by Logan Jacobs
“No, sorry, Professor,” I replied.
“Ah, well.” She shrugged. “Let us continue, then.”
Professor Evanora carried on and on about how common it was to accidentally incant the wrong spell on a familiar. I listened carefully, but I couldn't help but wonder why I could suddenly hear Alexander’s squeaky voice again. It had been ages, and I wondered if it meant I was making progress without realizing it.
“Alright, the first thing we’re going to do is a test on a fundi,” the professor announced and drew me from my thoughts.
Evanora started to go around the room, and she placed a fundi in front of each student. We had to quickly grab it before it could leap off the desk and escape, and mine was quite bulky and slimy to the touch. It stared at me with vacant brown eyes, and its tongue was lolling out of its small mouth.
“They look so fucking stupid,” Akira giggled.
“I think they’re kind of cute,” Morgana said as she smiled down at her little newt.
“Don’t get too attached then,” Akira commented. “You know, just in case you turn yours into graveyard pudding.”
“That’s not funny,” Morgana replied darkly.
“It’s just a dumb animal.” Akira shrugged. “You don’t have to be so defensive about it.”
“That’s not what I was defensive about,” the brunette huffed. “I was offended that you would even consider the possibility of me failing at a spell.”
“Oh… of course,” Akira snorted as she rolled her black eyes. “How silly of me.”
“Is everyone ready to practice on their fundi?” the professor asked. “If so, then you may begin!”
My coven all aimed their wands at their targets, and I did the same. Their eyes all narrowed down on their creature, and they scrunched up their faces in determination. Around us, the room echoed with spells, and occasionally, there was the sound of a fundi exploding into bits.
“I’m sorry if I fuck this up,” I whispered.
You’d better not fuck it up, Alexander’s voice echoed in my head.
“Be quiet,” I demanded under my breath.
Then I inhaled sharply and narrowed my eyes at the little creature in my hand. It tried to wriggle out of my hold and squealed in protest as I kept a tight grasp around it.
“Stop it,” I whispered.
The fundi looked up at me, and to my surprise, it actually relaxed.
“Crescere,” I said.
The creature’s small body started to grow, and it looked at me with confusion, but there was no pain in his eyes as he grew at least two sizes larger. My coven managed to accomplish the same exact thing, and we all laughed at our oversized fundi as they wobbled on the table. Once the task was complete, Evanora gathered up everyone’s fundi and put them in a larger jar and back in her wardrobe.
“Now, everyone, please pull out your familiar,” Evanora instructed. “Aim your wand between their eyes and recite the spell correctly. Pronounce the incantation as clearly as possible.”
I slowly reached into my pocket and felt a sharp pain on the edge of my finger as teeth sunk into my flesh.
“Ouch!” I said.
I said, no fucking way!
“Stop being a little bitch,” I whispered.
“Excuse me?” Morgana said as she pulled out her own mouse.
“Not you,” I said, “Alexander is just acting like a stubborn little coward.”
No, I’m not… I’m being smart.
“Look, I’m not in the mood to play games,” I growled before I pulled him out of my pocket and held him in my hand.
Alexander flashed me an angry glare as he stood on the table. The coven howled with laughter at his little bouts of protest, but I shook my head at him.
“Trust me,” I said, “this is for your own benefit.”
He just huffed, folded his small arms, and waited.
My coven conducted their own growth spells, and even though their mice grew a couple of sizes larger, Alexander was still throwing a fit, and he balled up his little fists and shook them at me.
“Just hold still,” I said.
Alexander sighed and did as he was told, so I aimed my wand at him and recited the spell. At first, I thought it was working, but then he started to convulse on the desk, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. His tongue lolled from his mouth, and he wouldn’t stop shaking. The coven started to cry out in terror, but all I could do was sit there paralyzed as I stared at him.
It looked as if he were dying.
Chapter 5
“Alexander!” I cried out as my stomach dropped.
All eyes turned to our table, and Evanora lingered over us. I searched her face for some kind of answer, but she looked just as confused as I felt.
“Oh, Satan,” Vesta breathed as she stared at my convulsing familiar with wide, silver eyes. “What’s happening, Professor?”
“I’m not sure,” the pink-haired woman responded slowly. “The only explanation I can think of is he’s evolving toward the next stage, but it’s such a rapid transformation that it could kill him.”
“Kill him?” I repeated as my heart hammered in my chest.
“It’s a possibility,” Evanora replied.
I turned away from her and stared down at Alexander. His body continued to convulse, and his glassy brown eyes looked up toward the ceiling. He was paralyzed with fear, and I felt the same way. I had done this to him, and I wasn’t sure if I could ever forgive myself if something happened to him.
“Come on, buddy,” I muttered. “Fight it.”
He quivered on the desk and started to squeal out in pain, and I sucked in a sharp breath as he rolled onto his back and extended out all his limbs. His arms and legs trembled violently as he squeaked in agony, and as his dark eyes rolled into the back of his head, I thought this was the end for him, but to my amazement, something remarkable happened.
His body slowly started to morph.
