Avery walked over and pushed a stray hair out of my face. My cheek tingled from his touch, and I felt myself blush. “You were amazing out there, Ella.” He smiled, and I understood for the first time what the expression “weak in the knees” meant. For a moment, I forgot Melanie and Ophi were in the room. I forgot about Draco, Serpens, and Scorpius. I stared at Avery, completely lost in his face. And that’s when I realized how right Gabe had been. Avery wasn’t just my best friend or the guy I’d grown up with. He was the most incredible person I’d ever met. And I was falling for him.
“Ahem,” Melanie said. “We need a plan. It seems your idea to bring Ophi here was less than stellar.”
For once, I was grateful for Melanie’s rudeness. I couldn’t handle my feelings for Avery right now. Not with everything else that was going on.
“You should’ve told Bobson and me about your plan,” Avery said, still looking at me and not Melanie. “We would’ve been there waiting for Ophi. He wouldn’t have been ambushed.”
“You’re right. I should’ve told you, but you were mad and I didn’t think you’d—” I looked away, but Avery put his hand under my chin and raised my face to his.
“I was upset, but you know I’ll always help you. No matter what.”
I nodded. Melanie and Stellaris weren’t enough to destroy Avery and me after all. “I have another plan, and I definitely need your help.”
“Oh, great. Ella’s got another brilliant plan.” Melanie slumped onto the couch and put her head in her hands.
“Ignore her,” Ophi said. “Let’s hear it.”
I locked eyes with Avery. He wasn’t going to like this. “I need you and the army to distract Draco so Ophi and I can go after Serpens and Scorpius.”
Avery wrinkled his forehead. “Why would you go after them? Why not just Ophi?”
I couldn’t tell him my whole plan because it put me in the most danger, and Avery would never go along with it. I swallowed hard and kept my eyes locked on his. I couldn’t let him know I was keeping something from him, and that wouldn’t be easy since he knew me so well. “I have a way to trap them, but it will take two people.”
“Then I’ll go with Ophi, and you can go with Bobson and the army.” Avery already had his mind made up, which was only going to make this harder.
I shook my head. “The army needs you to lead them. You know how Bobson was with the last group of boys. They didn’t like him. Besides, you saw what happened out there. There’s a chance those guys will run away again. I’ll feel better knowing that you and Bobson will be there to keep Draco busy while Ophi and I handle the other two.”
Avery squeezed my hand. “You sure about this?”
Before I could answer, Melanie chimed in with her own style of pep talk. “Taking that army of useless kids to attack Draco is suicide. They won’t make it out of there alive. At least not all of them.”
She was right, and I hated to admit that. I took a deep breath. “I know, but we have no other choice.” In that moment, I was as bad as Melanie. I hoped Stellaris wasn’t turning me into the heartless person she was.
12
I hated keeping this from Avery. I hated risking the lives of the new recruits. And I hated Melanie for causing this whole mess in the first place. But sulking wasn’t going to get me home. I had to fill Ophi and the army in on the plan and hope for the best—the best being we didn’t all die.
We were downstairs in the training room, and Avery got everyone’s attention for me. Twenty kids stared at me, most likely wondering what I was about to lead them into.
I took a deep breath and glanced at Avery. He smiled and nodded. I returned the smile, but I was still too afraid to say my plan out loud. I mean, who was I to be making plans anyway? I wasn’t even from this world. Avery walked over and stood next to me, his fading arm inches from my side. I didn’t have time to let my fears take over. Avery needed to get home.
I looked at the faces of the new recruits and tried to seem like I had some clue what I was doing. “We can’t attack all three constellations at once. They’re too powerful and there aren’t enough of us.” I hoped that last statement didn’t give Melanie or Bobson any ideas to kidnap more kids. “We need to split up the constellations and pair them against someone their own size.” I glanced at Ophi standing in the far corner, not quite the giant I’d been hoping for. “Or at least someone more like them.”
I knew it wasn’t the time, but something was bugging me about Ophi and the other constellations. Something I needed to understand before we went into battle. “I’m sorry, Ophi, I don’t mean anything bad by this, but why aren’t you as big as the others?”
