The witches all screamed as we sank deeper into the pit of darkness, and after what seemed like an eternity of falling, we landed with a violent splash into deep, icy water. My entire body submerged under the violently cold liquid, and it felt as if a thousand needles were prickling my skin and stabbing every inch of my body.
I swam upward with numb limbs and my eyes tightly shut, and then I burst up through the surface. I gasped greedily for air and wildly turned around to see if I could find the others, but it was nearly impossible to see anything but shadows. Everything was dark as night, but I could hear the women coughing and gasping as they breathlessly treaded through the water.
“Is everyone alright?” I coughed as I reached for my wand, which had miraculously stayed in my waistband next to my dagger.
“Yes,” the witches replied in a chorus.
“Satan, it’s freezing,” I heard Akira grunt.
“No shit,” Penelope answered through chattering teeth.
It was difficult to tread water with only one arm, but it wasn’t impossible, so I retrieved my wand and raised it above my head.
“Illuminana!” I shouted, and my voice echoed all around us.
When the flame burned above me, it dimly lit the stone, grime-covered walls surrounding us. I took a quick, careful look around and realized we were in a narrow underground tunnel full of water, and all the witches and familiars were soaked and shivering as they tried to stay above the surface. Alexander was the only one flying above us, but it was a tight squeeze for him since the tunnel was so low and narrow.
At least we’re out of that sweltering room, he said as he batted his grand, ebony wings.
“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean we’re in the clear just yet,” I reminded him.
“What was that, Cole?” Vesta whispered as her silver serpent easily slithered in circles on the surface on the water. “Did you say something?”
“Just talking to Alexander,” I replied.
“W-Which way do we go?” Penelope gasped in a panicked voice. “I-I can’t f-feel my f-fingers.”
“Neither can I,” Akira growled. “That bitch couldn’t roast us to death, so now she wants us to freeze down here.”
As the witches muttered amongst themselves while trying to keep warm, I closed my eyes and tried to think of a plan.
“Cole?” Faye asked in a soft tone. “Are you alright?”
“Yes… I’m thinking,” I replied as I opened my eyes. “We can either go forward or head backward. The only thing is… I’m not sure which way to take.”
“Can’t we use the periculum incantation to sense which way leads to danger and the other to safety?” Penelope suggested.
“It’s a clever idea in theory,” Morgana gulped as she tried to keep her head above the freezing, murky water, “but something tells me there’s danger lurking in every corner of this mine.”
“But perhaps one danger could be easier to defeat than the other,” Vesta suggested as she kept her head floating above water with no trouble at all, and her sage green hair fanned out behind her on the surface like an emerald oil spill.
“She's right.” Faye nodded with trembling, pale lips. “Why don’t we try to sense what lies at each end of the tunnel?”
“I’m in,” Beatrix said as she swiped dark strands of wet hair out of her eyes, “I think it’s the best idea.”
“Me, too,” I answered after a moment of deliberation. “Alright, let’s do it.”
It was going to be an arduous task to accomplish, considering how freezing cold the water was. I knew keeping a clear head and concentrating would be a challenge for all of us, but we had no other choice.
So, I narrowed my eyes and then stared upstream.
Periculum.
I tried to picture what laid north of the narrow, underground river, and as I strained to focus, I thought I could see a dead end a few miles up ahead. It was just a cold stone wall where the water ended, and there was no surface to climb upon. I cursed under my breath, because now we had no other choice but to head down in the other direction, and for some reason, I couldn’t see anything that way. I tried again, but I couldn’t get a clear picture of anything downstream.
“Are any of you sensing any danger in the other direction?” I asked. “I could just see up ahead, and it seems like it’s a dead end.”
“I felt that, too.” Faye erratically nodded.
“Same here,” Vesta purred, and her silver eyes glinted like coins in the dim light.
“Well, looks like we don’t have any other choice,” Morgana breathed with wide, blue eyes. “We’re going to have to take our chances going downstream. If we don’t start swimming, we’re going to drown or die from hypothermia.”
“I know,” I said as I began to swim. “Everyone, follow me and keep your eyes peeled.”
We swam as fast as we could through the glacial water, but it was tough for me to swim with one hand pushing through the water while the other was above the surface, lighting the way. The others were swimming in the same fashion, but their wands were not lit. They were simply holding them above the surface for protection, in case something, or someone, attacked us out of nowhere. At this rate, we could be paddling for hours, but it was better to be safe rather than sorry.
