Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,342

from behind.

The shadows receded, rushing back into Clara’s body in a huge swirling cloud as the fire burned them away. A tornado of flames surrounded us, my girl’s power exploding from her in an endless wave of destruction, devouring every shadow it found.

The cries of the battle fell in on me once more, daylight illuminating us and burning my retinas.

I wrenched the sword free and my sister collapsed to the floor beneath me with shadows coating her flesh. I fell to my knees, tugging her against me and cupping her face as she peered at me with a blissful smile on her face. She reached up to run her fingers over my cheek, brushing my tears away as my heart broke and I faced a goodbye I’d never gotten the first time I’d lost her. A goodbye I’d never wanted to have to give.

“Thank you,” she sighed, looking to the sky as if she could see the stars shining back at her. I hoped she could see our dad, that she was going to be reunited with him and the two of them would wait for me beyond the Veil until it was my time to join them. And I hoped Dad knew how sorry I was that I couldn’t save my sister.

“I love you,” I rasped, holding her tighter and her lips moved, repeating the words to me, but no sound came out.

Her eyes fell closed and I squeezed her in one final, heart breaking embrace before her body turned to dust, the shadows pluming out and away from it as she was parted from them at long last. Tory’s necklace lay on the ground where she’d been and I took it, pushing it into my pocket as grief made me buckle forward.

“Lance?” Darcy’s voice sounded from behind me and I twisted around to see the girl who made my existence on earth worthwhile.

But my heart lurched in terror as the shadows reared up behind her, gathering together and reforming until a girl stepped from them, the darkness within her making the air crackle with power. “Quendus novlia andrenis,” she spoke in a commanding tone and Darcy groaned, unable to get up as she fell under the dark power of those words.

“No!” I shot toward her to get her out the way but tendrils of shadow burst from Lavinia, forcing me to the ground and binding my limbs.

Lavinia looked down at her own arms, admiring her true form as she scraped her long, black fingernails over her pale skin. Her long hair danced around her, alive with shadows and her eyes were wicked and red as her gaze snapped up to lock onto me and the girl I loved. I felt like I’d been hit by a truck as I stared at the Shadow Princess, somehow still here. Still fucking alive. And I got the horrible feeling that now that she was free of Clara’s body, she was more powerful than ever.

Lavinia lurched forward with unnatural speed, grasping Darcy’s arms and smearing them with blood. My blood.

“Stop!” I roared, fighting with everything I had, but the power holding me was immense.

“Nevellius combra asticious levellium mortus!” Lavinia cried as I twisted the sword in my grip and slicing it through the shadows binding me. The fire flared along its length, slicing through the shadows and suddenly I was free. I shoved to my feet, running forward frantically, my breaths falling furiously from my lungs as I powered toward them, my sword poised to kill.

Darcy screamed as she was held in the grip of Lavinia’s dark curse, her Phoenix fire flickering weakly against her fingertips.

“Watch me rule as Queen, little Vega princess,” Lavinia laughed as she shoved Darcy towards me. “I shall offer you death when you come begging me for it.”

I launched the sword at Lavinia with a shout of effort, throwing all of my power behind it and it wheeled end over end towards the Shadow Princess. She evaporated into a cloud of shadow, tearing away from us into the battle and my sword thumped uselessly onto the sand beyond where she’d been. I dragged Darcy to her feet and she fell against me with a shuddering gasp.

I held her close, pouring healing magic into her body while maintaining an air shield around us to keep us safe as the battle raged on and hope faded everywhere I looked. The Nymph army was pouring into the amphitheatre, crushing the rebels with sheer numbers.

Darcy steadied herself and stepped back, strength