When I returned to my quarters, I thought I’d find my women all curled up and naked in my bed. I’d been looking forward to cumming deep inside each of them again, but the mattress was completely empty and made up.
Oh, well. I knew I’d have them in my bed again soon enough, so I shrugged it off, peeled off my clothes, and then crawled into the sheets.
As soon as I closed my eyes to fall asleep, I could see a stone pathway in my mind. It curved around a bend and was leading me toward something I had been searching for a long time. Everything else was dark. Pitch black. The only thing I could see was this stone route that didn’t seem to end. So, I followed it, and as I pushed forward, I could hear something. At first, I wasn’t sure what it was until I went a bit further. Then I realized it was the roaring sea, and it sounded hungry, fierce, and alone.
It was calling to me, and I had to find out why.
I ignored the small voice in my head that told me to turn back, and I continued to follow the path until it came to a dead end. When I adjusted my eyes, the blackness around me began to dissolve, and my heart pounded with fear and anticipation as I neared a cove I saw in the distance.
It was calling to me.
I approached the sheltered bay, and inside, there was a small fountain. Each step I took closer to it felt heavier than the last, but I extended my hand and reached for the mysterious fountain. I was eager to see what was inside. Was it another portal? Like the one we encountered in the exam? If so, why was I dreaming of it?
I reached out, and my fingers brushed against the stone. When I touched the rock, though, it felt cold. Colder than anything I’ve ever felt. It reminded me of death itself and terrified me, but it was also intriguing at the same time. Like a poisonous flower, it was both beautiful and deadly.
“Peer inside,” a woman’s voice whispered.
I whipped my head back and forth and looked wildly around me.
“Who’s there?” I demanded. “Show yourself.”
A soft giggle filled the air, and it sent a shiver down my spine. At that moment, I knew whoever was with me was toying with me. They were not going to show themselves or answer my question.
So, I had to find out why I was here for myself. I needed to look into the fountain.
I peered down and was startled to see murky and thick bloody water. I tried to find what I was looking for, but I couldn’t even see my own damn reflection. I bent down lower, and then, out of nowhere, a human hand reached out and grabbed me by my throat.
I yanked myself back, but the hand’s grasp grew tighter and deadlier. I struggled against its grip and dug my fingernails into its wrist. I was losing air and could barely manage to breathe as I tore into the skin of whatever had me by the throat.
Just when I thought I was going to die from lack of oxygen, the hand let go, and I fell back. Then I coughed and hacked and struggled to stand up.
When I finally scrambled to my feet, I stared long and hard at the fountain. I wanted to smash it into a thousand pieces.
“Fuck you,” I growled.
Just as I was about to turn around, though, the fountain started to shake, and the stone structure slowly turned into nothing but water as I watched. The water pooled around my ankles, and it was ice cold. Then the liquid flowed out of the cove, and something was begging me to follow the stream.
Despite my near encounter with death, I obliged and followed the flowing river to a rocky shore. I was now facing the sea, which beat roughly against the stones, and when I adjusted my eyes, I could make out the shadow of someone standing near a cliff.
I knew it was a woman by her slim, lean figure, and she was standing on the edge and looking down into the violent sea below.
Something told me she was ready to jump.
“Wait!” I called out. “Don’t do it!”
This is just a dream, a voice inside my head said. Why do you care about her fate?
“Because I do,” I replied aloud.
As if she’d heard me, the woman turned toward me and smiled, and I realized with a jolt I’d seen her before, in another dream. The dream that still haunted me. I remembered the way the baby cried out as she stood in the black of night. Her beautiful, pale face stared hard at me, and her eyes were glowing red. Then she pulled back her hood, and her dark hair tumbled down her shoulders.
“Hello, Cole,” she said in a low voice. “Are you getting any closer?”
I opened my mouth to say something, but then she took a step back and fell.
“No!” I cried out.
But as soon as I tried to run toward the cliff, my eyes shot wide open, and I was back in my room.
“What the hell?” I muttered as I gingerly sat up.
