Scholomance 3: The Devil's Academy

by Logan Jacobs

  “Where the hell is she?” Akira muttered under her breath.

  “She’ll be here any moment,” Vesta sighed and tucked a lock of green hair behind her ear. “Just try and work on your patience, Akira.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” the short-haired witch bit back.

  “It means success comes to those who wait,” Luna said out of nowhere.

  We all searched around the room, but we couldn’t see the professor anywhere. As usual, she was playing a little game of hide and seek.

  “Where are you, Professor?” Morgana asked.

  The entire classroom looked baffled when she didn’t reply, but then I turned to look at the stained-glass window, and I thought I saw something move.

  “Wait a moment,” I muttered, and I turned to look at my coven and stared at their blank faces. “Don’t tell me you didn’t see that?”

  “See what?” Faye asked as she tossed back her long red hair.

  “The stained-glass window,” I replied, “I thought I saw the lady move.”

  “Nothing gets past you, does it, Cole?” Luna’s voice giggled.

  Everyone turned to look toward the window, and gasps filled the air as the young woman began to move again. The small figure waved her hand, and the owl from the painting swept down and landed on her arm. Then the duo slowly started to vanish from the artwork, and a cloud of light blue smoke swirled by Luna's massive, silver desk.

  A moment later, the beautiful professor stood in front of the entire class with her white, loyal bird by her side, and then her owl flew up to the ceiling and perched itself on one of the chandeliers. Luna’s mystic face broke into a mischievous smile, and she ran a delicate finger through her long, wavy white-blonde hair. She was wearing the same long white gown with a plunging neckline I’d seen in the window, and an upside-down glass cross hung from her slender pale neck.

  “You should have seen your faces!” she chuckled. “That was absolutely priceless! Don’t tell me you’ve never seen someone perform a shadow alligatum?”

  “I’ve read about them,” Morgana said with her hand raised. “But this is the first time I’ve seen it done.”

  “Ah, well,” Luna giggled. “It’s a useful trick to learn, especially if you’d like a place to go and think on your own where no one can bother you.”

  Morgana sat up higher in her seat and snatched her quill as if she were prepared to furiously scribble down some notes, and Luna cocked her head at the brunette as her smile grew.

  “I shouldn’t tease you like that,” she said as she shook her head.

  “What do you mean, Professor?” Faye asked.

  “Well, as interesting as shadow alligatums are, that’s not what we’ll be learning today.” She grinned.

  “Oh,” Morgana pouted.

  “Not to fear, though,” Luna reassured the brunette. “We’ll be focusing on something that’s just as interesting and difficult.”

  Morgana’s face shifted from disappointed to eager in a matter of seconds, and Akira noticed and playfully rolled her eyes.

  “Now, Morgana, I know you know the answer to my next question, so I’m going to pick on someone randomly,” Luna said as she looked around, and her eyes landed on our opposite team, who was seated at the back of the room. “Iris, can you tell me a little bit about umbra animos?”

  The attractive, pixie-haired witch with the pink streak in her hair looked mildly surprised, but she was able to compose herself before responding to the question.

  “It’s… the ability to enter another entity’s mind as a shadow and consume their thoughts,” she said.

  “That’s the gist of it,” Luna replied with a small smile. “It’s the power to enter someone’s entire consciousness and take control over their deepest thoughts, desires, memories, and abilities. Most Wicca used it as a form of torture in the first dawn. It was a clever way to cause mortals to go mad. The damage one can inflict on another through umbra aminos is both deadly and permanent. So, hopefully, we don’t end up killing each other during today’s lesson. Just be sure not to utter the spell ‘insanire.’ Unless of course, you want your opponent to turn mad. ”

  The air grew heavy as the beautiful professor glanced at each student and clasped her hands together.

  “Right, well,” she said, “let’s get started… I’ll need two volunteers to come up here.”

  As I predicted, not one student raised their hand, and Luna sighed and looked mildly disappointed.

  “Don’t be a bunch of scared little rats,” she huffed. “Fine, if no one will volunteer, then I suppose I’ll just have to pick a random pair.”

  Everyone lowered their gazes and stared at their desks, but when I met the professor’s stare, I knew she’d pick me.

  “Cole!” she said in a sugary-sweet voice. “Come on up here.”

  I sighed, pushed myself out of my chair, and headed to the front of the classroom as Luna stared at my coven, and then her face twisted into another playful grin.

  “Faye, darling,” she cooed. “Come up here as well.”

  Faye shot me a nervous glance before she stood up and dragged herself to the front of the classroom.

  “Oh, don’t look so worried.” Luna waved her hand dismissively. “You all look so serious! The worst that can happen is a lifetime of madness, and what’s life without a little insanity?”

  I heard Faye gulp as she stood by my side, but I took in a deep breath and focused on the professor.

  “Now, the spell is simple,” Luna said, “just focus on your opponent and block out their will to enter your mind while trying to penetrate theirs, all while reciting the incantation.”

  “Oh, is that all?” I heard Faye grumble under her breath.

  “Tut, tut,” Luna said, “it gets easier with practice, Faye. Now the spell is ‘mentis imperium.’ See? Super simple.”

