Scholomance 1

by Logan Jacobs

  Sweeny gulped and took her place at the end of the line.

  Then Theodora stepped forward and clasped her hands together before she flashed us all a smile.

  “Now,” she began, “I know all of you are anxious, and I cannot blame you, but I’d like to remind you that fear will only hinder your performance during the exam. You need to clear your mind and allow the dark spirits to enter your mind and soul. Allow them to guide you and trust your darkest instincts.”

  Everyone nodded, but I could still taste the terror in the air. The headmistress had a point, but I could sense that it was easier said than done for these witches, and I could practically feel Vesta trembling by my side.

  “Now, the first thing you will do is enter a maze,” Vanessa explained as she took a small step forward. “This maze will be challenging to navigate, and that’s where your skills of premonition will come into play. The maze will also be filled with obstacles, beasts, and other deadly beings that will always be following you. A sacrifice will have to be made to increase your strength and find your way out of the maze and into the dark wood. Shadow and premonition skills will help you, but it is not guaranteed. If you make it out of the labyrinth and forest alive, then you will come across a small village. It will be up to you to curse the village and bring them back to life. You must bring back the dead as prisoners for us.”

  “You will then be rewarded with your life and a wand,” Crimson added, and she flashed a sharp, fanged grin.

  “As well as a graduation ceremony.” Luna smiled.

  I briefly wondered how long the exam would last, and Theodora’s blue eyes drifted in my direction.

  “The test can last from two hours to two weeks,” she said as she looked at me. “It is never certain, I’m afraid.”

  I nodded and glanced at the other women. Their faces were white-washed, and their eyes were wide with fear.

  I, on the other hand, was completely ready to take on this exam.

  “Alright, then,” Vanessa said with a forced smile. “May the devil be with you all and help to guide your way.”

  “Let the exam begin,” Luna intoned as she gestured for us to follow her. “Come on now.”

  The white-haired woman left the other witches, and I looked over my shoulder one last time. Vanessa and Crimson were glaring at me, but Theodora discreetly flashed me a small wink.

  I knew the headmistress was the only one who was prepared to see my success and actually be glad to see me alive at the end of it.

  Luna led us down a narrow stone corridor and toward a small, wooden door. The air was moist all around us, and the sound of breathing and footsteps echoed in the narrow passageway as we headed to the exit.

  When Luna pushed the door open, pale sunlight shone over all our faces, and when I looked ahead of me, I saw the entranceway to a hedge maze. It didn’t look terrifying at all. In fact, it was beautiful. Red roses and yellow sunflowers grew out the maze bushes, and the trail was covered with something that looked like sea glass. The bushes were also colored a vibrant green that reminded me of emerald stones, and all the bright hues stood out in sharp contrast against the pale sky.

  Songbirds chirped in the air, and Luna breathed in.

  “Such a lovely day,” she cooed, “it’s a shame I have to do this.”

  We all exchanged confused looks with each other. What did she mean?

  Then Luna raised her hand and blocked the sun with her palm. Dark clouds emerged out of nowhere, and the sun turned black. She was doing the exact same thing I had done during her Shadow class.

  She was turning away the sun and creating a dark, cold, freezing night.

  Not only was she changing the sunlight into darkness, but she was also killing the flowers, and the green maze wilted into gray, dying bushes. The songbirds had also stopped chirping, and the only sound above us was the cawing of angry crows.

  “Well, this is it.” Luna smiled as she looked at each of our faces. “Enter the maze, and the exam will officially begin. I bid you farewell. As I said earlier, I doubt any of you besides Cole will live.”

  She twirled her silver skirts around, and we all stood there, frozen, at the mouth of the gray maze. The smell of rotting earth and leaves filled the air, and the howling wind pierced our skin and penetrated down to the bone.

  It looked as if we were about to enter the belly of a beast, and I could sense the anger and hunger coming from deep within the maze.

  A cold wind was pulling me in, so I took a step forward into the maze. When I turned around, all the women were staring at me with open mouths and wide eyes.

