by Logan Jacobs
“Alright.” I nodded as I unbuttoned my shirt, and then she smeared a light layer onto my fresh wounds. Vesta and Morgana gasped in shock when they saw the cuts, but before they could ask me what the hell happened, Akira lifted a hand and shook her head.
“I’ll tell you later,” she explained, and they didn’t argue. “But doesn’t it look hot?”
“Yesss…” Vesta purred. “It’s a brutal aesthetic that contrasts with your handsome figure.”
“Very sexy,” Morgana sighed as she bit her bottom lip. “I am eager to hear the story.”
When Penelope smeared the potion on my skin, it stung for a moment, but then my skin felt cool, and there was no more pain.
“Wow… Penelope, you really do have a talent,” I remarked. “I can’t feel a damn thing.”
The orange-haired witch flashed me a wide smile as she placed the vial back into her pocket and then regarded me from head to toe.
“If you’re going to class early, then we’ll come with you,” she said in a rushed voice before glancing at the others. “Right?”
“Of course, we will,” Akira said when she finished her last bite. “We’re here to support you, master, in every way possible.”
“Damn straight.” Faye grinned with a slightly flushed and freckled face.
“And of course, if you happen to need someone to help you teach,” Morgana added in a shy voice, “I’d be more than happy to assist.”
“Me, too,” Vesta purred with glittering, silver eyes. “Although, my presence might be a bit distracting… it would be hard to concentrate with someone as lovely as myself standing in the front of the room.”
“Sweet Satan,” Akira muttered under her breath as she rolled her black eyes.
“Thank you,” I chuckled as I glanced at each of my beautiful, loyal women.
I knew they would do whatever it took to help me make this as successful of a lesson as possible, and I genuinely appreciated them for that.
“Alright,” I said with my chin raised, “let’s fucking do this, shall we?”
The witches all nodded eagerly in response before we grabbed out parchment and quills and stuffed them into our leather bags, but as we were packing away our belongings, I remembered that I’d left the textbook in Theodora’s office. I figured it would have been safer to keep it there than to bring it to my room, but I nearly forgot.
“Hey,” I said to the others, “I’ll meet you in the classroom. I left the textbook in Theodora’s office.”
“Alright,” they responded with obedient nods.
When we left the common room, we went our separate ways, and as I made my way down to the headmistress’ office, I did my best not to pay attention to all the eyes focused on me. Students were breaking their necks to stare in my direction, and even the portraits seemed to be intently focused on me, more so than usual. I should have been used to it by now, but for some reason, it still made me feel slightly uncomfortable.
I was lost in thought as I turned a sharp corner and then nearly collided into someone who was clearly in a hurry.
“Oh, sorry.” I took a couple of clumsy steps back and then was face to face with Professor Vanessa. This morning, she looked just as exhausted as I felt. Dark circles and puffiness hovered underneath her pale blue eyes, and her cheeks were pale instead of their usual rosy pink. Her hair was even a mess. It was pulled up into a lazy updo, and straight strands of hair were sticking out in awkward angles. She was also wearing a plain, black gown with no adornments, accessories, or shape.
“Excuse me!” she hissed, and when she realized it was me, her pale lips formed an even deeper frown. “Why is it that every time I bump into someone, it’s you?”
“Maybe you just can’t stay away from me,” I answered with a playful smirk.
“Cute,” she replied as she rolled her pale blue eyes. “Anyway, I hope you’ll be able to carry out today’s lesson. The headmistress is counting on you, and I’ll be stopping by later to check on you.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” I said with as much confidence as possible.
“Great,” she snarled before she pushed past me and then took off in another direction.
I shook my head at myself and then continued to make my way to Theodora’s office, and when I reached her door, I pushed it open and strolled inside. I quickly headed to her mantlepiece on the fireplace and rearranged the objects in the correct order before the stones began to reassemble themselves and pull the opening apart, and a gust of cold wind hit me across the face as I stepped inside to retrieve the precious book.
