Zodiac Academy 5: Cursed Fates

We ran through the thick woodland at the edge of the property, racing toward the house somewhere ahead. None of us dared cast a Faelight in case we drew attention to ourselves.

In my heart, I was sure Tory was close. I could practically feel her presence calling to me as I raced over the uneven dusty ground, the scent of pine filling my nose. Rage tangled with hate inside me at knowing Lionel had her. And the images of what he might be doing to her made me almost drown in a sea of fury inside me. If he’d hurt my sister, I was going to kill him. I’d bring every ounce of my Phoenix fire down on his head and burn him out of this world forever.

The hoot of an owl sent a bolt of adrenaline through me as we weaved between the trees, sprinting along within a silencing bubble in the dark wood, growing ever closer to Tory.

“Wait,” Caleb hissed from up ahead, pressing his back to a tree and we slowed before him as he turned his ear towards the house. We’d all decided to stay together, figuring we were stronger as a team. And if there was danger ahead, better to face it in a group than alone.

“What is it?” Darius growled impatiently, flexing his fingers as if his magic was aching to be set loose.

“I can hear crackling.”

“Fire,” Seth growled, sniffing the air and the scent of smoke reached me too.

“Yes and…there’s movement out here, back the way we came. Beyond the perimeter,” Caleb said, shutting his eyes as he focused. “It’s far off, but it’s headed this way.”

“What is it?” I asked, glancing toward the house anxiously. I didn’t want to linger here a moment longer, but if Caleb was concerned, I had to wait.

“Footsteps,” he breathed. “A lot of them. They’re heavy too….”

“Nymphs,” Max growled and my heart lurched.

“We need to move before we’re surrounded then,” Darius snarled and Caleb nodded, but caught his arm before he could run ahead.

“Think with your head not your heart,” he warned, then looked to me. “Both of you. We can’t storm in there unprepared.”

Darius pulled out of his grip. “I know what I’m doing. We’re wasting time here.”

He ran on and anxiety danced through me as I raced after him, my pulse pounding solidly against the base of my throat. With the four Heirs here, we were strong enough to save Tory, I just knew it.

I caught sight of the house through the trees, embers glimmering by one end as smoke spiralled up towards the star spangled sky like the fire had just been put out. It was a clear night, though there was no moon out to offer us much light. But that just meant we remained well hidden from our enemies. And Lionel may have lured Tory here, but he didn’t expect us to show up and tear his plans to shit. We had the advantage, we just had to keep a hold of it.

Darius reached the edge of the trees and I hurried to his side as he paused beside a large pine, seeming to wield the darkness around us with an illusion to keep us concealed. I sensed the Heirs gathering close behind us and tension prickled up my spine.

“We should split up now,” Seth suggested. “Once we locate Tory, we can get inside without Lionel knowing we’re all here.”

“We can keep coming at him in a wave,” Max agreed.

“Isn’t it safer to stick together?” Caleb growled.

Tory’s scream pierced the air, making my heart burst with fear and I took off running towards the house without a second thought. Darius tore along at my side, outpacing me as he sprinted toward the back door, his arms powering back and forth beside him.

The shadows suddenly reared up inside me, the pull of them overwhelmingly strong as they crashed against my thoughts and made my vision blur.

What’s happening?!

My legs locked tight and I slammed to the ground, my voice clamped deep down inside my chest, unable to break free to shout out to Darius.

Caleb was at my side in a blur, pulling me into his arms and racing back into the trees as I convulsed, agony cutting deep into my soul.

He laid me down between the three of them, cursing as he pressed healing light into my flesh, his eyes wild with panic.

“What’s wrong with her?” Seth asked in alarm.

“Fuck, I don’t know,” Max hissed.

“Darius ran on,” Caleb hissed. “He’s almost at the house.”

They continued to try and heal me, but I couldn’t be healed of this and my lips were locked tight, stopping me from telling them. The shadows were ripping at my chest, burrowing into every inch of my body and taking root. Pain blinded me as they clawed at my head and made my insides churn and ache.

“Hang in there, Darcy,” Seth whimpered, clutching my hand as he offered more healing light.

Max pressed a palm to my forehead and I felt him try to pull at my emotions and sense what was happening. But he couldn’t get into the fortress of my body as the shadows locked me in place on the ground. I would have screamed if my body had allowed it, but it didn’t feel like it belonged to me anymore. Like I was trapped in a cell, tortured within my own flesh.

“I can help her,” Clara’s voice reached my ears, filling me with a dread so keen that it set my blood alight. But all I could do was lay there, hunting the darkness between the trees as I searched for her. The Heirs got to their feet, forming a protective wall in front of me as Clara’s laughter rang out within the woods. “Did you come all this way to see little old me, boys?”

“Show yourself!” Max barked, ice encasing his palms as he prepared to fight.

Caleb was braced to move, his eye flitting back and forth as he hunted the darkness for her, a predator ready to pounce.

Ice dripped into my veins as the shadows pulled at me like puppet strings, drawing me to my feet, my vision shrouded in a black fog that slowly cleared away until my gaze was fixed on the backs of the Heirs’ heads.

My hands raised of their own accord and I tried to call out in warning as I was forced to bend to Clara’s will, her grip on the shadows that plagued me absolute.

Smoke swirled in my palms and I battled with all my might as I tried to make a single sound to warn them, but it was no use.

“Let’s play a game,” Clara sang. “First one to die wins!”