by Ana Calin
The Headmaster chokes on his own blood, taking his hands to his throat, his dead eyes wide in surprise, fixed on me. By the time I come back to my reality, emerging from my vision of Hell, he’s no longer there, but Vanessa’s bun is messy, Pandora’s hair ravished, and all the others’ clothes, too. The portal had opened just like that first time with Blade months ago, on Halloween. He’d been pulled back by gnarled hands, and found his end with a stake through his chest.
Because I had sentenced him to that.
There’s complete silence around me as my eyes sweep over the room. People draw back from me, even Vanessa and Pandora, holding tightly to each other. Ramses stares at me with a strange mixture of pride and reproach.
“Anyone else who would have me admit to my sins, before they hear what I have to say?”
No one answers.
“It figures.” I clear my throat, relieving my voice of the last traces of demonic sound. “You see, I didn’t ask for all these ‘gifts’ of the Red Queen.” I make signs in the air with my fingers. “I’m not responsible for them, and yet I’m cursed to wield them. You know what they are, so you know what to expect of me. I can promise you that, if you spare me, you’ll have nothing to fear, I will never abuse my powers in order to hurt you. But there is one more gift that I feel you should know about because it’s the one gift that I will—I repeat, I will—use if I have to.” I hitch up my dress and climb onto the bar. I want them to get a good look at me, and hear me well. It feels good to have a view over the entire bar, it makes me feel in control. “On Halloween night, when I first opened the portal to Hell without knowing what I was doing, I also did something else, just as unwittingly. I sentenced a man to death, in the pit.”
Murmurs disturb the silence, shock on their faces.
“It seemed like a vision at first, and for a long time even my three protectors,” I motion flowingly to my three lovers, “thought it was some kind of fortune telling ability. It was not. It was the ability to sentence people to death by Hell. A kind of death that doesn’t require the Grim Reaper’s intervention. And that is what happened with the Headmaster tonight.”
I feel my heart going dark as I say this, but I have to make that sacrifice, if I want to survive, and if I want all this not to have devastating consequences for my three lovers. The only thing that can keep us safe is not these people’s compassion, because only a few have it. It’s fear.
I glance at Zillard. I wouldn’t want him hurt because of me, either. Or Giselle or my two nymph friends. I have to be terrible, and make these people fear me, otherwise I won’t be able to protect them.
Giselle steps up, addressing the crowd.
“Listen, even if Lucia is everything the Headmaster, Vanessa and Pandora accuse her of, none of it was her choice. She didn’t choose to be born to her parents, or be a descendant of Lilith or even to be able to open Hell portals. That happened automatically when she lost control over her emotions. Do people punish other people for things they can’t control in the mortal world? No, right? They don’t prosecute people for being born sociopaths, they wait for them to do something. Then why would we punish people for being a certain way, especially since we consider ourselves superior to mortals? Why act like barbarians?”
The oldest Board member comes forward slowly, two bodiless entities supporting him. He’s the oldest warlock in the realms, Leonidas Whitebeard, and he is the Headmaster’s substitute. I don’t know if he conferred with the rest of his colleagues telepathically before this, but the others wait quietly, looking at me as if they already know what he’s about to say.
“Red Queen,” he begins, his voice rickety with age. “Your hellish origin and gifts may not have been your choice. Your first murder neither. But this one.” He points to the spot where the Headmaster last stood, nothing left of him now. “This one was your choice.”
“With all due respect, you’re being unfair, Leonidas,” Ramses intervenes. “She was forced to do it. She gave Samuel a chance, but he didn’t expect that she actually had something on him, and he decided to end her life without giving her the slightest possibility to protect herself. He was cruel, and unjust, and Lucia didn’t really have a choice. She had to do it, if she wanted to keep her life.”
People nod, and I notice a number of fae and shifters joining my friends’ group with Giselle and the nymphs. More people see things the way Ramses does.
“We propose that we give Lucia Reid another chance,” one of the fae students by Giselle’s side says.
“She never hurt anyone at the Academy,” a nice-looking, pink-haired girl says. “In fact, she’s warm and loving with her friends. Something more popular students, like Pandora, aren’t even capable of.”
“How about the Lord Protector?” Vanessa puts in, pushing her sister protectively behind her. “The Red Queen corrupted him, that’s how powerful she is. She’s got three great men in her hands.”
“That’s a lie,” Zillard’s powerful voice rises over hers. All my three lovers look at him, not sure what he’s doing.
