Zodiac Academy 6: Fated Throne
Fated Throne: Chapter 38

Christmas Eve had crept up on us before we knew it and I’d spent the day in the Palace of Souls with Lionel, trying to hide my nerves about what we were planning to do tonight.

Gabriel was confident that everything was coming together despite all the reasons we had to fear this going wrong and he was certain that we would have a decent shot at sneaking him into the palace during the party.

Then we just had to get him to the Royal Seer’s Chamber and sit his ass on the chair so that the stars could gift him with the vision they’d promised. Why they had to be dicks about it and insist on him coming to the palace was beyond me, but he seemed to think it was perfectly acceptable for the twinkly bastards to set a challenge if we wanted to be rewarded with knowledge from the heavens.

I personally thought they were just being vindictive little assholes, but maybe I was just a salty bitch over the way they’d repeatedly fucked up my life.

I also had no idea why the stars had decided to allow him to make use of it tonight after months of him trying while I was trapped in Lionel’s grasp – maybe they just didn’t like me very much – but I did trust that he knew what he was talking about. And hopefully this would be the key to us moving forward with our plans against the so-called king so I was more than willing to run with it.

Over the past month we’d all been helping gather the ingredients Orion needed for the royal elixir to initiate members to the Zodiac Guild. It was complicated as shit and the bubbling potion in his closet which gave off a weird almond smell apparently needed a full week in darkness now before we could add the next ingredient. Which was something called rothium grass and it only grew on one special mountain which had apparently been blessed by some old Vega prince hundreds of years ago. Frankly, the whole Guild thing kinda made me uncomfortable. But maybe that was because I was assuming all royalists were like those in the A.S.S. who liked to stare at me and my sister, taking photos on their Atlases when they thought we weren’t looking. I didn’t want people swearing shit to me and making promises on the damn stars which they couldn’t take back. Maybe it wasn’t like that though. Because I couldn’t picture Orion suddenly waiting on me hand and foot and bursting into song when I entered a room. He might for Darcy though…

Damn, I forgot to dick kick him today.

The dress I’d been given to wear to the ball tonight was golden and shimmered as the light touched it, looking like a spill of liquid metal over my curves as it fell to my feet. My arms were bare and the neckline plunging which would have left me cold in the current weather aside from the fact that I could use my fire magic to keep me warm.

Lionel had managed to force entry into the grand hall – which my father had apparently used for trials during his reign – and had chosen to hold this party there. No one dared ask why we weren’t using the extravagant ballroom and it was a matter of quiet joy that I knew the palace still wouldn’t open all of its doors to him.

I’d already silently suffered through the reception line where Lionel made every guest at the party file past him and bow while he sat on the throne. He kept a host of Nymphs at our backs the entire time just so that he could boast about his control over them, but everyone who came had eyed them warily.

The Nymphs had stayed in their shifted forms the entire time, standing stoic and statuesque at our backs, but the whole thing had left me fighting to stave off a shudder. I didn’t trust them. Even though I knew Clara had full control over them, that didn’t stop me from expecting them to attack at any moment. Knowing Diego had been good only eased my fears like one percent. Because of all the Nymphs I’d come into contact with, he was the single one who hadn’t looked hungry to eat my magic, and who had tried to help us. So I was assuming he was an anomaly. Oh Diego.

Clara was in her element tonight, prancing around on Lionel’s arm, cooing and clucking about how sad she supposedly was over Catalina’s death while making less than subtle hints about her desire to be Lionel’s new queen.

I stayed silent, only responding to anyone who addressed me directly and ignoring all the suspicious looks I was drawing. People didn’t know what to make of me anyway so they never really had anything to say.

The Heirs and their parents were here tonight too and I’d caught their gazes more than once, taking some comfort in knowing that I had friends here even if I couldn’t speak with them.

Lionel was oozing smugness in a cloud so thick that I was choking on it as I hung from his arm and I was just glad that I’d been in the habit of keeping my face blank as a shadow bitch so that I didn’t have to fake smile along with his bullshit.

I was listening though. Every word that spilled from his lips, all the lies about Tiberian Rats and Minotaurs and Sphinxes and all the plans he had to bring them to heel was absorbed and noted. Then anything that might be able to be used to counter his vile plots was passed on to Hamish Grus and his rebels who might be able to do something about them.

More often than not, Lionel had already carried out his atrocities before I reported them, rounding Fae up and holding them in the Nebular Inquisition Centres before anything I passed on could be of any help. But occasionally, Hamish and the Fae he’d gathered around him who wished to stand against Lionel’s tyranny would help get people to safety before the King could get to them. And every time I heard that something I’d passed on had saved a life, it made this role I had to play a little easier.

‘Ah, if it isn’t my first born son,’ Lionel called, breaking me out of my thoughts as Darius strode out of the crowd dressed all in black.

