by Logan Jacobs
“Alright, then,” I said before I took in a deep, steady breath and then headed to the bedroom door.
When I reached the common room, the witches and their familiars were gathered by the fireplace, and as soon as Alexander saw me, he flapped his large, leathery wings and then flew closer.
You’re looking sharp, Cole, he said. In fact, you look brand fucking new. Every witch you meet is gonna wanna spread her legs for you.
“Thanks,” I chuckled as I fiddled with my collar. “Are you familiars permitted to come along?”
“I doubt that’s possible,” Morgana answered. “We’re already taking a risk by joining you.”
“How so?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Usually, when an invitation is extended, it is solely for that individual,” the brunette explained. “We are really testing the court’s patience and virtue by joining you.”
“I see,” I replied slowly. “So, shall we go?”
They eagerly nodded, and we bade our familiars goodbye before we grabbed our bags and then headed down to Theodora’s office. As we marched through the school’s corridors, it was difficult not to stare at the burned stone walls, the smashed, stained-glass windows, the broken chandeliers, and the chaotic, open-doored classrooms. I hoped by the time we returned, things would be somewhat back to normal.
As we made our way to the headmistress’ office, several witches who were busy cleaning up cast curious glances our way, and to my surprise, some of them even bowed or clapped as we passed them by.
“Finally, some fucking respect.” Akira smirked. “I could get used to this.”
“Of course, you could,” Morgana playfully added.
“I think we should maintain an air of modesty,” Vesta purred as she seemed to float down the hall. “It’s far more sophisticated and elegant than gloating about our glory.”
“Whatever,” Akira snickered. “If they want to kiss the ground I walk on, I’m all for it. We deserve it.”
I chuckled and shook my head as we continued to walk down the broken hallways. When we reached Theodora’s office, the door was already open, and when I peered inside, Theodora was at her desk, and I could also see Penelope and another woman with dark hair standing in front of the headmistress. They were both holding onto small, black leather suitcases, and even though the other woman had her back turned to me, I already knew who it was.
“Professor Vanessa?” I playfully smirked as she turned around. “Will you be joining us?”
The beautiful professor was wearing a deep, sapphire-blue gown with a plunging neckline and a black pearl choker around her elegant, elongated neck. As soon as she saw me, her full, red lips tightened into a firm line, and then she looked down at her boots.
“It would seem so,” she replied as she cleared her throat. “Listen, Cole… I know I haven’t been up to visit you while you were recovering, but I would just like to thank you on behalf of Scholomance… Satan knows where we’d be if you hadn’t stopped Ravana when you did.”
My coven and the headmistress remained silent as the hard-headed professor struggled to express her gratitude toward me, and I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of affection for the stone-cold witch.
“You’re welcome,” I answered with a grave nod. “I just did what I had to.”
“Of course,” she muttered without meeting my eyes.
“Well, now that that’s out of the way,” Theodora said as she clapped her hands, “shall we go?”
“Yes, headmistress,” we politely answered collectively.
“Excellent, now hold on tightly to your bags!” The headmistress grinned before she flicked her wrist.
In the next moment, we were engulfed in a massive cloud of purple smoke, and despite my reservations, questions, and fears, I was ready for the next adventure to begin.
Chapter 2
As with any form of shadow-porting, the world spun, twisted, and violently somersaulted before we all landed with a painful crash on what felt like cold, wet cobblestones. My coven and I moaned and grunted with pain as we slowly stood up on trembling legs, but Vanessa and Theodora remained poised and as graceful as ever. The mother-daughter duo stood tall and proud before us, and they gazed into our eyes with placid smiles and hands neatly folded in front of them as we quickly struggled to compose ourselves.
I took a quick glance around and was surprised to see we were in the middle of a vast, emerald green forest with a cobblestone pathway leading somewhere up north. The pale sun seeped through the mass of trees, and the white-wine colored beams of light cast a warm glow on my skin as I squinted my eyes to see what laid ahead. All I could make out were towering, lazy willow trees, vast green groves, jade-colored leaves, and exotic looking birds with three eyes and black and white feathers. As we stood to our feet and collected our scattered belongings, the ill-disposed birds cawed furiously in our direction, as if to tell us to back the hell off.
