We stood in front of a black, empty painting that was surrounded by a heavy wooden frame, and I felt as if the wind had been knocked right out of me.
She was gone, and I didn’t understand.
“What are we looking at, Cole?” Vesta whispered. “There’s nothing there.”
“Yeah, what the fuck, Cole?” Akira demanded. “Have you been smoking dragon breath?”
“No…” I said as I shook my head slowly. “I don’t understand…she was here last time.”
“Who was?” Morgana asked.
“The woman from my dreams,” I replied.
“As in a literal woman from your dreams… ” Akira said with a stifled laugh. “Or as in--?”
“No.” I shook my head impatiently. “There was a painting of a woman yesterday, and I’d seen her in my dreams several times before.”
“Ah, well,” Akira huffed. “Paintings just don’t up and vanish, Cole. Maybe you imagined it.”
“Well, actually,” Morgana mused, and her brow furrowed over her bright blue eyes, “they have been known to take a stroll every now and then, but the thing is, they must always return to their home--”
“What about Cordelia?” I asked in a rushed voice. “She’s always hovering around in my room.”
“The horny old maid who draws your baths and leaves us breakfast?” Akira giggled. “You just answered your own question, Cole… she always hovers, but she’s never really there. I mean, her spirit is there, but she’s physically in her painting.”
“Wait,” Vesta interjected as she shot us a pensive stare. “When has Cole ever been wrong about something like this? He must be on to something… why would there be an empty painting down here, along with whatever else is hidden in this secret room?”
“That’s true,” Morgana said. “Maybe we can wait for her to return? It’s impossible for a painting to just leave her home for longer than an hour. They need to stick to their portrait in order for their spirit to survive.”
“So, we’ll check again before we leave,” I suggested.
“Good idea.” Faye nodded. “I’m sure there’s an explanation.”
We stood there for a long moment and just stared at the painting. Finally Akira sighed and turned to look at us.
“Well, let’s not stand here like a bunch of squirrels waiting for autumn.” The black-eyed witch smirked. “Let’s check out the rest of this place.”
My coven turned their backs on the empty painting, and I wondered what the hell was going on. Was Morgana right? Would the mysterious woman return?
I shook my head as I followed my coven into the abandoned bedroom, and they immediately began searching through the mountain of books.
“Check out all these books!” I heard Morgana squeal in excitement. “There are hundreds in here.”
“Yeah, at least,” I muttered.
“We should start studying them.” Faye grinned.
The witches huddled around the textbooks, and their eyes lit up each time they snatched a different book. I grabbed a blue one, entitled Abnormal Ghouls and Goblins, and we all sat together and studied our asses off.
Morgana used a quick cleaning spell to spruce the place up, and we ended up studying for hours. The evening quickly bled into night, and we all fell asleep reading by the dim candlelight.
By the time I woke up, all the witches were deep asleep, and I gently pulled myself away from Vesta and Morgana, who both had their heads on my shoulders. They groaned as I scooted away from them, and then they slowly opened their eyes.
“What time is it?” Morgana asked, and her voice was thick with sleep.
“I don’t know,” I muttered. “All I know is it’s morning… at least I feel like it’s morning. We’ve been down here for hours.”
I rubbed at my tired eyes and tried to massage the knots out of my neck. I’d fallen asleep at a strange angle, and I knew it would affect me all day long. As soon as I thought about the day ahead of me, though, I realized we had to get to class.
Vanessa’s class.
“Shit,” I gasped before I stood up. “We’ve got to go, get up!”
“What is it?” Akira mumbled as she bolted upright, and her short hair was a messy halo around her head.
“We need to get to class,” I replied. “Now!”
“Oh, shit!” Morgana repeated, and now she was completely awake and alert.
We shot up and ran out of the room, but before I followed my coven up the stairs, I glanced at the painting. The woman was still gone, and my stomach turned with an uneasy feeling as I continued to stare at the empty frame. Then my trance was broken when one of the witches started to shake me by my shoulders.
