Dancing With Demons (The Academy of Amazing Beasts Book 3)

by Melody Rose

  She chuckled and snapped her fingers, and a dish of the dark chocolate truffles Nascha always provided students now sat on my lap. As much as I would’ve loved one under any other circumstances, it was pretty weird. I didn’t even bother to take one out of politeness. Instead, I set it on the desk with a quiet tap.

  Serafina pursed her lips but went on. “Soon enough, you will be asked to choose a coven and your rites, Lady MacKenna. As admirable as culinary magic is for the humble, everyday mage, I strongly suggest that you take your vows with the utmost seriousness and consider who you are. Perhaps you are even descended from a line of beastmasters. Who can say?”

  Her voice took an almost hypnotic quality that made my head spin. “Make the wise choice. Follow your destiny, as Aurelius has already demonstrated for you. You are neither a mere kitchen witch nor a nurse. You can stoke the fires of even the gentlest beast and mold them into your champion. You can’t stop at any less than that.”

  The last image I remembered was a wolf carved out of ivory where the small glass bowl of truffles once stood. As it caught on fire and became fully animated, snarling with vicious eyes, I was wrenched out of the study and back into my room.

  16

  Becks

  After a tinny ping sounded out from my see-through, neon green beeper, I knew that Joan wanted to talk to me. Technically, she was the only person I inducted into my top-secret, vintage electronics society. Even Nate, the star athlete who I lightweight had a crush on, had no idea. Theo kind of knew that I snuck in civvie tech through the portal, but he didn’t really care or poke his nose in my business. First of all, he was spread way too thin with prefect responsibilities now that he was in his fourth year. Secondly, he’d lose major brownie points with Joan if he stood in my way.

  I picked up the device, wondering what the matter was. I knew that she wasn’t in immediate danger because it wasn’t glowing red. Still, I was there for my bestie, even if she was just feeling a bit down or lonely. I picked it up and read the message.

  811!

  To make sure no one had stolen or tampered with her beeper, Joan signed off with a special emoji that only her touch could activate when hitting the asterisk button. She suggested I hack the device with a “white wolf” symbol, but I thought that was too obvious. Everyone associated her with Aurelius, and that just didn’t feel ambitious enough for a secret code between us. Instead, I settled upon a unicorn. It was cute and totally captured Joan’s essence, a rare creature even in a magical realm.

  I was done for the day since I only enrolled in morning classes and independent study that could be done on my own time. I’d already finished all my coursework in the afternoon, so it was pretty great timing since I had all the mana in Lemuria to spare for her. Truth be told, though, I would accept the energy penalty whenever Joan needed me.

  “Amenez-moi Joan immédiatement! Et arrangez-la avec un chocolat chaud tueur!” I announced my incantation. “Bring Joan to me at once! And fix her up with a killer hot chocolate, too!”

  A swirling green vortex opened up in the ceiling that Joan fell out of, landing on the mattress in front of me. After her first bounce was done, a kitschy green mug declaring “Cup of Cheer!” materialized in her hands. She clutched onto it just in time and laughed.

  I was glad to see there weren’t any tear streaks on her face. Her forehead was a bit wrinkled, a funny contrast to her Belle pajamas. The two of us ironically wore cartoon princess sets whenever we were planning a slumber party, so I knew that she wanted to stay the night. With a wiggle of my nose, a nod to Bewitched, I transformed my street clothes into a Princess and the Frog ensemble.

  “Swiss Miss?” Joan teased.

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. She was all about gourmet, darker than midnight chocolate and fancy additions like cinnamon or cayenne. Ask me, and I’ll swear up and down that civvie instant cocoa with miniature marshmallows is where it’s at. Honestly, it was hard to believe it wasn’t magic.

  “811?” I countered with my own question. “So, you need to talk ASAP, but it’s not a matter of life and death. Thanks for clarifying, by the way! So, what’s going on?”

  “Well…” she began before she took a sip of liquid courage.

  Not that I snuck in any bourbon or anything. Joan was just that into sweets. That’s how I knew the situation called for Swiss Miss after I saw her message. I sat cross-legged and held onto my knees, quiet and patient.

