Blooming Black: Rosewood Academy of Witches and Mages (Darkly Sweet Book 4)

by Juliann Whicker

  “You adapted my spell last time. It was sloppy and inefficient,” Revere said coldly. “Penny requires a good deal of healing on a regular basis. We’re going to set the spell on points so all of the mages present can heal her when necessary. The witches are here for stability, rooting the spell so it merges seamlessly with her center.”

  Zach shifted, crossing his arms like he’d never been so bored. “How long will this take?”

  “Stand still,” Revere snapped. “You’re the idiot who keeps breaking her spell, it’s the least you can do. Penny, sit on the couch. In the center. Do you not understand what that word means? Center. Middle. Precise point between two halves.”

  I rolled my eyes and shifted one centimeter to the left. It would be a long night.

  Four hours total. The spell had never been so quick, but it felt like an eternity with Rhoda glancing at me like she wanted me to look at her, talk to her, forgive her. How could I? Zach would just use her to hurt me if I let her close again. She wasn’t my Chem girl, just a girl who did what Drake said. I should have realized that’s what she was from the beginning.

  Revere directed Drake much differently from how Jasper worked with his submissive tone. Revere wasted no time with that. Drake did very well and after the entire spell was cast and set after meticulous weaving that I couldn’t see, because no magic, Revere said, “Not as bad as I feared.” Which was pretty much shouting ‘awesome’ at the top of his lungs for anyone else.

  “That’s it, then,” Revere said, stowing the potions and herbs carefully into his black case.

  “Is it? Why didn’t the witch who prepared those potions come and do the support herself?” Ramona asked, the first time she’d made a sound, other than sniffing disdainfully, for hours.

  I exchanged a glance with Revere. He shook his head slightly and continued packing his case.

  “My mother doesn’t get out much,” I said quietly.

  “Your mother prepared these?” Ramona’s question was a little more aggressive than it needed to be. Probably from not yelling at Revere for so long.

  I shrugged. “If we’re all finished here, I’d better get to bed. Early classes tomorrow.”

  Drake froze and turned to glance at me over his shoulder.

  I blushed and tried not to look at anyone directly as everyone disappeared, either using the door or stepping into nothing. Revere didn’t disappear. He stood there staring at me, arms folded.

  “Why are your trunks in his room?”

  “We’re engaged,” Drake said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. He leaned heavily against me and I had to stiffen my legs to keep upright. Revere had made certain he sucked a lot of life out of him.

  “No we aren’t,” I said.

  Drake frowned and whispered, “I thought we were going to tell him that.”

  “But the pope said we shouldn’t lie.”

  “He’s not a pope.”

  “Still.”

  “Penny, what’s going on here?” Revere’s voice was cold, but he didn’t look particularly tired. He’d taken all the life out of the circle of mages instead. “Are you living with this mage without any intention of marriage?”

  I stared at him. “Of course not. Drake’s not staying here. He’s just letting me stay while I figure out what to do about Zach.”

  “He has a lot of anger. He was Pitch’s support at the tourney, yes?” Revere’s question made me shift uncomfortably.

  “Yeah. He helped me after Pitch did what she does, and healed me, but he’s upset because Pitch and he broke up.”

  “Broke up? Pitch dated him?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know?” He stretched out the words as his gaze grew darker and darker.

  “I don’t know everything Pitch does.” I pulled out a lollipop, crinkling the cellophane nervously.

  “Is that right?” He was not amused.

  I smiled brightly. “Drake doesn’t know Pitch. Isn’t that too bad? We should have gone on a double date with Zach and her, but now that they’re broken up, who knows if he’ll ever get to know her?”

  Revere closed his eyes like he was in pain. “Huntsman, a word with you, if you don’t mind.” He grabbed Drake’s arm and dragged him out of this world leaving me alone in Drake’s room.

  My phone buzzed. I looked at it. Viney.

  That was incredible. I’ve never worked with mage energy like that. I owe you for including me. If you want, I’ll beat Rhoda’s face in for touching Zach.