I’d woken in a terrible sweat. My hair was plastered to my face, and the sheets were soaked as I struggled to pull myself out of bed and plant my feet on the cold floor below me. I rubbed my eyes and stood naked in the room, and I was ready to submerge myself in ice-cold water. I’d had nightmares before, but this one was something else entirely. It had utterly consumed me, and it felt more real than any other dream I’d experienced before.
“Would you like for me to draw you a bath, sir?” a familiar voice asked.
“Yes, thank you, Cordelia,” I responded. “That would be great.”
I smirked to myself as she began to fill up the tub. The ghostly maid could be pervy at times, but I loved having another woman at my beck and call. It made my chaotic life here in the academy a little easier.
When I headed into the bathroom, the tub was now filled with water, and when I stepped in, it was a comfortable warm temperature.
Just what I needed.
I rinsed myself and tried to scrub off the remnants of last night’s nightmare, but when I looked into the water, all I could see was the salty, gray ocean from my dreams. I could see the woman standing over the edge of the cliff, and I could still feel how my heart dropped when she fell back into the sea.
“What the hell was that?” I muttered as I rubbed at my throbbing temples.
As I stepped out of the tub and dried myself off, I tried not to think about everything on my mind, but it was difficult. Between my new set of classes, Theodora’s speech, my unnerving dream, and all my unanswered questions, I felt as if I was going crazy.
I shook my head and told myself I would just have to worry about one thing at a time. I couldn’t afford to be distracted, not after what I saw last night in the opposing school.
Theodora was right. I needed to focus on my studies.
So, I sighed and quickly dressed in a new set of black robes that were folded neatly in the velvet chair by the window. I also grabbed my wand and dagger, but I immediately noticed the blade looked sleek and shiny, as if someone had just cleaned it.
It took me a moment to realize who.
“Thank you, Cordelia,” I said as I tucked the weapon into my waistband. “You’ve been extremely helpful.”
“My pleasure, sir,” she answered, and I could hear the smile in her voice.
“Are you going to just hover around all day?” I asked out of curiosity. “Or are you going to show yourself?”
“I prefer to remain hidden if it’s all the same with you,” she replied.
“Fine by me.” I grinned and shook my head before I placed my wand into my robe pocket. When I opened the door, though, I was startled to see Vanessa was standing right outside with her fist raised and ready to knock.
The witch’s long dark hair fell in perfect curls down to her small, hourglass waist. She was wearing a tight, red lace gown that showed off her slender, creamy white shoulders, and her beautiful, sharp face was set in a frown, as usual.
“Mother sent me to come and fetch you for the grand assembly,” she said, with her full mouth pressed in a tight line.
She looked like the spitting image of a younger Theodora, and sometimes I had to remind myself that while they looked alike, they were not the same in terms of temperament. Vanessa could be one wolfish bitch whenever it pleased her.
“Grand assembly?” I repeated with an arched eyebrow.
“Yes,” she sighed. “Come along now.”
Then her eyes flickered down to my neck, and she stared for a moment too long.
“What?” I asked.
“What is that?” she questioned and squinted her eyes. “There’s something on your neck… ”
“What?” I repeated as I reached for my throat.
Vanessa sighed and pulled out something from the pocket of her red gown. It was a small, oval mirror with gold and black embellishments surrounding the glass, and when I looked into the reflection, I had to do a double take. Five oval bruises lined my throat like a necklace, and I took a step back in shock.
The hand from last night had actually managed to strangle me.
“I… I’m not sure,” I lied. “That’s weird… maybe it’s allergies.”
Vanessa huffed as if she didn’t believe me and tucked the mirror back into her pocket. Then she eyed me suspiciously as she spoke.
“Never mind, then,” she said. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” I replied, “let’s go.”
The witch whipped around and marched down the stairs, and I followed her as I tried not to think about the strangeness of last night’s dream, or vision, or whatever the hell it was. As I walked, I pulled my collar up and buttoned it to the top to cover my neck. I didn’t want the other witches to question whatever the hell attacked me last night in my sleep.
I quietly followed Vanessa until we ended up at the banquet hall. This morning, it was absolutely packed with students, and I’d never seen it this crowded before. I never even realized there were so many pupils attending the school until now. There were hundreds of witches squeezed inside the room, and everyone was whispering to each other. The noise reminded me of a hive of bees, and I had to admit I was impressed.