“Do you want to be punished for being late?” Vesta snapped. “Let’s go!”
I shook my head and followed them up the stairs, and then we ran down the corridors and sped into Vanessa’s classroom. All eyes were on us as we slammed ourselves down into the chairs and tried to compose ourselves. Vanessa was sitting at her desk, wearing a long velvet collared dress with black trimming and puffy, oversized sleeves, and she shot us a dark look before she cleared her throat and stood up.
“Just in time,” she said. “One more minute, and you would have been late.”
“Apologies, Professor,” Morgana panted and swept her long dark curls out of her eyes. “We--”
“Overslept,” I cut in.
“I don’t care,” Vanessa responded, even though it was clear she didn’t believe me. “Be quiet and sit there until it is time to begin.”
“Looks like you all had a long, eventful night,” Penelope hissed from the desk next to us.
I turned to look at our opposing group, and they were all seated neatly in their seats.
“Why don’t you focus on your own shit?” Akira sneered. “Instead of worrying about what we do all night long?”
“She’s just making an observation.” Beatrix smiled. “Why do you always want to pick a fight, Akira?”
Beatrix’s lips were painted red today, and her hair was flowing over her shoulders in long, loose curls. Her cheeks were rouged, and she wasn’t the only one who was made up. All the witches at her table had perfectly done hair and makeup, and they seemed to enjoy the fact my coven had arrived bare-faced and unkempt.
“We don’t need your observations,” Vesta growled.
“But what we do need is everyone’s undivided attention,” Vanessa said as she cleared her throat. “So, if you would all pay attention and stop chattering amongst yourselves, that would be fantastic. All eyes up here, please.”
“Apologies, Professor,” all the witches muttered.
Vanessa nodded and focused on the entire class, and we spent the rest of the lesson covering the history of blood curses and advanced spells. The table beside us took vigorous notes, and every now and then, I caught one of them staring in our direction. Penelope, in particular, would continually stare at us, and I knew it was grating on my coven’s nerves.
As soon as the lecture was finished, everyone started to pack up, and while students poured out the door, Vanessa glided over to our table and smiled at us. Then she turned to look at Penelope's group, and her smile remained the same.
“We’ll be having our extra lesson outside, today,” she said.
“On the grounds?” Akira asked.
“No.” Vanessa shook her head.
“Then where?” I asked, both curious and confused.
“If everyone could huddle into a circle, then you’ll find out.” She smirked.
We did as we were told, and Vanessa raised her wand above us.
“Velut umbra,” she recited.
Purple smoke rose up, and we all started to spin in circles. My stomach lurched as we tumbled and tossed through the air, and finally, we all came crashing down into wet grass. It took me a moment to adjust to our new surroundings, and I realized we were in some kind of swamp or lagoon.
“Ouch,” someone mumbled beside me.
I turned and saw one of the pixie-haired witches rubbing the back of her head. We were all sprawled out, and when I looked around, I noticed the mist was growing heavier around us.
“What the--?” the twin with the blue stripe in her hair said.
The air was thick with fog, and it was difficult to see as everyone started to pull themselves up from the gray-green grass and looked around. All I could see were marshlands spreading out for miles. It was a desolate and gloomy place, and it was clear no humans or beings of any kind lived here.
“Where are we?” Morgana asked.
“We’re in the stagna aquarum… or better known as the abandoned marshlands,” Vanessa replied. “As you can tell, it’s nearly impossible to see.”
“That’s an understatement,” Penelope growled.
“Stop complaining,” Akira snapped. “I swear every single time you open your mouth--”
“You two better not begin arguing,” Vanessa said in a dangerously low voice. “This is a lesson, and I expect everyone to treat each other with respect.”
“Yes, Professor,” everyone replied in unison, but Penelope and Akira were still glaring at each other.
“Good.” Vanessa nodded. “Now, we’ll first begin our lesson… we’re going to control the weather using blood curses.”
