica, your sister is in trouble.”

“What?” I breathed, quickly casting a silencing bubble around us.

“It’s the shadows,” he murmured even though he didn’t have to be quiet. “I can see them. They surround her. With you, they simmer, with her they blaze. She is embracing them, not fighting them.”

Horror filled me and I looked over to Tory, almost able to sense the cloud of darkness hanging around her.

“What can I do?” I asked Diego.

His brows pulled together. “She has to fight them herself. You need to encourage her to push them away. If she falls into them, she’ll never come back.”

“She won’t listen to me,” I said anxiously. Our dark magic classes had been tense. Between her hating Darius and her not talking to me, every time we went to that cave, I could almost feel the shadows trying to feed on those dark emotions. Sometimes I found it harder to push them away there than anywhere else. And if Tory wasn’t fighting them at all…

“She’s your sister,” Diego said softly. “She will listen to you.”

“I’ll try again,” I swore, because I wouldn’t just leave her to battle this alone, even if she didn’t want to talk to me.

We were soon heading back out of the room and I lingered by the door, waiting for Tory to appear, determined to speak to her now rather than later.

I caught her arm as she tried to slip out the exit and she turned to me with a frown.

“Are you okay?” I asked and she glanced at the students filing past us.

“I’m fine.” She moved into the hall and I followed her, casting a silencing bubble around us. “Diego saw the shadows around you. He said it looks like you’re embracing them, Tor, is that true?”

Tory shot Diego a glare as he headed down the corridor with Sofia and Tyler. She glanced back at me as pain flashed in her gaze. “It’s none of your business what I’m doing.”

Her words stung, but I persevered, knowing how thick she wore her armour when she was hurting. “I just want to help. If you’re falling into them, you have to tell me. You have to try harder to shut them out.”

“So you want me to tell you all of my shit, but you won’t tell me yours?” she asked sharply.

I dipped my head, trying to find the words to answer her. “I would if I could,” I breathed and she halted as the last of the students slipped into the elevator. Zenith didn’t even reprimand us, just left us to our conversation as she took the elevator downstairs with the class.

“What’s going on with you, Darcy?” Tory asked like she really needed to know and I wanted to tell her so badly it hurt.

I chewed on my lip, my secrets hovering on the tip of my tongue, but I was trapped. I was so scared of everyone finding out about Orion, of him losing his job, ruining his life. Besides everything with Seth, if I was questioned about it, they’d surely question my twin too. They’d assume she knew. A Cyclops would pull the truth out of her head and then what? Would she get in trouble too? I could already see the newspaper articles about me splashed everywhere. I could face that if it came to it, but I was terrified of dragging her down with me.

“I…” I trailed off and Tory rolled her eyes.

“Forget it,” she tutted before walking off down the corridor and shoving the door to the stairwell open with a blast of air.

My throat was overly tight and I pressed back against the wall as I tried to catch my breath.

Please give me a solution, stars. I need help.

They didn’t reply. Which wasn’t surprising but worth a shot. My horoscopes were getting less helpful by the day, like my fate was balancing on a knife’s edge. But it was starting to seem like the choice had already been made. Like the fall was inevitable. I just hoped I was wrong.

I headed outside where more snow had begun to tumble from the sky. Tory was long gone and Diego and Sofia walked a few steps ahead of me as we wound along the path.

A herd of Pegasus swept overhead and sprinkled glitter across the white carpet beneath them, neighing happily as they soared up into the snow clouds.

I drew an air shield around me and warmed it with my fire magic, soaking in the heat.

I had a free period and figured I’d devote it to the library. I’d been spending a lot of time there recently and knew I was using books and overworking as a way to escape from the stress of life right now. But while the answers to my problems were evading me, I was going to feed my brain as much about magic and astrology as I possibly could. It made me feel less powerless and every new spell I learned, meant I was one step closer to being a match for the Heirs one day.