He walked to the front of the group and addressed the army as a whole. “All the constellations were, shall we say real? At some time or another we lived much like you do. We were placed in the heavens, mostly by the Greek gods. Dragons and giant serpents can get quite large, as you can see by Draco and Serpens. And well, Scorpius is pretty massive too. But those of us who were once mortal return to our true size when we’re taken from the sky.” He paused thinking this over. “Well, at least that’s what’s happened. This is the first time any of us has left the heavens.”
“Just our luck,” I said. “I guess it’s a good thing you were pretty big for a human.” Ophi smiled in understanding. I turned back to the army. “Even though Ophi isn’t the same size as Serpens or Scorpius, they still fear him.” I hoped. “He’s the one who keeps them both in place in the heavens. He’ll have better luck against them than we will. But we can’t have Draco interfering, and that’s where all of you come in. I need you to attack Draco. Hold him back while Ophi and I trap Serpens and Scorpius.”
The recruits stared at me like I’d completely lost my mind. First of all, they were guys. They didn’t like having to take orders from Melanie, the teenage princess. Now throw me into the mix, some girl they’d just met, and they weren’t having it. I actually wished we could go back to them thinking I was their queen after I’d trapped Draco in Serpens’s rock pile. But apparently they were over that. Maybe because the ambush on the beach with Ophi had been my fault.
“We’ll keep Draco out of your way,” Avery said loudly so everyone could hear. His voice was full of authority. He was making sure the army didn’t question me. He faced the recruits. “Your instructions are clear. Grab your weapons of choice and suit up.”
The guys didn’t argue. They followed Avery’s directions and gathered at the doorway. I stared at Ophi, thinking about something he’d said about the constellations.
Avery shook my arm. “You in there? You’re totally zoned.”
“Yeah. It’s just—well, Ophi said the constellations were placed in the heavens by the Greek gods. But that means Melanie’s family isn’t to blame for what happened. They weren’t the ones who imprisoned the constellations.”
Avery wrinkled his forehead. “So Draco and the others are seeking revenge on the wrong people. Melanie and her parents are innocent.”
I couldn’t bring myself to believe that. “I’m not sure what they are, but Melanie’s definitely not innocent.”
“They’re our protectors,” Ophi said, coming up behind us. “But some of the constellations view the Pritchards as being much like prison wardens, keeping the constellations in the sky to fulfill the destinies created for us by the Greek gods.”
I shook my head. “But you don’t feel like that, and neither do Hercules or Sagittarius.”
Ophi nodded. “Most of us understand the Pritchards are looking out for us. They had nothing to do with us being placed or imprisoned—whatever the case may be—in the sky. But now that we’re there, the Pritchards protect us from harm.”
Had I actually misjudged Melanie? I’d thought she’d brought this all on herself. She did start this whole mess when she tried to bring Hercules to Stellaris, but she hadn’t done anything to make the constellations this angry with her. They were blaming the wrong people. And now Melanie’s parents were gone. Maybe Avery had been r
ight about her.
As if on cue, Melanie appeared in the doorway. “Sagittarius said he hasn’t seen the rogue constellations. They’re hiding.”
“More like waiting,” I said. “But thanks for the heads-up.”
“Good luck.” She met my eyes briefly before turning on her heel and heading back upstairs.
Okay, so it wasn’t a heartfelt moment or anything like that, but it was the nicest we’d been to each other since I’d gotten here.
“It’s time,” I told Ophi. He saluted me, which made me laugh. “I’ll meet you outside.”
Avery squeezed my hand. “I’ve got your back. But please be careful.”
“You too. Come back whole, okay?” My eyes drifted to his fading arm the moment I said it.
Avery lifted my chin and stared into my eyes, saying nothing. I’d never seen him look at me like this before. He was worried about me, sure, but it was more than that. Something was changing between us. I couldn’t help thinking about Gabe and how he’d agreed when I said he’d hit on the one girl Avery liked. Maybe that girl wasn’t Melanie after all.
I opened my mouth to say something—anything to break the awkwardness of the moment, but Avery beat me to it.
