Zodiac Academy 2: Ruthless Fae

I STOOD BY my open window, looking out over what I could see of the grounds beyond as a sheet of drizzle fell from the thick clouds above and saturated everything. It was five in the morning and every inch of my body was protesting this early venture but my latest plan demanded it be done.

Darius’s room had been fixed up by the maintenance crew over the last few days and an announcement had gone out last night to say that he’d be returning to Ignis House tomorrow morning once the paint on his shiny new walls had dried.

If I wanted to implement my plan then I needed to do it now.

I was a little nervous about heading outside after the attempted Nymph attack on Darcy last night but the FIB and teachers had been crawling over every inch of the grounds until very recently and I was sure the thing had either been caught already or had gone deep into hiding again.

I shivered as the cold wind blew in around me and pulled my window shut. I wasn’t looking forward to going out in that weather but at least it should mean that no one else would be out there either.

A ping drew my attention to my Atlas and I opened it up to cast an eye over my horoscope.

Good morning Gemini. 

The stars have spoken about your day!

Today will be a day of two halves, you will face great highs and turbulent lows. Beware a run in with an Aquarius. Their wrath is unavoidable today and you will have to weather the storm with your head held high. A Pisces may present further obstacles but the way you handle them will determine the outcome of that interaction. 

Try to keep heart though, in the end this day may see your plans falling together if only you manage to persevere.

I frowned at the super negative predictions. Today sounds like it’s going to be a shitstorm then. And if an Aquarius was going to unleash their wrath on me then I had the feeling I’d be seeing Seth today. Peachy.

I pulled on the thick black jacket which had arrived as part of my latest online deliveries and zipped it up to my chin before adding gloves to the mix. The waterproof boots I’d purchased were warm and comfortable on my feet and I couldn’t help but grin at the latest additions to my wardrobe. September was coming to an end and as we drew closer to winter, I knew I’d be relying on warmer clothes to stave off my least favourite season more and more regularly. Beside my door, a large box of winter outfits sat waiting for me to deliver them to Darcy later on too. She hadn’t gotten into this online shopping business quite as thoroughly as I had and I knew she was indulging me by letting me buy for her.

I slid my Atlas into one of the large coat pockets and flicked the lights off before exiting my room. Geraldine had given me a bit of tuition in our Earth Elemental class and I’d grasped the basics involved with moving soil so I was fairly confident that I could manage this without her. I didn’t want to ask her to get involved with this again; I knew she wouldn’t hesitate to help me if I asked but this wasn’t some game we were playing. I’d broken the law and was going up against one of the most vindictive assholes in this school. The less she had to do with it, the better. I didn’t want her to end up in trouble on my account.

I slipped out of Ignis House under cover of darkness and trekked across the grounds to The Wailing Wood. The freezing sleet drove over me in a torrent and I played with my air and water magic as I tried to replicate the shields I’d seen other students using against the bad weather. I had varying levels of success, sometimes keeping the rain away, other times seeming to drive it into my face with twice the force. I made a mental note to ask for tuition on it in my Elemental lessons next week.

I moved beneath the dark trees and had to use the marker on my Atlas to locate the buried treasure.

I kept glancing around as I walked, the shadows within the wood setting me on edge and the sensation of eyes on me making my skin crawl.

At least when I’d been up to no good back in Chicago I could rely on streetlights to light my way and walls to conceal me. In this place I could never be entirely sure that I was alone. A more cautious person would probably give up. But I’d always been wilfully stubborn.

I reached the site of the buried treasure and glanced about carefully. The trees were quiet, only the patter of rain on the leaves overhead and the creak of branches in the wind reached me.

With a surge of determination, I dropped down onto my knees and quickly drew on my earth magic so that I could carve a hole into the ground. I had to remove my gloves to guide the magic more precisely and my work still wasn’t as smooth as Geraldine’s had been. Working with earth was different to the other Elements; it didn’t like to be bound to my will in the same way. It was a living thing and to get the best results from it, I had to work with it, not against it.

I used the roots of the plants surrounding the treasure to draw the soil aside and coaxed more of it to the surface as gently as I could manage. I was still a blunt instrument when it came to my magic in many ways but I managed to guide the dirt enough to reveal the telltale glint of gold beneath me.

I reached down into the hole and snatched out a handful of coins and some pieces of jewellery. I didn’t need much; just enough to screw with a certain Dragon.

