Zodiac Academy: The Awakening(46)
Orion eventually released me and a breath of relief passed my lips. He started jotting down numbers on his pad, totalling up those he'd written down, doing some complicated calculations. Finally, he had four numbers underlined at the bottom of the page: Seven, eight, nine and ten.
“These are your power rankings.” His eyes were dark as he pushed the numbers in front of me. “Ten is the strongest you can be in any Element. To put it in perspective, Miss Vega, even a seven is considered high.”
I stared at the numbers in awe, unable to believe what he was saying. That I was this powerful in a world that had been a mystery to me forever. “Your weakest Element is fire, although I use the word weak very loosely. You're an eight in earth, a nine in water and a ten in air.”
A breath got trapped in my lungs as I glanced up at him, trying to comprehend all of this. “And we’re this powerful because...our parents were royal? The king and queen?” It sounded so mad coming from my own tongue. But that was what everyone kept telling us. That we were essentially princesses.
“Yes. Your father was the most powerful Fae in Solaria. He held three Elements: fire, water and air. Your mother had just one Element: air. She was a Gemini like you and was named the most beautiful woman in Solaria. That was after he returned with her from a faraway land his army had invaded. King Vega married her, disregarding tradition. The powerful families tend to breed with their own kind; it keeps bloodlines pure and usually produces offspring of the same Orders. The purer the line, the more powerful their magic.”
“And not doing that is...bad?” I asked, trying to understand.
“No, just foolish. Their children are more likely to be weaker but...that is clearly not the case with you and your sister. Your mother and father have produced two of the most powerful Fae to ever walk in our world.” He leaned back in his chair, swilling the amber nectar in his glass.
“What were they?” I breathed, wishing I had someone more reassuring to discuss this with but he was all I had. “What were their Orders?”
For a moment, I was almost certain an ounce of pity entered his eyes but it fizzled away just as fast. “Your mother was a Harpy and your father was a Hydra.”
My skin prickled at the mention of a Hydra. My Greek mythology knowledge came pretty much entirely from Disney’s Hercules, but that serpentine beast had stuck in my mind.
“Hydra?” I whispered, my blood chilling. “Like the monster with multiple heads?”
Oh God please don’t let me be one of them.
“Yes,” he said quietly. “They are one of the rarest Orders in the world.”
I took a slow breath as I tried to process it all. “So what do you think me and Tory are, sir?” I asked, nervous of the answer.
He drummed his fingers on the desk then swallowed the last of his drink. “Trouble,” he muttered and I stiffened.
“That's not fair. It's not like we asked for this.”
“What's not fair, Miss Vega, is that you and your sister now have a stronger claim to the throne of Solaria than the four Celestial Heirs who have been training their entire lives to rule.” He slammed his empty glass down on the table and a jolt went through me. “When your parents died, the Celestial Council claimed the right to rule together. But now you have returned, it is our law that you be placed upon the throne if you can prove yourselves strong enough to claim it. Which is just our damn luck.” He pinned me in place with a knife-sharp stare and my heart fluttered madly at his words. “Do you have any idea of the dangerous times we're living in, Blue?” he demanded and heat scolded my neck as he eyed my hair with disdain.
“No, but maybe if you'd tell me-”
“Tell you what? Even if I relayed the entire history of Solaria to you, do you really think that would be enough?” He released a dry laugh. “The world has already fallen out of balance and now you and your sister have shown up to tip the scales even further into chaos. Whole families are turning up dead. Powerful ones too. Your parents were the first but not the last and it's only a matter of time before-” He halted himself mid-sentence, seeming to think better of finishing his line of thought.
“Are you saying my birth parents were murdered?” I asked in horror, the knowledge dripping through me like melting ice.
“I'm not saying anything.” He cleared his throat, pouring himself another glass of bourbon.
It might have been a Monday night but if it was loosening his tongue, I sure as hell wasn't going to remind him of that.
“Anyway,” he grunted. “Your Order will emerge sooner or later. Your power source will give you a clue as to what you are so pay attention. Different Orders’ magic is replenished in specific ways. A Werewolf draws their power from the moon, a Medusa draws from mirrors, and if you hadn’t guessed it yet, a Vampire draws powers from others through their blood.” He flashed his fangs at me and I shuddered.
“Well I’m definitely not like you,” I said coldly and his brows pinched for a moment.
He glanced down at his Atlas, his lips tight as he tapped something on it. “If your magic swells try to focus on what is in your immediate vicinity that you could be drawing power from. It could be the sun, the shade, a goddamn rainbow for all you know, just keep your mind sharp. In the meantime, I'll sign you up to all of the Order Enhancement classes. Those who develop late tend to evolve under the influence of their kind.”