Zodiac Academy 8: Sorrow and Starlight
Sorrow and Starlight: Chapter 23

I ran among the rebels as we headed south across the land, a bag strapped to my back containing some of the few supplies the rebels had salvaged from The Burrows.

“Shift, Xavier!” Sofia called out to me from Tyler’s back, riding his silver Pegasus form, his wings tucked tight to his side. “We’ll stay with you.”

Other flying Orders were already sweeping overhead, their shadows rushing by, feathers rustling as they went. I clenched my jaw, pretending I hadn’t heard her, my back prickling and reminding me that I would never fly again.

I hadn’t shifted since the battle, and had only been able to recharge my magic by flying through the clouds on Sofia’s back. I’d done so once, feeling like a vital part of me had been stripped away, too ashamed to do it more than that. I wasn’t a Pegasus anymore, I was just a horse with a horn, and I didn’t need all the rebels looking at me with pity while in my Order form.

The urge to shift had been my biggest challenge though, it was a need that ran deep and couldn’t be cut out. Now I was cantering along the ground on two feet, that desire was stronger than it had ever been, the animal in me demanding to come out.

Sofia steered Tyler closer to me and I looked up at her fierce expression, the way the wind was tearing through her blonde pixie cut hair, her body moving perfectly in time with Tyler’s. She wore one of the plain khaki jumpsuits that the earth Elementals had been making for everyone, a belt cinching it in tight around her narrow waist, and a sparkling pink Pegobag strapped to her back.

“At least ride with me,” she said, reaching for me, but I champed my teeth at her fingers, and she retracted her hand with a pout.

Tyler neighed in frustration, and I ran stubbornly on, trying to overtake him but he easily outpaced me in his Pegasus form. I had a rush of blazing energy contained in my chest and it needed an outlet. I wanted to Dom Tyler down and prove I was the top Pegasus, but without my wings, how was I ever going to be that again?

A Harpy whooshed over me so low that she kicked me in the head, and I neighed in fury, scowling after her as the sound of her laughter carried back to me. My cheeks flushed hot I was filled with the need to shift, take to the sky and make her pay for that. But I wasn’t able to do that anymore.

Seth came bounding past us in his enormous white Werewolf form, weaving left and right through the rebels at random while howling wildly. Caleb shot after him in a blur, throwing punches at his friend’s flanks, their game seeming a little intense.

Max fell from the sky, leaping off of a Griffin’s back and landing on Seth’s, taking him by surprise and nearly knocking him over. Max howled like a madman and Seth echoed it, picking up speed as Caleb raced along at his side. I watched them go, thinking of my brother and how he should have been a part of that group.

The loss of him left me raw and I worked hard to force that thought from my mind, knowing that if I dwelled on it now, I’d break all over again.

“Hey, Xavier!” Seth’s younger sister Athena called to me as she shot into view on Hadley Altair’s back, her arms and legs wrapped around him.

Hadley’s Vampire fangs were out, and he had a glint of excitement in his eyes as he looked to me. He was so like Caleb in ways, but his dark features gave him a brooding look that matched his personality to a T. Athena’s purple-streaked, black hair fluttered in the wind as she jumped from Hadley’s back and began running at my side instead, leaving Hadley gazing after her.

“We’re gonna have a race,” she said. “Hadley’s not allowed to use his tornado legs. Do you guys wanna play?”

“Hell yes!” Sofia called and Tyler neighed in agreement.

“I’m good,” I clipped.

Athena’s twin brother Grayson ran into view in his Wolf form which resembled a giant husky – just the same as his sister’s. He snapped playfully at Hadley’s ass, making him curse as he worked to avoid his sharp teeth and he shot forward to keep up with us.

“Come on, Xavier,” Athena urged. “The winner gets to dare the loser to do whatever they want.” She moved closer to me, lowering her voice as she whispered. “You don’t even have to win, I just wanna thrash Hadley so I can make him my bitch boy again.”

“I can hear you, Athena,” Hadley growled.

“You know why I agreed to play with you, leech,” Athena tossed back. “Every single one of our interactions is purely for the enjoyment of me proving I’m superior to you in every way.” She smirked as she saw that jibe rile him up, his eyes flickering darkly.

