Page 2 of Princess Takes Academy
Complete darkness made my heart pound, but another step and I could see light shining through another crack. Isis ducked as we stepped out into a place that took my breath away. It was early morning. The sun peeked above the hills in the distance, but the sky was still mostly dark with streaks of pink and purple. My favorite colors.
Birds cawed and sang like nothing I’d ever heard before. Monkeys screeched in the branches above, and one even waved to us as we walked by. I could barely see over the tall grass. I’d never seen anything like this place, except maybe in one of my favorite movies. “Is this Africa?”
She gave me a secretive smile. “Yes, it is.”
“Through the tree? In our yard?”
“Yes, but you must keep it a secret. Only Shara is able to work the tree magic to travel, but since you’re her heir, you can too.”
Glee bubbled up in me, making me laugh. I could do something that Mama couldn’t do. “Can I go see Queen Shara?”
“Anytime you wish, but make sure she’s home before you go.”
As we walked into the savannah, I tried to see if I could feel Shara. She’d spoken in my head before, like when the bird took me. But I couldn’t talk to her. Mama wouldn’t let me use the phone. If I wanted to see if Shara was home…
I needed a bond with her, like Mama’s and Papa’s. If they didn’t mind.
Sweat ran down my face before we finally paused near another huge tree. This one didn’t have a crack in its trunk and it was bushier. Something lay in the darkness beneath the branches. It made a low panting sound that made goosebumps race down my arms despite the heat. A lion? A jaguar? Jaguars lived in Africa, I thought. Maybe I could talk to it like Mama and tell it not to eat me.
Isis ducked beneath the thick branches to approach whatever hid in the shade. Surely even the meanest, hungriest lion wouldn’t try to eat a goddess, and She’d promised I would be home before morning.
I tiptoed into the darkness beneath the tree. A dark shape lay near the trunk. I inched closer, straining my senses. Other than the heavy, labored breathing, it didn’t make any other noise. It didn’t smell bad like a skunk, but it definitely didn’t smell like fur. It wasn’t any kind of cat.
I blinked, and the shape solidified into a boy. The heavy panting disappeared. He sat with his back against the tree, his knees pulled up to his chest. He leaned forward, revealing more of his face. He was a few years older and bigger than me. His skin was black, his hair in tight braids that swept back like wings on either side of his head.
He met Isis’s gaze and dared to glare at Her.
What kind of boy would glare at the Great One?
“You’ve come to kill me, then.”
“Why would I wish any child dead?” Isis asked softly. “Let alone a child of your power. You could be of great use to us.”
He looked at me, then, his eyes as wide with surprise as mine.
I let out a startled squeak. “Us? What can I do?”
“You can save him.” She bent down between us and looked at me solemnly, Her dark eyes gleaming even in the shadows. “He’s a king. Do you know what that means?”
I shook my head.
He flickered again, and the boy was replaced by a cow shape with short, stubby legs. In the darkness, it was hard to tell exactly what he was. Maybe a hippopotamus or a rhinoceros. Definitely large, heavy, and ugly. He snorted at me and I scrambled back another step, before I caught myself.
I was Xochitl Zaniyah, daughter of Coatlicue, Mother of the Gods, and heir to Shara Isador, last daughter of the Great One. She had called me Princess of Unicorns.
I tipped my chin up, determined not to be afraid, especially of this gray, ugly beast.
“He was born with the ability to shift,” Isis said. “But he can’t control his power. He needs a queen to help him.” She met my gaze, Her eyes tugging on me again, making it hard to breathe. “He needs you.”
I wanted to be brave, but my voice still quivered. “I’m not a queen yet.”
She gave me a gentle smile. “You’re more queen than you realize, child. He has nowhere else to go that’s safe. His queen mother was forced from her sib’s nest when she delivered a king, and she was killed last night. He will be a formidable Blood one day and protect you well.”
“But…” I blinked rapidly, trying not to cry. “Queen Shara said I could have unicorns.”
Isis nodded and looked off into the distance, as if She could see thousands of miles away. “They’re coming, but not for several years yet. They must grow in power too before they can come to you. Keras needs help now, and he can protect you while you grow up together.”
He flickered again back to his boy shape and dropped his head down on top of his knees. He had no nest. His mother had died. He had no one. And his beast was ugly.
