by Lan Chan
Pushing out all other thoughts, I uttered the summoning words in a whisper and held my breath. One beat. Two beats. Nothing exploded. That was a good sign.
Reaching inside me, I scooped up as much of the bone magic as I could and dropped into the Ley dimension. In there, everything was amplified. Colour saturated my sight. The purple spinning circle in front of me was such a rich indigo it almost hurt my eyes. Slowly, like I was spinning wool, I fed the bone magic into the circle and thought of everything Andrei had told me about his younger brothers Alan and Sebastian. They had been close, and Andrei believed if there was anyone who might show up for him, it was his brothers. I’d seen pictures of them in the Book of Beasts as well as the ones I’d lifted from the MirrorNet. They were the spitting image of each other. If they were alive, Alan would be my age and Sebastian would be a few years younger. It occurred to me that I knew one other family with more than a few children. Take that Supernatural Sex Ed!
As an added bonus, I brushed up against the bond and fed the circle with the images in Kai’s memory. I shuddered at the twisted, blood-stained expression on Alan’s cherubic face just before Kai’s angel blade took his head off.
With the addition of my bone magic, the circle turned an off-mauve colour. It continued to spin in a slow rhythm an inch from the ground where the salt circle lay. A column of purple light ascended into the air and became less opaque as it got higher. Still the centre of the circle remained empty. Come on, boys! I didn’t have an eternity to wait for them to arrive.
The edges around the circle frayed as it drew the attention of the spirits in the Sea of Souls. Now and again, I felt the brush of cold fingers against my neck. The first time it had happened, I yelped and let go of the whole spell. It wasn’t any more pleasant now that I was sort of used to it. Thankfully, the spirits were curious rather than malicious. Despite what popular human culture liked to think, most spirits weren’t malevolent. The ones Azrael presided over were at peace. I took a lot of comfort in that. It was why I didn’t like doing this. It was also why quite a few necromancers went a little nuts when they spent too much time summoning. Disturbing the balance had adverse consequences.
I wasn’t disturbing anything today. After at least two hours sitting on our asses, Eugenia called it quits.
“I don’t get it,” I said. “I’ve been able to do it every other time!”
The first few were practice session and I never failed to get somebody to show up. But every time I called out to Andrei’s brothers, I got jack.
“Maybe they don’t want to talk to you,” Eugenia said. “Sometimes the dead just want to be left alone.”
My disappointment was always more pronounced than Andrei’s. “We’ll try again another time,” he said. For all of his insistence, I had a feeling it was sometimes a relief when it failed. Not knowing might be better than confirmation of the accepted narrative after all.
We were trudging back past the Great Hall when Matilda came around the path. She was tossing her knives into the air. I paused. A snap of cold ran through my veins.
“What’s the matter?” I asked before she was even close enough to hear properly. She seemed to get the gist anyway.
“Terran General just called. Your results are back. I made an appointment for next weekend. Figured you would want Sophie there this time.”
Matilda wasn’t the maternal type. None of the Sisterhood were. So the fact she had thought to give me time to organise support said it all.
20
I wasn’t sure how I was going to last for a week. If it were up to me, I would have let Doctor Daly release the results to Matilda so she could pass them on to me. But that wasn’t how doctor patient confidentiality worked. Also, I suspected nobody wanted to be the bearer of bad news. So I had to suffer through a week of school.
Sophie and I were both reticent when we walked into our last class of the day: Restricted Magic. We only had it once a fortnight, but it felt like a dark cloud on our timetable.
“Did you know this is supposed to be a fourth-year class?” Sasha told me as we slid into the seats the boys had saved for us. They were almost at the front of the room. We had a rule now. Whoever was first to class saved a seat for me, and by extension Sophie, as far away as possible from Emily. I spotted her, Isla, and the Evil Three in the back corner. We really needed to work on getting to class earlier.
“Why did they move it?” Sophie asked.
Sasha inclined his head towards Emily. “Reassurance. They want it clear that there are rules and regulations in place to protect humans.”
