Chapter 6 #2
“These three are the most comprehensive,” she said, selecting volumes from different shelves. “This one contains firsthand accounts from survivors of the crossing, this details the portal magic, and this...” she hesitated, “contains what little we know about the Ophis bloodline.”
I took them reverently. “Thank you.”
For the next few hours, I lost myself in the pages, absorbing details the Assembly had never shared with me. Accounts of the final battle, descriptions of the Ophis leader’s sacrifice, and most intriguingly, notes about the specific powers the designation wielded.
Portal manipulation was just the beginning. There were references to something called “lightcraft”, the ability to create weapons out of pure starlight, and “darkrending” the ability to slip through dark matter as if walking through a doorway. That, I’d never heard of before.
When my eyes began to strain in the dimming light, I checked out the books and headed back to my room. I’d need more time with them later, but for now, my stomach was reminding me it was dinnertime.
I dropped the books on my desk, where Noodle was coiled in a patch of fading sunlight.
‘Food?’ he asked hopefully as I entered.
“Dinner time,” I confirmed. “Want to come?”
His head lifted with interest. ‘Yessss.’
I laughed. “Fine, but behave yourself.” I held out my arm, and he slithered up it, disappearing beneath the sleeve of my jacket where he coiled comfortably around my bicep.
The dining hall was already bustling when I arrived. I spotted Tye and Lydia at a table near the windows, sitting with three other students I didn’t recognize. Tye waved enthusiastically when he saw me.
“Jupiter! Over here!” he called, as if I couldn’t see his six-foot-two frame towering over everyone else.
I grabbed a tray of food, some kind of pasta dish that smelled amazing, and made my way over.
“Hey,” I said, sliding into an empty seat.
“Guys, this is Jupiter,” Tye announced to the table. “Jupiter, this is Vega, Rick, and Hector. They’re in my Celestial Theory class.”
“Hi,” the girl with warm brown hair said, offering me a genuine smile. “I’m Vega. Taurus. Your declaration was pretty badass.”
I blinked, surprised by the compliment. “Thanks. It wasn’t exactly how I planned to make my first impression.”
“Better than being boring,” said the lanky guy with shaggy hair—Rick. “Everyone’s still talking about it.”
“Not all bad things,” added Hector, the muscular guy with short dark hair. “Some people think it’s cool.”
I shot Tye a suspicious look. He maintained an innocent expression that didn’t fool me for a second. He’d definitely prepped these people to be nice to me.
“So,” Vega continued, leaning in, “is it true you can create portals? Because that would be so useful. I’m always running late to class.”
I laughed, some of the tension leaving my shoulders. “It’s a little more complicated than that, but yeah, sort of. Still working on the control aspect though.”
Rick was a Pisces with a dry sense of humor that matched mine. Hector, a Cancer, turned out to be knowledgeable about combat techniques, though he wasn’t a member of a shield team. For the first time since arriving at Dominion, I felt myself relaxing.
Until Vega’s eyes darted over my shoulder. “Speaking of people talking about you...”
I followed her gaze to see the Nightfall Shield seated at a table across the hall. They weren’t alone. Two other prominent shields flanked them, and several women hovered nearby, clearly vying for attention.
“What’s with the fan club?” I asked, nodding toward the group.
Vega rolled her eyes. “Those aren’t warriors. They’re magic specialists hoping to be chosen as an axis. The blonde one by Aiden? That’s Melissa. She’s been throwing herself at him for months.”
“Literally throwing herself,” Rick added. “Last week she ‘accidentally’ fell into his lap during lecture and I thought she was about to fuck him where he sat.”
“Not all axis candidates are like that,” Hector clarified. “But those particular ones see it as a status thing. They just want prestige and protection.”
I watched as one of the women leaned over the table, giving Percy a clear view down her shirt. His expression remained utterly bored.
“They don’t look impressed.”
“They never are,” Lydia said. “But that doesn’t stop the parade of desperate candidates.”
I felt something shift against my arm. ‘Bored,’ Noodle complained. ‘Want to explore.’
“Behave,” I whispered mentally.
‘No,’ he replied simply, and before I could stop him, he slithered down my arm and onto the floor.
“Shit,” I muttered, watching him disappear under tables.
“What?” Tye asked.
“Nood’s making a break for it.”
Tye’s eyes widened. “Oh no.”
I tracked Noodle’s path across the dining hall with mounting horror as he headed straight for the Nightfall Shield’s table. More specifically, for the feet of the women clustered around it.
“This is about to get interesting,” Rick said, following my gaze, his eyes comically wide on my black mamba.
The first scream came from a redhead who jumped back so violently she knocked over someone’s drink. The second was from Melissa, who actually leapt onto her chair, shrieking, “SNAKE! THERE’S A SNAKE!”
The dining hall erupted into chaos. Several people stood on chairs while others backed away. The Nightfall Shield, to their credit, didn’t move an inch, merely looking down at the floor with varying expressions of surprise and... was that amusement on Draco’s face?
“I should probably...” I gestured vaguely toward the commotion.
“Definitely,” Tye agreed, but he was fighting back laughter.
I made my way across the room, weaving through panicked students until I reached the epicenter of chaos. Noodle was now coiled in the middle of the floor, looking enormously pleased with himself.
‘Having fun?’ I asked him mentally.
‘Yes,’ he replied, unrepentant.
I crouched down, extending my arm. “Come here, you little freak.”
The women backed away further as Noodle slithered up my arm and settled around my shoulders like a scaly scarf.