“Satan.” I whistled. “How many students are here exactly?”
“In the whole school?” Vanessa replied in a loud voice. “Thousands… but these are just some of the students you’ll be studying with this semester.”
“Ah.” I nodded.
I glanced around at the sea of students, and some of the witches were even more bizarre-looking than I’d first thought. Quite a few were clearly a mixture of different species, which I thought was interesting, and I spotted elvish, goblin, fairy, and other hybrids of different breeds of animals and monsters standing in the hall. Some had horns, others had wings, and many were beautiful, while others were as hideous as Sweeny had been.
It was a glorious combination of everything.
While these witches might have seemed strange to me, clearly, I was the most bizarre-looking one here. As soon as I stepped past the threshold, everyone’s eyes fell on me. I tried not to let it bother me, but it was difficult when hundreds of eyes were glued to my face.
“Go to your coven, male,” Vanessa hissed. “We’ll be beginning soon.”
I nodded and looked around for my group. Finally, I spotted green hair and pointed purple ears. That could have only been Vesta, so I headed toward her, and as I got closer, I spotted Akira, Faye, and Morgana as well. All of them had their hair down, and when I got closer, they all stared at me with wide eyes.
“Hello,” Vesta coughed.
Her silver eyes refused to meet mine, and her lavender skin was tinted a slightly darker plum. In fact, all the women looked flushed and had trouble meeting my eyes. I briefly wondered why they were all acting so strangely, and then I smiled to myself. Our last encounter didn’t include much clothing or talking. It was mostly them moaning, coming, and begging for their turn to get filled up with my sperm, so maybe they were a little embarrassed.
“Hey, there,” I said with a wink. “How’s everyone doing?”
The witches all exchanged looks with each other before staring down at their feet, and I could sense their hesitation from here.
“Is no one going to say anything?” I pushed.
“Say anything?” Vesta grumbled as her blush deepened. “There’s nothing to say… right?”
“Yeah,” Akira snarled, and her full lips curled with disgust as she stared at me. “There’s nothing to talk about or say, Cole.”
So, that’s how they wanted to play it. If they wanted to pretend like nothing happened between us, that was fine by me. I’d have some fun with it.
“Don’t worry, ladies.” I smirked. “We can leave the past in the past… until you come begging for more, that is.”
All their mouths dropped, and I imagined them down on their knees with their full lips around my cock. I remembered the way they moaned when I made them come, and I almost grew hard from the memory of it all.
“We would never beg you for anything,” Morgana hissed as she tossed her dark hair over her shoulder. “Dream on, Cole.”
“I don’t need to dream,” I replied with a grin. “I just have to wait.”
The witches scoffed, but before any of them could utter another word, Headmistress Theodora graced us with her presence up at the front of the room.
Today, the headmistress was wearing a long, green gown with a skeleton brooch on her neck, and I almost mistook her for Vanessa, who was standing quietly by her side.
“Could I please have everyone’s undivided attention?” Theodora called out.
Suddenly, the buzzing and talking all died down, and everyone’s attention turned to the headmistress as she stood there, poised and intimidating. She was smiling, but her blue eyes dared us to mutter even one more word.
“I know you’re all eager to get to class, but I do want to make a brief announcement before we commence with the school day,” Theodora said in a loud and clear voice. “I know many of you have already noticed our newest addition, Cole, who just recently passed the preschooler exam.”
I swallowed hard as all the women’s eyes turned to me. Some threw me curious glances while others shot judgmental glares in our general direction.
“I will personally ask that you do not go out of your way to give him a difficult time since he will be partaking in more intensive courses, along with the rest of his coven,” the headmistress went on. “I know it’s strange to see a man walking through the corridors, but you will have to get used to seeing him in class as well. Now, that is all. Please make your way to class.”
Everyone slowly started to make their way to the back of the room to head out of the banquet hall. Furious whispering started up again, and all eyes were burning holes into the back of my head.
“Was that really necessary?” Morgana whispered as we all headed toward the doors. “She didn’t have to tell them all we were your coven. How embarrassing.”
“Well, we kinda are, aren’t we?” Vesta asked.
