“Well that backfired,” Orion deadpanned as I hurried forward with Tory and Geraldine to help him to his feet.
“By the stars’ nipples,” he murmured as he regained consciousness. “Pantaloons on the moon – oh gracious, forgive my language, my ladies. I have not seen the mark of the Zodiac Guild in many a year, and to see it worn by none other than a Power Shamed F-” He reared over and retched at those words. “Forgive me, a Power Shamed F-” He retched loudly again and Orion cursed under his breath while the Heirs all laughed.
“You there.” Geraldine whipped around, pointing an accusing finger at Max who looked to her in surprise, his laughter choking out in an instant as he pointed a finger at himself in confusion. “Yes, you, you uncouth codpiece, get my father a chair this instant!”
He nodded several times, looking around for a chair, bumping into Caleb then running from the room and returning with three wooden stools in his arms a minute later.
He placed them down while Geraldine swatted him away and Hamish dropped onto one of them, dabbing at his brow as he regained his strength.
“We mustn’t dilly dally any longer. We must get on with the star vows,” Hamish insisted, beckoning me and Tory forward. He took one of our hands each then drew in a long breath and smiled at us. “Do you Tory and Darcy Vega swear upon the stars to never reveal the location of this place to Lionel Acrux or any of his loyal followers, and never speak of anyone you see here in its depths? And do you also swear to never grievously harm or kill a single person here in The Burrows?”
We both agreed and a clap of magic rang between us before the Heirs moved forward to make the promise next. When everyone had made the vows and Hamish had finally gotten through making the promises with Orion while he retched between his words and had to look out a window instead of directly at him, Hamish stood up again and guided us all towards the ornate grandfather clock.
It was twice my size in height and breadth, the thing looking like something out of a fairy tale with delicate carvings all over the wood and gilded details glimmering in the low light. As I looked closer at the golden dial, I realised it didn’t just tell the time, it told the moon phases, the positions of the constellations in the sky and the phases of the four equinoxes too. A beautiful pendulum swung behind a glass window in the shape of the sun, the continual tick, tick, tick filling the room and seeming even louder up close.
“To enter, you must only speak your intentions towards the Vegas. The clock will detect the truth upon your soul,” Hamish said dramatically. “No one of ill intent can ever breach our beloved safe haven.”
Geraldine stepped up first, tilting her head back and speaking directly to the clockface. “I mean our true queens no harm.” She stepped forward with encouragement from her father, opening the door in the clock and behind it was a dark passage lit by burning sconces on the walls. She stepped into it and the door snapped shut behind her instantly.
Tory went next, looking up at the clock with a cynical frown that said she wasn’t convinced she needed to speak to a clock, but she did anyway. “I mean the Vegas no harm.”
She opened the door then stepped through and I moved forward, repeating the words and heading after her.
A wide tunnel led away from us, carving a path beneath the earth which disappeared into the distance, lit with flaming torches, the walls carved from the earth itself. As I followed my sister into the cool tunnel, I instantly moved towards the nearest sconce, the fire feeding my magic reserves as we waited for the others to catch up to us.
When the Heirs arrived, they stood before us and I felt the weight of the words they’d just spoken sitting there in the dark, waiting for one of us to acknowledge them.
“I guess that proves it once and for all then,” Caleb said with a lopsided grin, breaking the tension.
“That we’re best friends?” Seth asked, bobbing on his toes as he looked between us excitedly.
“I never thought this would happen,” Max said, scoring a hand over his short hair and smirking at us.
“Well, that’s because you were a dastardly dogfish when you met the Vegas,” Geraldine pointed out. “And I am not entirely convinced your dogfish ways are behind you yet, Maxy boy.”
“Oh come on, Gerry, what more do I have to do to prove myself?” Max lamented.
“You could try being less of a troublesome trout, I suppose.” She turned her back on him, heading off down the tunnel with a swing in her hips. But as everyone followed, I remained there, seeking out Orion who was barely visible where he stood in the darkest corner of the passage.