by Logan Jacobs
“Excellent,” I responded as my entire body flooded with relief. “Then come along. You should meet the rest of your new sisters. They also spilled their blood to ensure your full resurrection.”
The beautiful blonde witch nodded deeply and then gestured for her resurrected sisters to follow her, and when I led the risen women back to the students and Professor Crimson, excitement rose through the air. Students began to feverishly whisper amongst themselves, and it seemed like no one could hide their smiles. After several minutes of mixing the resurrected women together with the witches of Scholomance, Professor Crimson took a step in front of the massive crowd and then raised her hands up into the air.
“Praise Satan!” she cried out. “We have grown our army… let us return to Scholomance to celebrate this victory and provide clothing and food for our new sisters. However, there is something I must take care of first …”
The professor’s scarlet eyes turned an even darker shade of red as she glared at the short-haired, green witch who’d started this whole mess. The student knew she’d fucked up, and she raised her hands in defense as Professor Crimson marched over to her.
“No, professor, please!” the student wailed with wide eyes. “I’m sorry--”
“Excorio fructus eius tamquam aperto!” Crimson screamed in a terrifying voice as she pointed her wand at the quivering witch.
The air instantly grew icy cold, and in the next moment, the green-haired student’s eyes went glassy and vacant, and her emerald lips parted open in pain and shock. Perhaps she was trying to scream out in agony, but no sound left her mouth. Instead, her hair began to fall from her scalp in clumps, and her skin began to unfold inside out. Her bones and muscles were exposed and then quickly melted into a puddle of gore and blood.
For a long moment, no one said a word, or even dared to breathe as we stared at the dead, liquified witch.
“If any student ever disobeys one of my orders again,” Crimson finally growled, “this will be your fate. You all are lucky Cole risked his neck to save us, since none of you besides his coven would have done the same. Now, as I was saying… let us return home with our new army! Huzzah!”
Then the ruby-haired professor snapped her fingers, and we were sent flying back to the academy. Within minutes, we landed in the banquet hall, and when we arrived, the room was completely empty. The new women marveled and gasped as they stared around the expansive room, and elevated chatter filled the air as the Scholomance students did their best to make them feel welcomed.
Professor Crimson immediately approached me and then placed a gentle hand on my shoulder before she looked deep into my eyes and slowly smiled.
“Well done, Cole,” she whispered. “I’m going to find Headmistress Theodora and summon the other professors to provide clothing and food. You’re in charge until I return.”
“Of course, Professor,” I replied with a deep nod.
She flashed me another mesmerizing smile before she spun her red skirts and then floated out of the banquet hall.
I took in a deep breath and looked around in relief and satisfaction.
We’d really fucking done it.
“Cole, that was so freaking cool!” Nyx gasped as she jumped in front of me. “I thought I was tripping back there, but Satan, you really took control of the situation like a total badass. I’m impressed, and I can’t believe I ever doubted your kickass skills.”
My coven, Nyx, Beatrix, and the twins huddled around me, and each woman gazed at me as if I were their dark lord and savior.
Which, I guess I was.
“Well, I never doubted him for a moment,” Akira scoffed..
“Neither did I,” Faye remarked with a twinkle of pride in her golden-green eyes.
“Can you believe how beautiful those women are?” Vesta purred as she glanced around the room. “I mean… considering how disgusting they were when they first emerged from the soil.”
“They were dead for centuries, Vesta,” Penelope chuckled. “Even you wouldn’t be looking your finest.”
“Oh, I doubt that,” the elvish witch giggled as she tossed back her long, flowing green hair. “I’m always going to be the picture of perfection.”
We all laughed as we glanced around the crowded room, and right then, I thought things were finally falling into place.
“Now that we’ve grown an army, and learned the most important blood and premonition spells… do you think we’re ready to take on whatever is coming our way?” Morgana asked with a small frown.
“Don’t forget about the dragons,” Faye added.
“Still,” the bookish brunette said as she chewed on her lower lip. “Do you believe we’re prepared, master?”
“We still have Shadow with Professor Luna,” I reminded her, “and we need to spend every waking moment practicing. I don’t believe we’re in the clear yet, but still, we’ve made impressive progress.”
“And it’s all thanks to you, Cole.” Beatrix grinned.
“Yeah,” the twins remarked simultaneously.
“Thanks, everyone,” I replied as I rubbed the back of my neck, “but like I said, we’re not out of the woods just yet.”
“Oh, Cole,” Morgana whispered as she tugged on my sleeve, “look, the headmistress is staring right at us. I think she wants to speak with you.”
I craned my neck and spotted the headmistress looking right at me as the other professors came in with piles of robes folded neatly in their hands. The color had returned to Theodora’s beautiful face, and her bruises and cuts were gone. She appeared to be back to her usual self, and she was dressed in an elaborate black and gold lace gown with wide skirts and a tight, purple corset. Her dark hair was pinned up into an intricate bun and held together with a raven-bone pin. She gestured for me to come over to her, and without hesitation, I rushed over to meet her.
“Headmistress,” I said with a small bow, “I see you’re doing well.”