“Those are tresoculos,” Faye whispered into my ear as the birds flew in circles above the trees. “They are perfectly harmless… unless, of course, you happen to be a juicy wart-worm.”
“Interesting,” I muttered as I clutched my leather bag.
As we stood in the middle of this cryptic, but beautiful, forest, I glanced at my women and tried to read them. I knew deep down they were over the moon about this impromptu adventure, but still, they remained expressionless. Vanessa loathed any displays of exhilaration, which was why my witches were doing their best not to expose their feelings. Even so, deep down, I knew they were beyond thrilled, and that sent a course of pleasure running through my body like an electric current.
“Well, we can’t afford to dawdle,” Theodora chimed in a sing-song voice. “Let’s get a move on, shall we?”
No one said a word, and only a few witches nodded in response, so Vanessa’s beautiful face scrunched up into an expression of distaste and annoyance.
“Now you’re all suddenly mute as a mule… move onward, and be quick about it for once in your lives,” the beautiful professor grumbled. “We have no time to waste. Sunset is just around the corner, and I do not fancy walking around aimlessly through the dark.”
“Err, Professor,” I said as I took a small step forward. “When we left the academy, it was still morning.”
Vanessa rolled her pale blue eyes and looked like she was about to tear me a new asshole before Theodora gently stepped forward and placed a hand on her exasperated daughter’s shoulder. Immediately, Vanessa clamped her red mouth shut and cast her eyes downward, like she was suddenly ashamed.
“Like with many other realms in our worlds,” Theodora began as her eyes found mine, “time moves differently here. There is no morning or afternoon in Tempus… only evening and nightfall.”
“Interesting,” I replied after a moment.
“It truly is.” The headmistress nodded. “Now, let’s get going, shall we?”
Theodora and her daughter both spun on their heels and then followed the cobblestone pathway through the emerald grove, and we treaded through the lush thicket and past ancient towering trees. The air smelled like jasmine and pinewood, and I was beginning to see why the others had deemed this realm as one of the most stunning in all the worlds. We hadn’t even reached the court, and already, I was amazed by the tranquility and dark, sensual energy of this woodland. It felt like I was pulled into a trance or an addicting fever dream I didn’t want to wake up from. The air even seemed lighter here, as if the clouds had descended from above and were floating alongside us as we ventured deeper into the enchanting, evergreen forest.
“What a gorgeous woodland,” Vesta sighed in a dream-like voice. “I could just build a small cottage and create my own brews and potions until I grow old and gray… that wouldn’t be such a terrible way to live, now would it?”
“No, but it would be boring as hell,” Akira chuckled under her breath.
“Say what you will,” Vesta pouted with her purple chin raised, “but I think it would be a dream come true…
so long as you were all there with me, of course.”
“Well, well, well,” Penelope said as she clucked her tongue, “I never realized how sentimental you were, Vesta.”
“I’m many things,” Vesta remarked with a proud glint in her silver eyes. “You’ll get used to it.”
“Oh, we know you’re many things, Vesta.” Morgana smirked playfully. “You’re a goddess, a great elvish beauty, a mesmerizing enchantress…”
“Ha, ha.” The lavender-skinned witch smiled. “You may be attempting to mock me, but you know deep down you speak the truth.”
“Of course, we know that, Your Majesty,” Akira snickered and curtsied.
“Do you think we’ll run into any mulier venatione cervorum?” Faye questioned out of the blue, and the rest of my coven and I stared at her for the impromptu segue.
“Mulier… venatione…what?” I asked as we walked carefully behind Vanessa and Theodora.
“Mulier venatione cervorum,” the redhead said as if repeating the name would somehow make me understand. “Deer women?”
