Draiochta Academy: All Genres Academy Anthology

by BBB Publishings

  “So let me makes sure I have this straight. I am a Warlock. You are a Warlock. In fact, not just any Warlock but the chief big-wig Warlock here in the UK. All the supernatural creatures from my fantasy books are real. I have demon blood in me. I have to go to a school where you are Principal and forget about the life that I have lived for the past eighteen years. Oh and the only reason you are really here is because you are in charge of new Warlocks and you have to uphold the law making sure I attend the academy. That about right?” I summarise with a cocky edge to my voice and an arched eyebrow aimed in a challenge towards Max. I am daring him to say that is not why he has waltzed back into my life today.

  Max looks at me with an exasperated expression and for someone who works with teenagers on a daily basis you would think he’d have a better idea of how to deal with our mood swings. Instead the look on his face is just pissing me off even more.

  “No, Ella that is not why I am here. Most of what you have said is correct but actually, as chief big-wig, as you so beautifully called me, I actually have people who chase up fledglings. I am here because you are my Daughter and before you say anything or scowl at me even more, it is true. You are inheriting Greyford magic and you will be a powerful Warlock. You will one day take over for me, but first, you need to learn how to use your powers and that is where the Academy comes in.” States Max in a no-nonsense way that instantly makes me rethink my earlier thought about him not knowing how to deal with teenagers.

  Hearing Max say that I am his daughter and acknowledging me in that way affects me in ways I’m not quite comfortable fully acknowledging just yet. I love my mum and I am so proud of her for raising me by herself. But that feeling of being part of a larger family with its own heritage that will be passed to me was one that I didn’t even know I was looking for. It makes me want to know everything.

  “What powers will I have?” I ask with an excitement that I couldn’t hide even if I wanted to. This causes Max to chuckle as it is obviously a typical teenage question after such a serious discussion.

  “Every Warlock is different, but you will have a power similar to electricity that you can manipulate. You can use it to protect yourself, move things around and conjure things, to name a few. You will be able to learn to move quicker than a normal person. But my favourite power, that very few Warlocks can master, is the ability to open a portal to another place and move through it.” Explains Max with wonder in his voice and animated hand movements that mimic his explanations. He talks with such passion and he has a boyish grin on his face making it clear to see he loves been a Warlock and it’s not hard to see why.

  “Woah, woah, woah. What do you mean power like electricity?” I ask with trepidation. I have been raised my whole life to have a healthy fear of electrocution and I don’t want any magic that’s going to hurt!

  With that Max stands from his chair and takes a step away from the kitchen table, holding himself like he is about to put on a world class performance, and I sit like a captive audience. He takes an almost defensive stance with his right foot slightly in front of his left and brings his right arm up to his chest. With a crooked grin that makes him look younger than he is, he clicks the fingers on his right hand. As he does, a black ball of shining light, similar to a shimmering burst of electricity, seems to be whizzing around his hand. Then he click his left hand and the same ball appears there too.

  I actually gasp and push back off my chair at the sight of the magic. I’m sure up until that moment there was probably some part of me that thought maybe Max was a little bit crazy but that just went out of the window and the whole thing is now very real.

  “Holy shit!! You aren’t kidding! Magic is actually real?!” I gasp. “What do you do with the big black magic balls?” I shout with a mixture of shock and excitement whilst being unable to take my eyes off his hands and the electricity that seems to be whizzing around them.

  “Okay, Ella please can we not refer to it as my ‘big black magic balls’ because that just does not sound right.” He chuckles with a look of chagrin at the thought of his daughter talking about the male anatomy!

  I cannot help but laugh. I was so enamoured by the magic that I wasn’t even thinking about what I said.

  “Fair enough, I can agree with you on that.” I chuckle nodding my head because he is right and if he does stay in my life that will be the last time balls are ever mentioned in front of him. I just cannot take the embarrassment.

  “Thank you. Magic in this form can be manipulated into almost anything if you have the power and knowledge.” He explains and with that Max clicks his fingers again and in the place of the black electricity is a box of my favourite chocolates. He hands them to me and I take them willingly, staring at him like he is a magical Willy Wonka.