“Where was all this when I started?” I said.
Trey leaned forward with his arms crossed on his desk. Behind his broad back, Alison was biting her lip. “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”
“So in other words, the Human League is kicking up a stink?”
“You have no idea. They’re talking some rubbish about a supernatural regulatory body headed up by humans. Durin is just about ready to rip Declan’s throat out.”
Sophie sniffed. “That’s nothing. Wait till Durin hears about their registration idea.”
“Anyone comes near me with a tag and that’s the last thing they’ll do,” Trey spat.
I imagined that would be a common sentiment. Not just amongst the shifters. That was all we needed right now. Another war between supernaturals and humans. For the first time, I felt a little stab of pity for the Council. Just a little one, though.
I tried not to groan aloud when Professor Suleiman walked into the room. Setting aside my Dead Languages baggage was going to take some effort. Ever the pragmatist, Professor Suleiman wasted no time getting down to the core of the subject.
“I hope that by now you will all know there are some aspects of magic that are heavily regulated in our world. What happened at the Academy last semester is a perfect example. Deviation from the law results in imprisonment or punishment by death.”
That was all well and good except there were some branches of magic that were harder than others to detect let alone enforce. Like my bone magic, for example. “Who can tell me the cardinal rule of supernatural society?”
A dozen or so hands shot up. The professor pointed at Diana. “Do no harm to others.”
“That’s right. And an example of that?”
“Necromancers technically have the power to control a vampire’s mind,” Diana said without missing a beat. “But they are restricted from doing so unless there is a danger to themselves or to the vampire.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Sasha baring his teeth. “Very good. Who can give me another example? Isla?”
“The Fae have the power to control the elements. We thrive in an environment conducive to our powers. But we are restricted from manipulating the weather to the detriment of others.” Professor Suleiman gave her a nod and Isla continued as though she had been waiting two years to offload water Fae trivia. “For example, as a water Fae, I prefer moist, tropical locations with a great expanse of water or rain. But I am forbidden from messing with rainfall patterns.”
“And why is that?”
“Because the earth is balanced by its own cycles and my magic will disrupt that to the detriment of other life forms. Fae magic doesn’t resonate well with the water of the billabong because of its delicate ecosystem.”
“Thank you, Isla.” The professor sat back on his desk. “Balance is the overarching rationale behind supernatural regulation. We are what we are. Beings who should not exist in this dimension. But that doesn’t change our nature. As long as we can have freedom while ensuring the safety of humans, then everything is balanced. This is why we have built our own cities separate from humans and each other. In these places, we are free to express our magic governed by our own. There are, however, some disciplines of magic that are regulated regardless of their intent. Who can tell me what those are?”
He pointed at Sophie. I cringed. Never one to coddle or shy away from a touchy subject, Professor Suleiman leaned forward
expectantly. Sophie cleared her throat. “Ahh blood magic and death magic.”
Sophie was an A student even if the topic was B grade.
“Exactly. There are many branches of these disciplines. Death magic gives rise to a myriad of specialities. Necromancy, summoning, astral projection, soul stealing.” Bone magic. Sophie wasn’t the only one under a microscope. Thankfully, she got a reprieve for the lesson.
“Let’s talk about the soul.” The professor slid off his desk and stepped in front of it. “Textbooks out, page nineteen. You all know that the soul of a seraph contains a vast amount of energy that cannot be contained by any known force in the dimensions. But are you aware that to a lesser extent, when any other soul is displaced, there is a similar, smaller discharge of force? Who can tell me which souls typically contain the most power?”
Many hands rose. I shrank back in my seat when Professor Suleiman’s attention flicked over me. Luckily, it didn’t linger. That small action gave me a pretty good idea what the answer might be.
“Devraj,” Professor Suleiman pointed.
“A human soul,” Dev revealed. “Human essence represents the purest form of energy because it hasn’t been warped with other magic. That’s why vampires prefer human blood.”
