by Logan Jacobs
“Where the hell is everyone else?” I asked.
“Vanessa must have designed some kind of premonition room for the different groups,” Morgana breathed. “Can you imagine the work that went into creating a distinct test for--”
“Not now, Morgana,” Akira groaned. “Can you figure this one out, or not?”
“It’s premonition… advanced premonition,” the brunette whispered.
The coven all turned to me, and they didn’t have to say a word for me to figure out what they were thinking.
“Give me a second,” I said as I looked at the three doors in front of me.
They were identical, and anything could be waiting on the other side. So, I took a deep breath and tried my best to concentrate on the task in front of me. All I had to do was pick the right door, and we’d win.
I extended my hand and tried to feel the energy of the first door. There was a violent, bloody, and chaotic presence behind it, and it felt as sharp as a dagger prickling at my fingertips.
When I pulled away and edged toward the other doors, I didn’t feel anything at all. It was a dead sensation as if there was absolutely nothing but oblivion behind those doors.
“It’s the first one,” I said, “the first door will lead us back to the gates of Scholomance.”
“Are you sure?” Vesta whispered with wide silver eyes.
“Yes,” I answered firmly. “I’m sure of it.”
“Well,” Akira sighed. “We can’t stay down in this dungeon forever… open it, Cole.”
I took in a long deep breath and curled my fingers around the black doorknob. My hands were sweating, and my heart was hammering in my chest before I pushed the door open. Then I gasped with a pleasant surprise when I saw the familiar gray sky and iron gates in front of us.
“We did it!” Morgana shouted with glee as soon as we were through the door.
As soon as each one of us was past the threshold, the door vanished as if it were never there in the first place.
“So, you did,” Vanessa’s harsh voice echoed, and when we spun around, the professor was standing there with a frown, while the other professors beside her looked fairly pleased. “Well done.”
In the next second, another door appeared and out walked the same group I noticed before. The orange haired witch flashed me a wicked smile as her group left the door.
“Excellent, Penelope.” Vanessa smiled when she saw them.
“Thank you, Professor,” she replied with a smug smile.
“Well, now that you two groups have appeared, the tryouts are officially over,” Vanessa said as she waved her wand in the air.
Hundreds of students all started to appear in clouds of smoke, and most of them looked defeated and exhausted. Then they groaned when they realized the two groups had been selected, and they’d failed.
“Silence!” Vanessa commanded.
Everyone grew quiet and focused their attention on her, and she tossed back her long, pin-straight hair and cleared her throat.
“Well done to those of you who survived,” she began. “I know it wasn’t easy, but at least you’re still alive. Those who chose to use the safeword are now recovering in the infirmary, and you can at least take comfort in the fact that you tried to make it to the end. Be that as it may, I’d like to officially announce the two groups of students who will be taking part in the Ludi Mortiferum. Normally, it is just four students per group, but since one group is a coven, it would be considered blasphemy to separate them in the game… which is the only reason why we’ll have one group of five. Congratulations to the winners.”
People slowly started to clap, and while I felt accomplished and satisfied with our outcome, I couldn’t help but feel the other group glowering in our direction. I already knew they would do their best to make sure our training was going to be as hellish as possible because they would rather die than see a man at the finishing line.
But they had no idea what I was capable of, or how far I would go to see us win.
Chapter 4
Despite the absolute madness of yesterday morning, I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to seize the fucking day. We’d been ordered to rest up after the tryouts, and I spent the night thinking about what was going to happen next. All I knew was now that we were officially a part of the tournament, every single second of class was fundamental to our progress.
I quickly pulled off my covers, and Alexander twitched in his sleep. He was curled up into a fluffy brown ball of fur, and I gently poked his back to try and rouse him.
“Come on, Alexander,” I said, “it’s time to wake up.”
As a response, he only curled up into a tighter ball and covered his eyes with his small paws.
“Fine,” I laughed. “You can have five more minutes, but as soon as I’m dressed, you’re coming with me.”
I planted my bare feet on the wooden floor and stretched myself out. Then I found a clean uniform all folded up and ready for me on the blue velvet chair by the window.
“Thanks, Cordelia,” I said as I picked up my shirt.
“No problem, sir,” her voice echoed through the room. “Could I also interest you in some breakfast?”
“No, thanks,” I said as I buttoned up. “I have to get to class.”
“You do know breakfast is the most crucial meal of the day, don’t you?” she asked.
“And do you know how important it is to not be late to class?” I smirked.
“Ah, yes,” the invisible maid replied. “I had a cousin once who burst into flames when she was late to her blood magic class.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” I chuckled darkly to myself.
As soon as I was dressed, I poked Alexander again. He refused to wake up, though, so I just picked him up, and he squeaked in protest as I placed him into my large cloak pocket.
“Hey, now,” I laughed. “I gave you a chance to get up, so you have no one to blame but yourself.”
He squeaked again, and I shook my head as I left the bedroom. Then I ran down the spiral staircase and through the corridors.
“No running!” one of the paintings yelled as I flew by.
