I opened my mouth to speak again, but I could utter no words. I was in a daze, completely mesmerized by the portrait in front of me, and I stared deeply into this mysterious woman’s eyes. They were cold, ice-blue orbs that penetrated my soul at first glance. The more I looked at her, the more I realized there was something truly remarkable about her, and I wished I knew what it was.
“I know you can see me,” I said after a minute of hard silence. “What do you want from me?”
The woman didn’t say a word, so I continued to stare at her.
I knew she could speak. All the paintings in the castle were alive, so what made her any different? True, the transformation had been a new experience, but it didn’t change the fact she could speak to me if she wanted to. I couldn’t understand it. She’d been calling me to her, and now, she was as silent as the grave. It was a strange turn of events, and with each passing minute, I grew more impatient.
“Come on,” I whispered after another long moment. “Speak… I know you want to. What is it you want to tell me? I’m here.”
I strained to listen, even for a whisper, but all I could hear was the sound of water dripping and rats squeaking. The air remained the same, and there were no gusts of wind or whispering of any kind.
She was gone.
I sighed and threw the cover back over the portrait. There was no point lingering down here in the cold while asking myself the same fucking questions over and over again. Who was this woman? Why was her portrait hidden deep beneath the castle? Why did I keep seeing her? What did it mean? I promised myself I would eventually find out who this woman was, but for now, I had other things to take care of.
I stared down at the book in my hands and decided to return to the common room. I didn’t want to head back to the banquet hall. I was too preoccupied with my thoughts, and I knew the coven would know something was up as soon as they saw me. Our bond was growing stronger every day, and I wasn’t in the mood to explain myself.
I headed up the stairs and made my way back to the common room. Once I passed the blonde-haired woman’s portrait, I opened the door and slipped inside. The room was empty, aside from Alexander, who was curled up into a ball and sleeping on one of the sofas, so I quietly sat down next to him and in front of the fire.
There was a pitcher of wine on the coffee table, as well as a few goblets, so I poured myself a full glass and drank deeply before I retrieved one of the cellar books tucked under the pillow. I sipped thoughtfully, and a thousand different questions roamed through my mind. Tonight had been more eventful than I anticipated. When I stared down at the book, I knew it was going to be challenging to concentrate, but I also knew I needed to start reading. There was a reason Theodora sent me down there, and I had a feeling this was it.
So, I peeled the book open, and my eyes began to devour the text and gorgeous illustrations. Entire chapters were dedicated to ancient hexes and curses that were no longer taught in classes but served well in the games. They were laid out before me, and I was both amazed and concerned about the complicated spells and fatal tasks. Some witches had to defeat deadly dragons, murderous mermaids, and fickle fairies. The only creatures we’d come across so far were the annoying snow goblins and the huge snow beast, which, according to the text, was called an ice wendigo. Once they consumed an individual, the poor soul became bonded to the wendigo, and the soul eventually turned into a wendigo itself. For a brief moment, I almost felt sorry for that warlock who had his head ripped off. Who knew what would become of him now?
I continued to study hard until I heard footsteps by the door, and when I looked up, I caught Vesta and Faye staring at me with red cheeks and glassy eyes. They were swaying and laughing, and I knew they were tipsy from their flushed faces.
“Cole,” Faye giggled and stumbled on her heels. “You never came back to the party. Where did you go?”
“Um, yeah.” I nodded as I discreetly shut the book and tucked it under a pillow. “I just didn’t really feel up to any more socializing, so I came back here."
“We missed you.” Vesta grinned suggestively. “Akira and Morgana are still at the party.”
“Well.” I smirked. “The three of us can have some fun.”
“Oh?” Vesta purred. “What did you have in mind?”
“Several things,” I chuckled.
“Like what?” Faye purred as she licked her lips, and I could almost feel the warm and wet tightness of her pretty mouth around my cock.
“Go to my bedroom,” I ordered. “Both of you.”
The witches flushed a deeper shade of red and smiled coyly at me, and I watched as they scurried up the stairs and into my bedroom. I downed the rest of my wine and stood up. Then I slowly headed up the stairs, and when I was in my room, I shut the door and took in the sight before me.
Flames crackled in the fireplace as Vesta and Faye both sat primly on the edge of my bed, and I looked between the purple witch and the redhead as I tried to decide who I wanted to fuck first. Then I took off my shirt and tossed it into a corner before running my fingers through my hair.
