By the time I finished reading, it was well into the middle of the night. I finally found myself tucked into the bedsheets, but as heavy as my head felt with exhaustion, I tossed and turned for hours.
No matter how hard I tried to fall into a deep sleep, it seemed impossible. All I could do was think about that fucking soldier. I hated the way his face scrunched up into satisfaction as he watched the witches burn, and I could still smell their charred skin as they burned at the stake. They hadn’t screamed, but I could still sense their pain, anguish, and final thoughts. I could feel them as clearly as if I were one of them.
If I could, I would force the bastard to kill himself over and over again. It brought a smile to my face as I remembered how he had cut so deeply into his own throat. I longed to see the life drain from his eyes once more. I’d never felt such murderous hate before that moment. I knew I’d been angry, vengeful, and bloodthirsty before, but something in me had changed after that class.
Now, there was a bloodthirsty side to me that craved to see more men suffer at my hands. It was all I could think about, and I knew the sooner I could kill another mortal again, the happier I would be.
I continued to lay in bed, and I just stared up at the ceiling. Alexander was by my pillow, and he was softly snoring without a care in the world. The only thing he had to worry about was when his next meal was going to be.
Eventually, I shut my eyes and tried my best to fall asleep. An hour or two passed, and by the time I was half asleep and half awake, there was a loud and frantic knock on my door.
Alexander woke with a start, and in the pale light that streamed through my stained-glass window, I could see his little face staring at me with a blank and confused expression.
“I don’t know what’s going on,” I muttered as I ripped the covers off, “but you just go back to sleep, alright?”
The floor was cold, and the air was even colder against my bare chest and feet as I rushed to open the door. As soon as I swung it open, I saw Vanessa standing there in a sheer, white nightgown. Her dark hair was a mess that tumbled past her shoulders and down to her small waist. Her eyes were red and swollen as if she had been crying, and her full rosy lips were trembling. I’d never seen her like this before, and I thought at this point, I’d be used to her coming to my room at strange hours, but I was completely thrown off by the look on her beautiful but terrified face. She was paler than usual, and when I glanced down at her hands, they were shaking beyond control.
“Professor, what’s wrong?” I asked as my heart began to race. “You look--”
“Come with me right now,” she demanded, “and get dressed. There’s no time to explain. Hurry! And bring your wand and dagger with you.”
I nodded, threw on a shirt, put on my boots and cloak, and grabbed my belongings before I quickly followed her out the door. We raced down the twisty staircase, and she was moving fast as if her life depended on it. I was desperate to ask her what was wrong because a million different possibilities were wandering through my head.
Was someone from my coven hurt? Was there an intruder in the castle? Did Theodora want to send me on another test? My mind raced with various questions, but I knew it would have been useless to ask Vanessa since she was so clearly distraught.
Even though she was always in a rush to get somewhere, she was practically sprinting down the halls. I knew the two of us didn’t see eye to eye, but deep down, it worried me to see her like this. She was practically running for dear life, and I could have sworn I heard her sobbing as she ran barefoot through the corridors. She was always so composed, calm, and collected, but right now, she was not acting like herself. I knew from the route we were taking that we were heading to the headmistress’ office, but I had no idea why. It was in the middle of the night, and even the paintings were all deep asleep.
When we arrived at Theodora’s office door, the rest of the coven was waiting right outside. At least they were all safe, which brought me relief. When I looked at each of them, they all looked disheveled and equally concerned, as if they had just woken up as well. Since it was the middle of the fucking night, I thought that was probably the case, but even though it was so late, they were all dressed in their everyday uniforms and cloaks.
“Professor, what’s going on?” Akira asked as soon as she spotted us. “Why did you summon us so late at night?”
“I’ll explain in a moment,” Vanessa replied before she unlocked the headmistress’ door. She then turned to look at us before opening the door, and she took in a shaky breath. “Or perhaps I will let you all see for yourselves.”
An uneasy feeling crept down to the pit of my stomach as Vanessa pushed the door open, and ice-cold air whipped past our faces as we stepped into the dimly lit office.
Then my mouth dropped open when I saw the headmistress.
Theodora was lying down on a cot by the fireplace. She was in a white nightgown, and beads of sweat dripped down her forehead and neck. She was struggling to breathe, and it seemed like she was lying on her deathbed.
“What’s wrong with her?” I gasped. “How long has she been like this?”
“For a while now, she’s been recovering from a vision,” Vanessa replied in a low voice, “but it was unlike anything she’s ever had before. I wasn’t sure what to do, she’s been in and out of it like a fever dream, but she did mention your name several times.”
