by G. Bailey
“Like what?”
“The turrets.”
“You mean the small round thingies attached to the castle?” Sage chimes in, clearly delighted by his description.
He pauses for a moment. “I guess that’s one way to describe them. These towers are somewhat different since they have turrets and crenulations on the top of them. Basically, any tower which has those also has a secret passageway that runs all the way down to the Lower Half of the academy. It’s a lot of stairs, sometimes an elevator if you’re lucky, but it’s easier than having to walk through the whole castle just to get to one room.”
A sapphire light emanates from below, swelling up against the stone walls to cast an eerie shadow around us. I step onto what I really hope is the last staircase, taking note of what Ronan divulged. So far, I’ve only come across two towers like that—the dormitories and the tower above the entrance where Greyhorn said I failed his test.
“Just be careful,” Ronan adds. “This academy has a mind of its own and one wrong turn could lead you into the deepest of the Cave Tunnels. Quite a number of students have gone missing down there, so watch out.”
As we emerge from the tower into a stone courtyard, I say to Ronan: “You’re an extremely cheery person, aren’t you, Mr Fairweather?”
He chuckles and stretches his arms, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. I instinctively copy him, relieved to see the back of that stuffy tower. Students chatter around us, practicing various levels of spells and showing off to each other. Across the courtyard, beyond the wrought-iron gate towering over us, stands the Ghoul Bridge paving a way into the Enchanted Forest.
“Where’s the teacher?” Sage asks, looking around the courtyard. There’s no one wearing any school robes.
“Beats me. We arrived on time, didn’t we?”
Ronan checks the watch on his wrist. “Yup. Maybe he’s running behind.”
I notice all the other students rushing over to the gate, oohing and aahing.
Exchanging a raised glance with Sage, we head over to find out what the hell is going on. It’s a little difficult at first with the intensity of the glaring sunlight, but once the sun dips behind a cloud, I can see what’s got everybody so excited about.
The water running underneath the Ghoul Bridge and into the forest is moving.
Not rippling or shooting a fish out of the water like a shuttlecock.
It’s literally moving, forming a mane of crystal-clear water that trickles into the head of a horse. Hooves stretch out from the illusion and thud onto the ground. Splashes of water shoot up from the surface, creating arms and a swishing tail made of seaweed that flicks droplets of water onto the students.
And then the illusion isn’t an illusion at all.
It’s a kelpie.
The half-man, half-horse rises from the depths of the water. His upper body is powerful and heaving, dripping with water that races down his tattooed arms and chest. I’m not familiar with the symbols per se, but I know they are the ancient runes of Atlantis. His dark mane and tail swish around him like seaweed caught in an ocean current, and his coat and skin are a deep, rich emerald that shimmers in the sunlight. I’ve never seen anything like him before.
The students applaud his entrance. I give him a couple of claps, too, admittedly impressed by his little trick. Centaurs are known for having style, and they like to show it off, but reading about it is one thing, experiencing it is a different thing altogether.
“Good morning, students. I’m Professor Lochlan. I hope you’ve brought your wits and courage with you today. You’ll certainly be needing them.”
My eyes hone in on the vial tied into his mane. His crystal is the same glistening blue as his eyes.
“He looks pretty fucking frightening,” Sage whispers in my ear.
I nod along with her. “Yeah. But he’s also kinda spectacular.”
“I just don’t wanna get on his bad side. I can’t swim,” she says, and I let out a quiet laugh. Neither of us has ever seen a centaur in real life before, let alone a kelpie, the most powerful of their species. I hate to admit it, but I’m actually excited to see what he has in store for us.
I have yet to be at the academy for more than two days and already it’s a relief to be out in the daylight. Snatches of morning light stream through the canopy of glistening leaves overhead as Professor Lochlan leads the way into the forest. A light gust of air breathes through the towering trees, knocking down the dead leaves and scattering them over the ground. The jagged briars and thorns reach out with spectral fingers that snag at some of the students’ cloaks. There’s a distinct eeriness nestling around us, but at the same time, I can’t help but find this part of the forest rather beautiful. Maybe it’s the fluttering of leaves and the exotic birdcalls carrying on the wind, or the way the sun glitters off morning dew, that makes the forest appear less frightening today. Whatever the reason, I’m in as much awe as the rest of my classmates.
