“Well you certainly know how to make an entrance,” Sofia said, the corner of her mouth hooking up in amusement.
I snorted. “Never did learn when to keep my mouth shut,” I admitted. “Where I’m from I found out the hard way that this life will throw all kinds of crap at you, but the one thing you don’t have to accept is other people’s bullshit.”
A few of the other freshmen heard that comment and edged away from me uneasily. I guessed they were concerned my status as persona non grata might be catching. And perhaps it would but Sofia didn’t seem to mind the risk at least.
I kept thinking about Darcy, wondering if she was doing okay with the air Heir. Seth seemed like a bit less of an asshole than the other three on first impressions but it was hard to be sure. Birds of a feather and all that… I just hoped I’d be able to check in with her over breakfast and make sure she was alright. Our lives had never exactly been plain sailing but she’d never developed such a thick skin as me and the idea of those douchebags giving her a hard time without me there to back her up sent a shiver of anger coursing through my blood.
“Well I wish my balls were big enough to allow me to stand against the Heirs like you did and come out unscathed,” Sofia said appreciatively. “Not that I have any reason to stand against them or any intention to find one.”
“I wouldn’t say I came out unscathed,” I muttered, touching a finger to the tender skin on my neck where Caleb had bitten me.
Sofia’s wide eyes followed the movement of my hand and she leaned closer to inspect the wound.
“Oh, I guess you didn’t realise Caleb was of the Vampire Order when you provoked him?”
At the mention of him being a Vampire, a cold trickle of ice danced along my spine. Of course the word had come to mind after what he did to me but the idea of something so… insane existing just didn’t want to line up in my brain. I wasn’t sure why the idea of magical creatures was more difficult for me to accept than the idea of magic itself but it just seemed to go against every law of nature I thought I’d understood.
“I didn’t know anyone was a Vampire before he attacked me,” I muttered. “And he’s bitten me now, so shouldn’t that mean that I’m gonna start getting a thirst for blood or an appetite for toe sandwiches or something?”
Sofia laughed in surprise. “You really don't know anything about our world do you? All of your ideas about us come right out of a mortal fairytale!”
“So I’m not about to sprout fangs?” I confirmed, ignoring the subtle mockery. I could tell she didn’t mean anything malicious by it. But I wasn’t much of a fan of being the latest science experiment either.
“Nope. Vampires are just an Order of Fae. Each Order replenishes their own magic in different ways. The Vampires can’t create their own so they have to take it from others by overpowering them. As freshmen we’re all going to come under a lot of fire from them - we can’t defend ourselves with our magic yet and trying to overpower them physically is crazy difficult. With your magic being as potent as it is you’ll probably find that you get a lot of attention from the vamps while they’re able to overpower you so you might wanna get used to it.”
“Perfect. I always wanted to be a walking packed lunch,” I said dryly, making a mental note to avoid all Vampires until I was strong enough to fight them off. Which would be a lot easier if I knew how to spot one. I eyed Sofia’s teeth for a moment, wondering if I’d find any fangs.
She flashed me a smile at my joke and I was able to confirm no fangs. “Sometimes the strongest Vampires will lay a claim on a power source-”
“In this scenario am I the power source?” I asked.
“Err, yeah,” Sofia shrugged apologetically. “But if Caleb decides he likes the way your power tastes he might want to keep you for himself and as he’s one of the most powerful Vampires in the school the others would all bow to his dominance.”
“Meaning he’d be the only one biting me?” I confirmed, just about understanding where she was going with this and not sure that I liked it one bit.
“Well, yeah. But look at it this way; if he does then you’ll only have one Vampire to worry about instead of a whole Order of them. Besides, Vampires aren’t even the most dangerous Order in this school; some of the creatures here could straight-up kill you if you caught them at the wrong moment. At least a Vampire needs you alive. And if I had to choose one Vampire to be pinning me up against a wall and putting his mouth all over me then Caleb Altair would be top of the list.”
I let out a surprised laugh, wondering how I managed such a thing after the ordeal I’d just been through but I had to admit Sofia had a point. I didn’t exactly relish the idea of any Vampire biting me but if I had to pick one then Caleb with his head of messy blonde curls, eyes as dark blue as the depths of the ocean and body cut straight from an Abercrombie and Fitch commercial would probably top the list. Or at least he would if he wasn’t such a jackass.
Before I could voice my opinion on Caleb Altair’s lack of personal boundaries and general aura of entitled douchebag, the crowd of students came to a halt and I gave my attention to what had stopped us.
As the hill was still sloping down, I was offered a view of the building that we’d reached although the term 'building' didn’t seem to cut it.
An arching doorway was cut into what looked like a hulking rock but the clouds had drawn in over the stars and I couldn’t see anything outside of the huge fire which blazed above the opening.
Most of the older students had headed on in and only the freshmen and ten of the older fire Celestials remained. Darius moved to stand before the doorway and the huge fire on the platform above it moulded itself into a giant dragon. The detail of the beast was insane; its body was darkest red with glimmering gold outlining individual scales and teeth which looked sharp enough to bite. The fire beast unfurled huge wings which spread out widely on either side of it as it opened its jaws.
My heart was pounding as I watched the display of magic and the dragon turned straight towards me. I knew the creature wasn’t real but something about it felt like so much more than a mirage.
With a roar created from the crackling rumble of burning embers, the dragon blew a torrent of fire over our heads, low enough to make a lot of the freshmen shriek and duck aside.
I held my ground, tipping my head back as the heat of the fire warmed my skin and the power within me purred with appreciation. I already felt like some of what Caleb had stolen from me was returning and my magic seemed to rise to meet with the dragon’s flames as if it were greeting an old friend.
“Fire is the most potent Element of all,” Darius announced. “It brings light to the dark, warmth in the cold and can destroy everything placed in its way. Only those born with veins filled with the heat of the sun and hearts blazing with the true power of the flames can enter our House and claim their place amongst us.”
I glanced at Sofia, wanting to ask her what this was all about but the hush that had fallen over the crowd of freshmen held me silent.
“So who wants to be the first to try and gain access to the greatest House in Zodiac Academy?” Darius called, holding his arms wide as he stood before the entrance like a monster guarding its keep.