Zodiac Academy: The Awakening(21)
I hung suspended, ungraceful but completely alive as I gazed down at the ground a few feet below me.
I'd been so close to failing. So close to dying. And as cheers called to me from above, a smile forced my lips wide. The cushion of air collapsed and I crashed to the ground in a heap.
Adrenaline surged. My entire body trembled. But I was alive. And for now, I'd damn well earned my place in Aer. And it sounded like the rest of the House knew it too.
I FOLLOWED THE crowd of Fire Elementals away from the Orb and down a curving path which led around to the south of the building before dropping down a steep hill.
Pillars of stone sat either side of the path every few meters with flames burning in plinths on top of them. As the older students began to pass them, the flames took the forms of various creatures and my lips parted as I stared at horses, wolves, birds and men built out of nothing but flame. My mind wanted to cast it off as some kind of illusion but I knew it wasn’t. The power roiling within me responded to the fire and each flare of magic which shaped it and I ached to unleash my own magic upon the blaze despite having no idea how to do such a thing.
Sofia slipped through the crowd until she was walking at my side, offering a friendly smile as I glanced her way. Nice to know I’m not a total pariah then. Most of the other students were giving me a wide berth and I’d gotten the distinct impression that offending the Celestial Heirs had put me firmly on the shit list. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about sending any Christmas cards as I wasn’t likely to be receiving any.
“Well you certainly know how to make an entrance,” Sofia said, the corner of her mouth hooking up in amusement.
I snorted. “Never did learn when to keep my mouth shut,” I admitted. “Where I’m from I found out the hard way that this life will throw all kinds of crap at you, but the one thing you don’t have to accept is other people’s bullshit.”
A few of the other freshmen heard that comment and edged away from me uneasily. I guessed they were concerned my status as persona non grata might be catching. And perhaps it would but Sofia didn’t seem to mind the risk at least.
I kept thinking about Darcy, wondering if she was doing okay with the air Heir. Seth seemed like a bit less of an asshole than the other three on first impressions but it was hard to be sure. Birds of a feather and all that... I just hoped I’d be able to check in with her over breakfast and make sure she was alright. Our lives had never exactly been plain sailing but she’d never developed such a thick skin as me and the idea of those douchebags giving her a hard time without me there to back her up sent a shiver of anger coursing through my blood.
“Well I wish my balls were big enough to allow me to stand against the Heirs like you did and come out unscathed,” Sofia said appreciatively. “Not that I have any reason to stand against them or any intention to find one.”
“I wouldn’t say I came out unscathed,” I muttered, touching a finger to the tender skin on my neck where Caleb had bitten me.
Sofia’s wide eyes followed the movement of my hand and she leaned closer to inspect the wound.
“Oh, I guess you didn’t realise Caleb was of the Vampire Order when you provoked him?”
At the mention of him being a Vampire, a cold trickle of ice danced along my spine. Of course the word had come to mind after what he did to me but the idea of something so... insane existing just didn’t want to line up in my brain. I wasn’t sure why the idea of magical creatures was more difficult for me to accept than the idea of magic itself but it just seemed to go against every law of nature I thought I’d understood.
“I didn’t know anyone was a Vampire before he attacked me,” I muttered. “And he’s bitten me now, so shouldn’t that mean that I’m gonna start getting a thirst for blood or an appetite for toe sandwiches or something?”
Sofia laughed in surprise. “You really don't know anything about our world do you? All of your ideas about us come right out of a mortal fairytale!”
“So I’m not about to sprout fangs?” I confirmed, ignoring the subtle mockery. I could tell she didn’t mean anything malicious by it. But I wasn’t much of a fan of being the latest science experiment either.
“Nope. Vampires are just an Order of Fae. Each Order replenishes their own magic in different ways. The Vampires can’t create their own so they have to take it from others by overpowering them. As freshmen we’re all going to come under a lot of fire from them - we can’t defend ourselves with our magic yet and trying to overpower them physically is crazy difficult. With your magic being as potent as it is you’ll probably find that you get a lot of attention from the vamps while they’re able to overpower you so you might wanna get used to it.”
“Perfect. I always wanted to be a walking packed lunch,” I said dryly, making a mental note to avoid all Vampires until I was strong enough to fight them off. Which would be a lot easier if I knew how to spot one. I eyed Sofia’s teeth for a moment, wondering if I’d find any fangs.
She flashed me a smile at my joke and I was able to confirm no fangs. “Sometimes the strongest Vampires will lay a claim on a power source-”
“In this scenario am I the power source?” I asked.
“Err, yeah,” Sofia shrugged apologetically. “But if Caleb decides he likes the way your power tastes he might want to keep you for himself and as he’s one of the most powerful Vampires in the school the others would all bow to his dominance.”