Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,155

“And then we…snuggled. You know, usual fucked up shit.”

I squeezed her fingers tight in mine, trying to get my head around the insanity of that fucking bond he’d placed on her and silently vowing for the millionth time that I’d find a way to free her from it.

I pulled the syringe of antidote from my pocket and Tory smiled at me as she accepted it and quickly injected herself.

She sighed in relief as her Phoenix returned to her and I relaxed as we kept walking.

“Everything okay?” she asked and I shrugged.

“It’s just awkward with him,” I murmured. “Anyway, is Darius okay? Orion said Lionel stabbed him.”

“He’s alright now. Lionel just went full psycho as usual. And I couldn’t help. I had to just stand there and watch,” she said in a choked voice and I gripped her arm.

“I’m sorry,” I breathed. “That must have been awful.”

She sighed, dropping her gaze. “It just makes me think how precious shit is, you know? How quickly we could lose people we care about. And look, I know this isn’t the time to talk about it, but you and Orion…”

“Don’t, Tor,” I begged.

“But you’re meant for each other, Darcy. And the two of you are so sad, I can’t bear it. I swear I saw you guys for two seconds and it felt like watching a funeral procession.”

A sharp lump formed in my throat and I shook my head. “He made his choice. Now I’ve made mine. There’s no going back.”

She sighed, squeezing my fingers then releasing me. “Come on then, let’s go.”

“Where do you think we should start looking?” I asked as we headed along the path and passed through a rose garden that was being battered by the rain. The flames beneath my skin kept the cold out but my breath still fogged before me in the air.

“Gabriel said we’d know.” Tory frowned and a glimmer caught my eye ahead of us.

My breath hitched and I tugged Tory’s sleeve, pointing out the large footprint shining on the path. It looked like the print of a man’s boot and my heartbeat quickened as I shared a look with Tory. The rainstorm suddenly fell away as if it never was and the clouds parted above to reveal a glittering expanse of stars. The air thickened and a chill swept through me. I knew in my soul they were watching us, and they were hoping to show us something just like they had before.

Tory’s hand slid into mine and we silently released the air shield around us and walked toward the footprint. It faded away as we reached it and another one appeared further ahead, leading us down a path through the gardens I wasn’t sure I’d ever taken before. We moved between the bushes as we were guided across the grounds, passing through an orchard where the grass glistened wetly. Beyond it, a huge stone amphitheatre loomed out of the dark, the path leading right up to two enormous silver doors. The boot prints guided us towards it and my fingers tightened on Tory’s as we made it to the entrance. The immense curved wall towered above us and my skin prickled, something about this place setting me on edge.

Tory pressed her hand to the door and it unlocked at her touch, parting in the middle to allow us access. Shadows waited for us beyond it, the only light cast by another glistening footprint waiting for us in the dark.

“Do you think it’s safe?” I whispered.

“I think so,” she breathed and I shared a look with her that said there was no way either of us were turning back anyway. This was important. Everything in the atmosphere told me that.

I cast a Faelight, sending it out ahead of us as we crept inside. The moment we entered, the doors shut behind us with a loud thud that echoed around the stone corridor we were in and set my heart galloping.

The boot prints headed to our right and we followed them ever on until they led us down several dark stone steps. A door waited open for us at the bottom and the cool night air wafting in told me we were going outside again. We stepped through it together and my feet met sand as we arrived in an enormous circular pit at the centre of the amphitheatre. It looked like something from the Roman empire, but the place was no ruin. Stone benches ringed the whole arena, circling high above us and far