When I woke up, Faye’s warm, naked body was pressed tightly against me, and I could feel her perky nipples poking into my ribcage. She had one pale arm draped over my chest, and Alexander was at the foot of the bed, curled up into a black ball of fur. I chuckled to myself, and I gently pushed a few strands of red hair out of the freckled witch’s face before she began to stir.
“Good morning.” I grinned when her green-gold eyes fluttered open. “How did you sleep?”
“Amazingly,” Faye sighed and smiled in return. “You really wore me out… in the best way possible.”
I leaned down to plant a kiss on her red and slightly swollen lips, and then I smirked.
“As much as I’d like to replay last night,” I drawled as I traced a finger along her back, “I think we’d better get up… class is going to begin soon.”
“I know,” she grumbled and pressed her nude body against me, “but I’d give anything to stay in bed all day.”
“Me, too,” I admitted, “but we have work to do.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” She nodded.
The redhead dramatically yawned and then stretched out her arms before she slowly climbed out of bed. As soon as her feet were planted on the floor, she pulled the red bed sheet off the mattress and wrapped it around herself.
“Red looks good on you.” I grinned. “But naked looks even better.”
“Thanks.” She blushed before she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ll see you downstairs?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I’ll be down in a minute.”
“Thank you for last night, Cole. It was wonderful.” The luscious redhead blew me a quick kiss before she slipped through the door and closed it shut.
Alexander jolted awake from the sudden noise, and then he turned to look at me with squinting red eyes.
What time is it? he asked.
“Why?” I chuckled. “Do you have somewhere to be? A date with Silvia, perhaps?”
Maybe I do, he responded in a feisty tone. Is that such an impossibility?
“No, of course not,” I said with both hands raised in defense. “Excuse the shit out of me.”
Well, whatever, he answered after a moment. It just so happens I don’t have anywhere to be, so I’ll be going back to sleep. Have a good day, and try not to die. I like you.
“I’ll do my best,” I snickered as I pulled the covers off.
I headed over to the velvet chair by the window and found a fresh set of clothing folded neatly. I quickly got dressed and then headed downstairs to meet the others, and as soon as I stepped into the common room, all heads turned to face me. My coven was dressed in their usual black plaid skirts and button-down blouses, and each one, aside from Akira, had their long hair pinned up into neat buns. They were all sitting on one of the couches and eating a hearty breakfast that I assumed Cordelia had laid out for them.
“Good morning, Cole.” Morgana smiled. “I hope you’re ready for today. I sure am.”
“I’m always ready for premonition.” I grinned before I snatched a piece of toast off the table. “It’s my favorite class.”
“I wonder how intensive this course is going to be,” Faye wondered aloud. “You know… considering that premonition is the basis of the final game.”
“Well, it’s Theodora,” Akira said after she swallowed a mouthful of oatmeal. “The woman is brilliant but also bat-shit crazy. I wouldn’t be surprised if she sent us to the nether regions for practice.”
Everyone turned to look at Morgana, but surprisingly, she remained tight-lipped, and her eyes were solely focused on her small plate of breakfast.
“Really?” Vesta chuckled. “Morgana, you’re not going to jump to the headmistress’ defense?”
“There’s a fine line between madness and brilliance,” Morgana said after a long moment. “She has her reasons for pushing us to the limit… and it’s because she believes in us. You should all know that by now.”
“Morgana’s right,” I added before I took a bite out of my toast. “We shouldn’t doubt Theodora… and we shouldn’t insult her… no matter what she puts us through.”
“Yeah,” Akira sighed. “You’re both right… I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” I said before I shoved the rest of the toast into my mouth. “Anyway, we’d better get going. We can’t be late.”
We quickly finished the remnants of our breakfast and then collected our books, parchment, and quills before we sped out the door and into the hallway. As usual, witches were sprinting through the corridors and trying to get to class before their respective professors arrived. We raced past the Advanced Shadow room where Luna was cursing loudly as pots and cauldrons spilled to the floor, and each one of us chuckled as we ran to the next classroom.