As usual, the redhead only pictured the possible creatures that could be dwelling within the secret hideaways of the woods.
“Deer women,” I repeated with a slow nod. “Sounds… hot.”
“Oh, yeah,” Akira quipped, “sounds like the best of both worlds--”
“Oh, for hell’s sake,” Vanessa’s shrill voice echoed through the air, but she didn’t even bother to turn around, and neither did the headmistress. “Could you refrain from the trivial discussion and keep up silently? We’re nearly there, and I want you to be prepared to greet the ladies of the High Court… which means, no jokes, no senseless questions, no gawking… just please, do your best to represent Scholomance to the best of your abilities, understood?”
“Yes, Professor,” we obediently answered.
We took the hint to remain silent for the rest of our journey, and by the time we reached the edge of the enchanting forest, the air had grown thicker with fog, and the sun had turned a deep, blood orange color.
Then Theodora pushed the last branches out of the way, and my breath caught in my throat at the magnificent view in front of me.
Just a few miles ahead laid the grandest castle I’d ever seen in all my adventures. The palace was so tall, its gothic arched towers were looming high into the thick, crimson evening clouds above us. Each ebony black stone was perfectly even and rectangular, and massive, stained-glass windows with various Wicca depictions could be seen clearly, even from afar. Many of them included powerful witches casting spells on villages or entering battle with the elder gods.
From the edge of the woodland, I could sense the ancient power that consumed the castle, and I was immediately drawn into its carnal magic and morbid mystery. Then, as we drew closer and closer, I spotted large, black crows with red eyes, perched among the gloomy gargoyles and stoic statues that surrounded the shadowy palace.
“Unholy shit,” I whispered. “Now, I understand.”
“We told you,” Morgana whispered by my side. “It’s darkly captivating, is it not?”
“Truly and devastatingly beautiful,” Vesta purred. “Its unholy grace is evident in every curve of the spires and ramparts. Ahhh, I cannot wait to get closer so I can study its graceful architecture up close.”
“We’ll be there soon,” I said.
We were only a few miles away from the castle, and no drawbridge or gate was surrounding the fortress, which I thought was a little strange. Why would one of the most renowned realms in the Wicca world be left seemingly unguarded?
Then, as if some other force had gained insight into my thoughts, a screeching wind swept across us and nearly sent me flying backward, but as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished within the blink of an eye.
“Shit!” Akira cried out as she wrestled the hem of her skirt back down. “What was that?”
“They know we’re here,” Theodora replied in a calm, unmoved voice. “Do not worry… just follow my lead.”
We all nodded gravely before Theodora and Vanessa took heavy steps forward, and we followed their lead. As we ventured closer toward the grand, iron arched doorway, the blood-red sky suddenly turned pitch black, and a painful, agonizing scream filled the air. The screech clearly did not belong to any Wicca, but to an enormous, bloodthirsty beast, and as a full, golden-yellow moon slowly rose into the murky, black sky, I saw two impressive shadows fly across the palace and then land on opposite sides of the castle. When I adjusted my eyes and focused on the mysterious, grandiose silhouettes, I realized they were a pair of dark, scarlet-black dragons with glittering scales on their exposed bellies, and their grand wings were tucked neatly behind their backs as their shimmering, slit-shaped eyes focused on us. They were so still, they almost seemed like they were a part of the castle, and it was both breathtaking and unnerving.
“Unholy Satan,” Vesta breathed, “they’re magnificent.”
“I’ve never seen such a stunning creature,” Faye added with wide, golden-green eyes. “Iron-blooded dragons are the rarest animals in all the realms--”
“And the most lethal,” Theodora reminded us. “So, stay close.”
“Of course, Headmistress,” I answered when no one else said a word.
My heart beat faster as we followed the two superior witches down toward the iron doors, and I could feel hot blood coursing through my entire body as we edged closer and closer. Each step was more cumbersome than the last as I kept my eyes focused on the two beasts we moved toward, but I refused to break eye contact with them in case they took it as a sign of weakness.