It was a tough decision.
“Get up and stand in front of the bed,” I commanded, and the witches complied. Then I walked over, sat in the space they had just occupied, and leaned back to lounge on my hands.
“What next, master?” Vesta breathed, and her silver eyes were dilated with arousal.
“Undress each other,” I ordered. “Slowly.”
The witches nodded their heads obediently before they began to slowly peel off each other’s dresses. Blood rushed to my cock as Faye turned around, while Vesta slowly untied her dress, and the purple witch planted soft kisses along the back of Faye’s freckled neck as she gently pulled down the redhead’s gown. Faye was naked underneath, and her nipples pebbled the moment her pale, perky breasts were exposed to the air.
“Touch her, Vesta,” I grunted, and my voice rang with authority.
“Yes, master,” the purple witch sighed, and she reached out and plucked at Faye’s nipples until they were as red as her hair.
“Okay, stop,” I said after a moment, and Vesta froze. “Now, Faye, you do the same to Vesta.”
“Yes, Cole.” The redhead bit down on her lip as she turned to the other witch, and then Faye slowly started to peel off Vesta’s sheer gown.
To my pleasant surprise, the purple-skinned witch was also naked underneath her dress, and she moaned when Faye immediately latched onto her plum colored nipples and tugged.
Once both witches were squirming and flushed with arousal, I palmed the growing erection in my pants and studied their beautiful figures in the dim firelight.
“Come closer,” I demanded. “Both of you.”
They both sauntered over, and I turned my attention to the redhead first. Faye’s thighs were trembling, and her breasts moved up and down in a rapid rhythm. Her vibrant red hair was still tied up into a bun, but I wanted to see it tumble down across her shoulders and spill over my face. I wanted her to be completely free.
“Take your hair down,” I commanded. “Quickly.”
The redhead nodded before she reached up and undid her hair, and it came cascading down like a bloody waterfall. Her vibrant green eyes were shimmering with lust and desire, and I beckoned for her to come even closer.
“Get over here,” I ordered.
She took a small step forward, and I sat on the edge of the bed and reached in between her legs. The redhead was hot to the touch, and I smirked as I gently caressed her pussy.
Her entrance immediately twitched under my fingers, and a breathy moan slipped out from her mouth as I slid a finger inside her hot tunnel. Then I slipped another digit into her and crooked both, and Faye gasped as her nails dug into my shoulder. A moment later, I could feel drops of blood trickle down my back, and the bite of pain made my cock throb.
“You’re already wet.” I grinned. “We haven’t even begun yet.”
“Oooh,” she groaned and tossed back her head, “Cole, right there, please keep going. Don’t stop… w-whatever you do, don’t stoooop.”
“I’ll do whatever the fuck I want with you,” I growled. “Or did you forget you are mine?”
“Noooo,” she whined. “Sorry, Cole. I’m yours. Do what you want with me. I belong to you.”
“Good,” I purred. “Now, stay still.”
Faye moaned as I swiped my thumb over her throbbing clit, and she whimpered with pleasure as I continued to thrust my fingers in and out of her.
“Vesta,” I said as I looked at the purple witch. “Get on the bed.”
She nodded and slowly crawled up behind me, and she pressed her breasts against my back and gently nibbled on my earlobe as I continued to pleasure the moaning redhead.
I stared up at Faye, and my gaze wandered over her sharp, golden-green eyes, small freckled nose, and full rosy lips.
“Do you like this?” I murmured, and the redhead’s thighs trembled as I slipped my fingers deeper inside of her.
“Yesssss,” Faye whimpered as I sawed in and out of her wet tunnel, and the deeper I went, the louder she moaned.
Then, with my free hand, I reached up and cupped one of her large breasts. I brushed my thumb over her rosy, perky nipple, and she groaned softly as I gently pinched her bud. She squeezed her eyes shut as I rolled my thumb over her nipple, and when I squeezed harder, she bit down on her lip and groaned.
When her breathing grew faster after five or so minutes, I gently pulled my fingers out of her, and she gasped as her eyes flew open.
“Coooole,” she hissed through full pouty lips. “Why did you stop? I was so close.”
“Because it’s my turn,” I growled. “Both of you get down on your knees in front of me.”
