The Tenth House

by Ashley R Scott

  “It is against the laws of our council. Aids of the Zodiacs are not allowed interaction except when the council deems it necessary. It was under special circumstances that they even met. When I realized what was happening, I enforced our rules, but it was already too late. You were the result. I banned your father from returning.”

  I glance at Aidan, who stares at his shoes, my heart dropping to the pit of my stomach. Forbidden.

  “I was so angry with Capricorn for separating us, that I never told you anything. About your father, about your destiny. I thought if I kept it all from you…” I allow my mom to slip her arm around my shoulder, in too much shock to fight it.

  “One other thing, girl.” I bristle slightly at being called girl, but I just stare numbly at Capricorn.

  “Since you’re the product of an Aid and a Guardian, you are stronger and more powerful than the other Guardians. None of us know yet how powerful. You are the first. That is the reason Taurus fixates on you. You are the only one that has the strength to stop him, other than his own Guardian.”

  I detect a note of pride in his voice, even if he keeps his face impassive.

  Mom slips her arm from my shoulders, leaving the room as we wait in silence. She returns a few minutes later carrying a tray with a steaming pot of coffee, mugs, and chocolate chip cookies. She sets it on the table, and I waste no time diving into the cookies.

  Capricorn takes a slow sip, wrinkling his nose and setting down the cup.

  “You need to be present for the annual ritual, and you need my stone. The Guardianship must be passed on. You’re already overdue.” He levels his eyes at my mom, and she blushes.

  “Until then? What am I supposed to do?” I turn to my mother. “Where are you going? You can’t stay here. Taurus wants you dead. It’ll be no time before they find you here.”

  “Find Taurus’s birthstone. Secure Capricorn’s stone. Don’t worry about your mother. I won’t let anything happen to her.” Donnelly stands, pacing behind the couch.

  “Where will you go?” I drain my cup in one long swig, ignoring the pain in my throat from the burning liquid.

  “It’s best you don’t know.” I open my mouth to argue with Capricorn but stop at the pounding on the front door. We leap from our seats, desperately looking around at each other. Another pounding, this time at the back door and harder than before.

  Mom shoves a piece of paper in my hand. “Quickly, sweetheart. You have to go. I love you. Be safe.”

  I frown at the paper. “What’s this?”

  She shoots a look at Capricorn. “It’s a list of the Guardians and the Zodiacs they serve. You have to warn them. Help them get to safety if you can.”

  Capricorn’s eyes flash dangerously as he stares at the paper.

  “That is not allowed.” He reaches for the list but Mom steps in his way. The pounding continues, both doors dangerously close to giving in under the constant barrage.

  “The hell with you and your rules. A lot of good they’ve done us so far.”

  Capricorn puffs his chest but backs down as my mom stands her ground. She turns back to me.

  “Memorize it and destroy it. Go now. Hurry!” Mom rushes over, stepping between Capricorn and Donnelly.

  The front door cracks.

  Capricorn lays a hand on her shoulder, and in a blink, they disappear.

  “Where’d they go? Why can’t we do that?” Jocelyn frowns.

  “We don’t have a Zodiac with us. Where do we go?” Aidan looks wildly around the room. Masculine voices fill the air as they shout over pounding footsteps and breaking glass.

  “This way!” I dash for the back of the house and into the spare bedroom, running straight for the window facing the side of the house. I yank it open, and Aidan punches out the screen.

  I clamber over the sill and land in the yard, quickly turning to pull Jocelyn through the window. She lets out a tiny squeak, pointing over my shoulder. A burly man wearing all black lumbers toward us, a snarl on his lips.

  Aidan shouts as he’s dragged back inside the window by a pair of leather-clad arms.

  Jocelyn steps forward and lands a punch squarely in the center of the man’s chest.

  “Shit, that hurt,” Jocelyn moans, biting her lip as she shakes out her hand.

  He barely acknowledges her before grabbing me roughly by the arm.

  “I have her, boys,” he yells toward the open window.

  I struggle against my attacker as he drags me toward the front of the house. “Jocelyn, run!”

  She hesitates.

