by G. Bailey
“Do remember that your second life is a gift in exchange for passing The Angel Academy as a strong angel. There is no room for the weak in the world of the angels,” she firmly comments, and I gulp. We are all still frozen as Thallon walks through the horses, still missing his shirt, and leans down to Eric’s body. Tears form in my eyes as Thallon softly closes Eric’s still open eyes before picking up his body and carrying him away. I search for Riley in the crowd and find him watching me, the same look of disgust and horror in his eyes.
“Now, we will start by getting you to place a saddle on your horse and learning the correct way to do this. We will end our lesson with a little race between each other,” Professor Nina comments, and then she hums a song as she walks into the stables.
Angel Academy is deadly.
And we have to survive, no matter what.
“Brilliant, each of you has learnt and picked up everything I’ve taught you today. Next, let’s get you in pairs for a race,” Professor Nina cheerily comments, and I want to reply that the only reason everyone has behaved is because they are shit scared of you, but I don’t, biting my tongue instead as people start to pair up. Riley and Vesnia bring their horses over to me, and I look between them awkwardly.
“Erm, why don’t you two team up, and I will find someone else?” I awkwardly state.
“I will race with you, darlin’,” Henry proclaims, and I turn to see him walking over to me, his majestic as fuck horse behind him. His horse is pure black with long legs, which have a bit of hair around their ankles, and a massive mane of hair that touches the ground. Next to my horse, they are literally black and white.
“Wouldn’t it be a little unfair, considering you are a year older?” Riley asks as I can’t take my eyes off Henry to ask that logical question myself.
“Do you want to ask Professor Happy-to-snap-any-neck Nina?” Henry questions with a smirk. “Go ahead. It will be fucking entertaining to see her kill you.”
“It’s cool. You two race, and I will race Henry,” I cut in before Riley actually replies to that taunt. Ves nods at me, turning her horse around, and after a few seconds of Riley glaring at Henry, and Henry smiling back, he leaves with her. I let out the breath I was holding and go to Ayda’s side. Placing my foot in the stirrup, I pull myself onto her back and hold her reins close as I get comfy. Henry simply uses his wings to fly up off the ground and swing his leg over his horse.
“What’s your horse’s name?” I ask.
He watches me for more than a second under those dark locks of hair. “His name is Maze.”
“This is Ayda,” I reply. “Why did you offer to race me? Surely you have better things to do.”
“Well, actually, doing you would be a better thing,” he drawls, and I laugh against my better judgment.
“That isn’t happening, Henry-boy,” I warn him.
“Trust me, I’m no boy. Tell you what, if I win this race, you go on a date with me,” he darkly suggests.
“And if I win?”
“I owe you a favour. And trust me, a favour from a king is priceless,” he replies, and I don’t doubt it.
“Deal,” I say before I can stop myself. Shut up, Kaitlyn. He is clearly going to beat you, and a date with a dark angel is a bad idea.
“Gather around in a line next to your partner!” Professor Nina shouts. With a click of his tongue, Henry moves Maze, and I follow him right to the front of the line. When another guy on his horse tries to move in front of us, Henry only has to look at him, and he decides the back of the line is cool. Professor Nina smiles warmly at Henry as she stops in front of us and points off the edge of the island. “I have placed magical rings in the air, and you have to pass through each of them until you get to the end of the race on the other side of the academy. When you finish the race, you’re free to undo your horse’s saddle and then have the rest of the day to yourselves. We will race one at a time. Are you two ready?”
“Ready,” I answer, leaning up a little and swallowing any fear I have about this.
“You know the answer, Nina,” Henry replies and smirks at her. Urgh, guys suck.
