by Lan Chan
I only just stopped myself from wincing at the label. It made Sasha grin in a way that lifted the menace from his face. “He told me Andrei hates him because Kai killed his family.”
Sasha nodded. “Nobody really understands how it happened. Victoria Amos is his great aunt many times removed. His family were basically vampire royalty. When you get to those social heights you don’t tend to do your own dirty work anymore. That’s what underlings are for. Rumour is that someone in Andrei’s family was secretly communing with demons. Not just for summonings but on a bigger scale. The demon turned them, and they all succumbed to the bloodlust. They massacred a whole village and held up in an abandoned castle.
“Victoria tried to get a stay of execution. Before it could be passed, they kidnapped some children. That’s when...” He drew a finger across his throat. “They say Kai was merciless.”
I could just imagine. Coming off the murder of his own family, the killing of children would have set him off big-time. “Afterwards they found Andrei locked up in the cellar,” Sasha continued. “He was unconscious. When he finally woke, he was in the first throes of the bloodlust. Kai had knocked him out before he could turn.”
“Sounds like Kai did Andrei a favour,” Trey said.
Sasha gave a dry laugh. “Yeah, what a present. I killed your entire family but I saved your life.”
I eyed him warily. He held up hands up in a placating gesture. “Hey,” he said. “I agree. He had no choice. But it must have been a hard pill to swallow.”
“I heard Andrei doesn’t drink,” Roland said.
Sasha nodded. “He hasn’t touched blood since it happened.”
My eyes widened. “I thought it messes with you guys if you go too long without drinking blood?”
No wonder Andrei was crazy. Vampires derived their strength and power from blood. The longer one didn’t drink, the more unhinged they became. If what Sasha said was true, Andrei hadn’t had a drink in years.
“How is he allowed to just walk around freely?” Sophie asked.
“He hasn’t done anything to warrant his arrest,” Sasha said. “It’s only a matter of time. The lack of blood is going to make him reckless. He hasn’t been able to find anything he can use to get under Kai’s skin. Until now.”
For the first time ever, I felt something besides apprehension when I thought of the vampiric race. They seemed to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. To drink, they had to at least subdue something innocent. But not drinking made them insane. I suddenly had a lot more sympathy for Andrei.
That was until I looked up and he was watching me again. His amber eyes were like two jewels against his translucent skin. He sat a good ten metres away from us, but he might as well have been right in front of me. I couldn’t tear my gaze away. Something cool brushed over my cheek. It soothed the unease that had curled in my stomach. Andrei smiled. Actually, he was quite good-looking. What would it be like to –
A rough hand grabbed me by the forearm and jerked me sideways. My gaze was torn away from Andrei’s hypnotic blue eyes. Trey shook me for good measure. “Snap out of it,” he said.
I blinked a couple of times. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“He tried to compel me,” I said after my mind cleared.
“He didn’t just try. You got up before I grabbed you!” He was grinding his teeth.
I didn’t even remember that. “Surely that’s not okay!”
“Who’s going to do anything about it?” Diana asked. “They’re all too afraid of him.”
I scrubbed my face. “I don’t think I like these Unity semesters.”
“You and me both,” Sophie said.
“Let’s get out of here before you start a war,” Diana said. The boys didn’t follow us as we got up. Diana and Sophie walked slowly beside me. It was only as we made our way through the crowd that I realised how quiet the dining hall had become. Diana tried to put her back to me to shield me from the prying eyes, but it was impossible to miss. Half the room had seen what just happened. Yet nobody else had done a thing about it.
I rubbed at my neck. As humans, we were susceptible to compulsion. Jacqueline didn’t allow the use of it at Bloodline. But in the real world, what was to stop a vampire from compelling me if I came across one? Nothing. I’d seen that firsthand while at Terran. A chill ran down my spine. For the first time in forever, I suddenly felt unsafe.
A bell sounded all around us. I had my first Magic Resistance class this afternoon. Sophie had her advanced Potions class and Diana had Dimension Integration.
“Meet you at dinner?” Diana asked. It was then I remembered she didn’t know about my training with Giselle. She made a face when I told her. “Oh well, I guess I’ll see you if you’re not dead then.”
She waved at us as we parted ways.
I wasn’t the only one using the step directions to find my next class. It was a miracle we weren’t all tripping over each other because our eyes were glued to the ground.
The footsteps took me in a circular path around the back of Nightblood Academy. The landscape changed from sinister gloom to militant starkness. Where Nightblood’s building was made of dark grey stone, the walls of Dominion Academy were made of tan-coloured bricks in a square pattern. It reminded me of the structure of Gaelic and Welsh castles as opposed to Eastern European opulence. Ivy clung to the base of the castle. There was a damp scent of lichen in the air. Spanning as far as the eye could see was a field of green dotted with groves of trees.
I was so busy following the footsteps on the ground that I didn’t notice I was nearing the local fauna. Something collided with my shoulder. I almost tripped.
“Sorry,” I said absentmindedly.
I glanced up and my insides wilted. Chanelle’s expression dripped with malice.