Fortunately, Professor Lochlan isn’t inclined to read from the Book of Zorya. He’s more focused on the environment, explaining which of the plants are deadly and enquiring if we know any that can counteract its poison. Sage is quick to answer every question, much to Willow’s disgust, who throws a repellent look over her shoulder at every answer. You would think the Head Girl would be pleased to discover there’s a smart Shadowborn amongst her group. She seems more affronted by the revelation than anything. I have a feeling she and I are going to be butting heads quite soon if she keeps shooting daggers at my best friend. Sage has done nothing to upset the bitch. It’s not her fault she’s powerful. She was made like that by Professor Gale. And perhaps some private tutoring on my part.
“Buzzie, look!” Sage squeals, grabbing my arm and dragging me to the other side of the small clearing. “It’s the Statue of Aeon.”
“That is correct,” Professor Lochlan regards. “Well done, Miss Millhouse. This statue was constructed precisely seven moonrises after the Red Dawn. Some say it was the God of Life’s followers that created it. I believe Danica carved this stone with her own fae hands as a reminder to those who wish to bring ruin into the forest. Such ill intentions will never see the dawn of day.”
“What happened to the God of Life?” Ronan asks, taking the question straight from my mouth.
The professor drags some of the branches out of the way. I step onto my tiptoes and just manage to see a tranquil lake overshadowed by an enormous skull-shaped cave.
“He was imprisoned in the Howling Hollow.”
“Why do they call it that?” I ask, transfixed by the eerie beauty of the cave.
“When the moon rises over the Gorgon Lake, three howls can be heard from the depths of the cave, and when it sets, three more howls echo across the realm.”
“Neat,” Sage remarks, grinning at me.
“It is not neat or radical or awesome,” the professor snaps, swooshing his jet-black tail. “If the God of Life hadn’t been blinded by greed and envy, our almighty goddess, Selena, would still be alive. He has been rotting in that cave ever since, and rightly so. May his soul forever perish in the abyss of Tartarus.”
He lets go of the branches and they snap back into place, obstructing the cave from view.
I step back to admire the statue again. There is no denying this God was a beautiful one. Tall, chiselled, and handsome with short curly hair, he would’ve given every Greek Adonis out there a run for their money.
“Earth to Buzzie,” my best friend shouts, waving a hand in front of my eyes. “Jeez. I know he’s hot but do you really gotta drool like that?”
I mock glare at her. “Ha ha.” Turning around, I notice everyone apart from us and Ronan has already started to walk away. “I thought we were going to be doing some actual magic today.”
She shrugs, tugging me in the direction of the others. “I guess this is more like an intro.”
“That makes sense,” Ronan says.
“Gather around,” Professor Lochlan orders, waving everyone over to the
side of a pond standing between two trees. “Every droplet of water in this forest comes from the Faerie Pools. It’s the very essence from which we get our magic.”
Sage fumbles through her bag and drags out the Book of Zorya. Flipping through the slightly crumpled pages, she turns the book around and points at the Faerie Pools. She has the biggest grin on her face and it makes me giggle. I know exactly what she’s thinking. The Faerie Pools are located about six miles from the Shadowborn Academy. There’s actually two of them, one here in Zorya, and the other four hundred miles away in Vasili, the capital of Helios.
Each Faery Pool is separated by two extremely different lakes. One is the Gorgon Lake, where all manners of sea creatures lurk within its depths, and the other is Lake Lumen, where the surface of the water glows bioluminescent long throughout the night. I think originally they thought it would ward off the Dark Fae. Jokes on them. This whole academy practically did the same thing.