  “Holy shit! If there is a spell to produce chocolate I am going to need you to teach me that first.” I shriek with excitement and then stuff the first chocolate in my mouth at record-breaking speeds.

  Max chuckles again and is clearly thrilled with the new found excitement in my voice. What can I say, I love chocolate.

  “Really, that’s the first spell you want to learn? Not learning how to create spells that will allow you to teleport.” He asks with a smirk that says he already knows the answer.

  I stop as I am about to put the third chocolate into my mouth. It really was a genetic miracle that I didn’t weigh a lot more. Well that and the fact I run when I’m anxious.

  “I don’t mean to sound like I am repeating myself, but holy shit, did you just say teleport? You have to show me that!” I shout, dropping the box of chocolate on the table and forgetting about it like yesterday’s news. This was something so much better.

  Max takes a step further back and turns away from the kitchen to face our open plan living room. He draws a deep breath in and adopts the same stance as before. Clicking his fingers the same dark electric orbs appear around his hands but this time he starts to push them away from his body and the or grows into a giant, dark circle shrouded in electricity similar to a black hole. Then without even hesitating, Max steps through the hole and the circle closes behind him as he disappears.

  Before I have a chance to freak out, the circle appears again. But this time when Max steps back through into the living room he is carrying my Mum, like he would have carried her over the threshold on their wedding day. The portal disappears as soon as they are through and Max sets my Mum down. Her smile is so bright and she is staring at him like he’s a real life rock star and I can’t blame her. As though I’m not even there, she starts to chuckle and runs her hand down his chest, and Max appears to visibly shiver. She is staring into his eyes as she speaks.

  “Oh wow Max, I forgot how much of an adrenaline rush portal hopping is.” Says mum with a girly voice that I don’t think I’ve ever heard before.

  “Wait, you have done that before?” I ask in amazement.

  That seems to snap Mum out of her Max trance and she pushes out of his arms and steps away from him, like she hadn’t even realised I was there before. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that they are both in physical pain as they move apart.

  “Yes, but only a couple of times.” She replies sheepishly.

  “Why did you never tell me about any of this?” I snap at Mum. I know the anger I’m aiming at Mum isn’t completely justified and is hurting her, but honestly, I’m pissed that there is this whole other side of my life that I knew nothing about. But what is worse is that she has experienced it and I haven’t. I know I am behaving with jealousy and taking it out on Mum when I shouldn’t, but I can’t help how I feel. But before Mum has a chance to answer me, Max steps in.

  “Your mum did what she thought was best given the circumstances. The honest answer is that I broke the rules by being with your mum. Cambions are not allowed to date humans, but I was at a club with my friends celebrating our graduation from Draiochta and in walked some girls. I couldn’t even tell you how many because all I saw was your mum. I had spent the last
three years surrounded by Cambions who are some of the sexiest, most seductive creatures in the world, but your mum had a beauty that transcended all of that. Initially I was worried she was Nephilim because she seemed to glow, until our gazes caught as she was dancing and she walked towards me. At this point, I had just been named as heir to the Cambion Council, as Head Warlock and would be starting my training as soon as the summer was over. The announcement was something all of the Cambion and Nephilim would have heard. Normally, Nephilim and Cambions don’t voluntarily socialise, in fact they detest each other. But Lil came over, more than a little drunk and muttering about losing a bet to Sandy. I asked what bet and she straight up kissed me. It was one of the best kisses of my life and the problem was that every day that I spent with Lil became the best. It was so good that I wanted to continue seeing her even if it meant that I would be in trouble. Then Lil found out that she was pregnant and you would have been classed as an illegal mixed blood. By your eighteenth birthday, you would either have come into your powers or you wouldn’t, depending on the strength of demon blood you inherit. But given that the Greyford’s are descended from powerful demons it was always most likely to happen. If you don’t develop a magic mark then you have inherited more of your mum’s blood and it would have been putting your life at risk to know about Cambions. However, as soon as you were born, I knew that you were going to inherit my legacy and blood rite, I just needed to wait for you to turn eighteen to be allowed back in your life,” explains Max, as he runs his fingers through his hair, clearly uncomfortable talking about the past.

