Scholomance 1

by Logan Jacobs

  The other witches finally pulled back their hoods, and I was shocked to see the three of them had no faces. They had bright orange eyes, but there was no trace of lips, a nose, or bone structure.

  Theodora tossed back her long dark hair and started to laugh like a madwoman. Her blue eyes were bright sun yellow, and her skin was glowing. I sensed a pull toward her, and I tried to take a step closer to see her face. I wanted to watch the youth flow into her features, but then something violently pulled me back. It felt like a strong wind was sucking me backward, and I tried to fight it. I wanted to stay here and watch, but the force pulling me back was much too strong.

  “Stop!” I called out. “I’m not ready to go back.”

  It was useless. As hard as I tried to fight back, the vision in front of me started to blur and fade away. I closed my eyes as a cold shiver went through my body, and I felt as if I was being hurled through another deep hole.

  I had no control over what was happening. I just kept my eyes closed as my body contoured to fall downwards.

  Then the sensation just stopped.

  The next thing I knew, my body hurled forward, and I crashed down onto a white marble floor. I banged my head against it, and I hissed at the flash of pain as warm blood trickled down my brow.

  I recognized the floor as my vision started to clear, and when I slowly looked up, all the women were staring at me with their mouths open. They looked like shadows, and I shook my head in confusion and pain. It took a moment for me to adjust my eyesight. Everything was blurred, and I wasn’t sure if it was because of the shadow teleportation, or because I’d hit my head on the ground.

  Finally, things started to return to normal. When I looked up at Luna, her eyebrows were furrowed, and I couldn’t be sure, but it looked as if her mouth was trembling. She quickly composed herself, though, and shook her head.

  “Not the smoothest landing, but you still managed to teleport,” the white-haired witch said in a faint voice. “Well done.”

  I stood up, but it took a moment. My legs were shaking, and my head was spinning.

  “Wait … Professor--” I started to say, but then she clapped loudly.

  “Now, now, Cole,” she cooed. “It’s time for the others to have a go.”

  She was acting like everything was completely normal, but I could see the confusion and fear in her purple eyes.

  “Let us continue,” Luna added in a sing-song voice.

  “But, Professor, he came crashing down like a clumsy donkey, why should he get a pass if he--” Sweeny whined.

  “Sweeny, what in Devil’s name makes you think that you’re the professor?” Luna spat. Her purple eyes had shifted from bewildered to furious, and she reminded me of a brewing storm. Calm one moment and then destructive the next.

  “Apologies, Professor,” Sweeny muttered under her breath. Her face turned pale, her chapped lips tightened into a thin line, and she lowered her disfigured, gaunt, and mutilated face in shame. “I meant no disrespect.”

  “Good.” Luna nodded curtly and then gestured to Akira. “Akira, you’re next. For the rest of you, I want you to just teleport into a different corner of the room.”

  Akira nodded and teleported successfully into the opposite corner. One by one, the rest of the witches took their turns, and each one managed to successfully teleport to a different spot in the room and passed the second part of the quiz.

  “Well done, everyone,” Luna said in a strained voice. “I wish you all the best for your next class, and I hope you all complete your final exam. If you do not, then it was simply not meant to be.”

  Everyone muttered a thank you and bowed deeply before heading out the door, but I remained behind. I refused to get up until Luna answered my questions.

  “Cole,” she said once everyone was gone, “are you hard of hearing? Class is dismissed.”

  “I know,” I replied in a firm voice, “but I want to know what the hell just happened to me. We both know I didn’t teleport to the damn study hall. I was transported into a completely different fucking point in time.”

  “You teleported as a shadow,” she said in a cold voice. “What more do I need to say? Just be glad I gave you a pass.”

  “You know damn well I deserved that pass,” I countered. “I know you know more than you’re letting on. Why aren’t you being honest with me? Why is no one being truthful with me for one fucking minute? Who the hell am I? Really?”

  Everything was exploding at once, and I was sick and tired of the secrets and lies.

