Ignoring him, Jenks flapped her hands, exclaiming, “With our powers combined, we could be like superheroes! Look at what we could do if we worked together and used our powers to enhance each other. How cool would that be?”
Laughing, I shook my head. “That’s either the best idea I have ever heard, or the most disastrous one.”
Watching us thoughtfully, Mac seemed to be calculating something. “Teaming up, that’s actually a very interesting idea.”
“It sounds dangerous. How do you know you can trust each other? Think of all that power together. You could be supervillains instead of superheroes. That’s probably why they try to push everyone into a career path to focus their powers on a particular job and lifestyle. It has the potential to be too dangerous otherwise.”
Luce’s voice, still melodic, had a slight tremor. She was terrified.
“Now that’s an interesting thought.” Jax peered at her huddled form over the top of his bottle. As she recoiled from his words, he held out one of his hands placatingly. “Wait, that came out wrong. I don’t mean us as supervillains or whatever. I meant that they push and direct us into easily controlled and expected roles. We choose what we want to do, but we follow set paths, I never really thought about that before. They don’t encourage any long-term teams or groups. Always matching and experimenting with abilities, but never really allowing us to bond. Wow, how did I not see that before?”
“Teaming up sounds like an interesting concept, but I mean, how would that even work at a school like this? And we haven’t even taken our entrance exams yet, so—” Jenks glanced curiously at the two guys. Were they serious? I could tell she was genuinely interested in the concept of working together.
“Oh, that’s right, that means you guys could get up to all sorts of mischief since you aren’t cued in to all the wards and stuff. Want to go find some trouble?” Jax teased, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at Jenks and then myself. I started giggling.
“Dumbass, we are in a lockdown!” Mac ground out in exasperation. Jax looked surprised for a minute before slapping his palm to his forehead.
“Oh yeah, the text. So, what the hell is going on?”
I tuned everyone out as Jenks and Mac filled him in about the potion of envy and the guards. Instead, I couldn’t shake this itchy feeling in the pit of my stomach that I should be doing something. I wondered if I ought go to Liam and offer to use my sensing ability. I bet I could at least narrow down the search for them. I would just need a picture and description to get a lock on it.
“Hello, earth to Roxy? What the hell are you thinking about?” Refocusing my attention to what was going on in front of me, I shuddered back in shock as I realized Jenks was about two inches from my face.
“Ugh, sorry. I was—well, I was just thinking I could probably use my sensing ability to narrow down the search for the potion of envy. I mean, I don’t know if they’d let me, but maybe I should go remind Liam about my power and see if he wants me to use it?”
Jax wrinkled his nose. “Liam? You mean Trackwell? Sorry, sweetheart, no matter how hot you are, there is no way Liam is going to let you do something potentially dangerous while you aren’t completely under the academy’s protection.”
“She thinks Trackwell is hot.” Jenks darted back as I swiped my arm at her, embarrassment tingeing my cheeks once again.
“Well, who doesn’t? He is hot.” Jax ignored Jenks’ mouth flopping open so wide you could see her tonsils. Mac was still staring at me with fixed concentration.
“I have to agree with Jax on this.” Noticing the surprise on all of our faces, he sighed. “I mean, I have to agree with the fact that Trackwell would never let you put yourself in danger. But it does seem silly not to utilize your power.”
Jax seemed excited that Mac was thinking along the same lines as him. He jumped up off the bed and began pacing the narrow space between the two bunks. “Seriously, if your power works even in the slightest, it would help end this stupid lockdown and let us get back to our regular lives. Oh, yeah, and get the priceless and dangerous artifact back to where it belongs.”
“If you both agree that Trackwell won’t let Roxy use her sensing ability, then that’s it, right? There’s nothing she can do.” Luce sounded both relieved and nervous. She didn’t want me in danger, but she also didn’t want to be stuck in lockdown with someone wily enough to steal the potion of envy.
“What’s the point of having these powers if I can never actually do anything meaningful with them?” Grumbling in frustration, I leaned back flat on my bed so I wouldn’t have to make eye contact with anyone.
