The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1)

by Caroline Peckham

“Those times were dark. Your birth father, King Vega...The Savage King, he was the cruellest of rulers, barely a day went by without a public execution in the capital. Merissa was trying to protect you from him, from the way the world was too.”

“Nymph attacks rose every year and King Vega grew panicked, lashing out at his own people in response. He was deeply afraid of them. And in the end, that fear was valid. They murdered him, as you know, and the rest of his family.”

“There is much evidence to suggest it, yes. And the stars...they give me clues.” He took a Tarot deck from inside his tan blazer, rubbing his fingers across them. “I consult with the heavens using these...they were your mother’s. She was adept at reading the stars and we often consulted over them together. When she died...this pack arrived on my desk. She must have bound them to me.” He sighed heavily, the pain of her loss clear in his eyes.

“Strong, beautiful, powerful. Her death still haunts me. For many years I tried to deduce from her cards what occurred before the night your parents were murdered. My instincts tell me the answers to my questions lies among them but they have only revealed some to me.”

“They told me a dark conspirator was pulling the strings behind the murders. That the Nymphs were just pawns in a much bigger game,” he said, his voice dripping with fear. His eyes flicked over our shoulders, and I could sense he was getting jittery. “No Nymph would have gotten into the royal palace without help. And though they receive Fae power when they kill, rarely do they learn to harness it well enough to attack our kind with skill.” He started thumbing through the cards in his hand, doing it so smoothly I imagined it was a habit he was accustomed to. “They were trained by Fae,” he whispered and icy water seemed to spill through me. “And now that you have returned, I believe whoever controlled the Nymphs before is doing so again. I have long suspected Lord Acrux and now I think his son has taken up the torch too. With the help of Orion, a man whose family has deep roots in dark magic.”

“The attacks are starting again and both Darius and Orion are linked to every scene. And each death is occurring frighteningly near to you both. If they are somehow controlling the Nymphs to try and-”

looked into his dark eyes, wondering if there was even a hint of humanity lurking in there. I didn’t glare at him or scowl or throw my hatred into my gaze. I just looked and let him see the girl I was. Let him see who he was doing this to, while wondering if he was even capable of pity or remorse. I wasn’t some long lost Heir, come to steal his throne. I was just a girl trying to reclaim something that had been stolen from me and figure out my place in this screwed up world. Darius’s lips parted and something shifted in his eyes. For half a second, I actually thought he was going to back off, let me walk away with my tail between my legs and be satisfied by knowing he’d won without forcing me to go through with this. “Start climbing! All the way to the top!” Max demanded behind us, his Coercion wrapping me in its grasp with firm talons and forcing my limbs into action.

Orion shook his head, his face painted with disappointment. “I thought you of all the Heirs were better than your parents.” Darius's face contorted as Orion turned his back on him, which I’d gathered was one of the biggest insults he could offer as a Fae.

I made a mistake and now my time is up. The Shadow has discovered me and there is no hope for me to escape their wrath. The answers you seek are hidden between Leo and Libra. Don’t trust the flames. Claim your throne. - Falling Star