Zodiac Academy 6: Fated Throne

Orion shot around the stadium, launching himself onto the back of a Nymph just as another cast fire at us in an explosion of uncontrolled power. The fire slammed into the beast we were fighting, hitting it squarely in the chest so it screeched and stumbled backwards, about to fall.

I yanked the knife free from Orion’s waistband as he clung onto its neck and I reached up, stabbing it with all my strength in the back of the head. It exploded into shadows and I let go of Orion before we hit the ground, his weight knocking the wind out of me.

We’d taken out two Nymphs already, but for every one we destroyed, another was released into the pit and I knew we couldn’t keep this up forever.

A tower of fire billowed from the probed hands of the closest Nymph which had large, curving horns on its head and a blackish star between its eyes. It was scarily strong, the stolen Fae power in its veins terrifying, and the only advantage we had was that it couldn’t wield it with much skill.

Orion scooped me up, racing away as the fire flared across the ground where we’d just been laying. We made it to the other side of the pit and I jumped down from his arms, hurrying around to get on his back as a Nymph came at us from the right. I kept the knife in my grip as Orion lifted the bat with a snarl and the crowd called out encouragement to the beasts heading our way, hollering for our deaths.

Orion breathed heavily as he caught his breath and I wished I could offer him healing magic, but I was useless. All I could do was hold onto him and do my best to ensure we survived. But the longer this went on, the more I feared we were moving closer to our end. It was a miracle we’d survived so long.

“Hold on tight,” Orion growled, lifting his bat higher as our enemies circled.

“We can’t go on like this,” I said, looking to the stands where Lionel watched us with amusement twisting his features.

Tory stared back at me with desperation in her eyes as Clara kept her locked in place and I silently communicated to her that I wasn’t going to give up. Not ever.

The closest Nymph sent a blast of water magic at us, ice shards shooting everywhere and Orion raced away, hissing between his teeth as one of them tore along his arm. I gasped, clutching the wound, my fingers coming away wet with blood.

“Keep running,” I begged in terror.

He continued to rush around the pit as magic was thrown at us from all sides and I placed my entire faith in Orion to see us through it.

He shot up behind the Nymph with water magic, whacking it hard in the backs of the legs with his bat and the creature stumbled down onto one knee with a roar.

Orion twisted around, hefting the bat over his head and smashing it down on the Nymph’s skull with a furious blow. The creature hit the ground with a dying groan and burst into ash and shadow around us.

“Yes,” I hissed, kissing Orion’s cheek.

More Nymphs spilled into the arena from a set of stone doors across from us and Orion ran at them full pelt to try and get inside. But just as we were about to dive through the doors, we hit a magical barrier and were thrown backwards amongst four of the giant beasts, rolling away from each other across the sand.

My heart thundered in my chest as I pushed myself up, lifting the knife and slashing at the legs of the closest Nymph before driving it into one of their stomach’s.

A huge probed hand smashed into me, sending me flying further away from Orion and I hit the sand hard enough to bruise my spine. Fear and determination collided together inside me as I shoved to my feet once more with a snarl, rearranging my grip on the knife as I ran back to where Orion was savagely wielding the bat against three of the monsters.

He fought with furious, unyielding blows, but they soon got the upper hand and one of them knocked him to the ground, slamming a foot down on his chest and reaching toward his heart with its outstretched probes.

“No!” Terror seized me and I sprinted toward him with a scream of defiance, slamming the knife into the Nymph’s back over and over and over, making it twist around in alarm to face me. Another beast caught me around the waist, throwing me down beside Orion and the knife was knocked from my hand, bouncing away across the sand. My heart thrashed, my hope receded.

A sea of grotesque Nymph faces gazed down at us as they pinned us in place and Orion fought with everything he had to get up, making it half way only to be pushed down again by more and more Nymph hands as they battled to be the ones to probe him.

“Get away!” I cried, reaching for him as sharp probes scraped down the length of my body and the scent of my own blood ran under my nose.

I had to get to Orion. I wouldn’t stop until I was with him.

If we have to die, at least let us die together.

“Darcy!” a piercing scream came from my sister and pain spread through me at that sound, confirming what I already knew. It was over. The Nymphs were fighting over which one would steal our magic and we couldn’t get free as they surrounded us.

I’m sorry. I love you.

The crowd were shouting excitedly, chanting for our deaths and life seemed to close in all around me, narrowing down to a few final moments.