“I am much better, thank you,” she replied, “and I could say the same about you… you managed to bring back an entire army of witches for us, even after what happened during your training with Vanessa. What exactly happened, then?”
“I had a vision,” I responded. “It was the woman from the painting… she showed me what would happen to Scholomance if we fail. It was not an image I would ever want to see again in my lifetime, Headmistress.”
Theodora nodded deeply before she glanced around the bustling room and then back to me.
“Come along,” she said in a faint voice. “I want to show you something.”
I followed Theodora out the door, and we swept through the corridors and down to the castle doors. When we marched past the gates and down to the grounds, I welcomed the crisp, cool air and pale sunlight shining down on us.
I trailed after the headmistress and wondered what the hell she had in store for me. We didn’t head into the black wood, but instead, we wandered near the labyrinth and then downhill, toward an expansive green-gray field. I’d seen this area from different windows from within the castle, but we’d never had a class out here before.
When Theodora came to an abrupt stop, I glanced at her, and she seemed to be completely lost in thought as she stared out at the open field and didn’t say a word.
“Headmistress?” I said after a long moment. “With all due respect, what are we doing out here?”
“Professor Evanora mentioned you wanted to bring the dragons to our grounds,” she said without looking at me. “I think it’s an excellent idea, and this is the perfect spot. Not only will the students be able to practice riding the beasts whenever they have a spare moment, but they will provide excellent security as well.”
“I agree,” I said as I nodded eagerly. “So, what are we waiting for?”
She chuckled under her breath before she faced me and smiled.
“We need to expand it, don’t you agree?” she asked with her head tilted to the side.
“Yes,” I replied, “but isn’t that a simple endeavor for
you, Headmistress?”
“It is.” She nodded. “It is as artless as pouring myself a glass of wine… but that’s not the point.”
It took me a moment to realize what she was trying to get at, and when it hit me, my face broke into a hopeful grin.
“You’re going to show me how to expand the field?” I did my best not to sound too eager or presumptuous.
“I am,” she replied with a small laugh, but then her face grew solemn once more. “However, this is not a spell I share with most students. It can easily be abused or misused, so it is not something we normally teach in the classroom. Could you imagine all the bedrooms and bathrooms the girls would enlarge? It would be chaos, especially if they did it incorrectly and ended up shrinking the entire castle.”
“I see,” I responded. “Well, I’m honored that you would be willing to share it with me.”
“Well, I don’t have to point out how many times you’ve proved yourself over and over again,” Theodora purred. “Now, watch me very closely, I know you can pick up on spells rather quickly and efficiently, but this can be quite tricky. Even I had trouble the first few times.”
“Alright,” I answered before I rolled up my sleeves and then pulled out my wand. “Let’s do it.”
She chuckled softly under her breath as she retrieved her own wand from her sleeve, and her sharp blue eyes narrowed as she stared at the field in front of her. Then, without looking at me, she shifted her body until her warm body was pressed against my shoulder.
“Focus on the green earth and the vast steel gray sky above us,” she instructed. “Take in the land which Satan has bestowed upon us and relish in its unholy glory.”
I nodded and clenched my jaw as I gazed upon the natural, ominous beauty before us, and as I breathed in the cool air, I welcomed the darkness into my heart and opened my mind up to the countless possibilities.
“Imagine what you see before you, but twice as grand,” she continued. “Then, utter the words, ‘crescere per voluntatem meam.’”
“Got it.” I nodded.
“We’ll do it together,” she said as she raised her chin up into the air. “One… two… three.”
“Crescere per voluntatem meam!” we shouted in unison.
Then the sky rumbled, and the ground beneath us began to slightly tremble. I could feel the world shifting as I kept my wand aimed in front of me, and the fields started to expand and turn into acres of land as far as the eye could see. I was in complete awe as the world stopped growing, and at that moment, I felt like Satan, with all the power to command even the earth.
“Shit,” I breathed once the spell took full effect.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” Theodora mused aloud.
“Beyond amazing,” I agreed.
“But that’s not all,” Theodora added in a mysterious tone. “I have one more thing to show you.”
“What?” I asked, and I was ready to learn everything she had to share with me.
“I will show you how to transport beings by your will,” she responded. “It is another form of shadow porting, but far more advanced than your current level. Are you ready?”
“Always,” I responded with a firm nod.
Again, she raised her wand higher into the air and then closed her eyes.
“Hos parere imperio,” she muttered.
Suddenly, a massive cloud of purple smoke drifted across the fields, and a chorus of roars filled the air, and when the mist cleared, my mouth hung open in awe and excitement.
There, flying and grazing before me, were the emerald green dragons we had ridden during Professor Evanora’s class, and they seemed to be perfectly content in their new surroundings as they flew in majestic circles high above us and glided through misty silver clouds and over the spacious fields.
“Fucking brilliant,” I breathed.
“All you have to do is picture what is bound to you and summon it to your will,” Theodora explained as her eyes scanned across the dragon infested fields. “It will come in handy during times of battle. Especially when you must summon your coven or any beast to your will.”