“You will be.” She shoved me aside further with her hip and stalked way. The homing signal was pulsating on the ground. That meant I had reached my destination. All around me were unfamiliar faces. I had expected Chanelle to disappear, but when she joined a group of other girls her age, it finally dawned on me.
I was in a fourth-year class. So was she.
I wanted to curl into a ball on the floor and kick something.
14
Somebody tapped me on the shoulder. When Evan stepped up beside me, I sagged with relief. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he said. “One you want to strangle.”
It was an apt observation. “Please, please tell me you’re in this class.”
He smiled at me. “It’s a prerequisite for a position in the First Order. Let me guess, you’re here because Jacqueline made you?”
I nodded dumbly. Part of my mind was still preoccupied with tracing Chanelle’s every move. Right now, she was over whispering harshly to her friends. Evan noticed my distraction.
“Try and ignore her,” he said. “Believe it or not, your presence makes her feel just as uncomfortable.”
“I’m not the one trying to break her bones at every turn.”
“You still hurt her nonetheless.”
It was strange to talk to someone who wasn’t of the overprotective caveman ilk. “You don’t think I should be upset?”
“I didn’t say that.” He tapped at his chin. “But she wasn’t always this vindictive.”
“You know her?”
“We were friends before she was chosen for Kai. All of us.” He looked over at her. “She must feel quite abandoned.”
I didn’t think she could feel anything but her own self-righteousness. But I didn’t get the chance to tell him so. A man in a dark suit appeared through the back entrance of the Academy. His blond hair was cut short on the sides and left longer at the top. The way the suit fit across his slim build made me think it was tailored for his body.
The other students stepped back and freed up space for him. “Good afternoon,” he said. “I’m Professor Montgomery. You’ve all chosen this class because you have aspirations to join the ranks of the First Order when you graduate.” He pa
nned his attention across the dozen students huddled on the lawn until he reached me. “Well, most of you anyway.”
There was a murmur of soft laughter. “If you succeed in your goal and pass the entrance exam, your first test will be to ensure that you are not at the mercy of another magic user, demon, vampire etcetera. To that end, we will require a good deal of field work this semester.”
I saw it coming before he waved his hand. The Ley lines blinked into view around us. My back went rigid. All I saw was blue before the professor opened up a portal.
“Our lessons will be conducted at a secondary location,” Professor Montgomery said. The centre of the portal opened up to reveal a room inside the Dominion prison. I suppressed a groan. It was now doubly hard to get my body to move towards the opening.
I was the last one left on this side with the professor. “You’re holding everyone up, Alessia,” he said.
I peered through the portal. Chanelle stood there with her arms crossed over her chest. I bit the bullet and forced my way through. My vision was still half in the Ley dimension. The blinding flash of blue that lit up the foreground had me staggering even as my feet hit the other side.
I had to rub at my eyes to get the black dots to dissipate. There was no way I could keep doing that. Whatever was going on, it seemed to agitate my magic.
I only just managed to keep my balance. The professor stepped through behind me. He flicked his hand. The portal closed. I looked on with unrepentant envy. It was just so unfair that humans didn’t have that ability. It made me think of all the things they taught me in Terran Academy. The supernaturals had come into our dimension and brought demons with them. If we had had the power to close the portals, maybe we would have been able to stop the initial invasion from happening.
As usual, it was freezing in the prison. Thanks to Bloodline’s temperature-controlled atmosphere, I found myself shivering. Next time I would bring a jacket.
We were in the administration sector. There were mages of all shapes and sizes going about their business around us. Anyone could be a guard. The Nephilim had the strongest natural shields against the powers of the other species. It was a trait passed on to them through their seraphim blood. Shifters were almost impervious to vampiric compulsion.
The rest of us were at the mercy of the whims of those more powerful. They knew well enough to steer clear of this class. I could see why Jacqueline thought it might be a good idea for me to learn to defend against being manipulated. I just didn’t enjoy having the truth thrown in my face at every turn.
“This way,” the professor said. He led us through the admin area. Outside I could see the sky shining through the large floor-length windows. He pushed open the wooden door at the end of the corridor to reveal a room with high ceilings. This one was carpeted and there were actually paintings hung on the walls. It was austere at best but a riot of personality compared to the rest of the prison. What got my attention were the rows of guards standing just shy of the doorway.
“In order for you to move freely about the prison,” the professor said, “you will need to be tagged. That way, the wards will know not to trigger at your presence.” I stood stock still as the other students approached one of the mages. They held out their wrists and the mage traced a symbol on their skin. It was the symbol of the First Order.
“Come on, Alessia,” Professor Montgomery pushed. “We don’t have all day.”
Feeling harassed, I turned to the nearest mage. She was a stocky female with pleasant features and dark chestnut hair. She reminded me of Diana. It was the only thing that got me to bare my wrist to her. Though it didn’t hurt per se, a sharp tingle ran up my arm after she made the sign.
I stared at the mark until it faded. Having done their job, the mages left the room. They had barely spoken the whole time they were there.
“Freaky,” I said. Evan caught my observation.
“Being around the inhabitants of the prison has made them cautious,” he said.