  Desperate to get away from this lumberjack, I pull on my arm, concentrating every fiber of myself to get away from his grasp.

  Suddenly he trips, yelling as he thunders to the ground, and releases my arm.

  Jocelyn rushes to my side, and we stare down at the struggling man, his ankles firmly tied by roots.

  “What the hell?” Jocelyn shakes her head.

  “I have no idea.”

  Aidan dives out the window, his face bleeding above his eyebrow.

  “They’re coming!” He races past us, and we follow as shouts fill the air behind us.

  We make it to the Jeep as three more men fill the driveway from my mom’s busted front door. We jump inside and peel away, tires screeching.

  CHAPTER TEN

  We sneak around the back of an abandoned building, the south side facing the Truckee River, with our blankets and scarves pulled tightly around us. The freezing waters rage through town, higher than average due to the extreme amount of rain and snow this winter, making it deadly for anyone who gets too close.

  Jocelyn takes the lead, heading straight for a door in the center of the building. She turns the handle, but it doesn’t budge.

  Aidan nudges her to the side and kicks open the door. We slip inside, and Jocelyn locks it behind us.

  I survey the interior, shivering against the cold emptiness, winter air leaking in through several broken windows. The smell of mold and dust thick in the air tickles my nose and makes me sneeze.

  We check the empty rooms, avoiding the broken glass that litters the floor beneath a thick layer of dust. I bite my lip to keep from screaming as a giant rat dashes out of a hole in the wall, skipping across my foot.

  We enter the stairwell, the walls covered in graffiti, and climb six flights to the top floor. We choose a room on the north side of the building that faces downtown and looks out over the casinos. I lean against the window and stare out at the flashing neon lights, my mind twisting around the thought that life will never be the same.

  The video billboard on the side of the Bullion Casino flashes, changing messages and causing me to groan.

  “What is it?” Jocelyn looks up from her crouched position on the floor as she arranges blankets into a makeshift bed.

  “There's a message on the board with Taurus’s picture. It’s announcing a merger for all the casinos in town. He’s taking over everything.” Shivering more from the message than the cold in the building, I cross the room and drop onto the pile of blankets.

  “Well, we’re going to stop him.” Jocelyn scoots over, sitting beside me. She manages a confident expression but can’t hide the doubt from her voice.

  “How do we stop him if we don’t even know where to start?” I feel her lack of confidence and drop my head in my hands, sighing.

  “One thing at a time. We know we need Taurus’s birthstone and your mom should have Capricorn’s birthstone, right? Plus, we have that list,” Jocelyn says.

  “I forgot about that!” I lean back, fishing the list out of my pocket.

  Aidan finishes storing our food and supplies in the corner and brings a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips as he joins us on the blankets.

  I unfold the piece of paper and stare down at the names.

  “What is it? Anyone we know?” Jocelyn leans over, watching me.

  I feel the blood drain from my face and my stomach sinks. Aidan lets out a low whistle as he peeks over my shoulder.

>   “What? What is it?” Jocelyn asks, biting her lip.

  “We know a few of the names on this list, but there’s a problem.” I fold the paper up and stuff it back in my pocket. “Taurus’s Guardian? It’s Sarah.”

  “Really? The Sarah we know from the diner? That’s a good thing, right?” Jocelyn says, looking hopeful.

  “I don’t know.” I glance over at Aidan, a knot forming in the pit of my stomach.

  “I didn’t get a chance to tell you, but we ran into Sarah while we were in town getting supplies. She offered to help, so I told her how to get to the cabin. Then Gresham showed up to burn it down.”

  Jocelyn gasps, her face pale. “Do you think she’s helping him?”

  Aidan leans over and grabs the bag of chips, stuffing a giant handful in his mouth before passing the bag around.

  “It seems that way.” He takes the bag from Jocelyn, shoving in another handful.

  “I don't want to believe she’s helping him, but what if she is? She kicked us out of the diner after Taurus and Gresham came in, and she knew how to find our cabin.” I snatch the bag of chips from Aidan and barely get a chip out before he takes it back. At my stern look, he hands me another chip, and I roll my eyes.