I grabbed a second handful and was about to withdraw my hand when a familiar tug of energy resounded from the hole and my fingers skimmed against the cool hilt of the dagger.

The blade almost seemed to purr with recognition as my fingertips brushed it and I was filled with the desire to claim it for my own.

I hesitated. Something about that blade was weird. There was definitely more to it than there seemed to be at first glance. It had a presence, desires…

I meant to leave it behind but when I pulled my hand from the dirt, the dagger was clenched in my fist.

I blinked at it in surprise.

Why shouldn’t I just take it? I can use it as part of my plans…

I clucked my tongue, and shoved the dagger into my pocket. I hadn’t planned on retrieving it alongside the other treasure but I could still use it.

I coaxed the soil back over the rest of the treasure and encouraged new flowers to bloom above it. I didn’t have enough control to remove the dirt from my clothes but I was sure the rain could take care of that before I got back.

I pulled my gloves on again and started to trudge back out of The Wailing Wood as the grey clouds began to grow a little lighter overhead. Somewhere beyond them, the sun was coming up and I needed to prepare myself for my lessons today as well as my plans for Darius.

My mind wandered to the party we were going to attend in the company of the Heirs and their families at the end of the week. It was hard to know what to expect from the Celestial Council but after the less than warm welcome we’d received from their sons, I wasn’t holding out high hopes for a warm and fuzzy celebration.

A low howl sounded within the trees as I made it back to the path and I fell still as my heart fluttered in response. The last thing I needed was to run into one of Seth’s pack-mates while I was alone out here.

I remained still for a moment, listening carefully until a second howl met with the first, coming from the opposite direction.

Not good.

I swallowed a lump in my throat and turned left on the path, drawing my hood up as I went.

I set a quick pace, wishing I’d worn my running gear. If I started running without it then it would look really suspicious and I didn’t want to risk anyone wondering what I’d been doing out here…

I took the coins and slid them into a hidden pocket inside my jacket before zipping it up again, just in case. The dagger was too big to conceal in there so I left it in my pocket and hoped no one would notice it. I wondered again why I’d even taken the thing but I couldn’t do much about it now.

The wolves howled somewhere ahead of me and I hesitated before more howling started up behind me, driving me on again. I had the horrible feeling that they were surrounding me but there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

I pulled my coat closer around me, my heart pounding a little faster as I searched between the trees for any sign of them.

Movement caught my eye and I spun to the left as a black wolf shot between the trunks before disappearing out of sight.

I chewed on my lip. The edge of the woods was close. I could make it in a few minutes if I ran.

I looked over my shoulder. More howls came from the depths of the forest and a huge white wolf bounded across the path behind me.

I ran.

I cursed my boots as I splashed through the mud at full speed, wishing I’d worn my running sneakers. But it didn’t matter, I was still as fast as the wind when I got going and the path curved downhill to aid me.

The wind whipped my hood back and the sleet drove into my face. I scrunched my eyes up against it and kept going.

The howls had changed in pitch, excited yapping mixing with their baying as the pack took up the chase.

I swore beneath my breath, the edge of the woods coming into view ahead of me. The sound of thundering paws was closing in behind me. I threw a look over my shoulder and spotted six huge beasts in pursuit, their coats a mixture of browns and greys.

Where’s the white wolf?

My heart was beating so fast that I was sure it was trying to carve a path right out of my chest.

I looked ahead of me again, digging deep for an extra spurt of speed. I wasn’t going to make it.

I reached the edge of the trees half a second before the white wolf pounced.

His paws slammed into my chest and I was knocked flat on my back beneath him, his immense weight crushing me into the mud.

Pain flared up my spine and I cried out in fright.

I wheezed beneath the weight he was exerting on me, trying to struggle out from under him as the rest of the pack circled, yapping and howling with excitement.

“Get off of me, you asshole,” I snarled, trying to shove him back. The mud on my hands stained his soft, white fur and he released a deep growl in warning.

I knew that this was Seth, that it was really a man pinning me to the mud and not some wild beast, but my heart shredded at the sound of that growl and fear paralysed me for a moment.

Seth leaned forward, his teeth bared right in my face and I recoiled, mud soaking through my hair all the way down to my scalp.

The wet pad of his tongue ran up the centre of my face and I spluttered in disgust.

