Chapter 7 #3
Finally, we reached a heavy wooden door with intricate celestial carvings. Draco produced an old-fashioned key and unlocked it, pushing it open to reveal what could only be described as an observatory.
The circular room was dominated by a massive glass dome ceiling that opened to the darkening sky.
Telescopes of varying sizes were positioned around the perimeter, some antique brass models that looked centuries old, others sleek modern instruments.
The walls were lined with bookshelves interrupted by star charts and maps of constellations.
Comfortable seating areas were arranged throughout, with tables for study and observation.
“Welcome to the Constellarium,” Draco said.
I couldn’t hide my awe. “This is incredible. How do you have access to this place?”
“Scorpio privilege,” he said with a small smile. “We’ve traditionally been the keepers of celestial knowledge, which you know, given your parents are both university professors. And I spend more time here than anyone else, so the astronomy professor gave me a key.”
We settled in a seating area directly beneath the dome. As the last traces of sunlight faded, stars began to emerge overhead, more than I’d ever seen in my life. Away from city lights, the sky transformed into a sea of brilliance, the Milky Way stretching across the darkness like a river of light.
“It’s so damn beautiful,” I murmured, my food momentarily forgotten.
“Our true home is out there.”
I used to look up at the sky with my dad when we’d go on drives into the mountains.
We’d stand on the cliffs, staring into the vastness of space, and he would point out every constellation that belonged to our species.
Sometimes I got this strange empty feeling in the pit of my stomach that was hard to describe.
The best I could manage was homesickness.
Homesickness for a place I’d never been and never would go. Maybe they called it yearning.
We ate in silence for a few minutes, both of us gazing upward.
“Do you know what we were called, before the First Crossing?” he asked as he closed up his container.
I nodded. I did know. My dad had told me everything about the Scorpios, and where our ancestors came from. Our species was called the Aelari. Children of the stars, in the old language as far as we knew. But every designation, from each different world, had their own identities.
“The Nāga,” he said. “The Scorpio designation wasn’t Scorpio at all until we came here. We were serpent guardians from a world with three moons and two suns.”
“The Nāga,” I repeated wistfully. “How much do you know about the old worlds?”
“My family maintained more records than most. We were scholars before we were warriors.” He pointed to a cluster of stars.
“There. That’s where our people came from, though humans later named it Scorpius.
When we arrived on Earth, we adopted their terminology.
It was easier than explaining the truth. ”
I searched the sky until I found what I was looking for—a faint constellation near the celestial equator. “And there’s my other home. Ophiuchus.”
“The Serpent Bearer,” Draco nodded. “Though that’s not what your people called themselves.”
“Drakon,” I said quietly. “At least, that’s what I found in the Assembly archives. I always thought it meant I was basically a dragon.”
Draco’s lips curved slightly. “The winged serpent. Your people were the bridge between worlds, the only ones who could create permanent portals between them.”
“Is that why the Assembly is so interested in me? They think I can create permanent portals?”
He considered this. “Possibly. The bane incursions are getting worse, and it might eventually come down to needing an escape plan.”
I pulled my knees to my chest, still staring at the sky.
“I’ve fought them for the last three years, not that I was given a choice.
Once my designation manifested, I was thrown into the fray and expected to be an expert.
In reality I should have died like a million times already.
They’re evolving, finding new ways through the barriers. ”
“Which is why the Assembly wants you with us,” he said matter-of-factly. “The Nightfall Shield has the highest success rate against the bane.”
“And you? What do you want?”
Draco was quiet for a long few moments. “I want to understand. The histories say the Ophis and Scorpio designations were closely aligned before the Crossing. Some texts suggest they were two branches of the same ancestral line. I know your designation is all mysterious and mythical, but I think we might be more alike than we realize.”
I nodded, not altogether disagreeing with that. I lived most of my life expecting to be a Scorpio. “Is that why you brought me here? Professional curiosity?”
“Your shield seems to loathe me,” I muttered, glancing at Draco.
He shrugged. “It’s not that. They don’t know you enough to loathe you.
Percy and Aiden have it worse than Eris and I.
Their fathers are high ranking zodiacs from prominent shields, and they have a lot of influence.
They expect perfection from their sons, and anything less than that is unacceptable.
Percy thinks his father is going to try and force a bond between us unless we choose an axis before term end. ”
“They sound like assholes.” I twisted my fingers in agitation, deciding not to tell him that like their fathers, the Assembly was trying to push me on them as well.
“They are. All they give a shit about is prestige and bragging rights. Percy is just worried about what this means for our future.”
“And you don’t share his concerns?”
He met my eyes. “I share some of them. But I also recognize opportunity when I see it.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I never even said I wanted to be anyone’s axis. The Assembly expects it, I know, and it would be smart given the fact that Ophis magic is so volatile, but…”
“But you feel like your choice is being taken away from you,” he guessed correctly.
I nodded. “Since the day I manifested.”
“Tell me about your snake,” Draco said, changing the subject. “Noodle, was it?”
I laughed. “Yes, Noodle. He showed up the day after my designation manifested. Just appeared in my bedroom. He won’t admit it but I think he escaped from the zoo.”
“Familiar bonds are rare. Especially with venomous creatures.”
“He claims he chose me,” I said, then froze, realizing what I’d revealed.
Draco’s eyes sharpened with interest. “You can communicate with him. I thought so.”
I hesitated, then nodded. “With all serpents, actually. It’s part of the Ophis magic.”
“Fascinating… The texts mentioned that ability, but I wasn’t sure if it was literal or metaphorical.”
“Very literal. Noodle has opinions about everything.”
Draco actually smiled then. “I’d like to hear more about that sometime.”
I realized he was one of the best looking men I’d ever seen. There was something almost elven about both him and Aiden. Pretty in a masculine way if that made any sense.
The sky had shifted above us, stars moving in their slow dance across the heavens. It must have been well past midnight. The hours just slipped away.
“I should go,” I said reluctantly. “It’s late.”
“One more thing before you do,” Draco said, rising and crossing to one of the bookshelves. He returned with a slender volume bound in faded leather. “This might interest you. It’s a firsthand account from a Scorpio who knew the last Ophis leader.”
I took the book carefully. “Why are you helping me?”
“I make my own judgments.” He paused. “And despite what Percy might think, I believe understanding your designation is in everyone’s best interest.”
As we walked back down through the quiet corridors of Dominion, a comfortable silence between us, I realized something. Maybe I’d judged him too harshly. Maybe the thought of one day bonding with a man like him might not be the worst thing in the whole world.