“Is anyone sensing anything?” Beatrix asked as we slowly pushed onward several minutes later.
“Not a damn thing,” Penelope huffed. “So fucking annoying.”
“Hopefully, we’ll find dry land soon,” Vesta commented, and her voice was as light as a feather. “I’m not particularly fond of this grimy, freezing water. It’s probably terrible for my complexion and hair. ”
“None of us like the situation, princess,” Penelope snorted.
“Princess?” Vesta gasped. “You don’t have to be so rude--”
“Focus,” I interjected. “Keep repeating the periculum incantation in your heads. Maybe the way will become clearer in time.”
“I-I think I’m sensing something,” Faye suddenly blurted out, and then we all stopped paddling at once. “I can’t be entirely sure, though.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said in a rushed voice. “What do you see?”
“I think it’s… aqua dragons,” she whispered with wide, green eyes, “and they’re coming closer.”
“Aqua dragons?” Akira repeated. “Just what the hell are those exactly?”
“Water serpents,” Faye answered. “One bite, and you’re as dead as Mathilda Greenhorn.”
As the words left the redhead’s full lips, I sucked in a sharp breath of air as a vision of two long serpentine creatures swimming in our direction came into my head. They had slim, muscular bodies and were covered from snout to tail in dark emerald scales. Their eyes were small, glowing slits, and they were at least twenty-five-feet long.
The witches all looked at one another with white faces and blue, trembling lips, and I knew they could all see the same vision in their minds, too.
“Shit,” I muttered.
“W-We can kill them with h-hydra-poison,” Faye said through chattering teeth.
“And where the hell are we going to get poison?” Penelope shrieked as she slapped the surface of the frigid water. “Do you happen to always carry a vial of it wherever you go?”
“It can be made,” Faye snapped. “Here, shut up and help me! Morgana, keep me afloat while I do this.”
Morgana did as she was told, and she quickly recited a spell that kept Faye floating in the water.
“It won't last forever,” Morgana said, “so you’re going to have to be quick!”
The redhead nodded, scooped up water in her palms, and looked down at the puddle with severe concentration. Then she muttered an incantation with her eyes squeezed shut, and it caused the water to pool in the cusp of her hands and not spill through her fingers.
“What do we need to do now, Faye?” I asked.
“Cut into your hand,” she ordered, “then spill the droplets into my palms.
“Do you need anything else?” Morgana asked with terrified, wide blue eyes.
“I need a strand of someone's hair,” Faye replied as she looked around. “Vesta, your hair is the most unique. Add it to the water quickly!”
“Alright,” the elvish witch sighed before she tugged a few sage-green strands from her head. “For the greater good.”
As soon as the hair was added, Faye closed her eyes and then began to mutter another spell.
“Sit mihi venenum naturae gustare celia,” she hummed with her eyes lowered, and the moment the last word fell from her lips, she looked up at me with a resolute and determined gaze. “Light it on fire, quickly!”
I stared at the small flame on the tip of my wand and quickly focused.
Motus.
The light from my wand drifted into the air and then formed a small ball of fire. It hovered toward Faye, and in my mind, I willed it to burn the small brew in her hands, but not the redhead’s skin. An instant later, the flame scorched Vesta’s green strands of hair, floated for a moment on top of the red puddle, and dispersed into nothingness.
“Now, when we see the dragons, we must throw the potion into their eyes,” Faye explained. “If we don’t… they’ll kill us in a matter of seconds, so look out for them.”
“We need to--” I started, but then something curled around my ankle and dragged me underwater.
The last thing I heard before I went under was the sound of the women screaming my name in a frenzied panic, but I held tightly onto my wand as I was dragged deeper and deeper under the water. It felt like sharp daggers were piercing my bones as the icy cold penetrated my skin, and I struggled to hold my breath as I wriggled and kicked at the creature, which still had its tail wrapped tightly around my boot.
My eyes were open, and my wand was faintly glowing, even underwater. So, through my stinging, blurry vision, I saw the aqua dragon turn its ugly head to stare at me as it yanked my body down into the depths, and then I could have sworn the creature’s face broke out into a malicious smile.
What an asshole.
