“And it’s a fine wine, aging back a couple hundred years,” Vesta added before she took a small, delicate sip. “It’s positively divine.”
“Yeah, the wine is good, but I can’t get over how nice it is in here,” Penelope commented as she looked around the common room. “Your place is fit for royalty compared to our boring bedrooms.”
“Yes, being a part of my coven comes with certain… perks.” I smirked.
“No shit,” the orange-haired witch snorted, but I thought I saw a pale blush tint the arches of her cheekbones.
“Anyway, Cole, how did dinner go?” Akira breathed and drew my attention, and her eyes were wide with anticipation when I turned to face her.
“What dinner?” Beatrix asked with furrowed eyebrows.
“I had dinner with the Mors Headmaster, and it was… interesting,” I replied before I walked over to join them, and for a moment, I thought about lying, but I had a feeling I could trust these women. “He wants me to become a warlock.”
“What?” my coven all gasped in unison.
“The audacity!” Morgana shrieked. “How dare he even insinuate such a thing?”
“It’s totally barbaric,” Vesta gasped. “I knew he was nothing but trouble.”
“You should tell Theodora,” Faye suggested as her red eyebrows pinched together.
“She’s right,” Penelope added, and her pink lips were pursed as well. “He’s clearly up to something.”
“Even so,” I said as I sat down between Penelope and Faye, “there’s nothing I can do about it now. I’ll have to be smart and watch his every move.”
“Are you sure?” Morgana asked as her dark eyebrows furrowed over her blue eyes.
“Yes.” I nodded firmly. “Theodora was the one who encouraged me to go, and something tells me there’s no need to worry about him… at least not yet.”
“Well, if you don’t think we have to worry, then I say we don’t worry.” Penelope shrugged. “In the meantime, I think we should do something fun.”
“Fun?” I echoed.
“Yes.” The bright-haired witch turned to look at me and then smiled mischievously.
“Sounds like you already have something in mind.” I smiled in return.
“I do,” she answered slowly.
“So, spit it out,” Akira insisted before she took a gulp of black wine.
“I think we should enter each others’ minds for fun,” Penelope proposed as she waggled her eyebrows. “I know it’s risky, but it could also be entertaining. Besides, some of us are going to have to work together during the final game, so we might as well get to know each other better. Build some camaraderie and all that shit. So, what do you say?”
I thought back to the third game and how my mind had managed to kill one warlock and drive the other one mad. I knew my mind was a dangerous place, but entering the minds of these sexy witches sounded like a hell of a fun time.
“I’m in,” I said, “let’s do it.”
“Excellent,” Penelope replied as she rubbed her hands together. “So, who wants to go first?”
“Wait,” Morgana interjected. “Are you suggesting we all enter the mind of just one person… at the same time?”
“Sure, why not?” The orange-haired witch grinned. “I know it’s possible.”
“It is possible,” Morgana answered as she twirled a lock of chocolate colored hair around her finger, “but that’s a lot of pressure to put on one witch.”
“Only if you’re afraid,” Penelope teased. “Oh, come on, I know you want to try it… it could be an educational experience.”
“I don’t know…” The bookworm chewed on her lower lip.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Akira sighed, “but I agree with Penelope. It sounds fun, so I say we do it.”
“But--”
“Morgana,” I cut off the brunette as I looked deeply into her blue eyes, “it’s going to be fine. Don’t be afraid. That’s a command.”
The bookish brunette’s face broke into a broad smile, and then she nodded in agreement.
“Okay, I’m in.” She nodded. “Who’s going to go first?”
I grinned as I looked around the group, and then my eyes found their way back to Morgana. I stared at her dark curly hair and soft blue eyes, and suddenly, I wanted to know everything about how her clever mind worked.
“You’ll go first,” I ordered, “and you won’t be afraid… you’ll free yourself from any barriers and allow us to penetrate your mind.”
She quickly nodded in agreement and then took in a deep breath.
“Alright, master,” she said, “I’m ready.”
Penelope frowned when Morgana called me ‘master,’ but I ignored this for the time being.
“Perfect,” I responded as I rubbed my hands together.
I turned my head and then looked at each witch, and they all had the same giddy expressions on their faces, even Penelope now. I could tell they were all excited, and so was I.
“This should be incredibly informative,” Akira said in her best Morgana impersonation.
The rest of the witches giggled, and Morgana turned a bright shade of pink.
“Very funny,” the bookworm muttered.
Once everyone was settled down, I took another look at each sexy witch and then grinned.
“Is everyone ready?” I asked.
The witches all nodded in unison and then retrieved their wands.
Morgana sat up straight, and her delicate features were set into a firm, stony expression. I knew she wasn’t going to fight against us, and her almond-shaped, ice-blue eyes were devoid of emotion as she prepared to allow us entry into her sophisticated mind. So, we all raised our arms and then aimed our wands at the composed bookworm before we uttered the spell.
“Mentis imperium!” we all shouted at the same time.
In the next moment, all our spells hit the bookworm at once, and then the common room vanished from view, and the world turned black.