  Luna’s mouth tightened into a firm line, and her violet eyes went cold.

  “It is not your place to question me about your gift,” she muttered. “If I were you, I’d just focus on making it to the next semester in one piece.”

  “But--”

  “Cole,” Luna interrupted me, “as angry as you think you are, it is just a drop of water compared to the seas of rage I keep in check. Leave now or you will witness my fury.”

  I could feel my blood boiling from frustration. None of these women would give me a straight answer since day one.

  Maybe it was time I fully accepted the fact that they never would.

  So, I took in a deep sigh, snatched up my textbook, and left the classroom.

  Fuck these witches. If I wanted to find out why I was here, I could do it on my goddamn own.

  Chapter 16

  The next day, I sat in the classroom for my penultimate class, and I patiently waited for the other witches and the professor to arrive. I was eager to see what this class was going to be about, especially since I was walking in blindly, but that only made it more exciting.

  I looked around as I leaned back on the rear legs of my chair. This room was vastly different from the Shadow classroom. Instead of deep blue walls, stars, and a white marble floor, this room was painted blood red. The desks, which were long enough to seat two people, were also tinted a deep brownish-red. The floor was black as night, and two small stained glass windows had caught my attention as soon as I stepped into the crimson-colored room.

  I studied them carefully now. The windows portrayed a small graveyard and a pale moon hanging above the graves. A naked tree loomed over a hole in the ground, and a group of witches surrounded the empty tomb with their hands hovering over the earth.

  Like everything else in this academy, the image was ominous and foreboding, and it sent a chill coursing through my body.

  I waited in the classroom for about another minute, and then the first witch to show up was Vesta. Her loose green hair tumbled in messy curls over her shoulders, and her silver eyes were filled with exhaustion as she stepped into the classroom. Her black and white uniform was also wrinkled as if she had slept in her clothes all night.

  “Why must you always insist on being the first one to class every morning?” she grumbled as she sat at the desk behind me.

  This morning, she seemed even more irritated and hostile than usual, and I guessed she had been up all night searching for the Blood Pact. Now that we only had two more classes left, I knew the witches were squirming with nerves and desperation, and I tried to imagine their distraught faces when they searched the library and found nothing.

  It brought me a strange sense of satisfaction, and a small smile spread across my face. The time to let them in on my little secret would come soon, and I couldn’t wait for it.

  I turned around to face Vesta before responding.

  “You seem a bit cranky,” I started. “Maybe you need something to relax? I could help you out. You just have to ask.”

  The lavender-skinned witch slammed down her book with a heavy thud and glared at me, but I just shook my head and chuckled. Then she pretended to read her textbook, and I could see her chest moving up and down with heavy, impatient breathing.

  Getting on their nerves was too damn fun.

  The classroom started to slowly fill up, and we all quietly waited for the next professor. Faye ended up being the last one to arrive, again, and she scowled before she
took a seat next to me once more. Then she tossed back her long red hair, opened up her textbook, and avoided looking at me.

  I still hadn’t acquired my own book, so I glanced at Faye’s copy. The cover was deep red and made of velvet, and the front of the thick textbook had a marking of a skull and dead roses surrounding it. Like the others, it was at least a thousand pages long.

  “Mortuus Libro,” I muttered as I read the title.

  “Book of the--” Faye started to say, but I already knew the translation.

  “Dead,” I finished.

  My skills of premonition were growing stronger each day.

  “That’s right,” she huffed in annoyance.

  The redhead opened her book and started to read, but I just leaned back and folded my arms behind my head. I was calm and collected, while these witches were twitching nervously in their seats.

  Several minutes later, we all shot our heads up when we heard the sound of light footsteps approaching the room, and I kept my mouth from falling slack when the next professor stepped inside.

  She was a tall, gorgeous witch. She wore a bright red cloak, and her long wild hair was a shade of bright, fiery cherry red, far brighter than Faye’s hair. I immediately recognized her from the banquet hall, since I’d seen her dining with Luna and Vanessa a few times. She was just as beautiful as the others, and her bright red eyes burned like embers in a fire. When she stared at me, she smiled a sharp-toothed grin. She had a pair of small vampire-looking fangs, and her nails were long, red, and sharp.

