Zodiac Academy 3: The Reckoning

MY STOMACH WRITHED WITH vomiting butterflies as I stood outside Orion’s office ready for my Liaison session. I wasn’t sure I could handle how awkward this was going to be.

Maybe he could just assign me a new Liaison? Yeah, I should definitely suggest that. That would make this whole off-limits thing a whole lot easier to deal with.

I was annoyingly early because I’d heard a bunch of Aer students plotting a massive attack for the freshmen in my House. To avoid being caught up in that, I’d arrived here at a quarter to seven. And the prize for worst idea ever goes to…

Orion appeared at the end of the corridor dressed in an immaculate suit unlike the grubby Pitball kit or shirt and slacks he usually showed up in. I guess the Pitball pitch is still off limits.

My mind reeled as I suddenly realised he was on time. And not just on time. Goddamn early. I half expected him to do a U-turn and come back later, but he kept walking toward me. His Atlas was in his hand and his eyes were fixed on the screen. I didn’t know if it was better or worse that he wasn’t looking at me. All I knew, was the closer he got, the less air made it into my lungs on each breath.

He finally stopped before me, dropped the Atlas to his side and looked up.

Echoing silence seemed to fill the void between us.

He scratched his beard then moved toward the door to unlock it, his arm bumping mine as he did so. I quickly scooted back, hovering behind him and decided now might be a good time to just call quits on this whole agonising lesson. Which was actually gonna be a full damn session for once. Why today? Why would you be early today?

“La- sir?” I corrected half way. Where did that come from? I almost said his first name!

“I don’t speak French, Miss Vega.”

Hilarious.

He stepped into the room, leaving the door wide but I remained in the corridor. I moved half way through the entrance and found his back to me as he walked across the room.

“Um actually, I was thinking maybe it might be a better idea if I just get a new Liaison,” I suggested, but my voice was followed by another bout of excruciating silence.

Orion settled into his chair and didn’t reach for his bourbon for once. “No, that won’t be necessary. Come in. Close the door.”

There was a large tan leather book on his desk and as I moved into the room, I spotted the name on it. Orders of Fae.

I shut the door and the click resounded in my ears. I wet my achingly dry mouth, heading across the carpet and lowering into the chair opposite him.

The clock on the wall ticked so loudly I swear it was making my left eye twitch.

He pulled the book toward him, flipping it open to a page marked with a long blue feather and started reading something in silence. While he did that, I studied his expression, trying to work out what he was thinking. My eyes shifted to his mouth and heat surged up my spine as the memory of that kiss made me want to just-

“Dragons.” Orion looked up. “I think you and your sister might be Dragons. Though a kind thought to be extinct.”

“Oh,” I said, leaning forward to try and get a look at the book. My mind whirled with that idea. Darius always looked so incredibly fierce in his Order form and he was also so damn big. I couldn’t imagine what it might feel like to have my body transform like that. Would it hurt? And would I know how to use my wings and shoot fire instinctively?

It was absolutely insane and so much to process that I finally forgot about the tension in the room. I tried to pull the book toward me and Orion pointed out the passage at the same time, causing our skin to graze. White hot energy raced under my flesh and I immediately yanked my hand away.

I sat back in my seat, combing my fingers through my hair just so I had something else to focus on. “Right, er- so Dragons?”

“Dragons,” he echoed, clearing his throat. “Potentially this one.” He pushed the book toward me, tapping on the passage before withdrawing entirely.

I leaned forward, reading the paragraph with intrigue.

The long extinct Ismenian Dragon was once a powerful Order. As the largest of the Dragon Orders, its fire was three times the strength of its smaller cousins. Often darkest blue in colour, it had a forked tongue and poisonous breath which could kill a Fae up to ten metres away.

I lifted my head, my mind spinning. “How big does this Dragon get?” I asked, thinking of Darius and his already huge form. If we were one of these Ismenian Dragons we’d be even larger. And despite the kind of frightening possibility of actually shifting into something that size, I didn’t mind the sound of being bigger and badder than Darius Acrux. Him and the other Heirs would never be able to push us around again.

