Gideon snickers. “Aww, lovebirds. Does it make you jealous, Chris?”
His roommate dumps some sugar cubes into his tea. “No, it does not. I’m hoping they’ll keep fucking long after I have to marry her and live here.”
I raise my eyebrows. I’ve never heard Christopher swear before. “Wow. Strong feelings much?”
He stirs his tea and puts the spoon in the saucer. “You have no idea.” He takes a sip. “The night of our betrothal ball, the last time I was here? We were supposed to have the last dance together, but nobody could find her. Her father and I both went looking for her, and we found her, all right—on her knees in the library with Sir Reginald’s lance in her mouth, if you take my meaning.”
Redera laughs and covers her face with her hand. “Ooh, awkward!”
“And then King Stefan turns to me and says, ‘Good luck, my boy.’ And he just walks away.” He shakes his head. “The whole time we were having that last dance—I think it was a waltz—all I could smell was that guy’s jizz on her breath.”
Red and I howl with laughter, and even Gideon gets in on the mirth. Christopher just rolls his eyes and lets us enjoy the memory at his expense. I can only imagine how humiliated he must have felt when it happened. Phillip, his owl, coos in his ear, trying to make Christopher feel better.
Our hostess doesn’t come back, so we decide to help ourselves to the rest of the tour. We all know what we’re here to see, and it’s not more family portraits.
Christopher puts his tea cup aside and stands up, straightening his jacket. “Right. The Haunted Tower is this way.”
We follow him away from the solarium and through a set of increasingly dusty and disused corridors. We turn a corner, and suddenly I’m standing in the exact spot where I’d first heard Esmeralda in my dream. Broin tightens his grip on my shoulder to remind me that he’s there, and I touch his talon with a fingertip.
Christopher glances over his shoulder at me. “I even memorized the spell this morning,” he says.
Gideon steps forward. “You’re shit at spell casting, Chris, and you know it.” He extends his hand toward the lock. “Abriete.”
There’s a click, and the doorknob turns, and then there’s nothing but stairs as far as the eye can see.
It’s as bad as it was in the dream, except in my dream I wasn’t getting winded from climbing seven thousand steps. We finally get to the top landing, and Gideon casts again to open the door.
The room inside it so much like my dream that it’s eerie. I’m almost surprised that Esmeralda isn’t in there waiting for us. Instead, there’s the dim light, a ton of dust, and one very battered and old-looking spinning wheel.
“That’s it.” Christopher gestures to the spinning wheel nestled under the window. “It’s not really much to look at.”
Gideon huffs, crossing his arms. “I’ll say. It’s just a measly spinning wheel.”
“A measly cursed one,” I correct him. “I wonder if we can shrink it and take it with us?”
Christopher looks aghast. “You mean steal it? But it’s an heirloom. I hardly think they won’t notice.”
“I beg to differ,” my sister says. “They’re probably too fixated on themselves to notice a missing spinning wheel. If it was so important to them, I doubt they’d lock it away in a Haunted Tower to collect dust. Haunted, my foot.”
I walk over to it, running my fingers along the wheel. The spindle gleams in the light pouring through the window. There’s something almost hypnotic about it. The shard of Solomon’s Seal is inside. I can feel the magic from it vibrating under my fingertips the closer I get to the spindle.
“Don’t touch it!” Christopher grabs my wrist and pulls me away. “It’s cursed, remember?”
I feel a little stupid, tempted by the enormous amount of power. I wonder if anyone else can feel it?
“Yes, it is cursed,” Aurora says behind us, and we all turn to look at her standing by the door. The lock twists behind her. “Do you know what the curse entails?”
I gather magic into my palm out of instinct. There’s something about a locked door that doesn’t bode well in this situation.
“Aurora…” Christopher whispers, looking nervously between her and the wheel. “I just wanted to show them the spinning wheel.”
“And show them you shall, my betrothed.” She spits the last word out, sliding Gideon a sharp glare. “I’m disappointed in you,” she whispers to him, but we all hear it. Apparently she doesn’t like that Gideon switches sides on her.
He snarls at her, and it’s not an entirely human sound. Fang mirrors it. “Bite me.”