When we opened the door, we all stood paralyzed at the threshold. This chamber was twice as large as any other classroom, and students were wandering through the two-story space with awed expressions plastered on their faces. On the top floor, there were dozens of wooden bookcases filled with hundreds, if not thousands of books. Small goblin-like creatures were climbing on the ladders and rearranging and dusting the books, and they were squealing at each other in other languages as they did so. Above us, large, exotic birds flew across the black iron chandelier, and they were all made up of unusual colors and patterns. I quickly spotted a bright red phoenix with golden feathers perched on top of a bookcase, and his eyes were the color of fire. His gaze was both penetrating and mesmerizing, and as I stared back, I felt as if I were gazing at a hundred different lifetimes.
When I averted my eyes to study the bottom floor, I noticed hundreds of long, sleek black desks, paired with large, purple velvet chairs, and there was also a cauldron placed in the middle of each table. The room was boisterous and chaotic, not only because of the wandering students but because there were books, herbs, quills, and other items floating through the air and bobbing toward three large wooden armoires placed at the back of the room. The objects were arranging themselves on the shelves, while a duster came by and cleaned each one with delicate precision and care.
“Wow,” Morgana gawked as she took a small step forward. “This is my favorite room so far. No contest.”
“You’ve said that before.” Akira smirked.
“She’s right, though,” Faye commented with wide green eyes. “This room is absolutely marvelous… and look at the gnomes, aren't they adorable?”
“The room is bursting with so much life,” Vesta gasped. “I love it.”
“Why, thank you,” a familiar voice said from behind us. “I spent quite a bit of time decorating.”
We whipped around, and Theodora was standing there with her hands folded neatly in front of her. This morning, she was wearing a blood-red gown with a lace collar and leather black gloves. Her dark hair was pinned back with a large, raven-skull bone pin, and she was wearing a pair of small, gold earrings with a ruby stone embedded in their centers.
“Oh, Headmistress!” Morgana gasped before she placed a hand on her chest. “We were just admiring your magnificent classroom.”
“Well, I’m sure you can appreciate it from your desk,” Theodora replied with a small smile. “Come on, now. We have work to do.”
We muttered our agreements before we took our places at a desk by the front of the room. As soon as we sat down, Penelope and her group waltzed inside, and when the bright-haired witch glanced in my direction, she turned tomato red and then snapped her head around. Since they were the last students to arrive, though, they were forced to take a seat at a table next to ours, and Penelope refused to even glance our way as she unpacked her belongings.
“What’s her problem?” Akira asked as she nudged me. “Bad hangover, perhaps?”
“I don’t think that’s it,” I replied with a dark chuckle. “Don’t worry about it.”
Akira shrugged and then proceeded to open her textbook, but as soon as she did, the book furiously snapped shut.
“What the fuck?” she muttered.
The short-haired witch attempted to open the book again, but it refused to budge. She then slammed the book on her desk and stared hopelessly at the rest of us, and we all did our best not to laugh at her distraught face.
“Having trouble there?” Vesta teased as her silver eyes sparkled.
“Shut up,” Akira growled. “Why don’t you try and open yours?”
Vesta shrugged, but as she tried to pry her own book open, the pages stitched together, and no matter how hard she tried to pull them apart, it was useless.
I quickly glanced in Theodora’s direction, and she was staring right at our table with a small smirk plastered on her beautiful face.
“There’s no point trying to open it, ladies,” the older witch called out.
Vesta and Akira immediately stopped trying to open their books, and they turned their attention back to the headmistress. Their faces were flushed a bright pink as they slowly placed the stubborn books back on the table, and I stifled a snicker.
“Why is that, Headmistress?” Morgana asked.
“Because I want to test your knowledge before you flip to the answer,” Theodora replied in a relaxed tone. “Now, who can tell me what the four levels of psychic abilities are? By now, you should know them by heart.”
As predicted, Morgana’s hand shot up into the air as quickly as a bolt of lightning, and she strained herself as she reached as high as she could.
“I know, pick me,” she muttered under her breath. “Pick me.”
“Yes, Miss Morgana?” Theodora asked in an amused tone. “You seem to be the only one who knows the answer, anyway.”
“There is apportation, which is the ability to teleport and manipulate objects with one’s mind, and then there’s telepathy, which is the gift of mind-reading,” Morgana recited as she dropped her hand. “Telesthesia is the third one, and that’s the ability to see threats and obstacles beforehand… and finally, there’s psychoscopy, which is the most difficult one.”