  “Good morning, everyone,” she said in a sultry voice, “and welcome to Necromancy. I’m Professor Crimson. Now, I’m sure you’re all excited to commence as soon as possible, and I assure you that we will. But first, who can tell me why Necromancy is such a crucial skill for all witches to possess?”

  “It allows us to raise the dead and use them to obey our will,” Akira recited, and her coal-black eyes glinted with dark anticipation.

  “Yes, that’s correct, Akira.” Crimson smiled and made a full circle around the desks before she stopped in front of me with a mischievous smile. “And do we ever raise Wiccas from the dead, Cole?”

  I could immediately tell she didn’t want me to answer correctly. Her smile told me she would love to see me fail. Just like the others.

  “No,” I guessed, “you do not.”

  “And why is that?” she questioned.

  “Because we would never tear a Wicca from hell where she can be at peace, unless she committed a heinous crime while she roamed among the living,” Faye interjected. “Then, that would be the only exception.”

  I knew Faye didn’t jump in to save my ass. She just knew the answer and wanted to show off, I could see it in her smug smile.

  “Very good, Faye,” Crimson responded. “Looks like you’re going to have to do a lot of reading to catch up, Cole.”

  I didn’t bother to point out Faye didn’t even give me the chance to answer. Instead, I just leaned forward and flashed the professor a confident smile.

  “I’m sure I’ll catch up with no problem,” I said. “There’s no need to worry about me.”

  Crimson forced a smile as she walked over to her desk and pulled out a copy of the Book of the Dead.

  “Who said I was worried?” she chuckled. “It’s your life that will be on the line during the exam, not mine.”

  She dropped the book onto my side of the desk and then returned to the front of the class.

  “Since the final exam is coming up, you will all have to pay very close attention,” she began. “I personally do not care who does or does not make it out of the final alive, but I do cherish my time, and I hope I’m not wasting it on weaklings. So, I only expect the best, understood?”

  “Yes, Professor,” everyone replied in unison.

  She nodded and gracefully headed to a small door toward the front of the classroom. I didn’t even notice it was there until now. It had been painted the same shade of red and blended into the wall.

  Crimson stepped inside the small dark room, and we all listened as she began rummaging through the mysterious closet. Finally, she found what she was looking for and emerged from the closet with a small cage in her hand. Inside, there was a little, white, albino rabbit, and it sniffed and hopped about.

  The professor placed the cage on her desk and then lured the small animal out of its cage. It hopped on her desk, and its little pink nose twitched as it smelled the air.

  “Now everyone watch closely,” she instructed. “This is not the easiest of spells to conduct.”

  The rabbit’s ears perked up as Crimson rummaged through her desk.

  “Hmm … now where the devil did I put it?” she hummed. “Ah, here it is!”

  I watched with wide eyes as she retrieved a large butcher knife with a red wooden hilt from her desk.

  Crimson smiled at us before she slowly raised her hands high above her head. Then she swiftly brought the blade down and plunged it into the rabbit’s back.

  Over and over again.

  The poor animal let out a series of terrible cries as blood splattered all over Crimson’s desk. Red drops flew up onto her beautiful face, but she didn’t seem to care. She just licked off the blood that had reached her red lips and moaned with pleasure as she tasted it.

  Finally, the bunny stopped twitching entirely, and the air smelled tangy and metallic. Crimson looked down at the small dead animal, with her hands still wrapped around the hilt of her weapon, and frowned.

  “Seems I’ve made a bit of a mess,” she sighed as she pulled the dagger out of the white and red fur. “Oh, well.”

  When I looked at the other witches, none of them seemed fazed. In fact, they had hungry expressions on their faces, and I knew they were bloodthirsty and eager to learn.

  I turned back to watch as Crimson’s hand hovered over the dead rabbit’s body. It was now on its back, with all legs extended upward into the air.

