by Logan Jacobs
“Et erunt morietur,” the redhead shouted in a firm and commanding voice.
Another orange light hit the dragon right in the belly, and her entire body glowed as if a fire were burning her from within. She tossed back her massive head and roared as the spell took over her whole body, and then when it all came to a stop, she gazed at Faye with a curious but harmless pair of eyes.
“Well done, Faye,” Evanora praised. “Now, I’m sure the rest of you can give it a try, no?”
Each student slowly approached the dragons, but I didn’t feel a twinge of fear from any one of them, and I couldn’t sense the same hesitation and terror I felt before. In fact, each witch seemed to be filled with determination and excitement, and as blasts of orange light began to hit the countless number of dragons, Evanora continued to praise and clap for each successful spell.
Finally, when each dragon seemed to be tamed, Evanora took a small step back and then regarded each student with pride and enthusiasm.
“Now,” she began, “since you’ve all excelled at this… I believe we can move on to the next step.”
“Err, Professor?” Morgana raised her hand into the air. “This wasn’t the full objective of today’s lesson?”
“Oh, no, no, no,” Evanora chuckled. “Miss Morgana, I’m sure you can answer this for the rest of the class, but tell me, what did witches use for transport before we perfected shadow porting?”
“Dragons, and other flying creatures,” the brunette answered without missing a beat.
“Then you just answered your own question,” Evanora replied with glittering, green eyes. “You’re going to fly.”
A chorus of gasps filled the air, and everyone turned to gawk at each other in excitement. For a full minute, Evanora allowed it, since this was such an unusual experience for everyone, but then she clapped her hands, and everyone fell deadly silent.
“Now, the first thing you’ll have to do is obviously climb on top of the creature,” Evanora explained. “You must hook your foot in between their scales and then clamber on, as if you are climbing a stone tower.”
The pink-haired professor folded her hands patiently in front of her and then regarded us with a serene smile.
So, I quickly turned around to face my own dragon and took another deep breath. Everyone slowly approached their tamed beasts, too, and as I drew closer to mine, I could hear a deep growl resonating in his chest.
“Easy,” I whispered before I placed a gentle hand on his scaly side. “I’m not going to hurt you… we’re just going for a little ride.”
He puffed out two great clouds of silver smoke from his nostrils, and then he slightly lowered his head as if to say he understood me. My face broke into a smile as I tucked my wand safely into my waistband and slowly began to clamber onto his giant back, and as I made my way up, I could feel his growls vibrating through his entire body. Sweat dripped from my brow as I scaled higher, and finally, when I reached his back, I situated myself as best I could. Then, with two legs over each side, as if I were riding a horse, I placed my hands on his neck and spoke as clearly and as loudly as possible.
“Fly,” I ordered.
The witches all gasped with shock and awe as the dragon kicked off from the ground and then bounded into the sky. I wanted to shout at the top of my lungs as we soared upward, and the feeling of the wind beating against my skin as I flew higher and higher sent electric currents coursing through my entire body. My heart beat like a manic drum, and I could hear the blood pumping in my ears as we sped through misty clouds and toward a white-wine colored sun.
At that moment, I felt invincible, as if nothing could ever take this feeling away from me.
“Fuck, yeaaaah!” I cried out as we dove through clouds and past acres of green fields.
I could hear faint voices echoing through the air, and when I turned around, I saw other witches flying not too far behind me. Each witch I spotted had a broad, sunshine-filled smile plastered across her face as she flew through the misty clouds, and various cheers and cries of exhilaration filled the skies.
Suddenly, Nyx was right behind me, and as I met her deep plum-purple eyes, something like a giant hawk or crow came flying directly by her head. She gasped, and her eyes went as wide as dinner plates as she tried to dodge the mysterious bird, but it was still enough to cause her to lose her balance and slide right off her dragon.
“Nyx!” I called out just before she let out a terrified scream. Then I grasped tightly onto the sides of my dragon’s neck and leaned down to shout into his ear. “Go after her!”
The beast didn’t seem to move or even care until I clutched him even tighter, and it felt as if my nails were about to penetrate his scales and draw blood.
“I said, go after her!” I ordered in a firmer and clearer voice.
He must have sensed my urgency and finally understood my meaning because, in the next moment, he made a sharp turn and then dove down toward the falling blue witch. Razor-sharp gusts of wind blew past my face, and my hair was flying back as we flew faster and faster.
Nyx continued to scream her lungs out as she tumbled through the air below me until finally, my dragon extended his claws and caught her as if she were as light as a drifting feather.
“Great job!” I cried out, and my voice was filled with immense relief.
“Cole!” Nyx shouted over the wind as she laid in the massive claws of the dragon. “You saved me… thank Satan.”
“You’d think I’d just let you fall?” I grinned. “Not on my watch… come on, let’s get back on the ground.”
We swiftly returned to the lush, green fields, and my dragon gently placed Nyx back onto the earth as lightly as he would carry a porcelain doll. Other dragons and witches soon began to return to the ground, and I figured they must have witnessed Nyx nearly falling to her imminent death.
