When I returned to the courtroom, vivid auburn sunlight seeped in through the stained-glass window, and it cast a blazing glow on everything in sight. The women of the High Court were standing behind their podiums, and they were all dressed in long, bright red gowns with golden crowns on top of their heads. Like last night, each beautiful woman stared down at me with scowls on their faces, as if I were nothing more than an ant crawling across their pristine marble floor.
The scowls etched on their flawless faces and the loathing in their eyes told me they were ready to see me fail, but I silently vowed to prove them otherwise.
Fuck these bitches.
My coven was silently standing in a straight line, just behind Theodora and Vanessa, and as I swept past them, each of my women cast me a concerned look. Some of them were better at hiding their distress than others, but I knew deep down, all of them were worried about my fate.
So, I met their eyes, and I forced myself to smile in their direction and to keep my chin and shoulders raised to reassure them in any small way. Then I turned my attention to the High Court and smirked confidently at them.
“Good morning… or should I say evening?” I said with a raised eyebrow.
The women’s scowls deepened, and they remained silently seated for a long moment, but then Madame Mara abruptly stood up and waved her small, dainty hand in my direction. She seemed pleased with herself, too, as if she’d already seen my bloody defeat in her sleep.
I kept steady eye contact with her and refused to look away, even when her gaze hardened, and I could feel sweat prickling at my forehead. Part of me slightly feared her, but at the same time, I was also drawn to her fearlessness and indescribable beauty.
“Well, well, well,” she clucked, “I must say… a part of me expected you to try and flee sometime in the night.”
“Me?” I chuckled. “I would never flee from the sight of a beautiful woman… or should I say, women.”
The women of the court gasped and then turned to look at each other as if they’d misheard me. Mara, however, tossed back her pale, blonde hair, and then she laughed gently. The sound of her giggling filled the room like a soothing melody, and it lasted perhaps longer than seemed appropriate to the other members, but she didn't seem to care.
“You are bold,” the court leader breathed, “but I’m afraid flattery will not save you from confronting Amon.”
“Ah, but of course not.” I smirked. “I was simply stating the truth.”
“Be that as it may,” she continued, “I’m afraid we are wasting time… the sun will not be up for long, and I want to make this as fair a competition as possible.”
It took all my willpower not to scoff or laugh at her because deep down, I knew she didn’t give two shits about my wellbeing, but I still played along.
“How considerate of you, Madame,” I answered with a deep bow. “I’m ready for whatever you have planned for me.”
Mara bowed her own head and then forced herself to smile graciously at me before she drifted down from her podium and glided in my direction. As she did so, her red dress floated behind her like a red river before she looked deeply into my eyes and then leaned in closer to whisper into my ear. Her hot breath tickled my skin and sent a stimulating shiver down my spine, but I pretended like it didn’t faze me.
“Let us begin, then,” she muttered, and her soft lips brushed against my ear as she slowly drew away.
Madame Soulton stared again into my eyes before she snapped her fingers, and then the entire room filled up with familiar, purple smoke.
I knew we were all shadow porting to somewhere, but this time, there was no violently tossing or turning, and when the smoke evaporated, I was standing in the middle of a dirt-covered pit. Above me, I could see the women of the court sitting comfortably in a stone stadium, and it was evident I was in some kind of arena. My coven was all seated on the opposite side of the pit, and Vanessa and Theodora were among them. It was challenging to read their expressions from here, but I could undoubtedly sense their fear and apprehension, even from afar.
The sand beneath me was stained with dark brown blood, and broken bones littered the pit like jewels in a throne room. The air around me was dangerously steady and calm, and as I paced around the pit, my leather boots kicked up massive clouds of bronzed dust.
Finally, Mara stood up and raised her pale hands into the air, and from here, she looked like a hellish angel with her blood-red gown and glittering crown. The gentle wind blew her white-blonde hair back from her heart-shaped face before she opened her full, rosy red lips to shout.
“The rules of combat are simple,” her gentle voice echoed, “fight till the death.”