“Can we lay off the vamps for a minute?” Sasha said to a chorus of chuckles.
“An unfortunate happenstance, Sasha,” the professor said. “Nonetheless, it is the truth. A human soul possesses power in counterbalance to the humans’ general physical weakness. This is why the Soul Sisterhood are able to circumvent many of the safeguards we have had in place to protect ourselves.”
Harlow and Alison high-fived each other. Amateurs. Clearly they hadn’t been living in supernatural society long enough. Wait for it….
“But that is also the reason why demons are drawn to humans –” There you go. “–And also why the theft of a soul or use of it in magic is strictly forbidden.”
Orla’s hand shot up. “I don’t understand, Professor. If a demon possesses a supernatural being, wouldn’t they be stronger because of our powers? When Malachi Pendragon was possessed in the Unity Games, the elite guard had to intervene.”
The professor crossed his arms over his chest. “Who said anything about possession?” He smiled knowingly. “You’re confusing inhabiting a physical body and stealing the pure essence of a soul. Two years ago, the Bloodline school bus was attacked. The bomb the demons used was created through the discharge of a human soul. Imagine it, a single soul disarmed a bus full of some of the strongest supernaturals in our society. Professor Magnus was an elite guard before she retired to teach. And Alistair Thompson is alpha of the lion clan. Both of them were incapacitated. The only ones left standing were the Nephilim and Alessia.”
Aw man! Why’d he have to mention that? I schooled my face into a neutral mask as their attention settled on me. Thank goodness the professor moved the conversation along. “A bomb isn’t the only thing that can be constructed with souls,” he said. “Every Nephilim’s angel blade is imbued with a sliver of their soul. So is every demon blade. The Ley dimension is powered by a construct of souls that have been laid to rest. And unlike humans who die if their soul is stolen, a supernatural can still function but at their most base level. They effectively turn into uninhibited killing machines. So, as you can see, theft or manipulation of the soul is not permitted.”
Harlow snorted. “Nuts to that. It’s like telling a wolf to be a vegetarian. If I need to defend myself, I’ll use my power.”
“That is the law,” the professor said. “In deference to Sasha, vampires could feed on all of us, but they don’t because they are restricted by law.” Ooh this wasn’t good. Harlow’s face quivered like she was having too many unpleasant emotions at once.
“The bloodsuckers feed on humans all the time!” she contradicted. “And don’t tell me they get punished because I’ve dealt with plenty of repeat offenders.”
That set everybody off. Half the class began arguing with each other over when use of powers was justified. Meanwhile, Emily shrank into her desk, her gaze becoming distant like she was trying to have an out-of-body experience.
As a Dead Languages teacher, Professor Suleiman was a fan of open discourse. That was until Trey roared that he would snap the neck of anyone trying to steal his soul.
“I’d like to see you try!” Winnie scoffed. It went downhill from there. The professor clapped his hands together.
“Okay,” he said evenly. “That’s about enough of that.” Metaphorical daggers still shot in all directions, but the class settled down.
“You see how tricky enforcement of magic can be,” he said, using our descent into madness as a perfect example. “Every faction has their own requirements that must be taken into consideration. Be that as it may, restriction is still possible. Cooperation has been our greatest weapon against the Hell dimension. Without it, we would we hopeless.”
The bell rang. I breathed a sigh of relief. “I want you all to read through chapters three and four before our next lesson. We will be discussing blood.”
Sophie blew out a breath. “I think next class I might come down with a cold.”
“Aww it wasn’t that bad,” I reasoned.
“Yeah right! You had the Evil Three to back you up. I’m going to be a sitting duck. I’ve got a dining hall shift, see you for dinner?”
“If I’m not dead.”
She smirked. “Uh huh. Say hello to Kai for me.”
Everyone was a comedian.
For all of his insistence, Kai had very little time to spare. He scraped together minutes to check in on me, but training had been non-existent. If he wasn’t able to teleport, I’d never see him. I couldn’t tell whether it was a relief or an irritation.