I ignored her as I made my way to my Advanced Soul magic class. Like usual, I wanted to be one of the first to arrive and grab a good seat. When I pushed the arched, brown door open, though, I was surprised to see no one was inside. At first, I thought I had the wrong room, but I knew this had to be it. The walls were adorned with strange paintings of owls, and I knew Evanora was obsessed with them.
So, I shrugged and took a seat at a long desk situated in the front of the room. Then I stared at the bookcases along the walls and at the massive iron chandelier that hung directly above me. The floors were covered in exotic looking carpets that were completely mismatched in patterns and colors, as if someone had randomly pieced together different rugs to complete one whole one. The walls were painted black, and there was only one small window that let in a stream of pale light.
“Ah, Cole,” a familiar voice said, “always the first one to arrive.”
“Professor Evanora?” I asked as I looked around. “Where are you?”
“Right here,” she said before she popped up from below her desk.
Her long pink hair was loose, and it tumbled down her shoulders in perfect, sleek waves. Her eyelids were painted with shimmering green eyeshadow, and her lips were a deep red, almost black. She also wore a long, deep blue gown with quarter-length sleeves and a black choker around her creamy neck.
“Um.” I blinked. “What were you doing behind there?”
“I dropped a fundi,” she answered before she disappeared under her desk again, and I could hear her cursing under her breath. “Squirmy little buggers.”
“A… what?” I asked.
“A fundi,” she repeated as if this answered my question.
“Sorry, but what is a fundi?” I laughed.
“They are a type of newt,” Morgana replied from the doorway.
I turned to look at her
, and she flashed me a satisfied smile before she sat down next to me. Her dark curly hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and her shirt was buttoned up to her neck.
“Correct, Morgana.” Evanora smiled as she raised her head again. “They are fantastic to test on… except for this one… he’s a stubborn little fellow, and I’m tempted to just squeeze him into jelly once I get my hands on him.”
“How are you?” I asked Morgana as soon as she’d settled into her seat.
“I’m doing fairly well,” she replied as she bit down on her rosy lips and then tugged at the cuffs of her sleeves. “I mean, I’m doing as well as can be expected.”
“You’re nervous,” I said, “that’s okay.”
“Just a bit,” she admitted. “But don’t tell Akira, she’ll never let me hear the end of it.”
“Your secret is safe with me.” I grinned.
“Thanks,” she responded, and a pale blush tinted her cheeks a rosy pink.
“Got you!” Evanora shouted in triumph.
The pink-haired professor stood up with a flourish, and in her hand, there was a small, brown salamander looking creature with little horns on its head and along its thick tail.
Then it opened its mouth and bit down on her finger.
“Ouch!” she cried out before she squeezed it.
The fundi’s eyes bulged before it exploded into blood and guts in her hand, and Evanora curled up her face in disgust before she dropped the newt’s remains onto the floor.
“Oops,” she chuckled. “I didn’t actually intend to kill it… oh, well.”
As she used a spell to clean up the mess, other students started to pour in. Akira, Faye, and Vesta all strolled through the door together, and out of all of them, Akira seemed to be the giddiest out of the bunch.
“Good fucking morning,” she chirped before she sat down. Then she stared at Morgana, and her smile fell. “Morgana, what’s with your shirt?”
“I’m just cold,” the brunette muttered.
“Are you covering up a hickey or something?” Akira chuckled.
“No,” Morgana answered defensively.
“So… ” Akira pushed. “Why are you buttoned up like a nun?”
“It’s only a rash,” Morgana sighed. “It’s no big deal.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Faye asked with a furrowed, freckled brow.
“Yeah.” Morgana nodded. “It just happens once in a while.”
“It’s from stress, isn’t it?” I asked.
When Morgana didn’t answer, Akira’s face softened, and she breathed a long sigh.
“Don't worry, Morgana,” the black-eyed witch murmured. “We beat the stupid tryouts, and a lot of it was thanks to you… there’s no need to freak out about the games.”
“Yeah,” I added. “We’re all in this together.”
Morgana smiled, but then a shrill laugh broke into the air, and when I turned my head to look behind us, the entire group of witches who would be competing against us were laughing. Penelope whispered something to one of the pixie-haired twins, and the ginger witch’s laugh went up by three octaves. The light-haired brunette with the pink streak was doing her best not to cackle, and she was covering up her mouth with her hand while her shoulders shook.
“Oh, how sweet,” Penelope said as she stuck out her bottom lip. “The man is comforting his woman. What’s the matter, Morgana? Are you so scared you need a cock between your thighs?”
“Fuck off, cunt.” Akira sneered.
Penelope’s face fell, but the short-haired witch just laughed and then leaned forward on her desk.
“No, wait,” she pushed. “Penelope, I have a serious question.”
“What is it?” the orange-haired witch growled.
“I’m dying to know… do the curtains match the carpet?” Akira grinned. “Everyone thinks that orange clown-hair is just as fake as your personality.”
Penelope only scoffed and turned away, and the rest of her group shot us dirty looks before heavy textbooks began to appear in front of us. They were deep blue with silver writing embellished on the cover, and Morgana frowned beside me.