“And that is?” Theodora asked with her head tilted to the side.
“The ability to obtain information from someone through touch,” the bookish brunette replied. “It was often used by highly skilled Wicca to obtain information from enemies.”
“Excellent, Miss Morgana.” Theodora grinned with pride. “Now, not every witch is born with a natural talent for these skills, and that’s alright. It’s all about the strength that courses through your veins, so do not fret if you experience difficulties. It just takes time and an immense amount of patience.”
I heard Morgana gulp, and I knew the dedicated bookworm would rather die than disappoint the headmistress.
The rest of the class fell silent as Theodora slowly paced around the classroom and then stared at each student. Finally, she stopped at the back of the room, and without uttering a word, she waved her hand in the air. Then all the birds flew into their cages at once, and when the pens locked behind them, Theodora glanced at Penelope’s table.
“Beatrix, can you tell me what skill I just used?” she asked in a sweet tone.
“Apportation?” Beatrix responded in a small voice.
“Excellent,” Theodora said as she clasped her hands together, “and that’s the first skill we’ll be practicing today. Now, who’s ready?”
When no one responded, Theodora tossed her hands into the air and then chuckled. “Well, it doesn’t matter if you’re ready or not. You have no choice. Now, the first thing I want you to do is open your books to page nine-hundred-and-forty-three.”
As people began to reach for their books, Theodora clapped loudly, and then everyone’s heads whipped back in her direction.
“Not with your hands!” she sighed impatiently. “With your minds… you’ll need to focus all your determination and willpower into this simple task, and when your mind is free from all doubt, you will recite the incantation ‘motus,’ in your head, of course. Understood?”
Everyone nodded in agreement and then narrowed their eyes on the book, and I took in a slow, deep breath as I focused on the pages.
Motus.
Then I pictured the thick, creamy sheets of parchment turning in my mind until they landed on page nine-hundred-and-forty-three. As I stared at the book, my brain felt like it was going to split open, and even though the pain made my eyes sting and water, the book began to shake on the desk. After a moment, the pages started to flutter open, and a smile broke across my face. When the book finally landed on the correct page, Theodora clapped her hands and then grinned at me.
“See class?” she asked. “Cole’s done it… all you need to do is focus. Well done, Cole.”
I nodded in gratitude and then studied the page. There was a beautiful sketch of a woman with bright eyes and long, dark hair that reached her toes, and she was holding a small glowing orb while birds flew around her head like a crown. When I turned my attention back to my coven, all of them were red in the face, and there were frustrated tears in the corners of their eyes as they fought to open their books.
“Broom fucker,” Akira growled. “Why won’t it work?”
“Just free your mind,” I whispered. “You’re all overthinking it… and you’re concerned you’ll disappoint the headmistress.”
“Not only her,” Morgana added in a small voice. “We don’t want to disappoint you, either.”
“That would be a fate worse than anything,” Vesta remarked with her silver eyes lowered.
“Don’t worry about disappointing me.” I winked. “You are mine, and I’m proud of you. I know you four are powerful. Just do it.”
My women all flushed a deep shade of crimson before they smiled, and I knew all they needed was a little bit of encouragement.
“Alright, fuck it.” Akira smirked. “Let’s try it again and not give up until we get it.”
The witches all focused their attention on the textbooks, and their eyes never left the objects, even when they trembled and struggled to keep focus. Finally, Morgana’s textbook flipped open and then landed on the correct page, and a moment later, so did Faye’s, Vesta’s, and Akira’s.
“We did it!” Faye squealed.
“I told you,” I answered as I leaned back in my chair. “All you needed to do was believe in yourselves.”
When I discreetly glanced at Penelope’s table, I noticed the bright-haired witch had already managed to open her book, and so had Beatrix. However, the poor twins were still struggling with the task, and I could tell they were losing their patience.
Just then, Penelope accidentally caught my eye, and she flushed an even deeper shade of red before she turned away.
I wondered how long she would continue feeling embarrassed about last night, and I hoped it would pass quickly. I knew deep down that she craved to feel the same way as Faye had, and soon, she would finally give in to her wild desires and submit herself to me.
I was fucking sure of it.
“Now that most of you have opened your books to the correct page,” Theodora began and drew my attention back to the lesson, “we’ll move on to the next course of action… telepathy. Who would like to read what is on the page? Anyone besides Miss Morgana, that is.”
