“They’re going to fall,” Darcy breathed.
“Maybe they’ll do us a favour and hurt themselves badly enough to be forced to leave the Academy,” I joked.
As we watched, Max managed to get the upper hand, slamming his shoulder into Darius’s stomach and making him stumble back. He lost his footing on the cliff edge and fell, his arms cartwheeling and a whoop of laughter leaving his lips. He somehow managed to flip himself around so that he hit the water feet first, disappearing beneath the surface with a huge splash.
A second later, Max took a running jump and dove from the cliff too. He entered the water like an Olympic diver, barely raising a ripple and I couldn’t help but be a little impressed.
My attention was snagged by the freshman class as they began to move into the shallow water and my sister and I hurried to follow.
It was surprisingly warm and I smiled as I waded out, running my fingertips across the surface as my power called to the liquid that surrounded me.
I wasn’t sure what exactly we were supposed to be doing after I’d let my attention waver but I was more than ready to begin.
TING-ALING-ALING.
I rolled over with a wide yawn, reaching for my Atlas with a sleepy smile. Birds were singing beyond the window, the bed seemed to hug every inch of my body and the morning was calling to me.
I clicked on my horoscope with fascination. My last two had been damn accurate and this time I wanted to try and look out for the warning signs. If they could help me avoid another run-in with the Heirs, then I had to try and read between the lines.
Good morning Gemini!
The stars have spoken about your day.
With the world falling into chaos around you, you will have to remain vigilant and let the steady path of the sun keep your grounded. It may seem like a lot to take in, but you’re doing better than you think.
With the world falling into chaos around you, you will have to remain vigilant and let the steady path of the sun keep your grounded. It may seem like a lot to take in, but you’re doing better than you think.
Be wary of those around you. Even the friendliest of dogs can bite.
I read it over a couple of times then checked my timetable. I had Order Enhancement with the Werewolves today. One guess who I needed to be concerned about biting me…
I got out of bed, taking a shower and dressing in my uniform for the day. When I returned to my bedroom a clamour of voices and pounding footsteps carried from out in the tower.
I slung my satchel over my shoulder then caught sight of the sketches I'd done last night on my desk. They were just of the grounds and buildings in Zodiac but I was always overly self-conscious about my art. Even I felt uncomfortable looking at them. I stuffed them in a drawer and headed out of my room, locking it quickly before walking onto the stairway.
Students were running about, many looking tense, others chattering excitedly. They were all heading downstairs as if they'd just departed from something important in the common room. Curiosity got the better of me and I headed up, despite the fact that I always avoided hanging out up there. Since the photo of me looking like I’d lost an argument with a sewer had gone viral, I was trying to make myself as invisible as possible to the four walking-talking six-packs who ran this school. But I didn’t want to hide forever.
When I arrived in the circular room of grey stone, filled with cream couches and armchairs, my eyes fell on a large screen on one wall. A news reporter with long dark hair was relaying an event which had happened yesterday evening in a town called Tucana.
“-the body was discovered by a student at Zodiac Academy whose name is being kept anonymous. Just this morning, the head of the Fae Investigation Bureau has confirmed that the culprit of the murder was a Nymph who is currently still at large. The residents of Tucana should be extra vigilant during dark hours and report any sightings of the creature to the FIB. The Fae who was killed has been named as Ferris Pike and held two Elements: fire and earth-” The television went blank and I frowned, my heart hammering as Seth stood up from the ring of chairs before it. Kylie jumped up beside him as he tossed the remote on his seat.
He had a taut look on his face and as Kylie tried to take his hand, he shook her off. He jogged through the room, barely sparing me a glance as he disappeared out into the stairwell with intention in his stride.
Kylie tossed her sunbeam hair over her shoulder, moving to join a couple of the girls from Aer. “Who cares about some old dead man anyway?” she moaned to her friend, flicking open a compact to check her doll-faced reflection.
Someone touched my arm and I jolted back to my own space, turning to find Diego there. He gave me a terse smile.
“Did you hear?” he asked.
“Yes but…” I bit my lip guiltily. “What's a Nymph?”
He blew out a breath of laughter, glancing over my shoulder at Kylie and her gang of preening barbies before drawing me toward the exit.
He didn't answer until we were walking down the stairs, away from prying ears. “Nymphs are another race. They live in the shadows of Fae. They're our enemies.”
“Why?” I whispered, sensing this conversation needed a quiet voice.
“Because…” He glanced over his shoulder then linked his arm through mine to draw me nearer. “Nymphs aren't born with Elemental powers. But if they kill a Fae, they absorb all of their magic. Every last drop and then they can use it against us.” His eyes glowed at me, unblinking as he delivered this news.
“That's…” I didn't have the words so I just shook my head.
“Yeah.” He nodded. “Sick. And it means the Nymphs are always a danger. They hunger for magic even more than a Vampire does. And do you know how they take it?”
My mouth became parched as I shook my head.
“They have the gift of the shadows, able to drain a Fae of its power. They do it using these probes…their fingernails grow all long and drive right into the hearts of Fae and suck out all of their power.” Diego seemed to have a morbid fascination with the idea of it but it just made me sick to the stomach.
“That woman on the news said a student found the body,” I said in horror.
Diego nodded slowly. “Yeah, they won't say who though. My guess is they're having their memory removed right about now. Who could forget a sight like that, you know? It would totally mess you up.”
“Memory removal is a thing?” I hissed, my chest tightening at the idea.
Diego glanced around again, lowering his voice even further. “Not exactly. It's advanced Coercion. Forcing the Fae to forget. It's completely illegal, but there's a lot of conspiracy theories about the FIB which say they do it on the sly.”
“And you believe them?” I guessed.
He grinned at me. “If you knew the dodgy stuff that went on in law enforcement, you'd believe it too. And not just the FIB, Darcy, this very school. There’s even rumours about some of the faculty practicing dark magic on the sly.”
My mind spun as we stepped out of the tower and the sun shone down on us, the air cool and the clouds sparse.
“Have you got tarot this morning?” Diego asked, changing the subject as we made our way to The Orb for breakfast.
I nodded, my gaze snagging on Seth up ahead. His band of followers were around him, brushing their hands over his back and nuzzling him – what was with the nuzzling?! - but he barely responded.