Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,210

again and Orion took another step back, his hand going to his throat.

“Darcy,” he begged and I shook my head.

“We have to figure out how to get out of here,” I said, my cheeks still burning and my lips stinging.

“No, Blue,” he said, a fierce warning in his tone and I frowned as I realised his fangs were glinting at me in the dark. The power of this place closed in on me on all sides and I twisted around as I realised he was looking at something over my head. Words lit up across the door in glowing blue letters and my heart juddered in fear as I felt the spell they cast, spilling through the air.

Royal Vega blood tastes the sweetest.

Does the monster or the man in you run deepest?

“Get out of here!” Orion roared, his pupils dilating and fear ran through me as I raised my hands. His upper lip peeled back, the bloodlust in his eyes making his face seem wholly animal. “Darcy - run!”

"C ome and get me you rambunctious heathens!" I cried, glaring around at the hoard of undead scallywags set to drag me to the netherworld where I'd fallen.

The Flail of Unending Celestial Karma, as I'd christened it, had fallen from my grasp when the stone sarcophagus I'd been standing upon had crumbled like an underbaked scone and I'd tumbled down here like a fish on a Ferris wheel only to find myself alone in this dark chamber.

The corpses raced at me while I held firm, my chin high and my water magic keeping them at bay as they tried to swarm me. But I was no floundering Florence, and I wouldn't fall prey to these scoundrels.

With a battle cry loud enough to set the heavens ablaze, I raced for my glorious flail, diving into a roly-poly and snatching it into my grasp before swinging it at the noggin of the closest devil who’d come to try and taste my flesh.

"Not today, good sir!" I bellowed. "For I fight with the fire of justice beneath my wings and the shining light of my ladies leading me to success. I will never be vanquished by the likes of you!"

I swung the heavy spiked ball of my flail overhead and smashed the skull clean off of one of the braggards before another leapt upon my back.

"Geraldine?!" Max bellowed, his voice echoing down to me from above.

"Fight on, you slippery eel!" I called to him. "Take your place defending my lady Tory in this hour of need and turn your mind from my endeavours."

"I'm coming down to you - just hold on!" he shouted as if he was unable to hear the clear and guiding sound of my voice.

But I had no time to chastise him as more of the soulless hooligans came for a taste of Grus.

"No you don’t, you skeletal scoundrels!" I cried, swinging my flail over my head, the flames of glory pouring from it as it blazed with the power of my ladies and I knew that the luck attuned to such a treasure would never fail me.

I fought with the fluidity of my water Element and the strength of my earth just as my dear papa had always taught me, channelling the pure will of the stars through my every movement while knowing I fought the good fight.

If I died today in defence of my ladies, then I would go on to join the stars knowing that my sacrifice had been worthy. And yet I had no plans to leave them now. I would be there, watching their ascent to the throne and bathing in the glow of their eternal reign over our kingdom.

Bone splintered, magic flared and rotting bodies fell apart around me as I fought with the fury of the warriors of old and a fierce determination to get back to my lady and stand firm at her side.

Just as the final upstart met his doom at the end of my heavy ball of wrath, a salacious salamander dropped down into my cave with a look of relief filling his deep brown eyes.

"Holy fuck, Gerry, I thought-"

"There is no time for lollygagging!" I cried, placing a flat palm to his puckered lips as he leaned towards me like he thought a moment such as this was the time for smooching. "We must get back to my lady."

I raised a hand, wielding the earth to my command and creating a platform which rose us back up towards the graveyard where