Usually, I focused all my energy on studying, practicing, researching, and working to be one of the best. But without knowing how to prepare for my exams, I felt lost. If my roommates, Mac, Jax, and Griffin were any indication, it looked like everyone here was fairly open-minded about unusual powers, and I was by no means the most extraordinary one here. It seemed so cruel that now that I was surrounded by people who were excited about my abilities, I felt like I couldn’t use them. Temporarily, of course, but the inevitable denial from Liam and the other professors over using my very capable sensing ability to help…well, that just plain sucked.
“Just because the old stick in the mud, Trackwell, didn’t give you permission, doesn’t mean you can’t still try to track it.” Jax stood over me, his black, haphazard curls falling across his devious emerald eyes.
“Actually, Jax is right,” Mac agreed. “Although we could get in trouble, the benefits of using your powers to locate an extremely valuable and dangerous artifact and lift the lockdown…I think that might trump it.”
Mac leaned his long body over the edge of my bed, stretching over the back of the chair he was sitting in. Adjusting his glasses, he watched me studiously for a moment.
“I wonder…” His voice trailed off as he slid his head to the side and eyed Jax.
Jax reached out and grabbed my hand. “C’mon, Foxy Roxy, let’s see what you can do!”
Groaning at his nickname, I couldn’t help but let a hint of a smile tug at my lips. Not letting go of my hand, Jax kept a light hold on it as he turned to Mac. “You wonder what? I know you’ve got something cooking in that head of yours, Mac.”
“I was wondering if I described the essence of the potion of envy, while you conjured a visual illusion of it, if that would be enough for Roxy to try and sense where it is? Then, we could let Trackwell know, and even if he’s upset, it would cut all this nonsense in half.”
“Oh, Mac, I’m impressed! Look at you!” Jax nodded as his eyes flicked appreciatively over Mac’s wide gazed and flushed cheeks.
“Dude, shut up before I start to regret this.” Mac closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.
Jenks and Luce watched silently, sipping on beer and soda and munching on their chips.
“I think that will work. A visual helps, as well as the feelings or emotions it would emit or elicit. Although, instead of describing, if you can pull up those feelings and let me read you, along with the visual, it would be much more effective.”
“Oh.” Mac stared at me for a moment before Jax reached over with his free hand and bumped his shoulder.
“Don’t worry man, it doesn’t hurt. I think if you just focus solely on the potion of envy, that’s all she’ll really get,” Jax informed him.
Shrugging off Jax’s hand and rolling his shoulders, Mac grumbled, “Yeah, it’s not a big deal.”
Jenks exchanged a knowing look with Luce before grinning at me. “Good luck, girl.”
Nodding, I gently tried to pull my hand from Jax’s, but he held on strong, using his free hand to make a few small movements in front of me. I felt the faint brush of cool air and saw the space before me begin to shimmer. As he flicked his fingers, I couldn’t hold back my gasp. Appearing about a foot in front of me was the most beautiful and enchanting bottle I had ever seen. A second later, Mac reached out to my other hand and lightly grasped it. Jax’s hands were warm and sl
ightly rough, probably from playing guitar, while Mac’s were smooth and vaguely damp from nerves.
Immediately, the feelings he felt from his encounter with the potion of envy flooded through me. A sense of jealousy and desire hit me first. A little voice in my head murmured I wasn’t quite good enough, strong enough, powerful enough. I needed more, I deserved it all. I felt my spine straighten as the feeling of longing twisted into one of need. I felt a little gasp leave my lips as I tried to wrangle the feelings in.
Without saying a word, I found that Mac had pulled up a mental image of the bottle and was pushing it at me. A gorgeous jewel shaped glass, iridescent with a bright pink liquid swirling inside. Ornate polished gold with dripping jewels invited me to come closer, begging to be admired. A pearlescent skull and crossbones marked the front, tempting me with its cool beauty. Behind it, swirling, shifting images just cloudy enough to remain a mystery twirled in the bottle. An inviting scent floated in a wafting haze, curling out from the bottle. A spicy, citrusy fragrance crawled through Mac’s vision and felt so strongly, I could actually smell it.
