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The guy beside me bobbed on his heels with a keen energy; he glanced my way and gave me one of the friendliest smiles I’d received so far. My shoulders relaxed as I smiled back, glad to have the prospect of a friend in my new House.
“What's your Order, babe?” Seth nuzzled into my ear and my body seized up at the intimacy of his gestures. “Err...what?” “You know...Siren, Vampire...Werewolf?” he asked with a note of curiosity.
“What's really not funny is you and your sister showing up here to steal our throne. We've worked our asses off to earn that right. Our four families have ruled for nearly twenty years since the fall of King Vega and Solaria has been much better off for it. Our parents divide the power between themselves and as the sons of the Celestial Council, we will soon take that responsibility from them. So we don’t intend to just sit back and let you take the throne from us and return Solaria to the shit-heap it was when your father ruled,”
His brows pinched together as he realised what I was about to do.
Adrenaline surged. My entire body trembled. But I was alive. And for now, I'd damn well earned my place in Aer. And it sounded like the rest of the House knew it too.
The power roiling within me responded to the fire and each flare of magic which shaped it and I ached to unleash my own magic upon the blaze despite having no idea how to do such a thing.
I held my ground, tipping my head back as the heat of the fire warmed my skin and the power within me purred with appreciation. I already felt like some of what Caleb had stolen from me was returning and my magic seemed to rise to meet with the Dragon’s flames as if it were greeting an old friend.
“Fire is the most potent Element of all,” Darius announced. “It brings light to the dark, warmth in the cold and can destroy everything placed in its way. Only those born with veins filled with the heat of the sun and hearts blazing with the true power of the flames can enter our House and claim their place among us.”
Darius’s eyes flared with irritation at my tone and for a moment I thought I saw something shift within them. If Vampires weren’t the most dangerous creatures in this school, then what was exactly? Because I had the distinct impression that I was currently looking one in the eye and poking it.
I threw myself at the inch of space between two of them, clasping my hands over my face as the brush of flames caressed my bare arms. I could feel my magic welling up inside of me, filling me to the brim and aching to be set free but I had no idea how to harness it.
My adopted parents had died in a fire. And though I had no memory of the event, I knew Darcy and I were lucky to have survived it.
“Of course, if you’d rather just come on up to my room, I can give you a real welcome to the House of Fire,” he suggested as his gaze slid over every exposed inch of my flesh and embarrassment prickled up my spine. A flutter grew in my stomach as I noted the heat in his gaze, and I mentally cursed myself for giving even a moment’s consideration to his offer.
“I wouldn’t come near you even if someone held a knife to my heart and told me that the world would end if I didn’t,” I snarled, snatching the key out of his hand. “So why don’t you take a long, hard look while you can. Because I can promise you, you won’t be seeing this again.” Darius’s face dropped a fraction as the rest of the students in the room started laughing at him instead of me and I slammed my shoulder against his as I moved past him.
I’d started dying the ends blue a year ago. It wasn’t some indie statement or a cry for help. It was, in my own twisted kind of way, a reminder of one of the darkest and most pivotal moments in my life which I was determined never to forget.
A line of white pencils lay on the desk and my fingers itched. It had been ages since I'd had the inspiration to sketch anything.
“My name is Geraldine Grus, and I am at your service. I wanted to let you know that you now have a loyal band of followers around you, the Almighty Sovereign Society. Do not fear the Celestial ruffians who call themselves Heirs. You and your sister are the true queens, and they will accept that soon enough.”
ORDERS OF FAE TAENIA (Parasitic Orders) Vampire Siren MUTATIO (Mutating Orders) Dragon Manticore Griffin Cerberus Pegasus Werewolf Nemean Lion Hydra Caucasian Eagle Chimera DIVISUS (Spliced Orders) Minotaur Medusa Centaur Cyclops Sphinx Harpy
“The Taenia have just a handful of divisions whereas if I were to write every Mutatio on this board we would be here until next week.”
“The easiest way to distinguish a Mutatio Order is that they will shift fully into a creature without humanoid characteristics. The Divisus Order can get confused with the Mutatio, but the easiest way to distinguish them is that the Divisus Orders maintain human-like characteristics when they have mutated into their magical form. The most common of the Taenia differ from the other two types of Orders in that they maintain Fae form at all times, except for one feature.
Falling Star: He didn’t tell you the whole story…
Roxanya Vega: Who?
“The lump of muscle who teaches your Cardinal Magic Class. Just to be clear, you’ll recognise Orion by the scent of bourbon on his breath-” a gasp sounded from the whole class, “-the permanent scowl stamped on his face and the general air of failed dreams about him since he lost his chance at playing for the Solarian Pitball League.”
“Coercion is one of the Cardinal magics gifted to all Fae without exception. It's the ability to control those of weak mind and is particularly effective on mortals.”
“Blue, you’re with me.” He pointed at me, and I scowled at the nickname.
