Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,201

out some stardust, throwing it over us before anyone could say another word and we were dragged away into the stars.

My feet hit the ground, but I didn’t stumble, blinking around at my friends then to the huge black metal fence rising up ahead of us. Silence fell and I could feel the power of this place humming in the air, sending a trickle of anticipation running down my spine.

Behind us was a dense forest, the shadows between the boughs as black as night. A low, doggish howl sounded somewhere within the trees and everyone stilled.

“Darius,” Orion growled, a warning in his tone I didn’t understand.

“What is it?” Tory hissed as I stepped closer to her.

“Reaper Hounds,” Darius revealed darkly.

“They’re bound here to protect the perimeter,” Orion explained, casting a silencing bubble around us. “No one look them in the eyes, they’ll rip the soul right out of your body if you do.”

“They’ll do fucking what?” Max balked.

“Rip the soul from your very being, Maxy boy, do keep up,” Geraldine said, raising her flail. “All of you should go ahead, I shall face these villainous fiends for my queens. I’ll dive into the dark forest and return these beasts to the hell from whence they came.”

“No Geraldine,” I gasped. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“No, you’re not. Everyone needs to shut their eyes right now,” Orion commanded as more howls sounded out in the trees and my heart thrashed at the noise. “Don’t engage them, no matter what they do. Don’t open your eyes, don’t run, and do not fight back.”

“Even if one rips my arm off?” Seth questioned. “Because I can’t make any promises in that scenario.”

“They won’t attack unless provoked,” Orion growled. “So feel free to jab one in the eye, Capella, but do it somewhere away from the rest of us.”

A growl came from the trees and I caught sight of a huge black figure moving between the boughs before I slammed my eyes shut. Oh shit.

“Everyone hold hands and follow me, we need to get to the gate, the wards wouldn’t let us stardust any closer than this,” Orion said and his rough palm grasped mine.

My other hand slid into Tory’s and we all started walking as more howls rang out in the forest.

My heart galloped in my chest as we walked, leaves crunching underfoot as we went, sounding like gunshots in the quiet. A snarl sounded right beside me and my breathing quickened as sniffing filled the air and the padding of heavy paws passed close by.

Hot, rancid breath made my hair flutter and my face warm. The beast must have been huge standing at least as tall as me, and the scent of rot clung to it, making my stomach turn.

“We’re almost there,” Orion muttered.

“You’d better not be opening your eyes,” I hissed and his fingers squeezed mine.

“Someone’s got to look, might as well be the Power Shamed nobody,” he said under his breath and my nails dug into his flesh.

“You’re not nobody,” I growled seriously. You’re one of the most important somebodies I know.

“Are you ready, Darius?” he called, not responding to me.

“Ready,” Darius confirmed and a snapping noise sounded somewhere behind me.

“What’s he doing?” I whispered, then another growl sounded by my ear and I flinched.

“He’s casting a dark spell on a Fae bone,” Orion murmured. “Reaper Hounds can’t resist the scent of death.”

A whoosh reached me as Darius threw the bone and the dogs howled and bayed. It sounded like a large pack of them were racing away from us, the ground shuddering beneath me as they went.

“Hurry!” Orion barked. “Everyone keep close. You can open your eyes but if there’s any sign of them returning then shut them immediately.”

I cracked my eyes open as Orion pulled his hand from mine and Darius raced past me. We stood in front of a huge gate which had deadly looking spikes at the top of it. Written in the iron across the middle were the words The Everhill graveyard.

Orion passed Darius a draining dagger, holding another of his own. They both sliced into their palms before starting to move the blades in perfect synchronicity with one another, seeming to cut into the air itself. The movements were complex and each slash lessened the magical tension in the air.

A furious howl split through the night and sent a tremor of fear through me.

“I think they’ve figured it out,” Seth hissed.

“They’re coming back,” Caleb said urgently, but Darius and Orion were lost to a trance as they