Chapter 7
We were standing inside a colossal library, and all the witches, including Morgana, were staring up at the millions of different books with awe and amazement. We were stunned into silence until Akira whipped around and faced me with a wide smile and shimmering black eyes.
“Unholy shit, would you look at all this?” she snickered. “This place probably grows every day. I told you she was literally a walking library.”
“I almost can’t believe it,” Vesta added as she craned her neck back, and her green hair tumbled over her shoulders. “It’s beyond impressive, Morgana.”
“Yeah,” I breathed before I turned to look at the bookworm. “Morgana, this place is seriously incredible… you’re a fucking genius, and this just proves it.”
“Thank you, Cole.” She blushed. “You’re all free to look around if you wish.”
We nodded and then split up to explore the depths of Morgana’s intellectual and overstimulated mind, and the further we wandered, the more expansive and cluttered it became. There was row after row of dust-covered books placed on long, golden shelves, and each tome was a distinct color, size, and style. The walls were a soft, velvety red, and the carpets were snow-white and littered with scraps of parchment. There was also a towering fireplace by the front of the library, and it cast a beautiful, warm glow on each nook and cranny of Morgana’s mind. Massive golden statues of different creatures, such as sphinxes and centaurs, were placed by the bookcases, and their eyes stared down at us as we continued to explore.
When we came together by the fire, Faye nudged Morgana and then smiled.
“What’s with the statues?” the redhead asked.
“The centaur and the sphinx represent intelligence and wisdom,” Beatrix replied instead. “Isn’t that right, Morgana?”
“It is.” The bookworm nodded. “They are some of my favorite creatures.”
“They are positively exquisite,” Vesta drawled as she stared up at the statues in awe. “I love it. Do you see the curve
of the stone work? A master artisan crafted these. It must have taken them many years of work. Ahhhh, I just love it. So beautiful.”
“Yeah, this place is fucking glorious.” Penelope grinned, and she seemed genuinely impressed. “How can you retain so much information, Morgana? It almost seems impossible, especially for a witch as young as yourself.”
“I don’t know,” Morgana replied in a modest tone, and she shrugged her thin shoulders. “This is just years of built-up knowledge… I’m quite the voracious reader, it’s nothing special. I just really like learning new things.”
“Don’t be so humble.” I smirked at the brunette. “You’re fucking brilliant. Own it.”
“Cole’s right, it’s breathtakingly brilliant,” Beatrix commented, “and honestly, at first, I was irritated by your constant know-it-all attitude, but now I know why you’re always answering questions in class… Who wouldn’t want to show off this much information?”
“Thank you,” the brunette replied with a deep blush.
“Can we take a look at the books?” one of the twins asked, though I couldn’t tell if it was Ivy or Iris. “I mean, would you mind if we peeked inside and read a little?”
“I don’t see why not.” Morgana shrugged. “I let you all in, didn’t I?”
Once again, we eagerly split off into different directions, and then I quickly began studying the spines of different books along the golden shelves. As I scanned each one, I quickly realized these books were not just based off school material and general knowledge, but they also included her most precious memories. One of the books was entitled Grandma’s House, and out of curiosity, I retrieved it and then quickly flipped through the pages.
On one of the pages, there was a beautiful illustration of a small girl with long dark curly hair and rosy cheeks, and she wore a plain black dress. She was sitting in front of a small cottage, and she had a tiny black cauldron in front of her. The picture began to move, and then the small girl began tossing herbs and other plants into the pot.
“That’s me,” Morgana said from over my shoulder.
“But of course,” I chuckled before I gently shut the book. “I guess you were always experimenting with different potions, weren’t you?”
“It helped to pass the time.” She shrugged.
I placed the book back on the shelf and then turned to look at Morgana. She had a sad smile plastered on her beautiful face, and I frowned in confusion.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“Nothing… it’s just, I spent most of my life with my grandmother,” she explained. “I rarely spent any time with my parents before I joined the academy.”
“I see.” I nodded.
“Don’t get me wrong, though,” she added quickly. “I loved living with my grandmother, and I hate to sound as if I’m complaining… especially when you don’t even have any memories of your own before Scholomance.”
Her words cut into me like a knife. She was right, I had no idea who I was, even after entering my own mind. There had been no clues about my childhood or any other indication of who I was before I came to Scholomance. As I thought more about this, Morgana’s beautiful face instantly fell, and she probably realized the heavy impact her words had on me.
“Oh, Cole,” she sighed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”
“It’s alright,” I answered softly. “Really, I’m okay.”
Before she could say another word, Akira suddenly jumped in between us, and she held up a blue book in front of her face.
“Look what I found,” the black-eyed witch giggled. “It’s a book literally filled with all of Morgana’s kinks and sexual fantasies, and Cole, you’re on every single fucking page, you’ve got to take a look--”
“Put that back,” the bookworm hissed, and her bright red blush began to crawl down her neck.
“Oh, come on.” Akira rolled her eyes. “I’m only on page three… and there’s like a hundred pages in here.”
“Akira,” I said with a half-smile. “Put it back, that’s an order.”