I waved goodbye to Sofia and Diego as they headed to The Orb and took my Atlas from my bag. Seth had given it back eventually but only after he’d turned my hair pink and made me shout Seth Capella has a huge dick at the top of my lungs in the Aer House common room. Two bottles of Fae hair dye and a mega size bar of chocolate later had made me feel one percent better about that. But it wasn’t nearly enough. Every time I was close to him, my Order form rose on instinct and sometimes I could almost feel myself losing control of it. It wasn’t in me not to fight back, but I had to swallow down that need like some nasty medicine. Only it didn’t make me better, it made me more ill.

I’d noticed he was being clever about the pranks he pulled on me. Half of them never made it to FaeBook and he rarely did anything while I was at The Orb or anywhere within earshot of my sister. He knew that if he had me do anything over the top in front of her, she’d realise I was under his control. So far, his plan was working in his favour perfectly. Not only did he have me under lock and key, he’d driven an even bigger wedge between me and Tory.

I had a message from Orion waiting on my Atlas and heat spread through me as I tapped on it. Through all of this, at least I had him. Someone who knew all of my secrets but was bound by them too. Together, we’d figure this out and we’d cut Seth Capella down when we did. Most weeks, we only spent our Liaisons together alone in fear of Seth finding us elsewhere, but it was getting more and more difficult to spend so much time apart.

Lance:

Guess what I’m eating…

Attached was a photo of a peach and a smile pulled at my mouth. Before I could reply, he sent another message.

Lance:

Wish it was yours 😉

I started typing out a reply but my foot caught on something and I gasped, crashing to my knees and only just stopping my Atlas from smashing on the ground.

I scrambled upright, glancing over my shoulder and finding a long vine stretched across the pavement. I rubbed my grazed palm with a curse, stuffing my Atlas into my pocket as I searched for the culprit. Seth dropped from a tree beside the path, a shower of snow cascading from the branches as he landed before me.

“Oh it’s you, I thought it might be Washer as you were lurking in a tree like a pervert,” I said coldly, turning my back on him and striding away.

He growled as he jogged to my side, linking his arm through mine and brushing his chin against my head. I jerked away but his muscles tightened so I couldn’t escape. I hated to think I was getting used to this, but Seth was becoming a daily irritation.

“I don’t need to lurk in trees to perve on people,” Seth said.

“You just do it out in the open then?” I guessed airily.

“That’s not what I meant,” he said in annoyance.

“Sounded pretty clear to me.” I shrugged and he glanced at me from the corner of his eyes, mirth glittering in his gaze.

He lifted a hand, casting a silencing bubble around us and I sighed.

“What do you want now? Isn’t this game getting old yet?” I demanded.

“If it gets old, you and your professor better be worried,” he said casually.

I yanked my arm free of his hold, turning to stop him with a scowl. “So it’s inevitable then, is it? You’re just going to mess with us until you’re bored then throw Orion to the wolves?” This was what I’d been afraid of, that I was just buying time with all this bullshit.

“Interesting choice of words,” he said with a smirk. “And no, it’s not inevitable.”

Despite not trusting a thing that came out of this mouth, I couldn’t help but hope. “Then what’s going to happen when you’re done screwing with us?”

“I haven’t decided yet. Maybe I’ll let you live happily ever after.” His face was unreadable, but I was sure he had no intention of doing that. It was just a way to keep me playing along. But if this really was just leading to it all coming out then why shouldn’t I fight back?

With the way he was looking at me, I could tell he sensed what I was thinking.

“I mean it,” he said. “There’s a chance I’ll take this secret to the grave. It depends how nice you are to me.” He started walking again, catching my arm to pull me along once more.

“Be nice to you?” I said incredulously like he was asking me to lasso the sun from the sky.

“That’s my next request, yeah,” he said simply, shooting me a taunting grin.

I shook my head, looking away and tugging at my arm again. The only thing that had kept me sane while he tormented me was that he didn’t seem to mind if I shot curses at him the whole time. Being rude to him was the last slice of free will I had left.

“What’s the point? It won’t be real,” I said. “Do you really enjoy torturing me that much?” I didn’t look at him as he answered. I couldn’t. I felt sick to my stomach with how much I hated him.

“Yes,” he said.

I shook my head, baffled by him. “Why?”

