Zodiac Academy 7: Heartless Sky

I stood with my hands clasped at the based of my spine, staring out into the sheeting rain that beat down on the glass of the royal conservatory. The doors before me held the near transparent images of a Hydra and a Harpy within the glass, and I watched as rain droplets drizzled over them, the king and queen appearing to weep before me. But not even that could bring me any satisfaction this morning.

“The wind is blowing in from the east, my king,” Vard offered from somewhere behind me and I sneered, whipping my head towards him as rage coursed through me. I’d had him tortured for his failings, allowing my son and his companions to get into my palace and cut the eye from his worthless face.

“If you cannot offer me a useful prophesy before the week is up, I will have you sent back to the dungeon and you will remain there until my torturer pulls something useful out of your head.”

“A-apologies, sire,” he simpered in fear. “I am still adjusting to The Sight without my shadow eye.”

I turned to face him, letting my arms fall to my sides as I approached this weasel of a man before me. The shadow eye had been of much concern to me. I had no idea why it was worth risking breaking into the palace for. What did my son think he was going to use it for? Vard had assured me they could not use it to predict the future unless someone placed it into their own head. Perhaps that was their plan. My son was heartless enough to force that fate upon someone, and that idea unsettled me. For if my enemies could see the shadows, my movements could be predicted.

“Do you know why you are not dead, Vard?” I asked icily and he started trembling and shaking his head at me. “You are not dead for one reason and one reason only. A more skilled Seer has not yet presented themself to me. But I assure you I am looking, so you’d either better find a way to procure yourself another shadow eye, or become a better Seer without one, because your fate is otherwise decided. And I promise you, you will scream for weeks until I allow you passage beyond the Veil for the problem you have caused me.” I back handed him with heat blazing along my skin and he wailed as the flesh of his right cheek was scalded badly.

I glowered as I stalked out of the conservatory, my new manservant Horace hurrying forward with a glass of whiskey on a golden tray. I accepted it, sweeping past him. He was adequate, but Jenkins had been of a particular calibre that couldn’t be replicated. He had been in ownership of a sadistic soul which had pleased me some, and he had been so in tune with my needs that I had barely noticed them being fulfilled. I had already had Horace punished twice for his errors, but he appeared to be willing to correct himself. Which was a trait I appreciated in my subordinates.

“My King,” Lavinia’s voice carried from the winding stairway to my right which was covered in deep black carpet.

I looked up, finding her draped in shadow and making my skin prickle with the unease of her proximity. One good thing had come out of the Vegas’ attempt to thwart me. They may have taken the shadow eye from the face of my Seer, but when we had returned here to find the monstrous Heir she had provided me with butchered, I had to admit I was relieved. When she had offered me a child, I had assumed it would be Fae, but my blood curdled in disgust at whatever that shadow creature had been. It was no pure blooded Dragon, that was for certain. So good riddance to it.

I had a new plan for an Heir now, one I would not breathe a word of as I conducted what needed to be done. I would have that repugnant girl Mildred Canopus inseminated with my own seed. All I was in need of was a pure blooded Dragon womb to carry my Heir, I did not care for the woman who housed it. And I certainly wouldn’t need to plunge my cock into that vile looking girl to achieve it. I just needed to figure out how to convince my new queen to accept the idea so that I could be certain she wouldn’t kill the owner of the womb I required. There were no alternatives to the Canopus girl after all.

“Come lie with me,” Lavinia commanded, letting her shadow dress fall away to reveal her naked flesh.

I kept my poise, though inside I shuddered. She was of no appeal to me since I had seen that repellent creature crawl from her body into this world. Not to mention the way she had used my flesh for her own pleasure and the agony it had caused me. No. I did not want to risk my cock by driving it into her again, no matter how attractive she might seem at times.

“I have business in the city,” I said firmly, turning my back on her and striding away, leaving her shrieking in anger, but at least she didn’t try to wield my shadow hand against me.

An entourage of FIB agents were waiting for me outside and I drew my air shield tighter around me as I let my gaze dip down to the ass of the beautiful Agent Francesca Sky as she opened the back door of the car for me.

“Good evening, your highness,” she said dutifully as she turned to me, her eyes on the ground and her head bowed. Her dark hair was woven into a braid and I indulged in the image of wrapping it around my fingers as she sucked my cock, wondering if I could steal her away after the interview tonight.