“My name?” I asked. “What… what else did she say?”
“Not much… I found her lying in front of the fireplace,” Vanessa said, and her voice was quivering as if she were on the verge of tears. Then she took in a long, deep, and steady breath before she continued. “All she said was to bring you to her… in fact, she mentioned that all of you needed to be here… that’s all I know.”
My coven and I exchanged confused looks with one another. The air was filled with uncertainty, and a foreboding presence hung in the air like an invisible curtain. I was at a loss. I had no idea what to do, except to try and talk to Theodora, so I pulled away from the group and edged closer to the headmistress. Her eyes were closed, and her mouth was moving as if she were muttering something under her breath.
“Cole?” she croaked suddenly as she tried to open her eyes, but I could tell it was a struggle for her. “Vanessa, is that him? Is he here?”
“Yes, Mother,” the sharp-featured brunette replied as she brushed past me. Then she bent down to grab Theodora’s hand. “He’s here, and so is the rest of his coven.”
“Come closer, Cole,” Theodora said in a low voice. “Quickly.”
I bent down to lower myself to her level. She finally managed to open her pale blue eyes, and I could see the fear and terror in them when I met her gaze. I’d never seen her like this before. She was always so self-possessed, but right now, she was scared to death.
“What did you see?” I asked in a whisper. “Vanessa said you had a vision. What did you see?”
“I saw death,” Theodora replied in a weak voice, “I saw our school burning. There was blood, terror, and death. Knights of Duke Malik were flooding the hallways and slaying the students, one by one. You must go, Cole. All of you must go, now, before it is too late.”
“Go to Greenwood?” I clarified. “Duke Malik’s realm?”
“Yes,” she muttered, “if you don’t, then Scholomance will fall by sunrise. I have seen it.”
I turned to look at the other witches, and each of them seemed utterly terrified and ashen-faced. Vanessa was also as white as a ghost as she looked down at her weakened mother.
“Alright, we’ll go,” I said after a moment.
“Thank you,” the headmistress murmured, and then her eyes slipped closed again.
Vanessa gently pulled me away from Theodora, and we returned to the coven. We huddled in a circle, and Vanessa looked us all in the eye. She was clearly worried about her mother and the vision, but right now, she was doing her best to keep her composure. She swallowed hard and then took in a deep, steady breath.
“I know this is sudden and unexpected, but we don’t have a choice,” she said in a steady voice. “You’re going to have to go.”
“Professor?” Morgana asked. “Was this a part of the plan?”
“I’m going to be honest with you all,” Vanessa replied in a hushed voice, “this was not expected. We wanted to test you one more time before sending you out, but clearly, things have changed. You will have to complete the mission with the knowledge you already possess… and you’re going to have to fight like hell to defeat that bastard, Malik.”
“No shit,” Akira whispered, and her coal-black eyes shone with fury. Then Akira met Vanessa’s gaze and immediately looked down at her feet as if she were suddenly ashamed. “Apologies, Professor… this is just so sudden. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful.”
“I understand.” Vanessa nodded and ran her fingers through her tangled hair. “Not only is this sudden, but it’s also dangerous… you’re putting your lives at risk for the sake of the school. I know I gave you all a hard time, but my mother’s life depends on you all, and the rest of the school will be forever indebted to you as well, should you succeed.”
She sounded both remorseful and grateful for once, and I could sense a part of her regretted this turn of events. Perhaps it was because she had a soft spot for the other witches? Or maybe she regretted sending us into a life-threatening situation without any decent warning? I wasn’t sure exactly what was going through her mind, but I knew she was uncertain about all of this. Every witch turned to look at one another, and I knew deep down, they were terrified. They refused to let it show on their faces, though, and they raised their chins and took in steady breaths.
“Well, fuck,” Akira laughed. “What the hell are we waiting for? Let’s go and kill this fucker.”
“Hell yeah.” Morgana grinned.
“We’re in this together,” I said with a nod. “I know this isn’t what anyone had planned, but fuck it. We’re going to see this through, and we’re going to make it back alive. I swear on my life.”
The coven nodded, and then Vanessa sighed.
“Very well,” she said, “I will send you just outside of the borders of the Greenwood realm… but the rest is up to you. You must find the castle, locate the Duke, and kill him… before he sends an army to kill us all. Remember your training and work together. Do not let each other out of your sights. And the most important advice I can give you is to keep all your senses on high alert. There is a magic there that goes against our kind, and it lurks all throughout the realm and the castle. Keep a lookout. In the meantime, I will set up Scholomance’s defenses if you and the coven should fail.”
