Zodiac Academy 7: Heartless Sky

The rain kissed my skin where it splashed against my scales along my arms and neck as we took off into the trees and I tugged my bow from my back, loading an arrow into it as I focused on my water magic and formed a connection with the Element.

I could feel the moisture saturating the air, the rush of droplets falling from the sky, crashing through the pine trees and soaking into the ground at our feet. This was my domain and it made little rivers of pleasure run through my skin.

With a little more effort, I linked my focus onto the air surrounding us too, closing my eyes for a moment as I focused on the patterns the two Elements created as they fell against boulders, trees and the Fae surrounding me.

I kept walking with my eyes closed, using my link to my Elements to map out the area surrounding me as I pushed my awareness out from my body, building up a far greater vision of the forest which surrounded us than I could see with my eyes in the dark and the rain.

Our group moved quietly as we headed up the hill, Cal and Orion walking either side of Darius as they used their Vampire gifts to listen for the Nymphs, but I got a lock on them first.

At the top of the hill, a ridge formed along the edge of a clearing in the forest, hard rocks cutting though the saturated ground and forming a void of awareness in my mind. And standing on that ridge, moving together were three towering figures, each of them shifted into their Nymph form and prowling along the outskirts of the clearing like beasts guarding their home.

“They’re about a hundred yards up there,” I said, pointing as I fell still and the others took my lead, falling in around me.

I pushed my awareness out further, hunting for more figures lurking in the dark of the trees and finding them, group by group, either patrolling the edges of the forest which surrounded that clearing or gathered closer to the centre of it.

I pushed my awareness that way, chasing the rain and wind as it hammered down on a huge, stone structure which kept them both out and formed a point of darkness in my mind which had to be the reason for them all gathering here.

“There’s a huge structure in a clearing through the trees beyond them,” I said, breaking my connection to the Elements and opening my eyes so that I could look around at my friends. “I’m guessing that’s the temple where they’re keeping the altar and that the rift is inside it too.”

“Oh you are a devilishly devious dolphin on occasion, aren’t you?” Gerry purred as she looked at me, her flail casually balanced against her shoulder, the spiked ball hanging from the end of it swinging slowly back and forth. I had been going to protest to the dolphin comment, but I got distracted drinking in the sight of her in that armour and before I could form some kind of response, Darcy spoke.

“Sounds like the earth Elementals have got this one,” she said, a dangerous glint in her eyes as she flexed her fingers in anticipation.

“Me and Caleb will circle through the trees so that we’re in position as soon as you draw them out,” Orion said, his eyes lingering on Darcy like he didn’t want to leave her and Seth shifted closer, slinging his arm around her shoulders.

“Don’t worry, Lancey, I’ve got your girl,” he said confidently, though as his gaze flicked to Caleb, I detected a hint of concern in his emotions. It was quickly tempered by his usual confidence though and I knew he had total faith in Cal being able to pull this off. Still, these games we all played were dangerous now and I couldn’t help but worry for my friends when we headed out into the fight like this.

“You take your fucking paws off of her,” Orion snarled, stepping forward, but Darius slapped a hand to his chest and pushed him back a step.

“Seth, stop being a dick and Lance, stop letting him bait you. We’ve all got more important things to focus on,” he said firmly.

“Well, the earth Elementals do, anyway,” Tory replied, taunting him with every move she made as she began to back away in the direction of the Nymphs. I swear that girl had a death wish when it came to riling the Dragon in him, then again, Darius probably needed someone who would bite back whenever he got too Alpha. “You and Max should probably just stay here and watch our backs. Wouldn’t want there to be any chance of anyone sneaking up on us while we get the job done now, would you?”

Darius growled as Darcy smirked, shrugging Seth’s arm off of her shoulders and stepping forward to kiss Orion hard, grasping his shirt and tugging him close for a moment before shoving him back a step firmly.

“Don’t die,” she commanded and the corner of his lips twitched in amusement.

“Yes, My Queen,” he replied and the other Heirs and I all tensed at that casual term of endearment, but Orion just ignored us, jerking his chin towards the trees to our left in an order to Caleb before shooting off into the dark.

“Stay safe,” Cal said to all of us, his eyes lingering on Seth for a beat before he shot away too.

I cut my gaze to Seth who cleared his throat and turned away from me, his mental shields slamming up as tight as a duck’s asshole all of a sudden and making me narrow my eyes in suspicion.

“Onward, my ladies, let us begin this most noble of tasks!” Geraldine strode away after Tory, swinging her flail and decapitating a sapling as she went. I just stared at her ass in her chainmail and wondered why the hell I was so obsessed with an insane royalist like her. But I couldn’t freaking help it.

“We’re coming with you,” Darius growled, hurrying forward to catch up to Tory who just shrugged innocently like she didn’t mind either way, but I caught enough of her emotions to get the feeling she was up to something and as Darcy looked her way, I sensed the same troublemaking emotions coming from her.

Damn Vega twins were going to be the death of all of us if they didn’t just accept their place soon, this power struggle between us was going to keep building in intensity until then though. I just hoped that when it came down to it and we had to face off with them for real, that we could all maintain this semblance of peace we’d managed to form once it was done.