I watched in fascination as his legs, arms, and head began to turn black, and as his back arched upward, his entire body grew gradually. His brown eyes shifted to red, his whiskers grew longer, and his paws swelled to at least three sizes their original size.
It took me a good second to realize he had turned into a black rabbit, and I exhaled sharply.
“Alexander?” I murmured, and he suddenly hopped on the desk and twitched his new whiskers.
I breathed a long sigh of relief, and my coven started to clap while the entire class muttered in excitement as they stared at the new Alexander. He sniffed at the air with his small black nose and turned his crimson eyes toward me.
Well, that fucking hurt, asshole, he growled.
I laughed and softly patted his head. He could have called me anything, and it didn’t matter. He was alive, and that’s all I cared about.
“How are you feeling, Alexander?” I asked aloud.
Fine, I guess… I mean, I’m a rabbit now, he sighed. That’s fine… I guess… Do you know if there are any female rabbits in this castle? I wanna fuck so bad.
“I’m not sure, but I bet being a rabbit is better than being a mouse,” I laughed. “Count your unholy blessings.”
“What is he saying?” Vesta grinned.
“He’s just being a little shit,” I teased.
Am not! he protested.
“Are, too,” I chuckled.
The class continued to mummer amongst each other until Evanora clapped her hands and looked at each of us. The room grew silent, and the professor simply smiled before her eyes flashed to the door.
“Well, well, well,” she chimed. “I think that’s enough excitement for one class. You are officially dismissed for the day. You can continue practicing with your familiars, but I do highly suggest you proceed with caution. You don’t want to end up with splattered guts instead of a healthy, growing familiar. Just because Cole successfully managed to transform his animal doesn’t mean you will, too.”
Everyone groaned as they slammed their books shut and the
n made their way to the door. The table behind us all began to collect their belongings as well until Evanora stepped in between our desks.
“No, not you nine,” she said. “We’ll be taking our tournament practice outside for today.”
“We’re practicing all together?” Akira grumbled, unable to hide her disdain. “But--”
“Of course, you are,” Evanora cut her off. “Did you think that you’d be taught separately just because you’re opposing teams? You’re all representing Scholomance, and you will all receive the same amount of dedication and time from each professor. There will be no special treatment of any kind.”
When she spoke those last words, her bright eyes darted in my direction, but I ignored the remark and maintained a neutral expression. Then Evanora flashed us another smile and headed over to her cabinet.
“A common theme we see in soul magic is the ability to control one’s familiar in the battlefield,” she said. “The strength and power of a mental connection are essential. We will practice again with different creatures so we won’t hurt your actual familiars, and if you make quick progress, we can move on to your actual familiars… but it depends on how well you succeed with the test subjects, so don’t get too excited.”
I furrowed my brow and stared at my coven’s familiars. They hadn’t evolved into anything new, and I wondered if they’d be able to evolve into anything more substantial before the first game.
“Professor,” I said as she rummaged through the clutter. “Why did Alexander change into another creature after one incantation? No one else--”
“Your bond must be stronger than anyone else’s,” she said without turning around to look at me. “It’s the only explanation that I can think of… although I have to admit, it was the first time I’ve seen such a rapid transition after one try.”
“It’s troll-shit,” one of the twins behind me muttered, and when I turned to glance over my shoulder, the twin with the pink streak in her hair glared at me.
“Shut up, Iris,” Akira growled. “You think we’d be in Cole’s coven if he wasn’t a badass? Don’t be a dumb bitch.”
“Don’t tell my sister to shut up,” the twin with the blue streak of hair snapped. “You’re the dumb bitch; obeying a man. It’s pathetic.”
“I wouldn’t insult Cole, Ivy.” Morgana smirked. “It never ends well for anyone.”
The light-haired brunette with the heavy bangs rolled her eyes and looked at her nails as if she couldn’t be bothered with this conversation.
“Can we just get this practice over with?” she sighed. “The less time we have to spend together, the better.”
“You do realize I have the hearing of an owl, right, Beatrix?” Evanora asked before she turned around. “I’d be careful with my words. You’re all in this together, and repeating myself is getting to be tiresome.”
She was holding a jar filled with bright red crab looking creatures, and when I looked closer, I noticed they had suction cups along their legs and bright yellow eyes. They crawled all over each other and plastered their limbs against the glass in protest, and they were clearly pissed off about their small confinement.
“What are those?” Penelope asked with her small nose turned up.
“A carcinus,” Faye replied. “They originate from Marina, a realm that mostly consists of saltwater--”
“I wasn’t asking you,” the orange-haired witch sneered.
“She answered your fucking question, didn’t she?” Akira barked.
“Excuse me!” Penelope roared. “Just who the hell do you think you are, you man-loving slut?”
“Are you quite finished?” Evanora hissed.
Everyone went deadly quiet as the professor stared long and hard at us. Her eyes narrowed at the groups as if we were a bunch of children in need of a good scolding, but she finally sighed and then closed the cabinets.
“You all need to understand something,” she said, “and I’m only going to say this once. You need to work together when it comes to practice. You may technically be competing against each other, but as I said, you are still Scholomance students. Treat each other with respect whenever I’m around because I won’t tolerate such juvenile behavior. Understood?"
