Draiochta Academy: All Genres Academy Anthology

by BBB Publishings

  “You know this is crazy, right?” he says to me. “We could seriously get hurt, Kia. It’s not worth it. We’ll always make up for it later on. You’re super smart and I’m pretty good looking we’ll be fine.” I give him a huge smile and kiss him until he feels how much I love him. My plan didn’t convince him of anything, but I’m sure we can do this. We’re one of the most powerful students in our class.

  I hand him the amulet I created in the last semester of undergrad and ignore his question. It’s a beautiful blue color with a bronze setting and a gold chain. There’s a faint buzz to it when it’s close, wanting to join the magic that’s in me, but I ignore it. I’ve always found it odd that spells meant to contain dark magic seem to take a liking to me.

  This particular one is crafted from all the elements. The magical properties imbued in the crystal helps strengthen the spell. By combining each element into the amulet it’s virtually impossible to escape once trapped inside. Jayden takes it from me reluctantly and places it in his jacket pocket. His gaze returns to the road, nibbling at his lip again. He’s holding back what he really wants to say. Of the two of us, Jayden is not nearly as excited about going into ADA. If anything, he should be in RID Jared but his strength in casting outweighs his written incantation abilities, so he’s going into the same studies as me, albeit reluctantly.

  The cemetery is eerily quiet once Jay turns off the engine. It seems like all the noise has been sucked out of the atmosphere. My heart rate speeds up, but I don’t let it show. If Jayden thinks I’m nervous he’ll insist we turn around.

  Following my lead he slowly unfolds his huge frame from my little car, and he looks to me for direction. With more confidence than I feel, I create a lumenom ball and hover it over our heads. The pale glowing orb won’t win us any points on stealth, but I’d rather not trip and break a leg.

  It doesn’t take long for us to find the demon. It’s hovering over the grave of a freshly dead woman. He’s deep into his ritual, her grey decaying body lifting up out of the ground. The exoskeleton of the demon is wrapped around her as he devours her with its spindly teeth. Black saliva drips from its maw as the pieces of flesh are consumed.

  My stomach lurches as I watch, I’ve never seen a demon feed before, and I would be okay never seeing it again. I steel myself and nod slightly to Jayden, extinguishing the lumenon ball. The moon gives some light, but the whole effect is much more terrifying without the bright orb to guide us.

  Jayden breaks away from me and follows a path behind the demon. A breeze blows in, carrying my scent towards the beast and he snaps his head towards me.

  Fucking hell. What a rookie move. I forgot to hide our scents. All demons have enhanced senses but I wasn’t thinking about that. I only cared about succeeding.

  Mumbling the words of a defensive spell I feel the slight shift in the air as the magical force field snaps into place. Any slower and the balls of plasma now being hurtled at me would have killed me. I return fire with a few of my own magical offensive spells and wait for the exact moment to cast the immobilization spell.

  Jayden may not have wanted to be here, but he springs into action, opening the amulet before the demon knows he’s there. He slides it across the grass and it meets it’s mark perfectly underneath him as the spell from the amulet starts to suck the demon in. A rush of elation rushes through me. We did it!

  A shadow creeps into my vision, and I see a second shax demon at the last moment. It’s too late for me to warn Jayden. A scream erupts as I’m forced to watch the demon open his mouth and begin to devour Jayden. Rage fills me and I break into a run, blasting magic I don’t even know the name of at the demon. I’m running on pure adrenaline and fear. My magic taking over. My power hits its mark and the demon disintegrates into ash. Leaving Jayden’s broken body splayed out in the grass. The blue light from the amulet extinguishing signaling that the other demon is completely trapped inside.

  “No, Jayden. No!” I scream. “Goddess please don’t take him, it’s my fault.”

  Tears stream down my face making it hard to see, and I swear my heart is shattering. Shards pierce my soul as Jayden dies before me.