I stood up from the bed, and both witches knelt before me. They didn’t dare break eye contact as I slowly unbuttoned my pants and pulled out my throbbing cock, and their glassy eyes widened and filled with primal desire as I held it out before them.
“Who shall have the first taste of me?” I whispered.
“Me, please,” Vesta begged. “Oh, Cole, I want to suck your cock so bad. Please let me be first.”
“Me, Cole,” Faye whined. “You just… you just brought me to the edge. I need something else inside of me. Let me taste you. Please.”
“Vesta,” I said after a moment of consideration, “come closer.”
The purple witch did as she was told, and as soon as she was close enough, I grabbed her head and slowly pushed myself inside her mouth. Before she engulfed me whole, she slowly ran her hot tongue along my tip and smiled wickedly at me.
“Open wider,” I demanded. “You can do it.”
She obeyed and took me in, and I groaned in instant gratification as my tip scraped against the back of her throat. Then she bobbed her green head back and forth while Faye started to run her own fingers down to her pussy. With one hand, I guided Vesta along my cock, and with the other, I snapped my fingers to stop the redhead from touching herself.
“No,” I panted, “not yet. Not until I tell you.”
“Okay,” she pouted.
“Okay…” I hissed.
“Master.” The redhead bit her lip and stared up at me with adoration clear in her eyes.
“Hmmmmm…” Vesta moaned as she licked and sucked on the head of my dick before moving down to the shaft.
“Sooo good, Vesta. Your mouth feels fantastic.” I groaned as she deepthroated my entire cock, and it took all my willpower not to explode in her mouth.
“I love the way your dick tastes,” Vesta whispered as she popped her mouth off my cock for a second, then she hastily took it all back in with one gulp, and I almost lost it as her tongue swirled around the base.
“Faye, I want you to spread your legs for me,” I ordered, “and then I want you to gently finger yourself… but you can’t come until I say so.”
“Yes, Master,” Faye grunted as she adjusted herself on the floor.
The redhead spread her legs and started to lightly tap on her bright pink pussy. She painted slow circles around her engorged clit, and I could see the wetness of her arousal glisten on her lower lips. Then she slipped two of her dainty fingers into her hungry hole, and her head dropped back with a stuttering moan.
I watched and listened as Faye finger fucked herself for several minutes, and all the while Vesta continued to suck and slurp around my cock like she was starving and only my seed could satiate her. Finally, I clenched my fingers in Vesta’s green, wavy hair, and I shoved her head down until she gagged around my shaft.
“That’s it, swallow my cock,” I crooned as Vesta twitched under my hand. “Good girl.”
Faye whimpered on the floor, and I glanced over to see her green-gold eyes were locked onto Vesta choking on my dick. The redhead had her fingers buried in her sopping wet pussy now, and her legs were starting to shake.
It was also growing more difficult not to cum in Vesta’s hungry mouth, so I decided to change things up a little bit.
“Faye, come here and get on the bed,” I grunted.
The redhead scrambled to her feet, and as she walked over to climb onto the mattress, I pried Vesta off my cock.
“Was that good, master?” the purple witch panted, and her silver eyes were dilated with desire as she planted one last kiss onto the head of my shaft.
“Very good,” I growled as I got to my feet. “Now, get on the bed next to Faye.”
“Yes, sir,” Vesta moaned, and then she moved aside and clambered up onto the mattress.
Now, both witches were splayed on their backs across the red sheets, and they squirmed as I stared down at them. Vesta ran her fingers up her lithe body to pluck at her pebbled plum nipples, and Faye spread her legs so she could delve her fingers into her wet slit again.
“Did I say you could touch yourself?” I growled as I zeroed in on the redhead. “That pussy is mine, not yours.”
Faye froze and moaned as she withdrew her fingers from her pussy. “Sorry, master.”
“You better be,” I rumbled as I crawled onto the bed, grabbed Faye by her red hair, and pulled her toward me.
Our mouths crashed together, and I immediately nipped at Faye’s lower lip until I drew blood. The redhead whimpered as I pressed her down into the mattress, and our tongues snaked together as our kiss deepened and grew more demanding.
“Cole,” the redhead gasped as she ripped her mouth away from mine. “I want you inside me. Please don’t make me beg for it.”
“Really?” I smirked as I lightly tapped my cock around the inside of her thighs. “I think good girls would beg, don’t you?”