“Then you should have learned how wrong you are by now, Capella,” he bit out.

Sometimes it seemed like those two were obsessed with each other, and other times it was like they wanted to murder one another. I guessed it was a power thing. But when I thought of how my own power play with Tyler had turned out, I wondered if there might be something more brewing between them.

Athena punched me in the arm, and I cursed. “Get me back, come on, Xavier.”

“Yeah, get her Xavier,” Sofia cheered and Tyler whinnied his encouragement.

“No,” I grunted.

“Fine,” Athena said lightly, darting past me and punching Sofia in the leg instead, making her neigh in surprise. “I punched your mare, what are you gonna do about it?” She darted behind Tyler who kicked a hind hoof at her, but Athena was fast, sprinting around him and avoiding the blow, her laughter carrying back to me and setting my pulse hammering.

“I’ll get her.” Sofia leapt to her feet on Tyler’s back with a vengeful fire in her eyes that was hot as fuck, but I was her Dom and I wanted to be the one who put Athena in her place now.

“I’m racing,” I announced. “I’ll beat you to the sea, Athena!”

She laughed, flipping me the finger before leaping forward and shifting into her black and grey Wolf form, making her brother Grayson howl as he ran to join her.

“Hey – you can’t use your Order if I can’t,” Hadley snapped, but Athena was already gone. He cursed, running on, looking like he really wanted to use his speed, but was stubborn enough to stick to the rules, even if they did put him at a disadvantage.

I took my pack from my shoulders and tossed it to Sofia as she sat back down on Tyler.

“Are you gonna shift?” she asked, a smile lighting her up and making her literally glow.

This decision was making her happy, and that was enough to solidify it as I shifted mid-run, letting my clothes tear to shreds. My four hooves hit the ground and a neigh fell from my lips like a battle cry, echoed by Sofia and Tyler as I charged forward and took the lead.

Lilac glitter tumbled from my mane, the wind rushing over me and making me feel more alive than I had in days. Darius’s death had left my heart numb, but right now I was awake again, seeking out something good beyond all the tragedy, if only for a moment.

On instinct, I tried to flex my wings and a mournful whinny left me when I felt the empty space they should have filled. I galloped on, my gaze set on Athena and Grayson’s fluffy tails up ahead, and I put on a burst of speed.

I was faster than the wind, the most powerful Pegasus stallion of my generation, and I easily caught them and soon led Tyler past them too.

A line of Minotaurs barred our way forward, all in their shifted forms, horns curling up from the bulls’ heads and the cows mooing to the sky. I nosed my way between them, sending glitter tumbling over them, then leaping over a family of Teumessian Fox Shifters.

I was well in the lead of the race, and as the rebels tore across the rocky land, I spotted a glimmer of sunlight dancing on the sea in the distance.

Tory’s wings were a blazing beacon of fire, trailing embers through the sky to mark our path and guide everyone on ahead of us all. It felt so good to be doing something at last, taking action even if it was as simple as replaceing a sanctuary for everyone. It definitely beat sitting around in the ruins waiting for my father to replace us.

The ground was trembling from the hoards of us all migrating across it at speed, and there was a sense of hope among us that I hadn’t felt since before the battle.

The Oscura Wolves all howled to the sky, a river of fur and sharp teeth rushing along ahead of us, and I raced straight into them, weaving through their ranks and earning myself a few snaps at my ankles.

The instinct to fly away from their jaws made me stumble and Tyler nearly crashed into me before I righted myself, heat flooding up my neck and shame washing over me. I was just a flightless horse now. I didn’t even know what you called a horse that had a horn and no wings. I’d never heard of such a thing.

I looked to the sky, aching to join the other flying Orders up there, wheeling this way and that through the air. It was my favourite place in the world to be, and now I would only experience it second hand. I’d never flap my wings and follow the current of a breeze, and there was a grief in that which I could never have prepared for.

What made it worse was that I’d spent so long having to hide my Order in Lionel’s manor that I’d missed out on countless times when I could have been flying. Now, he’d taken away something that made me what I was, and it was so fucking unfair. But it was the least of what he’d taken really. I couldn’t even truly process the loss of my mom and my brother. I kept expecting them to show up, to walk through the nearest door, greeting me the way they always had.

