Shadowblade Academy 1: Darkness Calls

by KC Kingmaker

  I knew a little bit but not enough. Even if I had to be the only one who asked questions, and tried to get to the bottom of it, and it got me killed . . . I would keep digging. Because I was fiercely loyal to those I loved, and I loved Myria just as much as the other Knuckles in our group.

  We were a team.

  As I ambled through the chilly night air outside Fort Nocturnus—the judicial and bureaucratic center of Shadowblade Academy I’d just left—footsteps drew my attention.

  Venn came jogging up. “I heard she already escaped.”

  I grunted. “How’d you hear that?”

  “Dax told me on his way to the dorm. Whole school will know pretty soon.”

  I stopped walking and faced him, thrusting my hands into my jacket pockets. “You think she needs that kind of attention this early on?”

  Venn scrubbed a hand through his short silver hair. “What do you care? You hate her.”

  I sighed and shook my head. “Never mind.” For once, I didn’t feel like getting in an argument. I was all tapped out of energy.

  We kept walking toward the dormitory together. The campus was quiet, which was funny because nighttime was usually when Shadowblade Academy thrived.

  Soon, when classes begin, this place will be bustling during these hours.

  “What did Headmaster Cane want to talk about?” I asked, trying to make light conversation.

  Venn shrugged. “Nothing important. Some of my classes got mixed up. He wanted to make sure they got fixed.”

  I quirked an eyebrow but kept my head down so I didn’t betray my suspicion. “Doesn’t the scheduler take care of that?”

  “That’s what I said!” he laughed. “Weird, huh?”

  “Yep,” I grunted.

  Is Venn lying to me now? Fuck.

  We continued on, because it didn’t really matter—whether Venn lied to me or not about what he was doing with Headmaster Cane, it was by far the least consequential thing of the evening. And the least exciting.

  My thoughts went back to the basement lobby; how Coralia told me off and sashayed out of there like she owned the place. The way her ass flexed as she walked, dimples forming in her cheeks that I could see through her clothes.

  I was the only one not infatuated with Coralia Hargrave’s abilities, but I was infatuated in other ways.

  My cock sprang to life, thickening against my thigh. We were coming up to the dormitory, but my eyes scanned right, to the female dorm building down the way. I tried to change my gait to hide my arousal and get it to shrink, but it was futile. After such a frustrating day, I needed release.

  And I knew just who to go to.

  “I’ll catch you later, Venn,” I said.

  He caught the direction I was gazing and chuckled to himself as I started to veer away. “Try not to get too many bruises, sunshine. Orientation is tomorrow.”

  Chapter 9

  Coralia

  I WAS STILL PISSED as I walked across campus with Wrist Jace Hudson, but was starting to calm down now that I’d left my prison cell and the gloomy castle with its gothic swirls and spires.

  We hiked through a winding road, under a copse of trees and alongside a park. My eyes kept darting around to take in the surroundings. The place wasn’t nearly as dark as I thought it would be, despite it being the dead of night. Gaslamps and streetlights were placed every thirty feet or so, lining the road and the park. Moonlight bathed the other parts not touched by artificial light. I noticed nondescript buildings in the distance, all around me, sitting like black shadows against the purple horizon.

  “Expected a ghost town?” Jace asked, noticing I couldn’t keep my eyes from darting. “Lights create shadows. Shadows can be manipulated by the students and professors here.”

  “For night training?”

  “Yes, and as defensive measures. If we were to be attacked, we can use the play on light and shadow to our advantage. In time, you’ll understand.”

  I hated being treated like a young grasshopper, but I didn’t argue with him. Despite the chilly air and the starry, cloudless sky, I still couldn’t peg where we were. The climate felt crisp, like we were above sea level, possibly in the mountains.

  I asked, “Where is Shadowblade Academy located?”

  “I can’t tell you that, I’m afraid.”

  “A hint?”

  “It’s in the continental United States. You don’t have to worry about accidental trespassers though. Our campus is invisible to prying eyes like non-magic users.”

  I couldn’t hide my disbelief. “You mean to tell me this whole place is one big magic trick?”