  “Come on,” I said as I pulled out my dagger. “It’s now or never.”

  They all took a deep breath, nodded, and followed my lead. I had no idea where the hell I was supposed to go, but all I knew was that if I didn’t try my absolute hardest, then we would all end up dead or burned alive at the stake.

  Either way, the exam had officially begun, and all our lives were at stake. No matter our differences, I sincerely hoped I could keep the witches alive.

  As well as myself.

  Chapter 19

  The earth beneath me was cold, damp, and uneven as I approached the maze. Stones, twigs, and dead leaves were scattered all around the ground, and knotted roots made it hard to walk steadily. I could feel the wet soil as I pushed forward, and it seeped through my new leather boots and sent cold shivers up my body. The air around us was cloudy with mist, and it had a strange, smoky smell to it. All I could hear were the twigs and dead leaves that snapped and crunched underneath me and a murder of crows that fiercely cawed above us, as if they were trying to warn us to turn back. The sky above us was the color of charcoal, and occasionally, a bolt of lightning would split the ebony blanket.

  The witches panted heavily behind me as they followed my every step. The deeper we went down the path, the thicker the fog grew, and the sky blackened. So far, though, we hadn’t come across any twists or turns, and the maze just seemed to be leading us deeper into its core.

  Finally, we came to an opening of some kind. It was made from the same gray bush as the maze, and the circular black entranceway was covered with thorns and vines. I found it odd we hadn’t spotted any other turns yet, but this was just the beginning. Who knew how deep, dark, and deceiving this maze would prove to be.

  “That’s it,” I said as I pointed to the opening, “that’s where we have to go.”

  “Satan,” Vesta breathed behind me, “I have a terrible feeling about this, Cole. It’s like we’re about to walk into the belly of a beast. ”

  “But look deep within yourself … can’t you feel as if this is the way forward? I want you to think carefully before you answer that,” I said as I slowly turned around to face her. “Because personally, I feel this is exactly where we need to go.”

  Vesta studied me with those molten silver eyes and bit down on her full lower lip.

  “Yes, it is,” she said, now with more confidence and determination in her voice. “Let’s go.”

  I flashed her a quick smile and then turned my attention back to the opening. The darkness ahead of me almost had a magnetic pull that I couldn’t resist, and while I knew this was the way to go, I wasn’t about to walk in blind.

  “Illuminana,” I whispered.

  My hand glowed a fiery green and lit the way ahead of us. I took the first step inside the mouth of the small passageway, and gray bushes and thorns surrounded us. My heart pounded with anticipation, and my other hand was slick with sweat as we walked through the small burrow. I knew anything could emerge at any time, so all my senses were on high alert as my eyes darted in every direction.

  While I lit the way and led the witches ahead, I pulled my dagger from my waistband and extended it outward as I walked. If anything tried to leap at me as soon as we reached the other side, I’d be ready to plunge my weapon into its heart.

  Well, as long as it wasn’t a troll, or a giant, or something ten times my size. If that were the case, then other metho
ds of magic would have to be used.

  We all made it through the gray maze tunnel, and when we were officially deep inside the center of the labyrinth, we all formed a small circle. I glanced around, and there were four different paths we could take.

  But only one of them would lead us out of here.

  Now was the time to use my premonition skills, so I closed my eyes, breathed in, and felt the energy all around me.

  “Well?” I heard Morgana hiss under her breath. “Which way is it?”

  “Maybe if you keep quiet and focus, you’ll figure it out, too,” I muttered.

  The brunette huffed but then went silent.

  Suddenly, I could sense something, and it was pulling me upward.

  “North,” I blurted with excitement, and I snapped open my eyes. “We have to go north.”

  “I felt that, too,” Morgana gasped.

  “Same,” Vesta breathed.

  “Let’s go, then,” Faye insisted with her wide, greenish-gold eyes.

  Everyone made a move to go, except for Sweeny. She just stood there with a frown on her gruesome, pallid face, and her scarred arms were folded across her flat chest.