“You don’t have to worry about that last bit.” I grinned. “There’s no way in hell we’re going to fail. I promise you that.”
Vanessa’s lips twitched like she wanted to smile, but deep down, I knew she was worried, and I couldn’t blame her. I knew this was going to be even more challenging than last semester’s final exam. All of our abilities would be put to the ultimate test, and one small fuck up would not only kill us, but it could also wipe out our entire school.
I wasn’t about to let that happen, though. Not while I was still breathing.
“We understand, Professor,” I said, “and we’re ready to go.”
“Very well.” Vanessa nodded. “Gather in a circle and join hands.
We’d been through this before, and we knew exactly what was about to go down. So, we all held hands, and Vesta and Morgana were by my sides. I could sense them slightly trembling, and I squeezed their palms in reassurance.
“We can do this,” I whispered, “do not be afraid.”
We all closed our eyes before Vanessa began the incantation. Soon, the air grew even colder, and the room started to shake, but I kept my eyes wide open as the office began to slowly disappear. Vanessa morphed into nothing but a shadow, and then she was gone entirely. The other witches had their eyes closed as we spun through the air and into another realm, and no matter how many times we’d traveled like this, it still caused my stomach to do flips and somersaults. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to it.
Finally, we all landed with a thud, and when we broke apart, we all groaned as we slowly stood up and glanced around.
“Not the smoothest of landings, huh?” Akira grumbled as she rubbed at her pert little ass.
“That’s the least of our problems,” I said, “look where we are.”
All the witches went deadly quiet as they glanced at our surroundings. We were not in a black forest or a green field. For the first time ever, we seemed to be somewhere worse.
A cold, dark, and desolate desert.
I looked up above me, and the sky was pitch black. There was no moon, and there were no stars. The air was freezing, and it blew specs of sand into my eyes. Even in the dark, there was something strange about the sand. It almost looked reddish-black colored.
“Fuck,” Akira sighed. “Well, here we are… I guess.”
“Did Vanessa send us to the right place?” Faye asked.
“Yes, we’re on the borders,” Morgana replied. “I did plenty of research on the realm of Duke Malik, and his kingdom is completely surrounded by deadly sands.”
“Sorry, can you repeat that?” Akira demanded. “Did you say deadly sands?”
“I did,” the brunette witch confirmed. “Carnivorous sandworms lurk in pits underground… also, there are invisible poisonous scorpions, desert thieves, quicksand--”
“Thanks, Morgana,” Vesta interrupted, “I think we get it… we’re in the middle of a deadly desert in the dead of night. What could possibly go wrong?”
“Oh, and, since we’re all listing things that could possibly kill us,” Akira added, “should I also mention we have no fucking clue where we’re going? It’s not like we have a map to guide us.”
“I will lead the way,” I said. “I had a little extra time with Theodora yesterday after class. She said my strong premonition skills were something I was born with… but she did teach me a little trick I think will help us.”
“Well, go on then.” Akira grinned. “Show us what you’ve got, Cole.”
Despite the situation we were in, I smiled back and rolled up my sleeves. Then I took out my wand and pointed it up at the black sky.
“Inlustris, modo ducturi,” I muttered.
A gentle wind picked up, and then, a bright red star hovered above two sandy hills that laid just north of us. If it weren’t for the terrifying situation we were in, I might have taken the time to appreciate how beautiful it looked as it hung high above us.
“So, what the hell happened?” Akira asked after a moment.
“There’s a blood star above us,” I explained. “It will guide the way for us.”
“But I don’t see anything,” Vesta said with furrowed green brows.
“Neither do I,” Faye added as she squinted up at the sky.
“That’s because only he can see it,” Morgana said.
The other witches turned to her, and each one of them looked equally confused.
“It was a chapter in our old premonition textbook,” Morgana explained, “you know, the one that didn’t combine necromancy in it?”
“Yes, we know what you’re talking about,” Akira sighed in an impatient voice. “So what?”
“The book said only those born with a natural talent for premonition could see guiding stars,” Morgana replied. “So, we’re just going to have to take Cole’s word for it and follow him.”
“Follow me carefully,” I reminded them. “As you already said, Morgana, this desert is filled with traps, so we will need to be quick but smart about how to proceed.”
“Well, let’s get a damn move on, then,” Akira huffed. “The duke isn’t going to kill himself, you know.”
“Wouldn’t that be convenient?” Faye joked.
“Yes, it would,” Vesta said with a faint smile, “but highly unlikely. Cole, lead the way.”
I stared up at the bloody red star and took a deep breath.
“Alright,” I said before I took the first step forward, “let’s kill this motherfucker.”