“But she didn’t have to say it!” Morgana hissed and flushed pink.
“They were going to find out anyway,” Faye sighed. “Just a matter of time till the rumors spread.”
“These bitches are all going to think they are better than us because they aren’t bound to a man,” Akira growled. “I hate them so much already.”
“Who fucking cares?” I snickered. “Worry about more important things beside the headmistress making us unpopular.”
I knew no matter what, I would always be treated as an outcast here. It didn’t bother me, though, so I wondered why Theodora even said anything. Did she have some kind of alternate plan in mind?
“Well, she did it for a reason,” Faye snapped as if she could read my mind, and her green eyes blazed with an inner fire. “We must remain loyal and not question our headmistress.”
I suppressed a laugh. Faye always seemed to take things a little too seriously.
“Fine by me.” I shrugged. “Besides, if I wanted you to be all sweet and docile, all I’d have to do is command you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous--” the redhead started to say, but then I raised a hand.
“Silence.” I grinned.
Her mouth snapped shut immediately, and her green-gold eyes glared at me as she struggled to speak.
“See?” I said. “Easy as that. Don’t forget I own you, Faye. Now, you can speak freely if you wish.”
Faye opened her mouth, and I knew she was ready to hurl a bunch of insults at me, but instead, the redhead just coughed, averted her gaze, and pretended like nothing happened.
“Let’s just get to class,” Vesta said and broke the tense silence. “I can feel everyone’s eyes on us.”
“Me, too,” I sighed. “But what else is new?”
We all walked together through the dining hall doors, and since I wasn’t sure where to go, I followed a large group of students down a series of corridors and past dozens of new paintings. I’d never seen this part of the castle before, and I supposed this was because preschoolers were not permitted to enter this section of the academy. The air here was colder, and the walls were no longer painted, but now made out of pale stone. Paintings still hung against the walls, but each portrait’s eyes were entirely white, so there was no way to tell if they were watching us or not.
“What’s with these paintings?” I asked under my breath.
“You mean, where are their eyes?” Morgana replied.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I know it’s strange to say, but it’s really unnerving.”
“These are witches who were burned at the stake,” Morgana explained in a know-it-all voice. “I’m a history buff, so I can name each one at the top of my head.”
“Good for fucking you, nerd,” Akira muttered.
“What crawled up your ass?” Morgana bit back.
“Nothing,” Akira sighed as she rolled her charcoal black eyes. “I guess I’m just nervous about our new classes.”
“Me, too,” Vesta added and bit her lower, lilac lip. “It’s alright to be nervous.”
“Oh, speaking of classes,” I said. “Headmistress Theodora told me you will all be joining me for extensive courses--”
“Wait, what?” Akira shrieked as she stopped in her tracks and whirled to face me head on. “How come she never told us that?”
“I don’t fucking know why she didn’t tell you,” I replied with a roll of my eyes. “All I know is we’re a coven, and we’re going to be facing some seriously deadly shit.”
“What deadly shit?” Faye demanded and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Look,” I sighed as we continued to walk deeper into the castle, “it’s a long fucking story, but all I can really tell you is our school is at war.”
“With who?” Vesta asked, and her silver eyes widened in concern.
“With other schools.” I shrugged. “I don’t know the whole history.”
“I think that sounds invigorating,” Morgana said in an excited voice, and when I glanced over, her blue eyes were bright with anticipation. “A chance to prove ourselves to the headmistress? We should look at this as an opportunity to--”
“You didn’t even hear the full story,” Akira snapped. “I mean, I’m not surprised we’re a coven now, but still, why does that mean we have to be dragged into your troll shit, Cole?”
“It concerns us all, Akira,” I hissed. “Do you think I personally asked Theodora to include us in all of this?”
“Start from the beginning,” Vesta whispered as she looked around nervously, “and for Satan’s sake, keep your voice down. People might hear you.”
“All I can tell you is I’m just as confused as you are,” I said. “One minute, I was in the headmistress office, and then the next, we were fighting for our lives in another school.”
“Satan,” the lavender-skinned witch breathed. “This is bad.”
“No shit,” I muttered as we followed a group through another doorway, but then my mouth fell open when I saw our new classroom.