  “I don’t feel it,” she snapped. “My mind is telling me to go west, not fucking north.”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Sweeny,” Akira hissed, “it’s five against one. We’re going north. Come on.”

  “You can go wherever the hell you want,” Sweeny sneered. “I’m not going to follow this one.”

  The scarred witch jabbed a crooked finger at me, and her bloody mouth curled into disgust. She hated me even more than the others, and this fully proved it. She’d rather risk her life than take the wiser choice.

  Akira was right, though. It was five against one.

  “Then so be it, Sweeny,” I replied in a stoic voice.

  “Did you all do the blood oath with him?” she growled.

  “Yes,” Vesta sighed.

  “Fucking traitors,” Sweeny hissed and barred her sharp teeth. “He’s a man. A human man. I can’t believe you’d let him control you.”

  “We want to live,” Morgana grunted. “Are you coming with us? We’ll be safer together.”

  “No,” Sweeny scoffed. “We are witches. We are Satan’s chosen. It’s our job to defeat the minions of the Elder God, not submit to some male and become pregnant.”

  “Uhhh, that’s not at all how it’s going to--” Vesta started to say.

  “You’ve already taken his seed,” Sweeny interrupted her. “And now he’ll just fuck each of you whenever he wants. You are his toys now. No. The rest of you can trail after him like loyal bitches. I’m going to win this on my own.”

  The scarred, bitter witch turned around and started to walk toward the path that headed west.

  “Wait, Sweeny, stop!” Morgana called out as she tried to reach for Sweeny’s arm, but Vesta stopped her and pulled her close.

  “There’s no use in trying,” the lavender-skinned witch whispered. “She didn’t even partake in the Pact. She made up her mind, and now her fate is in her own hands.”

  “But--” Morgana tried to argue, but I raised a hand to cut her off.

  “Vesta’s absolutely right,” I said. “I’m sorry, but there was never any hope for her. She just never listened.”

  Morgana sighed and nodded. The rest of the witches looked around, and I could sense they were feeling awkward, ashamed, and worried for Sweeny. Then I realized I could sense their emotions easily because of our bond.

  “Let’s keep moving,” I suggested. “We’re as good as bait if we just stand here with our thumbs up our asses.”

  The witches muttered their agreements, and we headed north. The dark path led us deep into the maze, and above us, the charcoal sky only grew blacker with each step we took. It was also getting darker, chillier, and more claustrophobic the deeper we went.

  We walked in heavy silence for quite some time, until suddenly, I heard something shuffling in the bushes ahead of us.

  I stopped dead in my tracks and raised my blade.

  The witches all pulled out their weapons and gathered into a tighter circle, and I stood in front of them, with my dagger extended and my feet firmly planted on the ground.

  I scanned around me, but I couldn’t make out anything. Then I lit up my palm and used the flames to get a better look.

  That’s when I saw a pair of yellow eyes with red pupils staring right at me. A massive paw emerged from the bush, and then another one followed. A moment later, a large creature with a long snout, enormous claws, and black fur stood on its hind legs and towered over us.

  “Werewolf,” Akira whispered behind me. “Fuck.”

  The giant, wolf-like beast raised its huge, protruding snout, and its massive nostrils flared with each heavy breath it took. The creature started to sniff at the air and then hunched over as it took a significant step toward us.

  The wolf’s stomach growled like thunder as it approached. It licked its mouth, and thick, mucus-colored salvia began to drip like heavy raindrops down his mouth as he took another step forward.

  I gripped my blade, but deep down, I knew it wasn’t going to do the trick. This beast was three times the size of a wolf and at least twelve feet tall when he stood up on his hind legs.

  Just as I thought this couldn’t get any worse, we heard giggling from behind us. It was a cackling kind of laugh, and the witches gasped in terror. I didn’t have to turn around to sense other creatures had emerged from the darkness and circled us. I could feel their teeth, sharp eyes, claws, and hunger without even having to look at them.

  “We’re totally surrounded,” Vesta panted. “Cole, what are we going to do?”