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions. We’ll try talking to Sarah and see what happens.” Jocelyn reaches for the bag, but Aidan leans back, pretending he doesn’t see her.

  I want to share in Jocelyn’s optimism, but I can’t shake my uneasy feeling.

  “Another one we know from the list is Delia. She’s Leo’s Guardian and lives in Midtown. We can get to her easy enough and warn her about what’s going on.” I stand, stealing one last glance out the window, glaring at Taurus's smiling face on the billboard.

  Aidan polishes off the chips, tossing the trash into an empty bag. He stands, wiping his hands clean on his pants. “Let’s go.”

  We walk through Midtown, keeping on the side streets to avoid any unwanted confrontations. Midtown sits on a stretch of South Virginia Street with downtown to the north and the city center to the south. It’s an eclectic collection of only local businesses and restaurants sporting an artsy vibe.

  Delia’s house sits just off the Truckee River, prime property in Midtown. It’s a small house, and like most of them in the neighborhood, old and in need of some repair. The outside of the home is tidy, with a fresh coat of lemon yellow paint and tangerine trim. The wooden posts on either side of the porch are weathered and splintering.

  “Who’s Delia?” Aidan eyes the house. “That’s bright.”

  Chuckling, I nod. “It is, but it suits her personality. Delia is friends with my mom. She’s kind and glows like every day is summer. Jocelyn and I had her as a fifth-grade teacher.”

  A loud bang startles us from across the street. Jocelyn and I drop to our knees, Aidan putting himself in front of us. We wait, searching for the source of the noise. The neighbor across the street appears from the side of his house, carrying a snow shovel. He waves before tackling the several inches coating his driveway.

  I let out a long, slow breath, and climb to my feet as Aidan helps Jocelyn stand.

  “Let’s get off the street.” I lead the way to the front door, painted the same tangerine color as the trim.

  Aidan peers into the window, squinting through a crack in the curtains. “It’s pretty dark in there. Maybe she isn’t home.”

  “Maybe.” I raise my hand to knock, hesitating as my stomach turns. Something doesn’t feel right.

  “Look at the handle.” Jocelyn tugs my arm from behind.

  The key insert is scratched on the doorknob, and the wood around the handle is splintered. I lean in for a closer look, discovering that the door is partially open, and place my palm on the wood, lightly pushing. It swings open easily. Immediately, we’re hit with a smell so rancid, that I bend over, coughing hard enough to make my eyes water.

  “That’s awful.” Jocelyn’s voice sounds slightly muffled, with her hand covering her mouth and nose. She looks a little green.

  “That’s death.” Aidan pushes past us, rushing inside the dark house. Jocelyn follows, and I bring up the rear, closing the door behind us. I hope no one else comes to check on Delia.

  Everything is torn apart. Furniture overturned and shredded, drawers emptied, and pictures are broken. Holes are punched in the walls, and pieces of the hardwood floor pried up. The heat had been turned off, and it’s freezing inside the house.

  They had to be looking for the birthstone, and a cold chill races down my spine at the thought of Taurus having it.

  We find Delia still lying in bed. If it wasn’t for all the dried blood, she could’ve been sleeping, but she’d been dead for days.

  I look over her body, forcing down the rising bile in my throat. Her skin looks white and waxy, with brown blood long dried in her golden hair. The deep slit across her throat provides the only evidence of murder.

  “She didn’t deserve this.” I lean back, my vision blurring as hot, angry tears fill my eyes.

  “I wonder why no one found her yet,” Jocelyn says softly from the bedroom doorway. She stares at Delia’s body, tears streaming freely down her cheeks.

  “He can’t get away with this!” I bury my head in Aidan’s shoulder.

  Aidan steadies me, softly patting my back as grief and anger threaten to overwhelm me. “He won’t. We won’t let him.”

  I wipe my face, sniffing hard, and take slow, steady breaths to calm my shaking. “Someone needs to let her daughter know.”

  “She has a daughter?” Aidan holds me at arm's length, searching my face.

