by Logan Jacobs
“I know,” Theodora said with a sideways glance. “None of us expected it at the time… she was one of the most loyal witches I knew, and she was destined for greatness… in fact, she could have been the head of the High Court.”
“Fuck,” I grunted as I rubbed at my temples. “So, we’re dealing with someone who possesses a deep knowledge of our magic?”
“Yes,” the headmistress replied. “Which is what makes her even more dangerous than any other elder we’ve faced before.”
“Shitttt,” I growled, and I could feel the cords in my neck going rigid. “Well… there must be something we can do. Everyone has a weakness… we just need to find out what hers is.”
“Ah.” Theodora grinned before she pulled away from the pila fortunae. “It just so happens I already have the answer to that.”
“Really?” I smiled, and I could feel hope swelling inside my body like a pounding river. “What is it?”
“Long ago, before Samara gave her heart to the elders, she chose to entrap her dark soul within three golden artifacts,” Headmistress Theodora said with moonlit eyes. “She knew that by locking away her power, she would always have a bond with the Wicca way of life.”
“But why secure her power if she chose to turn to the light?” I asked with furrowed eyebrows. “Why not let it die along with her old way of life?”
“I think a part of her could never let go of her dark glory,” Theodora explained. “She was a powerful woman, but also arrogant and proud… and now, her conceit will be her downfall.”
“Well, this is fantastic news!” I breathed as I ran my fingers through my hair and paced around the office. “All we have to do is collect the artifacts and then destroy them? Right?”
“Yes, but they cannot be destroyed until you’ve acquired all three,” Theodora replied with a small frown, and when I saw the sudden, dark cloud that passed over her face, I knew we had a problem.
“What?” I asked in a soft voice. “What are you not telling me?
“Well… it’s not as simple as it sounds,” the headmistress sighed before she sat in her chair and rubbed at her temples. “First, I don’t know exactly where the artifacts are located… that will be up to you to figure out. Second… the spell required to destroy the unholy artifacts requires a sacrifice.”
“What kind of sacrifice?” I asked, and for some reason, I could feel my heart thumping violently against my chest as I waited for her response.
“That can only be revealed once you retrieve the artifacts,” Theodora said with a long, drawn-out sigh. “I know that’s not the answer you’re looking for, but it’s the only one I can give you.”
“So, this entire mission is basically a gamble,” I said as I studied the tangerine-hued flames dancing in the hearth. “Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”
“That’s the gist of it,” the headmistress answered with a tight-lipped smile, “but it’s the only way to stop her. The artifacts, whatever or wherever they may be, will be the only key to her destruction.”
“I understand,” I murmured.
I took a moment to simmer in my thoughts. I knew my coven would be prepared to join me on this seemingly impossible mission, but still, there were so many unanswered questions. Where the hell would we even begin to hunt for the first artifact? And if we found it, how would we locate the second and third? Finally, what in hell’s red soil would we have to sacrifice to destroy this Samara woman?
“Cole, I know you’re concerned,” Theodora cooed in a gentle voice. “You would be a fool not to be worried… it’s too much to ask from a student, even one as powerful as yourself--”
“I’ll do it,” I interjected. “Of course, I’ll do it… as long as I can bring my coven and whomever else I choose.”
Theodora’s soul-searching eyes filled with instant relief as the corners of her lips pulled up into a small smile. Then she stared long and hard at me before she beckoned for me to come closer to the desk.
“I have an idea,” she whispered as I took a step toward her. “I think together, we can vaguely sense where at least one artifact is located… it won’t be precise, but it’s better than nothing. Agreed?”
“Certainly.” I nodded quickly. “What do you need me to do?”
“Come and press your hands against the orb,” Theodora instructed as her blue eyes studied the pila fortunae. “Open your heart to the darkness and let it wash over your entire body and soul… close your eyes and feel it in your bones… seep it in like a dying rose thirsts for water… can you feel it?”