My hand found Orion’s and he yanked me tightly towards him, trying to get free with all his might. But the Nymphs were crowding in and as he somehow made it to his knees, one of them took hold of his head. I reared up and tore into the beast’s hands with my nails, sinking my teeth into its probes and biting the hard bark of its flesh until I tasted blood.

It lurched back with a screech, but another took its place and held him still. Orion’s eyes met mine, unblinking, like he didn’t dare see anything but me in his final moments and I didn’t dare to close my eyes either. Grief splintered through my body as another Nymph got hold of me and Orion and I were forced closer together as they started fighting to get their probes into us first.

Tears slipped down my cheeks and I barely felt the pain of my injuries at all as I gazed at my mate in front of me. A man I had chosen for myself, regardless of stars and fate and laws. He was mine and I was his. Now and always. In the end, he’d kept his promise to me after all and I’d kept mine. We’d fought for each other until we couldn’t fight any more.

I breathed him in and cursed the world for not giving us a chance. Or maybe we’d had one and this was the price of screwing it up.

“Don’t let go of me,” I begged against his mouth.

He held me tighter as he tried to get up once more, but too many of them were pinning us down. “See you in the stars, Blue,” he swore, his lips brushing mine.

Thunder cracked overhead and a flare of lightning ignited the stands before a crash sounded as something was hit. I felt death leaning closer, surrounding us like a cloak.

“Arggggghhhh!” a woman cried from somewhere beyond us and the crowd gasped and cried out just as four enormous white paws slammed into the Nymphs holding us down. The front two were clad in Phoenix metal and fire blazed out from his claws, killing two Nymphs in quick succession.

We were knocked over and Orion pulled me to his chest, surrounding me with his body as Seth leapt over us and ripped through another Nymph with teeth alone. Geraldine was riding him, dressed in some kind of gleaming bronze warrior armour complete with pointed silver boobs.

She whipped her flail around her head, smashing through Nymph skulls as shadow and dust burst from the Nymphs as they fell. Through the pain and the weakness in my body, I could barely summon the strength to hope.

“For my most glorious majesties!” she cried. “Peril calls my name and my name is Geraldine Gundellifus Gabolia Gundestria Grus! Hear. Me. Roar!”

Caleb tore into view, dressed in black, dropping down into the sand before us and pressing his hands to my back where the Nymph’s probes had cut into me. I whimpered in pain as he healed me before moving to heal Orion whose fingers were locked around mine. When it was done, Caleb jammed a needle into my arm without a word and I gasped as the Order Suppressant antidote rushed into my veins.

“I got you,” he growled, unlocking my cuffs with a key before tossing it to Orion.

“Thank you,” I said breathlessly.

“Up, fight, run, that’s the plan – oh and don’t die,” Caleb said, taking a huge sword from his back that I recognised as the one I’d made for Orion. He passed it to him before tearing away in a blur.

Magic rushed to my fingertips and I pulled Orion closer while the Nymphs were distracted by our friends, drawing his mouth firmly to my neck. He hadn’t fed since we’d been at Stella’s house and he must have been starved for magic.

“Drink,” I commanded as I cast an air shield around us and he did, his fangs slicing into my throat as he recharged his magic with my own.

I barely had time to be relieved as chaos descended around us and the shadow of a huge Storm Dragon flew overhead. The crowd were screaming and death was spilling through the amphitheatre on furious, ravenous wings as Dante’s lightning powers blasted the stands and more and more of our friends appeared.

“For the true Queens!” Hamish charged through the crowd, pulling his clothes off before shifting into a huge black Cerberus and snapping his jaws at the Fae who’d come to watch us die. There were Tiberian Rats, Minotaurs, Wolves. It was beautiful, terrifying havoc. And I drank it all in with hope building in my chest and my strength returning in a furious wave. I couldn’t see Lionel behind a swarm of shadow as Clara fought to hold back anyone who dared try to get near him. But my sister was up there. And I had to get to her.

When Orion was done, we hurried to our feet, healing our wounds and I raised my hands as Phoenix fire rippled through my being. A dark and vengeful smile hooked up my mouth. The shield was down above the pit and our friends were here to save us. Fate had offered us a second chance. And I was going to make the most of every second of it.

As Seth and Geraldine tore through the Nymphs ahead of us and Orion shot forward to cut more down with his sword, I held out my palms and released a huge burst of Phoenix fire, letting it carve through Nymph after Nymph until half of them started running to try and escape. But I would show no mercy. It was time for the King and his army to fall. And the Vega Queens to rise.