“Let’s go!” he yelled, rallying the army. My heart sank in my chest.
As we walked down the hill, I saw remnants of the rockslide Ophi had created. Rocks were strewn everywhere. Scorpius and Serpens had gotten free and were probably laying low until they recuperated. We headed to the portal since that was where Draco and Serpens usually hung out. Avery was leading the army, and Bobson was pulling up the rear. I thought it was as good a time as any to fill Ophi in on the finer details of my plan.
“I’m going to try to get them to attack me.” I kept my voice barely above a whisper so Avery wouldn’t overhear. “Keep the focus on me so you can get them from behind.”
His eyes widened. “Are you sure? That’s extremely dangerous. One of them could get you while I’m trapping the other.”
“I know. I’m kind of counting on you to move quickly. You know, grab and hog-tie one and then swoop in to save me from being killed.” A nervous laugh escaped my lips.
“I’m not sure I like that kind of pressure.”
“I’ll be fine. I can handle myself.” I picked up the pace, letting him know this wasn’t up for debate.
We made it to the boulders and spread out on top of them. I knew Draco wouldn’t be able to resist attacking us if we made it look easy for him. And I was right. We were barely in position when he swooped down from the sky off to our right, his claws outstretched.
“Ready or not!” I yelled, and the army responded by firing a series of arrows.
Ophi and I jumped off our boulders. He gave me a nod before heading toward the trees. I ran for the rock pile, assuming Serpens had to be sleeping off his injuries in there. I started hurling rocks into the opening. They weren’t big, mere pebbles compared to the boulders, but I only needed to get Serpens to come out. I wasn’t actually trying to injure him. Of course, that would’ve been an added bonus.
“We’ve got company,” Ophi called from his hiding place behind a tree.
I turned to see Scorpius weaving between the trees. And in the same moment, I heard Serpens slithering under the rocks. I swallowed hard. This had been my plan, getting them to focus on me. Now, I wasn’t sure what I’d been thinking.
Ophi was supposed to stay hidden so he could sneak attack Scorpius, but he ran out and stood beside me.
“What are you doing?” I shrieked.
“Sorry, but I can’t let you do this. It’s too risky. We’ll fight them together.”
That wasn’t the plan. I didn’t even have a weapon. I was supposed to look like helpless bait. An easy target. Now I just looked like a complete idiot standing there next to Ophi with his bow and arrow.
Serpens emerged and immediately split in two. His top half coming after me and his bottom half whipping at Ophi. I’d been hoping Serpens would be beaten-up and bruised from the boulders, but that wasn’t the case at all. He was as strong and fast as ever. He looked directly into my eyes, and my entire body froze. His huge yellow eyes burned into me. I couldn’t move, but I could still comprehend what was happening. Serpens and Scorpius had a plan of their own, and it wasn’t much different than mine. Serpens was keeping Ophi and me distracted while Scorpius snuck up from behind. Even though Ophi and I knew Scorpius was there, we were helpless to defend ourselves. Any minute now we would feel the heart-stopping pain of Scorpius’s stinger.
“Ella! Don’t look into his eyes!” Ophi yelled.
Serpens screeched, and I knew Ophi had done some damage to his tail. The slithering told me Serpens was rejoining his two halves in retreat from Ophi. I focused all my strength on lowering my eyes, just below Serpens’s. He’d still think I was caught in his stare down, but the paralyzing effect would go away.
Ophi tried to come to my aid, but Serpens knocked him off his feet with one swift whip of his tail. Ophi cried out as he smacked into a tree. Keeping still and not reacting was nearly impossible. I was relying on my peripheral vision to keep an eye on Ophi and on my hearing to judge how close Scorpius was. But I had to play along, had to make Serpens think I was still stunned.
“Ella!” Ophi yelled.
Scorpius must have been getting ready to strike. I felt the ground shake slightly as he advanced. I waited for him to stop. In seconds, I realized the only shaking was coming from me. I lunged to the right and scrambled to my feet. Scorpius’s tail struck out. The stinger would have killed me instantly if I hadn’t moved, but instead it hit Serpens. Apparently it took more to kill a snake that large. Serpens hissed and sprang forward at Scorpius. They wrestled, fangs and stinger striking repeatedly.