The white wolf cocked his head at me before shifting back into his Fae form. The weight pinning me to the ground reduced and I found myself straddled in the dirt by a very naked, very amused Seth Capella.

“Look what came wandering into my territory in the dead of night,” he purred excitedly. “Were you hoping for a ride with my pack again, babe?”

“I don’t want anything to do with your pack of mongrels,” I snapped.

Seth’s eyes sparkled with the challenge in my tone and he leaned closer to me, pressing his hips down on mine to keep me in place.

“Your junk is all over my coat,” I hissed. “Learn some goddamn boundaries.”

“You’re the one who came wandering onto my turf,” Seth reminded me. “So maybe you’re the one who needs to learn to respect boundaries.”

“Fine. Let me go and I’ll get out of your stupid woods,” I said, hoping he might be satisfied by knocking me down in the mud.

He reached out and snagged a lock of my hair between his fingers. “I did say I wanted a matching set,” he mused, leaning close to me so that he could brush it against his face.

Anger coiled in my gut at what he’d done to my sister and I yelled a curse at him as I reared forward, slamming my hands into his chest as I tried to throw him off of me. 

He reacted quicker than I would have expected, fisting my hair in his grasp and jerking my head to the side so that my face was pressed to the mud.

“You’re lucky we need you in one piece for the party on Saturday,” he growled.

Before I could respond, he transformed back into a giant white wolf and his weight crushed me once more. He growled, his teeth brushing against my cheek in a clear threat which sent a tremor rocking through my body before he moved off of me.

I scrambled backwards but before I could even try to rise, he cocked his leg and a steaming trail of urine washed over my legs.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I shrieked, kicking out at him in disgust.

I tried to get to my feet but he slammed into me again, knocking me back down. The rest of his pack circled in, the males cocking their legs over me as well and heat clawed its way through my body as my clothes were coated in a layer of wolf piss.

The stench of it rose up around me, catching in my throat and bringing tears to my eyes. As soon as they were done, Seth barked in command and they all turned and raced away into the trees, leaving me in the mud and the rain and the piss.

***

After I had to endure the humiliation of stomping back through the Ignis House common room covered in mud and reeking of wolf piss, I showered for over an hour before I felt even close to clean. I scrubbed my skin until it was pink and burned everything I’d been wearing with a blast of fire magic which helped satisfy my anger a little bit.

FaeBook was filled with posts about what Seth and his pack had done to me so I was the laughingstock of the entire Academy once again. The only thing which was stopping me from bursting into tears over it was the little pile of gold coins and jewellery which had sat by my feet as I showered and the knowledge that Darcy had already set a plan into motion against the Werewolf asshole.

Most of the coins and jewellery now had a new home wrapped in a plastic bag in the cistern at the back of my toilet in my en-suite.

I kept thinking about the damn party I had to attend with Seth and the rest of the Heirs. I had half a mind to back out of the stupid thing but I’d made a deal with Darius and he’d kept up his end of it. If I wanted any hope of him continuing to tutor me with my fire magic then I needed to stick to my word.

My extended stint in the shower to remove the piss from my body meant that I’d missed breakfast and I was dangerously close to being late for my first lesson too but I decided to risk the House Points in favour of setting my plans in motion.

I braided my hair over one shoulder and used a few more hair pins than necessary to secure it in place.

I straightened my school uniform and slid five of Darius’s gold coins into my pocket with a little rush of anticipation. I hesitated as I eyed the dagger next, the weird energy emanating from it seeming to want me to take it with me. I placed it in my pocket, took a step towards the door then stopped.

Why the hell am I about to go to lessons with a dagger in my pocket like a damn psychopath?

I shook my head and pulled the dagger back out of my pocket, sliding it beneath the sheets of my bed instead. The stupid thing seemed to call out for me to come back for it but I forced the impulse away with a shudder. I was not going to be manipulated by an inanimate object.

At five to eight, I slipped out of my room and headed upstairs with my heart pounding and a determined set to my features. The Heirs may still have been able to push us around but I planned on doing everything in my power to undermine them at every turn. And stage one of that plan required a small break-in to occur.

I made it to the top floor of Ignis House and hesitated as I listened for the sounds of anyone who might be running late for lessons. I had a vague cover story in place in case I was caught up here; I would claim to be looking for Darius to ask about our next Fire Elemental session. It wasn’t the best cover. Why would I be looking for him now when he wasn’t due to return to the House until tomorrow morning? Why would I have come three minutes before lessons were due to start? Why didn’t I just send him a message on my Atlas? But a cover story with holes was better than nothing at all and I was pretty confident I wouldn’t need it anyway.