We obediently nodded our heads, but I still caught Akira glaring at Penelope. I knew my black-eyed witch would respect Evanoras' wishes, but I also knew there would be plenty of tension out on the grounds.
I could feel it.
“Now,” Evanora said, “let’s stop wasting time and head down to the woods.”
We nodded again and followed the pink-haired professor down the halls before she led us past the iron gates and toward the grounds. We stopped right at the edge of the forest, and she whipped around to face us, with the jar of carcinus in her slender pale hands.
“Our first exercise will involve a little bit of a cat and mouse game.” She smiled. “This is something you will face during the first game, so pay close attention. You need to maintain a strong mental bond to know exactly where your familiar is at all times.”
“So, how do these creatures help us with that?” Ivy asked as she ran her hand through her blue-streaked hair.
“She’s obviously going to set them loose, and we’re going to have to keep up with our respective pair.” Morgana rolled her blue eyes.
“I wasn’t asking--” Ivy started to argue, but Evanora shot her a warning glare. “Um… never mind.”
“That’s what I thought,” Evanora muttered. “Anyway, the first spell we’ll learn is a soul-binding incantation. This will help you locate your familiar, no matter where they are. A successful partnership relies on constant communication. It is important to bear in mind that this kind of connection is not the same as… other wicca bonds. Animals and witches can only hear each other’s thoughts, but we cannot force them to do anything against their will. Now, repeat after me… without your wands, of course. Vinculum meam.”
We repeated the spell, and Evanora nodded slowly. She was about to unscrew the lid but then stopped to look at each of us.
“Do I have to remind you what will happen should you misquote the spell?” she asked with a pink arched eyebrow.
“No, professor,” we replied in unison.
“Fantastic,” she said. “Now, as soon as I release the creatures, you must choose one to connect with and blast it with the incantation as quickly as possible. Is everyone ready?”
Everyone retrieved their wands, and Evanora bent down to release the creatures. Then she muttered under her breath as nine small crab-like animals escaped from their confinement and quickly began to scurry away.
“Quickly,” Evanora urged. “Blast them with the spell.”
Everyone swiftly aimed their wands, and I focused on a small one that was a couple of feet in front of me. I recited the spell and missed by an inch, but before I could try again, another pink blast came out of nowhere, and I jumped back before it could hit my foot. When I whipped my head around to see who was trying to catch my carcinus, I caught Penelope smiling at me.
“Oops,” she said in a sing-song voice.
I shook my head, ignored her attempts to piss me off, and only focused on catching one of the critters before it wandered deeper into the woods.
“Vinculum meam!” I said as I aimed my wand at one of them.
The carcinus squeaked as soon as my spell hit it, and the creature flinched as it tried to regain its balance. Then it shook its small head and started to head into the forest.
Just try and catch me again, motherfucker, a shrill, feminine voice said in my head.
“Huh?” I muttered, momentarily caught off guard.
Wow, Alexander snickered, she sounds like a bitch… maybe you should just let the forest kill her.
“Quiet, Alexander,” I demanded. “She may be a bitch, but I need to find her.”
While the others were still trying to catch their own creatures, I ran into the woods and tried to follow the voice of the carcinus. Meanwhile, Alexander was running by
my feet as we bolted into the thicket. I tried to home in on the female crab-monster, but I couldn’t hear a thing, and I began to worry I’d already lost her.
“Where the hell are you?” I whispered to myself.
I took in a deep, steady breath and tried to feel for her. It took a moment, but I sensed she was heading east, so I took off again with Alexander running by my side.
Oh, well done! she giggled. Come and catch me, human! See if you can.
I huffed under my breath and continued to run. Broken tree branches crunched under my feet as I sped through the woods, and I could still hear her cackling in my head as I struggled to keep going.
Worthless human… you can’t find me, no matter how hard you try, she cackled.
“Yeah, but I can still hear you,” I panted.
We should totally kill her once we’re done with her, Alexander said as he bounded at my heels. My diet might technically be considered vegetarian, but I’m willing to make an exception.
“Easy there,” I breathed. “One problem at a time… first, I need to find her.”
She’s a bit of a cunt, Alexander chirped at my feet.
“Stop talking,” I told him. “If she gets too far away, then I won’t be able to hear her.”
Fine, he agreed. But I’m not looking forward to my turn.
“You won’t even have a turn if I can’t find her,” I grumbled, and by now I was completely out of breath.
I had to stop. I could barely breathe, and there was no use running through the woods if I was going to pass out from exhaustion at any moment.
“Satan,” I sighed as I skidded to a stop. “Where are you?”
There was a long pause, and at first, all I could hear was the sound of the wind rustling the dead leaves beneath my feet. So, I closed my eyes and strained to listen to my surroundings. I heard ravens and crows cawing above me and the sound of an owl hooting off in the distance, and again, I thought I’d lost her until I heard a familiar and eerie cackle.
Come and find meeee, my carcinus taunted. You’ll never catch meeee.
“There you are,” I muttered.
I looked down at Alexander, who was just staring at me with eagerness in his red eyes.