  I took in a deep breath and glanced at Faye. The redhead’s gold-green eyes were wide with fear, so I gave her a reassuring smile. I knew she was afraid, but I would never do anything to hurt her.

  “Let us begin!” Luna clapped. “You two, stand at least six feet apart and face each other… and Cole, no cheating if you please.”

  I nodded and took a step away from Faye. Then we stared at each other, and her golden-green eyes were filled with anxiety. I nodded slowly at her, and I hoped my calm demeanor would help ease her fears.

  “Wands at the ready!” Luna chimed as we slowly raised our wands and aimed them at each other. “Ready… set… go!”

  “Mentis imperium!” we said in unison.

  Our spells met in the middle with a small blast that made the entire class gasp in surprise. This reminded me of the novis spell, only it was even more difficult to hold. Faye was tough, and sweat dripped down her forehead as she continued to block me out. I pushed hard against the redhead, though, and her mouth was set into a thin, trembling line.

  She was struggling and losing control.

  I focused on her as a whole, and I even counted her freckles and the gold streaks of color in her emerald eyes as I blocked her will to enter my mind. I could feel myself growing lighter and tried not to break my concentration when I noticed my hand was turning into a blue shadow and wafting over toward Faye. My spell ate at hers while I continued to vanish, and her eyes grew wide with panic before my light hit her right in the forehead. The last thing I saw before everything around me disappeared were her eyes, which had gone entirely white. At the same time, I felt as if the wind had been knocked out of me, and I squeezed my eyes shut as an instinctive reaction.

  When I opened my eyes, I was shocked to see I was in a green forest with golden light streaming through the canopy. White deer were galloping through the woods, and pink birds were chirping on the tree branches. I glanced around in confusion until I spotted Faye ahead of me. She looked just as confused as I felt, but when she saw me, her eyes filled with instant relief.

  “Cole!” she exclaimed. “Are we in my mind?”

  “I think so…
” I replied slowly. “It’s beautiful.”

  “Thank you.” She blushed. “But what are we supposed to do now?”

  “I’m not sure,” I answered. “Does anything seem familiar to you?”

  “Not at all,” she breathed.

  I spotted a pale stone ahead of me, and I found myself drawn to it. So, I headed over to it, and I gently lifted it up. As soon as I did, a youthful girl with red hair emerged from the trees ahead of us and giggled as she chased blue butterflies.

  “That’s me,” Faye muttered. “I remember I used to catch butterflies for my mother… she would use them to make her own perfume.”

  “Your memories are scattered all around here,” I said as I studied my surroundings in amazement.

  “That must include everything,” she whispered. “Even the bad ones.”

  Before I could respond, the world evaporated around me, and I found myself back in the classroom. Luna had her wand pointed right at my chest, and she was smiling.

  “Sorry about that,” she said, “but I couldn’t let you stay there forever, now could I?”

  “But… ” I started, “we were only in there for a minute at most.”

  “No,” she said as she shook her head, “you were in there for much longer. I’d say, ten minutes, at least.”

  “What?” I frowned in confusion.

  “Time works differently when you’re under an umbra animo,” she explained. “All I wanted to do was see if one of you could enter the other’s mind, which you did, Cole, so well done. You two have been very cooperative, now take your seats.”

  We nodded and sat back down at our table.

  “Now, entering one’s mind is a tricky endeavor to accomplish, as we just saw,” the white-haired professor went on as she faced the class. “However, what we didn’t get into was the ability to manipulate and trick someone once you’re inside their consciousness. You can cause them to have memories which never belonged to them, or even trick them into thinking they’re someone else entirely.”

  Luna continued to discuss the various ways someone could manipulate another mind without inflicting insanity or death. She focused on our table when she spoke, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out this would be a massive part of the next game.

  So, I took down notes and listened carefully to every word Luna said. When time was up, my coven remained in their seats, and the other team continued to sit at their desk, too.

  As soon as everyone else left, the professor turned to us and grinned from ear to ear.

  “Now,” she said as she rubbed her hand together. “Let the fun officially begin!”

  “Why am I suddenly so terrified?” Faye muttered.

  “Because it’s Professor Luna,” Vesta sighed quietly.

  “What was that, ladies?” Luna asked with a sweet smile.

  “Nothing, Professor,” they answered in unison.

  “Very well.” She nodded. “Now, I want everyone to pair up if you please… aside from you, Faye. You’ve had enough for one day, I think.”

  The redhead looked relieved as she sat back in her seat.

  “How should we pair off, Professor?” Vesta asked.

  “I’ll be the one to decide that,” Luna replied. “You will go off with… Beatrix. The twins, pair off with each other, I’m curious to see which one of you is the strongest. Akira and Morgana, you two pair up… and finally, Cole and Penelope, you will be a pair.”

  I sighed and stood up. Penelope had been acting civil, but who knew how long that would last?

  Luna used a spell to spread the desks apart, and we all moved toward the middle of the room. I stood in front of Penelope, and the orange-haired witch stared at me with vacant eyes and a neutral expression on her pretty face. It was impossible to know what she was thinking, but I figured I’d discover that soon enough.

