Curse of Blood and Shadow

by J. M. Kearl

  “I haven’t heard, but that probably means I’m not,” he said with a frown.

  Taz had been my friend since year one. So I wondered how I could bring him along, selected or not. “You should stay out of trouble if you aren’t coming.”

  He ran his hand through his bronze-colored wavy hair and his amber eyes drifted to mine. “If I get myself kicked out, maybe I’ll get to go with you after all.”

  It was a nice theory but unlikely. Although I was sure I had some pull, my mother was the queen after all. “Taz, you could just get yourself suspended or on kitchen duty more likely.”

  “It’s been a week since I’ve scrubbed a dish. I miss the place.”

  We both laughed quietly. “I’m sure being soaked with dirty water is your favorite thing.”

  From his desk, the professor snapped his fingers and his raven, perched creepily on his shoulder, let out a call signaling the end of class. He’s one person I wouldn’t miss at the new academy, yet with my luck there would be someone worse.

  Filing out of the classroom, we met Legacy in the hallway where the plan needed to be made. “So, what do you have in mind?” I asked. “Taz is in.”

  Legacy gave him a dazzling smile; Taz was mesmerized by her. Believe me, he told me all the time, annoying really. Legacy tugged on my shirt. “Come with me.”

  Skipping next class, we hid in a coat closet to wait until the halls went quiet. Taz practically drooled on my neck, and his warm breath brushed across my skin. “Scoot back,” I whispered, attempting to shove several cloaks and coats out of my face.

  “I can’t,” he said with his body pressed against mine.

  Legacy tripped and I heard her hit the wall. “Ouch.”

  I couldn’t stop the laugh that burst from my mouth. “Why did we choose to hide in the closet when we could have just spelled ourselves invisible?”

  “Because it takes too much energy to hold it that long,” Legacy said and pushed Taz, forcing me to fall into the door. It crashed open and we tumbled out. I had a difficult time taking in a breath with the two of them piled on me but with my cheek smashed on the stone floor, I could see that the hallway was deserted.

  Moments later, Taz reached down and pulled me up. He blushed when he said, “Sorry about that.”

  “It was Legacy’s fault,” I said, giving her an accusatory stare.

  “You’re fine. Let’s go.”

  Down the hall, up a set of stairs, to the left, then right, and we came to the professors’ main lounge. Most would be teaching but there could be a straggler or two. I peeked my head in, one purple robed woman sat with her eyes closed in a cushy armchair. Another man was perched at a table with a teacup in one hand and parchment in the other.

  I looked back at my companions and held my pointer and middle finger up showing them the number of professors. Then I reached a hand inside and whispered, “Slumberia.”

  The teacup slipped out of the male professor’s hand and his head slumped over, asleep.

  “You’ll be in so much trouble for that,” Legacy said, pushing the door open. We went inside and Legacy opened the bag that she had slung across her chest.

  When she pulled out a hissing box, Taz and I took several steps back. “What’s in there?” I asked warily, afraid of the answer.

  “Snakes.” She grinned and pulled the lid off. With a quick toss, the five snakes slid across the floor and we dashed out of the room. Laughing, we sprinted down the hallway and as we rounded a corner, I ran smack into Professor Deg. He fell into the wall, and I crashed onto my rear end. The stone floor didn’t feel good against a tailbone.

  The rage seething out of the professor was palpable. I swallowed the nervous lump rising in my throat. Legacy and Taz helped me up and we waited for Deg to speak. It seemed his face was getting redder by the second, a real tomato face.

  After he adjusted his glasses and straightened his robe. “I don’t know what you three are up to but it can’t be good.”

  Moments later a scream echoed through the hall and my eyes flicked to Legacy. Someone found the snakes.

  ∞∞∞

  Professor Deg took us to the kitchen where we stood before a mountain of dishes. “You aren’t to leave here until they’re all clean. And no magic.” He spun on his heel and left us to our punishment.