The walls were painted silver, and the room was grand enough to fit at least a hundred students. The desks appeared to be hand-carved and made out of the most beautiful cherry wood. Crimson red carpets covered the dark floor, and a massive chandelier hung high above us. The room was warm and glowing from the firelight, and the air smelled sweet like incense. What made this room also stand apart from the others, though, were the large windows that faced the dark woods. I could actually see the sky, and dark gray clouds hovered above the school grounds.
This was definitely an upgrade from our previous classrooms.
The desks were actually tables large enough to fit at least six students, so I made my way to one of the empty ones in the front of the classroom.
“Follow me,” I ordered as I moved forward.
“Don’t tell us what to--ah!” Akira gasped as her body jerked forward.
“What were you saying?” I smirked.
“Never mind,” she growled, and her black eyes glared daggers at me. “I can walk by myself, thank you.”
With that settled, Akira, Vesta, Faye, and Morgana obediently followed me to the desk, and we all took a seat. Vesta sat next to me, while Akira sat beside Morgana across from us. Then Faye took her own spot at the end of the table.
There was a new, dark blue textbook with silver cursive writing in front of everyone’s spot, and I picked mine up to study it closer.
“I wonder what new tricks we’ll be learning in the Blood Magic class,” Faye mused as she leaned back in her chair.
“I’ve been doing some extra studying.” Morgana grinned.
“Of course you have,” Akira muttered as she rolled her dark eyes.
“As I was saying,” Morgana continued as she shot a dark look at Akira, “this class is going to blow all your minds--”
“Good morning, class,” Vanessa’s voice echoed as she slammed the door shut. She marched into the classroom with a stone-cold face, and when she whipped around to stare at everyone, she folded her hands behind her back and cleared her throat. “Welcome to the advanced Blood Magic class. I trust that you all understand just how difficult of a course this will be.”
“Yes, Professor,” everyone replied in unison.
I straightened myself up and kept my eyes fixated on Vanessa, but she appeared to be looking in everyone else’s direction and refused to even glance at our table.
“Now, the first lesson we will learn is how to possess someone else through the use of Blood Magic,” she said in a loud, clear voice.
As she spoke, she took a long, sleek blade from her desk and quickly cut into her wrist. She slashed so quick and deep it nearly made me flinch, and then dark blood dripped along her porcelain skin and onto the table.
“As we all know,” she went on with a stoic face, “the more blood you use, the better.”
Vanessa closed her eyes and muttered something under her breath as the blood dripped from her hand. A moment later, her eyes glowed white behind her lids, and a wind began swirling around her. Her dark hair whipped through the air as she continued to whisper, and I watched with my mouth slightly parted in amazement. She looked like a vengeful goddess as her eyes burned brighter and the wind grew stronger.
Finally, Vanessa took a step forward and moved toward the class. She was heading straight to our table, though, and her hand was extended outward. She seemed to be reaching for Vesta.
The lavender-skinned witch seemed to realize this, and her silver eyes were as large as dinner plates as she watched Vanessa grow closer and closer.
I swallowed hard and watched as Vanessa placed her hand gently on Vesta’s arm. Nothing happened, though, and a strange, awkward air filled the classroom. All eyes were on the two women, but still, nothing happened.
“What the hell is going on?” I whispered to myself.
“She’s trying to possess Vesta,” Morgana muttered back. “I read about it in chapter two but… our souls are bound to yours, Cole, so I’m not sure it will work.”
“Of course you read about this,” Akira said again in an unsurprised tone. It was clear Morgana’s know-it-all attitude was starting to grate on the black-eyed witch’s nerves. “All you do is read.”
“Shut up, both of you,” I demanded. I didn’t want to hear their petty little arguments. I wanted to watch what was going on.
Would this actually work? I was eager to find out.
Morgana huffed and crossed her arms before she turned her attention back to the professor.
Vanessa didn’t even seem fazed that Akira and Morgana had been whispering feverishly to each other. The professor was too focused on Vesta as she stared at the witch with a look of determination and dominance, but then Vanessa’s beautiful face contoured into a scowl of pure anger and impatience.
“Stand,” she demanded in an echoing voice.
