Sorrow and Starlight (Zodiac Academy, #8)

by Caroline Peckham

The flowers in Darcy’s room were pink and blue, Geraldine had already explained to me,

This was all wrong. I shouldn’t have been here, sitting in a castle surrounded by beautiful things while my sister was missing. While Darius lay cold and alone on the side of some forgotten mountain. I’d let the others talk me into leaving him there to rest alongside Hamish and Catalina.

But now I was here, and I was alone, sitting on the edge of a bed meant for two, a band of metal on my finger binding me to a man who would never again look me in the eyes and call me his.

I was fury incarnate, a raging void that craved nothing but death and an end to all things. Lionel Acrux’s face flashed through my mind, and I burned him up too,

The ruby pendant which hung from my neck seemed to heat beyond even the power of the flames, a pulse sounding within it as though the heart of it had come alive, beating to a rhythm I knew as intimately as my own pulse. Like he was there, his chest pressed to mine, our souls linked as one, reaching for each other even through the barrier of the Veil. Could he see me? Was he watching me break for him with knowing eyes, wondering where the girl he had fallen for had gone in the wake of his end?

“You need to be doing something real, not sitting in a castle tower, waiting for the world to come find you.” I choked out a laugh or maybe it was a sob, the sound so fucking hopeless that it was impossible to tell. “I thought I was supposed to be leading an army?” I replied hollowly. “No one said you have to stay sitting here to do it. What about that promise you made? What about Darcy?” A rush of longing ran through me at the mention of my sister’s name and with a force of pure will, I banished my Phoenix.

shifted my fingers from the necklace he had given me to the Imperial Star which my sister should have worn, the thing thrumming with hidden power too.

I had to focus on the things I required to stand any chance of victory and the first of those goals was clear. Darcy.

“I am Roxanya Vega,” I called out, the loudness of my voice a harsh break to the peace. “Daughter of the Savage King and the Greatest Seer of their generation. I wish to gain entry to the Library of the Lost.” Nothing replied to my request beyond the echoes of my own voice resounding from the mountains that surrounded us and I sighed. “Do we head back?” Caleb asked me uncertainly, but I shook my head. “I came here to visit a fucking library. And I’m not leaving until I’ve checked out some books.”

“What if they still refuse to open the door when we find it?” Caleb asked curiously, no concern in his voice. “Then I’ll break in,” I replied with a shrug. “I’m beyond the point of niceties. Darcy needs me, and the only hope I have of finding her is locked within their precious sanctuary. If they don’t want to help me with that, then that makes them my enemies. And my enemies are forming a nasty habit of ending up as soot.” “Savage,” he commented, the corner of his lips twitching with approval. “Whatever it takes.”

“Let them come for us if they dare,” I challenged. “I could do with a good fight.” “Feeling bloodthirsty?” Caleb asked as he turned his back to the creatures too, matching my pace and striding on at my side. “That’s pretty much all I feel now,” I agreed. There was a pause before he replied, an acknowledgement of the man we had both loved and lost, a ripple in our reality which would never smooth out. “Good.”

“Is this some fairy tale shit?” I asked. “Did he put on his little red riding hood and defeat this thing, because if he did, I’d appreciate you skipping to that bit and giving me a few pointers.” “Little Red Riding Hood was an Orderist piece of shit murderer who killed her grandma when she found out she was a Werewolf and not a Medusa like she’d believed,” Caleb said, looking disgusted. “We know your pretty little mortal versions of the stories too, but all Fae know that nothing is ever as simple as once upon a time.” My concentration faltered at that weird as fuck version of the story every mortal grew up with,

“Okay then, tell me how Joseph killed the Long-Horned thing,” I gritted out, another spear forming in my free hand while I twisted my head to look for the other monsters in the gloom surrounding us. “He didn’t,” Caleb said, frowning at me. “He found its cavern, stole one of its eggs and when the Long Horned Ergut discovered him, it ripped him apart and swallowed the pieces. His family never discovered what happened to him, and the moral of the story was to never venture into the dark places of this world without being prepared for the beasts that lurk there.”