  “To laymen.”

  “How?”

  “Illusion magic combined with powerful wards.”

  “I mean, I’ve heard Briarwitch Academy has powerful wards too. But people can still see it and stumble in.”

  “Right. Shadowblade Academy is a specialized school. Unless you attend, you aren’t supposed to know it exists.”

  “How will I leave, once I graduate or go on break or whatever?”

  “The same way you came in.”

  I gulped. Shadow portal. Sketchy.

  The conversation carried us to one of the plain buildings. Jace stopped at the entrance and put his hands out so I’d slow my roll. Once I was facing him, he said, “Now then, until you are accepted into a Glove after your Ghost-year, you have to bide your time in this cadet center, and bunk with other students.”

  I sighed. “I only understood half of what you said and I already don’t like it. I won’t fit in bunking with magical kids.”

  His beard twitched with a small smile. “Gloomy and whiny? You’ll fit right in.”

  I scowled at his amused expression. “Anything else?”

  He thought for a moment, pulling at his beard. “Just watch your back, Miss Hargrave. Remember what I said about the students here.”

  “Okay.”

  He gave me a small pat on my shoulder—an “atta-girl” type of pat. “I’m glad you managed to escape tonight. It would have been unfortunate to have to keep you in the cell during orientation tomorrow. How would you make friends otherwise?”

  “I have a feeling I’m not going to be making many friends regardless, Wrist Hudson.”

  With a chuckle, he left me on my own and walked away into the darkness.

  I WASN’T TWO STEPS inside the dorm building before a curt meow caught my attention behind me.

  I spun and smiled as Bruce Kittenson scampered into the warm room as the door was closing. “Ah, Brucey!”

  He leaped into my arms and I hugged him against my chest. I nuzzled my nose against his forehead. “I didn’t forget you, boy. I figured you’d found a pretty date out there after rescuing me. Good job, by the way.” I winked at him. “They didn’t suspect a thing. You’re a sneaky little bandit, aren’t you!”

  In the lobby, a bored-looking girl with overdone mascara, black arm-warmers, and green hair raised her head and motioned me forward. She looked like she belonged behind a Hot Topic counter rather than a special supernatural academy, but for some reason it worked. She was exactly what I expected.

  The girl sent me to the third floor of the dorm to my room, which had already been called in for me. Bruce prowled behind me as we made our way up the stairs. It was then that I remembered I had no makeup, no clothes, and no food to speak of. If Venn was lying and they didn’t have accommodations for me, I was totally screwed. “I’ll need a monthly stipend or something, Brucey. Does money even work in magic school?”

  I was totally out of my element.

  I came to my designated room and knocked. The green-haired girl at the front had told me a student was staying here, so I didn’t want to be rude and barge in.

  The door cracked open. A pretty girl with a lean face, peach lipstick, and jet black hair to her shoulders answered. Her scowl was intense and nearly made me backpedal. “Yeah? Can I help you?”

  I was already not vibing my roommate.

  “Um, yeah,” I said slowly
. “Are you Genevieve Jade? I’m your new roommate. I guess.” I gave her a tiny smile.

  She blinked. The frown grew more pronounced, if that was possible. She was really stretching the limits of how unsatisfied a human face could look. Fae-cial features, perhaps? Who knows.

  “No,” she said, shaking her head adamantly. “I told them not to bunk me with anyone.”

  I cocked my head curiously. “Is that . . . do you have that power? To make that call, I mean.”

  “Oh, great, you’re smarmy, too?”

  “Uh, smarmy?”

  “And deaf.”

  I matched her glare. She was about my height, and as the door opened more I noticed she was thinner and leaner than me. Her black shirt barely went past her big tits, giving me an eyeful of flat, toned belly.

  “I’m not deaf,” I said flatly. “Or smarmy, if you’re even using that word right.” I waved my hands in the air, trying to abracadabra this shit to a new beginning. “Look, Genevieve, I’ve had a hell of a day and I just need a bed to crash on. I’m not trying to start trouble. This is where they put me.”