Slowly, Vesta stood up from her seat, and her silver eyes were solely focused on Vanessa.
“Um… okay?” the green-haired witch said in a confused voice. “Should I keep standing, or… ?”
Vanessa bit her lower lip and then whipped around to head back to her desk. She glared at the class with pure contempt, and Vesta slowly sat back down and glanced at the table, unable to meet the professor’s glare.
“If I may, Professor,” Morgana spoke up in a shy voice, “I don’t believe it worked because… well… we are already tied to Cole--”
“Miss Morgana,” Vanessa snapped in a sharp voice, “if I wanted to hear from you and listen to your endless know-it-all banter, then I’d call on you. Are we clear?”
Morgana turned the deepest shade of red, and her blue eyes flickered downward.
“Apologies, Professor,” she mumbled, but all I could do was smirk.
The rest of the classroom started to mutter under their breaths, and I could make out bits and pieces of the conversation directly behind me.
“I told you they were bound together,” one witch hissed. “Everyone said it was nothing but a rumor, but I knew it was true.”
“I just can’t believe he overpowered the professor like that,” another witch added, “that was beyond embarrassing--”
“Silence!” Vanessa commanded.
The room fell silent, and the professor glanced at the table of witches that had been whispering behind me. Then she pointed to someone at the back of the table. When I followed her gaze, I saw a young, thin witch with a grape-purple bob, hazel eyes, and salamander pink skin with freckles.
“You,” Vanessa growled, and it was clear she hadn’t bothered to learn the witch’s name, “come up here, now.”
The witch awkwardly stood up and headed to the front of the classroom and bowed her head.
“Stand still,” Vanessa ordered.
The professor repeated the same ritual, and again a wind picked up and her eyes glowed. We all watched as the timid little witch stood there, with her legs trembling and her hands shaking.
“Face the class,” Vanessa demanded in an echo.
I watched in fascination as the purple haired witch slowly turned to face the rest of us. Her eyes were white and glowing now, and she looked completely devoid of any emotion.
“Face me,” Vanessa ordered.
The small witch nodded and then stared right at Vanessa with white eyes and a compliant look on her round face.
Vanessa was no longer pissed off now. In fact, she looked as if she were inhaling a drug. Her eyes were dilated until the pupils nearly swallowed her blue irises, and she was smiling as she mentally held on to the witch.
“I release you,” the professor said after a moment.
I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath this whole time, and I exhaled as I watched the girl’s entire body relaxed. Her shoulders slumped down, her eyes turned slowly back to hazel, and she looked around with a perplexed and slightly terrified expression.
“W-What… what just happened?” the witch stammered as she looked down at her body. “I was sitting one moment, and then the next thing I know, everything turned black--”
“Blood possession,” Vanessa cut her off and grinned. “I was able to see through your eyes, temporarily take over your soul, and command you to do my will.”
“I know that feeling,” Vesta muttered with a frown as she looked at me.
“What was that?” Vanessa called out with an arched brow.
She had ears like a wolf.
“Oh, nothing,” Vesta answered quickly, and her purple cheeks darkened into a deep plum color. “I’m just thinking aloud to myself… apologies, Professor.”
Vanessa clicked her tongue and gestured for the skinny witch to sit back down, and the purple-haired witch nodded and took a seat, but she was clearly still shaken up. When I looked at her, her hazel eyes were darting back and forth, and I could see her bottom lip trembling. She’d also paled slightly, and her skin glistened with sweat.
“Now, possession takes an immense amount of concentration, control, and patience,” Vanessa said as she continued the lesson. “It’s not easy to get right the first time… not even the second or third.”
“She’s right, possession can take up to eight weeks to master,” Morgana whispered to the rest of us. “It’s one of the most difficult spells to remember.”
“That is correct, Morgana,” Vanessa said as she smiled tightly in our direction. “If you would like to lead the class, please, be my guest.”
“Oh, no… I meant no disrespect.” Morgana blushed and dropped her gaze to the table. “I’m sorry, Professor.”
Vanessa glared at Morgana before she slowly nodded, and I thought the entire exchange was strange. Vanessa never seemed to hold something against the other witches of my preschool class, but now she was treating them the same way she treated me. She even seemed to be looking for excuses to humiliate them in front of the entire classroom.