When I had it safely tucked away inside my bag, I retreated from the secret tunnel and closed the opening before leaving the office as quickly as possible. I made my way to the premonition classroom, and when I stepped inside, the space was empty, aside from my coven. They decided to sit at a table right by Theodora’s desk, and they waved at me as soon as they saw me.
As I stared at them and the two-story classroom filled with countless books, cauldrons, vials, pots, and potions, I wondered how I was going to pull this off.
It was up to me to teach an entire class how to use ancient premonition magic, and a part of me wasn’t sure if I was ready, but what other choice did I have?
My coven, the students of Scholomance, Theodora, the professors, and even the High Court were counting on me, and I refused to let them down.
Chapter 13
I cleared my throat before I made my way to the front of the class and stood behind Theodora’s desk, and I regarded my coven, opened the textbook, and laid it out in front of me. Then I found the chapter I spent hours on, and my eyes lifted to meet my coven’s.
“Damn, master.” Akira whistled. “You look sexy as hell standing up there.”
“Oh, for Satan’s sake, Akira,” Morgana tutted. “Try and take this seriously, why don’t you?”
“I was just trying to liven things up a little bit.” Akira smirked.
“Morgana’s right, though,” Penelope added in a neutral tone. “We need to be at the top of our game.”
“Akira is also correct,” Vesta sighed at me longingly, “our master is quite handsome and dashing as a teacher. Hmmmmm…”
“Keep your skirt on, girl,” Penelope chuckled, but she did lick her own full lips as she stared at me.
“Let’s focus on the task at hand,” I chuckled. “I need my coven to set a good example for everyone, so take out your parchment and quills. You’ll need to take notes for this one… trust me.”
Everyone, aside from the bookish Morgana who already had her equipment out, began to retrieve long scrolls of sand-colored parchment and their feathered quills. As they fumbled around with their belongings, other students slowly began to pour into the classroom, and each one regarded me with a curious expression on her face. I realized Theodora must not have informed the students that I would be teaching today’s lesson, because, how could she? She was still bed-ridden, and the other professors were busy enough as it was.
When Nyx, the twins, and Beatrix strolled inside, they glanced at me with wide eyes and slightly parted lips.
“Cole, what are you doing up there?” Nyx asked before she tossed back her sapphire blue hair. “Does this have something to do with Vanessa bringing you to see Theodora, yesterday?”
“I’ll explain to the entire class what’s going on in a minute,” I responded. “For now, the others can quietly update you.”
The blue-skinned witch regarded me with raised eyebrows before she slowly nodded and then sat down.
As more students began to slip inside and take their seats, I started to pace back and forth with my arms folded behind my back, and when the last seat was finally taken by a skinny student with pale green skin and long, wavy rose-gold hair, I turned to look at the door. The entire classroom was filled with busy, bee-like buzzing whispers, but I needed silence, and I knew exactly how to achieve that.
Motus.
The door immediately slammed shut, and the noise made the classr
oom collectively gasp and jump in their seats.
“There.” I grinned. “That’s more like it.”
My eyes quickly wandered around the room, and each witch stared at me with curious eyes and deep, confused frowns.
“Now, I know you must all be wondering why I’m up here,” I began, “and I’m sure you heard about Headmistress Theodora and her critical condition. While she is making a speedy recovery, she still needs time to rest, which is why she asked me to step in for her. Maybe some of you still hate me, and you might be seething inside, but you’re going to have to deal with it. Today, I’m fully in charge, and I’ll need everyone’s undivided attention. Is that clear?”
“Yes,” the classroom responded after a long, awkward minute.
“Good.” I nodded. “Now, today, we will be focusing on a crucial component of ancient premonition magic. The incantation I’m about to teach you was often used during the First Dawn of the Wicca. It was used primarily against unknown, elder magical creatures to determine what their powers, weaknesses, and desires were… for example, who knows what an inmortuorum sunt is?”