  Max tried to catch his breath after such a long speech and my Mum sat down looking exhausted after having her past relived, but I have more questions.

  “What do you mean by legacy and blood rite?” I ask as these words sound a bit more serious than I would have liked!

  “Mixing Cambion blood with that of a human is a criminal offense because it is seen as diluting the demon bloodline. Any child of mine would inherit the Greyford magic and be very powerful. My family is the most powerful Warlock family in the country and to have our blood weakened was a big sin. So when I found out that Lil was pregnant with you I was both excited and terrified. I was excited that our love had created something as special as you, but scared because I knew we were in big trouble. We were teleported to meet with the High Warlock of our Coven and he was not pleased with us.” Explains Max as Mum interrupts his story with a massive huff.

  “That is an understatement, Max. Your Dad threatened you with jail and your Mum said that if the baby was actually yours then it would be an abomination.” Spits Mum with venom in her voice.

  Seeing the look on my face at that revelation, Mum steps forward to hug me, but it was Max that really took my breath away. He moved towards me, gently pushed in front of mum taking hold of her hand and hesitantly took hold of my hand.

  “I remember the second time I took your Mum through a portal was to the doctor’s office. Seeing that Jelly Baby on the screen was one of the best moments of my life, followed by the worst. It was the only time I ever saw you.” Says Max with a tenderness that I can feel in my soul and I can see the pain etched on his face as his gaze meets mine.

  Tears are now streaming down Mum’s face again. Her fingers are still intertwined with one of Max’s hands - like they cannot bare to separate - while his other hand grips me. I can see that Mum is drawing support from Max.

  “Did you just say, Jelly Baby?” I asked in a low voice, and Max must have misinterpreted me, thinking I was annoyed instead of stunned, wondering what he had said wrong.

  “Yeah, when I saw you on the screen for the first time you were only seven weeks old, and the picture looked a little like a jelly baby sweet. So that’s what I called you.” He explained proudly telling the story with such emotion that there is no doubt that his version is the truth.

  “You were at the scan and named me Jelly Baby?” I clarify quietly, not quite sure I am hearing him correctly and trying not to let the emotion I’m feeling clog up my vocal cords.

  Max looks confused, almost like he cannot understand why I am repeating myself and getting so emotional over something so trivial. So, my Mum explains.

  “Jelly Baby is the nickname that I have had for Ella since the day you named her it. I figured that you wouldn’t get a chance to really name her or see her growing up, so I let you have that,” Mum explains, “but I told her that it was the doctor who named her that.”

  “Why would you do something so kind and then ruin it?” snaps Max, but it is Mum who looks set to burst with anger.

  “Because Maximus you hurt me! I had to name our daughter alone. All of her major milestones, you missed them. The one thing I allowed myself and Ella was the name Jelly Baby, but I never told her it was from you because when she reached that age to question where it came from, it was just too hard to tell her the truth. It was too hard to talk about you at all. You were the one that walked away, not me. I loved you and I wanted a life with you and Ella. I thought you wanted the same. So, when you were given your ultimatum, I couldn’t understand why you didn’t choose us?” she shouts with a strength in her voice I am almost proud of, but then she allows the pain of that question to consume her and her face cracks.

  Tears stream down Mum’s face as she bares her soul and it breaks my heart. The human in me wants to give them space to talk, but the demon in me stood right there, afraid to miss anything. Needing answers!

  “Lil, you have no idea how much I wanted to choose you, but I had just spent two years as the most powerful Warlock at the academy. I was told I was to be trained to take over as High Warlock and would be one of the most powerful Warlocks in the world. My parents told me it was a destiny that I could not avoid and if I didn’t go along with their plans I would be punished and so would you and Ella. After seeing our baby on that scan, I thought my whole world was sorted, but when faced with the idea that I could lose everything I didn’t know what to do. I admit that I was scared.” Admits Max with a shame in his voice that he tries to hide.