The aqua dragon looked exactly as I had seen it in my mind. Even under the muddy water’s depths, its scales shimmered like emerald jewels as its long meaty tail squeezed around me and cut off my blood circulation. It was a strong son-of-a-bitch, and I could tell it was using all its strength to pull me all the way to the bottom of the tunnel.
If I didn’t find a way out soon, it would surely drown me.
So, I shoved my wand into my waistband and then pulled out my dagger. I couldn’t see clearly, but I managed to squirm and bend over slightly, and using all my strength, I was able to reach the coiled flesh around my ankle. I knew it was a risk, but I had to stab it. Since my vision was unclear, I could end up piercing my own flesh, but I needed to take that chance. So, with all my might, I raised my hand and then swiftly stabbed the serpent’s meaty tail with quick, determined thrusts.
A long, drawn-out wail echoed around me, and the beast quickly released me as a cloud of deep green, almost black blood spread throughout the water like spilled ink. My lungs felt as heavy as lead as I swam back up in rapid, unwavering strokes, but the knife was still in my hand, so if the dragon beneath me decided to swim after me, I’d stab it right between the fucking eyes.
When I finally burst out through the surface, I voraciously gasped for air, and it was almost painful to feel the oxygen returning to my body.
“Cole!” the women exclaimed all at once.
“I stabbed one,” I coughed as I wiped my eyes and swam closer toward them, “but I don’t think I killed it.”
The women huddled together as they floated closer toward me, and each one had their wands extended. A small flame flared at the tip of Beatrix’s wand, and she was the only one lighting our way, so I tucked my dagger back into my waistband and then pulled out my wand and cast the illuminana spell.
“These fuckers are hiding,” Akira growled as her black eyes scanned the equally dark water. “It’s almost as if they know we have a poison waiting for them.”
“Let’s not wait for them, then,” Penelope suggested as she turned to look at Faye with a confident smile. “Faye, will the potion kill us or any of the familiars?”
“No.” The redhead shook her head. “It only kills water dragons.”
“Perfect.” Penelope grinned. “Then I want you to spill the potion into the water when I say so.”
“What?” the redhead gasped. “Why? Are you crazy? We need to throw it into their eyes when they surface.”
“Just trust me on this,” the bright-haired witch snapped with pinched eyebrows, but when Faye didn’t make a move, the bright-haired witch’s eyes darkened. “Do it! What are you waiting for?”
“Do it, Faye,” I commanded.
I trusted Penelope, and if she had an idea that would help keep us alive, I’d help her in any way I could.
“Yes, master,” Faye sighed before she lowered her hands into the water.
The redhead reluctantly let the poison spill out into a small, floating red splotch that laid on the water’s surface like stubborn oil. Penelope then lit her wand, pointed it at the stain of hovering poison, and scrunched up her buttoned nose in concentration.
It took me a moment to realize what she was doing, and I grinned when her plan hit me like a spell.
“You’re going to spread the potion through the water,” I laughed. “They’ll be swimming in a river of venom.”
“I don’t know if it will work, but it’s worth a shot,” she started. “Will you be my lookout while I concentrate?”
“Of course.” I nodded as I stared at the spec of red water in front of us. Then I recited the periculum incantation in my head and raised my glowing wand. My skull trembled from the effort as I tried to foresee what laid beneath us, and after a minute, I saw the two serpentine creatures swimming right toward us. One was still bleeding profusely, but it didn’t matter.
They were just as determined as ever to kill us.
“Do it now, Penelope!” I shouted.
“Motus!” the witch screamed without hesitation.
The floating poison quickly spread like ink, and then the entire tunnel of water turned into a ruddy shade of red. At first, nothing happened, but then the two creatures exploded out of the water, and their skin was sizzling. They writhed and twisted, and their blood-curdling screeches echoed around us as their scales and fat tissue melted away from their bodies. Finally, one aqua dragon ultimately gave up and fell backward into the water, and we watched as it sunk into the hungry depths below.
Its counterpart, however, was too damn stubborn, and even as its scales melted away, it stared right at Vesta, opened its snake-like mouth, and hissed.
Ursula must have sensed her elvish master was in danger, and she curled herself around Vesta’s neck and hissed back at the aqua dragon three times her size.