“That’s not cautious. It’s paranoid.” I couldn’t help thinking about Giselle when she’d been in here. I shuddered at the thought of becoming just like that.
The professor beckoned us forward. He drew his hands together in front of him, two fingers on each hand crossed over each other. He made a sweeping motion and the room filled with single desks and chairs.
The students scrambled to take their seats. I gravitated to the back of the class and chose a seat in the corner. For some reason, Evan followed me. He sat down in the empty desk beside me. I suspected that reason was an infuriating Nephilim who was trying to keep tabs on me.
A scroll the size of a world map appeared on an easel in the front of the room. The picture on it made me frown. The professor confirmed my suspicions. “This is a map of the only upper floor of the prison,” he said. “The rest of the prison is below ground. This floor is comprised of those criminals who have been imprisoned for minor crimes. They are the least dangerous. For safety purposes, I want you to make yourself familiar with the layout and any of the exits. There is a copy of it in your textbooks.”
I flipped through until I found the diagram in question. The next page began a new topic. Huh. I suppose it would be a security risk if they provided everyone with a copy of the map for the entire prison.
The professor conjured himself a desk. He sat down on the lip. “Now,” he said. “Who can tell me the first rule when it comes to resisting the magic of another supernatural?”
“Don’t be human,” Chanelle cooed. Some of the class snickered. The professor kept his expression neutral.
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” he said. “There are some humans in the history books who have proven impervious to at least one or two supernatural spells.”
Evan raised his hand. The professor nodded at him. “As with most situations,” Evan said, “always be prepared.”
“That’s right, Mr. McKinnon,” the professor said. “It might be a tired cliché, but it is certainly a true one. The worst thing a person can do when dispatched to fight a demon or a rogue supernatural is to be unprepared. Your theoretical learning is just as important as your practical skills. Understanding your enemy could very well save your life.
“In your junior years you would have learned all the general ways to counteract the powers of other supernatural species. In this class, you will not only put those into practice, but you will learn who you are as a hunter as well. Let me warn you that the First Order has been charged with keeping the supernatural world protected against itself. It is not a duty to be taken lightly. Some of you may fancy yourselves capable. We will see if that is true.”
He scanned the room and seemed satisfied of something. “I see that we are without any students from Nightblood Academy.”
There was a collective chuckle of good humour. The Nightbloods tended to stick to their own. Technically, the necromancers were mages too, but their field of expertise was so niche they had separated and formed their own sub-group. A law unto themselves. I thought back to what Sasha had said about Andrei’s family. Perhaps not.
“I understand there are some who may be apprehensive about the long leash Nightblood allows their students,” the professor went on to say. Tell me about it. He waved his hand at somebody just outside the door. “Resisting a vampiric compulsion is one of the earliest lessons we teach our apprentices. It is also one of the skills that are necessary to become a Dominion guard. Today, I want to test your resistance.”
I gulped. It was completely at odds with the thrill of excitement that ran through the room. Beside me, Evan showed no signs of distress. He had been the one to help Kai extract me from the human world. I’d bet he could resist a vampiric compulsion with his eyes closed.
Thorns wrapped around the stone in my throat as the door opened. The prisoner was strapped to an upright gurney, his head encapsulated in a purple bubble of magic. His head was shaved and his feet bare. Like most of the human prisoners you saw on television shows, he was decorated in a num
ber of magical tattoos. These ones were runes etched on the side of his neck.
The mage who wheeled him in wore a navy-blue cloak of a First Order journeyman. But it was the boy who walked placidly behind him that caught my attention. Everything around me stopped. Evan pushed himself forward in his chair at the sight of Fred.
At Bloodline, Fred had started off terrified of everything around him. He wore glasses and had about as much muscle mass as a pillow. As the semester progressed, he grew into himself with the help of demonic tutoring.
I hardly recognised the lean-muscled boy who strode up to the front of the class. There was a cut along his chin that hadn’t healed. He still wore glasses, but they were prison-issued plain frames that were out of proportion with his round face. As he walked past, Fred turned in my direction. He didn’t acknowledge me.
I balled my fists under the table. My emotions were riotous. On the one hand, he had conjured the demon Behemoth and had almost gotten Kai and me killed. On the other hand, he had been my friend. It must be hell being the only human in a supernatural prison. It made me wonder how he managed to get himself this gig.
Fred followed along behind as the mage pushed his prisoner to the front of the room. For his part, the prisoner didn’t move an inch. He was in a magical cryostasis. It didn’t take a genius to recognise that he was a vampire. The pallid, greenish-tinged skin and sharp-tipped nails were a dead giveaway.
The professor signalled for us to clear an area. We got up off our seats and pushed the tables and chairs toward the back of the room. The mage settled the vampire in front of the professor’s desk.
“Unleash him,” the professor said. The mage retracted the purple bubble from around the vampire’s head. Slowly, the dull listlessness in the vampire’s eyes became awareness. No matter how many times I’d seen this happen, it still filled me with dread. It was like when you were dreaming and you knew something horrifying was coming but your arms and legs refused to budge. Sleep paralysis it was called. Well, I had supernatural paralysis.