“And how long do we have until we’re attacked again?” I asked in a faint voice. “It’s inevitable, Headmistress… we both know blood is on the horizon.”
“I cannot say for certain, Cole,” she replied after a moment, “all we can do is prepare and wait.”
“They will regret it,” I growled. “We will kill any fucker who dares attempt to destroy us.”
“I admire your vigor, Cole,” Theodora laughed. “Never let that flame within your heart die. It’s the reason so many of our witches are still alive today.”
“I promise you, Headmistress,” I said as I turned to look at her. “I vow to keep Scholomance from burning to the ground.”
“You and I both,” she answered before she turned to look at me. She cupped the side of my face and looked deeply into my eyes as if she were searching for something. Then she smiled and gently pulled away. “Let us go eat… you deserve it after what you did for us. Tomorrow is another day, and we still have more to learn before we can safely say we’re fully prepared.”
I nodded in agreement and followed Theodora back to the castle, and a thousand different thoughts coursed through my mind as I walked through the corridors of my home. When I first arrived, Scholomance had been a terrifying and unusual place for me, and it felt like years ago when I first arrived on the grounds covered in blood and surrounded by cloaked women with flames in their hands.
But now, this was my fucking home, and no one would take that away from me.
As I walked with the Headmistress, lost deep in thought, she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, and her body began to violently tremble. Her eyes went white, and all the color drained from her face. She became as pale and sallow as a ghost, and before I realized what was happening, she fell backward, and I rushed to catch her before she could crack her head open on the marble floor.
“Headmistress!” I shouted as I held onto her and looked into her face.
“I see them,” she said in a voice that did not belong to her. It was deeper, more fearful, and it echoed through the corridors and bounced off the walls. “The elders… they’re on their way.”
Chapter 16
“Headmistress?” I cried out again. “Can you hear me?”
Theodora didn’t respond after the ill-omened words left her pale lips, and the color had completely drained away from her face as she laid limp in my arms.
I pushed back the damp strands of hair that fell over her face and silently prayed to Satan so the strong-willed headmistress would open her blue eyes, but she was as still and cold as a statue.
“What the hell happened?” a familiar voice shouted, and when I craned my neck to glance down the corridor, I spotted Vanessa running down the hallway in sheer panic. When she reached the two of us, she dropped to her knees, pulled her mother into her own lap, and then gently shook her. “Mother? Can you hear me? Please, wake up!”
“Let’s take her to her office,” I quickly suggested.
“What do you--?” Vanessa started to ask as she stared up at me with pale, concerned blue eyes, but I cut her off.
“We can’t let anyone see her like this,” I explained in a rushed voice. “It will worry them even more, and we can’t afford that… here, hold on, I’m still getting used to this.”
“Used to what--” she began, but the incantation was already leaving my lips.
“Hos parere imperio,” I echoed as I pulled out my wand.
As purple smoke drifted around the three of us, I pictured Theodora’s warm, cozy office, and suddenly, we were all inside and on her lush carpet. Vanessa was still kneeling on the floor, and her mother’s head was limp in her lap.
“Mother,” Vanessa murmured in a low voice. “Please… wake up.”
“Vanessa,” I said in a soothing voice, and I gently placed a hand on the concerned professor’s warm hand before I gazed into her eyes. “Let me place her on the sofa
. We can’t keep her here on the floor.”
“What?” she murmured as she blinked up at me, and I could tell she was still lost in a daze of worry and overwhelming concern. “Oh, right.”
Vanessa watched me closely as I carefully lifted Theodora up into my arms and then carried her over to a small, red loveseat plastered against the far end of her office. Theodora’s face was still pale and slick with sweat, but at least her eyelids started to flutter like fragile butterfly wings when I placed her down.
Thank Satan, she seemed to be slowly regaining consciousness.
“Headmistress,” I whispered. “Can you hear me?”
Vanessa rushed over, and we both kneeled beside the weakened headmistress as she feebly flicked her eyes wide open. The headmistress groaned as she placed a hand over her forehead, and then she regarded the two of us with narrowed eyes.
“Cole,” Theodora breathed. “I saw them… the elders and their army. They were flying toward Scholomance. They had mortal men from villages, warlocks from treacherous schools, and elder creatures with them. War is coming.”
“Headmistress,” I whispered as I grabbed her clammy hand. “Do you know exactly how much time we have before they attack?”
“Cole, do not push her,” Vanessa snapped. “She’s barely awake as it is.”
“No, he’s right,” Theodora whispered, “I… saw three moons and suns.”
“Three days.” I nodded. “We can work with that… did you happen to see anything else?”
“They are being led by a general,” she explained in a weak voice. “He’s a ruthless son of a bitch… I thought he was long dead, but he has been resurrected.”
“An elder?” I asked.
“Yes,” she responded, and her pale blue eyes bored into mine. “Cole, we must prepare, there will be soldiers of both elder and non-elder magic, and we haven’t even produced a plan of defense yet--”
“I’m on it,” I answered in a firm tone before I glanced at Vanessa. “We need to warn the others. Now.”
“But,” the professor responded as she looked down at her frail mother, “I can’t just leave her like this.”