“Join me for a drink after the show,” I insisted and her eyes snapped up to meet mine, a flash of something in them which could have been fear. And I quite liked that look on her.

“Just me, My King?” she breathed in confusion.

“Just you,” I purred.

“I have to work,” she said quickly, and for a millisecond there was a flicker of defiance in her gaze. But it was nothing I couldn’t easily stamp out.

“I am the king, and I command that you are unengaged.” I stroked a finger along her cheek before ducking into the car and she snapped the door shut after me.

I was driven to Tucana and I ran my palm down my crisp white shirt, adjusting my dark red jacket as the car door was opened. I stepped out into the chaotic light of camera flashes, the rush of anti-magic spells falling over me.

I indulged the crowd, offering photographs and perfectly designed quotes written by my PR team which would fill the papers tomorrow. I was the most popular man in the kingdom, everyone wanted a bite of me and I let them have it as I fed them my most winning smiles and basked in the glory of my reign.

They asked about my queen, and I told them she was overtired, but would soon be on her feet again. This was my night after all, and I’d had no intention of bringing her here to claim any of my triumph for herself.

When it was time to head inside, I walked up the red carpeted stone steps into the grand theatre set up for the event with my entourage in tow. The FIB remained close, but not so close that they blocked the photographers as I turned and offered a final wave to the crowd who cheered raucously. Then I was escorted inside and led down a glitzy corridor full of golden sculptures which called to the inner Dragon in me.

I was led backstage for a while, but it wasn’t long before it was time for my moment in the sun. The theatre was fit to bursting with my supporters, and as I waited by the stage to be announced by my good friend from The Celestial Times, Portia Silverstone, I bathed in the excitement in the air.

I was at the height of my career, this moment years in the making and tonight my life would be celebrated in an interview that would go down in history. It would be broadcasted live to the entire kingdom, all other shows cancelled in favour of it, and an order in place to ensure every Fae in Solaria had their eyes glued to it. To me. Their ruler, the greatest king to ever have lived.

“So without further ado, I welcome to the stage our most magnanimous, our glorious, our eminent and powerful, King Lionel Acrux!” Portia cried and I slapped on my best smile as I strode out onto the stage, the entire audience rising to their feet to clap and cheer me.

The seats rose up high to wide balconies above, and in the gold rimmed boxes were Pitball stars and celebrities, all watching me, their attendance non-negotiable after I’d sent the personal invites to their doors. In the front row of the closest balcony was the Councillors alongside the new Heirs to their seats, Ellis Rigel, Hadley Altair, and Athena Capella.

Portia was wearing a dark blue dress which clung to her curvaceous body as she bowed to me in greeting and sat down on a green velvet chair. I unbuttoned my suit jacket before dropping into the much larger, wingback chair opposite her.

A table sat between us with a glass of what was no doubt my favourite whiskey already waiting for me next to Portia’s glass of wine and I picked it up, sipping the fine nectar. The woody undertones rolled along my tongue as the crowd simmered down and took their seats once more and I placed the glass back on the table.

Behind us was a huge screen which filled the entire back wall of the stage; a black and white photograph was on it, the picture of me standing regally on the eastern balcony of The Palace of Souls, gazing off into the distance while I rested one elbow on the railing and my chin upon my fist. It was finery at its best. And beside it were the words, An evening with King Lionel Acrux. The man behind the crown.

Ah, the struggles of my life had finally paid off at last. I’d fought for this moment with everything I had. As a boy, I had acted out this interview in my room countless times, and now it was coming to fruition, all my efforts paying off. I was being celebrated as I ought to have been celebrated for so many years. They saw me now, they saw my power and they cowered beneath it. And I was sure this would be a night I’d never forget.

Portia started out with a few simple questions, warming the crowd up as I offered light-hearted stories from my youth, from the time I went hunting a near extinct species of desert hawk and mounted the last of their kind of my wall, to the time I’d had a hotel built in my name in northern Baruda that overlooked the most beautiful lake in Solaria. Of course, I’d had to grease a few palms to stop the townsfolk from trying to intervene with that project, their complaints of my tower blocking their own view to the water almost throwing a spanner in the works. But I was more than used to getting my way.