I closed my eyes for a moment and tried to sense what Vanessa was feeling, and I quickly found contempt and irritation. She hated my coven because they were tied to me.
I thought it was unfair, but I didn’t dwell on it for too long. Instead, I watched as Vanessa returned to the front of the class and then flashed everyone the same forced smile. It was the kind of smile that suggested she’d rather be anywhere else than here.
And it was all because of my presence. I could sense it.
“Now, everyone, please turn to page three-hundred-and-forty-two,” she demanded. “Quickly now, we don’t have all day.”
Everyone turned to their books, and the sound of paper ruffling filled the air. When I landed on the right page, I marveled at the artwork. It was a small drawing of a magnificent castle, and three witches were heading toward the gates. They all had their cloaks pulled up, and their wands extended, and as I stared at the artwork, it slowly started to move.
“Whoa,” I breathed.
“What?” Faye shrugged. “You’ve seen the paintings move.”
“Yeah, but this is the first time I’ve seen this in a book,” I whispered back.
“Both of you be quiet!” Morgana hissed.
I rolled my eyes and started to read quietly to myself until Vanessa clapped.
“Let’s all read aloud together,” she said. “I’ll begin. Long ago, during the treacherous and magnificent times of the dark ages, witches would invade mortal kingdoms to possess the kings and queens of nations. These ambitious witches learned deadly secrets through the art of possession and knew exactly who was in bed with the one true enemy, the elder gods.”
As she read, the books started to shake on everyone’s desk, and the witches in the picture began to walk toward the castle. As Vanessa continued, I turned the page to follow her. Now, the witches were all casting a spell on a man, who must have been a knight because he was painted wearing armor. I watched with fascination as the man in the illustration began to tremble, and his eyes started to glow white.
“Our ancestors would bewitch castles and command mortal armies to slaughter one another,” Vanessa went on. “It was a beautiful time until the elder gods found a way to protect the villages with a magical shield.”
I flipped the page and watched as the witches began to simmer and burn. The flesh slowly melted off their bones, and I could practically hear them screeching and crying out for Satan.
“This shield would burn any witch who tried to surpass it,” Vanessa explained. “Which is why the power of blood possession has been so difficult to achieve over the years. Witches grew too fearful to use it, for fear of being caught by the elder gods, and the knowledge was slowly lost over time.”
I nodded and swallowed hard. Talking about opposing castles and elder gods reminded me of my conversation with Theodora.
I had a feeling that if we didn’t take control of the situation, this school was going to be in serious trouble.
I shook my head and focused on Vanessa, and we spent the rest of the class all reading one and a time, like children in an actual school. An hour passed, and we didn’t even begin to learn about the incantation itself. We just read about the history of it. I was growing bored, until finally, after one witch with pale pink hair and mint green skin stopped reading, Vanessa lifted her hand.
“That’s enough reading for today, I believe,” she said. “We’ll stop there for now and continue during our next class.”
Some of the students sighed and loudly closed their books, and disappointment filled the air. I stood up and prepared to leave the room, but Vanessa glided to our table and placed her hand down on the desk.
“Not you,” she snapped as the rest of the classroom full of women filtered out the door. “You five will all follow me.”
“But why, Professor?” Vesta asked in a trembling voice. “Did we do something wrong?”
“No,” Vanessa replied with her chin raised. “You will be partaking in advanced classes. Blood possession is an essential skill to master, especially for you five, considering your… unique predicament. Did Cole not even bother to inform you of the extra classes you would be taking this semester?”
Her voice was laced with accusation, and I repressed the urge to roll my eyes.
“Yes,” Vesta murmured, “he briefly mentioned something about it before the class started.”
“Well, good,” Vanessa sneered. “Then you will all follow me and cease to ask pointless questions.”
The lavender-skinned witch blushed and nodded in agreement, and none of the other women spoke up.
“Now, follow me,” Vanessa demanded. “We are about to learn the true art of possession.”
I smiled to myself. This was supposed to be the most challenging spell to learn on the first try. I knew Vanessa wanted me to fail, and I couldn’t wait to prove her wrong.