The Zodiac Stone

Chapter Twenty-Six: Battle for the Crown

A burst of steam flooded the room like morning fog on a river.

The steam was parted down the middle, pushed away from the table. Servana stood on the left of the table, wavering arms as she pushed the air around to remove the steam from their area.

"What did you just do?" she asked. Her voice was loud and demanding.

Aine held the Zodiac Stone easily. "I used this. The Zodiac Stone."

Some of the Clan Leaders stared at him and the stone in confusion. A few others who must have known about the stone swung shocked looks at Relon.

"What is that?" the Sagittarius leader asked.

"It's my Zodiac Stone," Relon growled with a curl to his lip.

Aine took a step back as a few of the leaders got to their feet. He didn't like any of the looks on their faces. Aine cast a look at the king seeing how he had leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest, as if this was to be expected. The Clan Leaders would do his dirty work and fight for him.

Aine wasn't sure that's how they felt but he had a feeling a battle was about to incur if he couldn't control the situation.

"I am changing things around here," Aine said. A tremble slipped into his voice.

"Do you think you are king now? That you will be the one ordering us around?" Relon laughed. A boisterous noise that filled the room.

"I don't know if I'll be the king, but we are definitely changing how things are done in Heilakaa," Aine said, this time with no tremble.

"What makes you think we'll listen to you, an Ophi?" Fien asked.

"Because simply, you have no choice in the matter," Aine said, a flare of anger in him causing the stone to read his emotions. A crackle of purple lighting rolled up his arms from the stone. It played along his shoulders. He could feel the heat from the lighting almost singeing the ends of his hair.

Fien looked over at Dalgo and the two of them leaped forward swinging their weapons.

"Never, in my life, will I ever listen to an Ophiuchus!" Fien yelled. Flames danced in his strange yellow eyes. He sliced through the air with his curved sword and a blast of fire flew toward Aine.

Dalgo leaped into the air, pulling his spear over his head and landed heavily, creating a crater, he smashed down his spear and threw rocks into the fire.

The two elements hurdled toward him at a racing speed. Aine tightened his grip on the stone and felt the lighting pull off his shoulder and he loosed a bolt laced with ice across the fiery blast. An eruption that created a ridge of sharp ice to form along the floor shouldered the brunt of the fiery rage. The rocks pelted into the barrier and the fire burned into steam. Both Fien and Dalgo were blasted off their feet from the crackling lightning.

"What is wrong with me, that has made you so angry and afraid?" Aine said. He looked over at the Virgo leader who cowered under his glare.

"Because you are nothing. You have no power and therefore are nothing."

"You serve no purpose to the kingdom."

A few others chimed in as well, but they began to blur in the noise as it grew louder. He couldn't pick out who said what, but he saw their flushed faces and felt their anger.

"None of the excuses are logical. If anything, you shouldn't be afraid or angry at us for not having powers. How are we scary? We hardly pose a threat to you."

"You will never understand, Ophiuchus," Tareen said with a dismissive wave.

"Up until recently I believed I was a Sagittarius. I think I do understand. I now must understand that I will never get a fire that was never mine to get. How do you think I feel?"