“Yes, p-please,” she panted. “Master, fuck me, fuck me until I scream. Fuck me until you flood my womb with your seed. Satan, I need it so much. Please give it to me, Cole.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” I chuckled as I pushed her legs apart and slowly slid my cock inside her.
Faye’s pussy was incredibly wet and tight, and a guttural groan resonated in her chest when I bottomed out inside of her. I didn’t start moving, though. Instead, I paused there, with my shaft buried into her womb up to the hilt, and then I lifted my head and found Vesta.
The purple witch was sprawled against the pillows, and her lavender skin stood out in sharp contrast with the crimson sheets. She was still plucking at her nipples, but she instantly froze when my eyes met hers.
“Vesta,” I growled, “you’re going to lay there and watch me fuck Faye. And you’re not going to touch yourself. Am I understood? I want your hands flat against the sheets until I’m ready for you. That’s an order.”
“Coleeeee,” Vesta groaned like she was in agony, but she couldn’t defy a direct command from me, so her hands immediately snapped to her sides and pressed against the mattress.
“Good girl.” I smirked, and then I looked back down at the redhead spread out beneath me. “And thank you for waiting patiently, Faye. You get a reward.”
“A rewar--?” she started to ask, but before she could finish, I pulled my hips back until my cock nearly slipped out of her, and then I slammed forward until I was beyond deep inside of her.
Faye cried out sharply as I began to thrust into her, and she felt so fucking wet and tight. I started slowly at first, but then my strokes became faster, and her red lips parted open as she desperately gasped for air. My shaft sawed in and out of her spasming tunnel, and the quicker I went, the louder she moaned and cried out for more.
“You don’t get to come until I say so,” I growled into Faye’s ear, and she whimpered as she clawed desperately at my spine. Then I leaned back, grabbed her legs, and slung them over my shoulders, and when I thrust back inside of her from this new angle, a startled scream tore out of her mouth.
“Coleeeeeee, oh, yesssss! Just like that. Fuck me harder, master!”
I pounded into her in this position for several minutes, and her breasts jostled with the force of my thrusts. Soon, I could tell she was close, but before she could cum, I grabbed her thighs and flipped us over so she was perched on top of me with her legs straddling my hips.
“Ride me,” I commanded, and then I slapped her on the ass for good measure.
“Yes, Cole!” Faye gasped, and then she began to bounce and swivel on my cock in a way that nearly made me explode. Her tunnel was so tight in this position, and her walls spasmed around me with every movement. Her nails dug into my chest as she continued to fuck me, and wet, sloppy noises came from where were were joined.
“Satan, just like that,” I grunted as I reached up to grab her pale, freckled breasts, and then I pinched and rolled her nipples between my fingers.
“Fuck, Cole!” she cried out as the sound of our skin slapping together filled the room, and her breathing grew more labored. “You feel soooooo goood. Satan, I want your seed inside me. Please, fill me up. Please, master!”
Her voice reached a fevered-pitch, and her pussy clamped down around me, so I knew she was close.
“Come for me,” I snarled as I grabbed her bucking hips, and then I shoved her down onto my cock until my tip met her womb.
As Faye came, her eyes widened, her back arched, and she screamed so loudly I thought the entire castle would hear. Her body seized on top of me, and I grunted as my cock throbbed and shot pulse after pulse of my seed into her welcoming tunnel.
After a long moment, Faye collapsed against my chest, and I could feel our combined juices leaking out onto my thighs.
“Fuck,” I groaned as I shoved my still hard cock into her sopping tunnel.
“What about me?” Vesta pouted from the head of the bed, and I felt her wiggle against the sheets.
“Don’t worry.” I grinned, lifted Faye off me, and deposited her limp body onto the sheets on my other side. “I haven’t forgotten about you. Get on all fours.”
I turned to face the lavender witch, and she smiled before she shifted to get into position like I ordered.
On the other side of the bed, Faye moaned weakly as she rolled fully onto her back, and I smirked as I saw my creamy seed spilling out from in between her splayed thighs.
Then I climbed up onto my knees behind Vesta, and I draped myself across her back.
“Do you want me?” I whispered into her ear.
“Yes, Cole,” she moaned as she shoved her hips back against me.
“Well, you were a good girl and didn’t touch yourself like I asked,” I mused, and I shifted closer so my wet cock bumped between her spread thighs. “So, I think you should get a reward, too.”