The entire class went quiet, and even the bookish Morgana looked at a loss for once in her life. I smiled and then nodded at each student as they glanced at each other in confusion, and several even shrugged.
“Exactly,” I responded. “I had no idea what it was either until I read this precious book. It’s an ancient, elder creature with decaying, putrid skin, and it could drag you into purgatory with one look from its hypnotizing eyes. Now, let’s be realistic and speak frankly for a moment… we know there’s a good chance the elder gods are trying to build armies and collect treacherous witches and warlocks. I have no doubt they are also gathering ancient monsters, beasts, and creatures we know nothing about. So, tell me, what would you do if you were faced with an unknown beast? You would probably try to blast it with any kind of spell you can think of… and what if that doesn’t work? You’d be dead in a matter of seconds.”
The class collectively muttered their agreements.
“So, what I want to do today is teach you how to gain insight into any kind of unknown creature when face to face with one,” I explained. “The incantation itself seems simple, but in reality, it’s far more difficult to achieve when face to face with death. You need to remain calm and keep an open mind while facing your foe… and then, when you’ve opened your entire self up to the darkness and permitted it to penetrate your mind… you recite the spell, “apertum.” In your head, of course, like with most premonition spells. Now, this incantation will allow you to see your opponent’s deepest fears and weaknesses. But that’s not all… it can also allow you to summon enemies of the target creature to come to your bidding and obey your every whim, but we’ll touch on that later… one thing at a time.”
The class all nodded and then regarded each other before they began to scribble down notes.
I looked around the room and tried to decide what would be the most practical way to demonstrate this spell, and when my eyes landed on the student with the rose-gold hair and pale, sage-green skin, my face broke into a small smile.
I had an idea.
“You,” I said as I pointed to the young witch. “What is your name?”
“M-Me?” she stuttered as she pointed to herself. “I’m Lu.”
“Well, Lu,” I said as I bounced on the balls of my feet, “would you be so kind as to step up here, please?”
“You mean… in front of the entire class?” she gulped with wide, fearful orange eyes.
“Duh,” Akira said loud enough for everyone to hear, which caused Morgana to discreetly nudge her in the ribs.
“Yes,” I answered in a gentler tone. “Come on… don’t be shy.”
The witch blushed a deep green, slowly stood up from her chair, and then made her way over to me. She was even more attractive up close, with doll-like eyes, a small, button nose, and full red lips.
“You’re not going to make me face an inmortuorum sunt, are you?” she asked in a tiny voice.
“No,” I laughed. “I think we’ll start off with something simpler, don’t you?”
“Err,” she answered as she blushed even deeper, “yeah?”
“Glad we’re in agreement,” I chuckled as I took a step closer to her. “Now, it’s safe to say we know nothing about each other, correct?”
“Right,” she said as she bit down on her red lip.
“I have no idea what you fear the most and vice-versa,” I explained. “So, what I’m going to do is recite the incantation in front of the class and perform it on you… hopefully, your greatest fear is nothing as large as a dragon or a troll.”
“No,” she replied with a nervous laugh. “It’s actually quite small.”
“Perfect,” I said as I tossed my hands up into the air. “Now, take a few steps back for me.”
The green-skinned witch took several steps backward, and then her orange eyes fixated on me as she took a deep breath and let her shoulders relax.
Meanwhile, I opened up my mind and focused on the darkness all around me. I cleared my head of all doubt and hesitation, and when I thought I was ready, I recited the spell.
Apertum.
Then, as clear as crystal, I could peer into the depths of Lu’s mind. I saw bits and pieces of her personality, but I ignored the trivial details until I reached the core of her fears. In my own head, I saw a giant spider. Its thick furry legs scuttled across a black floor, and its thousands of black, beady eyes looked up to meet mine.
“Ah,” I chuckled as I pulled out of the trance. “So, spiders, is it?”
“Yes.” She shuddered. “I hate them, more than anything.”