  I place my hands on the worst of the wounds and force magic into him. Heat scalds my hands as I continue to try to heal him. Gritting my teeth, I push more. My power flares and a darkness inside of me breaks free. Something is changing, but my only thought is Jayden. I can’t let him go, not after this, not after it’s my fault. When I sense his soul slipping away I grab it and hold onto it as my power surges through him. His body starts to spasm, and the gray of death comes over him. The soul slips away at the last moment and I put everything I have into making Jayden stay.

  I hear the sirens of the ADA approaching, and hear the screams of my father as he takes stock of the situation, but I’m focusing on willing Jayden to breathe. This can’t be happening. I won’t let it. He will live. I command it.

  An ancient power rips through me and flows into Jayden. This is so much more than what I have ever felt before. The darkness rises inside of me as I get drunk on it’s power. I’m alive for the first time and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. My head fills with a whole world of spells and incantations. I don’t need to say anything, I can will it and it’ll come true. Jayden stirs underneath me, and my body sags with relief. The holes of his wounds close and a bit of warmth comes back to his skin, but when I look down I notice his chest isn’t moving up and down as it should. He’s not breathing.

  And then he opens his eyes. These are not the green emerald of Jayden’s, instead, I am staring into a black void. His essence is gone and something has replaced it. His soul has disappeared.

  “What the fuck have you done, Kia?” Ilan snaps at me breaking me out of the trance I’m in. Looking up at him with tears streaming down my face I see fear. There is nothing but pure fear. It’s something I never would have expected from Ilan. He’s always been cruel and overly confident but has never shown fear.

  “Back up now,” my father shouts. Everyone, even Ilan listens, but not me. I return my gaze toward Jayden and stare into the bottomless depths wondering what I’ve done.

  “Mon Dieu,” my father breaths out so softly only I can hear.

  “What did I do Daddy?” I ask, my voice small. I don’t like how scared he sounds. My body breaks out into goosebumps as all the exhaustion I’ve been pushing away hits me at once.

  “You brought him back, Kia. You willed him alive and his essence heeded your call. You created a slave that will do anything for you. You have awakened the most feared and reviled magic of all. You’re a necromancer.”

  “Oh fuck,” I breath out. “That sounds really bad,” I reply and then pass out.

  Chapter Three

  When I come to it’s in the cemetery, a mage is infusing me with magic, but he doesn’t look happy about it. “Oh good you’re awake,” he says and then moves away from me as if he’s terrified I’ll infect him.

  My father rushes over upon hearing that I’m awake, but rather that enfolding me in a hug and kissing me on the head, he lays into me. This must be what Ilan was alluding to. This is not a father-daughter situation, this is a general laying into a subordinate, and he’s fucking pissed. My whole world crashes around me as I listen to my father’s words. He explains further what I did, and what that means, what I could be now — a necromancer. I’ve only read brief descriptions about what it was, but I know it is dark magic. The kind of magic that made witches like me run. But if I’m a necromancer, then that means I’m no longer the same kind of witch I was. I am something new, something wrong. A cursed witch who will never work for the EOO. My blood is tainted with the magic of the undead.

  That thing, that I brought back comes toward me then, looking exactly like Jayden but not. Hot tears threaten to spill from my eyes but I force them down.

  I am gutted. Jayden is dead, but I can’t even grieve for him because Not Jayden is here. Not Jayden looks just like him because only a few hours ago he was him. He died
a horrible death and I brought him back as less than a person. He’s a shell of his former self, a creature willing to do anything I wish.

  I push all the breath out of my lungs and run my hands through my hair catching my fingers on all the tangles. I rip at them, the pain almost pleasant, and I try not to scream as panic threatens to overwhelm me. Looking up to the sky for answers, the world does nothing, and the guilt and the shame of what I’ve done this evening are sitting on my chest and crushing me. Not Jayden is my slave now, beholden to me and waiting for instructions.

  Ilan makes the mistake of coming near me. Not Jayden must sense my apprehension because he goes after him. I watch in fascination at the fluidity of Not Jayden’s movements. He’s going to catch him. A bubble of inappropriate laughter starts to rise as I watch Not Jayden advance on Ilan who’s desperately trying to get away. them run around the cemetery.