  This certainly wasn’t my first time on dish duty. My mother grew up poor on a small farm and was not afraid of hard work. My father fought his way into our prestigious academy because his family wasn’t wealthy when he was a child. When compared to past princesses and other royals from different kingdoms, my upbringing had been different. My parents made sure I wouldn’t grow up a spoiled royal. They also allowed the professors to dole out punishment for me as they saw fit. So for probably the tenth time in my academy life, I took up a sponge and we went to work.

  Dipping her hands into a tub full of water, Legacy peeked around the room. “So did you tell Taz about Finnick?”

  I’d mentioned it to her earlier in the day, I needed to confide in someone.

  I peeked over at Taz, who was now looking at me curiously. “Isn’t that the boy who beat you yesterday in the fight? What about him?”

  Stomach suddenly feeling like it was in knots, I looked into the bubbles. “When we shook hands—” I couldn’t go on.

  “You saw his death,” Taz finished for me.

  Legacy handed me a dish. “We should tell him. At least give him a chance.”

  “We’ve tried that before, Legacy,” I snapped. “Whenever we’ve gotten involved we only secure it happening. Cassi, the guard, remember?”

  “And Jade,” Taz said, sounding defeated. “We tried everything we could to make sure she didn’t eat anything she could choke on and I’m the one who handed her the muffin that killed her.”

  “She didn’t choke,” Legacy said. “Something in the food made her face and lips swell and we couldn’t get a potion in time.”

  Those are the only two people I’d seen die since being in the academy but both were last year. It used to be that whenever we had festivals or celebrations, the royal family would stand in a line to greet and often shake hands with visitors. I saw more deaths as a seven-year-old than most adults would in their entire lives. Gloves became a second skin at those events.

  Thankfully, Taz changed the subject and we started talking about what the new academy would be like. And when the sun had long been down and the dishes were clean, we were sent to my mother’s throne room. For me it wasn’t a big issue, she was my mother before she was my queen, but for Legacy and Taz, that wasn’t the case. Waiting outside the throne room door, sweat rolled down Taz’s temple.

  “Don’t be worried. I’ll take the blame,” I said.

  “I’ve done dish duty plenty of times but never been sent before the Queen,” he whispered, nervousness slipping into his tone. His slender frame was even trembling. “When my parents find out about this…” He shuddered.

  Legacy was nervous too but my mother was also her aunt so she must have felt less intimidated. Though, she hadn’t spoken a word since we left the kitchen and that was unusual.

  When the doors opened, a guard waved us inside. We all three took a knee before Queen Daelyn looking regal on her white throne. I said before I’d take the blame, but by the way my mother only stared at me, that would happen anyway.

  I stood. “Mother, it was all my idea. Please don’t punish them.”

  Her bright blue eyes could have burned a hole through me, a massive black hole. “I’m sure it was your idea. The three of you will be on kitchen duty at the new academy for the next two weeks. I’ve sent word to Madison who will ensure it’s done.”

  Ugh, Madison, my grandmother, who looks about twenty-five because of magic, will no doubt make this punishment more painful. But I turned to Taz, cracking a smile. “He’s coming with us? And so is Madison?” I’d call her grandma, gram, mammy, something like that if she’d let me but she was set on being called Madison, nothing else.

 
“She’ll be a professor there as will Jordane. And Taz will be going now,” Mother said. “Professor Goodwyn, who you spelled asleep before your stunt with the snakes, won’t have Taz in his class. I’m disappointed in you, Visteal. In all of you. This isn’t the behavior I expect from our prestigious students. I hope you don’t make us look like fools in front of the other kingdoms. You represent us all when you go to the new academy. Get to your feet.”

  Taz quickly jumped up and stood erect. “My deepest apologies, Queen. I will make sure to represent us in the best possible way.”

  Standing with her hands behind her back, Legacy said, “I will do my very best, Queen.”

  “You are the elite,” Mother said. “The other kingdoms have only recently opened academies similar to ours and Delhoon has practiced and perfected this training for hundreds of years. Show them that.”

  “We will,” the three of us said.

  “You better,” Mother said. “If I hear about the three of you causing any more mischief, you’ll be expelled from the academy and will redo your fifth year.”