“That thing is yours?” Melissa demanded, still standing on her chair.
“His name is Noodle, and he’s harmless.” A slight exaggeration, but she didn’t need to know that.
“You brought a venomous snake to the academy with you?” Percy asked dryly.
“He’s my familiar.” I stroked Noodle’s head with one finger. “And he’s usually better behaved.”
‘Not sorry,’ Noodle commented privately.
“It could have bitten someone!” one of the other women protested.
“He,” I corrected. “And he wouldn’t bite anyone unless I told him to.” I locked eyes with Percy. “Or unless someone threatened me.”
A tense silence fell over our immediate vicinity.
Draco leaned forward slightly. “Interesting choice of familiar.”
“I didn’t choose him. He chose me.”
Aiden’s golden eyes narrowed. “Snakes are traditionally associated with the Ophis designation.”
I smirked. “Wow, you learned that all by your big self?”
Aiden’s jaw clenched, a muscle working visibly beneath his skin. I felt a small thrill of victory.
“You’re deliberately causing disruptions already and it’s only day two,” Percy said.
“Yes, I specifically told Noodle to cause chaos tonight because I knew you’d be here. My entire existence revolves around annoying you, specifically, Percy. You caught me.”
Eris, who had remained silent until now, let out what might have been the beginning of a laugh before quickly masking it with a cough. Percy shot him a look that could have frozen fire.
“Maybe keep your... pet... contained,” Percy said. “Or the administration might reconsider its presence here.”
“His presence,” I corrected again. “And he stays with me. Director Waverly already approved it.”
‘I like him,’ Noodle commented privately. ‘He’s angry. It’s funny.’
“Shut up, Nood. You’re supposed to be on my side, remember?”
The women who had been hovering around the shield were now watching our exchange with undisguised interest, their previous fear forgotten in the face of potential drama.
“Come on,” Melissa said, touching Aiden’s shoulder possessively. “Let’s move tables. Away from the... reptile.”
I couldn’t tell if she meant me or Noodle.
“We’re fine where we are,” Aiden said, shrugging off her touch without looking at her. His eyes remained fixed on me, calculating.
Draco tilted his head slightly. “Black mamba, isn’t it? One of the deadliest snakes in the world.”
“Good eye,” I said, surprised.
“Scorpio specialty,” he replied with a half-shrug. “We know our venoms.”
We stared at one another for a long, silent moment and I realized I didn’t exactly hate Draco as much as I hated Percy and Aiden.
“Well,” I finally said, “this has been sufficiently awkward for everyone involved. Enjoy your dinner.” I turned to leave, but Percy’s voice stopped me.
“Tomorrow. Combat arena. Eight a.m.”
I looked back over my shoulder. “Was that an invitation or an order?”
“Consider it a test. If you’re going to be at Dominion, we need to see what you can actually do.”
Aiden nodded. “Unless you’d rather keep hiding behind your snake.”
I felt a slow smile spread across my face. “I’ll be there. Remember to bring your ego. I’d hate to damage it when you’re not looking.”
Without waiting for a response, I walked back to my table, aware of every eye in the dining hall following me. When I sat down, Tye was grinning like an idiot.
“That,” he said, “was spectacular.”
“What did they say?” Lydia asked eagerly.
“They want to meet me in the combat arena tomorrow morning,” I said with a long sigh, stroking Noodle’s head absently. “Apparently they need to ‘test’ me.”
Vega’s eyes widened. “They never spar with new students.”
“They’re not just testing your combat skills,” Hector said. “They’re going to push your magic to see what happens.”
“I figured as much.” I took a bite of my now-cold pasta. “Good thing I’m not easily intimidated.”
Rick leaned forward. “You realize this is going to be a whole event, right? Word will spread overnight.”
I sighed. “Great. An audience.”
“Hey,” Tye said, nudging my shoulder. “This could work in your favor. Show them what you can do, shut down the rumors once and for all.”
“Or confirm their worst fears about me,” I muttered.
“Either way, we’ll be there,” Lydia promised. “Front row seats to watch you kick their perfectly sculpted asses.”
I laughed. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
As we finished dinner, I couldn’t help glancing back at the Nightfall Shield’s table. They were deep in conversation, heads bent together, occasionally looking in my direction. Planning, no doubt. Scheming, in fact.
‘They smell worried,’ Noodle observed.
“Good. They should be.”
I returned to my room that night and pulled out the ancient texts I’d borrowed from the library. If I was going to face the Nightfall Shield tomorrow, I needed every advantage I could get.
The book on Ophis powers mentioned lightcraft, the ability to harness starlight energy and shape it into physical forms. I’d accessed this ability once or twice during intense bane fights, but never consistently.
I mostly infused my magic into the physical weapons I brought with me, but I decided to spend the next few hours practicing lightcraft.
The text suggested it was tied to emotional state, particularly to confidence and clarity of purpose.
“Great,” I muttered. “Just be confident while four of the most powerful zodiacs try to pull you apart.”
‘You will win,’ Noodle said, coiling himself on my pillow.
“How can you be so sure?”
‘Because you are stronger than they know. They see only what they expect to see.’
I smiled, scratching under his chin the way he liked. “When did you get so wise and knowing?”
‘Always been. You never listen.’
I rolled my eyes and returned to my reading. Hours passed as I absorbed everything I could about my designation’s abilities. Some of it I already knew from Assembly training, but there were nuances here that Orion had never mentioned.
By the time I finally fell asleep, it was well past midnight, and my dreams were filled with stars and serpents and four pairs of eyes watching my every move.