I ran to Ophi and helped him to his feet. “Are you okay? Can you walk?”
“I’m fine. The wind got knocked out of me. That’s all. I’m feeling better already.”
“Can you somehow tie them together? Maybe knot Serpens around Scorpius?”
“It won’t be easy with the way they’re fighting.” He looked at me like he didn’t want to say what he was thinking.
“You need my help, right?” The thought of touching Serpens or Scorpius made my skin crawl, but it didn’t look like I had a choice.
Ophi nodded. “I’ll jump on top of them and grab Scorpius’s tail so he can’t sting you. But I’m going to need you to draw Serpens’s attention. Get him to wrap around Scorpius in order to take a bite at you. Think you can handle that?”
“Sure. I’m getting the hang of being the bait.”
Ophi climbed the nearest tree and leaped on top of the wrestling constellations. He grabbed Scorpius’s tail and managed to bend it so it stung Serpens. This was the best time to make my move. I ran behind Scorpius and started waving my arms.
“Hey! Over here! Bet you can’t get me now that you’re pumped full of poison.” I waited until Serpens came at me before I ducked under Scorpius’s body. Serpens wound himself around Scorpius, coming after me. I came out by Scorpius’s head. Not a good idea. It wasn’t much better than being near his stinger. Luckily, his claws were pinned down by Serpens. I ducked to the left and back toward Scorpius’s side. Ophi reached down and grabbed me. I climbed on top of the constellations. Serpens continued to slither around Scorpius, seemingly unaware of how tangled he’d become. I dove over the other side. Ophi used Scorpius’s tail to strike Serpens one last time in his right eye. Serpens let out the most hideous screech. Ophi looped Serpens’s head over Scorpius’s tail and back under Serpens’s own tail. They were a tangled mess.
Ophi jumped down beside me. “Good work!”
I let out a huge breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “Now what do we do with them? We need to tie them up better until we can figure out a way to get them back in the heavens.”
A rustling in the trees drew my attention, and I turned to see Bobson running over to us. He looked at the two constellations and smiled. “At least somethi
ng is going well.”
“What do you mean?” My voice was panicked. How badly was Draco beating up the guys?
“Here.” Bobson removed a pack strapped to his back. I hadn’t noticed it earlier because he’d been carrying so many weapons. “Use this net to tie them up, and then come help us with Draco.”
“Thanks.” Ophi took the net and headed over to Serpens and Scorpius.
“Bobson.” I grabbed his arm. “How bad is it? How many are hurt?”
“We don’t have time to discuss it. We need to help the survivors.”
Help the survivors? My hand fell down to my side. Bobson didn’t stick around. He ran back toward the boulders. What had I been thinking sending the army to deal with Draco? Any casualties were my fault.
Ophi finished tying up the constellations. “All secure. Let’s go help the army.”
“Wait.” I wanted to charge at Draco and show him a pain he’d never felt before, but I knew it wouldn’t work. If the army couldn’t handle him, then neither could I. There was no way to match the constellation’s strength. The key to beating Serpens and Scorpius had been using my head. I was going to have to do the same with Draco.
Ophi stared at me. “We’ve got to help them. You heard what Bobson said.”
“Can you drag those two over to the boulders?” I pointed to Serpens and Scorpius. “I want to show Draco what we’re capable of. Let him know we’re not as helpless as he thinks we are.”
Ophi nodded. He took hold of the net and pulled it behind him. He might not have had the size of Serpens and Scorpius, but he certainly wasn’t lacking in strength. I jogged ahead, holding my breath, not knowing what to expect when I reached the boulders. Draco was flying in circles, breathing fire at the rocks. I couldn’t see any of the guys. Bobson was shooting arrows from behind a flaming tree. More arrows came from behind one of the biggest boulders. I hoped it was Avery firing them. Ophi caught up and pulled the net into the open area.
“Draco!” I yelled. “Take a look at what we’ve done to your friends!”
Magic and Shadows: A Collection of YA Fantasy and Paranormal Romances Page 46