And as I recalled my morning horoscope, I wondered if Professor Orion was a Libra.
What I hadn’t realised was that from the first floor up, the building was entirely made of glass in varying shades of yellow, orange, and red which all blended together to give the impression of a huge, glimmering fire.
“Do you feel tired at all? Like you’re starting to consume a lot of your reserves?” she asked with interest. “I don’t think so,” I replied. If anything, the longer I practiced, the more my magic reserves seemed to swell within me.
melding your power with another Fae’s is a skill that is hard to master so it’ll be a perfect opportunity for him to flex those muscles. It takes a lot of concentration, and it can be really quite intimate as the two of you will have to strive towards a level of trust so that your magic can work in harmony with one another.”
Falling Star: The Shadow draws closer to you, Darcy! Stay in the light!
“Everything in Solaria is about power, Miss Vega. Don't forget that. Everyone takes what they want. It's our way. And if you don't start taking it yourself, you're going to fail at this academy before you've even attempted to pass The Reckoning.”
Why are the hot ones always jerks? “In palmistry mortals usually have four lines on their palms.” Orion pointed them out from top to bottom. “Heart, head, life and fate. Fae, however, have a fifth line. A power line.”
Finally, he had four numbers underlined at the bottom of the page: Seven, eight, nine and ten. “These are your power rankings.” His eyes were dark as he pushed the numbers in front of me. “Ten is the strongest you can be in any Element. To put it in perspective, Miss Vega, even a seven is considered high.”
“Your weakest Element is fire, although I use the word weak very loosely. You're an eight in earth, a nine in water and a ten in air.”
“Yes. Your father was the most powerful Fae in Solaria. He held three Elements: fire, water, and air. Your mother had just one Element: air. She was a Gemini like you and was named the most beautiful woman in Solaria. That was after he returned with her from a faraway land his army had invaded. King Vega married her, disregarding tradition. The powerful families tend to breed with their own kind; it keeps bloodlines pure and usually produces offspring of the same Orders. The purer the line, the more powerful their magic.”
“Your mother was a Harpy, and your father was a Hydra.”
“What's not fair, Miss Vega, is that you and your sister now have a stronger claim to the throne of Solaria than the four Celestial Heirs who have been training their entire lives to rule.” He slammed his empty glass down on the table and a jolt went through me. “When your parents died, the Celestial Council claimed the right to rule together. But now you have returned, it is our law that you be placed upon the throne if you can prove yourselves strong enough to claim it. Which is just our damn luck.”
“The world has already fallen out of balance and now you and your sister have shown up to tip the scales even further into chaos. Whole families are turning up dead. Powerful ones too. Your parents were the first but not the last and it's only a matter of time before-” He halted himself mid-sentence, seeming to think better of finishing his line of thought.
Your power source will give you a clue as to what you are so pay attention. Different Orders’ magic is replenished in specific ways. A Werewolf draws their power from the moon, a Medusa draws from mirrors, and if you hadn’t guessed it yet, a Vampire draws powers from others through their blood.”
“If your magic swells, try to focus on what is in your immediate vicinity that you could be drawing power from. It could be the sun, the shade, a goddamn rainbow for all you know, just keep your mind sharp. In the meantime, I'll sign you up to all of the Order Enhancement Classes. Those who develop late tend to evolve under the influence of their kind.”
“Professor, I know you think I'm useless because I don't know anything about magic or Fae, but I'm not stupid. I can learn. Isn't that what these classes are supposed to be for? Guiding me? Catching me up on everything I've missed out on? So at least give me the chance to prove myself.” I wasn't quite sure where the determination had come from but being dismissed so easily just rubbed me the wrong way.
“As if he’d be turned on by pictures of you!” Marguerite spat as Darius scowled, clearly irritated that I wasn’t going to try and reclaim them.
“In many ways, water is the most unpredictable and changeable of all the Elements. When subjected to different temperatures it can range from solid to liquid to gas and each of these forms can be used in multiple ways.”
“Nymphs are another race. They live in the shadows of Fae. They're our enemies.”
“Nymphs aren't born with Elemental powers. But if they kill a Fae, they absorb all of their magic. Every last drop. And then they can use it against us.” His eyes glowed at me, unblinking as he delivered this news.
“Sick. And it means the Nymphs are always a danger. They hunger for magic even more than a Vampire does. And do you know how they take it?”
“They have the gift of the shadows, able to drain a Fae of its power. They do it using these probes...when they shift, their fingers grow all long and sharp and drive right into the hearts of Fae to suck out all of their power.”
It's advanced Coercion. Forcing the Fae to forget. It's completely illegal, but there's a lot of conspiracy theories about the FIB which say they do it on the sly.”
There’re even rumours about some of the faculty practicing dark magic in secret.”
His eyes swiftly landed on us and a glimmer in his gaze told me he knew exactly who we were.
“This means someone's being dishonest with you or withholding information.”