I thought of him, of the man I wasn’t allowed to think of, the one who I hated so very, very much and had ended up loving so deeply that the loss of him had destroyed me entirely.

“Happily ever after my ass,” he muttered and it was so fucking funny that I laughed. Here I was, this broken, brutal thing, a princess without a crown hunting for a lost girl at the ends of the earth, while monsters tried to eat me and all hope was well and truly lost, yet still I fought to live another day. Eternally fighting and hurting and hoping that this might just be a bump in the road, an agony I had to endure before the end.

Geraldine had given us one of the finest rooms on the second level of the palace, and there was a basket of bagels waiting outside our door each morning with handwritten notes from her. She always addressed them ‘to my sweet Pega-brother.’ I felt like an asshole because firstly, I rarely ate any of the food she left for me, Sofia, and Tyler, and secondly…I hadn’t offered her anything to help with her grief.

“Tyler’s worked out a way to pick up a signal on his Atlas to access outside news,” Sofia said, continuing as if I was listening raptly. “I’m a ghost,” Tyler called excitedly from the bed across the room. “I can see everything out in the world, but no one can see me. There’s a bunch of stuff coming out of Zodiac Academy. There’s students in there fighting back!” “That’s great,” I said,

Kirsteen Oliver: This is utter horseshit! Darius wasn’t unFae and neither are the Heirs. The Vega twins don’t have corruption powers it’s all propaganda! #justiceforDarius #longlivetheVegaqueens #SavageQueens

Kirsteen knows

Brown Cow: There isn’t a sane Fae in this kingdom who believes any of the crap you’re printing. Darius Acrux died fighting for the rights of the Fae who he had committed his life to protecting. He was a true and honest man and he fought to bring down a tyrant. We all know the truth which hides beneath the bullshit of these lies, and the citizens of this kingdom are just waiting for the word to rise up and end this reign of tyranny once and for all. #longlivethetruequeens #Dariusdiedahero #noFaeislesser #thepeoplearewaiting #deathtoLionelAcrux #dontbealiaraboutPhoenixfire #dontblametheVegaflame

And Brown knows

She walked to the closet and my eyes tracked her the whole way. She always moved on her tiptoes when she was barefoot, like a little pixie.

I’m a wingless Dom now, I know I’m not exactly your best option anymore.” “Don’t say that,” Sofia growled. Tyler snorted angrily, practically cantering over to us and gripping my arm. “You’re our Dom. That’s never going to change; I swear Xavier.”

“Wait.” She raised a hand, brushing her fingers over my eyes and casting an illusion. I inhaled sharply as the interior of the shed changed to mirror my father’s office instead. I’d shown her photos of this place on my phone, and she’d even remembered to add the little green Dragon paperweight on the desk that was an exact replica of the asshole who’d sired me. Sofia stepped aside and I moved forward with a thirst for vengeance. I raised the sledgehammer and swung it down at that paperweight with a roar of hatred leaving me. It smashed beneath my might and the desk cracked in two.

I wouldn’t have called myself the master of dramatic arrivals by any means, but I had to admit that the sight of me on my knees covered in lake water, blood, and gore, panting through my exhaustion and clinging to a sword as if it was the only thing capable of keeping me upright in this world, was likely an all-time low.

“They did try to eat us,” I explained with half a shrug. “So, this situation is kinda on them. If they were as well trained as you claim, then-” “They weren’t trained,” the girl interrupted. “They were simply brought here to act as a further protection surrounding the library from those who were not invited. Bloodthirsty monsters prowling the lake is pretty off-putting… At least to most people.” “Thank fuck for that. You had me thinking I’d gone and killed your pets for a moment there,” I said, flashing my teeth at them in a way that couldn’t really be called a smile. “No one can tame the monsters of legend,” Cameraman piped up.

