The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1)

by Caroline Peckham

King Hail Vega, his wife Merissa and their two children, Roxanya and Gwendalina, were found dead in their palace at 7:08 yesterday morning. King Hail, termed The Savage King during his reign, and his two children were the last living heirs to the throne of Solaria. Their deaths have now been declared as murder and the evidence points to a calculated Nymph attack involving two or more of the creatures. With the kingdom already in turmoil, the four Houses of the Celestial Council (Acrux, Rigel, Altair, and Capella) have stepped up to rule in King Vega’s place. Lord Lionel Acrux was the first on the scene in an effort to help his life-long friend King Vega when a distress call was reportedly sent to him. Unfortunately, his arrival came too late and the Nymphs in question still remain at large. The offending Nymphs now possess the magic of the royal line and are the most powerful and dangerous of their kind ever to have existed. A mass hunt has begun in an effort to destroy the creatures before they have time to harness their newly absorbed powers. The news has been taken with a mixture of grief and celebration since the reign of King Vega was one of hardship and turmoil. Professor Astrum of Zodiac Academy was quoted as predicting what he termed 'the bloody decades' through Tarot and star charting before the King's ascension. Though dismissed previously, his words have since been adopted to describe the reign of The Savage King and are now printed on banners across the City of...