A high pitched scream drew my attention and my heart leapt with panic as I spotted Diego being thrown to the ground before a Nymph who was over eight feet tall. Blood blossomed across his cheek and Sofia dove from the air in her Pegasus form, landing in front of him as she shifted back into Fae form. She stood over Diego, casting a flickering flame between her hands in an attempt to help him.
The Nymph drew in a rattling breath and my chest seized as I sprinted towards them. Sofia fell to her knees beneath the power of its spell.
I screamed a battle cry like a damn Viking warrior as I flung my palms out, aiming for the nightmare creature and sending blue and red fire to consume it on blazing wings. The Nymph shrieked as it burned before bursting apart, leaving a trail of black smoke hanging in the air where it had been.
Diego’s eyes were wild with panic as he stared between the black smoke and me.
“Shift!” I commanded, my voice unintentionally thick with Coercion as my worry for my friends compelled me to make sure they got to safety.
Sofia’s eyes widened a moment before a pale pink Pegasus burst from the confines of her skin once more. I skidded to a halt in the mud beside her, reaching down to heave Diego back to his feet. He swayed unsteadily and I shoved him towards Sofia without wasting time on being gentle.
“Climb on,” I said. “And fly as far from here as you can get!”
I tried to turn away as Diego clambered onto her back but he caught my wrist.
“Come with us, chica, it's not safe for you here either-”
“I’m not leaving Darcy,” I replied dismissively, pulling my arm back. “But the two of you need to go.”
Sofia flapped her sparkling wings as my Coercion gripped her and my heart twisted at the concern in their eyes.
“Don’t worry about me,” I added as they took flight. I watched for a moment as they sped towards the sky then turned back to my hunt for Darcy.
Darius roared behind me as his flames took out another Nymph but a second leapt around the blaze and onto his back. I sucked in a sharp breath, drawing on the well of power within me as I started running back towards him.
Darius spun around, the razor sharp spines on his tail swiping within inches of my face as he tried to dislodge the creature but it clambered all the way up until it was lodged between his wings. He swung his head around, snapping at it as he tried to rip it off of him but he couldn’t twist his head into that position.
The Nymph released its rattling breath and my knees buckled as it weakened me.
I staggered forward, my hand landing on Darius’s front leg as I tried to steady myself.
The Nymph shrieked excitedly and drove its probes into the flesh between Darius’s shoulder blades. A roar filled with pure agony escaped him and he fell forward onto his chest as pain wracked through his body.
Where my hand still rested against him it was like I could feel that pain within myself. I felt like I was tearing in two, my soul ripping free of my body and the deepest sense of dread filled me.
Darius swung his head around to look at me, one huge, golden eye reflecting back the image of a girl who was breaking in half.
He snarled at me, striking his nose against my chest to knock me back a step. As I stumbled away from him, he struck me again, a deep growl echoing from his throat as he urged me to run.
I stared at him in shock for a moment and he trembled as more pain tore through him.
“So fucking bossy,” I snapped, shoving his big Dragon face aside as I moved closer to him instead. “You probably are stubborn enough to die here rather than let me help you.”
Darius growled at me but I ignored him as I leapt up onto his leg and started climbing up the side of his big ass Dragon body.
His scales were smooth and hot beneath my palms but I managed to gain purchase by grabbing hold of his wing and hoisting myself higher.
His body was trembling beneath me and he bellowed in pain again, urging me on faster.
I reached up, grabbing a thick spine which ran down the centre of his neck before coming face to face with the creature from my nightmares.
The Nymph shrieked, lunging at me faster than should have been possible and I almost lost my grip on Darius as I fell back.
My heart lurched violently but I managed to catch the top of his wing, swinging myself around as that paralysing rattle juddered through my core, halting my magic in its tracks and stealing my energy from me.
Fear shot through me as the Nymph pounced, its probes aimed right for my chest.
I screamed, throwing my fist out even though I knew it was no good. As my knuckles connected with the bony ridges of its face, pain exploded through my hand swiftly followed by a flood of red and blue flames.
The Nymph shrieked so loudly that I threw my hands over my ears as the flames consumed it, a wisp of black smoke sweeping up towards the sky where it had been moments before.
I fell forwards, my palms meeting the warmth of Darius’s blood as I braced myself against him.