“So tell us more about your years at Zodiac Academy,” Portia asked, the questions deepening now as we got to the root of my success. “Is it true you were bullied by the Savage King and his friends?”

“Bullied?” I scoffed. “I have never been bullied a day in my life, Portia. No, I think what you are referring to are the rumours that Hail Vega was jealous of me, and acted in response to those feelings during our time together at the academy.”

“And are those rumours true?” Portia asked curiously.

I let a sad mask fall over my face and nodded. “Unfortunately, Hail saw the greatness in me. It was a great shame as I only ever wished to be allies, but alas, it seemed he couldn’t handle gazing upon my power. It is why he targeted me so at school, altering my perfect grades so that I would appear less of a threat to him. He wanted to hold onto his status, but it seemed the stars had other plans in the end.”

“Goodness what a scandal,” Portia gasped and I felt the crowd hanging on every word.

“Perhaps, but I suppose it isn’t too surprising to discover the Savage King was savage in his youth too,” I said, quietly loving that I was tarnishing Hail’s name even more than I had managed while he lived. “He was the Captain of the Pitball team too and refused to let me play despite my proficiencies in the game.”

“You were proficient in Pitball?” Portia asked curiously and suddenly the crowd started laughing and I jerked around to look at them in surprise, noticing their gaze was on something over my head. I turned, finding a video of me at Zodiac Academy the day I had tried out for the Pitball team.

Hail was throwing pitballs my way lazily while I failed to catch every single one of them, falling in the mud more than once as rage built on my face. I was sucked into that memory, anger spewing through my blood now as the laughter grew more raucous in my head. The sound started playing on the video as Hail ran out of pitballs and I bristled at his voice.

“I thought you said you were good at this,” Hail laughed and my right eye twitched with the memory of those very words.

“I am good. I’m the best,” the young version of me insisted in a growl.

“Maybe you’re better at defence then. Try and stop me tackling you,” he commanded, immediately charging me down. I cast air magic left and right, but he avoided every shot and collided with me like a battering ram, my back slamming to the ground beneath his weight and a scream left me that sounded entirely feminine, causing the laughter in the theatre to amplify.

The video ended and a line of smoke left my nostrils as I snapped around to glare at Portia. Who the fuck had gotten hold of that video? And how dare she think it appropriate to play it during this interview!

I contained myself, keeping my head and not letting anyone see my inner distress.

“Are you sure you were proficient, My King?” Portia asked, a teasing lilt to her voice and I allowed a light laugh to fall from my lips as my hands tightened on the arms of my chair.

“I had come down with the Fae flu that very day,” I worked to play it off as the crowd settled down. “I assure you I destroyed him on that pitch not a week later when I had recovered, but Hail swept my second try-out under the rug, not wanting to be put to shame by my talent.”

“I see,” Portia said lightly. “Well, let’s move on to another important relationship in your life. Your brother Radcliff Acrux tragically died when he was just twenty, but he must have held a big influence on you before then?” she asked and the screen thankfully changed, but my gut clenched like a hard ball as it filled with a photograph of Hail, Azriel, Tiberius, Antonia, Melinda and Radcliff all arm in arm as they smiled widely in their muddy Zodiac Pitball uniforms together.

“Indeed,” I said, nodding sadly as I turned my head away from that image of my brother smiling with his friends, taking satisfaction in the fact that he and two of the other Fae in that image were now dead in the ground. “Radcliff was a good brother, but he hid his weaknesses well. This is the first time I am speaking about this but…when I was just about to be Awakened, Radcliff confided in me saying that he felt he had to bluff his way into being an Heir, that he had convinced Father he was the strongest in the family, when really it was I he saw the power in. Upon my Awakening, he came to me once more and asked me if I would play down my power for a few years so that he might enjoy being Heir a while longer – for it was all he ever wished to be, though he knew in his heart I could take it from him at a moment’s notice, and that in time, I would. I, loving my brother dearly, promised to keep the truth of my immense power secret until it was time for me to ascend and beat him in a fight to take his place. But of course, the most unfortunate of events later occurred, stealing him away before his time, and leaving me with no choice but to take up the baton without ever fighting him for his position.” I looked directly into the camera, pretending to wipe a tear from under my eye. “I know tonight you will be watching me from beyond the Veil, Radcliff, and I want you to know, I will rule well, and I will bring endless glory to the Acrux name for us both.”

