Gasps were sucked in around me and my heart stammered in my chest as I looked to Tory.
“A Nymph got on campus?!” Kylie shrieked and several of her friends started chatting animatedly.
“Aren't we supposed to have protection at this Academy?” another boy demanded, puffing out his chest.
“Have the FIB caught the Nymph?” another girl wailed.
Tyler began furiously tapping on his Atlas again and the noise in the classroom escalated.
“QUIET!” Orion roared and everyone obeyed.
My heart hammered as he bowed his head, his brow shadowing his eyes. “It seems the Nymph used their newly acquired Element of Fire which it had stolen from Astrum to try and destroy the Professor's body, but they didn't do a good enough job to conceal the evidence.” He took a slow breath. “The Nymph in question has not yet been caught; Astrum possessed both air and fire so this creature will now be extremely dangerous. The FIB will be conducting interviews with anyone who may have witnessed something useful on the night of the murder. If you have any information and you are not called for an interview you will step forward regardless and offer it up willingly. Trust me when I say, you do not want to be interrogated by the FIB against your will.” He fell silent but no one said anything. All I could hear was my heart jack-hammering in my chest.
A Nymph killed Astrum. So what does that mean? That it was a random murder? Or that the Nymphs cared about him giving us information?
The look in Orion's eyes said he was livid, his jaw ticking like a time bomb. “They have demanded that every student in the school be taught about Nymphs and though I normally don't teach that lesson until Junior year, we will be switching topics and covering it today instead.” He tapped something on his Atlas then a minute later the notes on mine changed and a lesson title sprang up on the board.
The Physiology of Nymphs.
A heavy weight seemed to descend on the room. Everyone was waiting for Orion to speak, to offer some insight into the creature that had killed Astrum. And I was just as eager, leaning forward in my chair in anticipation.
“As anyone who has grown up in Solaria knows, Nymphs are creatures born without magical gifts, but they can acquire them from Fae. They are our sworn enemies. Their nature is one of destruction and death. But what you may not know is how they function, how their minds and bodies work. This knowledge is what will give you an advantage against them. A split second longer to escape death. And I will try to give you that advantage today.”
Orion tapped the screen and a creepy image appeared of a tall figure with long, sharpened fingers. It looked almost tree-like, its body sinewy and brown. Its face was a demonic thing with red eyes and curling horns seemingly made from bark which twisted above its head.
“This is a Nymph in its true form,” Orion explained and goosebumps fled across my skin. “They vary in size depending on age and gender, but that is the least of your concerns. Nymphs are gifted with an energy that is capable of disabling a Fae's magic. A Nymph can overwhelm Fae within less than thirty seconds at close range. The process has been described as a draining, sucking feeling that pulls at the well of magic inside you and immobilises it. This is accompanied by a rattling noise.”
My throat constricted as I thought back to that night in the alley when we'd been meant to meet Falling Star the first time.
“Darcy, do you remember?” Tory whispered and I nodded, my mouth completely dry as I looked to her. We were chased by a Nymph!? Holy crap.
“Does anyone know where the Nymphs originate from?” Orion asked the class.
“The Shadow Realm,” Diego offered, his face paling.
“Correct,” Orion said.
“Isn't that where the fifth Element lives, sir?” Tyler asked excitedly.
“There's no such thing,” Orion growled, glaring at him. “And I suggest you don't blow smoke up the ass of that particular rumour, Corbin, or you'll end up in detention with me for the foreseeable future.”
Tyler slumped back in his chair with a huff.
“What's the Shadow Realm?” I asked, feeling out of my depth. A few giggles followed, but not as many as I'd expected. It seemed that there were plenty of people in the room who were eager to learn about it.
Orion turned to me with a heavy frown. “It's another mirror world. But it's not like ours or Earth. It's where dark magic originates. Nymphs are born of it, but they cannot wield it. Not unless they steal magic from Fae first.” He moved to the board, pointing out the elongated fingers on the Nymph. “These pointed probes-”
“Butt probes!” Tyler blurted, bursting into laughter and several students joined in. A giggle escaped me and Tory snorted.