  “So getting rid of me and Ella was their only stipulation?” asks Mum.

  I have seen this look on Mum’s face so many times before. She either already knows or suspects she knows the answer, but she is testing him. I hope for Max’s sake that he doesn’t lie because, speaking from experience, he will regret it.

  “What, and that’s not enough?” he asks sarcastically.

  Oh, I am wincing for him because not only did he not answer the question, he was also sarcastic about it. To say you can see the steam coming out of Mum’s ears is an understatement. Her face contorts into a scowl and her tone is harsh.

  “Do not lie to me Maximus! Be honest in front of your daughter,” she snaps.

  “I am being honest. Having to give you two up was the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but faced with punishment and a life without magic, I was running scared. For centuries Greyford’s have been the most powerful Warlocks, descended from a powerful bloodline. We have ruled the Cambions for centuries, and my whole family has high magic. Before I met you, Lil, I didn’t even know another human. To choose you, I would have had to give up magic, my home, my family and friends, my job, and my destiny. At twenty-one, that seemed major. So, when my father, the High Warlock, said he would sentence me to a lesser punishment for the crime of diluting the family blood, I agreed. But I only agreed on the promise that they allowed you both to live. Under Cambion law, humans who carry Cambion children can be punished or killed, as can the baby. He also agreed that if the baby was Cambion then they would be allowed to attend Draiochta and treated as equal amongst other Warlocks. In exchange for your safety, I promised to cut all contact with you both until Ella got her magic, and I had to consent to marry a high-ranking Cambion. This I agreed to do because I knew I would get to be part of your lives eventually and I needed to keep you safe. Both of you.” Explained Max.

  A sharp intake of breath comes from Mum and I knew that Max had just confirmed her su
spicions. He is married! Mum looks like he just stabbed her and she was in physical pain. I am still reeling from the revelation that I should have been murdered but I know Mum needs to address her pain first.

  “You are married?” she whispers, hurt clear in her voice.

  Max winces hearing the pain in Mums voice and I can hear the sadness in his when he replies.

  “Technically, yes, but realistically no. We both knew it was a marriage of convenience. I have never loved her, and she knows this. We tried but it didn’t work. I had the power, the training, and the legacy that I craved but I was miserable and I think she was too. She knew I would never forget about my Angel or my Jelly Baby.” Replies Max with a passion that made my heart swell.

  Mum gasps again, “What did you just say?”

  “I called you my Angel, like I always used to, because Angels are renowned for their goodness and you brightened up every part of my life. No matter where my life went, whatever path I went down, it was a hell of a lot duller than having my Angel to light up my life,” exclaimed Max. His eyes stared straight at Mum and it was clear he meant every word he said.

  “Stop please!” Mum demands with a look of sorrow on her face that I’ve never seen. “You are married. You made your choice and we cannot go back in time. You are here for Ella, and her magic that will appear in one week. She is the focus and needs to be prepared. No more talk of us or our past, only Ella’s future. So what is the plan going forward?”

  They both look sad as she says that, and Max sits back down in the chair appearing dejected as he obviously doesn’t know what to say. So I try to break the awkward silence and bring the subject back to me, like Mum wants.

  “So I have no choice in the matter? In one week I get some magical powers, which by the way scares the shit out of me. I then have to leave behind my whole life, my friends and the pre-med course that I have worked so hard for. I have to move into a strange Academy to learn how to use these new powers, but as a nice cherry on the top, I also get the joy of trying to live up to a legacy and become a Greyford. A family who, may I point out, think I’m a fucking abomination and should never have been born. I apologise that I’m not exactly looking forward to meeting my Grandparents, but they have made it very clear I’m a half-breed freak and my very existence tarnishes their rep. Does that about sum this whole shitty conversation?” I ask, as I slam my hands down on the table in disbelief. When I sum it up like that things don’t sound all that great and it is making my anger return. Once the novelty of the magic faded I was left with the reminder of the abandonment issues I felt. The look on Max’s face is difficult to interpret and that just pisses me off even more. So I continue.