As soon as my coven climbed off their creatures, they began to run toward the two of us, but I turned to check on Nyx first.
“You alright?” I called down.
“Yes, thank you, Cole,” the blue-skinned witch panted as I climbed off the beast.
“Don’t mention it,” I answered and stared into her grateful, purple eyes.
“Are you alright?” Faye gasped as she neared us. “Nyx, we saw you fall, and I was so sure that was the end of that... you would have broken every bone in your body.”
“No shit,” Akira added with a nervous giggle. “Glad to see you’re in one piece. Literally.”
“Thanks,” Nyx replied as others began to swarm around us.
“Alright, everyone, move aside and make room,” Evanora’s voice echoed as she approached us. “Miss Nyx, are you alright?”
“Yes, thanks to Cole,” she replied, and her voice was still slightly trembling.
“Well done, Cole.” Evanora smiled at me.
I nodded in response and then looked at the hundreds of dragons and scattering students who were either buried in conversation or still petting their beastly companions. As I stared back at my own dragon, I sensed a deep connection with the creature, and although it wasn’t the same bond I shared with Alexander, it still felt meaningful and unbreakable.
“Professor?” I said as I stared at the pink-haired witch. “Where are we going to keep these dragons?”
“I hadn’t thought that far ahead,” she confessed and chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip. “Perhaps we can create a protection spell on this realm and keep them here for our use.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to bring them back to Scholomance?” I urged. “We could have training pits for the students.”
“Oh, yes, please, Professor!” Faye gushed, and she started to bounce on her heels in excitement. “There are endless creatures in the realm of the academy they can hunt.”
“I think that would be most productive, and the dragons would like it,” Morgana added with a slight nod.
“Not to mention they are quite beautiful creatures,” Vesta sighed, “I’d love to gaze out the window during c
lass and see one flying through the clouds. I could even paint a picture of it now in my head.”
“It would totally be badass.” Akira grinned with a twinkle in her coal-black eyes.
“Please, Professor?” Penelope pleaded with a small, endearing pout.
“We’d need to ask Theodora,” Evanora relented after a long moment. “She would need to expand an area on the grounds for them.”
All the witches who were crowded around the professor began to cheer with excitement, and she allowed it for a minute before she raised her hands into the air and gestured for everyone to be quiet.
“While I’m delighted you’re enthusiastic about the notion,” she began, “we need to return to Scholomance. It’s getting late, and I do not want to keep an entire class out in the dark in a different realm.”
Evanora glanced at the hundreds of students and dragons that surrounded her, and then with a snap of her fingers, giant clouds of purple smoke wrapped up each student, and we were sent tumbling back to the academy.
When all the smoke cleared, and we found ourselves back at our seats, we didn’t even have time to catch our breaths before Vanessa came running into the classroom, clearly fraught with panic. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were brimming with tears.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen her like this, and it made my stomach drop and my heart beat like a hummingbird’s wings.
“Vanessa?” Evanora gasped. “Whatever is the matter?”
“It’s the headmistress,” Vanessa breathed in a trembling voice. “She’s been attacked.”
Chapter 11
It felt like there was a high-pitched ringing in my ears after Vanessa uttered those words. I could barely hear myself think, and my mouth was as dry as a desert. The room was filled with a heavy silence, and even Professor Evanora seemed too stunned for words.
When I finally found my voice, I stared long and hard at Vanessa.
“What happened?” I asked faintly. “Please, by Satan, tell me she’s alive.”
“Yes, she is, but Mors students attacked her,” Vanessa replied in a shaky voice. “They must have come after her for the books. I-I heard a commotion coming from her office, and after I summoned the other professors, we all barged in, but then they shadow-ported out of there before we had a chance to capture or kill them.”
“What about our defenses?” Evanora asked with wide, disbelieving green eyes. “We put up a forcefield to prevent anything like this from happening.”
“They must have found a way to break through,” Vanessa admitted with an exasperated sigh and defeated shrug.
The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence, and when I couldn’t take it anymore, I focused solely on Vanessa.
“Can I see her?” I asked.
The beautiful, but stone-cold professor stared into my eyes, but then she slowly began to nod her head.
“Yes,” she said as she swallowed hard, “in fact, she asked to speak with you. Come along… she’s in the infirmary.”
The dark-haired professor swept out of the room, and I pushed myself out of my chair, rushed out the door, and ran to catch up with her. She wouldn’t turn back to glance at me as she raced down the corridors, and when we finally reached the infirmary doors, she pushed them open with all her strength.
As soon as I stepped into the large, sage-smelling room, I spotted Theodora half-tucked into a bed near the back of the room. She turned to look at me, and for a moment, I was shocked to see how pallid and sickly she appeared. I wasn’t used to seeing her in such a state, and something inside me broke as I stared at her red-rimmed eyes and cracked pale lips. There were also bruises and deep cuts along her beautiful but pale and exhausted face, and she was wearing a simple, white nightgown that was plastered against her gleaming, sweat-covered skin.
“Cole,” she croaked with a tired smile. “I was hoping to see you.”
“Headmistress,” I breathed before I rushed over to her side, and Vanessa quickly followed. “How are you holding up?”