  “We need to focus,” I reminded her. “Let go of your fear and fight. Use all the skills from each class to defend yourselves.”

  As soon as I muttered those words, the werewolf leapt into the air, and he was seconds away from knocking me down to the ground and killing me.

  “Conligo!” I yelled as I snapped my hand up.

  A purple bolt of lightning exploded from my palm, and the other witches screamed as the werewolf froze in midair. Its eyes flickered back and forth as it hung in the grasp of my spell, and I could tell the beast was confused and unable to move.

  I kept my hands up, and my feet planted down on the ground. When I looked around, I saw several bestial eyes glaring at us. Suddenly, a massive monster that looked part human and part scorpion scuttled toward Morgana, Faye, and Akira.

  The witches all took a step back, and before I knew it, they were running down another path and away from Vesta and me.

  “Wait!” I called out.

  “Cole … ” Vesta breathed as she inched closer to me.

  “What?” I asked through gritted teeth. It was getting harder to hold onto the werewolf. Its paws were starting to twitch, and I knew it was going to regain mobility soon.

  This spell was only temporary, after all.

  All of a sudden, the werewolf dropped down to the ground and charged at me, and I heard Vesta scream right before I whispered another spell.

  “Me avolare,” I muttered.

  Just as the beast lunged at me, I could feel my body evaporating. Then I was transported to another corner of the small clearing, where a spear-like stick was lying on the ground.

  The wolf pounced through my shadow double and shook its massive head in frustration when it realized it hadn’t managed to kill me. Then it growled in fury when it couldn’t figure out where I was.

  Meanwhile, I spotted Vesta with her knife extended toward a thin, white-cloaked figure. She was close enough to slit the figure’s throat, and I hoped she could hold her own.

  Because right now, I had my own shit to deal with.

  I whistled to get the werewolf’s attention, and its yellow, menacing eyes focused on me again. I was crouched down and used my body to cover the spear-like stick that was hidden behind me. Then, without moving too much, and with my hands behind my back, I curled my fingers a
round the thick branch and prepared myself to use it.

  The werewolf grinned, almost like a human would, as it squared off with me. Then the beast bared its slobbery fangs, hunched down on all fours, and charged at me. It was hungry, impatient, and tired of playing games.

  But so was I.

  The creature leapt high into the air, ready to descend on me, but at the last possible second, I brought the stick around me and pointed the sharp end of it upward. The wolf’s eyes widened as it came down, and it howled in agony as it impaled itself onto the jagged edged rod. I gritted my teeth and pushed my weapon deeper into its fur, skin, and bone. Blood gushed down the werewolf’s matted fur, and its eyes rolled into the back of its head as I shoved the stick deeper into its heart.

  The beast gave a final high-pitched yelp, and then it slumped over my makeshift pike and died.

  I slowly raised myself up from the ground and wiped the sweat from my brow. Then I took in a few deep breaths and looked at Vesta, the only witch who hadn’t run off. She was standing over a dead, thin and pale old woman with giant claw-like hands and sharp teeth, long as daggers. A thin, bloody red line was slashed across her throat, and her black eyes were still open in shock.

  “What was that?” I asked.

  “A Chunari,” Vesta replied as she stared down at the corpse with wide, silver eyes. “A demon.”

  “Ah.” I nodded my head. I remembered reading about those in the Book of Beasts. “Well, it’s much better than an imp.”

  To my surprise, the lavender-skinned witch actually laughed.

  “Fuck you,” she said with a smile.

  I couldn’t help but chuckle lightly. It seemed like for once, we almost saw eye to eye.

  Suddenly, owls and crows cawed above us, and we stopped laughing. I looked around, and a sinking feeling grew in my chest.

  “Where are the others?” I breathed.

  Just then, I heard rustling and pulled out my blade, but when the bushes parted, instant relief washed over me. There, standing there in the darkness, was Akira, Morgana, and Faye. All of them were covered in black blood that shone, even in the dark. They were panting, and when I looked down, I saw they each held a severed head of some kind of beast.