“Silas is her only lover, and I have proof,” Zillard lies. “All rumors were just meant to hurt Lucia, create a terrible reputation, turn the entire Academy against her. Besides, how could the Lord Protector, the Holy Grim Reaper, ever become corrupted by a nineteen-year-old human witch?”
“She’s the Red Queen,” Vanessa snarls. “Stop talking about her like she’s some innocent little girl.”
“Enough,” Leonidas Whitebeard intervenes. “I am the Headmaster’s substitute in times of crisis, and I say we stop here. Too much has happened for us to reach a final conclusion now, or make a decision about the Red Queen.” He looks up at me with his pale eyes that are full of wisdom. The white hair on the sides of his head looks like candy cotton. Wearing all white, Leonidas Whitebeard seems an ancient angel, and he inspires me with a sense of trust.
“You will stay at the Academy, Miss Reid, at least until the end of the academic year. To be honest, I don’t even think the Board has the energy to deal with your case now. The Academy has been terribly challenged, and we have a lot to worry about and recover from. We have a Headmaster to grieve, and a new one to find.” His shoulders slant, as if he’s tired. “I will ask you to keep all those gifts of yours in check, though. One slip, and there won’t be another chance for you. Prove to us during this year that you’re on the side of the good, and that you’re no Trojan Horse. I can accept that what you did with the Headmaster was a necessity for you, it was your life or his, so I’ll give you a second chance. But know there won’t be a third.”
He looks to Zillard. “As for you, Mister Dark, I’m not entirely sure where your loyalties lie. You and your friends seemed bent on proving Miss Reid was a plague for this Academy ever since she set foot in it, now you take her side. I know of only one way to clear such murky waters—You are assigned as Miss Reid’s supervisor at the Academy. You are to report every wrong step she takes. Should we find out that you shoved anything under the carpet, we will expel you.”
Murmur explodes everywhere. Zillard’s face is unreadable as he looks at Leonidas Whitebeard, but I can feel deep down he’s boiling. He is the son of Hades, the rising star of this Academy, one doesn’t simply do that to him. But old Leonidas knows exactly how to address that.
“And no, Mister Dark, I do not fear your father. I am so old someone of your age can’t even begin to understand the number, and I’ve accumulated good points in the highest realm, Heaven. Tell your father to go ahead and teach me a lesson. It will only do me good, and finally send me up to Heaven where I can collect my eternal happiness.” He glances at Ramses. “I’m sure I can rely on the Grim Reaper to go easy on me when the time comes.”
Ramses nods curtly. Old Leonidas nods slowly back, then he turns and starts towards the exit, the two transparent spirits supporting him. The Board members walk out after him, but keep looking behind at me, while students and teachers linger, not knowing what to do with themselves. Whether to stay or leave. They see
m to want more of me, their eyes filled with intrigue and curiosity.
Exhaustion floods me, now that the pressure is off my shoulders. I need to sleep for like three days. Using my powers has drained me, my glow has dimmed. Vanessa, Pandora, Viggo and the group of warlocks that bullied me tonight, not completely sober and a bit confused, urge people out of the bar, grunting, “nothing more to see here.” Viggo grabs Zillard’s elbow, roughly and with a deep frown.
“Father will have a word,” he says under his breath. Zillard leaves, but I can feel his energy still clinging to me. I’ll be seeing him soon enough, I can feel it.
But there’s also something else that I feel as strongly as Zillard’s clinging thoughts to me—Vanessa and Pandora’s hatred. By the evil look in their eyes, something wicked this way comes. They’ll stop at nothing to make me slip, and make sure that I do end up where they want me eventually. They’ve made a life purpose out of destroying me, and they’re more dangerous than poisonous snakes. But this time the stakes are much higher than before—If I go down, my Grim Reaper, my demigod of warfare and my dark warlock will go down with me. And I’ll die before I let that happen.
THE END FOR NOW...
TO BE CONTINUED in Spring 2020 with Book 3 of the Major Arcana Academy series, Fall of the Red Veil
Enjoyed this? Plenty more where it came from. Check out Book 1 of the Major Arcana Academy, and these other series by Ana Calin:
WANT TO KNOW IMMEDIATELY WHEN ANA CALIN RELEASES A NEW BOOK? Sign up to her newsletter here, and be the first to learn:
COMING SOON! 20th of December 2019