Zodiac Academy 8: Sorrow and Starlight
Sorrow and Starlight: Chapter 46

I was already in a free dive, my eyes locked on Gabriel who was being dragged through a doorway by Vard, electricity crackling all over my body. I’d gotten a little overexcited flying here and had accidentally zapped Leon in the ass and fried all of our Atlases. So we were on our own now, but so long as everyone stuck to the plan, it didn’t matter.

Leon held on tight while I kept my storm powers from hurting him again, housing it all in my body, ready to explode from me the second I could. But I had to reach Gabriel, Juniper and the kids first.

I let my storm fly free, sending it towards the wards doming the palace. A vicious lightning strike daggered out from my jaws and thunder cut through the air just as it impacted and took out the magic, the power of the wards sizzling out of existence and drawing every eye below us right to me.

I swooped low as fast as I could, my focus consumed by Gabriel.

We’re coming, Falco.

“Gabe!” Leon bellowed, leaping from my back the moment we closed in on the stands, a fist full of flames slamming into Vard’s single eye.

Vard’s head snapped back and he hit the wall, but the asshole fought back, seeing Leon’s next punch coming and blasting fire back at him in a swirling vortex. Leon fought to get hold of the Seer’s flames, the two of them locked in a brawl of power.

My talons dug into the stone seats as I landed awkwardly, lumps of masonry tumbling away beneath me as I fought to hold myself in place and grunted a command at Gabriel to get up. He scrambled to his feet, eyes wide and full of prophecies, halting him in his tracks before he made it to me. I clambered higher up the stone seats to get closer to him, extending my wing in desperation.

Get on, Falco.

Down in the arena, the rebels were colliding with the Dragons, and sweeping waves of fire slammed into them, consuming our people in the flames. The screams tangled with the air, but I couldn’t look to see what was happening, my task set on the man before me.

Dalle stelle, this was fast falling apart. But Gabriel was right there, and I wasn’t leaving without him.

Fire burst over my wing and I yanked it back as Mildred Canopus came running up the steps, her teeth bared and fists swinging. The fire surrounded Gabriel in a ring, cutting me off from him, and I roared my fury, turning to her, ready to end this brutta cagna.

She leapt into the air the same moment I sent a bolt of lightning at her from my jaws, the oafish girl shifting and tearing out of her clothes, giving me a view of a very hairy, very naked Mildred before her Dragon took over and she released a furious blast of hellfire from her jaws.

I was forced to move, taking off into the sky and blasting lightning back at her, making her yowl as some of it hit her brown scales and crackled over her body.

“You have to go!” Gabriel cried from within that ring of fire, my gaze locking on him below me as I swung the sharpened spikes on my tail into Mildred’s face. “There’s no hope for me this day!”

I roared in answer to that, refusing those words, and Leon denied them too, getting hold of Vard and slamming him against the wall by the throat. The Cyclops was done for. Leon would kill him in the next second, then take hold of those flames around Gabriel and we would get him out of here. I could see the possibility of that fate unfolding, but then more Dragon Shifters came running up the stone steps, and my heart floundered.

Mildred snapped at my tail, forcing me to fly higher, and I roared in fury, sending another blast of lightning over my back towards her.

She dove to avoid it, sweeping over the crowd of rebels below as she went and unleashing a blast of fire that killed several in their tracks. I found the rest of my family rushing into the fight, cutting down Dragons as they tried to get to Lionel, Rosalie howling in command to her Wolf pack, but he was standing within a shield of endless Fae, all willing to die for him.

I snarled in anger, wanting to blast the amphitheatre to dust, but I had to hold on until I could get everyone I loved out of here.

Leon was forced to fight the Dragons coming his way, and Vard took the opportunity to seize Gabriel, yanking him through a door and disappearing from sight. I roared in anguish, turning back for them, but Mildred flew up to block my path once more.

I lunged forward, aiming for her neck as my wings beat harder, thunder booming above and rain crashing down over my scales as my storm tumbled out of me. I collided with her, my teeth tearing into her side and my talons raking down her belly. She kicked me back before I could do enough damage to end this, but I released a blast of lightning aimed to kill.

Mildred roared as it impacted with her chest and she went tumbling out of the sky, crashing onto the stone seats below and shattering them beneath her weight. She continued to twitch, and I cursed internally that I hadn’t killed her, but I couldn’t send a full blast of lightning down there or it would fry everyone else in the amphitheatre. With the rebels involved now, that was no longer an option.

A cry drew my gaze beyond Mildred, and I spotted Juniper running up the steps with her three children in front of her, waving her arms at me in desperation.

I tucked my wings, aiming for her and swooping low to pick them up. One of the kids screamed in alarm as he spotted me coming, and all three lost control of their Order forms, shifting into a trio of squat little Griffins who looked about ready to bolt.

Lionel cried out furiously as his attention fell on us, and I snarled a warning to Juniper as he sent a blast of Dragon Fire spiralling towards us. Juniper cried out in panic, a shield of air exploding around her and the three boys, the power of it only just managing to hold beneath the weight of Lionel’s flames. The movement forced the sleeve of her cloak to shift back and relief tumbled through me as I spotted the bare skin of her arm, confirming to me that she hadn’t taken part in the Guardian bond ceremony and was still free from Lionel’s control.

A swarm of rebels all threw their power at Lionel at once in an unFae attack, and he was forced to turn his attention to them just as I managed to land beside Juniper.

“Thank you,” she breathed, her hand brushing against my snout.

Her tear-filled gaze met mine, and I nodded once, lowering my wing to them on the steps. She managed to convince two of the three kids to shift back into their Fae forms, hoisting the smallest into her arms when it became clear he was too rattled to move, and he buried his eagle’s head against her neck while tucking his wings close to his spine. All four of them clambered onto my back, settling themselves there, and the thrashing of my heart calmed a little at the knowledge that they were safe.

I took off as fire came at me from all directions, flying fast for Leon where he was cornered against the wall by three unFae stronzos, their dark blue capes billowing around them as they fought him.

I knocked the Dragon Shifters down the stone steps with my talons, my claws gouging deep into shoulders and necks, causing as much damage as I could before I gently grabbed Leon.

He clung on tight to my foot as I banked hard and flew up towards the dark sky, giving him time to climb my leg and get onto my back.

“Vard took Gabe,” Leon said in anguish, and I grunted mournfully in acknowledgement.

It wasn’t over yet though. There was still time to finish the false king.

I turned my gaze onto the blonde bastardo below us in his ring of safety, and he turned his gaze to me, a smirk lifting his lips.

His mouth opened in an order I couldn’t hear, but in the next seconds, four of his Dragon Guild members shifted and came tearing towards me from below, fire pouring from their teeth-filled mouths.

“Go!” Leon cried.

I bellowed in frustration, turning and taking off into the clouds, sending a stream of lightning falling from my tail to slam into them. But their roars kept following us, and the children on my back screamed in panic as the huge beasts gained on us.

I knew this day was done. In all honesty, I’d known it the moment Gabriel had spoken his truth. He had already seen how this would play out. Fate had changed, our one chance was lost. And now all we could do was retreat with as many of the people we loved as we could. So with them in mind, I drew storm clouds around me and worked to lose my pursuers in the mist, defeat making my heart weigh a ton.

We’ll come back for you, Falco. A morte e ritorno.