  I slowly nod as it all becomes clear. “Delia's daughter is away at school. She’s in danger too. Do you think she knows where Leo’s birthstone is hiding? Should we look for it? They wrecked her place, what if Taurus already has it?”

  Aidan meets my eyes, his mouth set in a grim line. “What if the mage has the stone?”

  That question brings my tumbling thoughts to a screeching halt.

  A high-pitched scream from outside pierces through the stillness of the house.

  We stumble over each other as we race across the house. Jocelyn crashes out the front door, Aidan and I on her heels, as shouts fill the air from up and down the street.

  We slide to a stop in the front yard as the crowd across the street shouts to look behind us. Whirling around, I see an unnaturally large mountain lion. He stands around five feet from head to paw with his golden hair bright against the wooden fence, his tail flickering wildly behind him. He paces back and forth against the fence line, a low rumble vibrating from his throat.

  I take a cautious step forward, ignoring the shouts of the people behind me, to keep an eye on the agitated animal. One more step and the mountain lion freezes, meeting my gaze with his eyes of melted gold. The intelligence in his eyes is far greater than you’d ever find in any ordinary animal. The lion returns to pacing, and I motion for Aidan and Jocelyn to come closer.

  “That’s Leo,” I whisper as they reach my side.

  Jocelyn leans in close. “How can you tell?”

  “I’m not sure. I just know.” I walk up to the mountain lion, no longer afraid of being mauled, and crouch down in the snow. “Leo?”

  The lion huffs, the force of his exhalation blowing my hair back. I smile sadly, tears threatening once again. “I have some bad news.”

  Leo growls, a deep rumbling in his chest.

  “I…” Without thinking, I reach out and stroke his ears, coaxing a small purr from the huge cat. “I’m sorry, but somebody already got to Delia.”

  Silent tears flow down my cheek as I wrap my arms around his thick neck, ignoring the jolt and softly stroking his fur.

  “I’m so sorry about Delia. She was a friend. I’ve known her a long time.” At a loss for anything else to say, I sit back on my heels and wipe my face dry.

  The cat looks over his shoulder toward the fence. I walk over, standing on my tiptoes to peer over the top. The backyard slopes softly toward the riv
er, no fence dividing Delia's property from the banks of the Truckee. A frozen trail of footsteps leads from the river to the back of Delia’s house. Leo joins me at the fence, looking back and forth between it and me. He wants me to go over.

  I turn back to my friends to see a man sneaking up behind them. “Hey! What are you doing?”

  At my shouts, Aidan and Jocelyn turn around, the man almost upon them.

  His eyes dart wildly between Leo and me, breathing so fast he looks like a steam engine. In his hand, he carries a shotgun.

  I hold up my hands in front of me. “It’s okay. He’s not going to hurt anyone.”

  Leo hisses behind me, and as I turn to glare at him, I see spittle glistening from his bared fangs. “You are not helping.”

  “That’s a wild animal.” The man's voice shakes as he stares at Leo. “Get away. I’ll take care of it.”

  Jocelyn and Aidan back up slowly, their hands high in front of them.

  “He’s not wild. He’s just not where he belongs. We’re going to take care of him. Just go on home.” I step back slowly until I feel the cat against my legs, sending another jolt through my body. I grit my teeth.

  “Move now. I have to kill it.” The man’s voice rises to the point of hysterics. He brings up the shotgun, pointing it at Leo, the gun clicking softly with his shaking hands.

  “Leo, run, please. Go!” In one swift movement, Leo coils his body and leaps effortlessly over the fence, clearing the top by a foot.

  “No!” The man turns the still shaking gun toward me, leveling it at my chest.

  Aidan throws himself forward, tackling the wide-eyed man. As they fly backward onto the ground, a loud crack splits the air and a white spark flashes from the muzzle.

  Jocelyn screams, and I dive to my left, feeling the bite of the frozen crystals sting my skin as I hit the ground hard. I cry out as shotgun pellets rip through my leg and burning fire spreads from my calf up to my knee.

  I bite my lip, ignoring the screams from across the street, and hold on to my leg as I watch Aidan through blurry eyes. He shoves the man across the street, keeping his shotgun.