Scholomance 1

by Logan Jacobs

“You fucking whore,” he spat. Drool dribbled from the corner of his chapped, pale lips, and his eyes were filled with madness and fear.

  Luna sighed as if bothered by a minor inconvenience. Then she tossed back her long hair and muttered an incantation none of us could hear.

  “What did she say?” Faye whispered.

  It would seem she forgot about our no talking agreement.

  “I don’t know,” I murmured back.

  We all watched as Luna placed a hand over the man’s greasy forehead. Then his eyes widened, and he started to groan as if he were in deep, unbearable pain, and the other prisoners watched in horror as the man began to convulse. It looked as if all his bones were breaking at once as he buckled over, and his eyes bulged from their sockets. He continued to violently shake and foam at the mouth until his lips slowly peeled open, and a thick, black smoke emerged from his lips.

  I stared in both awe and horror as the man slowly shriveled up and then fell to the floor with the thud.

  “See, class?” Luna grinned. “Easy as apple worm pie.”

  I watched as the floating black cloud hovered above us all, and the other prisoners wailed and shook as Luna floated back to her desk. Then she took out a dark ceramic mug and glanced up at the smoke with determination and pride.

  “Nervo Mihi,” she intoned.

  The smoke swiftly drifted from the air and seeped into the mug, and the white-haired witch gingerly placed the lid on top of the jar and flashed a smile at all of us.

  “Now, I have trapped my own minion,” she said. “It is not a soul, but simply a shadow, one that can be tethered to you during the final exam if you wish.”

  No one said anything until I raised my hand.

  “Yes, Cole?” Luna asked sweetly.

  “How long will a tethered shadow last for?” I questioned.

  I hadn’t seen or read anything about it in the textbook, and I was curious.

  “Depending on how strong the host was, that’s how long your shadow companion will survive,” she explained. “However, these humans are weak. We keep them locked up for months at a time, only to use for demonstration purposes, of course. So, when you are attempting to catch a shadow for your exam, be sure to hold onto something strong enough to get you through the challenges.”

  Everyone nodded, and I looked at each remaining man. They were pale as a sheet and shiny with sweat, and I could practically feel their hearts beating from here.

  “Who would like to go first?” Luna asked.

  The other witches looked utterly taken aback. I certainly was. We hadn’t had a single chance to practice on anything yet, and we didn’t even hear the spell.

  No one raised their hand, and the air grew heavy and awkward. I had no idea what was going on, and Luna’s face shifted into a broad smile.

  “What a serious bunch you are,” she giggled. “I’m only teasing, of course. You haven’t even had a chance to practice on something small yet.”

  Her laugh was sweet, but there was a deep darkness in her light purple eyes. I knew she may have looked beautiful and innocent, but there was a bloodthirsty aura about her. I could feel it whenever I looked into her eyes.

  Luna cackled before she flicked her wrist, and as the chained-up men disappeared into oblivion, I could practically feel the rest of the class sigh with instant relief.

  “We’ll start with something small,” Luna instructed.

  She waved her hand, and a cloud of black smoke appeared over her desk. Then I heard small, squeaky little grunts, and when the smoke vanished, I saw a tiny yellow mouse with beady red eyes on her desk.

  “Now, as you can see in the text, the incantation is, ‘sombra de la muerte,’” she said. “It’s a simple incantation, but if you are not completely focused, it could take your own shadow instead of ripping the shadow off your host, so pay very close attention to your pronunciation.”

  I heard Faye gulp beside me, and she adjusted herself in her seat.

  The mouse squirmed on the desk, and Luna smiled at all of us.

  “Who wants to go first?” she asked.

  No one moved.

  “I’m not joking this time,” she said. Her tone had grown more serious, and her eyes were filled with intense focus. “You’re all going to have to practice, so I’d suggest you set your fears aside and come up here.”

  “I’ll do it,” I said without thinking.

  “Fantastic!” Luna exclaimed and clasped her hands together. “Come up here, now. Don’t be shy.”