“On the count of five. Five, four, three, two, one and go!” Ayda clearly has a competitive side, the same as me, as she takes off and then spreads her wings out as we get to the end of the cliff and dive off. I lean down close to her body as I blink away the tears from the cold, biting fresh air to see one of the large rings in the air. It’s a glowing circle full of symbols, just hanging in the air. I grab Ayda’s reins tightly as Henry simply flies through it, and we follow just after him. His horse has serious speed as we follow right behind them around the bottom of the rocky academy. I’m inches away from Henry when a gust of wind blows us both a little to the left, and I scream as I slam into some rocks, cutting all my arm and cheek. Ayda cries out, and I look at her side to see she is bleeding, but then it heals before my eyes. Henry turns around, looking back, and I nod once. I don’t need his help.
“We can beat them, right, girl?” I ask Ayda, and she turns back, meeting my eyes, and I swear she all but says yes before we are flying fast after Henry, ducking around the academy and going through two more magic rings. It takes me a second to see the rings are making us head up, and we need to do something to catch up. I spot a gap in the rocks, small enough to just get through. I tug Ayda’s reins to the side and force her up through the gap. We speed out of the top and spin around, heading for the circle. Ayda rushes through it a second before Henry does, and then we fly to the ground, and I grin as Henry lands next to me.
“Smart move. I’m actually impressed,” Henry breathlessly states, and it’s only then I see he is a little pale.
“Are you sick?” I ask, and he glares at me.
“Okay, okay, you won, no need to be a dick to me,” he says with mock indignation.
“And you owe me a favour,” I remind him with a wink as I get off Ayda. I flinch as I touch my cheek, feeling the shallow cuts there. I lift my arm, which is covered in blood from a leaking cut, and Henry jumps off his horse. He reaches into his horse’s saddle bag and picks out a small jar of red leaves.
“Here, put a few of these in your bath, and it will help you heal,” Henry tells me, dropping the jar into my hand. “And don’t think it means anything, as it doesn’t. I will take Ayda to remove her saddle. Bye, darlin’.”
“Thank you, Henry,” I say.
“The king can’t let his subjects bleed out everywhere, can he?” he dryly replies as he takes Ayda’s reins and leads her away.
“Maybe the king isn’t such a dickhead after all!” I shout, and his laugh haunts me as I walk away. I’m still smiling as I get to my room and open the door, locking it behind me.
“Blood does suit you.” Ren’s voice makes me jump and nearly drop the jar of leaves. I turn to see him sitting on my bed, his arms resting behind his back, his legs crossed. His black shirt is tight against his chest, his tie hanging low, and it’s messy, but it suits him.
Why am I checking out a ghost?
“I would beg to differ,” I reply, placing the jar on the side. Ren’s eyes focus on it as he sits up.
“Dwine leaves, a rare tree in this world. Who gave you such a gift to heal with?” he drawls.
“A guy named Henry,” I reply, not knowing why I’m telling the ghost this as I pull my riding boots off. “And why are you sitting on my bed?”
“I was bored. Ghost problems and all,” he replies with a cocky grin. “Tell me, Kitty Kat, have you asked any angels about vampires yet?”
“Why would I?” I reply.
“To find answers. Don’t you think it’s strange you haven’t seen another ghost around here yet?” he questions. “I hoped just seeing me and knowing about vampires would get you to ask someone, but it seems you are smarter than I thought.”
“Yes, it’s strange there are no other ghosts, but I actually like it. Seeing ghosts and being the weird kid isn’t fun,” I tell him, and his one eyebrow raises.
“Do you help
the ghosts you see?” he asks.
“Help them how exactly?” I angrily question.
“Oh, I see it now,” he pauses with a knowing smile. “You are scared of your powers and of the ghosts you are blessed with seeing.”
“I’m not scared; I’m talking to you, aren’t I?” I snap.
“We both know I’m different and that’s why you talk to me,” he replies. Asshat.
“I talk to you because you’re always in my room like the stalker ghost you are. You should leave,” I suggest, trying to swallow my rising anger. If he was a real person, I’d throw something at him.
“Only if you promise to ask about vampires. What could the harm be?” he replies with a big grin. “You might want to ask what a fallen angel is. Oh, and add how you’re best friends with demons while you’re at it. I’m joking, of course.”