It wasn’t just a question about this. It was a why for everything he’d done to me. Every cruel dig and hurt. I understood establishing dominance as Fae, but this didn’t feel like that anymore. It felt personal. Like he hated me just for being me. And as much as I didn’t like Seth or want anything to do with him, knowing that fact still needled its way under my skin. Like the stars were screaming how wrong it was that he treated me like this and wouldn’t let me forget it.

He opened his mouth but I could already sense the lie he was about to tell.

“The truth,” I growled.

His jaw tightened and he glanced away. A long pause passed between us and I eyed the library up ahead, wondering if I could just cut free of him and spend my free period how I wanted.

His eyes darkened and his beautiful features twisted; he looked like an angry God with a wrath to unleash and it made my heart judder with fear.

“I hurt you, Darcy Vega, because you hurt me every day just by existing.” He threw out a hand and a powerful gust threw me back against the nearest tree, knocking the air from my lungs. Thick vines wrapped around me, binding me there so tight I could barely move a muscle.

I yelled curses at him as he marched away down the path, his shoulders rigid and destruction seeming to pour from the depths of his being. He wanted me to be nice? I’d rather gouge my eyes out with the sharp end of a stick.

I wriggled hard, trying to get a hand free to cast magic and several groups of students decided then was a great time to walk by. Laughter rang through the air as I fought to get a hand free, fury sizzling through my blood.

I finally loosened my hand and released a flash of fire to break through the binds. Then I shoved the remains of them off of me and strode back to the path.

Ice-cold water crashed over me and I gasped in horror as Max appeared amongst a group of girls. “Woops, my bad. I thought you were on fire, little Vega.”

I saw red.

Rage coiled up inside me and sprang free.

I couldn’t hurt Seth but I could throw my fury at one of his asshole friends. Fire burst from my hands and Max threw out a hand to shield himself. I fuelled it with a flare of Phoenix power and it flashed hot in his face before he got it under control with his Element.

The girls around him swore at me and Max scowled as he appeared behind a cloud of smoke. A snort escaped me as I realised I’d burned his eyebrows clean off and several of the girls started pointing and frantically jumping up and down.

“What?” he gasped as I started laughing.

One of the girls produced a pocket mirror and I backed up, desperate to see his reaction but knowing I was five seconds from a counter attack. And he’d probably take more than my eyebrows in retaliation.

“Are you surprised? I can’t tell…” I called.

He made a noise like a strangled frog as he took in his singed forehead then two chasms of rage opened up in his eyes. “VEGA!”

I fled, shielding myself with air as water cascaded over me and Max released a battle cry behind me. I cast earth magic as I ran, creating a tangle of thorny bushes to try and slow him down.

My heart thumped wildly but the exhilaration felt amazing after weeks of being trodden on by Seth. I laughed louder so he could hear me and his shout of fury came in response.

I made it to the library, wrenching the door open and flying inside, receiving a sharp look from the librarian at my soaking wet clothes. I spotted Geraldine and a whole gang of the A.S.S sat around a circular table and she waved me over.

“Wet wilberwillies, what happened?”

“Max Rigel,” I panted, glancing over my shoulder. “I need to hide.”

“Quick, under here.” She pointed beneath the table and I grinned in thanks as I dropped to my knees, crawling under quickly.

The library door banged and Max’s legs appeared marching toward us.

“Which way did she go, Grus?” Max demanded.

“I don’t know who you mean, you blown up seashell fart,” she said lightly to a round of sniggers from the table. “And where in the name of Frangelica the fifth are your eyebrows? Did they sprout legs and run away from the frightful fish boy who grew them? I mean, I could hardly blame them.”

I swallowed the laugh trying to rip from my throat.

A weight slammed down above me and I guessed it was Max’s palms against the wood. “Come on, Geraldine, give her up and I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Well unless pointing out the direction the true queen took on her divine mission to evade your fish breath means you would turn into a pile of barnacles, I can’t imagine there’s anything in the expanding universe you could offer me to give her up.”

Max growled furiously then stepped away from the table. “I don’t have fucking fish breath,” he muttered as he stalked away with a snarl and the laugh I’d been holding in my lungs finally tumbled from my chest.

If there was one way to make my day go from shit to walking on a goddamn rainbow, it was burning off an Heir’s eyebrows and living to tell the tale.