  “Now, it is important that you resurrect the creature as soon as you’ve killed it,” she instructed. “Understood? Otherwise, it won’t be as powerful.”

  We all nodded and watched as Crimson closed her ruby red eyes and extended her hands. Then she took in a long, deep breath, and she began to recite the spell.

  The desk started to shake, and it was like the room was vibrating.

  “Resúrgere habent cum sceleratis mihi benedictionem,” she intoned.

  Rise again with my unholy blessing.

  The rabbit’s small body began to convulse on the desk, and its tiny red eyes started to glow with life. Its stab wounds slowly sewed up on their own, and its legs were gently beginning to move again. Then the rabbit turned around and stood upright in front of the entire class. It almost looked the same. The only difference now was that its red eyes were illuminated, and its fur was more gray than white.

  The class clapped, and Crimson raised a pale hand up into the air in a gesture for us to quiet down.

  “Now, that’s not even the most impressive part,” she chuckled, and her red eyes glittered with pride. “Just wait until you see this.”

  The scarlet-haired witch returned to the closet and pulled out another, smaller cage. This time, there was a little brown and white hamster in there. It squeaked and thrashed like it could sense something was seriously amiss when Crimson placed the cage on her desk.

  The professor pulled the small creature from its hay covered prison and then gently stroked its little head as if to calm it down.

  “Hush now, little one.” She grinned with her sharp fangs. “It will all be over soon.”

  She placed the hamster down on her desk, and the rabbit simply stared at it. The rabbit’s expression was neutral, while the pitiful little hamster was squeaking and trying to run back into the cage. The poor rodent sensed that something was terribly wrong.

  I could feel it, too.

  Crimson shut the cage to prevent the hamster from hiding, and its small eyes darted back and forth. It was desperate to find a way out. The lit
tle rodent looked at the rabbit, and then again at Crimson, and it seemed to quietly beg for an escape.

  “Kill it,” Crimson whispered in the rabbit’s direction, and there was a dead look in her red eyes as she spoke.

  Suddenly, the rabbit leaped from its spot, with its mouth bared open. Its sharp, brown teeth bit into the hamster with a loud crunch, and the hamster wailed in pain. The rabbit’s eyes widened as it squeezed its mouth tighter around the small rodent and chomped down into its matted fur. The rabbit’s teeth dug deeper into the dying creature, and it penetrated into the bones, skin, and organs. Blood gushed out of the rabbit’s mouth, and it started to chew harder on the hamster. By now, the hamster was dead and just meat and bones. It was a feast for the rabbit now, and he devoured the meal in front of him with immense pleasure.

  “Yes, little one, you may feed.” Crimson smiled as she petted the rabbit. “Well done, my love.”

  “Amazing,” Faye whispered, and her green eyes were wide and alert. “Absolutely riveting.”

  I quietly agreed. As gruesome as it was to watch, I couldn’t help but be fascinated. The once docile rabbit was now Crimson’s personal killing machine.

  “Now,” the professor said as she placed the monstrous rabbit back into its cage, “we will all start off with something small and simple.”

  She waved her hand, and a cloud of red smoke rose from the surface of my desk. It smelled of fur, hay, and smoke, and when the colorful cloud disappeared, there was a gray mouse on my desk. Its black beady eyes stared up at me and squeaked, and I sensed that it was both confused and terrified.

  I looked around, and everyone had a rodent of some kind sitting on top of their side of the desk. All the witches were smiling a bloodthirsty grin as they looked down at their sacrifices.

  “Now, be creative with your kill.” Crimson smiled. “I’ll let you have a little fun with it.”

  “Awesome,” Faye whispered.

  I looked over at her, and she was glancing around the desk. She spotted a quill in between us and snatched it. Then she took it, and without hesitation, stabbed her mouse repeatedly with the point. Again and again, she struck the small creature, and there were about a dozen holes in the mouse by the time she was finished. Dark blood, almost black, seeped from the broken little body and spread across her desk.