  I quickly replied. I don’t care if Rhoda touches Zach. It’s Pitch I’m worried about.

  Right. You don’t care. That’s why you were shooting glares at him the whole time.

  I was not. Except that Pitch will hurt her. I’m worried about her.

  And that’s why you wouldn’t even look at Rhoda. Poor thing. You’re her hero, you know. She’ll beg and grovel until you take her back.

  I threw my phone on the couch and started pacing. What would Revere do with Drake? I never should have had him come here. Revere wasn’t like Drake, not oblivious and kind of sweet in spite of the mageness. Revere knew darkness and thrived in it. That’s how he could live with my mother.

  Chapter 8

  Mage

  The field swarmed with monsters of various sorts, some one-headed, multiple-armed kind of things, others serpents much smaller than a dragon, but much larger than a man, at least most of the men in the ranks. The air was strangely quiet in this moment before the battle.

  “When you said we should go to Darkside to celebrate, I envisioned more drinking, less battling.” Ian’s armor looked like liquid gold, shimmering impressively and drawing the gaze like the sun rising after a very long, dark night.

  “As long as you’re Penny’s mage, you should get used to it. What did you think of Ramona’s reaction? Do you think her uncle and her knew each other?”

  Ian’s raised eyebrows were the only things I could see beneath his golden helmet. “I would say unreciprocated affection on her part. Can you imagine Revere being your uncle? I didn’t think anyone could possibly reject a Huntsman. And yet he is a married mage, but not to her.”

  I shrugged and shifted the hold on my green fire sword. “If Penny’s mother is as beguiling as she is…”

  “Good point. So, why haven’t you married her, yet?”

  I growled at the monster six feet in front of me, its enormous green hide painted in blood. “Why haven’t we started fighting? Are they waiting for me?”

  “I’m just saying, Zach is clearly insane about her, and he owns her. It’s not like you to hesitate.”

  “Forget it.” I lunged ahead and hit a forcefield that sent probably five hundred volts through me. Green swirled as I sank the energy into my skin and bones, absorbing and sucking in all the force of that spell until I was utterly recharged after the grueling spellcasting Revere had put me through. He was not a gentle instructor, and I’d wanted to look good for a conscious Penny. I’d expected Ramona to like her, but the way my aunt looked at her was more witch-like than I’d ever seen her. She tried to be normal, to be human. It was something she was proud of, how unlike a Darksider she was, but her reaction to Penny was very Creagh-like. It must be a reaction to her mage energy.

  I shook my head and focused on the battle. I spread my hands and pushed the energy I’d absorbed into the warriors behind me. They soaked it up as they ran, screaming battle cries with almost perfect harmony. In the key of D sharp. Interesting. I joined in the song and brought up my firesword to cut through the hide of the green beast. I swept around him chopping off his arms and taking my time with him as I settled into the rhythm of the battle.

  Ian ten feet to my left fought with the elegant extravagance of a prince, golden and beautiful while my own dazzling jeweled pink suit enhanced all of my talents. Penny Lane. I speared the green creature through both hearts and leapt over its head to find myself surrounded by a group of hooded mages who took themselves extremely seriously. Around me t
he fighting went off-key. No. We would do this in tune. I wove a spell that specifically would focus the sound, keeping the pitched battle on key. It was my magic to waste if I wanted to. Not that anyone said anything, but Jasper would have given me a look. Penny would probably approve random use of magic.

  I lunged low and cut the knees of a mage while I countered his curse and spun, throwing it at the mage behind me. He sizzled and keened, but in tune. Very good. I started humming as I moved, dancing among the Darkside mages who had no comprehension of such things. They’d heard of dancing from Dayside, but it didn’t translate. It was time to enlighten them.

  I started singing as I danced, cutting through as though my sword were my partner and the field were a stage. Ian laughed and I heard his own honey sweet baritone in harmony. Excellent. Things were going like that, really pleasantly when a blue fireball fell out of the sky that hit the field ahead of us and sent a shock out from the impact point, knocking down dozens of the opposition. Even before the smoke cleared, I could hear Zach’s raucous singing. Out of tune. Was he blocking my subtle spell? How discourteous to crash my battle and muddle it up.