Professor Lochlan steps into the water. It rises just below his knees, and he drags one of his hooves through the surface to create a ripple. “Many of you were born a Shadowborn through this water. Some of you died in it. Regardless of how you came to be, the Faerie Pools have healing properties that go back eons. I would like each of you to collect a sample. Once you are finished, gather back here so we may cast your first spell as a student at the Shadowborn Academy.”
With a wave of his hand, glass jars appear on the ground in front of us. Professor Lochlan watches everyone collect their jar and approach the edge of the river. A group of boys hop onto the stepping stones and threaten to push each other off. Some of the others are too busy admiring the pixies lighting up the trees to bother with the assignment.
Two girls stop near us as we rest on the rocks, and the one with silver hair looks up as Willow crosses her arms and looks down her nose at her. Even though the silver-haired girl is short, she looks hella scary.
“Go away, or so help me, I will drown you in this river.”
Willow huffs at her threat. “There’s only three inches of water.”
“Well, if the shoe fits…” She looks pointedly at Willow and then shrugs. “You’re a pretty fucking shallow person. I’m sure I can drown you in shallow water.”
“I don’t get it, Izy. But enough of that. We need to talk.”
“Of course you don’t. Now fuck off.”
I don’t know who this Izy is but I like her already.
There’s something about Willow that just rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it’s all the dirty looks she keeps throwing my and Sage’s way, followed by her unashamedly-loud snide remarks. Willow takes the very obvious hint and stomps off. Before I can look away, the silver-haired girl catches my eyes.
“The name’s Izora Dawn, and that idiot over there”—she gestures to Willow—”is my pain in the ass step-sister. Did you know that she’s Head Girl?” Izora rolls her dark grey eyes and snorts. “She’ll never be the head at anything other than her own shoulders.”
I laugh at that. “Yeah, she’s mentioned it a few times. I’m Corvina Charles.”
“Nice to meet you. Word of advice? Steer clear of my sister. She’d sell her father if it meant getting a gold star from her precious headmaster.”
Without another word, Izora walks off like she wasn’t even here to begin with.
“She seems powerful,” Sage mumbles and I nod in agreement.
I could almost taste the dark magic covering Izora in thick, inky-black shadows. I don’t think she knows how powerful she is, though. Or maybe she does, and that’s why Willow backed down. Whatever the reason, it was just satisfying to watch Miss Perfect Willow get brought down a peg or two.
In the corner of my eye, I see a raven in the sky, followed by two others. A big smile fills my face as I watch them go into the edge of the forest.
Sage catches me looking at them and whispers, “Go. I will cover for you.”
I kiss her cheek before running into the forest in the direction my friends flew. After walking for a few minutes, I find Rook, Crowe, and Wren sitting on a large rock, waiting for me. I pause some steps away from them and they bow their heads one by one. I do the same.
I have no idea why we always do this, but it feels right and respectful. Since they are my friends, I respect their traditions.
“Trouble brews in this forest, Corvina,” Rook tells me and I frown, my heart clenching at the words.
“She causes it,” Crowe adds in, backing up Rook like he always does.
“Corvina breeds it and loves trouble,” Wren comments, almost sounding disapproving. That’s unusual for Wren. She’s the smartest of the three and tends to be the one to offer good advice.
“Is this your way of saying you missed me so you followed me here?” I question and they each squawk.
Rook ruffles his feathers. “We protect you from the skies. Join us soon,” he suggests, flapping his wings. “But in the meantime walk to the left until you find a problem. Someone needs your help, Corvina.”
“Awfully cryptic today!” I shout after them as they fly into the trees, disappearing from view but never really going that far from me.
They never do, even when they say I annoy them with my innocence. What does a raven know about innocence, anyway? They might sometimes be overprotective of me, not to mention cryptical, but they’re my friends.
Following their advice, I walk to the left and keep going until my feet ache. I start to think that I’m going to get lost in this forest all over again, which would just be my luck on my second day here, before I hear an ear-splitting cry from some kind of creature, followed by boys laughing.