Even though my limbs were still numb and weak, I aimed my wand at the deadly, dying beast. For some reason, it was determined to hurt Vesta, and the next chain of events felt as if they were happening in slow motion. The two serpentine creatures lunged for each other, and my heart sank as Ursula got closer.
One bite, and she would be done for.
“No, Ursula!” Vesta shouted. “Don't!”
There was no way I was going to let Ursula die, so without another second of hesitation, I raised my glowing wand and pictured the beastly creature burning to a black crisp.
Motus.
The flame hit the spiteful aqua dragon, and it jerked its body back and hissed violently as the fire melted away the rest of its flesh. It then tossed itself back into the water, and the poison finished it off as it sunk down into its watery grave.
No one said anything for a long moment until finally, Akira broke out into manic laughter.
“Unholy, fucking shit,” she laughed and threw her hands up over her head. “That was a fucking close one.”
“We’re alive thanks to you three,” Vesta purred as she stared at Faye, Penelope, and me.
“Yeah, good call with that poison, Faye,” I added. “You, too, Penelope. You both outdid yourselves.”
“Thank you, master,” Faye replied through blue, trembling lips.
“Yeah,” Penelope said, and I could have sworn she was blushing, but it was difficult to tell under the dim light. “Thanks, Cole, but we wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without you.”
“She’s right,” Beatrix responded.
“Thanks.” I nodded, but then I swerved my neck to look down the tunnel. “We have to keep moving. We’ll celebrate after we win.”
“G-Good i-idea,” Morgana said through chattering teeth. “Staying in one place isn't a safe plan… Everyone, keep reciting the periculum incantation in your head while we swim. We have no idea what else could be out there.”
“Agreed,” I said, “now, let’s move it.”
We continued to swim through the icy water for several more minutes, and so far, I didn’t feel any hindering dangers nearby, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.
Where do you think this tunnel leads? Alexander asked as he continued to fly through the air.
“I have no fucking idea,” I muttered, “but I know it’s not anywhere good.”
Finally, after an hour of swimming through the painfully freezing water, we came to a towering, barred iron gate, and I cursed under my breath.
“Shit!” Akira screamed, and her shrill voice bounced off the stone walls. “I’m going to kill that faceless bitch with my own bare hands.”
“What are we going to do?” Morgana groaned. “This was our only way out.”
“Hold on,” I said as I felt a shift in the air.
Something was lingering in the atmosphere, and it didn’t feel like hopelessness.
In fact, it felt like the exact opposite.
You must be patient, the mysterious woman said in my head. You can lift the gate with your mind. Just focus…
So, I took a deep breath and stared at the exit for a moment, and then its bars started to slowly open like a castle portcullis. The gate screeched and echoed as it lifted, and as soon as it was fully raised, I could see a stone stairwell just ahead leading to only Satan knows where.
“Cole, did you do that?” Penelope asked in an impressed tone.
“I did,” I replied breathlessly.
“Well, the good news is, we have a way out,” Akira noted, “but we have no idea where it leads.”
“Is it crazy that a part of me would rather stay in the icy water?” Beatrix muttered when none of us moved or responded.
“No,” Vesta purred, “but I’d rather be dry and in danger than soaked down here in a dank, dirty tunnel with deadly, ugly creatures lurking underwater.”
“Good point.” Morgana shivered, and I noticed her face was as pale as white marble. “Besides, I don’t think I can take the cold any longer.”
They’re right, Alexander said. We need to get out of this tunnel.
“Trust me, Alexander,” I answered, “I know… everyone, keep together.”
“Yes, master,” my coven answered in unison, while Penelope and Beatrix simply nodded.
We swam together toward the mysterious stairwell, and once we climbed onto the steps, I turned back to look at each shaky witch. Their lips were violently trembling, and their glowing skin was pallid and sallow. Even Vesta looked like a less radiant version of herself as she stood below me shaking and embracing herself on the bottom step.
Once we were all situated on the stone stairwell, there was no other option but to go up. From where I stood, there were at least a hundred stone steps leading up to a small, plain wooden door with a shimmering gold knob. It was our only way out, but the problem was, we had no idea what was waiting at the top of the stairwell and behind that fucking door.
But I was ready to find out and fucking win this tournament, once and for all.
So, I took in a sharp breath and then climbed each step slowly, and the closer we got, the more it felt as if death was waiting for us behind the narrow door. Still, I continued to lead the women and familiars up the stairs, and no one said a word as we climbed each broken step.