Sucking in a deep breath, I was stunned, since pulling a sense like smell in from someone had never happened before. It clung to my nostrils, pleasant but dangerous. If the feeling the potion of envy gave Mac was this strong, and it was a diluted admin approved version with added protection from acting too negatively, then I couldn’t begin to fathom how dangerous the full bottle would be in the wrong hands.
Slowly opening my eyes, I began to slide out of Mac’s head and gently wind my control back into place. “Got it.”
My voice sounded raspy and hoarse. Mac immediately let go of my hand, looking tired and slightly dazed. Flopping back into his chair, he grabbed his soda and began chugging it. My other hand tingled and I turned my head to Jax. His dark lashes and liner-rimmed, beautiful green eyes were opened wide. He was staring at me in amazement.
“Oh, God Jax! You felt that, didn’t you? Did I transfer all those emotions to you? I didn’t mean to, I think I was just so focused on pulling the feelings from Mac. A-And then I began to get other senses, like smell and stronger images. That’s never really happened before. I’m so sorry!”
Panic seized my entire being. I had failed. My first time using my powers here, and I had already proven how right Liam and Claude were. I needed more control and guidance. I could be so dangerous if I wasn’t careful. I was so focused on using my empathic and sensing abilities, I had loosened control over transference and let everything flow from me into Jax.
“Are you friggin kidding? That was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever felt!”
Jax used his grip on my hand to tug me closer, wrapping his other arm around me in a tight hug. He rubbed my back a few times before releasing me. “Roxy, that was amazing. Seriously, there are no words for how cool that was.”
Clearing his throat, Mac watched us with raised eyebrows. “While there is ton I want to talk about and unpack from what just happened, more importantly, Roxy, can you use that to sense its location?”
“Oh, let me try. Jax, I’m going to need my hand back for this part.” Jax raised my hand to his lips and gave it a soft, lingering kiss before letting go. Luce let out a little sigh, as if she was watching a romantic movie, while Mac groaned.
Smiling, I blocked them all out and began to open up my sensing ability. Holding the image and the strongest feelings in my mind, I reached out to find it, almost calling to it, and waited to hear an answer or echo. I didn’t have to wait long, the potion of envy wanted to be found and used, and a vibrating sensation filled my body. It was still on campus, close to the area around the dining hall. It seemed to be stationary, at least at the moment.
“Got it. It’s near the dining hall. We should go tell Liam right now.”
“You sure?” Mac studied me, taking off his glasses to clean the lenses.
“Let’s go.” Jax jumped up, I watched as Luce mumbled something to Jenks. The petite woman reached into Luce’s closet and pulled out a large jacket.
“Jax, Luce said you could borrow this, since you forgot your jacket.”
Shaking my head, I stood and stretched. “Jax can’t leave until they find this thing.”
“Um, Rox, why don’t we gear up and go let Liam know what we’ve found?” Mac, who everyone already agreed to be the voice of reason, moved toward the door.
Jenks tossed me my jacket and hat with the giant pouf on top, wearing a little smirk on her face. “Go get ‘em, girl! I wish I could go, but I’m going to stick here with Luce. We’ll have our phones ready, though, so let us know as soon as anything happens!”
Chapter Four
Still feeling slightly bewildered, I tugged my hat onto my head and zipped up my jacket. We had just stopped outside Mac’s room so he could grab his coat before we headed to where Liam promised he’d be. Just as we were about to round the last corner, Liam’s hushed voice reached us. Jax immediately threw his arms out and stopped our movement, bringing his finger to his lips to effectively shoosh us.