  “Yes, Queen,” we all said in unison.

  The throne room doors opened. We turned to see my father, and I could almost feel Taz’s heart stop. All the boys were intimidated by my father. He was King obviously, one of the few Nerandae in Delhoon history which meant he was the top in all classes at the academy. Tall and muscular, he was probably Delhoon’s best male warrior. The girls all swooned for him. I couldn’t say enough about how annoying it was when he walked past and the girls my age giggled and talked about how “dreamy” he was. I punched a girl in the face once for saying she wanted to take him to her bed.

  Mother rose up from her throne. “King Boaden also has a punishment for you.”

  He shook his head, clearly disappointed. “With me.”

  Sitting atop his horse, Hess, Father rode alongside us while we ran down a path leading across the field that went on for miles. After what seemed like hours, my lungs felt like they were on fire and my legs had gone numb. I focused on putting one foot in front of the other, the pounding of my boots hit the ground in a steady rhythm.

  “Keep going,” he said when Legacy slowed.

  I knew better than to stop before he said so. Father didn’t become Nerendae, the best, by allowing weakness.

  When I finally got to bed that night, my blistered feet were bleeding. Legacy and I shared a room, and she hissed pulling her sticking socks off. “It hurts.”

  Pouring a few drops of healing potion on my raw skin, I rubbed the liquid in. “Was it worth it?” I asked.

  Legacy smirked. “Definitely.”

  Chapter 3

  The thirty-nine of us chosen from the Delmar city academy waited in the throne room. More would come from other academies around the kingdom to join us there. Each student had a trunk full of belongings and was strapped with weapons. I had my two swords, one for training, the other with a sharp edge. A bow and set of arrows, a small knife, three daggers, one I kept in my boot. Even if we had magic to fight with, it could be taken away in an instant with a metal called kirune, so we relied heavily on weaponry.

  I already said goodbye to my family so I stood beside Legacy and Taz. My mother waited at the front of the room beside my father. They’d given us a speech about our behavior and what they expected from us. Nothing I hadn’t heard before.

  While waiting, I looked around to see if I knew any of the students. There were several I recognized, Connor Goldheart, a warlord’s son being one, and another familiar face belonged to Finnick. My memory brought back the vision of his death, and the blood that pooled on the stone beneath him. My lower back beaded with sweat. Something about that vision other than the obvious death, disturbed me. I had the feeling that whoever killed him wasn’t entirely natural. That this person was dangerous beyond being skilled with a blade or magic. Perhaps cursed by dark magic? While I watched Finnick laugh with a friend, I told myself I should say something to him—tried to work up the courage but my feet stayed planted as if rooted to the ground.

  “It’s time,” Mother said, then did a feat only she was capable of with her limitless power. Unlike other magic-born, she drew her strength from outside of herself. The rest of us were limited by our own energy and stamina. With her hands outstretched, a long black rip opened in mid-air. It slowly grew, at least ten feet high, the same wide, and the portal to the Allied Kingdoms Academy opened. There seemed to be a collective deep breath among us as we laid eyes on the towering structure made of a gray and white marbled stone. It resembled a castle with three turrets, one flag for each kingdom waving at the peaks.

  The Gap of Freeole was typically a desert tundra with not much vegetation except dry grass, sagebrush, and littered with huge boulders. Yet, surrounding the academy were lush green plants, short clipped grass, and an abundance of various trees. Through the spiked wrought iron fence, the blooming flowers were visible along the edges of the property.

  “You won’t be completely isolated,” Mother said stepping before the portal and blocking the view. “A growing town is ten miles south, where much of the supplies will come from. Also on the property is a fruit and vegetable garden which the students will upkeep. As well as chickens, goats and cows, also your responsibility. There are some horses but they are only to be used with permission.” She stepped to the side and waved a student forward, a fourth year by the look of her. “You first.”

  The girl’s eyes widened but she pulled her large trunk, bowed to my mother and stepped through.

  Legacy, Taz, and I were the last in the room. My father nodded toward the portal. “Stay out of trouble you three.”

