by Logan Jacobs
“Now, since you’re not familiar with the way classes operate around here, let me explain it to you,” she muttered without looking at me. “As you already figured out, Blood Magic is the first course you must master as a preschooler … followed by premonition, necromancy, shadow, and finally curses.”
“Five classes, is that all?” I asked.
“No.” She laughed as if I were an idiot. “You will have more classes as a higher tier student, but you do not need to worry about that for now.”
“But I do have to worry about this final exam,” I said.
“Yes,” she replied after a long moment. “Each class will end with a quiz, one that ensures you are prepared to move on to the next course, but the final exam will encompass all class skills into one final test.”
“You mentioned someone died during their last exam?” I said with a raised brow.
“Failing equals death.” Vanessa nodded.
“Seems pretty intense,” I replied as my heart skipped a beat.
“It is our way,” she answered and shot a glare in my direction. “I do not question it, and neither should you.”
“I think I have a right to question what the fuck is happening to me,” I countered with a raised eyebrow. “You know, I think you’re just pissed because I caught on to blood magic faster than your other little girlfriends.”
Vanessa’s lip curled into a sneer, but she averted her gaze and marched down the hall ahead of me.
I smirked. Looked like I’d hit the nail on the head there.
A few minutes later, we finally arrived outside the banquet hall, and the room was packed with witches. Long tables stretched the length of the hall, and dozens upon dozens of women sat on the attached wooden pews. Every witch was dressed in the same black and white checkered skirt, white button up shirt, and matching knee-high socks, but some of the witches looked more human than others. I spotted witches with red, purple, orange, and blue skin, and there were others with wings and horns and all other kinds of unique attributes.
As usual, most eyes turned in my direction, and they all began to mummer amongst themselves. Some of the women, however, took no notice at all, including my own class, which sat in the back of the hall.
“You’ll sit with your preschool class.” Vanessa smiled tightly beside me.
“I gathered as much,” I answered.
She cocked an eyebrow at me before heading to what I could only guess was her own table. I recognized Luna sitting at the same table, along with another witch with beautiful, vibrant red hair. It was just the three of them at one table, and Vanessa instantly smiled when she was with them.
I sighed, ignored the hundreds of glares that followed my every step, and headed to my table.
All the women from my class were seated and talking amongst themselves, except for Vesta, who was leaning against the table with her back turned to me. She was bent down and whispering something to Morgana, and the green-haired witch stood with her ass sticking up in the air. I could see her white lace panties from a table away, and when I got closer, I caught a bit of what Vesta was saying.
“You do have to admit though, he’s not bad to look at,” she whispered. “He’s rather good looking, don’t you think?”
Morgana’s dark curls bounced as she nodded in agreement, but then she turned her head in my direction. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of me, and she pulled Vesta closer and forced the lavender-skinned witch to sit down.
I stifled a smirk and tried to go for a casual greeting.
“Hey,” I muttered with my hands in my pockets, and I pretended like I hadn’t heard one word.
None of them said anything as I sat down, and when I glanced at the table top, I had to do a double take. A moment ago, the table was just bare and empty wood, but in the time it took me to blink, a whole five course dinner had suddenly appeared on shining silver platters. There was something that looked like roasted quail, boiled potatoes, stuffing, greens, and some other kind of meat I didn’t recognize drizzled in a blood red sauce.
“What’s this?” I asked as I lifted a piece of the mystery meat up in the air. It had a greenish tint to it under the red sauce that was unappetizing, to say the least.
“Leprechaun,” Morgana replied without meeting my eyes.
I dropped the meat, and the girls started to cackle with laughter.
“It’s quite delicious.” Vesta grinned. “You should try it.”
“I know you’re fucking with me,” I grumbled before I plopped a potato into my mouth. The warm, salty butter melted on my tongue, and it took all my willpower not to moan from the pleasure of finally eating food after God knows how long.
Or, in this case, the devil knows how long.
“So, Cole,” Faye cooed in a faux, sugary-sweet voice, and she ran her fingers through her mane of thick red hair, “what will you be hunting down for your blood sacrifice?”
By the sharp glint in her green eyes, I knew she was hoping I would say something they could taunt me for, but I only sat back in my chair and smirked.
“I don’t know,” I said and played along. “Hopefully, it won’t have to be another onikuma.”
The witches all dropped their silverware and stared at me, except for Sweeny, who continued to eat as if I didn’t say anything out of the ordinary.
“What do you mean by another onikuma?” Vesta demanded, and her silver eyes narrowed. “You expect us to believe you actually killed one?”
“Yeah.” I nodded and turned my attention back to my meal. “With a rock.”
“Troll-shit,” Morgana hissed as she tossed back her sleek, blackish-brown hair.
“You can ask Vanessa.” I shrugged, since I didn’t care one way or the other if they believed me or not.
The women went deadly quiet, and when I looked up, they were simply staring at each other, as if they had lost their appetites.
“Well,” Vesta finally broke the awkward silence, “I’m going to find something like a werewolf or a wendigo for my sacrifice.”
“Good luck with that,” Faye laughed. “You’d be lucky to find a rabbit.”