“I think they could be as much as double the size of a regular Dragon. So…” He didn’t finish that line of thought, instead drawing the book away from me and closing it. He got to his feet, turning to place it back on the book shelf which arched over the doorway in the centre of the wall.

“What’s in there?” I asked just to break the penetrating silence.

“A storage room,” Orion said, taking another book from the shelf and putting it down on the desk.

“Oh,” I breathed. “Do you store anything interesting in there?”

Orion gave me a taut frown. “Miss Vega-”

I rolled my eyes and he stopped short, a low noise leaving his throat.

“What?” I huffed. “It’s really stupid that you keep talking to me like we didn’t-”

“Don’t,” he growled and I sighed, my eyes falling to the book on the desk.

The Wonders of Being a Dragon.

I exhaled a laugh at the name and Orion fought so hard against a grin that he almost busted a tooth.

“Read it. And I’ll sign you up to attend the Dragon Order Enhancement class tomorrow.” He managed to get the moody mask back on his face and I nodded, taking the book and putting it in my bag.

“Don’t we have enough to worry about with our Elemental Trials starting on Thursday?”

“Finding out your Order is essential,” Orion said firmly. “I imagine you’ll emerge any day now. Don’t you want to be prepared?”

I considered that and nodded. If I was going to burst into a forty foot Dragon maybe a heads up would be nice.

I checked the clock on the wall and found it was only a quarter past seven and my stomach dropped. I still had forty five minutes left of this session.

Orion followed my line of sight and a deep v formed between his eyes.

He sighed heavily. “Fuck this. Come on, let’s go for a walk.” He got up and I looked up at him in surprise.

“A walk?” I asked in confusion, getting to my feet.

“Yeah, maybe you’d like to try out that fire again, huh?”

“That almost sounds like fun,” I teased.

“Yes, well I can be fun sometimes. Especially when I’m not wearing this suit.”

I stared at him and his eyes widened as he realised what he’d said.

“I meant when I’m not working,” he said quickly.

“Right yeah.” And when you’re diving into swimming pools. And pressed against me with your tongue in my mouth.

I moved toward the door, bumping into him as he moved too. Oh god why are we even trying to pretend this isn’t the most awkward evening ever?

I was relieved when we exited the painfully quiet corridors of Jupiter Hall and the evening call of birds, chatter of students and music from The Orb finally broke the pressure in the air between us.

He took off at a purposeful stride down the path and I headed after him, falling a step behind so we didn’t have to look at each other.

The air was icily cool and the sky crystal clear, brushed with deepest orange and pastel peach as the sun began to set. My breath fogged before me and I sensed the keen clutch of winter in the air.

Orion headed through The Wailing Wood and I practically had to jog to keep up with his long stride.

We finally emerged in The Howling Meadow and a gust of wind sailed through the long grass, causing a sweeping ripple all across the huge field.

A smile pulled at my mouth as Orion stepped into the grass and I headed after him toward the very centre of the meadow. I reached into the well of magic inside me, wondering if I’d be able to cast that intense fire again. I could almost feel that power there, but it was like a sleeping beast. And I wasn’t sure how to wake it.

The breeze grew stronger as I stopped in front of Orion, dragging my dark hair out in a wild tangle of tendrils. His tense jaw relaxed a little and his eyes skimmed over me in a way that unravelled me from the inside out.

I took a breath, angling my face away so I didn’t drown in memories of his mouth and hands on me.

Okay now we’re in the middle of a field alone. How is this better exactly?

“Raise your hands to the sky, let’s not burn the entire meadow down,” Orion instructed and I did as he said. “Order powers are different to your Elemental powers. You should feel those channels in two different parts of your body.”

I kept my eyes on the sky, my hands raised as I nodded.

I’m feeling a hell of a lot of fire in my body right now but none of it is Dragon Fire.

“I can sense my magic and it feels like there’s another part of me, but it’s not awake,” I explained.

“What were you feeling when you used it before?” he asked and I couldn’t blink, couldn’t even breathe as I recalled the exact moment when Orion was about to die as two Nymphs stood above him.

“I was afraid.”

“Good. Afraid we can do,” he said, then a scream ripped from my lungs as I was launched a hundred feet into the air.