But I would never get to experience that again. They were gone. And I didn’t think I would ever really move on without them. The pain was too present and seemed to grow sharper than it did duller.

Sofia and Tyler did everything they could to comfort me, but there was no comfort in violent deaths handed out by the man who had sired me. He had stripped everything that he could from me, and I was left with a hatred that filled me to the brim and made happiness feel like a long-forgotten memory that would never resurface.

I whinnied as that pain poured out once again, impossible to contain now that it was unleashed. I reared up, my hooves striking the back of an Oscura Wolf who yelped and leapt out of my way. Tyler cantered fast to keep up, the sound of his hooves echoing mine as he kept pace with me with Sofia on his back.

I charged on, moving as quickly as my hooves would allow and knocking anyone aside who dared step into my way. I gnashed my teeth at the Wolves’ legs as they had done to me, and they parted for me so I could gallop my way through the centre of them.

The huge shadow of Dante’s Storm Dragon form swept overhead, and a furious wind was brought along with him, pressing against our backs and driving our feet forward even faster. Static hung in the air as it crackled off of his scales and it set adrenaline pounding through my blood.

I was moving almost as fast as the flying Orders above, my hooves feeling weightless, like they could lift off the ground and launch me into the sky. But it was just a mirage, because as my shoulder blades flexed in yearning for my wings, no wind took me into its hold.

I whinnied and Tyler echoed the sound in recognition of my longing, Sofia’s fingers brushing my back as they kept to my side.

The ground began to slope down beneath my hooves and my gaze settled on the glistening sea beyond a long, sandy beach.

I was among the first to make it onto the beach, panting as I came to a halt and shifting back into my Fae form. Sofia tossed me some clothes from her pack, and I pulled on the jumpsuit, kicking my feet into some slippers made of leaves which didn’t feel at all sturdy and looked kind of dumb. But whatever.

Athena and Grayson made it to the beach, skidding to a halt and falling into a tussle with each other, sending sand spraying up everywhere and flicking me in the face. I sighed, turning to look at the sea while Tory Vega circled down to perch on the shoulder of the huge brindle Cerberus that was Geraldine.

She scratched behind Geraldine’s ear and her hind leg started kicking, her tail wagging furiously and sending more sand flying into my face.

I huffed, moving away from them, folding my arms, and waiting for the rest of the rebels to arrive. Hadley appeared, trying to shove his way past the Minotaurs who were mooing and chattering together, snarling as he broke through and ran to meet us.

“How come you all got to use your Order forms, but I didn’t? That makes the game void,” he snapped at Athena, and she dove on him in her Wolf form, trying to knock him to the ground. He shot away before she could pin him, spinning around and grabbing hold of the back of her neck by the scruff and squeezing tight enough to make her go limp.

“Gotcha,” he laughed as her front paws kicked, but she couldn’t get out of his hold.

She shifted, suddenly standing there naked with Hadley’s hand locked around the back of her neck, but when she jerked forward to get free, he didn’t let go.

“You agreed to the rules, leech. Xavier won, so what’s the dare for Hadley?” she called to me.

Hadley’s eyes dropped to Athena’s bare ass, his grip on her clearly loosening as he got distracted because she yanked herself free, twirling around and slapping him as she went.

“Bitch,” he growled, lunging forward to catch her again and hitting an air shield.

She laughed loudly, flipping him off with two middle fingers as he worked to break through the barrier.

“I dare you to be nice to Athena for a week,” I said, and Hadley whirled on me.

“What?” he snapped.

“You two would get along if you stopped being so competitive,” I said with a shrug, knowing there was more to their relationship than they let on to the world.

I’d seen it myself. And I’d seen what had happened to my brother when he’d continued acting like he hated Tory Vega for so long. He could have had so much more happiness in his life if he’d just…if he’d…

My mind spiralled into a vortex of misery, and I turned away from them, walking towards Tory and Geraldine.

Tory jumped down to land on the sand before me, and with one look I could tell she knew where my mind was. She nodded a little, sadness filling her eyes before she moved forward and toed my foot with her boot.

“Are you okay about leaving him behind?” I asked, my voice rough. I’d visited the shrine made for Darius, Mom and Hamish just this morning, casting fresh flowers to lay around them, and talking to them all as if they could hear me. I wasn’t ready for another goodbye, but at least I knew I could replace this place when it was safe to return.