  I smiled, wrapping my arms around his torso. “I’ll miss you.” I moved to my mother and squeezed her tight. “See you for the fall festival.”

  She kissed the top of my head. “Make us proud, my dear. I love you.” Just before I stepped through the portal, Mother said, “Madison and Jordane are already there. They’ll escort your group around the property. And Bindy will be there sometime after lunch.”

  When the portal closed behind me, a weight settled on my shoulders. Standing outside the gates of the academy grounds, I looked at the guards. Three men and one woman. The men on the left side wore Hesstian colors of blue, white, and gold. On the right, the man and woman wore red and black, Delhoon colors. The sun was rising, still a few hours from noon, but the temperature would’ve suggested otherwise. With it being summer and further south than I was used to, it was much hotter in this location.

  Our group moved through the high gates, and I spotted my grandparents at the head of the group, leading the way.

  Legacy took in a deep breath. “Now that we’re here, I’m a little nervous.”

  The fumbling of my stomach agreed. “Me too,” I murmured and we followed the group forward.

  My grandfather being magic-born, looked young and strong for a man of nearly seventy. I called him Papa. He pointed toward the stables to the right. “Beyond that are the gardens and orchards. You can see the trees from here. If you go to the edge of the property to the west you’ll find the farm animals.”

  In the distance the cows roamed. This property was at least three miles wide and more than that deep. The academy was a town of its own.

  He continued, “To the north behind the building are the archery ranges, sparring grounds and an outdoor arena. There is even a lake that a small river runs into, which is why we chose the location. We needed a nearby water source.”

  When we reached the ten-foot high front doors of the academy, they were pulled open from the inside where more guards awaited, and a group of about thirty professors gathered to welcome us. They all wore maroon-purple robes, and each had a badge on their chest signifying which kingdom they belonged to. These would be the academic professors. The skills or fighting instructors wore more practical attire for their lessons. With her hands behind her back, my grandmother Madison, said, “From here you’ll be shown to your dormitories and then everyone will gathe
r at noon. Most of the other students have already arrived.”

  Taz leaned over, “I thought we were the first group.”

  “So did I.”

  Perhaps overhearing, Madison said, “Most of the other groups don’t have the luxury of a portal. They’ve traveled here on foot or horseback. So they’ve been coming in over days.” Madison lifted a hand into the air. “Girls you’re with me. Boys, with Jordane.”

  I was used to the grandeur of the castle at home, but everything here was brand-new to me. The paintings on the walls were artworks I’d never seen. Beautiful creatures, and depictions of battles between our kingdoms. A blue dragon soaring among white puffy clouds with a rider on its back. The majority black furniture placed decoratively was ornate. And of course, new cats wandering about. Sir Gideon, a rather offensive but fun, black and white striped cat, who happened to be my favorite, refused to come. His exact words were, “I will not be a servant to the foreigners.” Apparently he was also prejudiced.

  Madison led us through winding hallways before we stopped at the bottom of three sets of stairs. At the base of the center staircase a crimson phoenix symbol was worked into the shiny stone floor and on each step leading up. “This is the Delhoon girls’ dorms,” Madison said. “To the right are Hesstia’s, and the left, Collweya. You are not allowed to enter the other kingdoms’ rooms. You are not allowed to enter the boys’ dorms on the other side of the academy. These rules are set in place for the safety of all students. Violate them and you’ll be sorry you did.” Her serpent-like gaze swept over us.

  I observed the golden crossed swords symbol of Hesstia and the black Dragon for Collweya a moment before we were led up the steps. Just like in Delhoon there were two girls to a room. Nothing luxurious, two beds, two sets of dressers, two bedside tables, a large mirror, a single chair and a closet. Madison called out room partners and Legacy and I anxiously awaited to see if we’d be together again. “Legacy and Visteal, you’re in eleven.”

  We smiled at one another and hurried to our room. I threw myself on the soft bed and looked up at the ceiling, noticing for the first time that it had been spelled to look like the outside sky. The clouds even moved, and a set of birds soared.