I jog into a small clearing where five Light Wardens, young ones, are throwing a small, glowing green creature around like a football. The poor thing is crying out, but it only seems to amuse these arseholes further. White-hot fury bubbles in me and a burst of dark purple magic gathers instinctively into my palms.
“Put the poor creature down, you sons of a bitches!” I growl, my voice echoing through the trees around us as all five wardens come to a sharp halt. One with curly black hair and a narrow nose that looks out of place on his flat face merely laughs and holds the creature tightly.
I hate Light Wardens with a passion.
Even though shadowborns can become Light Wardens, they are never allowed to level up past Keeper level—the lower end of the spectrum—no matter how powerful they are. These idiots are merely Junior Wardens, judging by the sapphire badge pinned on their leather jackets. I’ve never met anyone above a junior level before, but I know the next promotion is Shadow Warden, then High Warden, both of which you never want to encounter. While the High Wardens govern our world, it’s the Shadow Wardens that get to do all the fun law enforcement stuff. They wear a silver badge that lets them travel through shadows despite the fact that they’re light magic users. A little unfair if you ask me. It’s not like we level up and get a badge to give us light powers. So why do they get our powers?
The boy holding the creature sneers at me. “Little shadowborn. My, my. You think you are any threat to us?” Sliding the poor creature under his arm, he digs into his jacket and pulls out a silver dagger. The others all get their weapons out, too, everything from whips to a sword.
“Pretty dagger you have there. I think I’m going to keep it when we are done,” I tell him honestly. “One can never have too many.”
And this dagger is gorgeous. It has a silver blade with a curved handle made of gold and diamonds embedded along the tip. It’d make a neat apple peeler once I kick their asses.
“If you beat me and my friends, sure, it’s yours,” the idiot agrees, obviously not aware who he’s up against. I’ve got Pitch and three powerful ravens on my side.. “And the creature too. But if we win, we are taking more than you will want to give us.”
Urgh, pathetic.
I feel Pitch flicker out of my body, clearly wanting to help by killing them, but before he gets a chance, I’m drawing a protection spell in the air. The protectio
n spell is simple, a circle with a tiny dot in the middle. It means no one can touch me, especially not these so-called Juniors.
Light magic has nothing on the darkness inside of me.
The second I’m done with the protection spell, the wardens are running at me and I cast a favourite spell of mine. I use both my hands, quickly drawing five swirled lines in the air, and then I draw a pentagon over the top of them. I feel the magic I’ve just used slam out of my body and into the spell. I gasp from the seductive, pleasurable pull of the magic hovering around me, caressing my skin and lifting every strand of my hair. My friends squawk in the trees and I grin at them before casting the spell.
The five wardens lift into the air, screaming as my dark magic smothers them and turns them into something else. In place of the boys, five fat slugs drop out of the darkness and land beside the creature, their weapons clattering on the ground around them. A triumphant smile pulls at my lips, but before I can step on the slugs and pat myself on the back, someone claps behind me. I pivot around, my hands raised, and another warden literally steps out of the shadows between two towering trees. I flicker my eyes to one of two badges on his uniform.
A Shadow Warden.
And he’s gorgeous, to boot.
Just fucking great.
A mop of unruly brown hair curtains his handsome face, with a few loose strands that fall into his unusual eyes. They’re a mixture of emerald and amber with vertical irises that remind me of a serpent. He has a firm jawline, a well-trained body filling out his leather uniform, and I’m surprised when he smiles at me.
Surprised because it makes my heart jump.
“Our secret,” he says with a grin.
“What?” I question, taking a step back.
“This should be our secret, don’t you think?” He picks up the tiny creature and cradles it in his muscular arms. “What are you, huh? Doesn’t really matter. You can rest at mine until you feel better.”
I have no clue what the creature is, either. It sort of looks like a frog, a cat and a bat had a baby together, which by all accounts should make it terrifying, but it’s actually super cute. Its green eyes are large and unblinking and its long fur is a similar shade of green with tinges of yellow, and he has the most adorable little purple wings ever. Despite its frog-like tail and eyes, it’s the cutest dark creature I’ve ever seen.