  Blue lights flashed ahead of me while the battle resumed. My own personal opponents turned to attack the mage who had invaded their ranks. Now Zachary was stealing my fight. I stalked towards him but jerked back suddenly before the circle of blue lasers could cut through the tips of my boots. I liked those boots. They were bedazzled.

  He stood in the center of the laser light show in his mechanical suit, bottle in one fist, sword in the other. Not a real sword, a handle that he could shift into a gun or probably any other weapon I could possibly imagine. He was drinking and shooting at the same time. Not bullets, spiders, mechanical spiders that ripped through whatever they hit with their little mechanically magicked metal legs. I ducked back, narrowly missed by one of the nasty things.

  “I didn’t know he was invited to the party,” Ian said in a low voice, gazing at Stoneburrow, expression unreadable, but that was mostly the helmet.

  “Do you have to wear the helmet? It’s so…”

  “You’re going to criticize my costume choices? Do you want me to be covered in gemstones? I’m the gold mage; I thought I’d go with it. Honestly, Drake. Your own outfit is so eye-burningly tasteless, it’s hard to compete, I know, but I’m doing my best.”

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s lovely. I just wish the mask was crystal or something so I can tell when you’re being sarcastic.”

  “You can see my eyebrows.”

  “Fine. Forget I mentioned it.”

  We both ducked down as Zach shot out another round of the little mech-magic spiders.

  I turned around and spelled my men so they wouldn’t die from the things. I waved them back and signaled so they’d go and fight somewhere else. This blue laser bubble wasn’t part of our fight plan.

  A monster came up on my right and I slashed its limbs, dodging another spider that embedded in its chest. The spider made a mess of him very quickly until he lay on the ground screaming, in tune, but still not pretty. I turned away from him, ducked beneath the sword of a mage and kicked him back, my bedazzled boots sending him into Zach. Oops. He kind of melted/exploded as soon as he got within five feet of the blue mage. Zach was in fine form this evening, I had to admit. No one did crazy mech mage better than my old friend. It was too bad about Pitch. He’d made a mess of the tourney, but maybe if she saw him here, she would change her mind about him.

  He stumbled around, causing death and havoc while he drank, the sound of him all metal and screeching screaming. Ah well.

  I drifted into smoke over him and into the battle beyond. We fought for hours, the pretty Dayside mages. This army was one of the subtle Sorcerer’s, fighting a warlord mage on the edge of the Devil’s Domain. It was a small little kingdom but was one of the few that had held out against the S.S.’s expansion. It was only after years of research on the part of the Devil and Signore, mostly Signore, that it was clear that all of the battles fought and won over most of Darkside in the last twenty years had all been him. His scope was impressive as well as more than slightly terrifying. The Devil and Signore weren’t at this battle. No, this was all me and the ragged warriors left from the little overlord. And now Zach. And Ian. Maybe I should have brought a few armies with me.

  That’s when Zachary started throwing hurters. They weren’t pretty, but they had kick. So much kick. I had to stand there spelling my soldiers for ten minutes to keep us all from being annihilated by the countless explosions until Zach ran up, looked around at the field of decimated soldiers, raised his bottle to me in a drunken salute and stepped throughside.

  “What a mess.” Ian sounded impressed and when I looked at him, his face showed it beneath the now crystal faceplate.

  I sighed in relief. “I’m going to have to converse with the overlord, probably.”

  “Why? He might file for damages.”

  “Good. I’d love a good paper battle with a Darkside mage. It’s been awhile. Jasper gets so bored.”

  “If you want to play with paper, origami mage, there’s a witch who’s dying for a contract.”

  “Tuesday,” I said gruffly, turning and stepping throughside, coming out in his room.

  Ian was there a moment later, the gold armor melting into jeans and a t-shirt. Was that what he was really wearing? I didn’t care enough to ask or find out. “What’s on Tuesday and why are you in my room?”