  She cocked a hip, striking a pose. “Yeah, well, you can’t stay here, new girl. I know your type. You’re not important. We’ve all had a hard day.”

  I didn’t even know what the fuck she was talking about, but I was about two seconds from losing it on her. Magical cadet or not, she could kiss my ass if she thought this was how things would go between us.

  I know a mean girl when I see one. I am a mean girl to deserving boys the world over! “I’m not trying to cramp your style, or get in the way of whatever—”

  “What’s your name?” she spat.

  “Coralia Hargrave.”

  “Ahh. Myria’s sister. Why didn’t you say so?”

  With that, she gave me a sweet smile and stepped out of the doorway, sweeping her hand out for me to enter.

  I walked into Genevieve’s lair hesitantly, eyes darting. The place was plain on my side, which was great, while hers was decorated in posters and other bullshit I didn’t care about.

  Thank God I could use my sister as a get-in-free card. Never thought I’d see the day.

  I flopped belly-first onto the bed, then rolled over and propped myself up, dangling my legs over the edge. This is a lot better than the prison cell, I gotta say. “Are you friends with Myri.”

  “Your sister was a troublemaker too,” she replied, catching me off-guard.

  “Excuse me?” I leaned forward. I was more surprised then angry, but the fury wasn’t far behind.

  She shrugged nonchalantly. “There’s probably a good reason she’s missing.”

  I jumped up from the bed, every fiber of my being going on edge. “What did you just say?”

  Her eyes narrowed in a challenging way. “Like I said, Cornelia, Cordova, whatever your name is: You’re not important. You’re not special. Neither was your sister.”

  I flew toward her, unable to stop myself. I didn’t know what her problem with me was, but she was getting the brunt of my daylong pent-up frustration whether she deserved it or not.

  Women were supposed to prop each other up, not tear each other down.

  My fist flew toward her chin and she easily dodged me, gliding backward like a graceful ballerina. Her hands flew up and something smacked me in the back of the calves and wrapped around my legs.

  I gasped, my feet frozen in place, my hands wheeling in circles. When I looked down, I watched in horror as a black shape slithered around me, emerging from beneath my own bed like a freaking hentai tentacle.

  It was a shadow, but with physical substance to it, and it attacked me at Genevieve’s behest.

  With a flick of her wrist, the mean girl sent me reeling, plopping me onto my bed in shame, completely immobilized from the waist down.

  “You see, new girl?” she snarled, sashaying forward to stand over me. “I am important. I’m one of the best shadow manipulators of our class. What are you, a fucking human?” With a scoff, she tossed her raven black hair over a shoulder. “I might as well put an end to you now. You’ll never make it here. Or maybe I should call security and get you thrown back in the initiation cell? Yeah, that sounds about right.”

  She towered over me, her shadow tendril still holding me in place. I writhed and squirmed, trying to break free, but it had an iron grip on my legs and waist and I couldn’t even sit up.

  I wanted to be angry and say something hurtful to her, but this wasn’t a jokey situation like in Jose’s Ranchero, when I’d popped off to the guys. This was serious business. She was talking about killing me for God’s sake. All I could think about was trying to escape my predicament.

  Genevieve took another slow step toward me, a cruel grin on her face. Her hands moved in the air in strange motions like a Power Ranger.

  I glanced over her shoulder and saw the door was still cracked open. I opened my mouth to cry for help—

  A white flash blurred in, pushing the door open. It hopped onto a nightstand and then launched at Genevieve’s back.

  “Bruce!” I cried.

  The cat hissed and ran up her butt, then pawed at her elbow with his claws extended.

  Genevieve spun in a circle, losing her footing and stumbling to the floor. “Fucking cat!” she wailed, trying to fling Bruce off her. “I hate cats! I’ll kill you!”

  Bruce was too quick and jumped off her before he could be hurt. He dodged a shadow creeping up behind him from a little lamp on her desk. He disappeared underneath a small crevice, behind a drawer.

  I laughed wickedly at the sight of Genevieve barreling around her room like a madwoman, tossing shit aside and trying to find Bruce. Without her concentration on me, the shadow holding me in place slithered back to its normal spot on the floor, slanted diagonally from my bed.