Aurora laughs, and it’s a short, harsh sound. “You should be so lucky again.” She steps toward the spinning wheel. “No doubt Christopher has told you about the night he found me with Sir Reginald, and no doubt you’ve had a good laugh. But you should know that I’m not the first one of the two of us to cheat… am I, Christopher?”
There’s so much venom in her voice that I’m honestly shocked it’s not dripping from her lip. On Christopher’s shoulder, Philip hoots nervously. She walks up to the spinning wheel and rests her hand on the wood.
“I’ll be damned if I marry a man who sucks dick as well as I do.”
Gideon grins at her cruelly. “Better than you do, actually.”
She grabs the spindle in her hand and whirls, shrieking. She brings it down fast, aiming at Gideon’s chest. I lunge for her, and I grab her wrist, pulling the spindle aside before it can strike. She tries to pull away, but I hold fast, not letting her take another swing.
“The spindle kills,” she spits. “Anyone touched by this spindle dies!”
And this little bitch was trying to stab my Piggy? Oh, heaven, no!
“Give me that!”
I wrestle the spindle out of her grip, and as it leaves her hand, the tip of it drags across her palm. A single scarlet drop bubbles to the surface, and she stares at me, her face going white.
Her shriek has attracted attention, and a trio of guards translocate into the room just as she crumples to the ground at my feet. I look down at her in shock, the spindle still in my hand. Hard metal gauntlets seize my shoulders, and I hear Broin shouting in my head as he vanishes into a burlap sack.
“Redera Hemlock,” one of the new arrivals grinds out, “you are under arrest for the murder of Princess Aurora!”
I think I’m going to be sick…
TO BE CONTINUED… in Once Upon A Dream (coming next)
Thank you for reading this book. Your support is extremely valued! If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. It’s really important for us as self-publishing authors, who don’t have the backing of an established press, not to mention we love to hear from our readers!
Tiegan Clyne has been writing for longer than most of her friends have been alive. She loves music, dark fantasy, and telling stories. Tiegan is a crazy cat lady in training and an all-around good egg. You can follow her here:
Facebook
Facebook Reader’s Group
OTHER BOOKS BY TIEGAN
Amazon
Tiegan also writes as J. A. Cummings
Scarlett Snow comes from a big family in a small Scottish town and has always strived to prove that if you are passionate about something, no one can stop you from chasing your dreams. She lives with her wolf dog and kitties and is unashamedly addicted to coffee.
If you’d like to join her newsletter to be kept updated on her books, you can do so here: www.scarlett.katzesnow.com
Facebook Page
Facebook Reader’s Group
OTHER BOOKS BY SCARLETT
Amazon
Non-Amazon Book
Scarlett also writes under Katze Snow (Dark M/M Books): Amazon
Appendix One: Characters
STUDENTS and THEIR FAMILIARS:
Ravyn Hemlock of Clan She’ol, Mandrake Coven
Redera Hemlock, Ravyn’s twin, also Aaliyah
Elnora Hemlock, Ravyn’s grandmothe
r
Maxim Hemlock, Ravyn’s grandfather
Esmeralda Hemlock, Ravyn’s three-times great-grandmother
Broin Blackstone, former druid, now witch and crow shapeshifter—Ravyn’s Daddy
Mephisto, Ravyn’s horse
Kali, Redera’s horse
Namur, Redera’s familiar
Alice Underland
Jasper, a rabbit, Alice’s familiar
Princess Sirena of Poseida
Augustus, a crab, Sirena’s familiar
Prince Erik of Aira
Princess Aurora of Talia
Princess Cinder of Wysteria
Princess Rapunzel of Fantasia
Prince Christopher of Fantasia
Phillip, a barn owl, Christopher’s familiar
Prince Gideon
Fang, a wolf-dog, Gideon’s familiar
Hansel
Gretl
Marcin
EVERAFTER ACADEMY FACULTY AND STAFF:
Headmaster Dane Lockwood
Professor Nightingale, Magical Studies
Professor Clarinda Rumpkin, Potions