When we finally came to a halt, I looked long and hard at the door, but I couldn’t perceive anything waiting behind it. In fact, it felt like a cold void of pure emptiness.
There was no evil, and there was no good.
There was just absolutely nothing, which felt worse because it meant anything could be behind that door.
“Satan, I’m not sensing anything,” Morgana finally whispered. “Are you, Cole?”
“No,” I answered as I turned around to face the brunette and then shook my head. “I’m not feeling anything, either… but we have no other choice. We have to go through it… so, everyone, pull your wands out and prepare for the worst. Penelope and Beatrix, try to keep yourselves behind the others and me. We’ll use the blood pact to protect you as best as we can.”
Each witch dutifully nodded and then pulled out their wands, so I turned the golden knob and was surprised to see it opened with ease.
Once it was fully open, though, the breath stilled in my lungs as I stared into a massive, jaw-dropping, black and white throne room.
The marble floor was designed in a checkered pattern that resembled a giant chessboard, and there were dark stains of blood in almost every corner. When I craned my neck to look up, the silver-coated ceiling was hovering at least a hundred feet above us, and the walls were made of silver stone with gold edges, but most of them were cracked, uneven, and falling apart. There were hundreds of towering white marble statues all around us, too, and most of them resembled robustly built men with enormous wings. Their eyes were cold and lifeless, and bloodstains poured down their cheeks like rivers of red tears.
“Elder Gods,” Vesta breathed, and her silver eyes widened in horror.
“Satan,” Beatrix panted, and it sounded like she was on the verge of tears. “Where are we?”
Suddenly, I sensed something heavy and menacing behind me, and when I slowly turned around, I saw a majestic, but empty, ivory throne. It was surrounded by looming white columns and made out of pale stone with colorful jewels embedded along the edges. The longer I stared at it, the more foreboding it became. The air was thick with pure malice and hatred, and it was not the kind of darkness I welcomed.
This was a specific abhorrence against my kind, and it was thirsty for Wicca blood.
“Help!” I heard a familiar voice call out. “Please help us!”
“Did you hear that?” Morgana asked as she turned a shade paler.
“Yes,” I breathed, and my stomach sank. “It’s Nyx.”
I spun on my heels and headed in the direction of her voice, and the women followed me until I spotted Nyx and her team. The seven witches were hanging upside down and tied against wooden stakes that were all positioned at the end of the throne room in a straight line. They were all wearing long, tattered white dresses instead of their usual uniforms, and my heart began to hammer violently in my chest as I gazed at the helpless women.
I had seen this image before in mortal memories and in my textbooks.
Someone was preparing to burn them all, from their heads up to their toes, and if we didn’t do something quick, they would perish as soon as the flames sprouted from beneath them.
Then it was as if some other entity was listening to my inner thoughts because small flames burst from beneath the witches’ heads, and the blaze was already nearly touching the ends of their hair.
I tried to use the motus incantation to control the fire, but strangely, it didn’t seem to be working.
“Help!” the women screamed through panicked tears. “Please, do something!”
“Cole, we have to help them,” Vesta gasped as she grabbed my sleeve.
“I know,” I replied in a rushed voice.
I took a step closer toward the women, but as soon as I did, one of the marble, checkered floor pieces sunk a little deeper into the ground. For a second, I thought I was going to fall through some kind of trapdoor, but all it did was wedge itself further into the floor.
“Don’t just stand there,” Nyx wailed as tears spilled out from her eyes. “Get us out of here! Please, Cole!”
I wanted to help her, but I had to be careful and smart about how I was going to do it.
As I wracked my brain for an idea, though, Faye took a step closer toward the women. Her foot sank down into the floor, and the marble tile descended lower, and for a moment, I thought she was going to fall back from the sudden motion.
Then, as soon as the tile moved, the flames began to rise a little higher.
“What the hell?” the redhead screamed. “The floor moved!”
“I know,” I whispered. “I think it’s rigged… we can’t get to them by crossing the floor… wait, I have an idea!”
As the words left my lips, the flames grew a little taller, and now they were just inches away from burning off the ends of the women’s long hair.
“Nooooo!” Nyx screamed, and she struggled frantically against her bindings. “Please, Cole, do something!”