Some witches snickered and did their best to cover up their laughter with their hands, but then I turned to face the room with a solemn expression.
“Quiet,” I ordered. “Or one of you laughing will be next.”
The class went still and silent, and when everyone settled down, I turned to look at Lu and smiled.
“Do you happen to know any spells to specifically summon spiders?” I asked the pink-haired witch.
“No,” she breathed. “Not that I’d want to.”
I gently laughed and then turned to look down at the ancient textbook on the desk.
“Neither do I,” I responded, “but you know what I can do?”
“What?” she asked in a soft voice.
“I can still summon them,” I answered. “Through the same spell… watch.”
Lu sucked in a sharp breath of air as I closed my eyes and repeated the incantation in my head. In my mind, I could see the little spiders crawling through the cracks of the classroom, and then I willed them to come out of their hiding places in a straight line. When I opened my eyes, the corners of my lips pulled into a small smile as a trail of tiny, brown spiders began to make their way to the front of the room. They came crawling out of the cracks of the walls and underneath furniture, and as soon as Lu noticed, she squealed in disgust and inched closer to me.
The class all cooed in surprise, and some even clapped as the spiders continued to neatly crawl in a straight line.
“It’s alright, you can return to your seat now,” I said with a small chuckle. “I can send them back to where they came from.”
“O-Okay, I mean, as long as they don’t crawl on me, I’ll be okay,” Lu stuttered before she shuffled back to her chair.
“Now,” I said, and all eyes were on me, “what I want you to do is pair off with someone you don’t know. Peer into their deepest fears and greatest weaknesses, and once you’ve completed the first step, I want you to face me, so I’ll know who’s successfully managed to complete the task. Understood?”
Everyone slowly nodded in agreement and then began to organize themselves into pairs, and I watched intently as each witch paired off with someone they barely knew, including my own coven. Slowly, it seemed like each student grasped the notion, and I felt a wave of pride as they gradually turned to look at me with small
, satisfied smiles plastered on their faces. When all the students turned to face the front of the room, I knew they’d completed the first part of the lesson, and I smiled and clapped my hands together.
“Well fucking done.” I grinned. “Now--”
“Now, I’d like to step in if I may,” came a familiar voice from the doorway.
I snapped my neck toward the door and spotted Vanessa leaning on the frame with her arms crossed. She didn’t look as white-washed as she had when I first bumped into her, and her eyes seemed to be more alert and awake. The dark-haired professor coolly regarded the classroom, and I noticed she was carrying another crimson book.
“I thought I’d join you since we’ve done all we could for the forcefield,” she said with her chin raised. “We can take this opportunity to combine premonition, blood magic, and curses, just as we’ve done before. Only, of course, this time, we have new material.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I agreed with a broad smile. “Would you like to proceed, Professor?”
“As a matter of fact,” she answered with a slight edge to her voice, “I would.”
I was about to return to my seat, but then she grabbed my arm and stopped me from moving an inch.
“You may stay,” she said without looking at me, “just be sure to retain the information I’m about to share with you.”
“Alright,” I replied as I stood still. “Carry on.”
Vanessa nodded before she opened her own book. “These ancient attack spells will be of much value to you when you encounter an elder beast. According to the text, there are three that require a blood sacrifice. Once the sacrifice is complete, you will be able to execute these spells without bursting into flame.”
Vanessa snapped her fingers, and clouds of smoke appeared on top of each elongated desk, and when the mist cleared, there were squirming warlocks tied to each desk. Their mouths were all sewn shut, and the room was filled with their muffled cries and incoherent pleas for mercy.
I glanced at Theodora’s desk, and there was a warlock tied to that one as well, which probably meant Vanessa also had to make her own sacrifice. When I turned my attention to the rest of the room, I immediately noticed hundreds of daggers placed within each student’s reach, and I could feel a pure rush of adrenaline fill the room as witches stared down at their simple, but lethal, weapons.