Zodiac Academy: The Awakening(24)

On the far side of the room, three figures stood, hidden beneath deep red robes, their faces in shadow within their hoods.

Their attention was clearly on me and as I watched, three beings built from flame leapt to life in front of them. The figures were humanoid in shape though their arms hung down past their knees and their fingers curved with burning claws. In place of eyes they had black pits which stared at me hungrily.

I only had a moment to stare in fascination before the fire manikins sprang at me.

I cried out in alarm, launching myself at the collection of weapons. I ripped an axe from the wall and swung it before me as the first manikin reached me. The heavy weapon carved straight through the creature’s chest but the flames quickly reformed around the hole.

I stumbled back, swinging again in a vain effort to keep the things away from me but they barely flinched beneath the might of my attacks.

I launched the axe at them and ducked aside, making it to the wall again and claiming a dagger. I threw it at the closest manikin but it sailed through it harmlessly.

Before I could claim a third weapon, the creatures moved too close and I cried out as a hot hand brushed against my thigh, singeing the fabric of my yoga pants.

I threw myself at the inch of space between two of them, clasping my hands over my face as the brush of flames caressed my bare arms.

I could feel my magic welling up inside of me, filling me to the brim and aching to be set free but I had no idea how to harness it.

I rolled across the smooth floor and jumped to my feet as I backed away. The three fire manikins came at me again as I eyed the wall of weapons behind them. There were swords, spears, bows, even a mace. None of them would do a damn thing against a creature made of fire.

They rushed at me and I backed up as fast as I could. My gaze fell on the three students who were controlling them and I was struck with the certainty that they should be my real targets. Behind them, a wide doorway stood open which must have been the way forward and I fixed its position in my mind as my escape route.

I tried to run for it but the manikins leapt into my path, forcing me to halt before the wall created by their flaming bodies.

I backed up quickly, my mind whirling with ideas as I tried to figure this out but they wouldn’t let me think before coming for me again.

I threw myself aside, rolling across the cold floor then trying to regain my feet once more. A manikin was there to stop me, its flaming claws reaching for my face.

I screamed, slamming back down onto the ground and hitting my head.

I can’t fight against fire! What I need is a bucket of goddamn water!

As the thought left my mind so did a flood of the liquid I desired. A torrent of water shot from my hands and slammed into the nearest manikin before drenching the students behind it too. The creatures were extinguished and I grabbed my chance without wasting time marvelling over what I’d just done.

“Hey!” one of the students moaned as I sped between them.

“She’s only gotta get past,” another replied. “There’s no rules about how.”

I grinned to myself as I ran through the door and found a spiralling flight of stairs. I took them two at a time, sparing only a little attention for the burning sconces along the walls which pulsed in colours from blood red to orange, yellow and even blue.

At the top of the stairs was an arching doorway and beyond it sat a wide room filled with comfortable chairs and soft furnishings.

Darius looked up from the centre of a group of preening admirers as he heard me approaching and for a moment I could have sworn his eyes flickered with surprise.

He got to his feet before I could make it inside and the doorway suddenly filled with fire.

I fell still as I looked at it. There was no way around. The only option was to go through.

“Final challenge,” Darius called from somewhere beyond the flames. “If you really want to be one of us, you’re going to have to leave everything from your time with the mortals behind.”

I frowned, wondering what he meant by that. Darcy was here with me and there had really been very little else in my life that I cared about enough to bring anyway. Did he imagine I’d left behind some great group of friends and family who I held some desperate urge to return to? Perhaps he thought that challenging me to release those bonds would be endlessly difficult for me but I had no such concerns.

His attempt at cruelty was falling flat and he didn’t even realise it.

“You can step through the flames once you’re ready to leave your mortal trappings behind. The fire will burn them all away but your flesh will remain unscathed,” Darius sounded amused though I couldn’t see his face and I couldn’t help a small smile of my own. Leaving the mortal world behind was just fine by me. It had never seemed to care for me much anyway. And the feeling was mutual.

I blinked at the wall of fire, fearing that more than any separation to the mortals I knew. My adopted parents had died in a fire. And though I had no memory of the event, I knew Darcy and I were lucky to have survived it. That knowledge had always made me a little wary of open flames. But I wasn’t going to let a little fear stop me.

I took a deep breath and stepped through the fire.

Heat enveloped me but instead of burning, I felt only the gentle embrace of it against my skin like a thousand tiny kisses.

The stench of burning filled my nostrils and my heart stuttered in panic as I clutched at my long hair but thankfully it was completely fine.