“Demons are real?” I ask with wide eyes. I don’t know why the idea that vampires exist doesn’t freak me out, but demons? An image of a red-skinned demon with horns makes me shiver as I ignore Ren. I knock the bathroom twice to make sure Vesnia isn’t in there before walking in and heading to the bath. The bathroom is super modern with an oval shaped bath on white tiles, a walk-in shower against the grey exposed stone walls, and a toilet tucked away in the corner. The one wall has a row of cabinets and two sinks with mirrors above them. I start running the bath and sit on the edge, fascinated as my blood drips one drop at a time into the water.
“How long were you a vampire? Were you born a vampire or bitten like in movies?” I enquire, knowing Ren is in the room with me without needing to look away from the water.
“Born. Vampires can be turned with a bite, but only a master vampire has that skill to turn vampires, and I was the last living master vampire in existence,” he sadly tells me, his voice full of longing for something I can’t imagine. “Now my race will die and disappear before long. Newly changed vampires only have a ten per cent chance of surviving when they aren’t in a coven with a master vampire near. Eventually my people will give up.”
“I will ask about vampires as you wish,” I reply, because for some silly, deep down reason, I want to give him something. Something to think of in the loneliness of the dark he is in.
“Thank you,” he whispers, his voice so close to my ear that for a moment, I think I might be able to feel his breath on my cheek, but when I turn, he is gone, and I’m left thinking about the hot vampire ghost I know is going to get me in trouble.
Chapter 10
“What’s your favourite colour?” Ves asks me as we head through the greenhouse on our way to Tuesday lessons. History of Angels is our morning class with Master Gabriel, and in the afternoon, we have Herbology with Professor Louton. For once, I’m actually a little bit excited about our day. Thankfully, when I woke up, my wounds had all healed like they never existed in the first place. I know I have Henry to thank for that.
“Green, and not a particular shade of it. I love the green of a healthy leaf on a tree to the green of the moss it falls on,” I explain to her.
“I thought you’d say violet,” she says around a chuckle.
“The only thing wrong about Parma Violets is that they aren’t green,” I say, and we both laugh. “What is your favourite colour?”
“Red,” she mutters, lifting a strand of her curly hair and letting it bounce back into place.
“I could have guessed that. Okay, what question next?” I ask, as this was Ves’s idea to get to know each other a little better.
“Which boys do you have a crush on?” she asks, and my mind betrays me by flashing images of Thallon, Henry and Ren into my head. Not that I can tell Ves that I see ghosts and have done since I was a kid. Oh, and that I’m crushing on a vampire ghost who haunts my room. Yeah, totally normal.
“Wait, you’re lucky and off the hook. This is our room.”
“Lucky me,” I grin and push the glass door open. Master Gabriel sits at the front of the class in a leather chair, a large desk right in front of him, and it is covered in bits and bobs. Ves and I find an empty table two rows back and sit down as the rest of the students pile into the room. When all seventeen of us are in here, Master Gabriel stands up and closes his hands in front of him.
“Do any of you remember the first time you were told about angels?” he asks, and there is silence for a reply. I can’t remember, but Ves puts her hand up, and Master Gabriel nods for her to talk.
“I was seven, and there was an angel statue outside our local church. I remember asking my dad what it was, and he told me angels are the protectors of us all,” she quietly says. “Oh, and that they have cool wings.”
“A lovely story, and I’m sure in everyone’s minds, there is a similar one. Angels have been in humans’ lives since the dawn of time, since their earliest memory. We are unclear where our race truly began, but it is clear we were sent here to rise above human emotions and wants in order to do the right thing,” he says, folding his hands together.
“And what is the right thing?” I ask.
“To steer humanity in the direction of good and not evil, of course,” he replies. “In this class, I will teach you the history of the great angels who sat in the seats you are in and walked the same corridors of this academy as you do. I will teach you their names, their actions in life, and hope that when the time comes for you to shape history, you will look back to them and make the right choice,” he says and sits back down. “Now come and gather a book off my desk and start reading. We have a lot of ground to cover before we can talk of the great stories.”