The class went quiet as Theodora scanned the room, but then her ice blue eyes fell on me, and her lips twitched into a small smile.
“Cole?” she drawled. “Would you please read the passage on telepathy?”
“Sure,” I answered with a shrug.
My eyes flicked down to the page, and again, I studied the strange woman on the sheet before I cleared my throat and began to read aloud.
“Telepathy is considered to be one of the most difficult aspects of premonition,” I recited. “Not every Wicca, warlock, or magical creature can possess or control such a skill. It is considered a rare talent and can take years to master. If misused or abused in any way, it can kill you in a matter of seconds. To gain insight into someone else’s inner thoughts and desires, you must use all your energy to absorb their aura, and when you think you’ve opened up the gates to their mind, you may read whatever they’re thinking.”
“Precisely,” Theodora answered with her chin raised. “Again, for this next assignment, I’ll warn you not to be disheartened if you cannot read your partner’s thoughts clearly on the first try, so go easy on yourselves. I don’t want anyone’s head to literally explode in my classroom. Now, I want you all to pair off with someone and be quick about it. Oh, and I don’t want you to think of something simple like a color… dig a little deeper this time. We are layered creatures, and there are dark secrets that are locked away in our minds… try to pry open that lock and dig inside. This technique will be a little more trying than the others, considering there is no incantation involved. You must simply use the power of your naked mind. Now, go on. Pair off.”
I nodded and turned to look at my coven, but Theodora quickly darted over to us and placed her hand on the table.
“Actually, I would prefer if you all paired off with someone from the other team,” she said in a faint voice. “I’ll take one of the twins… Satan knows they need extra help.”
“Yes, Headmistress.” I nodded.
Without hesitation, I marched over to Penelope’s table and took a seat next to her, and as soon as she saw me, she dramatically rolled her brown eyes.
“Great,” she mumbled. “It’s you.”
“Don’t pretend like you’re disappointed.” I smirked.
“Whatever,” she sighed and refused to look at me. “Can we please just get this over with?”
“Sure.” I shrugged. “Do you want to go first?”
“Fine,” she growled with her arms crossed.
I chuckled to myself before I gently sat back in my seat and placed my hands behind my head, and Penelope squirmed in her seat as she turned to face me.
“Well, get on with it.” I smirked as the bright-haired witch stared long and hard at me and furrowed her orange eyebrows.
Her pretty face twisted and contorted with frustration, and her hands trembled by her sides as she fought to enter inside my mind.
“I-I think I see something,” she muttered as she raised her hands and pressed them against her temples.
“Stop overthinking,” I reminded her. “Just focus on me.”
She took in a sharp breath and then steadied her trembling hands, and as I stared into her chocolate brown eyes, she parted her lips and started to breathe normally. She was finally at ease, and then after a long moment, her eyes widened in shock.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I could see bloody rain,” Penelope muttered. “I saw cloaked women, and a black forest, but the rain… it was thick and metallic… I could almost taste it on the tip of my tongue.”
“That was a memory,” I replied with a nod. “My first night here.”
“You mean… it worked?” She grinned. “I did it?”
“You did it.” I smiled in return.
“Fuck, yeah!” she exclaimed before she slammed her hand down on the desk. Then the satisfied witch turned to look at me and leaned forward. “Now, do me.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” I smirked. “You seemed to enjoy the show last night, so I was wondering when you’d ask.”
“O-Oh, shut up and just do the spell,” Penelope stuttered as her face flamed a bright red.
“Alright, alright,” I snickered and sat up straighter in my seat. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch.”
Penelope grumbled under her breath and shifted uneasily in her seat, but I let my laughter die down as I focused on the orange-haired witch before me. Then I inhaled sharply and looked deeply into her large brown eyes, and I was so close to her face that I caught wisps of her lavender and rose perfume and could count the small, barely-there freckles across her cheeks.
As I stared long and hard at the beautiful but secretive witch, I began to see past the fog of her mind. She had stone walls preventing me from entering her consciousness, but I fought against them and was able to break them down. When I finally broke into her thoughts, I thought I could see something in the distance. It appeared as if there were two naked bodies entangled with each other, and it took me a moment to recognize the pair.