“Oh, I’ve been better,” the headmistress chuckled lightly.
“Is there anything I can do for you, Mother?” Vanessa asked as she lowered herself next to Theodora.
“No,” the older witch tutted with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I’ll be quite alright, dear.”
“Vanessa said Mors students attacked you in your office,” I growled. “Just say the word, and I’ll return to their school and kill every last motherfucker who laid a hand on you.”
Theodora’s face immediately lit up, and then she began to chuckle until it turned into a weak cough.
“Mother--” Vanessa started until Theodora raised a hand to cut her short.
“I’m fine,” she said in a stern voice. “I just need rest… would you mind giving us a moment alone?”
Vanessa shot me a cold glare before she turned her attention back to her mother and gently nodded.
“Of course,” she finally agreed. “I’ll be outside if you need anything.”
I watched as Vanessa slowly pulled herself upwards and headed for the exit. Before she left, though, she shot me one last scowl and then gently closed the infirmary doors behind her.
“She worries about me too much,” Theodora sighed once she was gone. “I’m afraid it’s her only weakness.”
“Can you blame her?” I asked as gently as possible. “With all due respect, Headmistress, you look like hell, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. What exactly did they do to you?”
Theodora’s tired, pale blue eyes lifted to meet mine, and she let out a long, exhausted sigh.
“Well,” she began, “I was busy going over the new schedule in my office when suddenly, there was a giant cloud of purple smoke, and I was faced with twenty or so Mors students, demanding to know where I kept the forbidden books. When I refused to say a word, they attacked me with elder magic. As much as I hate to admit it, it was an unfair confrontation. I was completely outnumbered and lucky the other professors came in when they did. Those students might have been strong, but they were no match against my most experienced professors, and they knew it. So, they fled.”
“I see…” I muttered as a burning rage coursed through my body. “Well, what can I do for you? I’ll do anything.”
“I don’t want you to seek revenge,” she said in a soft voice. “Not yet… for now, what I want you to do is go back into my office and open the fireplace. There, you will find the forbidden books. In the same place you went through when you first visited that bastard, Ravana, for dinner, do you remember?”
“Yes, I remember.” I nodded.
“Well, what I want you to do is read up on ancient premonition magic,” she continued, “we both know it’s your strongest ability, and given my weakened state, I want you to teach tomorrow’s class. Can you do that for me, Cole?”
Shit.
Teaching a class was one thing, but teaching an entire room about ancient magic no one was familiar with was another thing. I’d probably have to stay up all night reading, but how could I deny Theodora? So, instead of expressing any sign of concern, I simply smiled and nodded my head.
“Of course,” I said as I brushed a sweaty strand of hair out of her face. “I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”
Theodora’s face broke into a weak smile before she slowly sighed with relief and pointed to the doors.
“Then, what are you waiting for?” she asked me in a gentle and amused tone. “Get to it… there is plenty of material for you to cover.”
“Yes, Headmistress,” I responded with a firm nod. “I won’t let you down.”
“You never do.” She smiled.
I bade her a quick goodbye before heading toward the doors, and then I made my way down the corridor. As I turned a sharp corner, though, I nearly collided into someone, and it made me jump back. Then Vanessa’s furious blue eyes met mine, and I took another small step back and raised my hands in defense.
“Apologies, Professor,” I said with a small,
forced smile, “I’m just in a bit of hurry.”
“So it would seem,” she answered in an icy tone of voice. “What did my mother ask of you?”
“She wanted me to return to her office,” I replied. “She needs me to look over the forbidden books regarding premonition magic.”
“Of course,” she said with a small nod, and for once, there was no malice or jealousy in her voice. “Well… good luck. I’ll be seeing to it that our forcefield will be rebuilt. It is not an easy endeavor to accomplish, especially when dealing with elder magic, but perhaps we can find another alternative.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I agreed.
The beautiful professor regarded me coolly before she bit her lip and looked away. I could tell she was in pain and doing her best not to show it, but right now, I could see right through her, and I knew she hated every moment of it.
“Well, I’d better get to it,” she snapped before she whipped around, headed down the corridor, and disappeared from view.
I inhaled deeply before I headed off in a different direction. I wanted to let my coven and the others know what I was about to do for the rest of the night since they probably had hundreds of questions, so, before I made my way down to Theodora’s office, I headed for the banquet hall.
When I pushed the massive doors open, hundreds of eyes landed on me, and then witches began to feverishly whisper amongst each other. I ignored them, scanned the room, and spotted my coven sitting with Nyx, Beatrix, and the twins in the back, and as I approached them, they stood up and began to address me all at once.
“One at a time,” I sighed as I sat in my chair and looked down at my full plate of food. It looked like spiced, mysterious meat and a side of mashed pumpkins topped with red walnuts.
I had absolutely no appetite, but I knew I had to eat something.
“Is the headmistress going to be okay?” Morgana asked with wide blue eyes.
“Yes,” I answered, “she’s strong as hell… and there’s no way a group of Mors students would be able to make her talk. Fucking idiots.”
“Did they find the books?” Morgana asked, and her face turned slightly pale.