Applause rang through the room and Portia smiled sadly.

“Yes, indeed, it was a most terrible tragedy, but one that has not gone by without scrutiny,” Portia said, sending a prickle up my spine.

“Scrutiny? What scrutiny?” I played dumb. I’d seen the bullshit printed in The Daily Solaria, the conspiracies that pointed at a covered up murder. But no evidence had ever been found, and I certainly didn’t want to discuss such things live on fucking television.

Portia pointed to the screen again and I was suddenly faced with the swollen features of my brother Radcliff after his death, the gruesome image causing the crowd to gasp and mutter.

“The sting marks were solely located in this one spot,” Portia said, a ring appearing around the blistered red sting marks on Radcliff’s chest. “And some biologists claim the norian wasp stings erratically, that it wouldn’t sting in a localised place repeatedly unless it was held in place by magic, or perhaps a jar-”

“Preposterous,” I blurted, waving a hand at her as heat flared within my limbs. What the fuck was this? Was she accusing me of something? This was meant to be my night of celebration, how dare she bring my brother’s death into it?

She moved swiftly on, detailing my strengths at school and the awards I won in the art of illusion and Coercion, and I relaxed as I drank in the praise, enjoying sifting through the memories of my ascension to greatness, letting go of the anger I’d felt over the Radcliff questions. I supposed Portia had a duty to get a reaction on such a critical moment in my life; I was likely being sensitive due to the secret nature of his death.

“Upon your graduation, you had officially taken the place of your brother as an Heir to the Celestial Council and Hail Vega was set to ascend to the throne and take over from his father. It seemed your bond with Tiberius Rigel, Antonia Capella and Melinda Altair had solidified, and your public appearances alongside Prince Hail were widely publicised.” A stream of newspaper articles ran across the screen with shots of us all standing as one, showing our unity to the little crowned prince who was set to seize the throne. But even back then I had had plans of grandeur far greater than the boundaries set for me. Why should Hail take all the glory? Why settle for second best when I could have first place?

“A bond we share to this day.” I lifted my drink in toast to the Councillors up on their balcony and they smiled tightly, raising their drinks in return to me as the audience clapped and cooed.

“And yet,” Portia interjected, making my eyes snap back to her. “When we delve deeper, it appears that bond wasn’t always in place.”

“How do you mean?” I laughed lightly, taking a long swig of my drink as I set this woman in my deadly gaze.

“Well, let us take a look at this exclusive undercover footage from the graduates party at Zodiac Academy,” Portia announced and a new video started playing that made my blood freeze within my veins. Because that night still left a shudder in my soul, it still drove its way into my nightmares, it was one of the things I’d held firmly in my mind when I’d watched Hail and his wife die.

I sat in a cordoned off booth in The Orb while some lout must have recorded me in secret on their Atlas. I had a girl on my lap who I planned on taking back to my room, and I wish I had sooner as I spotted Tiberius jogging up to me excitedly.

“Hey, they want you to get measured outside in your Dragon form in front of everyone. The cheerleading squad wanna know if you’re bigger than Radcliff now,” he said keenly and I pushed the girl from my lap, jumping up in excitement.

“Well of course they do,” I said, pressing down my shirt and following Tiberius through the crowd as the sly Fae who was recording followed. They turned the camera back on themselves as they went and Hail gave a thumbs up to the camera, making the crowd chuckle.

I shifted in my seat, shaking my head at Portia and covering my microphone as I leaned towards her. “This is unsuitable. Have it turned off immediately,” I commanded.

“It will endear them to you,” Portia said, not bothering to cover her mic and I swallowed a curse, heat blazing along my veins as the Dragon within me begged me to deal with this.

“Stop this instant,” I hissed, but the video was getting to the worst part already.

I was outside, up on a platform of earth magic Melinda had cast as most of the academy gathered around to watch. I stripped out of my clothes, my body on full display along with the giant cock that hung between my thighs, enhanced just a little with an illusion – there was no harm in that, every hot blooded male was guilty of it.

“Portia,” I snarled, smoke spilling from my nostrils as the crowd cooed at my giant appendage, and I would be more than glad for the video to end there, but it did not.