“I’m Laini,” she said softly. “I greeted your sister when she visited us.” “From what I heard, that one had better manners,” the old man muttered as he turned away from us and headed down a set of golden steps towards a huge desk sitting at the base of the waterfall where it flooded into the river. “She is better than me in all the ways that matter,” I agreed with him, though he was too far from me to hear.

“Are there people lost down here?” I asked him as he ran down yet another passageway, his head lowered while he charged, smoke billowing from his nostrils. “Or prisoners?” “You can’t trust anything you see or hear in this place,” Arnold replied gravely. “Nothing but the written word, and even then, you should use caution. There are malignant things lurking in these dark passages, cruel and cunning creatures which are always hungry and would like nothing more than to lead you to their door.” “Sounds cosy,” I muttered, and Caleb snorted in amusement.

“He travelled beyond the Veil,” I whispered, afraid of speaking too loud in case the stars were listening and would see every impossible wish I held in my broken heart and fight even harder to keep me from them. “It looked like it took almost everything from him to do so,” Caleb replied. “And I doubt he had what it would take to make the journey once again in reverse. Seems like death would have been a simpler way to access his family.”

“As a side note,” Caleb added, watching me paint my fingers down the edge of the waxy brown fabric as I studied the next rune. “I’m around ninety percent certain that those markings have been made on skin. Likely the hide of some murdered Fae in their shifted form.” I yanked my hand away from the waxy fabric with a cry of disgust and turned to him in horror. “Why would you think that?” I hissed.

“She’s pissed about it. My dad too. But they heard me out and understand that it wasn’t exactly intentional. They think I should stay away from Orion if he returns.” “For how long?” I asked. “Forever.” Caleb blew out a breath and shook his head. “I didn’t argue but I also know it isn’t going to happen. Even if his life and mine weren’t so wrapped up with all of yours to make it pretty much impossible, the connection I feel to him wouldn’t be so easily ignored. We’ll have to be careful though, especially when it comes to hunting. So long as we don’t engage in the hunt together there really shouldn’t be any issue. Neither of us are looking to return Solaria to the rule of blood and carnage.”

“Why do I get the feeling you want to go in there?” Caleb asked as I took a step closer to the narrow gap. “Because I’m a fearless badass and you know it,” I suggested but he just snorted. “More like reckless to the point of idiocy, but sure, let’s squeeze through a creepy gap in a wall where anything could be waiting to drag us into the depths of this place, never to be seen again.”

Caleb crossed the space behind me, and I turned from looking at the book to see him approaching a similar one bound in a deep forest green material, the Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn signs marked on it in emeralds, along with images of plants and runes too. “These feel…alive,” Caleb breathed,

Ether is the epitome of all magics. It’s power great, and influence vast. Those who dare tap into the call of this purest form of magic should heed this warning: No prize comes without a cost. Blood shall spill, spirits shall splinter, and all shall behold the one-eyed demon of fate before the end.

The power of conversing with the dead is one of the more sought-after forms of necromancy, the ability both often one of deepest desire and most potent grief, but it is not an act that many Fae can complete. Most commonly, a séance is the key to achieving such a gift, but it must be noted that such power should not be wielded lightly.

First off, a spirit board will likely be needed to help translate the words of those beyond the Veil. Such an item is best crafted from the wood of a Necrolis Tree, the power of its wood imbued with ether from the casting Fae to help create a bridge.

You mean ouija board lol

To Find a Lost Soul. When encountering this magic for the first time, one must be aware of the pitfalls involved with soul walking. This magic is not for the weak of heart and can be more dangerous than it first seems. First, to seek out a missing soul, the Fae casting the magic must have a deep and intimate knowledge of the one they seek. A blood relation or mate is the best and only real option, unless one wishes to risk the perils of being cast adrift in the in-between.