Each of us gets a dusty book and sits back down before we open it to find it’s not in English at all.
“Master Gabriel, we don’t speak Latin,” Vesnia says.
“I’m well aware. The Latin translation books are at the back of the class. I suggest you get to work rather than asking me questions,” Master Gabriel replies, and I all but groan as I slide out my seat.
This is going to be a long class.
“Hopefully, Herbology is going to be better than that. I nearly fell asleep in my dusty book,” Vesnia grumbles, wiping dust off her hoodie sleeve. “It’s a good thing your sneezing kept me awake.”
“I don’t do dust,” I mumble just before I sneeze once again. I pull out my map from my back pocket and see that Herbology is in the greenhouse with Professor Louton. Vesnia hooks my arm in hers as we head down the corridor and to the greenhouse where most of our class is already waiting with Professor Louton.
“Welcome, class, to your first Herbology lesson. In this class, we will teach you about herbs and plants that have magical qualities such as healing humans who have been poisoned or drawing metal out of a human body. These things will be useful when you finish The Angel Academy and have to look after a human of importance,” she says. “It is very important you study hard for this class, because one mix-up when making a healing lotion could result in death, and I do love for my students to try out their own work on themselves.”
“That got everyone’s attention,” I mutter because it did, and I have no idea if she is joking or not.
“Right behind me is a plant called the Dekal,” she explains waving a hand at the plant with some yellow leaves scattered between purple ones. “The yellow leaves are safe to touch, but they have no healing properties. The purple leaves are deadly to touch, but they also are a vital ingredient in a lotion I want you to make. So get one leaf each and meet me at the back of the greenhouse.”
Professor Louton walks off, her black high heels clicking against the stone with every step as we all stare at each other.
“Any chance someone has gloves in their pockets?” Ves asks.
Resounding nos answer Vesnia, and then we all stare at the plant, none of us brave enough to test the warning Professor Louton said.
“I have an idea,” I mutter and take a step forward. I carefully lean into the plant and pick off a yellow leaf, and then I use the yellow leaf to very carefully pull a purple leaf off the plant. I raise an ey
ebrow at Vesnia who grins and goes next as I head down the path and to the back of the greenhouse. Thallon is talking quietly with Professor Louton as I get closer, and she laughs at something he said, placing her hand on his shoulder. I clear my throat to interrupt, not knowing why I felt like I had to do something to get noticed. Thallon smiles at me and then sees the leaves in my hand. He rushes over, picking a jar up off the side, and I drop the leaves in the jar.
“Are you still getting them to pick these leaves?” Thallon asks. “Last year, three students died from accidently touching them.”
“And those were three students who did not deserve to be an angel,” she sourly replies, her eyes locked on me.
“I figured using the yellow leaf to hold the purple was the idea,” I say quietly.
“Did anyone die?” she asks, and I shake my head. “Shame, it would have been a more interesting class. We do have all year though.” Thallon gets a jar for Vesnia as she comes over with her leaf, and she places it in the jar.
“Both of you need to find the next ingredient. It’s an orange herb that smells like vodka, and it grows by the trees outside. Gather a handful, won’t you?” Professor Louton demands.
“Don’t let the herb touch your lips. It kills if ingested,” Thallon softly tells me.
“Thallon, don’t you have work to do?” Professor Louton snaps.
“As always, Professor Louton,” he replies and winks at me as he walks away. At least one of the angels here isn’t trying to kill me.
Chapter 11
“Welcome to intermediate spear training. My name is Professor Badhur. In this class, we will train your bodies in the ways of angel fighting, and with weapons that are suitable. Year one is focused on spears like these.” He waves a hand at the line of spears held on a stand near the wall. “And in year two, we will move on to swords, and year three is your choice. Sometimes I will teach this class and gym afterwards, and other times there will be another professor.”