“Are you sure? I hate to leave Trixton, it’s a huge liability. I know, I know. But the new students—Okay, yes, Claude is outside right now…I understand, no, don’t do that! I’m on my way, tell her not to try that, it’ll only make it worse!” Voice raising as he came our way, I did the only thing I could think of in our sudden panic of being caught eavesdropping. I grabbed Mac and Jax and used my intangibility, and brought us through the wall into the room next to us. It was dark, so whoever was in here was still asleep, thank goodness. Waiting a few seconds, I pulled us back out. I could hear Liam banging out the door in his rush, while Mac and Jax both let out huge breaths of air. “Holy shit, that was unbelievable, Rox!”
Jax high-fived me, while Mac nodded. “We definitely have a lot to talk about, good reflexes.”
Moving away from us, Mac quickly slunk along the wall to see what Liam was doing. Frowning, he looked back at us.
“I don’t know where Liam is going, but if Roxy is right, he’s headed in the opposite direction.”
Pulling up my sensing ability, I checked that the potion of envy was still there in the same spot, calling to me. “No, she’s still near the dining area.”
“She?” Jax’s eyebrows just about jumped to his dark hair.
I shrugged, it felt like a she.
“Should we tell Claude? I mean, I know he won’t let us go, but maybe he can let Liam know?” I didn’t think we should attempt to go find it ourselves, but obviously something had to be done.
Sighing, Mac nodded. “Yeah, let’s let Claude know.”
“Mac, you better do the talking. You have the best shot of getting Claude to actually listen instead of just forcing us to go back to our rooms.” Jax ran his hand through his black hair, leaving it half standing up straight, while a few locks fell and curled onto his forehead.
“I know, I’ve got it.”
Pushing through the door, Mac was already pleading with Claude to listen. As Jax shut the door behind us, a brisk wind ruffled Mac’s hair as he came to an abrupt stop in front of me. “Oh no! Oh, God!”
Rushing forward, Jax and I followed him, but I couldn’t see what he was looking at.
“What? What is it?”
Sliding to a stop, Mac reached out a tentative hand. Darting around him, I froze, a scream stuck in my throat.
There was Claude, only he wasn’t Claude anymore. He was a stone statue. Frozen in time, his right hand was outstretched, his eyes wide, his mouth open as if he had been turned in mid shout.
“What the hell? Who did this to him? Is he still alive?” I watched as Mac lightly tapped Claude’s shoulder, his gaze panicked as he turned to us.
“The only thing I know that can do this is the Medusa headpiece. Guys, it looks like the potion of envy isn’t the only stolen artifact.”
Want to know what’s next for Roxy and the gang at the AOC? Curious about what is happening with the stolen artifacts around campus? Head over to Amazon and preorder the
full-length novel The Potion of Envy, Academy of Order & Chaos Prequel!
About the author, Arden M. Ward
Arden lives in New England and when she's not writing books about strong female characters in fantasy and supernatural settings; she's probably reading about them. If you can't find her at home with her family which includes her long-suffering husband, supportive stepson, her queen of a cat and beloved dog, then she is probably at the barn riding her very spoiled horse. Arden is an avid fan of pop culture, specifically television and film, which she references often and would make a great addition to your trivia team.
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Also by Arden M. Ward
Hiraeth (Team Blaze Series, Book One)
Incandescence (Team Blaze Series, Book Two)
Land of Nightmares Anthology “The Evil Inside”
Assassin Society Anthology “Huntress”
Witchy Mischief
Draiochta Magic Academy
A Cursed Kiss
By
Melissa Adams
Magic Football
Max
The bell rings announcing the start of lunch period and I immediately feel Jessica’s gaze on me, so I do the only thing that makes sense: I bolt faster than you can say lunch.
Colin and Finn flank me immediately and I tell them that I need to go outside, out of sight from the pain in the ass that has been circling me like a fucking shark since the tickets for the Samhain ball next weekend had gone on sale.
The headmistress’ daughter has made it clear that she wants to date me but I don’t have any interest in a vacuous mean girl, who isn’t even that powerful of a witch and is allowed to attend Draiochta Magic Academy only because her mother is the head of the faculty.
Draiochta Academy: All Genres Academy Anthology Page 19