Even a destiny mapped out by the stars and drawn into reality by time itself can often be changed. Fate is not the master of this world. Only ether commands the true power, and those who learn to master its call can learn to master the world itself and all those who exist within it.

repulsion as drool slid from its fangs to the floor. “To protect the knowledge here from Fae who would seek to abuse it for selfish gains.” “We aren’t looking to abuse anything,” Tory said firmly, her chin held high as she met the monstrous eyes of the one directly in front of us. “I am a Vega princess and Caleb is an Heir to the Celestial Council. Solaria is in desperate need of the magic hidden inside these books.” The creatures all began to clack their teeth, and it took me a moment to realise they were speaking to one another, their movements growing faster as they riled themselves up.

“Let’s focus on not dying in this chamber first then worry about the speed his hooves can move if we don’t die before we get back to him,” Tory suggested, and I swear the thought of us dying down here in this pit had her dark eyes glimmering with excitement. “You’re a fucking psychopath, you know that?” I muttered and she flashed me a grin that was all bloodlust for a fight. “Says the apex predator.”

“My Phoenix is fading!” Tory cried as I ran on, my gifted speed coming and going so that one moment we raced through the passages and the next I was stumbling at Fae speed. “They must have had some kind of Order suppressant in their pincers,” I cursed,

“You need to bite me,” she snapped, whirling towards me and ignoring what I’d said entirely. “No,” I barked, a flash of memory spearing through me as I remembered what I’d done to her the last time I’d bitten her. The sound of her spine breaking as she fell from the roof of King’s Hollow, the utter fury and betrayal in Darius’s eyes as he realised what I’d done and had commanded me never to come near her with my fangs again. I couldn’t bite her. I wouldn’t.

“Tory, I can’t. I swore an oath to Darius after I hurt you before. You know I can’t-” She punched me so hard, my fucking head wheeled to one side, and I tasted my own blood. “Don’t throw his fucking name at me and talk about promises you made to him. He promised me he’d fight for me. He promised he wouldn’t fucking leave. And look what he did. So don’t go keeping promises to that asshole which will end up getting the both of us killed, when he broke every oath he ever swore by dying on that fucking battlefield and leaving me all on my own.”

“We don’t die here,” she said, a queen’s command and for once, I had no problem following it. “Agreed.”

Tory wasn’t just any Fae. She was a Vega, the most powerful bloodline in known history and a Phoenix too, her magic endless while that fire burned at her back and her will iron as she forced the laws of magic and nature to bend to her will.

If there was a single Fae in Solaria capable of making the stars themselves tremble with their wrath, then I knew it was Tory Vega. And not even the might of the heavens would save them when that time came.

Sofia undid her bra, wriggling out of it and tossing it away before her and her two Pega-men dropped their underwear and revealed a whole host of glittery rocks and shiny encrustings on their Ds and her P.

I’d always quite liked the idea of a dijazzle and wondered if my cock would appreciate a little makeover. I wonder if there was anything true to that rumour about Cal having the hots for Pegasuses…

“Xavier, that was quite…something,” Mom said, smiling brightly, her voice coated in false enthusiasm. I looked at her, seeing so much of myself in her mannerisms. The phony smiles that were painted on so thickly, you couldn’t see through them at all. The only reason I could was because she’d taught me that skill, and I knew her well enough to sense when she was being fake. I was sick of always having to act like everything was perfect, like I was this brave, happy, always optimistic figure head that people relied on to keep their own spirits high.

“Well, you always said Linda was a prick, so I guess you must feel validated in that opinion now,” I said, handing my mom’s Atlas back to her. “Seth Capella, do not use that potty mouth with me,” she snapped,

“Good luck with all that. I’m out.” I turned away from her, stalking up the track in the direction Xavier had taken, a heavy mood falling over me. All I wanted was the last remnants of the people I loved to be safe. I wanted Lionel gone, sure, but I didn’t want to rush into another battle unprepared.

I opened my mouth to ask Tory a stream of questions, but then my gaze fell onto two bloody pinprick marks on her neck. A bite. A Vampire bite. A Caleb bite.