The wind rushed over me and my stomach lurched wildly as I flew up on the magical gust Orion cast at my back. With a yell, I hit the peak of my momentum, the sky staring down at me as my arms cartwheeled like mad.

Cast air!

I forced out my palms, stifling my screams and trying to gain a handle on my terror. But I started tumbling, falling at a furious pace, hurtling toward certain death.

Air exploded from my hands and blanketed my fall just a foot from the ground. My hair was a mess over my face and as I released my magic and my knees hit the ground, I pushed it out of my eyes with a groan of relief.

“Did that wake it up?” Orion asked casually.

I looked up at him with a scowl and he started laughing his head off.

A feral noise escaped me and I launched myself at him. I shoved him in the chest before I could even think about the consequences and his eyes lit up with the challenge as he stumbled back a step.

“Oh you wanna fight? Come on then, no more physical contact though, Miss Vega.” He brushed his shirt down like where I’d touched him had left a mark.

“So you keep reminding me,” I said tauntingly.

He gave me a taut frown in answer to that.

I raised my hands, knowing this was a crazy, stupid idea but I was sick of him having the upper hand on me all the time.

A flick of his wrist just sent you a hundred feet into the air!

I squashed that thought away. I was powerful; at the very least I could blast him across the valley through sheer force.

Orion backed up through the grass, raising his palms with a demonic glint in his eyes, the grass rustling around him in a building storm.

Oh shit.

“Ready?” he asked, flexing his fingers.

I brought magic to my palms, planting my feet then nodded firmly.

“Maybe this will wake up the beast.” He threw out an arm and water shot toward me in a swirling blast. I staggered to my right, throwing up a shield of air so the wave scored across the side of it and splashed over the ground.

I used the power of earth to my advantage and willed the grass to grow longer behind him, wrapping around his arms. It worked to an extent, but he yanked his arms out of it easily enough and I gritted my teeth in determination.

He flicked a hand and the power of air slammed into my shield. The force of a hurricane battered against it and I dug in my heels as the sheer pressure pushed me back, tearing up dirt beneath my boots. I held out for as long as I could but my shield finally crumbled and I gasped as I was left exposed. With the feeling of being punched in the chest, I was thrown backwards across the meadow and slammed onto my back in the grass, wheezing heavily.

Get up. Fight back.

I couldn’t see him from where I’d landed, the long stalks reaching high up around me.

I kept entirely quiet and my tactic paid off as he called out, “Hey, are you alright?”

I rolled onto my knees, crawling deeper into the grass with a mischievous grin on my face.

I’ll be alright when I beat you.

“Darcy?” Orion demanded anxiously, the sound of his footsteps pounding this way. My heart jolted at the sound of my name and I wondered if he was genuinely worried he’d killed one of the Vega Twins. That would certainly make headlines.

“Shit,” he cursed the second he found the empty patch of grass. “Very clever, Miss Vega.”

I stilled, making sure I didn’t shift the long stalks brushing my arms as he hunted for me. 

“Shame about the rain though.” He cast a torrential downpour into existence and I winced as the ice-cold water soaked me through.

I heard him moving to my right, shivering as I waited for my moment to strike, peering between the long stems. Through the sheet of rain I spotted the back of his jacket and launched myself upright with my hands raised. In a heartbeat, I realised it was only his jacket, a gust of wind making it drift across the top of the grass in the shape of his body.

I lurched around in fear but I was already too late as he propelled me up into the air again on a ferocious breeze. I screamed as I was thrown around in a vortex, the world a tangled blur of sky and earth as I tried to figure out which way was up.

My head pounded, my gut lurched and frustration burrowed through to my core. I desperately tried to wrangle the wind around me, casting a gust of air and forcing it to spin in the opposite direction to Orion’s tornado. The wind eased just enough for me to get my whereabouts and I spotted Orion ten feet below. I shot a propulsion of water at him, catching him in the arm and making him lose concentration. 

The vortex abruptly died and I plummeted toward the ground with a gasp, colliding with him before I could get a handle on my power again. We slammed to the floor and my arm got trapped beneath him, snapping my wrist beneath his weight and making me cry out in pure agony.

He lurched upright and I fell onto my butt, cradling my arm to my chest and hissing through my teeth. Pain sliced across the bone and I bit into my lip to stop myself from screaming.