More Nymphs were running straight for us and with an echoing roar which vibrated right through my body, Darius destroyed all five of them with a torrent of Dragon Fire.
His head fell forward as he used the last of his energy and I cried out, grabbing hold of his wing as he tilted sideways beneath me. He crashed to the ground on his side and through some miracle, I managed to keep hold of his wing before falling against his neck. I wrapped my arms around him, scrunching my eyes closed as a tremor tore through his body and the golden colour of his scales seemed to shine with inner power and heat.
My stomach lurched and I released a scream as I found myself falling over ten foot down to the ground as Darius retreated into his Fae form.
I kept hold of him as I fell, crashing down into the mud of the Pitball pitch on top of him with a cry of fear.
All around us the fight raged on but beneath my hands, blood was pulsing from his chest and he was lying deathly still.
“Darius?” I demanded, shaking him while still trying to press down on his wounds. It wouldn’t be enough though, his back and legs were bleeding too. A bloody gouge shone wetly on his neck and his breaths were far too shallow.
“Help!” I shouted, though my eyes stayed fixed on Darius’s face and my heart was pounding the rhythm of a war drum in my chest.
The hairs were rising along the back of my neck, a strange sensation prickling in my chest. This moment felt eternal and fleeting all at once, like we were hanging between two great points and everything could change on the turn of a coin.
“Wake up!” I demanded, pushing my magic towards him in hopes of being able to do something.
Instead of stopping the blood or healing him, my magic spilled into his body, merging with his in the reverse of what we’d been doing when he helped me with my fire magic.
His power welcomed mine instantly, drawing it in, blending with it completely like it had been waiting for this moment. The feeling took my breath away and though it didn’t slow the blood, I felt the tension ease from his muscles and the fear loosen its grip on his heart.
My hands were shaking as they ran slick with Darius’s blood and silent tears tracked down my cheeks.
His heart was slowing down, his power flickering like a candle in a breeze. If someone didn’t get to us soon, Darius Acrux was going to die.
And though it seemed like he should have been the last person in the world for me to care about after everything he’d done to me, I wasn’t sure I could bear it if I lost him here.
Seth sped in front of me as a huge white wolf, knocking me back as he dove onto a Nymph. His coat was flecked with blackish blood and more joined it as he ripped the Nymph's head from its shoulders in one powerful bite.
An echoing Dragon roar billowed up to the sky and I felt it right down to my bones.
“Argh,” Orion hissed, clutching the crook of his elbow and I turned to him in alarm.
“Are you alright?” I begged.
“Darius,” he growled, then
shook his head. “Just keep moving and take out any Nymphs you can. Go that way.” He pointed across the pitch and I nodded.
Orion had retrieved his silver blade and we worked as unstoppable unit as we made our way in that direction, my eyes ever-roaming as I hunted for signs of my sister.
Heat blazed over me from one side and I turned sharply, throwing out my hands just in time to block the stolen fire magic cast by a Nymph, releasing a torrent of water. The hiss of the two powers colliding filled my ears and steam spurted out in every direction.
Orion sprinted past me in a blur of motion and the Nymph’s magic died in a wave as he skewered its heart with his silver blade. He ripped it free and we ran to meet each other once more, racing on toward the other end of the pitch.
I ducked as Geraldine bounded over us, chasing a Nymph down and finishing it with her toxic bite. As we hurried to carry on, my foot caught on something soft and I glanced down. Horror thickened in my stomach as I found a body in a navy and silver kit. Ashanti’s lifeless bronze eyes gazed up at me, her limbs awkwardly twisted and a single line of blood leaking from her mouth.
“Fuck,” Orion hissed, drawing me away and I tried to smother the shock of it, a strange ringing filling my head.
As we continued across the field of hell, my shock gave way to a burning fury like nothing I’d ever known. I was Fae. These were my kin. And they were falling prey to the hands of our enemies.
With a yell of defiance, I fell into a frenzy as I made my way forward with Orion, striking at any Nymph who got too close. He helped me guide my power every time I blasted one into oblivion with the monstrous fire I’d been gifted and together we carved a path forward.
As a plume of smoke lifted ahead of me, I realised the crowd was thinning and hope dared to raise its head in my chest.
The few Nymphs still standing released a wailing cry and started to flee.