“He’s not there,” she said darkly, her eyes moving to the mountain we’d left them all on before she pressed a hand to her heart. “He’s here.”

I nodded, my throat thickening and blocking all oxygen from entering my airway.

“Cast with me?” she offered, and I nodded, relieved to do anything but remain in this moment of agony.

“What do you want me to cast?” I asked.

“We’re going to carve ourselves an island from this land and float out to sea.”

My ears pricked up at that and I looked back at the hilly landscape we’d travelled across and the green grass hugging its slopes. The rebel army covered the land for as far as I could see, the remaining thousands of them all racing towards us, a mass of colourful feathers, scales, fur and fangs.

“How big?” I asked.

“Let’s say…as far as that hill with the tree at the top.” She pointed it out in the distance, several miles away from here.

A frown creased her brow as she began to cast, the ground trembling beneath us before the land beyond the hill began to fracture. A gigantic crack formed all through the valleys and hills and I raised my hands, pouring all of my focus into this task and working to rip that fracture wider. It felt good, really damn good to let my magic free like that. There was relief in the outlet, just untethering the almighty power that lived in me and watching it work to split the very ground apart.

More and more earth Elementals rushed to help us, Caleb and Seth standing shoulder to shoulder as they cast together while Geraldine shifted out of her Cerberus form to join in, standing naked and proud at Tory’s side.

The chasm ran deeper and deeper, a roaring noise filling the air as we cleaved the land apart and created a huge island for us to take as our own.

As the crack met with the sea and cliffs at the far ends of our view, the beach began to crumble under our ferocious power, Max and his father ran to the water line, sending the sea surging into the chasm we’d made. It rushed in fast, and the ground shifted beneath our feet as it rose out of the waves and our newly made island rode out upon them. Everyone cheered as an enormous wave exploded up from the edge of the beach and washed over us all, the island setting sail with a fanfare of cheers and cries of support from the rebels.

“I henceforth declare this island the Rebels’ Undying-”

‘Wait,” Seth said, holding up a hand as he hurried over barefoot and in sweatpants, his eyes alight with the excitement. “I think we should vote on the name-”

“Nonsense,” Geraldine scoffed dismissively.

“Guys, just think about it, this name will go down in history and Geraldine has a track record of calling herself an ass – on purpose! Do we really want to risk-”

“You are not even a sworn-in member of the court of the true Queens,” Geraldine chastised. “And I am known for my wonderous and most apt namings of all things.”

“Just let her do it, Seth,” Max murmured, and Seth whined in protest, but I didn’t bother to join the debate – none of us here were going to win in an argument with Geraldine when it came to this anyway so what was the point?

“The choice is yours, my Queen,” Geraldine said, looking to Tory who didn’t even seem to be listening.

“About the name thing?” she asked and Seth tried turning the puppy dog eyes on her, but she didn’t seem to notice. “I don’t care.”

“Then I shall carry the burden of naming it for you, Your Majesty,” Geraldine gushed, raising her voice as Seth tried to protest again. “I hereby declare this island, the Rebels’ Undying Mighty Province!” she boomed, amplifying her voice with a spell that reverberated off of every hill we’d claimed for our new sanctuary.

“R.U.M.P.?” Seth demanded furiously. “So now we’re all just asses on the rump? I told you she’d do this. I said that she’d-”

“Pish posh, Seth Capella, green does not become you. Perhaps once you bend the knee upon this fine land of R.U.M.P. and become a true member of the A.S.S. you shall stop attention seeking so blatantly.”

The ex-Councillors shared a look at the name too, but no one listened when they tried to object, the rebels already breaking into a celebration that no one could stop.

“Where to?” Seth asked Tory, much to the disapproving glare of his mother.

“Anywhere and everywhere,” she said. “We’ll keep it as random as we can.”

“I’m gifted at that,” he said with a grin before raising his hands and casting a tremendous wind that pushed the island far out into the sea.

I moved back from the edge of the beach, breathing in the fresh, briny air and hoping that this place really could remain a secret from Lionel. Because most of the people I cared for in the world were right here on this floating lump of land, and I didn’t intend on losing another one of them to this war.