Before Vesta could respond, I braced myself on my knees, grabbed my hard shaft, and guided it into her wet pussy. She moaned as her lips spread around my considerable girth, and I pushed in deeper as her wide hips moved back and forth.
“Oh, that feels so fucking good,” she whimpered. “It feels like you’re splitting me in half. It’s amazing.”
“How about this?” I said before I snapped my hips forward.
“Ahhhhhh!” Vesta cried out in ecstasy and bunched up her fists into the sheets as she shoved her hips back against me. Then she moaned as I began to pound into her at a punishing pace, and she was so wet my cock met no resistance as it slipped in and out of her quivering pussy.
The force behind my thrusts jostled Vesta’s curvy ass, and she whimpered as she collapsed down onto her elbows. The slope of her back made my blood burn with desire, so I leaned forward, placed my hand in the center of her spine, and shoved her down until her face was buried into the pillows.
“Fucckkkkk, Coleeeeee.” Her screams were muffled by the fabric, and her fingers twisted into the sheets as I fucked down into her womb. “Yesss, just like that! Fuck me, harder. Ohhhhhhhh!”
“Take it, take my cock,” I growled, and I slapped her ass so hard I left an imprint of my hand. I could feel my own orgasm bubbling to the surface, and I chased that feeling as I picked up the pace until I was pistoning in and out of Vesta’s pussy.
“P-Please let me c-cum, Cole,” Vesta screamed as she turned her head to gasp for air, and her legs started to quiver around me.
“Do it,” I growled while I continued to pound deep inside her spasming pussy, and Vesta shouted out as she climaxed. Her pussy clamped down around my shaft like a vise, and I felt a gush of liquid coat my balls and thighs.
Her screams of ecstasy reached a crescendo as she kept cumming, and the sound of her orgasm was like music to my fucking ears. I grabbed onto her hips as they continued to jerk beneath me, and then I rammed forward, bottomed out inside of her womb, and let go.
My cock jerked and throbbed as it released what felt like a gallon of my seed into Vesta’s pussy, and my muscles seized like a jolt of electricity raced down my spine. I shoved my hips forward, once, twice, and each time another pulse of sperm left the tip of my shaft. My orgasm went on for what seemed like eternity, but finally my dick gave one last twitch, and a long, drawn out moan escaped my lips.
“Thank you, master,” Vesta whimpered in satisfaction as I pulled away, and more of my seed slipped out of her abused entrance and dribbled down her thighs.
“Good girls,” I chuckled, and I collapsed onto the bed between the two witches.
“That was amazing,” Faye sighed as she draped an arm across my chest.
“Yeahhhh,” Vesta moaned with her face still half buried in the pillow. “Sooo good, Cole. I’m going to sleep like a baby.”
“No, you aren’t,” I laughed.
“Huh?” Vesta asked as her eyebrows came together with worry.
“Nope.” I smirked. “We are just getting started. I’m fucking both of you all night long.”
Then I flipped over on top of Faye, grabbed the redhead’s legs, pulled her to my hips, angled my cum-soaked cock toward her cum-dripping pussy, and slid right back into her.
“Ohhh, fuckkkk, Cole,” she moaned as her green-gold eyes rolled into the back of her head.
But then neither said any more sensible words for the rest of the night while I fucked each of them over and over again.
When I woke up the next morning, Faye and Vesta were cuddled up on either side of my chest, and I couldn’t help but smile as I trailed my fingers along their naked curves.
My cock also gave a twitch as I recalled fucking the two witches last night, but my stomach grumbled just then, so I knew I needed to get some food before I could go another round.
After a few minutes, I gently pulled myself away from the two sleeping witches and quietly got dressed. Once I slipped on my usual uniform, I headed down to the living room. Akira and Morgana were awake, and they were sitting on the sofa and nibbling on some buttered toast while all the familiars were curled up into a giant pile in the corner. Akira’s blue komodo dragon was curled up against Faye’s ferret, and Morgana’s feisty racoon was deep asleep by Vesta’s chevrotain.
“Good morning.” I grinned.
“Good morning,” Morgana answered as she flashed me a small smile. “Did you sleep well?”
“Oh, you have no idea,” I chuckled, mostly to myself.
Akira muttered a good morning through a mouthful of toast, and her black eyes darted around the room before she swallowed.
“Where the hell are Vesta and Faye?” she asked.