  “What do you make of Serafina?” Joan asked and leaned forward like my word was the law.

  I had no idea what she was talking about.

  “Hm, I haven’t met her, whoever she is,” I said. “The name sounds like she could be an astral maiden or a demi-angel. It translates to ‘fiery wings,’ but she can’t actually be a guardian or other high-ranking angel because they don’t really hang around this plane of existence. Is she some type of exchange student?”

  Joan shook her head. She dropped her act, letting her cherubic glamour fade away now that it was just the two of us. I wasn’t bothered by her infernal mark at all because I knew it wasn’t her fault. Instead, I blamed whatever jerk decided to let a demon loose so close to the campus grounds. That was mighty suspicious in my eyes. I was also pretty annoyed with whoever was responsible for the upkeep of the surrounding wards. Obviously, they didn’t do their job.

  “No. She’s the dean now. So, you’re telling me that she didn’t teleport you into her study too? I mean, I know that she didn’t exactly have time to check in with all the students, but you’re the valedictorian! You’d think you’d be first on her list.”

  “Oh.” I tapped my chin in thought. “Is this Serafina some interim dean? Is Nascha is on some sabbatical?” I smiled at that notion. “Well, good for her! That lady works way too hard for her own good, always on the look-out for recruits or sponsors for the struggling students. I’d teleport her to the Bahamas if it weren’t, you know, totally weird and out of bounds!”

  Joan practically guzzled her hot chocolate. I snapped my fingers and replaced it with a saucer of Greek yogurt brownies, figuring she needed more on her stomach. I couldn’t just have her put her energy field out of whack with empty calories. After a couple of mouthfuls, the waterworks started. I caught her in a tight hug, eager to hear what was actually on her mind.

  “This… whoever she is,” Joan spat out, “is convinced that Nascha is bad news, some manipulative, femme fatale succubus hellbent on brainwashing Abelard and, I don’t know, eating the souls of everyone at Bouclier. I’m not buying it all, but it just really sucks that it’s so easy to expect the worst from someone born in the abyss. They even locked Nascha up in some warded room.”

  “That’s a load of nonsense!” I let go of her and recoiled from the very idea of Nascha being a traitor. “Nascha is basically the only sorceress that kept Bouclier afloat after Abelard went totally bonkers and started locking himself in his study. Who knows what he’s been up to, but I’m damn sure that Nascha didn’t put him up to it. She’s so outgoing, you know? She would’ve wanted him to get out of there and get to know his students.”

  I found myself totally wrapped up in defending the kind-hearted succubus. She was the one that doled out second, third, and who knows how many chances when I kept skipping classes. I owed my spot at Bouclier to her, especially since orphans didn’t generally make it to the most prestigious academy in Lemuria. Honestly, I had a bit of a rap sheet, but her little pep talks inspired me to turn a corner.

  “I really don’t see her as the manipulative type, Not at all. She was always going on about free thought, independence, and ‘manifesting your own destiny despite your background or your past.’ Plus, she owed it to Abelard for giving her a faculty role! Sure, infernal types aren’t supposed to be above ground, but she was obviously an exception. It sounds like this Serafina let her astral prejudices get the best of her. Like she’s carrying out some grudge.”

  Joan nodded and set her brownies onto my end table. She hugged her knees to the chest and looked at me intensely
.

  “Speaking of making choices,” Joan began, “it’s just the beginning of my third year, but this Serafina has got her own way of running Bouclier, even though she claims to be ‘saving’ Abelard. The whole time we talked, she wouldn’t stop getting on my case about where I came from, whether I’m a human, what coven I’ll join, and what rites I’ll choose. It was really stressing me out.”

  I would probably be overwhelmed too. Mages were still supposed to have some wiggle room during their third year. They usually needed to keep exploring themselves and discovering what kinds of spellwork were the best fit for them. Why was this Serafina pressuring Joan so much? Did it have anything to do with why Joan was taken from her home to train at Bouclier? I always wondered the same myself. I was confident that Joan would tell me when she figured it out herself, though.