I closed my eyes and could feel the air shifting, and as a frigid, bone-numbing breeze swept through the room, I took a deep breath while my entire body pulsated with violent shivers. I felt my heart splitting open to allow the eternal darkness to pour through, and when it felt like my body and soul were confined to Satan and his unholy doings, I nodded my head. Then Theodora put her hands on mine and guided me toward the pila fortunae, and when I pressed my hands against the cold marble, I felt a jolt of energy coursing through my veins and seeping into my bloodstream.
“Just like that,” Theodora whispered. “Keep your eyes closed… do not open them until I tell you to… then, when you’re ready, repeat after me, ‘ergo animus ad esse aperta quaestiones.’”
“Yes, Headmistress,” I muttered with my eyes tightly shut, and I took another sharp breath before I pressed my fingers more firmly against the orb. Then I calmly repeated the words. “Ergo animus ad esse aperta quaestiones!”
The room grew cooler, and a chill crept through my bones as raw energy seeped through my fingertips and flowed through my entire body.
“Can you feel something?” Theodora asked after a long moment. “I think I can sense an object…”
“I feel… a pull toward something locked,” I answered. “I feel like we’re looking for something that requires a key or code… what do you feel?”
“The same thing,” she remarked after a pause, “but that doesn’t help us much. It could mean a number of things.”
“Wait… now I feel something different… I think I can feel the earth beneath my feet,” I said in a rushed voice, “it feels like I’m walking barefoot through a woodland… the soil is cold, damp, and black as night… and the sky is as silver as steel.”
“Good…” she murmured after a long moment. “I can feel the same… and the sun… it’s pale as white wine… it’s washing over the pine trees and dead leaves…”
“Yeah,” I sighed as I pressed my hands more firmly against the cold marble. “I can feel the cool rays on my skin… like an early winter morning. I can smell the dew on the grass and the scent of spicy pinewood is drifting through the air.”
“I can sense the exact same thing,” Theodora muttered, “but like I said, it isn’t giving us a clear enough picture… these are just simple clues… you can open your eyes now. I fear we’ve achieved all we can.”
When Theodora pulled away from the marble, I could feel the entire room fill up with warmth, and when I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the distraught look on the headmistress’ face. Her eyes were filled with dread, and the deep frown on her face made my stomach coil and drop.
“What is it, Headmistress?” I asked. “I know we weren’t able to gain a full picture of what we were searching for or where it’s located, but surely there is something else we can try? You’re the most powerful Wicca there is… I know you must have another plan in mind.”
“In fact, there is,” Theodora replied after a moment. “It’s an ancient incantation, from the old texts… it hasn’t been practiced for years.”
“So, what are we waiting for?” I asked with an encouraging grin. “Let’s give it a go.”
“While I do appreciate your enthusiasm and vigor,” Theodora replied with a tiny smile. “It’s still a risk.”
“Well, what isn’t?” I lightly teased.
“I mean that if we attempt this other spell, Samara might be able to sense us,” the headmistress clarifie
d. “She might know we’re on to her, and she could use her powers to sway us in the opposite direction… she could send you to Satan knows where, and you’d never know how to return to Scholomance--”
“Fuck her,” I answered without thinking. “It’s you and me… together we’re fucking unstoppable. I say we give it a go and surpass that treacherous bitch. What do you say?”
“Very well, Cole,” she chuckled as her white-washed face lit up with hope. “We’ll try it your way… but we must be careful.”
“Understood.” I nodded.
Theodora quickly turned her attention to the fireplace and narrowed her eyes at the artifacts on her mantlepiece. As the gold clock, candle, and other objects moved into various positions, the hearth itself slowly began to slide apart. No matter how many times I’d seen her secret passageway open, I still watched in fascination as the stones carefully rearranged themselves and gently pulled apart to reveal a deep, black opening.
“Allow me,” I said when everything grew still, and I stepped inside the narrow and dank tunnel.
“Thank you, Cole,” Theodora cooed from her desk.