I headed for Darius’s room at the end of the hall first, knocking softly just in case he really was back already.

There was no response so I quickly dropped to my knees, pulling the hairpins from my braid and working them into the lock. I was familiar with it from my last foray into his room so I disabled it quickly and a loud click signalled my victory.

The door swung open silently and I was accosted by the smell of fresh paint. His refurbishment had come complete with a brand new TV, luxurious furnishings and plenty of gold adornments. His new bed had a gold headboard with the name Acrux emblazoned on it.

I scowled in disappointment, it seemed that my revenge had ended in him getting upgrades. I really doubted he’d be losing much sleep over the things I’d destroyed in the super-king bed with the plump pillows and dark grey sheets which looked as soft as butter.

His fireplace now had a black fireguard standing before it and I snorted in amusement at that addition.

As much as I’d have liked to set his fancy new room alight for a second time, I imagined the investigation into that would be a hell of a lot more thorough and it wasn’t worth the risk.

I tiptoed across his plush new carpet and slipped one of the fat, golden coins from my pocket. I spotted the melted dragon head on the face of the coin and smirked at the fact that I’d plucked this particular coin from the buried treasure.

With a thrill of adrenaline which spilled through me, I placed the coin on his pillow where it glinted, ready to taunt him like the nice big ‘someone stole your treasure’ message I intended for it to be.

I backed up quickly, tugging his door closed and re-locking it with well practiced moves. Stage one, complete.

Next, I headed along the corridor to the last door on the left, my heart thundering a merry tune to a beat of anticipation. I made quick work of that lock too and slipped inside.

I wrinkled my nose as I looked around at the devastation which Milton Hubert called home. There were heaps of dirty clothes, piled up books which lay open with their spines bent and the unholy stench of unwashed teenage male lingering in the air.

His room wasn’t as big as Darius’s but it was still twice the size of mine. I guessed being part of Darius’s posse came with the perks of an upgrade. Shame their friendship was destined to fall on rocky times.

I held my breath as I crept forward, careful not to disturb any of his piles of crap just in case this was actually an organised form of chaos and he noticed the difference. Though I doubted that very much. I reached the double bed and quickly pushed the handful of coins beneath his mattress, making sure they lay flat so he wouldn’t notice them.

I backed up swiftly and locked the door again.

Success for stage two.

I pushed the hairpins back into my braid and headed for the stairwell, checking the time on my Atlas as I went. I was already five minutes late but our first class of the day was Cardinal Magic so there was a good chance Orion wasn’t there yet anyway.

I sprinted out of the House and up the path toward Jupiter Hall.

As I drew close to the long building, I spotted Orion approaching the doors. He pulled it open and I darted through in front of him.

“Cutting it fine, Miss Vega,” he said, thankfully not sounding too angry for once.

“Still made it before you though,” I said, offering an insolent smile over my shoulder as I dashed up the stairs.

I ran all the way to class and dropped down into my chair beside Darcy five seconds before Orion strolled into the room, sipping from his mug of coffee like he didn’t have a care in the world and wasn’t fifteen minutes late for his own lesson. It occurred to me that he could easily use his Vampire speed to get here on time if he wanted to but he clearly chose to be late.

“Did you do it?” Darcy breathed, hiding the words behind her hand.

I smiled widely in response but I didn’t reply as I noticed Orion watching us.

“Anything you want to share with the class, Miss Vega?” Orion asked mildly, in that tone which lulled you into believing he wasn’t half a second away from launching that boiling hot coffee all over us.

I bit down on my smile, though I couldn’t banish it completely, and shook my head at him.

His eyes narrowed with suspicion but he quickly dismissed it, turning to the board where he wrote the title of today’s lesson for all to see.

YOU ARE NOT FRIENDS.

I raised an eyebrow at Darcy and she stifled a laugh. It looked like we were in for yet another lesson on the art of becoming an asshole and I opened up my Atlas, ready to learn about what we were lacking today.