“Um, Professor,” the bookish witch said as she raised her hand. “This isn’t the textbooks for our class.”
“No.” Evanora smiled. “Good eye, Morgana… these are older versions that were used during the last tournament.”
“Wait,” a dark-haired witch who sat in the back of the room said. “Professor, are you saying everyone will have to follow a new curriculum just because we happen to be stuck with the competitors? The other group doesn’t even belong in our class… they are upper-level students!”
“This is useful magic for everyone, Ms. Hogarth,” Evanora replied in a firm voice. “So, I suggest you do your best to carefully follow along without asking pointless questions. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Professor,” the witch muttered with her head bowed low.
The rest of the class snickered until Evanora clapped her hands to grab their undivided attention. A heavy silence followed, and Evanora flashed the classroom a satisfied smile.
“Now, that’s much better,” she sighed. “Everyone, please open your books to page six-hundred-and-fifty-seven.”
We all flipped to the correct page, and the first thing I noticed was an illustration of a full moon. By the moon, there was a mouse, and it showed the various stages a familiar would go through to transform into its pure form. This chapter displayed the stages of a hyena, and according to the text, it could take years until it fully formed. This wasn’t news to me, but still, I wondered if we could find some kind of loophole to make Alexander stronger and more powerful before the games officially began.
As if Alexander could read my mind, he started to squirm in my pocket, but I patted him on the head and hoped he would cool it.
“Not yet,” I whispered.
“Now, familiars are truly a tricky subject,” Evanora said as she slowly began to pace around the room. “We’ve briefly discussed how they transform, but we didn’t cover their powers and strengths… and least not in great detail. I want you all to study the chapter in front of you, and once we have all covered this section, we can begin to practice.”
Everyone quietly did as they were told, and as I read the text, I was surprised to find familiars could read your own thoughts as they grew stronger. They would also be able to wield magic and heal you if you were injured.
“Is everyone done?” Evanora asked after a few minutes.
People slowly began to nod in response, and I guessed that even if they hadn’t finished, they didn’t want the pink-haired professor to grow impatient.
“Fantastic!” She clapped her hands together. “Let’s get started, then.”
The professor glided over to her wardrobe and pulled the doors apart. Then she started to frantically search for something, and she noisily ruffled through her belongings.
“Aha!” she said before she pulled out a massive jar that had fundi inside of it.
The little brown creatures were crawling on top of each other and desperately trying to escape from their confinements, and Evanora took the jar over to her desk and set it down.
“Now, the next round of spells will be conducted on these little beasts,” she said. “I do not want you to try and practice soul magic on your actual familiars… at least not until after some practice. That would be idiotic.”
We all watched as she unscrewed the lid of her jar and pulled out a brown fundi. It tried to squirm away from her, but she was too quick for it. She grabbed it and showed it to the class with a smile plastered on her perfect face.
"The first thing you’re going to want to do is to make sure they don’t escape from you,” she chuckled. “They are very good at blending into their surroundings.”
“They can even camouflage into clothing,” Morgana whispered to me.
“Now, once you have it firmly in your grasp, you’re going to want to raise your wand and aim it right in between their beady littl
e eyes,” Evanora explained.
The creature cried out like a small bird as Evanora aimed her wand at its tiny head. I saw its little feet try and kick out of her hold, but it was useless. It didn't stand a chance.
“Crescere!” the pink-haired professor recited.
The fundi wiggled and squirmed before a yellow light hit it, and then its small body jolted as lightning coursed through it. The small creature shook and glowed until it grew two sizes bigger. The class applauded, and Evanora raised her wand up into the air.
“Thank you.” Evanora grinned. “Obviously, you wouldn’t want to use this spell on a person, unless you wanted a giant opponent. Also, if you used it more than once on say a familiar, the change might be too rapid for the subject to survive. But now watch what happens when you say the spell incorrectly.”
Everyone went silent as she pointed her wand at the creature once more.
“Crezcere!” she incanted.
Instead of yellow light, a bright green bolt hit the poor creature, and its body started to expand like the air was building up inside of it. It grew and grew, and its eyes bulged out as it became a full, round thing that floated from her hand and then popped in the air. Guts, blood, and bone flew across the room, and a detached foot landed on our table.
“Yuck,” Akira groaned before she tossed the limb to the group behind us. “Here you go! A little present.”
“Hey!” Penelope growled. “That’s really fucking mature.”
“Now, everyone be quiet,” Evanora demanded. “Do you see what I mean? Just one little mistake and poof… no more familiar.”
Fuck that! Alexander said in my head. There’s no way in hell I’m letting you do that to me. Nope, no sir, no fucking way.
“Wait, what?” I said aloud.
Evanora looked at me strangely, and so did the rest of my coven.
“Cole, are you alright?” Vesta muttered.
“Yeah,” I replied slowly. “It’s just that, I heard Alexander speak, and it’s been a long time since I’ve heard his voice.”
“What was that, Cole?” Evanora asked. “Is there something you’d like to share with the rest of the class?”