As predicted, there stood the small pile of ancient books in the middle of the passageway, and the premonition book rested on the very top.
“Don’t mention it,” I replied as I curled my fingers around the book and tucked it under my arm.
When I marched out of the dank tunnel, I gingerly placed the textbook on her desk and took a small step back as Theodora used her mind to open the book to the correct page.
“Ah, here we go,” Theodora hummed as she traced a slender finger along the brown page. “The ancient mirror spell… we’ll need a cauldron full of unholy water, a pinch of sea salt, a dash of ginger-root, and a teaspoon of elder blood… this spell should give us a clearer image of what we’re looking for and where it’s located.”
“Elder blood?” I repeated with raised eyebrows. “With all due respect, Headmistress, do we have any elder blood?”
“Never underestimate me, Cole.” Theodora grinned as she pulled a small necklace from her bosom and dangled it in front of me.
I took a moment to study the gold charm. It was shaped like a small teardrop, but when I looked closer, I noticed it had a small screw on the top, like a locked vial.
“Shit,” I chuckled. “Do you always carry that with you?”
“But, of course,” she answered as she fiddled with the charm in between her fingers. “You never know when it can come to use… now, let’s not waste any more time, shall we?”
Before I could say another word, Theodora snapped her fingers, and a cloud of smoke erupted on the desk. When the shimmering mist cleared, a black cauldron filled with water, a small vial of salt, and a jar of ginger-root were situated neatly on her desk.
“Now what?” I asked in an eager tone.
“Patience, Cole,” Theodora gently reminded me. “We must take our time with this… it hasn’t been enacted for years.”
“Of course.” I nodded. “You’re right.”
“Now…” Theodora purred as her blue eyes darted across the page. “First, we must add the sea salt to the unholy water…”
I watched with wide eyes as the headmistress carefully added a pinch of salt into the cauldron, and as soon as the salt touched the water, it began to bubble violently like it was on fire. Stale smoke wafted up my nostrils, and I coughed as the room clouded with thick, heavy smoke.
“Nasty, I know,” the headmistress commented as she waved her hands in front of her face. “Now for the ginger… Cole, would you please cut the root into two equal halves and slip it into the brew?”
“Of course,” I coughed.
I unscrewed the jar of ginger root, and after I placed the small stock of ginger on the table, I pulled out my wand and strained to look past the thick smoke.
“Secare,” I said as I carefully guided the wand along the root and cut it in half.
“Lovely,” Theodora remarked as I slipped the two perfect halves into the cauldron.
When the root sunk to the bottom of the pot, the thick smoke slowly started to disappear, and I felt relieved as I breathed in the fresh air. The water didn’t change color, but the reflection was as clear as a mirror when I peered into it.
“And now the blood?” I asked as I stared back at myself.
“Now the blood,” Theodora confirmed as she unscrewed the gold vial from her neck.
I watched as the headmistress carefully tipped the pendent into the cauldron and let three, fat, equal drops of blood drip into the water.
“Now repeat after me and be quick!” Theodora demanded in a rushed voice. “Ostende nobis quid hoc sit sanguis tempore videre! Mentes nostras perdidit secretorum patere!”
I repeated the incantation word for word, and when the spell left my lips, a violent wind swept through the entire office and nearly knocked us off our feet.
“Hold on!” Theodora screamed over the howling wind. “It will feel like shadow porting… but stronger! Take my hand!”
The water bubbled and steam blurred my vision as I snatched Theodora’s outstretched hand, and I could feel the office vanishing from view as we both tumbled into an unknown and possibly deadly world.
Chapter 5
We were pulled into a deep whirlwind vortex, and I could feel my body viciously twisting as our souls ventured from Theodora’s office and into the unknown. As we tossed and turned, everything was a vivid, colorful blur, until suddenly, it all came to an abrupt standstill. Then, before I knew what was happening, we found ourselves standing amidst a vast, glowing forest, filled with the sounds of early morning life rousing itself awake.