  I sat up and cracked my neck, ready to rush the bitch and make her pay.

  A knock at the ajar door stopped me as we both stood to our full heights, our fists raised, inches apart, snarls on our lips like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier ready to go at it before the opening bell.

  “Where’s my favorite—”

  Our heads whipped to the door as it opened.

  “—princess? Oh . . . what kind of kinky shit did I just walk in on?”

  I blinked at Sunny Conway standing in the doorway, looking lost but absurdly hot all the same.

  “Sunny!” Genevieve squealed, her tone completely changed. She dropped her fists and lunged at him in a hug. “Get this bitch out of here, Sunny. She came in here trying to screw with me!”

  I put my hands on my hips, glaring at Sunny and ignoring Genevieve. “What are you doing? You know what, I don’t want to know. You two are just perfect for each other. Did you just call her ‘princess’ also?”

  Sunny cocked his head, trying for a blank look. “Hmm? Come again?”

  “What’s she talking about, Sunny?” Genevieve asked, putting herself at arm’s length of her savior.

  I threw my head back and cackled. “Oh boy. Do you want to tell her or should I tell her—”

  “Stop,” he warned.

  “—how you called me ‘princess’ all night in the initiation cell?” I pouted at the duo, giving them a faux look of sympathy. “Aww, is little Miss Jade not feeling so special now that she knows she’s not important in big bad Sunny’s eyes?”

  Genevieve looked close to tears, her sparkling eyes huge. “She’s lying. Right, Sunny?”

  “Of course she is babe.” He wrapped an arm around her tiny waist to console her.

  “Okay,” I said smugly. I reclined on the bed and waited for Bruce Kittenson to hop up and join me, to feast in our combined glory.

  It’s not that I liked to make girls cry, but Genevieve Jade was no girl. She was a bitch, and she asked for it. I wasn’t going to just let bullies steamroll me in this place. My life had been too rough for me to afford having the street smarts of a Wall Street executive. I knew how these mean girls and boys poked and prodded until they broke you.

  It sta
rted out harmless enough, but with enough pokes and prods, it could do some serious harm.

  Not on my fucking watch.

  Sunny glared at me like a black hole had taken root in his being. It was frightening to witness, and made my gratification short-lived.

  “Well, princess—”

  “Which one are you talking to?” I asked, unable to help myself. My finger pointed from me to Genevieve and back to her.

  He seethed, body flexing. Then he gave Genevieve a pointed look. “I guess I didn’t see anything here, Vivi. So I’ll be leaving now.”

  He turned to walk away.

  I saw the shimmer of dark revenge blooming in Genevieve’s eyes.

  Shit. My blood ran cold.

  “Wait! No, sorry, sorry, I was just kidding.” I sat up straight. This is why it doesn’t pay to be an asshole! You get in trouble like this! My glory days were a thing of the past. I didn’t want to be left alone to Genevieve’s devices. Stupid, stupid, Cor. I should have tried to kill them with kindness.

  Sunny looked over his shoulder. “Oh, now you want me to stay? Back at the initiation cell you couldn’t wait to be rid of me and never see me again.”

  “That was then. Now is now.”

  He shrugged and made to leave again.

  “Wait, I’ll go instead. Okay?” I begged. “I’ll find somewhere else to sleep.”

  “Let me have her,” Genevieve said giddily, darkly.

  The creepiest thing happened then, as I stood from the bed with my palms folded in prayer.

  Sunny’s amber eyes flared red. He stalked forward into the room. His voice changed, deeper and more malicious. “No, Vivi. I’ll have her.”

  I gasped as he closed the gap to me in two steps. He bared his teeth and his canines elongated into fangs.

  I gasped, falling onto my butt at the edge of the bed. He’s a fucking vampire!

  The shadow tentacle returned, wrapping around my legs and forcing me onto my back. It trapped my arms and legs, keeping me defenseless.

  “S-Stay away from me!” I cried. Tears threatened to spill. Bruce hissed and clawed, but Sunny wasn’t deterred like Genevieve had been.