The younger me was about to shift when vines shot out of the crowd from Hail’s hands, pinning me down and magic washed over me as he stripped the illusion from my penis, showing its true size while casting a magnifying spell before my cock so it could be seen by everyone in the crowd and Tiberius lit it up with Faelights. Hail burst out laughing along with the crowd and the young version of me screamed as I thrashed against the vines and managed to burn them away to dust, grabbing my boxers and pulling them on.

“Definitely not as big as Radcliff,” Hail called, those words echoing on in my mind eternally.

I felt the shame of that day washing over me, the sheer embarrassment as Hail roared a laugh and ran forward to clap me on the shoulder like it was all some game.

“Oh don’t be lame, Lionel,” he sighed as he took in my rage and those words sent a ripple of blazing heat up my back.

“Lame Lionel!” Tiberius laughed as he leapt up beside the young version of me. “Isn’t that what Rad used to call you?”

The students all took up the chant, calling it out over and over and I snapped, throwing my palms into Hail’s chest and making him stagger back as I left burning marks in his shirt.

“It was just a joke between friends,” Hail said, healing the burns like they didn’t bother him at all. “You burned off all my hair last week. This is payback.”

The young version of me seethed, staring at this motherfucker who dared toy with me, and I recalled deciding in that moment that if he thought we were friends, then I would be the best friend he had ever had. I would get closer and closer to him until I could drive a knife into his back and watch him scream for me.

Laughter echoed through the theatre and I snapped out of the horrified reverie I was in, dragged into reality where my nightmare was coming to life again before my eyes. The crowd were laughing, crying out Lame Lionel over and over again and Portia clapped along like it was a fun little fucking ditty.

“ENOUGH!” I roared a Dragon’s roar, my voice resounding through the entire theatre until everyone in the room fell deathly quiet and stared at me in shock.

I realised I was on my feet and I rounded on Portia as she stared at me with a little fear in her eyes. But no, this wasn’t right. I was live on TV. I was not a monster in the public eye. I was a composed, highly regarded Dragon who commanded the respect of everyone in the kingdom.

I laughed a little tightly, the sound forced as I tried to keep myself together. “Perhaps we can move on?” I suggested, sinking back down into my seat, trying to work out my best angle here. “Those times are somewhat sensitive. Forgive my outburst. I grieve Hail daily so I can get a little emotional recounting our friendship.”

“Of course,” Portia said, bowing her head. “Apologies, your highness. We only wanted to show things weren’t always rosy between you and the other Councillors, and perhaps this shows a hint of the Savage King’s savagery too.”

I felt she was trying to cool my temper, feeding me what I wanted to hear, but it worked regardless, helping me find my composure as I played it off, pushing a hand into my hair and smiling roguishly.

“Ah, yes. He could be savage indeed. This was nothing, I saw many cruelties dealt by his hand. And of course, to place a shrinking potion on my penis in front of everyone was in fact one of his more light-hearted jests.” That ought to squash any rumours of my cock’s size. It wasn’t small anyway, I was just a very large man so it seemed that way at first glance.

Portia encouraged me to start recounting more stories and I made up lie after lie on the spot of Hail bullying students at Zodiac Academy, sometimes offering my own truths and attaching his name to it instead, and soon I was feeling much better again as more videos were played of me taking charge of the Dragon Guild, of attending parties with famous Fae and of my marriage to the most beautiful woman in the land, Catalina Nightbell. Of course, the wedding footage held a bitter taste to it now as I thought of her fucking that rebel, Grus. But I would soon return her to our marital bed and remind her of exactly who she belonged to. It was only a matter of time.

“As thanks for all you have done for the Dragons of the Guild, they have put together a very special surprise for you tonight,” Portia announced excitedly and I perked up at that.

“Oh?” I inquired. I wondered if they would gift me some grand treasures, a golden statue of me perhaps?

“If you’ll turn your attention to the screen, you’ll find a message from one of your Guild members,” Portia instructed and I sat back in my seat, smiling as I waited to see what one of my Dragons had to say about me. Perhaps he would speak of the gleam of my scales, or the strength of my roar. Or maybe it was the power of my Dragon fire he would focus on.

Dante Oscura’s face appeared on the screen and I stiffened in my seat, my hands tightening to fists as I stared at the rebel who had deserted me.

“Portia,” I spat, but Dante’s voice echoed through the room, drowning me out and making sure his words were heard by all.