  I stood up, and when I approached the desk, I took in a slow, long deep breath. The mouse’s small, red eyes darted around the room, and it squeaked as I neared it as if it knew its time was up. I focused on the little rodent, raised my open palm, and muttered the incantation under my breath.

  “Sombra de la muerte.”

  At first, the mouse didn’t move. I thought I had fucked up, and for a second, I felt like I was going to die.

  Then, suddenly, the mouse started to quiver. It shook violently, its red eyes bulged out of its tiny skull, and it squealed and squirmed as it continued to vigorously shake on the desk.

  “Now, take the jar,” Luna ordered as she handed me a small, ceramic black container.

  I took the jar from her and stepped back. Then I twisted the lid open and raised the little pot as the mouse’s mouth opened up. Smoke appeared from its tiny mouth, and the dark cloud hovered up in the air.

  “Nervo mihi,” I said, and I watched as the black smoke funneled into my container.

  I sealed the jar shut, and the class forced themselves to lightly clap. The mouse was dead on the desk, and all its feet pointed upward as its tongue lolled out of its small mouth. Its skin was gaunt around its bones, and it looked like all its organs had been sucked out of its body.

  “Well done--” Luna said, but then her eyes widened as she stared out of the window behind me.

  She looked as if she’d seen a ghost, so I followed her gaze and saw that the room was gradually beginning to darken. All traces of light had morphed into cold darkness, and when I looked at the crescent moon window, the small sliver of gray clouds that were there a moment ago had converted to black.

  Everyone’s faces paled, and they stared at each other. It was clear they were all searching for answers.

  “What’s going on?” Morgana breathed.

  “I have no idea,” Vesta replied.

  “Professor?” Sweeny croaked. “What’s happening?”

  Luna shushed everyone and continued to silently stare out the window. Her full mouth parted slightly, and her eyes were focused entirely on the sky. The candles were still burning brightly, but there was no trace of daylight left. It was as if it had been sucked right out of the room, and we were in a black void. The air went deadly cold, and ice covered the window.

  What the hell did I just do?

  “What’s happening?” I asked Luna in a low voice.

  “You’ve blotted out the sun,” Luna whispered as she swallowed hard. “I haven’t seen this for ages … not from a preschooler … ”

  I wasn’t sure how long the darkness was going to last, and I felt as if I were holding my breath. My classmates’ faces were masks of confusion and awe, but Luna was completely mesmerized. Her gaze was wholly fixated on the window, and it seemed as if she couldn’t pull away. She didn’t even pay any attention to the rest of the class as they searched her face for answers.

  I had a feeling she would stand there staring out the window until the sun returned, even if it took hours, so I cleared my throat.

  “Professor?” I said.

  Luna didn’t respond. She didn’t even move. She just stood there, still as stone, barely breathing. She looked like a beautiful statue.

  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the pale sunlight slowly returned to the room. The warmth returned, too, and it felt as if everyone exhaled a long sigh of relief.

  The witches started murmuring with each other, but I didn’t pay attention to anything they were
saying.

  “How did I do that?” I demanded with a little more force in my voice. “What the hell just happened?”

  “Do not question it,” Luna snapped. “Do not ever question external forces.”

  “But I don’t understand,” I started to say, but she raised her hand to stop me mid-sentence.

  When I looked into her eyes, I saw confusion and something else. She just stared at me, as if I were some kind of puzzle that she needed to solve, so I took a step back. I was feeling just as bewildered as her, and it was driving me crazy.

  “Class … let’s … just turn to the next chapter and focus on teleportation,” Luna instructed as she tore her gaze from mine.

  “But none of us had a chance to practice the shadow spell,” Sweeny argued.

  “Not now!” Luna snapped. “Do as I say and read the chapters.”

  We spent the next few hours studying the material for teleportation, but the air around Luna had changed entirely. Her playful and mischievous nature had morphed into a very distant and wary tension, and she even had trouble making eye contact with me as she spoke.