  I unbuttoned my jacket and hung it carefully in his closet. I’d have to clean it with more than magic. “I’m going to give her the contract then. I promised Revere I wouldn’t sleep with Penny until after we’d signed the contract.”

  “Did you?” He stared at me while his mouth twitched. “Did he throw you into a volcano first?”

  I winced and tried not to think of the pain he’d sent through my body as a sample of what I’d experience if I deflowered his step-daughter before signing the contract. Not that I minded pain, but Revere was so serious. It was inconceivable that he’d raised a Penny. Not that I’d actually live with Penny until after the contract went into effect. I wasn’t going to ruin her. “Something like that. He’s a bit terrifying.”

  “Why Tuesday?”

  I shot him a glare. “It’s our day. She can’t resist me on Tuesday.”

  “She can’t resist you any day. That battle was actually pleasant. Do you always make it sound so good?”

  I grinned at him. “Those mages had excellent tone. I have to have something to work with.”

  He laughed and made some excuses about having to be somewhere before he left me alone. I quickly showered and changed into soft black clothes before I took my things to the laundry room. At four in the morning, no one seemed to care about hygiene. And they called themselves civilized. When I’d gotten back from my conversation with Revere, Penny was already curled up asleep in my bed. It had been the most difficult thing in the world to grab some clothes, write a note, and leave her there. Still, she was in my bed and at my mercy.

  I was humming when my phone rang. I checked it. Ramona?

  “My darling aunt, what can I do for you?”

  “I watched your last battle. What was that? Who were you putting on that show for?”

  “You, apparently. You never know who’s watching so it’s important to always act like you have an audience.”

  She made a rude sound. “And your friends. They’re ridiculously good. Why her?”

  “Who?” This wasn’t a conversation I was in the mood for.

  “I knew her mother,” she said quickly. “Serene Night. She went to Blackheart when I was in school. She was a few years older than me. I went to Rosewood, but she was notorious in tourneys. No one could beat her. Everyone thought she’d go pro but instead, she went to Darkside a week before graduation. It caused a lot of gossip. Everyone thought that she’d marry the mage she was allied to, you know him as Revere, but instead she became an assassin. I worked with the Creagh. We hired her. She was more expensive th
an the Ruby who was always trying to kill her. Assassin politics, you know.”

  “Interesting, but I don’t see why you think it’s worth interrupting my laundry therapy.”

  “I’ve never met a Dayside witch who was less Daysider than that woman. You couldn’t talk to her without feeling like she was an animal who might rip off your face to see what color your bones were.”

  “She sounds charming.”

  My aunt sighed. “Drake, I’m glad that you’ve finally decided to marry and continue the glorious Huntsman line of psychotic mages, but with that much Darksider blood, your witch isn’t going to last long.”

  I licked my lips. “And me? How long do you think I’ll last?”

  “You’re a Huntsman and a mage. The more time you spend in Darkside, certainly the more unbalanced you’ll become, but we’re talking years and years.”

  “I appreciate the vote of confidence. Knowing that she comes from a long line of resilient witches makes me feel better about taking her. She might survive being my wife.”

  I hung up on her before she could protest and tell me how wonderful I was. For a witch who hated mages, she was ridiculously loyal to family. Penny’s mother had been a famous tourney player. Like Pitch. And a Blackheart.

  I stepped throughside into my favorite alley then into Blackheart, school for witches and mages’ gray stone halls. I’d spent more time here when I was younger and had energy for school pranks. Breaking into their records was disappointingly easy. Unfortunately their organizational system was nonexistent. I didn’t find anything about Penny’s mother. I closed the file cabinet and drifted into smoke. I wandered around Blackheart as fog for a few minutes until I remembered Oscar mentioning their excellent school newspaper that had been going for generations. I found the newspaper archive which was in the main library and not only unguarded, but also ridiculously well organized. I took a newspaper with the heading in bold black ink, ‘Night destroys Dawn,’ because I’m that kind of mage.