“What?” Morgana breathed with wide blue eyes. “That’s highly advanced material--”
“So, consider this your lucky day.” Vanessa smirked. “Now, I want everyone to quickly line up and observe me.”
Vanessa turned her back on us and raised both her hands up into the air. As she muttered something under her breath, her hand began to bleed, and the blood dripped down her wrist and onto her wand. Then the sky started to turn darker, and the air grew even colder. Black clouds swarmed over us, and thick droplets of rain began to pour down from the livid sky. Lighting cracked, and thunder roared, and soon, the rain turned to ice. No one screamed or shouted in protest, and just as quickly as the weather had turned unbearable, it grew calm once more. The black sky turned into a light gray, and the air became chilly but still.
Vanessa turned to look at us with a proud smile on her face, and I saw she hadn’t been affected by the rain or sleet at all. She was dry from head to toe, but the other witches, including myself, were absolutely soaked.
“T-That w-was i-i-incredible,” Morgana said through chattering teeth.
“It’s not as simple as it looks,” Vanessa tutted. “It takes immense concentration and willpower. Your mood will determine what affect the spell will have once it is enacted. Now, who would like to begin first?”
Morgana and Penelope both raised their hands at the same time, and Vanessa looked between the two and finally pointed at Penelope.
“Come here,” she ordered.
The orange-haired witch smirked and took a step forward, and Morgana did her best to hide her disappointment while the other witch stepped up.
“The first thing you will have to do is magically cut your hand open,” Vanessa said, “and you must be able to transition from one spell to the next while proclaiming the full blood curse.”
“Yes, Professor.” Penelope nodded.
“Stand straight and focus on the air around you,” the older witch continued. “You must be able to work under pressure and not be distracted by external factors surrounding you… and when you’re ready, say: ‘interficiam carne mea, mutata tempestate.’”
“Alright,” Penelope responded in a shaky voice.
It seemed as if her confidence had evaporated into thin air.
“Be sure to picture exactly what you want,” Vanessa instructed. “You can make anything happen… you are solely in control.”
Penelope nodded her orange head and swallowed hard.
“This should be good,” Akira muttered next to me. “She’s trembling like a fucking leaf.”
Penelope stood as still as her nerves would allow and raised up her hands in the same way Vanessa had, but she was visibly shaking as she incanted the spell. Still, we all watched as the sky turned a darker shade of gray and small droplets of rain poured down from the sky.
“Good,” Vanessa muttered. “Now, let’s try and make things a little more difficult.”
Vanessa raised her hands again, and this time, a horrible wind picked up, and it nearly knocked us all over. I tried to steady myself, and I watched as Penelope almost let go of her wand.
“Fight it!” Vanessa roared over the hurricane. “You must be able to overcome it!”
I watched as Penelope struggled to raise her hand again, but I could tell the witch was a bundle of nerves and was struggling to focus.
So, I raised my own wand and aimed it at the black clouds above us.
“Onterficiam carne mea, mutata tempestate,” I muttered.
I could feel a gash cutting across my palm, and hot blood dripped down my wrist as I raised my hand and pointed it at the violent sky. In my mind, I pictured snowfall, and I saw a thick white blanket of snow covering the grass all around us. I imagined frozen lagoons, bare trees, and a silver sky, and as I thought about all this, the hurricane started to come to a gradual halt. I could feel the air settling, and everyone breathed in awe as the sky lightened, and snow began to fall down.
“How lovely,” Vanessa said as she looked up at the sky. “Although, technically, it wasn’t your turn, Cole.”
“I just thought I’d help her out.” I shrugged. “No harm done.”
“I had it, asshole,” Penelope grumbled and rolled her eyes.
“No, you didn’t,” Akira muttered. “You are lucky Cole decided to save your bitch ass.”
“Why don’t you say that to my fucking face, you--”
“Anyway,” Vanessa hissed, “perhaps I overestimated you all… let’s try again with something a little simpler.”