  “Raise your wands,” Luna instructed.

  We did as we were told, and Penelope remained calm. So, I kept my arm straight and steady and focused on the witch in front of me.

  “Go!” Luna shouted.

  “Mentis imperium!” I cried out as the other’s voices echoed all around me.

  Everyone’s spells met in the middle, but I only focused on my own. Penelope’s face was glowing from the blue light that sparked between us, but I fixated all my energy on the spell and blocked Penelope’s attempt to penetrate my mind. She was strong, though, and I could feel her voice in my head as she tried to break through the barrier. Still, I pushed back and fought her until my skin started dissolving into smoke.

  The last thing I heard before the room disappeared was Penelope’s voice.

  “No!” she called out.

  The next thing I knew, I was standing on top of a massive chessboard. The pieces were all placed on the correct squares, and they were towering over me. Then I noticed something move, and I saw Penelope standing in front of me by a giant white knight.

  “Well,” she sighed. “You did it.”

  “So, this is your mind, huh?” I asked as my eyes studied the chess pieces. “I’m impressed.”

  “Impressed?” she chuckled. “Impressive would have been overpowering you.”

  I shrugged and looked up. Inky clouds hovered above our heads, and it looked as if it were about to rain down on us.

  “What are you going to do to me?” Penelope asked.

  “What do you mean?” I furrowed my brow.

  “Aren’t you going to take advantage of the situation?” she questioned as she cocked her head to the side. “You could do whatever you wanted to me in here.”

  “Oh?” I snickered. “Do you want me to do things to you?”

  “No,” she whispered. “Please… Cole… I’m at your mercy.”

  “I’m not going to do anything to you,” I laughed. “As long as you don’t try anything cute with me. There’s no point in attacking each other when we have the next game coming up.”

  The orange-haired witch nodded and chewed on her bottom lip as she studied me for a long moment.

  “Thanks, Cole,” she finally said, and a slight smile twitched across her mouth.

  Before I could answer, I could feel myself being pulled out of Penelope's mind, and the chessboard vanished slowly and was replaced with the classroom. When my vision cleared, I saw the rest of the witches were struggling to breathe, and their faces were red.

  “I know.” Luna nodded. “It’s a very draining process… I would suggest a glass of blackberry wine or a cup of spiced coffee to help you regain your strength.”

  “Wait,” Akira panted. “That’s it?”

  “Whatever do you mean, Akira?” Luna asked. “I thought that was a very informative lesson.”

  “I mean… no offense, Professor, but Morgana and I were just going back and forth between each other,” she said. “How can we learn to control it?”

  “You have to find the strength within,” she answered ominously. “That’s all I can tell you… the rest is up to you.”

  Akira looked disappointed with that response but nodded her head.

  “Well.” Luna shrugged. “Go and get some lunch, and make sure to study before the game tomorrow morning.”

  “Tomorrow morning?” I asked. “Professor, we normally have more time to prepare for the games--”

  “Cole, you’re the last person I’d expect to be nervous,” she giggled. “I’m sorry, but this decision was not my doing.”

  “But why?” I asked.

  “It’s part of Ludi Mortiferum tradition,” Morgana replied before Luna could answer. “The closer we get to the final games, the less time we get to practice.”

  “Ah, of course,” I muttered, mostly to myself.

  “Now, off with you all,” Luna said as she waved us away, “I would like to return to my window.”

  The witches nodded and made their way toward the door, and Penelope shot me a small smile as she passed by.

  Akira noticed, and as soon as we were outside of the classroom, she gave me a strange look.


  “What?” I asked.

  “I saw you and Penelope.” She grinned. “You guys shared a weird moment back there.”

  “Turns out she’s not as irritating as I thought she was.” I shrugged. “Who knew, huh?”

  “Who gives a toad’s foot about Penelope,” Vesta sighed. “We have to worry about the game.”

  “I say we ask Cordelia for a pot of spiced coffee and study all night if we have to,” I suggested.

  The others nodded in agreement, and we sped up the stairs and to the common room. We searched the ancient texts and discovered everything we needed to know about umbra animos. Luna had pretty much covered every form of practice she could. The books said some people were just more strong-willed than others, and it depended on how well they would take control of the spell.

  By the time I slammed the books down and prepared to catch a couple of hours of sleep, there was a quick knock on the door. We all exchanged confused looks with each other before Vanessa appeared on the threshold. She was wearing a dark blue dress with a low square-cut collar and a raven skull velvet choker, and her mouth was pursed into its usual thin line.

  “It is customary to open the door when someone knocks,” she said as she shook her head.

  “Err, Professor,” Morgana said shyly. “It’s four in the morning… is there a reason you’re here?”

  “We decided we’d start the game a little earlier than usual,” Vanessa answered in a flat voice.

  I opened my mouth to ask her why, but she beat me to it.

  “Don’t bother, Cole,” she sighed. “I’m not telling you why or who gave the order… so, come along now. The rest of the school is already awake and waiting for you in the banquet hall.”