Page 14 of Capture of Capricorn (The Thirteenth Zodiac #3)

A willingness to sacrifice themselves to help others.

Bravery despite impossible odds.

Male, for they are better suited to receive the gift. No surprise they had that sexist rule.

Must be on the verge of death. Odd requirement.

Of noble character.

The mental fortitude to handle death, both the meting of and the occurrence of on a possibly daily basis.

Compassion for those suffering.

Strength that is both physical and mental.

On and on it went, a seemingly impossible list of requirements that boiled down to one thing. A warrior should be a hero.

The next section dealt with the ritual to become a Zodiac warrior, AKA the cult initiation.

Apparently, it required the candidate to accept, but the wording around that clause confused, for it said, It is not enough for the invited warrior to verbally agree.

They must accept the charge with all of their being.

Their heart, mind, and very soul must be in harmony, or the transference will fail.

Transference of what?

An image appeared next, showing a body lying on the ground.

Wait, not ground, but a floor inset with medallions, just like the room where Capricorn claimed they’d teleported.

The passage alongside stated, The candidate should be placed upon the sigil of the Astraeus that has selected them.

As their life force exits the body, the Astraeus shall imbue their chosen recipient with strength, adapt their candidate’s physical form to be able to withstand the rigors they might face, and forge a connection to their constellation, which ends with marking their flesh with the constellatory sigil of their benefactor.

The next page showed a man’s back with a massive tattoo of a fish splashed across it.

The image reminded her not only of the painting she’d seen at the garage sale where she found the orb but of Capricorn and his gigantic skin art.

No way that tattoo just appeared on his flesh as the book tried to claim.

Just like bleeding out on a floor couldn’t change someone.

It was a wonder any of the so-called chosen survived if that was how the cult treated them.

Upon the completion of the transference, the newly minted warrior shall be powdered with galactic dust, healing them of their wounds and rendering them fit to undertake their new duties.

What a load of rubbish. Zora slammed the book shut and glared at the library. “Informative my ass.”

“Did you not like the book?” Capricorn’s sudden query surprised, and Zora almost toppled from the chair shifting to see him.

“I’m into fact, not fiction.” She waved the tome in the air.

“What part do you think isn’t true?” he asked, perching on the armrest of the chair across from her.

“All of it. I mean, it speaks of deities watching over humanity and getting worried monsters might eat them all, so they decided to supercharge some dudes to become defenders of Earth.”

His lips curved. “A succinct summary, and while you might not believe it, it’s actually all true.”

The claim brought a snort. “You mean to tell me you became a so-called Zodiac Warrior by bleeding out on a floor?”

“Not just any floor,” he replied. “When I accepted?—”

She interrupted. “Accepted from who? The book says someone called Astraeus chooses who becomes part of the cult. I assume that’s a special title for those higher up in the hierarchy.”

“The Astraeus are the spirits imbuing the constellations. Depending on who you ask, some might call them gods, although they are rather restricted in how much they can act. They aren’t alive in the sense we understand. More like sentient energy.”

“Energy doesn’t think.”

“Not the kind you’re familiar with,” he rebutted.

“However, I’m not sure how else to describe the Astraeus.

They have no physical form but are somehow tethered to their constellation.

While they don’t think or feel like we do, they have an interest in protecting Earth.

Hence, why, when they saw humanity suffering, they devised a solution.

The Zodiac Warriors. You might call us their avatars, as they lend us some of their energy that we might protect against perils that would usually be deadly. ”

“How cute you think you were chosen by a god to be some vigilante hero.” She couldn’t help the pert yet sarcastic reply to his claim.

“You might mock, but had I not been selected, I would have died. Becoming a Zodiac Warrior saved my life.”

“What heroic thing did you do that almost killed you?”

“Saved a mother and her child from being trampled by a panicked runaway team of horses pulling a carriage. Unfortunately, I used my own body to protect them.” He grimaced. “I can still hear the crunch of my bones breaking and a pain so sharp I passed out each time I woke long enough to feel it.”

She blinked at him. “It must have taken months of rehab to heal.”

“Nope, because, that same day, I became a Zodiac Warrior. As I lay there bleeding out in the mud, unable to move anything below my neck, I closed my eyes and found myself in a dark place. In that nothingness, a voice spoke to me and, in a nutshell, asked if I’d like to become a champion who would serve and protect those in need.

Given the war had just ended and I had no clue what to do with my life, and the fact I was on the verge of dying, I agreed.

Next thing I knew, I was draped over the Capricorn medallion in the portal room, bleeding out and literally sensing my soul leave my body, which is rather frightening and unpleasant.

What followed is hazy. I remember feeling as if I were on fire one moment, then freezing cold the next.

I know I passed out during the process. When I did recover my senses, I was covered head to toe in a layer of thick dust. I rose without thinking, my injuries healed without lasting pain or effect.

The Astraeus for the Capricorn constellation saved my life, and from that day forth, I’ve been a Zodiac Warrior. Best thing to ever happen to me.”

“Congrats on passing your cult initiation.”

He shook his head. “You really are stubborn. What will it take to make you believe?”

“I’ve yet to see anything convincing.”

“Moving from Nevada to Iraq in the blink of an eye wasn’t enough?”

“Was it a blink? I mean, for all I know, when you kissed me, your lips passed on some kind of drug, putting me to sleep, whereupon you then transported me via plane to Iraq. Then, when you knew I’d be waking, ensured we were locked in the same embrace I’d recall, making it seem as if no time passed.

” She’d had time to come up with some theories.

He stared at her. “You really think that’s what happened?”

“It makes more sense than you teleporting us halfway across the world.”

A low whistle emerged from Capricorn. “Boy oh boy, you are going to feel so dumb when you realize everything I’ve told you is true.”

“Prove it.”

“How?”

“Teleport us right now. Without a lip lock,” she warned, wagging her finger.

“We can only starbeam inside the portal room or outside Tower.”

Her lip curled. “What a surprise. You have an excuse.”

Capricorn glanced at the ceiling. “A little help?”

No one replied, and Zora was done playing pretend. “I don’t suppose you have washrooms in this tower. A shower and clean clothes would also be welcome, seeing as how you’re planning to keep me here for a while. Speaking of which, where am I sleeping?”

“Knowing Tower’s sense of humor, you’ll probably be bunking with me,” he muttered.

“Why would we share? This place seems big enough to host hundreds.”

“Tower decides where visitors stay.”

“You tell Tower, then, that I’d like my own space. Preferably with a phone so I can call my mama.”

“No one tells Tower shit. And I’d add you should be nice to Tower, or you might find your stay uncomfortable.”

“Is the AI system running things that sensitive?” Zora asked as she exited the library.

Zora never heard Capricorn’s reply, as she screamed, rather loudly, as she suddenly found herself being rocketed upwards through the ceiling!