It was Penelope and me. We were fucking in a dark room, and I was on top of her and thrusting deep into her pussy as she cried out for me to fill her up with my cum. I smiled to myself as I watched the two of us screwing like wild animals, and when I was pulled out of the fantasy, I smirked at the orange-haired witch.
“What?” she asked, and her orange eyebrows pinched together in confusion. “What did you see?”
“I saw us,” I replied in a cool tone. “We were having sex.”
“What?” Penelope shrieked so loudly that several students turned to look at us with raised eyebrows.
“I’m just reporting what I saw.” I smirked and raised my hands in mock defense.
The embarrassed witch flushed a deep shade of purplish-pink and then leaned in closer to whisper. “That can’t be possible.”
“Desires are a part of the mind, are they not?” I grinned.
“W-Whatever,” she stuttered, and she scooted her chair a few inches away from me. “Don’t overthink it.”
“Oh, I won’t,” I chuckled, “but you sure will.”
Penelope flushed an even deeper shade of red, and then she turned away from me with her arms crossed and a pout on her lips.
“Whatever,” she mumbled.
Before I could say another word, Theodora clapped her hands together and then looked around the room with a satisfied smile.
“Well done, class,” she remarked. “That’s it for today. Most of you are dismissed, and I highly suggest you read more of the texts. It may help you if you’re struggling more than most. Have a ghoulishly pleasant day, now!”
“But Headmistress,” a short witch with dark purple hair and pink skin squealed. “What about the other two skills?”
“You mean psychoscopy and telesthesia?” Theodora asked with her head tilted to the side. “I’m afraid that’s only for more advanced students… with minor exceptions, of course.”
It didn’t take a premonition genius to guess that the two Scholomance teams were the minor exceptions.
“Oh,” the witch who had spoken up muttered, and she slumped in her seat.
“Alright, off with you, now,” Theodora said as she waved her hands. “Off with you!”
The rest of the class rushed off while the two Scholomance teams remained in their mismatched seats, and then Penelope turned to look at me.
“Is she seriously going to teach us psychoscopy and telesthesia?” she asked with wide brown eyes.
“I don’t see why not.” I shrugged. “They’re going to be crucial components of the game, aren’t they?”
“I suppose…” she answered slowly. “That doesn’t make me feel any less nervous, though.”
“You’ll be fine,” I reassured her with a wink. “If you’re as brilliant as you are hot, then you shouldn’t have a problem.”
Penelope flushed and then looked around the room. It was empty now, and when I glanced at my coven, I could tell they were nervous.
“Now, now,” Theodora tutted. “Don’t look so miserable, for hell’s sake.”
“A-Apologies, Headmistress,” Morgana stuttered. “It’s just that… well, you said so yourself, the last two abilities of premonition are usually reserved for more advanced students.”
“And?” Theodora asked with a raised eyebrow. “Do you not already consider yourselves to be more advanced than the rest of your class?”
“I suppose so,” Morgana murmured after a long moment.
“So, stop complaining and follow me,” Theodora instructed. “We’ll be heading down into the deep dungeon… and it’s a long walk, so let’s get a move on, shall we?”
The others turned pale and then exchanged terrified looks with one another, and I seemed to be the only one who wasn’t shaking in their boots.
“What’s in the deep dungeon?” I asked.
“Oh, just the usual,” Theodora replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Nothing to fret about.”
“It’s where the professors keep the deadliest creatures and prisoners,” Penelope hissed into my ear.
“Ah.” I nodded. That sounded about right, but we’d dealt with worse before, so we could do this, too.
When no one made a move to leave, Theodora snapped her fingers impatiently in our direction.
“Daylight is wasting,” she scoffed, and she sounded very much like her daughter right then. “Let’s get a move on.”
The headmistress swirled her skirts and headed toward one of her cabinets pressed against the stone wall. Then she muttered something under her breath, and the piece of furniture gently moved aside to reveal a stone door. As Theodora stared at the entrance, it slowly swung open, and then she turned to look at us.
“Let’s have some fun.” She grinned just before she slipped into the unknown.
I didn’t know exactly what was lurking down there, but whatever it was, I knew it was going to push us to our absolute limits.
Even if it killed us.
But I wasn’t about to back down from a challenge.