When I walked into the illusion training room and came face to face with a fold-out table laden with contraband, I decided irritation was the way to go.
“Keep that thing away from me.” Eugenia edged out of the way as Giselle loaded one of their toxic sludge guns.
“The safety is on,” Giselle insisted in a bored tone. She stared ahead and reloaded the gun without focusing. I sidestepped as she took aim at a target on the far wall.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as a sweep of warmth whispered down my spine. Kai appeared beside me a moment later. His khaki combat pants had a tear across the knee soaked in congealed blood. The tan T-shirt was shredded at the hem. Bruises from claw-sharpened fingertips decorated his left arm. As a Nephilim of Raphael’s line, his healing ability was monumental. The severity of the injuries suggested they were freshly acquired. He gave no indication of being disturbed by his appearance.
Eugenia gawped. “Nice of you to dress up for the occasion.”
Kai ignored her and lowered his attention to me, his expression hard. Sometimes, I imagined I had a distorted perspective of him. Then he’d appear and that perspective sharpened into unbelievable clarity. Even scratched up and bruised, he still made my chest ache. The urge to run my finger along the new scar on his lip was almost unbearable. I frowned, wondering again what had hurt him so bad and where I could find it and kill it.
Soft green light flicked in his eyes to replace the moss green. His jaw clamped, and when he blinked, it was gone. “I’ve been thinking about what you said in the Grove.”
“You’re going to have to be more specific.” Until I figured out a way to dissolve the bond, I had two emotional ranges: bitchy combativeness and quivering mess. Only one of those was acceptable where Kai was concerned.
“You’re never going to be able to outmuscle or outrun a supernatural. We need to find other ways for you to defend yourself.” He marched past the women and stopped in front of the arsenal. I followed and left a long arm span between us. He picked up a crossbow. Setting it down, he cast his gaze over the rest of the items. There was an array of familiar weapons thanks to my Weaponry and Combat classes. It was all the sorcery and magical imp
lements that stumped me.
“She’s not going to be able to lift half this stuff,” Kai commented to Giselle.
“They’re not for her,” came the ominous response. The answer didn’t rile Kai up the same way it did me.
“Beg your pardon?” I said. Nanna always said the only time I was ever polite was when I was masking rudeness.
“We have to face the reality that your powers might completely erode one day,” Kai said. “If that happens, you’ll be helpless.”
I sighed. The thought had occurred to me. Even if I still had magic, if my symptoms kept up, accessing it could become dangerous. “Giselle and Matilda will have a better handle on how to fight without magic. You’ll be better off with them than me.”
Be careful what you wish for, Lex.
I clamped my mouth shut as he nodded solemnly at the witches and teleported away. The dark gleam in Giselle’s icy blue eyes was concerning. I backed up when Eugenia fixed the clasp of a crescent-shaped amulet around her throat. Her hourglass figure shimmered and was replaced by the billowing cloak of a red-hooded necromancer.
I was so busy watching Eugenia’s transformation that I didn’t notice Giselle was beside me until the click of a bangle shackled my wrists. First my left, then my right. A soft gurgle sound filled my ears before my magic leeched away. “What the hell?”
“A simulation of what might be possible.” The sneer in her tone was not appreciated. Neither was the bolt of an arrow pointing at me from Matilda’s crossbow. “You’ve learned to fight with that stick of yours. Now you’ll do it with no weapon.”
“You’re insan–”
She slugged me across the face without warning. My head whipped back and I lost balance, teetering on unsteady legs. Bracing my arms to protect my skull, I fell into a tuck and roll and landed in a crouch. “Stop joking around!” I shouted at her.
The snap of the crossbow ate up my attention. I leaped as an arrow burrowed into the spot where I had been. “Faster,” Giselle said. Was she speaking to Matilda or me? The lightning-fast draw of Matilda’s crossbow furnished me with my answer. It never slipped my focus that Eugenia’s lips were moving. A grey cloud of mist foamed at her feet.