***

Tarot class felt odd without Professor Astrum to teach it but it was even worse having Washer stand in. He was wearing a pair of leather pants today with a lace up fly which was so tight that it was bulging. He’d coupled the pants with a white shirt which clung to his body in a way that made me wonder if it was part Lycra. I could see his nipples through it and he seemed to have forgotten to fasten half the buttons.

A million times ewww.

“Anyone feeling like they want to offload today?” Washer asked as the class walked in. “I’m a little light on power so feel free to come dump on me if you need to. I promise not to bite… unless you ask really nicely.”

The wink which followed his offer sent a shudder down my spine and I gave my attention to unpacking my Atlas and Tarot deck from my satchel so that I didn’t have to look at him.

He set us to work reading the cards then started moving around the class, peering over people’s shoulders to check their work while brushing against them to siphon their magic as he went. Thankfully he started on the far side of the room so we were spared from his attention for the moment.

Darcy shuffled the deck, her eyes alight with intrigue as she held the cards out in a fan for me to pick one.

I waved my hand above them and felt an intense desire to grasp one. I’d never been so sure of my choice when picking from the cards before and I drew the card out with interest, flipping it over to see what it was.

My lips parted as I spotted the card that Astrum had left for us before his death.

“Did you mean to put that in your deck?” I asked Darcy with a frown.

“No,” she replied in confusion. “I mean, it wasn’t in there earlier, I’m sure of it. I haven’t even had the deck out!”

I placed it on the table between us, looking at the mysterious words on the back for the millionth time.

I made a mistake and now my time is up.

The Shadow has discovered me and there is no hope for me to escape their wrath.

The answers you seek are hidden between Leo and Libra.

Don’t trust the flames.

Claim your throne.

– Falling Star

As I read the words about Leo and Libra, my head snapped up automatically like a hand had been placed under my chin and lifted it. My eyes fell on the swirling design of the constellations on the wall behind the desk where Leo and Libra sat directly beside each other. As I looked at the wall more closely, I realised that it was in fact lined with tiny drawers which I guessed Astrum had used to store things.

I glanced to my right and found Darcy looking at the exact same thing.

“So I’m getting the feeling that the card wasn’t talking about Darius and Orion,” she breathed.

I nodded, casting a look at Washer as he leaned right over Tyler’s desk with his ass in the air as he inspected the card he’d drawn.

“Knock on the table if he’s gonna spot me,” I breathed, pushing myself up out of my seat.

Diego and Sofia looked around as I got up too and I pressed a finger to my lips as they watched me move away.

Most of the class were too distracted with their work to notice me slipping around the desk towards the wall. My fingertips were tingling and I could feel the same little tug on my magic that I’d felt the night Astrum had died, right before we’d discovered the Death card. I tried to pull on it but it was like the thing I was yanking on was stuck.

I glanced at Washer again before moving to the wall and brushing my fingers along it. The little drawer between Leo and Libra resisted my first attempt to open it but as I exerted a little magic, the lock clicked open like it had recognised me.

My heart leapt and I quickly grabbed the contents from the drawer just as Darcy knocked her fist against the desk.

I spun around, bumping the drawer closed behind me and concealing the two cards behind my back just as Washer turned his blue eyes on me.

“Why are you out of your seat, Miss Vega?” he asked curiously, taking a few steps towards me which were punctuated by the creak, creak, creak of his leather pants.

“I err, just wanted to…” My mind whirled and in the moment I could only come up with one possible thing to say which would cover my ass, but the thought of it made me want to heave. I really couldn’t risk him realising that I’d just taken something from Astrum’s drawer so I had to go with it. “To take you up on your offer to… offload some emotional baggage.” I cringed internally and Darcy wrinkled her nose in disgust behind his back.

“Really?” Washer purred, his tongue darting out between his lips like he could taste my emotions on the air already.

“Yeah,” I agreed, my voice sounding about as unenthusiastic as I felt.

“You do look troubled, poor lamb. Why don’t we take this somewhere more private? Come on through to the store cupboard.” He flicked his hazel hair and creaked across the room to a small door in the far corner, clearly expecting me to follow.

I scampered back to Darcy, passing over the cards I’d grabbed from the drawer with a grimace. “He’d better have left us more than just obscure nonsense this time,” I groaned.

“Good luck,” she replied, failing to keep the horror from her face as her eyes slipped to the open cupboard door.

“Come on, Miss Vega, I’ve just thought up a special treat for you!” Washer called from the cupboard and I shuddered as I moved to follow him inside.