“Here, give it to me,” Orion commanded as he knelt before me in the dirt, reaching for my wrist and gently curling his fingers around it.

I winced as pain daggered down my arm but a warmth built beneath his fingers which sank into my skin, soothing it away. It felt like heated wax pouring all over the wound. I drew in a breath, gazing down at the green light which shone beneath his palm. The pain ebbed away and I felt the bone resetting, shifting into place and fusing back together.

“Thank you,” I whispered, swivelling my wrist to test it and marvelling at the magic he possessed.

“Well it was the least I could do seeing as I broke it,” he said, sitting back on his heels.

“That was sort of my fault,” I teased and he grinned, making my heart squeeze hopefully.

We were in a little cocoon, the grass beneath us flattened and the stalks around us tall enough that no one would see unless they were flying overhead – which was an actual possibility in this place.

“So I won right?” I beamed and he lifted a brow.

“No chance. It’s got to be a five second hold down or the game is still on.”

Oh really?

I threw out my hands, not giving him any warning as I cast a forceful gust of air to try and knock him onto his back. He was so fast to react that he blocked it before it even got close to holding him down. I cursed as he launched himself at me, trying to scramble away but I wasn’t fast enough. I didn’t even really try to fight him off as he threw his weight down, pinning me to the ground with his entire body.

“You’re supposed to use magic,” I said breathlessly, his throat bobbing as his mouth hovered an inch from mine. The scent of cinnamon rolled over me and fire reached deep into my belly, making me consider leaning in for a kiss. We’d made a solid decision to stay away from each other and look where we’d ended up already? Great effort.

“Maybe brute force is just as efficient sometimes,” he said in a rumbling tone which delved into my chest and sent a hungry shudder through me.

“You said no physical contact,” I whispered as his muscles hardened, keeping me caged beneath him. I was losing my mind. I should have tried to fight him off, but I didn’t want him to go anywhere. And from the intense look he was giving me, I could tell how close he was to crossing this line again himself.

“What if I’m having second thoughts?” he growled.

“You’re fickle,” I pointed out. “And confusing.”

“I don’t mean to be.” He dipped his head so his mouth was by my ear and goosebumps rose to meet the heat of his breath. “I can’t think straight around you,” he said heavily, his hand clawing into the earth beside my head. “I could have lost you in that battle, or I could have died without ever knowing how this might have played out…”

My throat thickened and I almost gave in to the craving rising in me. But there was too much at stake for the sake of lust. It was stupid. He could lose his job and be ‘power-shamed’ and I could lose my place at the Academy.

“I owe you my life,” he breathed and my heart nearly detonated as he pressed his lips to my cheek. “Thank you.”

“The rest of Solaria aren’t feeling so grateful,” I said as he drew away, leaving a burning mark on my skin. “Not after that Vulpecula guy printed that article.”

“Fuck what he said,” Orion growled then he frowned as he realised he shouldn’t have said it.

“You should be glad he’s spreading lies about us. You’re firmly Team Heirs.” I jerked my chin up as I held his gaze. 

“You’re right,” he muttered. “I am.”

My heart sank at hearing him confirm it. On top of him being my teacher, we were on opposing sides of a feud which was never going to be bridged. With a sigh, I pressed my hands to his shoulders, pushing him back. He moved as easily as if I’d shoved him, standing up and pulling me after him. Our hands parted and the wall grew thicker.

“I need a new Liaison,” I said through the gnawing lump in my throat.

He nodded stiffly, looking boyish and broken for a moment as he hung his head.

A magnetic energy hung in the air, trying to force me toward him. It was so powerful I had to consciously take another step back to try and shake it away.

“This has to stop,” I said firmly then turned away and marched off through the meadow, not daring to look back even though my heart pounded painfully in my chest.

As I made it into the woods I started running, racing in the direction of Aer House, needing to hide away until I smothered this desperate longing in my heart.

I was panting by the time I reached my room, hurrying inside and twisting the lock. I sank down against the door, knocking my head back against the wood as my pounding heart started to slow.

My Atlas pinged and I took it out of my bag, my gut fraying as I found a private message waiting for me from Orion.

Lance:

What if I don’t want it to stop?