  “That’s enough for today,” Luna sighed after we finished the chapter. “Tomorrow, everyone will get a chance to practice the shadow incantation before enacting the spell on a human.”

  Faye slammed her book shut, huffed angrily, and then stormed out of the classroom. The rest of the witches followed after the redhead, but Akira stopped by my desk before she left the room.

  “Once again, you manage to disrupt our studies with your constant desire to one-up us,” she said, and her black eyes flashed. “It’s getting tedious, and I’m personally sick of always being in your shadow. No pun intended.”

  I sighed and then gestured with my finger so she’d lean down toward me. Akira narrowed her eyes, but still leaned toward me, and I raised my mouth so I was right next to her ear.

  “Do you still feel my cum in your tight little pussy, or did you manage to clean it all out?” I whispered.

  Akira jerked away from me, and her face turned twelve different shades of red. She growled, scowled, and then flew out of the room without saying another word, and I chuckled as I slowly stood.

  “Wait, Cole,” Luna called out before I could reach the door. “Stay for a moment.”

  I took a step back and folded my arms across my chest.

  “Yeah?” I asked. “Are you going to explain what the hell just happened back there?”

  “I can only say one thing,” she murmured as her purple eyes roved across my face. “What you did today … I have only seen a few people with your ability, and as much as I hate the fact that you’re here, I do not believe you should waste it.”

  “Well, at least you’re honest,” I chuckled. “But how can I waste an ability when I can’t even control it?”

  “I can show you,” Luna answered. “If you trust me, I can show you how to control it.”

  Like the rest of the professors, she was exceedingly difficult to read, so I couldn’t tell if she sincerely wanted me to survive the exam. Her demeanor throughout class had changed from hot to cold, and I honestly had no idea who was truly on my side.

  But I sensed that, for right now, she meant well.

  Also, it helped that she was fucking beautiful.

  “Alright.” I finally nodded. “Fine … let’s do it.”

  Luna grinned and looked out the window. “Let’s go outside and into the woods.”

  I nodded and followed her out of the classroom and down the corridors to the front entrance. As soon as we were outside, the white-haired witch made her way toward the top of the hill, and I followed her, but I wondered what the hell we were going to do.

  “Now,” she said as soon as we were on the top of the hill. “Focus on the sun. Take in the faint rays of sunlight and focus all your energy into it."

  “Okay,” I muttered.

  I furrowed my brow and stared up at the pale and shrouded sun. I studied it, as she instructed, but as I continued to just stand here, I couldn’t help but wonder what the hell I was doing.

  “You’re not focused,” Luna said after a moment. “You have too many questions roaming through your mind. You need to let go and stop asking yourself countless questions.”

  “That’s easy for you to say,” I grumbled. “You weren’t the one who was dumped here out of nowhere, with no recollection of where you came from or who you are.”

  “Stop complaining,” she said as she rolled her beautiful purple eyes. “And do what I tell you.”

  “Fine,” I chuckled.

  “Now, say the incantation,” Luna instructed. “Hold onto the sunlight, as if you can touch it with your fingertips.”

  I nodded and stretched out my hand. “Sombra de la muerte.”

  Luna’s eyes were glued to me as I recited the spell. Leaves started to rustle, and then the air suddenly grew ice cold. The sun slowly began to change color above us, and it shifted from a pale yellow to a deep, dark red.

  Then it completely faded into black.

  The sky darkened simultaneously, and the air grew even colder. I could feel the icy wind penetrating me to the bone, and I fought back the chill to stop myself from shaking.

  “Do not let go of it,” Luna instructed. “Stay focused.”

  I nodded, gritted my teeth, and kept my hand stretched out as I focused all my attention on the black sun.

  “Do you feel the energy coursing through you?” she asked in an excited voice. “Do you feel it, Cole?”

  “Yes,” I grunted.