“Buona serata Solaria, I want to send my regards to the false king. A long time ago he bound me to his Guild and made me his little cagna. I’ve always made sure to have dirt on my enemies, and now that I’ve turned my back on him and he no longer holds sway over me, it’s time to air Lionel Asscrux’s dirty laundry. Long live the true queens.” A video started playing of me fucking a woman, bending her over as I grunted and pushed her down on a bed, and fear snaked up my spine and left me helpless as I stared in horrified realisation of what this video was. It was a fucking set up. Years ago, that motherfucking Dragon had tried to fight back against me, and this was what he’d come up with to try and buy back his freedom. For so long, I had had enough sway with him to keep this under wraps, but he no longer had reason not to release this video he had recorded of me. And now I could do nothing to stop it.

I rose from my seat, waving my arms as I stood in front of the screen to try and end this madness.

“Enough! Draw the curtains – the interview is over!” I yelled, but no one listened, even my FIB agents were slow to act as they moved down the aisles, glancing between one another.

“End this show – stop this immediately.” I swung towards Portia, pointing a finger at her, wishing I could use my magic to incinerate her here on this spot, but the anti-magic spells in place prevented me from doing so. “ARREST HER!” I shouted and the agents started moving a little faster, but not nearly fast enough for my liking. They were the only ones in here capable of moving against her right now, with their weapons strapped to their hips, they could take her down in an instant.

A horsey neigh filled the air and the crowd gasped in reaction to the video and I turned, not wanting to look but for some reason I did as I found that moment replaying before my eyes once more. The girl shifted just as I came inside her and slapped her ass, turning into a star damned fucking glittery Pegasus. The entire world was watching this, seeing me fuck her in her horse’s ass and groan my release throatily before I realised what had happened, as if I had wanted to fuck her in her Order form like it was some fetish I held.

I started screaming and thrashing in the video, trying to get away from her before the whole thing started playing again. It had been a complete set up, and now I was set up again by that asshole of a Dragon who I should have had put in the ground the first day I’d met him.

I rounded on Portia as she got up, my hand locking around her shoulders as she backed away, a look of flight in her eyes.

“You’ll pay for this,” I hissed as the crowd laughed louder and suddenly a chant sounded from the balcony above me led by Hadley Altair, Athena Capella and her brother Greyson beside her. “Lame Lionel, Lame Lionel, Lame Lionel!”

The crowd picked it up and I lost my grip on Portia as she darted away.

“STOP!” I commanded in a roar, rage pounding through my chest as those words echoed everywhere around me. “I am your king! You will respect your king!”

Portia was almost off the stage and I pointed at Francesca Sky who was nearest to her.

“Get hold of her!” I ordered, but Francesca was slow to react, focusing her attention on holding the crowd back instead, making me spit a curse as Portia made it to the edge of the stage.

A swarm of FIB agents appeared beyond her, corralling her back towards me and I clenched my teeth and bared them at her, excited by the coming pain I was going to inflict on this turncoat woman when I got her in a holding cell somewhere out of sight. Somewhere she would never, ever return from.

A roaring, crashing noise filled the air as a dagger of lightning exploded through the wall to my right, followed by the almighty bellow of thunder and the Storm Dragon himself appeared, forcing his giant, navy body through the hole in the side of the building.

The FIB aimed guns at him on my command and a blast of electricity tore from their tasers, slamming into his chest, only making him roar a laugh as his storm powers absorbed every bit of it without damage.

I pulled at my own clothes as he swooped down, preparing to shift and rip this piece of shit apart myself as the crowd ran for cover. But before I could, I was knocked back by several agents as they shoved me towards the edge of the stage.

“You need to get out of here, sire!” one of them cried as I struggled against their grip.

“The rebels are here,” another said anxiously.

Dante leapt down, dropping his wing and Portia dove onto it, clinging on tight as she scrambled up onto his back like he was some common pack mule and I spat a snarl as the agents continued to wrestle me out the way of danger. But I would face it head on. I would destroy that blasted Dragon and kill every member of his family in a bloody massacre he would never forget just as soon as I found them.

Dante turned and leapt back out of the hole, disappearing into the raging storm beyond just like that and I was left roaring my anguish to the stars, vowing on every last one of them that I would have my revenge for this. And it would be a merciless, gory thing.