Then again, power always did tend to corrupt even the best of things. My own mother had been murdered for it, so I should know.

We crept through the trees, climbing up towards the ridge and my heart began to pound powerfully as we drew closer and closer to the Nymphs who I could still sense up ahead with my water magic.

The darkness of the trees pressed in thickly and the rain continued to mask any sound aside from the crash of it falling through the canopy and the rumble of thunder which accompanied it from somewhere far above us. 

The twins moved ahead as we drew closer to the place where the Nymphs were waiting, Geraldine and Seth spreading out either side of them as I held back a little with Darius.

I glanced at my friend as he stood rigidly beside a huge redwood, his grip tight on his axe and his eyes glued to Tory’s back as he watched her creeping further up the hill.

“She’s got this,” I murmured, my gaze scanning across Gerry and Seth too as they slipped into the shadows to surround our quarry.

“I know,” he replied, his tone heavy. “But it doesn’t make it any easier watching her walk into danger.”

“She doesn’t strike me as the type who would appreciate you clinging to her side though.”

“She’s not. But I won’t be giving her much choice once this really kicks off.”

“You really love her, don’t you?” I asked, tasting the intensity of that feeling on his skin and soaking it in with a shiver of pleasure. 

“She’s everything,” he replied simply and I damn near grinned at the shift in his emotions. Darius had had so much dark, so much pain and angst thrown at him in his lifetime. And though those emotions weren’t totally banished now, I could feel the love, hope and joy which surrounded him these days so clearly that it made my fucking soul lighter just to know about it.

A sharp gust of wind crashed into us, just hard enough to feel unnatural without knocking us from our feet, signalling the others being in position.

“Get ready,” Darius murmured and I raised my bow as he lifted his axe, willing the Phoenix fire within it to ignite so that the brightness of the flames cut through the dark of the woods.

I squinted against the onslaught of light and a shriek of alarm came from the top of the ridge as the Nymphs spotted the flames.

I set my feet and held my ground as they came for us, the sound of their huge bodies crashing through the undergrowth setting my nerves on edge and adrenaline pounding through me in anticipation of a fight.

I tugged the bow taught as the Nymphs burst through the trees, the three of them racing straight towards us, the booming rattle of their magic-stealing power slamming into me and locking down my connection to my Elements as I tightened my hold on my bow and took aim at the front runner of the pack.

Darius tensed beside me, readying his axe to swing, but before either of us could be forced into action, vines shot out from all around the Nymphs and they fell to the ground with their arms and legs tied and dirt filling their mouths to halt the use of their rattles.

Seth howled in triumph from somewhere out in the trees as the Nymphs thrashed in their trap and the Vegas dropped from the sky, using air magic to lower themselves down to land beside the creatures which hungered for our deaths.

“Max?” Darcy called and I stepped forward, still holding my bow ready as I closed in on the Nymphs who were kicking and thrashing on the ground before us.

My gaze flicked around for any sign of Gerry, but she was nowhere to be seen. My gut churned as I forced my mind away from that concern and stepped closer to the bound Nymphs.

I reached out towards them with my gifts, hunting their emotions and searching for any sign that they might not just be the mindless, evil creatures we had always assumed they were before finding out the truth about Diego.

I set my attention on the closest Nymph, sensing nothing but hatred and violent intentions from him as he set his deep red eyes on me and thrashed against his binds. The others were the same, nothing but malice and hatred oozing from them, making it simple enough for me to continue with this plan without guilt.

“Nothing,” I said, looking to the others and taking a step away from the creatures who still fought to get free. “They’re our enemies through and through.”

“Good. That makes this easier then,” Darius said, striding forward and kicking the one closest to him. “Let’s get this fight started.”

I looked up at the sound of footsteps through the trees and relief spilled through me as Gerry burst out from behind a bush, her flail in hand and her chin high as she panted heavily.

“I have checked the perimeter, my queens, all is clear for us to proceed.”

“Good. Let’s string up some Nymphs and see how loud they scream when they have Phoenix fire tickling their feet,” Tory said, that same demonic gleam in her eyes that Darius got so often, reminding me once again of how weirdly perfect they were for one another even as they continued to play this little power trip game while we worked.

Seth and Darcy quickly grew thick wooden stakes up from the dirt before Geraldine strapped the Nymphs to them and we all moved to take up our positions hiding in the trees, far enough from the creatures to be safe from the worst of their rattles once they came.

Tory, Darcy and Darius each flicked a flame to life at the foot of one of the stakes and Geraldine removed the gags of dirt from the Nymphs’ mouths so that they could scream for help as we’d planned.

Adrenaline spiked through my limbs as I held myself aloft in the tree canopy on a gust of air and I used my gifts to build a wall of utter terror at the entrance to the clearing for the Nymphs to pass through when they arrived. They might have been able to fight back against our Elemental magic easily enough, but they had no idea what they were going up against when they came face to face with the monsters which lay within us. We were the most powerful of our Orders in the entire kingdom, and we were ready to play.