Orion flicked a finger and a torrent of water opened up above Tyler, pouring down on him in a ferocious wave. It abruptly stopped and Tyler spluttered heavily as water dripped into a growing puddle around his chair.
Orion continued on as if there had been no interruption at all. “-are razor sharp and can be inserted into the heart of a Fae to extract their magic. The process takes less than two minutes and once completed, the Fae will of course be dead and the Nymph will acquire the full power of the Elements that Fae possessed.”
“So how can we defend ourselves against that?” Sofia begged, her eyes rounded with fear.
Orion tapped the screen in response, revealing a page entitled Shields and Defences. “The draining sensation is a tell-tale sign of a Nymph in your vicinity. A bluish flash often precedes the blast of energy,” Orion said. “Before any other tactic is even considered, I highly suggest you run. You are freshmen, not trained Fae. You will stand little to no chance against a Nymph if they begin the draining process.”
“And what if they get too close for us to run?” a guy asked, anxiously scraping a hand through his dark hair.
“Then you are most likely dead already,” Orion said completely deadpan.
Way to give a pep talk, sir.
“But,” Orion said with a dark grin that made his dimple pop out. “Most Fae are too tenacious not to fight to the bitter end. So here are a few tactics you can employ.” He pointed at the first line on the board. “In light of what has happened, shields will no doubt take precedence in your Elemental Classes from now on. If used well, you may be able to shield yourself from the effects of a Nymph's draining power long enough for you to get away. The second tactic.” He pointed to the next line. “Is to engage them in combat before they have a chance to start draining you. As you are not yet trained for battle, I would encourage you to blast the extent of your powers at the creature in one single, wide blow to increase the chances of you hitting your target. The third and most effective means of defence for you to use is to shift into your Order form. Nymphs cannot disable your Order abilities with their power so a Dragon can still breathe fire at them, a Vampire can still use their enhanced strength etcetera. At the very least, your Order form will make it easier for you to run.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. That bit of advice wasn’t much help to me or Tory while we waited for our Orders to emerge.
“At least I'll see a ten foot tree monster coming at me from a way off,” a girl in the row behind us said with a nervous laugh.
“Wrong,” Orion chimed back at her. “Nymphs are chameleons. They can take the form of Fae.”
“Great,” Tyler groaned. “So you could be a Nymph for all we know.” He pointed at Orion and the Professor gazed coolly back at him.
“The only thing I want to drain from you, Corbin, is a few pints of blood.” He stalked closer with a manic glint in his eye and Tyler shrank in his chair.
A knock came at the door and before Orion could move to answer it, the door opened. My mouth parted at the sight of the beautiful woman I'd seen Orion on a date with in Tucana. But now she wasn't in a slinky dress that defined her hour-glass figure she was in a fitted black jumpsuit with a shiny silver badge on her chest labelling her as FIB.
“What the fuck?” Tory breathed in my ear and I nodded, unabl
e to voice a single word on the matter. Orion's hot date is part of the Fae Investigation Bureau??
“Sorry to intrude, Lance,” she said and something about the way she spoke his name made my hackles raise.
“Is everything alright, Francesca?” Orion asked, his voice velvet smooth.
They’re definitely screwing each other. And I definitely don’t care.
“Some new evidence has come to light, I need to speak with a couple of your students.” Her peridot eyes scanned the room and honed in on me and my sister. “Tory and Darcy Vega? You need to come with me.”
Orion glanced between us with his lips pressing into a tight line. We stood up and I felt eyes burning a hundred holes in my back as I gathered my satchel and headed toward Francesca.
As I closed in on her, Orion darted forward and caught my wrist. I nearly stumbled into him from the force he used and had to steady myself against him. My hand landed right where his rolled-up sleeve met the crook of his elbow and I glanced down at a raised line of skin beneath my fingers. I frowned as I spotted a dark red tattoo branded there; it was a symbol I vaguely recognised and it took me half a second longer to remember it was the one for the star sign of Leo.