Akira pouted but stared at me with large, obedient eyes before she let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
“Yes, master,” she muttered as she turned away from us.
“Thank you,” Morgana whispered as she looked deeply into my eyes.
“Don’t mention it.” I winked.
We continued to wander around the library, and finally, we all returned to the front of the fireplace, but as soon as we stood in front of the flames, I noticed Morgana’s face was paler than usual.
“Morgana, are you alright?” I frowned. “You’re not looking too good.”
“I’m just tired,” she replied as she leaned into me. “I think this little adventure is starting to take a toll on me.”
“Let’s go, then,” I ordered. “Everyone, join hands and picture the common room.”
The witches obediently complied, and as we were whisked away from Morgana’s mind, the library slowly faded from view. Within moments, we were all seated in a circle on the common room floor with a pitcher of wine in front of us.
“That was fun.” Akira grinned as she looked at each of us. “So, who’s up for another round?”
“I am,” Beatrix gasped, and her hand shot up into the air like we were in class. “Do me. Do me!”
Akira cackled under her breath, and then Morgana rolled her eyes.
“Poor choice of words there, Bea,” Penelope scoffed.
“Satan, you know what I meant,” the light-haired brunette grumbled as her cheeks flushed a delicate pink. “Come on, let’s go inside my mind. I’m not tired.”
“Well, I am,” Morgana sighed before she stood up. “I’m going to bed… goodnight, everyone.”
We all bade the bookworm a good night before she stepped away from the group and then headed up to her bedroom.
“Alright,” Beatrix said with a wide, cocksure smile. “I’m ready.”
Again, we raised our wands and aimed them at the willing witch, and then we muttered the incantation in unison. As the spells all hit Beatrix at once, her plum-colored eyes turned milky white, and the common room faded from view.
After a moment, we were no longer sitting in a cozy, warm common room, but instead, our feet were planted on a cold and deserted beach. The sky was raven-black above us, there were no stars in sight, and the wind was icy and strong. There were no signs of any wildlife, either, and the beach felt dead and desolate. The sand was as black as the sky, and the water was a cold, dark murky gray. Jagged stones also cropped along the beach, and I could see frost coating the corners and edges of each boulder.
“Unholy Satan,” Akira muttered through chattering teeth, and she wrapped her slender arms around her slim figure. “You really are one stone-cold bitch… and I mean that as a compliment.”
“Thank you,” Beatrix answered with a smirk.
“This is definitely something,” I remarked as I looked around.
“It’s fucking freezing,” Vesta said as she furiously rubbed her lavender arms. “Can we go back, now? No offense, but I certainly preferred Morgana’s warm library compared to this.”
“I’m inclined to agree,” Faye said through chattering teeth. “May we return? I think I’ve had enough… this place is simply lifeless, and it’s depressing… no offense, Beatrix.”
“None taken.” The light-haired brunette shrugged. “I’m ready to leave if you are, Cole.”
“In a moment,” I ordered as I looked out toward the sea.
It may have been pitch black, but I could still count the waves as they crashed along the shore. There was something forebodingly beautiful about this place, and I found it intriguing that this was what the light-haired brunette’s mind looked like. She had a dark, but stunning mind, and at that moment, I swore to myself I would eventually have her as well.
Then it was like my body took control over my mind as I stepped closer toward the rumbling surf. My feet moved toward the dark water, and for some inexplica
ble reason, all I wanted to do was submerge myself in the night sea.
“Cole?” I heard Akira ask from behind me. “What are you doing?”
I didn’t answer. All I could think about was stepping into the ocean, and as soon as my feet hit the water, the strangest thing happened. I expected my boots and trousers to be soaked, but instead, they felt dry. I peered down to gaze at the murky water, and suddenly, the sea began to glow as I waddled deeper into its depths. I could see traces of sea life underneath me, and it was almost as if I were looking into another world.
The water almost felt rejuvenating, and I smiled to myself as I watched colorful fish swim past my legs and toward the shore. Then I turned back to look at the others and waved.
“Come on!” I urged. “You won’t get wet.”
“What?” Beatrix shouted back.
“Just come in,” I called out.
Even from afar, I could see the hesitation on the women’s faces, but then my coven slowly started to approach the water. As they sunk deeper into the depths and neared me, their faces turned from confusion into pure bewilderment. The others slowly began to join them, but Penelope was the last one to enter the water. By the time we were all immersed in the sea, though, more and more creatures began swimming toward us.
“Look!” Faye exclaimed as she pointed to something in the distance. “I think I can see a nereid!”
I glanced in the direction she was pointing at and noticed something bobbing its head up and down along the surface. I spotted a pair of feline-like orange eyes, and then the head completely emerged from the depths. It was a green-skinned, female, humanoid-creature, with seaweed-like hair and glimmering blue skin.
“What is that?” I breathed in amazement.
“Sea nymphs,” Beatrix replied, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. “I used to be obsessed with them as a child.”
The creature spotted us and simply stared back. A long moment passed, but when she was done examining us, the nymph ducked back into the water, and then we watched as she swam toward the horizon.
“I guess she’s shy,” Akira commented.
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