  “Yeah,” I agreed with her. “She’s really laying it on too thick. This dean should give you some breathing room as you make your own way. It’s completely normal to wait until your fourth year to lock yourself into any coven. After all, those are decisions that follow you after you graduate here. If I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt here, which I really hate to because the stunt she pulled with Nascha is totally uncalled for, then maybe she’s taken a special interest in you because you’re such a big deal.”

  Joan’s voice hopped up a few octaves. “So are you! Though I guess it’s lucky that you’re off her radar. There’s something really off about her, and her study reeks of roses.”

  I giggled at how offended Joan was on my account. “It’s fine! Honestly. I learned not to attach my self-esteem to how I measure up at Bouclier. In fact, I probably was just going to jump ship and start a life on Earth before I met you and Nate.”

  As soon as I said it, Joan cocked her head to the side, puzzling over my comment.

  “But,” she squinted and tried to put the pieces together, “you’re set to be the valedictorian. You have even more spell points than Theo, for chrissake! Then why--”

  I smirked and finished her sentence. “Why do I put in so much effort in my schoolwork if I don’t care?” Joan’s eyes widened. It never ceased to amaze her how in sync we were. “Because school, or any institution, in Lemuria works just like those on Earth. If you want to break the rules, you have to follow a whole lot more. Just the safest way to go about life, you know?”

  I decided to change the subject. I hoped that my upbeat attitude could distract Joan. It seemed that this finicky new dean really did a number on her.

  “Anyway, have you ever thought about what you’d like to commit to? It's not necessarily bad to get a head start on bonding ourselves to the right magical path.”

  That did the trick. My bestie’s eyes sparkled with wonder as she gazed up at the ceiling. Joan then looked back at me with a warm, genuine smile. I returned her expression and clutched my knees in anticipation. Even though I was pretty sure what she leaned toward, I was all ears.

  “Well, you know me, I’ve made my highest marks in culinary magic, and my progress with empathic communication isn’t half-bad, either,” she gushed. “I’ve always loved helping out the Arcane Combat and Contests team with pre-game feasts. It would be really nice to focus on a career that helps others, you know? Maybe a type of healing witch, like a nutritionist.”

  I thought that sounded just perfect. That’s why I couldn’t figure out why the doubt seemed to creep back into her. Her sunshiny yellow aura was peppered with grey and kind of resembled Swiss cheese. I would’ve taken an enchanted photo of it, but now didn’t seem like the appropriate time. Instead, I decided on an innocent question.

  “What’s wrong, Joan? I think that’s a great idea.”

  “Serafina basically acted as though that was all a waste of time.” She grimaced. “She kept trying to steer the conversation back to beast training. I guessed that she thought it was pretty special that Aurelius was able to defeat his apparition even with all those absences. I don’t disagree, and I’ve always liked animals, but I’d hate to turn my back on cooking.”

  I remembered a commercial of a wholesome family deliberating over hard or soft tacos. It was too perfect of a meme to pass up, and I knew that Joan would get a kick out of it. She would’ve seen it years before Theo “introduced” her to Lemuria.

  Sliding my hand in front of me, I projected an image of an adorable toddler with a bobbed haircut shrugging. “Why not both?” The question appeared in yellow subtitles.

  Joan barked out in laughter, the tension melting. I knew it. The meme was a treasure, pure gold that aged like fine wine. I took that as my cue to convince her that all dreams were possible. Especially when we were able to combine Lemurian magic with human ingenuity.

  “I always expected to ‘diversify,’ you know,” I explained. “Like an angel investor with a big, fat portfolio! I’d be way too bored following just one magical style, and I can go in so many fun directions that could really pay off! I’d love to perfect the art of animation.”

  “Like cartoons? Or video games?” Joan asked, genuinely curious.

  I was flattered that she thought I had so much potential. Those weren’t bad suggestions, but that’s not what I meant. She still had so much to learn about Lemuria. My bestie mostly focused on her own coursework so she wouldn’t get too overwhelmed.

  “No! Not quite!” I teased. “More like golem summoning. It’s a different enchanted path than what you’ve been taking, and honestly, it can be a headache. Sure, it’s cool to turn all these different substances into your minions, but a lot can go wrong. They can get stubborn, or sometimes they’re just plain stupid.”