“You have detention with me on Saturday,” Orion said in my ear, his voice a deadly purr that made my breathing quicken.
“I do?” I balked. “What for?” I met his eyes and my heart tripled its pace at the hungry look in them. He hadn't fed from me for a while and I half expected him to take advantage of me right then.
“Stardust, Miss Vega,” he said and a lightning bolt seemed to hit my chest.
“Oh right...that,” I muttered as he released me.
“Six am in the Jupiter Hall atrium on Saturday morning. Don't be late,” he demanded.
“So long as you aren't,” I said before I could stop myself and his eyes glittered as I stepped back and hurried out of the door after Tory and Francesca.
Francesca's heels clicked on the floor as she walked ahead of us at a fierce pace. She led us down a corridor past many more doors until eventually stopping outside one. She rapped her knuckles on it and a deep male voice answered.
“Just finishing up, one minute,” he called.
Francesca took out a phone and started tapping on the screen.
“What is this about exactly?” Tory asked, folding her arms.
Francesca slowly dragged her eyes up from the phone, her long lashes casting a fan of shadow across her cheeks. “The interview will be conducted shortly. We're asking all witnesses to cooperate.”
“I am cooperating, I'm just asking why you've singled us out,” Tory pressed.
Francesca ignored her, returning to tapping on her phone.
I shared a look with my sister, fighting an eye roll at this woman's rude behaviour.
The door opened and Francesca looked up again as a tall man in a suit stepped out of the room. “All done, I'm heading over to Ignis House to check out the fire that started in Mr Acrux's room.”
My tongue felt heavy and I fought the urge to look at Tory as he strode off down the hall.
“Wait here until I call you,” Francesca commanded, stepping aside to let the last interviewee out of the room.
My gut took a dramatic dive and my blood ran icily cold as I came face to face with Seth Capella.
His eyebrows jumped up at the sight of Tory and I then a vicious smile cut into his cheeks. He casually lifted a hand, raking it through his long hair, giving me a clear look at the braid of blue hair he'd wrapped around his wrist. My hair.
Asshole!
My teeth gritted together as he sauntered toward us and Francesca disappeared into the room.
Tory stepped forward as if to place herself between us but I caught her arm to stop her, glaring at him. His eyes clawed over every inch of my mangled hair and that smile sliced deeper into his cheeks. “Oh shit, did a rogue lawn mower drive over you on your way to class, babe?” Seth mocked as he reached out to touch my butchered locks.
I heated my palm up with burning air and snatched his wrist before he could touch me. He winced, yanking his arm back with a snarl.
“Hey,” he barked. “You wanna watch yourself, Vega. Next time it might be more than your hair you lose.”
“Shouldn't you be off sniffing some dog's ass somewhere, mutt?” Tory asked coolly, placing a hand on her hip.
His eyes whipped to her like a loaded gun. He leaned in, breathing in her scent but not trying to touch her like he usually did. “You think this is all some game, don't you?” he growled, his eyes sharpening. “You're in over your heads and if that last warning wasn't enough for you, you're more stupid than I thought.”
“I'm ready for you,” Francesca's voice carried from the room.
Tory moved around Seth but as I went to follow he stepped into my path, sliding his hand onto my cheek in an almost loving gesture. I stood my ground, glaring at him, my fingers tingling with magic. But I knew if I tried to fight him he'd easily win. I wasn't a match for him. Not today.
My skin stung where his palm lay but I let him do it, refusing to run.
“I don't like the look of the fire in your eyes, babe,” he growled. “Didn't I break you well enough?”
I stepped further into his personal space, my heart racing and my shoulders trembling. “Iron is made stronger in the hottest part of the fire, Seth. You didn't break me, you forged me.”
He dropped his hand, his brows pulled together and a strange look entered his eyes as I walked away. My heart rammed into my throat as I darted after Tory and stepped into the room, unable to believe I'd gotten away with that.