“Oh, yeah?” Vesta replied with an arched green eyebrow. “Challenge accepted.”
“We’ll see about that,” Faye snorted.
I smiled to myself and was mildly enjoying their little banter, since for once, it wasn’t geared toward me.
That is, until Sweeny shot her head in my direction and sneered.
“Don’t let today’s little fluke make you think you’re better than the rest of us, Cole,” she hissed, and my name sounded like an insult from her twisted mouth. “You’re still nothing … no, scratch that, you’re less than nothing.”
The girls all smiled, and I just rolled my eyes as I finished my meal.
“Listen,” I said before I stood up. I was ready to head back to my own room and do some reading. “How about you just worry about your tasks and let me worry about myself? Deal?”
I flashed them a wink before walking off, and I wondered how I was going to step up my game and prove myself. As far as I could tell, I was already a couple steps ahead of them, and they weren’t enjoying one moment of it.
So, I just needed to keep beating these witches at their own game.
And, hopefully, I’d find some answers as to who I was and why I was here along the way.
Chapter 4
After hours of reading by candlelight, my vision was becoming blurry, and it was a struggle to keep my eyes open. I’d promised myself I would read as much as possible, but the words were starting to blur together, and I felt like I was reading the same sentence over and over again.
So, I slowly shut the book and sighed. There was only so much I could study right now.
I stretched my legs and then walked over to the stained-glass window in my room. There was nothing to look at except for the artwork on the window. It was a depiction of a witch burning at the stake. It was a disturbing image, something that I didn’t want to stare at for too long,
and I wished I could have a view of the outside instead of this ominous mosaic.
As I glanced around my lavishly decorated but small room, I felt somewhat trapped in here, with no access to the outside world. I knew I still had plenty of reading to do if I wanted to keep up with everyone in the class, but right now, my brain was mush.
“Shit,” I muttered to myself as I glanced back at the book.
It laid on my desk, teasing, taunting, and begging me to open it up and read.
I briefly thought about pushing through my exhaustion, but I’d been studying for at least four hours straight. I needed a goddamn break.
So, I grabbed my cloak and swung it over my shoulders. It was cold in here, which meant it was probably freezing out there in the halls. I had no idea where the hell I was going to go, but all I knew was I needed to get out of here.
I pushed my door open, and it made a long creaking sound as I headed out into the hallway. Then I tiptoed as quietly as possible down the spiral staircase that led into the first corridor.
By the time I reached the second hallway, I felt like someone was watching me. Then I remembered the paintings, and I did my best not to make eye contact with the portraits as I walked down the dimly lit corridors. Headmistress Theodora never explicitly said it was forbidden to walk the halls at night, but it seemed like it was against the rules, since not another soul was wandering around at this time of night.
As I continued to wander through the hallways, I came across a strange-looking door. It was made of iron and wood and had carvings engraved all over it, and I noticed the carvings were similar to the ones on the front door of the castle. However, instead of scorpions, spiders, and snakes, the images were of black paws, a pair of closed eyes, pointed ears, and a snout plastered right in the middle of the door.
I realized the carving was of a sleeping wolf stuck within the wood of the door, and the wolf’s eyes remained closed until I neared the door. Then, a pair of vibrant blue orbs flickered open, and the paw prints began to move around. I took a small step forward, and then the snout of the beast curled up and bared its teeth. It snarled at me with a deep, low and threatening growl, as if it was warning me to take a step back.
At first, I debated turning around and heading back to my room, but I was just too damn curious. So, I racked my brain for ideas, and then I remembered the only spell I knew. It was a long shot, but I figured it was worth a try.
“Illuminana,” I whispered.
Fire emerged from the palm of my hand and illuminated everything around me. It was startling to see flames coming from my own hand, and my entire body felt as if electricity was shooting through me. My heart pounded with exhilaration, and I neared the door with my flames glowing blue and red.
The wolf seemed to recoil from the fire since its eyes softened and closed, and as I reached out with my palm engulfed in flames, the door let out a slow whine, like a terrified dog. Then the wolf’s face slowly dissolved into the door and disappeared from view. When I was sure there was no trace of the creature left, I gently pushed the door open and stepped inside.
And my mouth instantly fell open when I saw what laid before me.
The entire room was made out of stone with one small oval window that let in a ray of white light from the moon. It was an armory, and an old fashioned one at that. What really caught my attention were the rows of weapons that hung against the walls. They were all medieval weapons, from swords to hatchets, to axes, spears, and crossbows. As intriguing as they were, though, I felt myself being drawn to the table at the end of the room that was lined with various sized daggers.
The moment I passed the threshold to get to the table, the door slammed shut behind me with a loud echo, but I ignored it as I made my way to the table and studied the daggers. The moonlight shone on each one as if it was a sign from the outside world, and as I looked closer at them, each hilt was intricately carved and made of a different material. Some looked like they were made out of bone, while others were made out of a hardwood. Thanks to the moonlight, I noticed the blades had markings on them as well, but it took me a second to realize they were names. Names of what I could only guess were previous witches, such as Minerva, Willow, and Winnie. Other blades, however, were branded with words I didn’t understand or recognize.