  I took a blob of clay out from my nightstand and pressed my thumb deeply into it.

  “Deviens ma marionnette!” I murmured. “Become my puppet!”

  I winked and made a walking motion with my two fingers. The clay took the shape of a small hoodoo doll and paced in place. It wasn’t elegant. Instead, it took funny, jerking steps. I wiggled my nose and thought of a permanent marker, allowing me to add a cartoonish mustache and top hat onto the tiny golem. With its little dance, it gave off Charlie Chaplin vibes. Joan’s eyes gleamed with excitement, but to make my point, I purposely let the soulless toy melt into a puddle.

  “Honestly, there’s more to life than magic.” I shrugged. “Really, spellwork is just tinkering with natural properties and energies, sometimes speeding up processes, but technology? Artificial intelligence? That’s what gets my cogs turning!”

  “Preach, sister!” Joan clapped her hands. “Screw what Serafina or anyone else expects from us. We can create our own special brand of enchantment!”

  “Yeah!” I yelped and pumped my fist. “So, how I see it, I might end up being a solitary witch. I’m not sure that any coven can handle all this Becks! I figure that I’ll merge animation magic with engineering to hack my way to an epic robotics empire. Shoot for the stars, right?”

  It sounded pretty out there, and of course, I wanted to stir up Joan’s optimism. Serafina really dampened her spirit bad-mouthing culinary magic. To be honest, though, I did have that pie-in-the-sky aspiration. I even set the plan in motion by setting up my own social media accounts, priming myself as a real cyborg princess and an up-and-coming influencer. My makeup tutorials and LED fashion had a not-so-small cult following, and I was pretty much ready to fly free of Lemuria once I learned all I needed to in Bouclier. Once I graduated, hardly anyone here would even remember me. And if Joan ever got nostalgic about Earth or wanted to bring Theo out to her old stomping grounds, I could hook them both up. They could go to the best hotels and restaurants without anyone asking questions. One day, being part of my posse would be a sweet deal!

  “So, what do you say, girlie?” I pulled myself out of my daydream. “Clear your head of what anyone wants from you. What do you want for yourself?”

  Joan looked out my dorm’s window, then perked up. With confidence, she revealed, “I want to be just like my mom. No compromises! I’ve always been good both with meals and ani
mals, so I figure I’ll be a beast carer and a culinary witch! I’ll make sure creatures far and wide are safe and healthy, and I’ll conjure up foods that make mages feel truly alive!”

  “And,” she continued. “If I can’t find a coven that has room for me or thinks that’s silly, then I’ll just be a solitary witch too!”

  I giggled and treated her to a super tight bear hug. “Perfect!” I encouraged her. “We can be two peculiar peas in a pod! If worse comes to worst and no one claims us, we can just start our own coven. Deal?”

  “Deal!” Joan mirrored, her aura so bright my eyes burned a little, but I totally loved it.

  17

  Joan

  After my sleepover with Becks, I felt confident and brimming with new possibilities, but also a bit coddled, too. I hadn’t really started off my third year with a bang. Damian needed to intervene so that I wasn’t a cold corpse in the woods, Theo had to nurse me back to health, and Becks revived my tattered self-esteem with her pep talks. Somehow, I had to redeem myself and prove that I was truly cut out for Bouclier.

  Sure, Aurelius was coming into his own and harnessing powers that usually only manifest when a companion mage was well into their craft. I didn’t really know if I could claim that was due to my influence, though. I hadn’t intentionally trained him to embody the element of fire, and I had waited until my third year to even enroll in Beast Hunting classes.

  All that time ago, when Theo had brought him to the vet clinic as a sniveling, fluffy mess, I was struck with an unmistakable vision. Aurelius’ spirit was begging for a break, a refuge. In fact, he was straight-up resentful of what Lander and Abelard had put him through, shoving him into a horde of boggarts as a tender pup. Aurelius had endured too much at such a young age.

  I figured it was just because Theo was a jerk and drove his pet too hard, or maybe he was just a pain to be around.