I turned to Alexander as he hovered in the air and then beckoned for him to come closer. He flew above me with his massive, bat-like wings and bright red eyes, and we didn’t need to exchange words to know what I was planning. So, I just reached out to touch his head and then closed my eyes.
“Corporis nexum,” I whispered.
I felt my consciousness transfer into Alexander’s body, and when the view of the world changed, I quickly flew toward the Vipera witches. I neared Nyx and tried to use Alexander’s teeth to rip the rope apart, but then something sharp and hot hit me in my side, and I went crashing down to the marble floor.
“Cole!” the women screamed.
Hot blood trickled down my side, and as I tried to swiftly recuperate, I heard a deep cackle of laughter. I looked up to see Lex standing behind the Scholomance women, and he was surrounded by his teammates and their loyal familiars. The white, feral feline licked her lips as she stared at me, and then she hunched her back as if she were preparing to charge. Her golden eyes bored into mine as she stared patiently at me, and I forced myself to limply fly back into the air.
“Nice shot, Lex,” his redheaded counterpart with pale skin and vivid orange eyes said.
“Thank you.” The blond warlock grinned. “Gods, I’ve been waiting to do that for a long time.”
Anger coursed through my veins as I looked at the snickering warlock, and the sound of his cocksure laughter made me want to stab him in the heart with a dagger. He was worse than Malcolm or Bram because the fucker actually had patience. He’d waited until now to show his true colors, but it didn’t matter.
He had picked the wrong man to fuck with.
Are you alright, Cole? Alexander asked weakly in my mind.
Yes… I replied. Don’t worry about me… it was just a basic attack spell… we’ll be fine, just keep your eyes peeled.
You’re right, Alexander responded, and I could already hear the strength returning to his voice. Nothing but a flesh wound… let’s kill this fucker.
“What do you say, Valentina?” Lex drawled as he slowly patted his lioness on the head. “Are you craving bitch meat?”
“You son of a fucking whore,” Akira growled as she faced off with the warlock. “I knew you were up to something.”
“You’re not going to get away with this,” Morgana sneered as she aimed her wand higher into the air.
“Aren’t I?” Lex snickered, and he gestured around the room. “You and the rest of your school are as good as dead.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Vesta demanded as her silver snake twined around and around her neck in a hypnotic gesture.
“As we speak,” Lex said with a bloodthirsty, crazed grin, “Scholomance is burning to the ground.”
“I don’t believe you,” Faye snarled.
Before Lex could respond, one of the Vipera women screamed, and when I turned around, I saw the flames were dangerously close to reaching a blonde witch’s locks. I tried to fly toward her, but then something pulled me back and tugged at my wings, like a pair of vicious invisible hands.
Again, I was thrown backward and landed with a hard thump on the floor. I looked back at Lex as he flicked his wand in the air, and when I snapped my neck to look back at the Vipera women, their mouths were sewn shut. The flames were not yet touching them, but they were too damn close for my liking.
I knew I needed to take care of Lex and his teammates before I could save them, but I had to be quick.
So, I forced myself to fly upward, and then I hovered directly in front of my Scholomance team and silently dared Lex to make a move against me.
If he wanted to play chess, then check-fucking-mate.
“Feeling brave, are we, Cole?” Lex drawled as if he could read my mind. “Valentina, kill him… and as for the rest of you… we’re going to make your deaths as slow and as painful as possible.”
“I fucking doubt that,” Akira growled as her black eyes darkened with determination. “Volant!”
As soon as the short-haired witch cast her spell, all hell broke loose between the two teams. They shot spell after spell at one another, and statues and glass shattered as incantations blasted throughout the room like a colorful and violent storm.
As the teams focused on destroying one another, the lioness pounced forward, but before she could attack me, I swerved toward her and then used my bladed wing to quickly jab at her hide. Maybe it was because of my connection with Alexander, but I sensed a feral instinct take over my entire body, and all I wanted to do was fight against this asshole’s familiar, animal against animal. I knew Alexander felt the same way, because I could feel his own rage coursing through my veins as we fought together.
As I stabbed the ferocious familiar, she cried out in pain as the sharp edge of my wing carved into her fur like a hot knife through butter, and then she swung a massive paw in my direction in retaliation. She nearly sliced me open, and she growled in irritation when she missed.