My hand hovered over the daggers, and a strange magnetic force pulled me toward them. Part of me was hesitant to touch them, or rather to pick them up, though, since they seemed as fragile as glass.
I was ready to turn around and leave, but then, one dagger at the end of the table caught my eye, more so than the others. It had a golden hilt with a long, perfectly pointed blade, and the word “vindicta” was engraved into the blade.
I slowly picked the weapon up, and I was half waiting for something to happen as soon as I removed it from its brothers and sisters.
But I stood there, blade in hand … and nothing happened.
I used the moonlight to study the dagger more closely and wondered what “vindicta” meant. Vindicate was the only word I could associate it with. I had a feeling that like other spells, it was derived from Latin, and if I looked it up in the book Vanessa gave me, I was sure I would find the translation.
I was ready to leave the small armory with the blade until I heard a bloodcurdling scream coming from directly outside the window. My blood ran cold, and I rushed over to see what the hell was going on. I caught a glimpse of someone running, or at least she was trying to run. The figure stumbled forward, and I adjusted my sore eyes to try and see who it was.
Then my mouth dropped open when I realized it was Vesta.
Her green hair and lavender skin were glowing under the moonlight, and she was crouched down and clearly having trouble standing up. She tried to move forward, but there must have been something wrong with her leg because she collapsed to the ground as soon as she tried to get back up.
Then I heard a loud growl, loud enough to reach the window, and when I turned my head to locate the source, I saw some kind of creature slowly lurking toward her. From here, it looked like a horse, and I wondered why she would be running and stumbling from a harmless animal.
But then I looked closer.
I realized the creature was also part human, and its fists were clenched by its sides, clearly ready to attack Vesta. She tried to crawl away, and I knew I had to get out there before it was too late.
With the blade in my hand, and without a second thought, I whipped around and yanked the door open with all my force. Then I ran through the corridors to get outside. Luckily, it seemed like my body instinctively remembered where to go to get out, and I ran hard and fast, like never before. I sprinted so hard I could actually feel the blood pumping in my ears.
When I finally reached the doors to the outside, I used all my strength to push them open. It took a second to pry them apart, but as soon as I did, I didn’t even bother to look back as they shut behind me.
All I knew was I had to get to Vesta before the beast got to her first.
I heard another hair-raising scream and followed the sound, and I ran and ran until I saw a towering figure looming over a curled-up Vesta. She was in a fetal position with her arms over her head, and I saw long bloody scratches all over her forearms.
“Hey!” I called out, and I was panting hard. “Over here!”
The beast slowly turned around, and I realized I was looking at a gruesome, colossal centaur. Its lower half was larger than any horse and was tinted a sickly green color. Its hooves were massive, like a pair of dumbbells digging into the earth. The upper half of the creature was tall and muscular, and its eyes were glowing a deep, cobalt blue. It had a pair of large, razor-sharp horns that protruded from its head, and when it turned its attention from Vesta to me, its lips curled up into a menacing smile. There were rows of razor-sharp teeth protruding from its mouth, and when I looked down, I saw claws emerging from its knuckles as well.
“Two souls that dare confront me?” the beast laughed in a deep rumble. “Well, thi
s certainly is a surprise, but I surely welcome it. It’s been a few moons since I’ve tasted Wicca blood.”
Then he turned his attention away from me again, and he was clearly still intent on finishing Vesta off.
“Get the hell away from her,” I warned, and my fist clenched around the dagger I still held in my hand.
The centaur reared his ugly head in my direction and grinned wider.
“With pleasure,” he chuckled. “I can kill you first while she watches.”
The creature then lowered his head so his horns pointed in my direction, but I kept the dagger hidden from view behind my back.
I didn’t anticipate dueling a massive horse-man in the middle of the night, but stranger things had happened to me, so I was just rolling with the punches.
Suddenly, the centaur darted toward me, and the ground shuddered beneath his massive pounding hooves. My heart was racing just as fast as the creature’s long legs, and the air sawed in and out of my lungs as I crouched there and waited until the last possible second. When the horse-monster was less than ten feet away from me, I dove to the side and barrel-rolled through the fallen leaves and underbrush.
I tumbled head over heels, but then I popped back up on my feet and spun around to face my opponent. His momentum had carried him for several yards after I’d jumped out of the way, and he was just now coming to a stop. Then he whirled around and glared at me like an angry bull.
“Looks like I’m going to have to work for my meal,” the beast growled.
“Looks like it,” I replied through my gritted teeth.
The centaur shook his head furiously at me and then dug his hooves into the dirt as he prepared to charge at me once again. I lowered myself into a fighting stance, and my palms were sweating as I clung onto the blade behind me. Then I held my breath and waited for the beast to make his move.
I knew I was at a huge disadvantage with this creature. He was twice my size, with twice the amount of legs, and one kick from his hooves would probably cave in my sternum. So, I couldn’t let it land a blow, or I was done for.
The only thing I could do was try and take out his legs without getting killed. If I could slash at his legs and nick one deep enough, he wouldn’t be able to charge me, and I could hopefully get close enough to land a killing blow.