Before I could respond, my bedroom door opened, and the two witches emerged from my room with red faces and crumpled up ballroom dresses. They tugged at their wrinkled fabric, and Akira just burst out into laughter.
“Look, it’s only a walk of shame if you have something to be ashamed about.” She winked. “I trust you all had a fabulous night.”
“It was… eventful.” I smirked. “Perhaps you’ll join us next time.”
“I thought you promised me some cream the other day,” the dark-eyed witch sighed, but then she turned her attention back to the two bashful witches, who were still standing at the staircase. “You two should probably hurry up and get dressed… our lesson for the day is with Professor Vanessa.”
“Oh, how delightful,” Vesta groaned as she rubbed at her temples. “Satan, I’m so exhausted.”
“Damn, Cole,” Akira snickered. “What did you do to her?”
“Come on, Vesta,” Faye mumbled before I could answer. “Let’s put on our uniforms.”
With that, the two witches sauntered up to their room.
“Hurry up!” Morgana called after them.
I sat down on the sofa right next to Morgana, and a hard corner edged into my back. I turned around and saw the advanced book of hexes and spells under the pillow, so I pulled it out, and Morgana gasped as soon as she saw it.
“What is that?” she breathed.
“A book,” I chuckled. “I found it last night--”
“Found it where?” she cut me off.
“Well, that’s what I was going to tell you,” I said. “Last night… I found a secret room in the study hall.”
“What?” both witches shrieked.
“And you’re just telling us this now?” Akira demanded.
“Better now than never,” I replied with a shrug.
“Don’t be like that,” the black-eyed witch huffed. “Anyway, I bet there are a ton of cheats in there… we could totally use it to beat everyone’s asses.”
“Akira!” Morgana gasped. “We can’t cheat… it’s against the Wicca code. Cole, you should put that back where you found it."
“Uh, hell, no?” I laughed. “Morgana, come on… this is pure gold in my hands. And since when are Wiccas against cheating? We cheat to win all the fucking time. The blood rite was totally cheating.”
“He’s right.” Akira grinned. “And we’re going to crush the other teams with it.”
“Where exactly did you find it?” Morgana pressed.
“Find what?” Faye asked as she came down the stairs.
I turned my head and saw Vesta and Faye, both fresh-faced and dressed in their uniforms, with their hair tied up.
“Cole stole a book--” the brunette began, but I cut her off.
“Excuse me,” I said, “I did not steal it, and even if I did, so what?”
“Yeah, so what?” Akira teased. “Don’t be such a stick in the mud, Morgana.”
“Fine,” Morgana huffed. “Whatever, I don’t care where you got it.”
“I don’t think it matters right now, anyway,” Vesta said quickly.
“Why?” Akira asked.
“Because if we don’t leave right now, then we’ll definitely be late to advanced hexes and curses,” she answered as she pointed to the skeleton clock over the fireplace. “And testing Vanessa’s patience is not something I want to accomplish today, so can we talk about the book a little later?”
“She’s right,” I said before I slammed it shut and stuffed it into a small satchel. “Let’s go.”
We left our familiars to rest and sped down the corridors toward the advanced set of classrooms. I breathed in an instant sigh of relief when I saw the door was still open and students were slowly pouring in.
“We made it,” I panted.
“Just barely,” Morgana growled as we stepped inside.
The sleek, black classroom was decorated in a way that matched Vanessa’s personality perfectly: dark, cold, and devoid of any emotions. When I took a seat at the front of the room, Vanessa looked up at me from her desk. Today, she was wearing a simple wool dress with a black petticoat, her hands were gloved, and black pearls dangled from her slender pale neck.
“You’re cutting it dangerously close today, coven,” she tutted.
“Apologies, Professor,” Morgana replied quickly. “Last night was… tiring.”
“You know I don’t care for excuses, Miss Morgana,” Vanessa scolded as she narrowed her ice blue eyes.
“Err… right,” the bookworm muttered and dropped her gaze, “sorry.”
When the last student scurried inside, the door slammed shut on its own, and everyone went quiet. Then Vanessa stood up from her desk and smiled tightly at the class.
“Who can tell me what useful hexes and spells can be used when combating an umbra daemonium?” she asked.
Morgana’s hand shot up in the air, but Vanessa turned to the table on our right and smiled. It was our opposing team, and they all sat a little straighter when the professor looked at them.