  I had to fight back the bitter cold, and I refused to let my body shiver or my teeth chatter. I kept my gaze focused on the black sun and did not let go. I could feel the light coursing through me, and dark energy pierced me to the bone. I felt like I was absorbing everything. The earth, the air, and life itself.

  “Now, let it go,” Luna whispered.

  I couldn’t. Not at first. The pull was too strong and powerful, and it tasted sweet on my tongue. It was like electricity was coursing through every vein in my body and through my fingertips.

  “Cole,” she hissed. “Let it go.”

  My eyelids started to flutter, and for a moment, I thought I was going to collapse. I knew, deep down, that I had to let it go.

  So, I exhaled and slowly let my hand fall down to my side. Everything started to merge back to normal, and Luna sighed loudly as if she had been holding her breath as well.

  “Incredible.” She nodded. “Well done.”

  “Thank you,” I murmured as I flexed my fingers and rubbed the feeling back into my face. “Why am I able to do this--?”

  “I can’t tell you that,” she said in a firm voice. “All I can do is make sure that you learn how to properly control it.”

  I still had so many questions, but I knew they weren’t going to be answered. There was no point in trying to push the white-haired witch. She was just as secretive and stubborn as the rest of them.

  “Alright,” I replied as I raised my hands up in defense, “I’ll stop asking.”

  “Good, now, let us return,” she said. “I’m catching quite the chill out here.”

  Luna motioned for me to go down the hill, and we headed back inside the castle. As soon as we returned to the classroom corridor, she gave me the once over.

  “I’ll see you in class tomorrow,” she said with a small wink. “Do not be late.”

  “I won’t,” I promised. “Thanks.”

  Luna nodded but then placed a dainty finger against her lips.

  “Don’t tell anyone that I helped you.” She grinned. “Or I might have to kill you.”

  I laughed, even though part of me actually believed she would stay true to that threat. Then I parted ways with her and headed to the study hall.

  I took a table in the far corner, and I began to read the Shadow textbook from front to back. I stayed there for hours as I let the words sink in.

  Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything about casting out the sun. I thought I’d find
something in there about blocking out daylight, but there was nothing.

  To say I was disappointed would have been an understatement.

  I sighed and closed the book, and I was about to leave until I heard my group of witches coming into the study hall.

  “Why the hell wasn’t it in there?” Vesta shrieked in a panicked voice.

  “Keep your damn voice down,” Faye hissed.

  “Relax, it’s late, no one is in here,” Morgana said.

  I held my breath and strained to listen, and I smiled to myself when I realized what they were talking about.

  “We have no copy of the Book of Survival,” Faye groaned. “We’re completely fucked! The pages were gone, and I swear Vanessa’s wolf was going to eat us.”

  “I bet Cole fucking stole it from her book,” Akira growled. “I told you all that we shouldn’t underestimate him.”

  “If what he said is true, we need that spell,” Vesta sighed.

  “I thought you said you thought he was lying?” Faye hissed.

  “If he was lying, why would he take all the spells?” Vesta huffed. “It must be powerful. We have to do something. We have to--”

  “Calm the fuck down,” Morgana cut her off. “We’ll figure something out.”

  It seemed like Morgana was the only one who was keeping her composure.

  Sweeny, on the other hand, seemed to be the angriest out of all of them.

  “How can you be so fucking calm?” the scarred witch snapped. “We have no copy of the book. What part of that do you not understand?”

  “First of all, we need to just sit here and study for our next quiz,” Morgana sighed. “We need to focus on one problem at a time. You know Luna’s reputation. She won’t hesitate to gut any one of us if we fail.”

  “She’s right,” Akira said after a moment. “We didn’t even have time to practice today, thanks to Cole.”

  “Fucking Cole,” Morgana sneered.

  “I hate him,” Sweeney growled. “He’s always so smug. Fucking male.”

  “We have to find the Blood Pact before he does,” Vesta said. “There has to be another copy somewhere. We need to search the library more.”

  I smiled to myself in pure satisfaction. I was always one step ahead of these relentless witches.