Black suit, black shirt, black cufflinks, the whole lot. The darkness of the outfit just made him seem even bigger and more intimidating than usual, highlighting the black rings in his eyes and drawing attention to his ebony hair and the stubble on his jaw. I mean shit, he was freaking edible. It had been too damn long since we’d stolen that time alone together from the stars and I was seriously tempted to ask him if he wanted to try for round two somewhere soon. Maybe somewhere less muddy, though it had to be somewhere open…like a desert. Sun, sand, sex…but then there would be sand everywhere and that was never fun. No one wanted a sandy vag. Dammit stars, why do you have to be such fucking V blockers?

‘Father,’ Darius said curtly, his gaze sliding to me for a lingering moment that made heat rise in my cheeks as I decided I’d totally risk a sandy butt crack for him before he dragged his eyes away again.

‘Where is your beautiful bride?’ Lionel asked him, looking around curiously.

‘She got a sudden bout of the shits,’ Darius replied with the hint of a smirk that told me exactly who was responsible for that. ‘And let’s not bullshit by calling her beautiful, Father, we all know she looks like the rear end of a warthog that’s been hit by a bus.’

I snorted a laugh before I could stop myself, trying to cover it with a cough and drawing Lionel’s attention to me as I worked to school my features.

‘Does that amuse you, Roxanya?’ he asked, narrowing his eyes on me which wasn’t all that surprising as I generally only laughed if I was shadow torturing people in my fucked up shadow dick state.

‘It has a ring of truth to it, sire,’ I replied, giving him the adoring eyes and running my hand up his arm and over the curve of his bicep. It had the strange effect of making me buzz with joy at being so close to him and feel a little like puking up the alcohol I’d consumed. Which admittedly might have been too much on an empty stomach.

Lionel’s gaze roamed over my features as I gave him my most simpering look and he nodded lightly before looking back to his son.

‘Well, seeing as you’re not occupied with your bride, why don’t you take Roxanya to get some food? She has a habit of forgetting to eat if not reminded and I’m too busy tonight to fuss over her.”

Darius’s jaw locked and he shrugged. ‘Do you enjoy torturing me with her company, Father?’

‘I would have thought that you’d appreciate the chance to spend time with her. You were most thorough in your hunt for her throughout the summer after all. Or has your idealistic fantasy of love finally run its course? Perhaps you’ve given up on trying to tempt her back from the dark?’

‘Never,’ Darius growled, offering me his arm and I glanced to Lionel for his approval before I took it.

‘Then see her fed and stop complaining about your lot in life. I’m handing you a throne here after all – I won’t tolerate your ungrateful attitude much longer.’

Darius sketched a mocking bow and I stepped forward, wrapping my hand around his forearm and letting him draw me away.

My skin heated where we touched but I didn’t dare look up at him, simply walking at his side until we reached the buffet laid out on the far side of the room. I swear I could feel Lionel’s eyes on us the entire way and when I turned to look back over my shoulder, the look he was giving me sent a shiver of fear down my spine.

‘Eat, Roxy,’ Darius commanded, accepting a plate of cakes and hand crafted cookies from one of the serving staff and holding it out to me.

‘So bossy,’ I muttered, accepting the food and biting into a cookie, suppressing a groan at the deliciously sweet taste. ‘Do you think Lionel suspected anything?’

‘Hard to tell with him. He’s always suspicious. But I think if he had then he would have called you up on it there and then.’ His brow furrowed with concern for me and I gave him a small smile.

‘I’m sure it’s fine. Max has been teaching me to shield my thoughts from Cyclops interrogation anyway so even if he gets Vard to-‘

‘If he or that psychopath ever lay a hand on you again then I’ll rip them apart with my fucking teeth,’ Darius growled, catching my wrist and squeezing hard enough to bruise.

‘I can handle it,’ I said firmly.

It wasn’t like I enjoyed the idea of being brought back to that room they’d used to torture me and turn me into Lionel’s plaything, but I was well aware I might have to face another visit to it at some point. I just tried not to think about it and made sure to prepare myself as much as I could with Max’s help.

Lionel moved out of sight, heading into an antechamber across the room with a man who I was fairly certain was another Acrux and I nudged Darius to draw his attention to them.

‘Gabriel said the opportune moment would present itself,’ I pointed out, quickly eating another cookie because they were to-fucking-die-for and backing away from the food table.

‘I’ll meet you out in the west corridor,’ Darius murmured and I nodded, watching him as he strode away through the crowd.

I lingered for another few minutes then turned away too, spotting Seth and Caleb by a side door and walking towards them with purposeful steps.

Seth was tossing olives into the air and catching them in his mouth and Caleb threw me a wink as I skirted past them.

‘We’ll keep an eye out, sweetheart,’ Caleb promised in a low voice I was sure no one else heard and I nodded once before heading out of the room.

My heart was thundering as I walked to meet Darius so that we could open up the secret passage to get Gabriel into the building.

He’d been confident that this part of our plan would go well. But from here on out, we’d be flying by the seat of our pants, too many possibilities for him to be certain what course we’d land on.

So for now I’d trust in his vision. And as far as everything else went, I was just wishing for the best.