“Penelope?” Vanessa said. “Perhaps you know the answer to this?”
“O-Oh,” the orange-haired witch stuttered. “Um, well… actually, I’m afraid I don’t know, Professor.”
“That is unfortunate,” Vanessa replied curtly. “Can you at least tell me what an umbra daemonium is?”
Morgana’s hand trembled slightly in the air as she bit down on her lower lip, and I knew it was killing her not to answer the question.
“It is… a demon of darkness?” Penelope replied slowly.
“It’s a shadow demon.” Vanessa nodded. “And you should know all about them, since they have a habit of showing up during the Ludi Mortiferum. Now, Penelope, please tell us a little more about them.”
“Uh, right,” Penelope mumbled as she furiously flipped through the pages of her textbook. She finally landed on the correct page and awkwardly looked at the professor. “Umbra deamoniums are shadow creatures that tend to hunt witches and warlocks for sport… and they can only be killed when forging sunlight from a wand.”
“Correct.” Vanessa grinned.
“What a waste of time,” Morgana huffed as she finally dropped her arm. “I could have saved us five minutes.”
“Whatever,” Akira muttered back. “At least it made Penelope look stupid.”
“Now,” Vanessa said, a little louder. “If everyone could be quiet and listen to the rest of the lesson, that would be excellent.”
Morgana and Akira exchanged embarrassed looks with one another as Vanessa glided across the classroom.
“We all know how to cast a spell of light,” the professor said. “It is one of the simplest spells to enact, even a mortal child could do it.”
“And your point is what… ?” Akira grumbled under her breath.
“The point, Akira, is that a daylight hex is similar to the illuminana spell,” Vanessa snapped, and Akira’s face turned beet red as the professor stared her down. After a long, tense moment, Vanessa finally averted her gaze from the black-eyed witch and focused on the entire class. “All it takes to enact the spell is a simple incantation… but there’s a tricky part to the process. First, you must be able to focus on something in particular before you utter the hex. It is not a spell you can just blabber out loud. It takes a picture in your mind to execute it successfully.”
“A picture of what?” I asked.
“A picture of a clear blue sky,” she responded. “Now, I know when most of you think of the daytime, you picture thick gray clouds and rainstorms… believe me, so do I. But for this spell, you must imagine the clearest and brightest blue sky imaginable and then say ‘lux.’”
“That doesn’t sound so hard,” I muttered. “It’s not even a complicated spell.”
“Maybe not for you, human,” Morgana whispered, “but we were born to loathe the sun and blue sky.”
“You look pretty human to me,” I snickered.
“Now, let’s practice, shall we?” Vanessa said before Morgana could reply to me.
Suddenly, each student had a plant in front of them. It was a sickly green color, and parts of it resembled a thick, prickly vine. They were odd-looking plants, but the strangest thing about them was the fact they were wailing like infants.
Each student placed their hands over their ears and groaned in protest.
“If you want them to be quiet,” Vanessa called out, “you must kill them.”
“Fuck!” Akira said before she aimed her wand at her plant. “Lux! Lux! Lux! Shut the fuck up!”
Nothing happened, and she cursed multiple times out loud.
“Focus, Akira!” I reminded her. “Don’t just say the spell. You have to mean it.”
“How about you do it, then?” she demanded.
I shrugged and pointed my wand at my plant. I envisioned a beautiful, clear blue sky and a bright sun beating down on my skin. I even pictured what an ocean would look like under the sun, and I almost smiled at the thought but forced myself to remain composed. Then I took in a deep breath and narrowed my eyes at the howling plant.
“Lux!” I cried out.
My plant started to shake, and its body began to slowly expand and grow. Within seconds, it was towering up to the ceiling, and for a moment, I thought I had recited the wrong spell.
But then the plant started to sway back and forth before it suddenly blew up.
Green sludge splattered all over the room, and the students all groaned in protest when the ichor hit them. I thought that was the end of it until the other plants in the room started to violently shake and wail so loudly the glass chandelier shattered above us. Everyone covered their ears as their plants grew taller, and then each one of them popped. Plant goop was plastered all over the classroom and the students, and a heavy silence followed as each witch glared in my direction.
“Well,” Vanessa coughed. “That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind… ”
“Apologies, Professor,” I mumbled with a wince.
“It’s fine,” she sighed. “Let’s just clean this up.”