Professor Martha Huckleberry, Enchantments
Professor Abdiel, Familiar Handling
Professor Hua Mulan, Defence
Mrs. Philomena Thornhart, Head of the First Year Students
Mrs. Beauty, librarian
Quasimodo, the groundskeeper
Aladdin, Quasimodo’s assistant
POLITICAL BODIES:
Maleficis Invictus, the Witches’ High Coven
Covenmaster: Reverend Cassim Salvador
The High Council, Leaders of the Western Wood
The Falcon Knights, a knightly order in Fantasia
GODS:
The Storyteller
Lucifer (Satan, the Fallen One, the Prince of Lies, the Morningstar)
OTHER CHARACTERS:
Eden, serpent shifter, Potions professor at Nevermore Academy
Xara, Commander of the Draoich Border Rangers
Gil, Draoich Border Ranger
Milo, Draoich Border Ranger
Sir Reginald, Falcon Knight
Appendix Two: Kingdoms
The Eastern Wood:
DRAOICH
Capital: Grimm City
Rulers: Queen Gothel
King Bane
The Western Wood:
POSEIDA
Capital: Delphina
Rulers: King Merkin
Princess Hegera
Princess Sirena
FANTASIA
Capital: Reyna
Rulers: Queen Laurette
Prince Christopher
Princess Rapunzel
AIRA
Capital: Zephyr
Rulers: King Gareth
Queen Isabelle
Prince Erik
Prince Tristan
WYSTERIA
Capital: Ember City
Rulers: Regent, Lord Adair
Princess Cinder
TALIA
Capital: The Citadel
Rulers: Queen Rosalie
King Stefan
Princess Aurora
Appendix Three: Witch Covens
Mandrake Coven
Nightshade Coven
Ricinus Coven
Oleander Coven
Cassava Coven
Botuli Coven
Appendix Four: Wolf Packs
Rosso Lupa Pack—Witch Hunters
Penny Royal Pack—Witch Hunters
Appendix Five: Seven Keys of Hell
First Key: Solomon’s Broken Seal
Second Key: The Ring of Baphomet
Third Key: The Hand of Glory
Fourth Key: The Carpet of Mersilde
Fifth Key: The Mirror of Astaroth
Sixth Key: The Cauldron of Hecate
Seventh Key: The Whore of Babylon’s Tiara
Appendix Six: She’ol’s Belief
In the beginning was the Fall.
When the cruel and jealous God cast Our Master out of Heaven, Lucifer was battered and bloodied by the monstrous angels who beset him. He fought, but he was wounded, and when he fell into the Lake of Fire, he suffered.
His suffering aroused the notice of the Great Ladies, Naamah and Lilith. They went to Lucifer and pulled him from the Fire, and with their Infernal Power, they nursed him back to health.
In gratitude, Our Master wed them both. Naamah, the Queen of Black Light, and her twin, Lilith, the Queen of Darkness. The Unholy Triad ruled Hell in cooperation for centuries.
Then Lilith began to entice Lucifer’s followers to worship her instead of him. He was amused by her temerity at first and tolerated it. Naamah, whom he could trust, was given tasks to do among humans and was frequently on earth while Lilith seduced the faithful from her throne in Hell.
One dark night, Naamah went missing, and Lilith thought that she had at last overtaken her twin to be the sole queen of Hell.
Lucifer went to his servant, the All-Seeing Hepoth, and asked him what he needed to overthrow the Storyteller once and for all. He was tired of the Pit and wanted to take control. By gaining ultimate power, he also hoped to find Naamah and quiet Lilith once and for all.
“You shall not succeed until the twin queens come, the light and the dark, to stand before you. The true Queen of Light and the true Queen of Darkness, two halves of the whole, will unite and bring you the power you seek. It is only by moonlight and bright sun that you shall overtake the Storyteller’s power.”
Ever since then, twin girls have been highly sought after in the covens, and any twin girls born are automatically tested for their good or evil natures. There have never been twins born where one was wholly good and one was wholly bad. They’ve always been bad souls, but one had a minor ability to control white magic. There have never been any true white witches with white souls…
Once Upon A Devil: A Dark Academy Reverse Harem Bully Romance (Everafter Academy Book 3) Page 15