  “Make him stop, Kia,” Ilan roars. His embarrassment and fear leaking out into his voice.

  “You know you’re the only one he’s tried to hurt? That’s actually rather telling don’t you think?” I toss back, not caring if Ilan gets hurt. He could use a few new scars.

  “Kia, stop this. You’re sick with grief, and it will only bring out the worst in your subject. My father’s words break through the haze, and I think about what he said for the first time. I am truly in control of another being, whether he is breathing or not. No one should be able to weld this much power. I say a few words in a language I don’t even know and Not Jayden backs off. Ilan has murder in his eyes, but his face is terrified, and that gives me a sickening bout of joy for a few moments.

  “Looks like it’s the Demon Division for you now,” Ilan sneers. His eyes are alight with glee. He wants to see me suffer, and after what just happened, I imagine it would be for a while.

  “Shut the fuck up, Ilan,” my father roars. Thank the goddess someone is still on my side. Even if my father’s gaze looks fearful too.

  Shock ripples through the small crowd of agents. My father is well known for being level headed and calm in even the most dire of circumstances. Right now it looks like he’s about to explode.

  “I’m merely stating the facts,” Ilan adds once the shock of being yelled at by my father wears off. His face is pale and his eyes dart from left to right, searching for any movements from Not Jayden.

  “You’re trying to hurt your sister in her time of need. She’s a broken mess and you’re rubbing it in her face. I expect more of you, Ilan. If you can’t be a brother to your sister when she needs it most, what kind of leader will you be?”

  “I was just ...” Ilan sputters. He’s defeated and he knows it. With nothing left to say he walks away, back to the ADA vehicles.

  My attention returns to Not Jayden and my stomach dips. I can’t think about anything else other than the wrong I’ve done. Sorrow eats at me as his gaze snaps to mine and he stares blankly at me.

  My father faces the agents assembled. “I must ask that none of you speak of this until we have a chance to assess what this all means. Kia’s ability seems to be taking a direction none of us expected. It’s something that we cannot let the outside world know until we are more knowledgeable about what is happening. It’s possible for extreme grief to trigger a latent necromancy gift or she could be a true necromancer, either way, we’ll find out the truth. You have your orders. Now clean up as much as possible and report back to the EOO for further instructions.”

  No one says a word or disagrees with him, beginning their cleanup as if nothing happened. He is their commander, someone who has led them on many missions. My father has earned their trust and that is quite apparent.

  I try to wrap my mind around what he just said. Latent powers? Demon Division? This is not how I wanted my life to be. So many things happening at once. The world spins, my legs giving out and I collapse onto the hard dirt.

  “Fucking hell,” my father says, cursing for the second time. Bending down, he tries to grab me up from the floor, but Not Jayden growls in his direction.

  “Stop it, Not Jayden,” I say, in the new language I picked up along with my ability to bring people back from the dead.

  My father reaches down again and helps me to stand. I grab onto him and bury my face into his chest. The familiar smells of home and safety envelop me, making it feel a little less daunting.

  “I need to get you home,” my father says softly as he bends down to kiss the top of my head. His arms are wrapped tightly around me as I nod my head. This is the embrace I’ve been looking for, and I guess collapsing was enough to get it.

  “What are we going to do with Not Jayden?”

  “Ask it to come with us, and request that it not hurt or eat anyone.” The seriousness in his voice causes me to pull out of his arms.

  “EAT anyone?” I shriek. “What are you talking about? He can eat people? Or does he have to eat people? Is he a zombie? Oh, my goddess! I created a zombie!”

  “Kia,” my father snaps. “Please,” he says, the last with sadness in his voice. He’s not sure what to do either. I concede and nod my head.

  “Uhh … err ... Jayden, come with us, and don’t hurt or eat anyone,” I mumble in the new language — feeling so hurt and confused.

  Not Jayden doesn’t make any indication that he’s heard the order, so I continue on following my father to my car. The agents will drive his car back to the ADA.

