I chuckled, turning my attention back to the book. As I flipped through the pages, a movement caught my eye—a quick flash of light between the trees. I stared at the spot, waiting, until I saw it again. It was a tiny humanoid figure peeking around a trunk before darting away.
“Pixies,” I murmured to myself. I’d been hoping to get a better look at one since arriving. According to the Stardust Shield, they were all over these woods, but they moved so quickly it was hard to catch more than a glimpse.
Refocusing on my book, I turned the page and froze. At the top of the yellowed parchment was a symbol I recognized immediately. A serpent devouring its own tail, encircling a thirteen-pointed star. The Ophis emblem.
My heart quickened as I began to read, my fingers tracing the faded ink of the title:“The Order of Ophiuchus: Keepers of the Path Home.”
According to the text, the Order of Ophiuchus was an old-world society of zodiac families who’d preserved the true history of our kind.
I read aloud softly,“‘The Serpent Bearer, the true Ophis heir, will return to the site of the First Crossing. There, they shall open the Way and lead the Aelari back to their ancestral worlds, reclaiming what was lost.’”
I sat up straighter, my pulse racing. The site of the First Crossing. That was Imperium. The very ground beneath me was where the original portal had been opened.
“’Only the thirteenth designation,’”I continued reading,“’has the power to bridge worlds, to walk realities. The Ophis is the key that was prophesied, the one who will restore what was broken and lead us home.’”
The sudden flap of wings startled me. I looked up to see a large raven with iridescent blue-purple feathers circling the grove. Gretchen. Jamie’s familiar.
She swooped down, landing on a branch near mine, her intelligent amber eyes fixed on me. Below, Noodle had stopped his hunting to watch her.
‘Made friend.’
I laughed. “I didn’t know you were in the market for friends.”
‘She is acceptable. For bird.’
Gretchen cawed in response, as if she could hear him, then took flight again, swooping low over the branch where Noodle rested. To my amazement, he followed her, racing along the limb as she flew circles around the tree. They were… playing.
I shook my head in wonder and returned to my reading. According to the text, the Order maintained secret sanctuaries throughout the centuries, preserving artifacts and knowledge from the original worlds. I wondered if it was some kind of cult situation, and if maybe I should bring it up with Winters. Maybe the order didn’t even exist anymore. This book had to be a few centuries old at least.
The sun dipped below the horizon as I read. Only when darkness fully descended did I realize how late it had gotten. Reluctantly, I closed the book and called to Noodle. “Time to head back!” I carefully climbed down from my perch.
Noodle slithered down the trunk to meet me, Gretchen landing on a low branch nearby.‘Must we?’
“You can play with your new friend tomorrow,” I promised, offering my arm. He coiled around my wrist with a resigned hiss.
Gretchen cawed once more before taking flight, disappearing into the night sky. I wondered briefly if she was returning to Jamie, and what he might learn from her about our encounter.
On the way back to Ophiuchus Tower, I noticed lights still burning in the Scorpio common room. I hesitated, then decided to stop in. Marcus and Dani were sitting by the fire, mugs of tea in hand as they pored over textbooks. They looked up as I entered, their faces breaking into welcoming smiles.
“Jupiter!” Dani said. “We were just talking about you. Want some tea? Marcus made his famous chai.”
“That sounds perfect.” I sank into an armchair beside them.
Marcus poured me a steaming mug, the spicy aroma instantly comforting and delicious. “How’s the portaling practice going?”
Oh right, I had to remind myself that nothing was a secret in this damn place.
I took a sip, savoring the blend of cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. “Still working on distance, but I’m getting there.”
We chatted easily about classes and training, about the upcoming weekend trip to the village that some of the Scorpios were planning. It felt normal.Blessedlyfucking normal.
After finishing our tea and exhausting all of my social battery, we all headed to our rooms. I climbed the staircase to my tower room, feeling pleasantly tired but content. I changed into an oversized t-shirt and settled on my bed with my laptop. I needed to unwind, to think about something other than prophecies and painful bond-breaking rituals.
Scrolling through my movie options, I settled on Twilight, feeling a guilty smile spread across my face.
“Don’t judge me,” I told Noodle, who was watching from his spot near the hearth.
‘Sparkling males are unnatural,’was his only comment before curling into a tight coil.