“Are they leaving?” I gasped as Orion moved closer to me, his blade coated in black Nymph blood and his arms flecked with it too. He was breathing heavily but he assessed the battle with complete control as the students and professors chased the last of them to the exits.
“It's over,” Orion said with a breath of relief. “For now at least.”
My gaze fell on the bodies strewn in the stands and fear overwhelmed me. Where's Tory?
Panic raced through me and I pulled away from Orion, desperate as I hunted for my sister.
“Tory!” I screamed, but it felt like screaming into a void. There was no way she'd hear me over the shouts and wails of the Fae surrounding us.
She has to be alright.
With the way ahead clear, Orion dragged me into his arms and my stomach lurched as he sped across the pitch at a fierce speed.
As we made it across the field, my heart jolted with relief as I spotted Tory kneeling over Darius. My relief was quickly swallowed by fear as I saw the blood pooling out around the Fire Heir from multiple wounds.
“Heal him!” Tory begged as she spotted us. Her eyes raked over me as Orion put me down and her shoulders sagged a little as she realised I was okay before her gaze fell back on Darius beneath her. Tears had tracked lines down her cheeks and her hands were stained red with his blood as she fought to help him. My lips parted in surprise as I noted the fear in her gaze, wondering what could have happened in that fight to make her look at Darius that way.
Orion fell down beside him, looking distressed and I hurriedly knelt down too. He pressed his fingers to a bloody wound on Darius's side and it slowly began to heal.
“He's survived worse,” he growled bitterly as Darius groaned, coming to.
I sagged forward, beginning to tremble as exhaustion took hold of me.
Orion nudged Tory’s hands away from the wound on Darius’s chest so that he could heal it next and she shifted forward, pressing her bloodstained palm to his cheek instead.
Orion’s jaw tensed and I noted the pale colour to his skin as he threw his magic into healing his friend. His gaze slid to me imploringly. “I need more power to-”
“Take mine,” Tory said, offering him her free hand without looking away from Darius for a moment.
Orion snatched her hand without a moment’s hesitation, the green glow in his palm gaining intensity instantly.
Darius coughed, his eyes flickering a few times before snapping open. His gaze fell on Tory as she continued to look down at him. Her hand was still pressed to his cheek and he frowned slightly.
“You...” he began but he didn’t finish what he’d been going to say.
His hand moved over hers for a moment, holding it in place against his cheek as he held her eye.
I shifted uncomfortably beside them, feeling like I was laying witness to something private.
“Good as new,” Orion muttered, releasing Tory and Darius in the same movement.
Tory blinked, snatching her hand away from Darius’s face before scrambling off of him and getting to her feet. She turned her back on him, moving to my side and pulling me into a hug.
“You're alright,” she whispered, pushing back to look at me and I nodded, tears stinging my eyes as I stared at her ash-smeared cheeks. It was such a relief to find her alive that my heart could hardly take it.
“Thanks to some insane blue and red fire I cast,” I said and Tory's eyes widened.
“You used it too?” she asked in surprise, gazing down at her palms as if searching for an answer. “It was nothing like our usual Element.”
Tory looked to Orion for an explanation and I rested my shoulder against hers, adrenaline still making my body shake.
He shook his head, seemingly lost. “I don't know what it was, but it was powerful enough to kill Nymphs. It was nothing like anything I've ever witnessed...” He trailed off as he pulled Darius upright and the Fire Heir looked between Tory and I, his eyes flickering with some dark emotion.
“You just proved your worth.” Darius didn't say it with any kindness, in fact he sounded genuinely threatened for the first time since I'd met him. And though I was overwhelmed by this power, it felt more natural than anything I'd ever known. Like it had always lived within me.
I gazed around at the devastation, embers tumbling through the air and the wails and moans of those in pain carrying from all around us. Who knew how many were dead and how much magic the Nymphs had taken for their own?
The need to find my friends and make sure they were all okay enveloped me like ice cold water.
“Why did they attack us?” I whispered, ready to do anything I could to help.
Orion looked around, his jaw locked tight and his eyes as dark as ink. “They attacked the children of the most elite Fae in Solaria, so my guess is, the Nymphs just declared war on our kind.”
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FALLING FIRE (PART ONE)
FALLING FIRE (PART TWO)
Zodiac Academy 2: Ruthless Fae: An Academy Bully Romance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts) Page 46