  “Kia we have a lot to discuss,” my father begins. “Most of it will be confusing, but after we’ve had you tested, it should be clear what direction to take. As much as I want to keep this quiet, I’m afraid I’ll be unable to. But I will never abandon you.”

  “Dad, you’re scaring me,” I admit. What he’s saying is sounding more and more like I’ve done something completely unforgivable. I mean, Not Jayden is pretty horrible, but it was a mistake. I don’t even remember how I did it.

  My car is still parked in the same spot we left it. I remember the last conversation I had with Jayden. His warnings to leave and go home. I was so stubborn. If only I would have listened. But Jayden would do anything to make me happy. He was so thoughtful and caring, always putting my needs above his own.

  “I’ll have one of my agents drive it back, we can take my car instead,” my father says.

  “I’ve created a monster. He’ll never be himself again. My best friend, the one I love is gone and I have to look at this Not Jayden and relive the experience over and over.

  “It might not be the real Jayden, but for now he’s coming with us. We can’t leave him to roam around. He’s too dangerous of a weapon.”

  I squeeze my eyes shut and will this all to go away, but I know it won’t. My life is irrevocably changed and not for the better.

  It doesn’t take long for us to get to the car, and when Not Jayden gracefully folds himself into the backseat I realize how different he is from the man I used to know and love. Jayden was never that graceful. His stare wasn’t blank, and his face held emotion. Not Jayden looks like a statue. A wax figure, not breathing or alive, a shell of my love.

  “Your mother is going to be quite upset. When we tell her, try to understand this is something we hoped would never happen. After we test you, things will be more clear.”

  “Test what exactly?” I turn to face him. He’s settled himself in the driver’s seat. His face is forlorn and he looks like he has aged ten years.

  “I need to know if this was a fluke, a one time life or death occurrence, or if you are truly a necromancer,” his voice is sad. He pulls out onto the road and we head home. Music comes on the radio and it sounds so out of place, so normal. I turn the dial down and glance at Not Jayden. His stare is fixed on the back of my father’s seat. Not seeing anything, just staring.

  “Dad, why don’t I know much about necromancy? I study more than anyone I know, and still …” I trail off. If this is something that could have happened to me, why didn’t they tell me sooner? Prepare me for what I could possibly do. I’d have been more careful.

&nb
sp; “There are books on Necromancy. Volumes of information, but it’s kept a secret for a reason. It’s the kind of information that we don’t want your average witch or warlock getting their hands on.” His jaw ticks for a moment, and I see something cross his face. There’s a story there, but will he tell me about it later.

  “Why? Wouldn’t we want to know about all of the magic that’s available? Look at what happened. If I’d only known ... Dad, this isn’t something that should be kept secret. Jayden could still be alive and not this … whatever this is.”

  “Necromancy is incredibly dangerous magic that can only be wielded safely by those with the gifts. If your everyday witch got their hands on it who knows what would happen. It’s not safe.”

  I put my head in my hands, groaning at the information overload. I can’t believe this is happening.

  “I think it might be best if we continue this conversation when we get home. You’re drained from all that magic use. Close your eyes and relax. We’ll be home soon enough.” He squeezes my shoulder in reassurance. I don’t have it in me to argue anymore. I close my eyes and try to imagine Jayden happy and healthy. A tear slips from my eye as I lose myself to the darkness.

  Chapter Four

  I wake up as we pull into the driveaway, but it’s not the driveway to my home, we’re at the ADA. Questions pop into my head, and I can’t bring myself to get out of the car. Instead, I turn around and look at Not Jayden. Sadness overtakes me as I remember the life we had together.

  Jayden Celestine walked into my life when we were in kindergarten. That was way before romantic feelings were involved. He was the awkward kid who couldn’t control his magic, and I was the teacher’s pet, forced to be better than the rest. Stephens might be a common last name, but in the magical community, there was only one Stephens that matters. He was a Celestine, the only name more powerful than my own.