Washer smiled widely as I stepped into the meter square cube lined with shelves holding all sorts of fortune telling equipment.

“Are you sure we really need to be in a cupboard for this?” I asked, glancing back at the classroom door.

“It’s much nicer to have some privacy for these things,” Washer said, either ignoring my discomfort or just not noticing it.

I was about to tell him I’d changed my mind when the call of his Siren gift pulled at me. The sense of unease slid away from me and I found myself walking towards Washer like he was an old friend.

“If you’re feeling low, I always find it’s nice to relive some tantalising, exciting memories,” Washer said, reaching for my hand.

He took it and his power increased as I gazed up at his floppy hair, suddenly wanting to brush it away from his eyes so that I could see them better.

He groaned a little as my fingers did just that, sweeping across his brow.

“Let’s have a look at some of those fun memories then, it’ll cheer you right up,” Washer urged and lust crept along my limbs, guiding me towards exactly what he wanted.

My breathing hitched as he sorted through my memories like they were snacks for the taking.

After a thankfully brief look, he released me and the lust withdrew as I folded my arms over my chest defensively.

“Tut tut tut,” Washer said with a knowing smile. “Mr Altair should know better than to get handsy with his Source in a classroom.”

My lips parted, words caught in my throat. I hadn’t told anyone about hooking up with Caleb and I’d meant for it to stay that way.

“Our little secret,” Washer assured me with a wink.

He showed me out of the cupboard and I scurried away feeling violated. I dropped down next to Darcy and her eyes widened as she looked at me.

“What did he do?” she hissed.

“I… he….” I was so disgusted by what he’d just done that I didn’t even have words for it.

Darcy, Sofia and Diego were all looking at me worriedly, waiting for an explanation and I dropped my gaze to the desk as I gave it to them. 

“He looked at my memories of me doing stuff with guys,” I explained, unable to say any more without shuddering.

“What?” Darcy demanded in outrage. 

“Pervertido!” Diego exclaimed and Sofia clapped a hand over her mouth in horror.

Washer glanced our way and I hunched in on myself, not wanting him to come over here again. 

“Don’t worry about it,” I said dismissively though half of me wanted to curl up in a ball and die. “What was in the drawer?”

Darcy’s mouth fell into a thin line but she obviously realised we were drawing Washer’s attention too and let it go. She surreptitiously held out two things to show me. One was a photograph of a man in his fifties. He had a handlebar moustache, bald head and looked absolutely ripped despite his age and smart grey suit. The second was yet another card from Astrum’s deck; the deck he’d told us used to belong to our birth mother.

I studied the picture on the card. It showed a man who looked kind of like the pope wearing a red robe and a golden headdress while sitting on a chair and holding a golden staff in his hand. The Hierophant was printed at the base of the card.

“What does that one mean again?” Darcy asked, pulling up the meaning for the card on her Atlas

Before she could find it, Sofia supplied the answer. “The Hierophant stands for convention and tradition. It can be a sign of marriage or arrangement but can also mean a teacher or councillor who will give advice, assistance or aid in learning,” she said.

“That last bit would certainly be helpful,” Darcy added.

“We could do with someone to give us some answers,” I agreed. I flipped the card over and found words written in Astrum’s swirling silver script yet again.

Ask him what happened to Clara Orion four years ago…

“I guess he means this dude,” I said, tapping my finger against the photograph.

 Darcy lifted it to inspect it but there were no further words, no name, no way at all for us to figure out who this guy was and I’d certainly never seen him before. She showed it to the others but they both shrugged, clearly having no idea who he was either.

“Do you think Clara Orion has something to do with Professor Orion?” Sofia asked curiously.

“We could ask, I guess…” I frowned, wondering if that would result in any answers.

“Urgh, he probably wouldn’t tell us anything,” Darcy muttered. “He never gives me straight answers.”

I frowned at her, wondering what that was supposed to mean but she went on quickly without elaborating.

“How are we supposed to track down some random guy from a picture alone?” Darcy asked in exasperation, tucking the card and photograph away.

“Maybe you shouldn’t,” Diego said warily. “The things Astrum knew got him killed. Perhaps it’s best you don’t go chasing after his secrets.”

“He has a point,” Sofia agreed, her eyes alight with concern.