Finally, when we reached the doors, Theodora glanced up at the castle, raised her hand to grasp the golden knocker, and struck the door, three solid times. Then she took a small step back, and for a moment, nothing happened.
No one dared to move, speak, or even breathe. I could feel my heartbeat pulsating in my eardrums, and then the ground abruptly began to tremble. My coven nearly fell back from the sudden jolt, and in the next moment, two clouds of deep, gray smoke appeared in front of us.
Once the mist cleared, we were staring at two gorgeous women with enormous, feathered black wings and glowing blue eyes. They had ebony, pin-straight hair that reached their bare toes, and they were as pale as snow. They both donned long, velvet black robes, and their full lips were as dark as black blood. Their eyes were expressionless, and there was something incredibly unsettling about how their faces were set in stone.
“Greetings,” Theodora said in a sing-song voice. “How are you faring on this dark, Satan laden night?”
“We are bathed in His unholy glow,” they answered simultaneously. “As is His wish.”
Their voices were like deep, dark echoes, and the duo reminded me of a pair of hellish angels stuck in the belly of a deep, dank cave. Their glowing blue eyes slowly shifted from Vanessa and Theodora to my coven, and when they focused on me, it felt as if they were peering into my mind’s eye and the deepest chasms of my black soul.
“You’ve brought a slightly larger audience than we anticipated, Theodora,” the dark pair echoed. “We asked you for the mortal man, and no one else.”
“Where he goes, his coven follows,” Theodora calmly answered. “You’re free to examine them if you wish.”
“We will test all of them.” The twins nodded gravely. “Including the man.”
“Very well,” Theodora replied before she slowly turned around to face us. “Would you all kindly take a step closer to the Angeli Mortis?”
I could hear each of my witches gulp before they slowly nodded and then stepped closer toward the two beautiful, but terrifying creatures. Meanwhile, I stood in the middle of my coven with my chin raised, and I tried to prepare myself for whatever was about to happen.
The bewitching beings peered deeply into our eyes, and then they began to chant in a language I’d never heard before. A piercingly icy wind picked up and then swirled around our feet as the women leaned in closer. They opened their red li
ps wider, and as a chanting melody escaped from their mouths, I felt like my soul was somehow being pulled out of my body. It was as if a million different entities were invading me all at once and trying to pick apart my brain. I nearly opened my mouth to protest, but I stopped myself because whatever they were doing, this was clearly the only admission to get inside the castle.
This was their gate and source of protection, and it was more powerful than any type of physical forcefield.
Once the invasive feeling subsided, and I could feel myself returning to normal, the two creatures closed their mouths and slowly nodded in Theodora’s direction.
“They passed,” their voices resonated. “They may enter now.”
“Thank you.” Theodora nodded in gratitude.
The headmistress and her daughter then turned around and smiled passively at us.
“Are you ready?” Theodora asked.
When no one answered, I took a small step closer toward her, and with my chin raised, I flashed her my most confident grin.
“Hell, yeah, we are,” I said.
“Excellent,” she answered with a proud smile.
As soon as the headmistress turned around to face the two women, they disappeared from view as wisps of smoke. Clearly, their work here was done, and the moment they vanished, the grand iron doors slowly parted open, and it felt as if we’re about to enter a magnificent cave. I couldn’t sense anything or anyone within the black void, but I obediently followed Vanessa and Theodora as we stepped inside the castle.
Once everyone was inside, the doors slammed shut behind us, and though I couldn’t see them, I could feel my women jolt with fear and apprehension.
“Do not show weakness,” Vanessa snapped quietly.
“Apologies, Professor,” I heard Morgana’s whisper echo throughout the room.
It was still pitch-black inside, but I could sense other manifestations here with us. I swallowed hard and then glanced up as if by some miracle, there would be an ember of light to shine down on us.
“Whatever is the matter?” a deep, feminine voice asked from within the black void. “Do you fear the dark… or is it the unknown which unnerves you?”