At first, it took all my willpower not to gawk at everything around me, but there was something so strange and spellbinding about this woodland, like every pair of eyes within its confinements were solely focused on us. The more I breathed in the crisp dawn air, the more it felt like the forest itself was holding its breath and waiting for something astonishing to occur.
Such as our impromptu arrival.
“Wow,” I breathed as I looked around. “This place… there’s something so unusual about it, but I can’t place my finger on it.”
I wasn’t exaggerating, either. There was something so divine, yet melancholy about this woodland, like a demon and an angel conceived it. The trees were unlike anything I’d ever seen before, and when I craned my neck to stare upon them, the scent of pinewood and damp bark seeped up my nostrils and flooded my head. The trees’ black branches emitted a strange afterglow as bright as a wing of a night fairy, and their leaves were shimmering like pure gold or silver. The sky was the color of pure steel, and not a cloud was in sight, so pale sunlight washed over the towering trees, and its rays tingled my skin. The soil was as black as fresh ink, and the earth was littered with vibrant autumn leaves. Blasts of color, from blood-hued ginger to canary yellow, washed over the land and overwhelmed my senses.
“Is this the realm we were sensing?” I asked as I took a deep breath.
“Yes,” Theodora answered in a calm voice. “This has to be it.”
“What is its name?” I asked.
“It is known as the Angelus Daemonium,” Theodora responded, and a soft cloud of mist spurted out from her pale lips.
“The trees… they’re glowing,” I said as a melody without music or sound coursed through my ears. “I feel like they’re singing to me, but I can’t hear a word.”
“This forest has been placed under a dangerous spell,” Theodora explained in a faint voice. “The magic that flows through the trees, through the soil, and even in the sky… it derives from an ancient combination of elder and Wicca sorcery.”
“What?” I asked with raised eyebrows. “Is that even possible?”
“Only if enacted by someone as powerful as Samara or me,” the headmistress explained as her blue eyes suspiciously wandered around the woods. “This realm possesses both dark and light magic… a deadly combination to most.”
“Unholy s
hit,” I whispered as I tried to brush my fingertips along a tree trunk, but my hand fell right through it like I was a ghost. “What the hell? Why can’t I touch it?”
“Our bodies are still in the office,” Theodora clarified. “We must tread carefully… even if we’re not physically here, that doesn’t mean we’re safe. Samara could be watching us right now as we speak… or anyone else for that matter.”
“Understood,” I replied as I took another long look around, and then I thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye, and my heart began to pound against my chest. “Wait… hold on…”
As I strained my eyes, I thought I spotted something in between the trees only a few feet ahead of us. It appeared to be a wisp of a silver cloak, and whoever it belonged to was darting quickly through the woodland, as if they had one sole purpose to fulfill.
I could feel their ambition deep in my bones, and it sent a jolt of hope through my body.
“You saw it, too?” Theodora asked.
“Yes,” I said in a rushed voice. “We should follow them… I have a good feeling about it.”
“Aye, we should,” she agreed, “but stay close… sometimes the woods can play tricks on those who were not invited into its dwelling.”
“I understand,” I answered before I pulled out my wand. “Don’t worry about me, Headmistress.”
“I rarely do,” she chuckled.
As Headmistress Theodora and I followed the shimmering threads of silver through the trees, it didn’t take long for me to realize we were following a tall, cloaked woman, and I could tell by the quick steps she was in a hurry.
“Is that her?” I whispered, even though I knew she couldn’t hear us. “Is that Samara?”
“I believe so,” Theodora responded in a faint voice. “Let’s stay close… even if this is a memory, she could disappear whenever she chooses to, and so could we… we have no idea how long the spell will last.”
I nodded in agreement as we closely followed the veiled Samara through the glowing trees and past the foliage-covered forest floor. At times, she would slowly turn her head, but not enough for me to catch a full glimpse of her face. I knew she was afraid someone was watching her, and at times, I feared she would be able to sense us, but so far, she didn’t turn around, and she never stopped to catch her breath.