All thoughts of Seth were forgotten as I spotted Francesca sitting at a table, her eyes two mossy chasms and her back as straight as a ruler.
“Sit,” she ordered and Tory and I took chairs opposite her at the single table in the centre of the classroom.
Francesca pushed a tablet across the table toward us and tapped on the screen. “My name is Agent Sky. You're here because of the death of Professor Ling Astrum on the night of September twentieth. I am aware of your heritage and let me tell you that it means nothing in this room. You are witnesses to a murder and you will produce answers to my questions without fail.”
We nodded and I knotted my fingers together under the desk. Even though I knew I hadn't done anything wrong, this woman was making me feel like a criminal. Tory looked more at ease in these surroundings; she'd bluffed her way out of more than one hairy situation with the law so this was a walk in the park for her. But I was not the coolest of cucumbers right then.
“One of you is about to offer me answers and I will give you five seconds to decide who.” Francesca gave us a hard stare that made her beautiful face seem cut from stone. She pushed the tablet toward us and I leaned forward to look at the screen, finding all of the Falling Star messages Astrum sent to us.
“I'll do it,” Tory blurted.
“Good.” Francesca stood up. “That means you just volunteered your sister instead.” My throat thickened as she moved around the table and reached towards me.
“What are you doing?” I breathed but she didn't reply. Instead, she pressed her palm flat against my forehead.
A fuzziness filled my mind and I blinked woozily as a strange aura floated over me. I tried to fight it off but it pushed deeper inside me, forcing me away on a dream. For a moment it seemed like Francesca only had one, glaring eye instead of two right at the centre of her forehead. It was a sea of green, drinking me in alongside all of my thoughts and worries. Before I could do anything to clamber my way back out of the hole I'd been sucked into, everything went dark.
***
“Darcy?” Someone was shaking me and I blinked heavily, finding Tory beside me. My cheek was plastered to the table and a roiling sickness twisted my gut.
“What happened?” I murmured, my thoughts slowly realigning.
Tory helped me sit upright and the horrible after effects of whatever Francesca had done to me finally ebbed away.
“That agent was a Cyclops,” she said, looking mildly horrified. “She got in your head and took whatever answers she wanted. Sometimes you spoke about Astrum but I think mostly she just hacked directly into your memories.” She frowned as a retch burned its way out of my throat.
I felt completely violated and she hadn't so much as warned me what she'd been going to do.
“She said she saw everything from that night and we're clear of suspicion so I guess that's...good,” Tory added, clearly trying to cheer me up.
“Fantastic,” I said dryly, rising to my feet.
“Oh and um...” Tory bit her lip as if she didn't want to say any more.
“What?” I urged, sensing she was about to drop a bomb.
“Well you've been passed out for a while. It's been almost twenty minutes since Agent Sky left. Orion sent Tyler here to tell you he can't make your Liaison tonight and well...he took a picture of you with your tongue lolling out and it's all over FaeBook.” She said the last part fast like she was ripping off a bandaid and I groaned dramatically.
“I tried to stop him,” Tory said half-heartedly. She pointed at the door where a smouldering burn mark was simmering at the top of it. “But I missed...”
“Well we're not under investigation anymore, right?” I said, hunting for the positives.
“Nope. I mentioned the Tarot card Astrum gave us but she didn't seem interested in it. I guess she saw it in your memories anyway. She knows we don't have any more information.”
“Well that's something because I don't ever want a Cyclops in my head again.”
“Yeah and I don't wanna watch that again either. Her boggly eye was freaking me out.”
“How boggly was it exactly?” I started laughing.
“The boggliest eye I've ever seen. She looked like Mike Wasoswki from Monsters Inc.”
I fell into fits of giggles and Tory burst out laughing too.
“That actually makes me feel a lot better,” I said with a grin.
“Yeah if I emerge as a Cyclops I think I'd have to invest in some seriously big sunglasses to hide that freaky thing,” Tory snorted.
Zodiac Academy 2: Ruthless Fae: An Academy Bully Romance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts) Page 8