She conjured up a small cloud in the sky, and each witch took their turn to change the cloud into an unusual color. Akira managed to turn her cloud into a crimson red, while Vesta turned hers into the same color as her skin. The others managed to morph theirs into other colors, including azure blue, rose-pink, and key-lime pie green.
“Well done,” Vanessa said once we all completed our transformations. “Now, let us return to the academy.”
“Professor,” Ivy spoke up, and she twirled her blue streak of hair around her finger, “can’t we practice more?”
“I think we’ve covered everything we can cover for today,” Vanessa replied. “I’ve done what I can, the rest is up to you.”
Before anyone could argue, she flicked her wrist and shadow ported us all back to Scholomance. This time, we all landed on our feet, and Vanessa was already sitting at her desk.
“Off with you all, now,” she said and pointed to the door.
Penelope, Ivy, Iris, and Beatrix all left the room, but my coven still lingered behind.
“What are you still doing here?” Vanessa sighed. “I thought I made it clear the lesson was over for today.”
“Oh, Professor,” Morgana whispered. “Aren’t we going to go over more spells before the game tomorrow?”
“What makes you think that?” the sharp-featured witch asked with her head tilted to the side.
“Well, yesterday--” Morgana started.
“That was yesterday,” she replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I have other work to attend to. I’m sure if you continue to study your books, you will find everything you need to know. I would flip to chapter eighteen, page thirty-six in Weather for Wicca.”
We all exchanged a knowing glance with one another and smiled. Then we left the classroom, skipped lunch, and headed down to the secret room to study. I ignored the painting, and we immediately began searching for the book Vanessa mentioned.
“I found the book,” I announced after a few minutes.
I flipped through the pages until I found the page Vanessa mentioned, and the chapter went into great detail about weather transformations. According to the book, Wiccas were able to transform the weather since the first dawn, and these types of spells were used during battles and as ways to control villages. They could cause droughts, floods, and other extreme forms of weather.
“Hey,” I said, “it says here we can drain oceans and create deserts.”
“With the same incantation?” Akira asked.
“Yes,” I replied. “We can do almost anything… so long as we can maintain focus.”
“Let’s sneak outside and practice,” Vesta suggested with glittering eyes.
“Good idea.” Akira grinned. “But let’s not do anything too dramatic.”
“Agreed,” Morgana nodded. “We don’t want to draw any unwanted attention.”
“Let’s go,” I said.
We left the room, and as we headed to the stairs, I was tempted to look behind the cloth again, but instead, I left her alone.
The halls were empty since it was supper time, so we quietly walked down the corridors, slipped down the stairwell, and headed outside. It was sunset, and the sky was a dark mixture of pinks and reds.
“Perfect timing for a little bit of practice,” I said as I looked up at the sky.
“You go first,” Faye suggested as she pushed me forward. “Let’s see if you can turn the sunset into night.”
My coven all grinned in excitement as I took a step forward, and then I raised my hands and recited the spell. Blood dripped down my hand as I stood there and took control of the sun. I pictured nightfall, and I saw the stars in the sky as clearly as if it were right in front of me. As I stood there, the sun began to seep below the horizon at an incredible pace, and then I thought I heard a voice calling out to me.
Cole, it whispered. Can you hear me?
It was the woman’s voice, and her smooth and light tone made my hair stand on end. Suddenly, my head started to feel as if it were about to split open, but I gritted my teeth in agony and struggled to focus with all my might.
Cole! she said a little louder.
Storm clouds started to appear out of nowhere, and the air grew chillier. Lighting cracked in the sky, and a heavy wind picked up. I had no control over what I was doing, and the more she spoke to me, the less in control I became.
“Cole, what are you doing?” Faye shouted over the storm.
“Cole, stop!” Akira demanded.
I couldn’t stop, though, even if I wanted to. She was in control now, and as hard as I pushed her away, she wouldn’t quit. My head grew lighter, and as everything became blurry, I could barely hear the other witches calling out my name.
All I could hear was that woman’s voice right before my entire world went black.