She waved her wand, and the room was spotless once again. Students exchanged confused looks with one another before she addressed the room with her hands raised.
“Let’s try something else, shall we?” she said.
“But, Professor,” Iris protested as she gave me the side eye, “because of Cole, we didn’t even get a chance to practice.”
“You’ll be able to do that during private lessons,” Vanessa snapped. “As for the rest of the class, we need to stick to the schedule. Is that alright with you?”
“Apologies, Professor,” she mumbled.
“Good,” Vanessa sighed. “Now, let us move on to common defense spells, shall we?”
Vanessa gave a brief lesson on the history of defense hexes and curses, and we spent the rest of the class learning her favorite standard spells to use in a battle. We didn’t practice on anything physical until we came to the last curse on her list.
“Now, this one is one of my favorites,” she gushed. “Is anyone, besides Miss Morgana, familiar with the plaga hex?”
Morgana huffed under her breath and crossed her arms.
I turned to look at the rest of the class, and no one seemed to know what she was talking about, so Vanessa finally sighed and rolled her pale blue eyes.
“Very well,” she snapped. “Morgana, why don’t you enlighten the rest of the class?”
The bookish brunette smiled and cleared her throat before responding. She was clearly enjoying her little moment of supremacy.
“A plaga hex is used to conjure up a deadly illness on one’s opponent,” she answered with her chin raised. “It won’t kill your enemy, but it will certainly cause them excruciating pain and turmoil.”
“Which is why we will be using my favorite kind of test subject for this one.” Vanessa grinned.
The beautiful professor flicked her wrist, and a cloud of gray smoke appeared at the front of the room. As soon as the mist evaporated, a man in a loincloth was trembling by her desk. He had his hands and legs chained together, and judging by his yellow teeth and red-rimmed eyes, he’d been down in the dungeons for a long time.
“Please,” he coughed. “Have mercy, my lady.”
“I’m not your lady,” Vanessa cackled. “And I certainly won’t show you any mercy.”
“Please!” he wailed.
“Vomica!” she shouted.
The man started to violently convulse, and his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. Piss dripped along his leg as boils and scabs began to cover his entire body, and I could tell he wanted to pick and scratch at himself, but the chains prevented him from even coming close to touching his own skin.
“No!” he cried out. “Please, it burns! Make it stop!”
“I don’t think so,” Vanessa said in a sugary-sweet tone, “I think we’ll send you back to the dungeons instead.”
He cried out one last time before Vanessa flicked her wand and made him disappear. She then turned to look at the class and smiled proudly.
“Well, I’m afraid that’s enough fun for one day,” she said. “Tomorrow, we will be combining blood magic and curses, so you’d better be prepared for an intensive lesson. Do your reading and memorize the three major curses in chapter fifteen.”
Everyone began to collect their belongings, but the table next to us remained in their seats. When they didn’t move, Vanessa stared at them with mild curiosity and annoyance.
“Why are you still sitting there?” she finally asked.
“Aren’t we going to have a private lesson, Professor?” Beatrix asked.
“No.” Vanessa shook her head. “It will be tomorrow after class.”
“Oh,” Penelope muttered awkwardly.
My own coven took the hint, and we also packed up our belongings. The other table finished before us, and they headed out of the classroom. I could feel Vanessa’s eyes on me as I grabbed my quill and books, but I did my best to ignore her. As I was placing my books into my satchel, though, Vanessa shot up from her seat.
“Wait,” she said, “what is that in your bag, Cole?”
“Uhhhh,” I said slowly. Shit. She’d seen the book. Maybe if I played dumb she wouldn’t press me about it. “My books?”
“Don’t play the fool,” she snapped. “That red one… let me see it.”
I sighed and handed her the advanced book of hexes and curses, and Morgana shot me an ‘I told you so look’ as the professor flipped through the pages.
“Were you planning on practicing these spells?” Vanessa asked in a calm voice.
“Yes,” I admitted.
“Well,” she replied as she shut the book. “If you’re going to practice forbidden spells, you might as well learn about them properly… follow me, and bring your coven.”
She kept the book in her hands and glided over to the door, but when no one moved, she sighed and rolled her eyes.
“Well, come on, now,” she snapped, “let’s go into the dungeons and practice some ancient magic… I haven’t got all day.”
I grinned and turned to the others.
I had a feeling this was going to be one lesson we’d never forget.