The two teams screamed and shot spells at one another as I fought against the unwavering lioness, and I was doing my best to not only dodge the bloodthirsty beast, but also to avoid any lethal spells aimed at me. I veered quickly in the air as she tried to bat me with her paw, and she growled as I stabbed her again with my wing. When I retracted the honed blade, blood gushed out from her open wound like a red fountain. Her fur was now matted with dark blood, and both bone and muscle were exposed, which I knew meant she wouldn’t last much longer. She roared in pain, and then, with little patience left, she quickly lunged into the air with her claws extended. Her chest was finally exposed, and I knew this was the only opportunity I'd get to finish her off once and for all.
So, I flew toward the beast, and with my bladed wing, I stabbed her quickly but fiercely in the heart. She roared one last time before she collapsed onto the marble floor, and then dark blood pooled around her limp body.
“No!” Lex cried out, and his eyes were dark and furious as they snapped to mine. “Gods damn you, I’m going to kill you, myself.”
Come on and try it, you elder god worshipping fucker, I growled in my head.
Let’s fuck him up, Cole, Alexander added.
Like the coward he was, the pale warlock rushed over and tried to attack my unconscious human body with his bare hands. The women tried to aim their wands at him, but some other force yanked their weapons out from their hands.
I managed to pull myself out of Alexander just before the spineless warlock could reach me, but when I returned to my body, he leaped on top of me, and I was shoved harshly into the cold stone ground.
“Fucker,” I gasped as pain bloomed in my chest.
Lex tried to wrap his hands around my neck, but I brought my knee up and kicked him in the ribs. He coughed and jerked back from the sudden blow, and I took the opportunity to punch him in the jaw. I hit him with all my strength, and when his head snapped to the right, he spat out blood and teeth. I couldn’t let him regain his bearings, so I grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him off me, and he limply collapsed to the side. Then I reached behind my back to pull out my dagger instead of my wand. I wanted to see him bleed, but suddenly the weapon flew from my grasp and scattered across the marble floor.
When I looked up to see which warlock had interfered, my eyes landed on something, or rather, someone else entirely.
Before us, sitting on the throne, was a gorgeous woman with the longest and palest hair I’d ever seen. She was wearing a simple white gown with a glittering diamond necklace around her elongated neck. Her eyes were cat-like, wide and vigilant, and her full red lips curved into a deliciously wicked smile as she stared down at us. There was bitter amusement twinkling in her bright blue eyes before she slowly raised her pale hands and clapped.
“How lovely,” her familiar voice echoed. It was the woman who had spoken to us in the royal mine. The bitch had been watching us the entire time. “I do love a good battle… reminds me of the gladiatorial days.”
Then she gracefully stood up, and my mouth dropped open as massive dove-white wings sprouted out from her back. When she flapped them, a giant gust of air sent the Scholomance witches flying back into the air, and they all screamed as they went soaring toward the other witches.
“You fucking bitch,” I growled, and hot, boiling anger coursed through my body. “Who the hell are you?”
“I’m the master of this palace” the angelic woman hissed as her bright eyes glowed with anger. “How dare you speak to me in such a manner, you filthy Wicca.”
“I will gladly punish him, my queen,” Lex mumbled through broken teeth as he pulled himself up from the ground.
“You?” she challenged with an arched eyebrow. “You couldn’t even throw one decent hit. You are completely useless.”
“Please,” the warlock begged, and he dropped to his knees and bowed his head in a disgusting show of weakness. “Let me prove my worth.”
The woman stared long and hard at the groveling warlock, and then her red mouth curled up into a small smile. Whoever, or whatever, she was, it was clear Lex would die a thousand times for her.
“So be it,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
Then she flicked her wrist, and a grand army of skeletal soldiers emerged out from the walls like a militia of ghosts come to life. Their bodies were made of bones, they had large, golden wings transporting them swiftly toward us, and they carried hefty gold and silver weapons with them as they sang a chorus of battle cries.
The goddess then waved her pale hand once more, and when I turned around, I saw my team frozen in place like a group of marble statues, and my blood turned to ice when I realized they were unable to fight.
I knew we were outnumbered, and my heart skipped when I realized I either had to figure out how to free my immortal coven, or I’d have to destroy hundreds of skeletons, and these warlock traitors, all by myself.
Both paths seemed impossible.