“Well it doesn’t matter anyway,” I said with a shrug. “We’ve got nothing else to go on, so unless this guy comes wandering in the room at any moment, we haven’t got a hope of finding him.”

Darcy opened her mouth to reply just as the door swung open.

My heart lurched in surprise and we all looked up, half expecting the mystery man to be looking back at us. Instead Kylie Major was just returning from a bathroom break.

We all released a collective laugh as the tension leaked from us.

I turned to face Darcy again. “Well unless fate decides to deliver him to us, I guess that’s the end of that.”

***

During our last class of the day, I’d received a message to say that a very exciting delivery had arrived and we’d headed straight to Pluto Offices to retrieve it. 

We hurried through Earth Territory with the discreetly packaged black box and I had to fight the desire to laugh aloud at what we were about to do. 

Darcy was grinning like a Cheshire Cat beside me and I was sure I was too. 

As we drew closer to Terra House, we slipped off of the main path and into the trees. They weren’t as thick here as in The Wailing Wood but the huge pines and giant redwoods held a kind of majestic beauty to them which took my breath away. Everything in Earth Territory was green and lush and beautiful. The scent of wildflowers and pine hung in the air and everywhere I looked plants of every variety were springing to life. 

We’d come here a few days ago with Geraldine to scope out where we needed to go so the path was familiar as we circled around the huge hill which contained Terra House. 

Because the House was underground, each of the bedrooms held a window in their ceilings which were cut into the sides of the hill and looked up at the sky. 

Caleb’s room was at the very peak of the hill so we wound our way between the other windows carefully, making sure we couldn’t be seen by any of the students inside. 

We had hoped to make it here while the Earth House Captain was still at Pitball practice but there had been a queue at Pluto Offices and it had taken longer than expected to claim our package so there was a chance he’d be back already.

As we drew close to the window, we dropped down to our hands and knees and crawled towards it. The huge round window was split into four quarters by a bronze frame, each of which opened separately.

I smirked at Darcy as we wiggled to the edge of the window and peered down into the luxurious space which Caleb Altair called home. It was like a hobbit hole had had a baby with a penthouse.

I pulled a screwdriver from my pocket and quickly got to work jimmying the closest window open. Just as I heard a telltale click and wedged my fingers into the frame, the door to Caleb’s room swung open and we both recoiled as he strode inside. 

Darcy’s hand landed on my forearm, her grip tightening as Caleb wandered into the space in a filthy Pitball kit. He tossed a sports bag onto the floor and dropped his Atlas on his desk before pulling off his shirt. 

I hadn’t come here with any intention to spy on Caleb Altair as he got naked but with my fingers stuck holding the window open a crack, I didn’t get much choice in the matter as he dropped his pants next. 

Darcy blew out a breath of laughter beside me as he crossed the room and headed into his en-suite, giving us plenty of opportunity to check out his ass before he closed the door. The sound of the shower starting up reached us and I relaxed a little.

“He might be a part of the asshole brigade, but that guy is stupidly hot,” I murmured. 

“No doubt about that,” Darcy agreed. 

“Shall we get on with ruining his day then?” I asked with a grin. 

“Definitely.”

I tightened my grip on the window and managed to pull it open an inch before using the screwdriver to release the lock. As I opened it the whole way, I couldn’t help but think that Fae really should consider getting better locks on their doors and windows. They were so concerned with intimidating people away from them that basic security didn’t even seem to occur to them. 

At least it makes our plans easier to execute. 

Darcy made quick work of opening the box and I stifled the raucous laughter which wanted to burst from my throat as I caught sight of the huge inflatable as she pulled it out. 

She smiled widely as she hung it down into his room, flipping open the plug so that I could blow it up. While she held it tightly, I pressed my fingers to the hole and directed air magic into it, inflating the huge thing within a matter of seconds. Darcy flicked the cap into place to keep the air inside and dropped the monstrosity straight onto Caleb’s bed.

She wriggled back out of the window and I secured it quickly, fighting against my desire to laugh with everything I had. 

As much as I was desperate to see how this played out, hanging around would have been stupid so we quickly got to our feet and started running back down the grassy roof of Terra House. 

Darcy burned the black box with a burst of fire magic while we were hidden in the trees to destroy the evidence. 

We didn’t slow down until we made it back to The Orb where we fell onto a couch in the corner and laughed so hard that we started crying. I hoped Caleb was enjoying his shower, because he was in for a shock when he got out.