In the next moment, I could hear something rumbling beneath me, and I took a giant step back when I realized the ground was opening. Puffs of stale smelling smoke emerged from below, and as the ground of the pit continued to split open, I could hear something snarling deeply from within.
I pulled out my wand and aimed it at the earth, and thick, black smoke swirled at my ankles as the floor parted open even wider. Soon, a large, mannish hand planted itself on the ground from the mysterious depths below, and then another one appeared. From the ashes and smoke rose an enormous, man-like creature with a falcon’s head and a muscled, pale torso marred by countless scars and marks. When the beast opened his wide jaw, I caught multiple rows of yellow, canine shaped teeth, and thick, mucus-colored drool seeped from the corners of his lips. As soon as his sickly, yellow eyes met mine, the creature raised a heavy hand into the air and prepared to claw at me with its long, sharp black nails.
“Secare!” I cried out as I took a quick step back.
A blast of light hit his wrist, and then a precise incision cut neatly across his skin before the hand completely fell away from his arm. Deep, almost black blood spurted out from the open wound, and the creature took a clumsy step back before he roared furiously in my direction. Then, as quick as a bolt of lightning, he took a large step forward and used his other muscular arm to swat at me. It was a quick blow, and I didn’t have time to react, so I was sent flying backward into the air and then landed with a painful thud onto the hard earth.
“Cole!” I heard my coven scream.
I shook my head from the sudden crash, and the wind had been completely knocked out of me, but I still held tightly onto my wand. In fact, my fingers were so tightly woven around the wooden rod, I was sure the splinters would cause my skin to open and bleed.
As I struggled to sit up, the beast charged right at me on its hands and feet like a wolf, and I quickly rolled over to my side to avoid its trajectory. The monster missed me by just an inch, and when I pushed myself upwards and off the ground, my mouth fell open as I stared at Amon’s gaping stump wound.
From the exposed wrist bone, another fleshy hand began to grow in its place and then sprouted outward like a plant growing from the earth.
Whatever this creature was, it was able to heal itself upon command.
“Shit,” I muttered to myself, but then Amon lunged at me again, and there was no time to falter.
As I dodged another swing, my body swayed back, and I had to catch myself before I fell onto my ass. This creature was not only massive, but he was as quick as a whip, too. His devilish eyes bored into mine as he took another giant step toward me, but now I had my wand extended and aimed at his chest, and when he was only a couple of feet away from me, I made my move.
“Glacio!” I cried out.
A blast of light hit the beast right in the chest, and for a moment, he stopped in his tracks and took a lumbering step back. Ice formed on his torso, but instead of freezing him into an ice sculpture, the frost simply shattered and exploded. Icy shards flew everywhere, and then Amon lowered himself into a running position before he deeply growled in my direction. This creature was toying with me, and I could see the satisfaction in his vivid, callous eyes as his hands balled into fists against the earth.
“Fuck,” I hissed.
I quickly glanced around the stadium and tried to produce a plan. There was no way I could use the killing curse, not while my body was still recovering, and it seemed like this beast deflected any common spell I used against him.
So, as Amon stared into my eyes and kicked back clouds of dark dirt, I knew I would have to use my soulless, but obedient, scarlet shadow double. It would take plenty of energy to summon him, but it wouldn't kill me.
At least, I hoped not.
“Qui vocat umbra mea!” I shouted.
Amon was still crouched down into the dirt and preparing to charge at me, but then his yellow orbs widened with disdain and shock as red smoke emerged from the tip of my wand. His eyes darted away from me and then focused on my crimson twin, who was now taking full form.
As soon as the shadow was complete, it turned to look at me with its toothy grin and glowing eyes. I knew it was hungry for blood, and I could sense its savagery and taste for flesh radiating off it like a sour stench.
“Fight by my side,” I ordered. “Just as you did once before.”
My red reflection nodded gravely before turning its attention back on the beast.
Amon’s massive head turned between the two of us as if it was unsure who to attack first. Then he growled deeply before he decided to charge at me, but as he did so, my double whirled through the air and clawed at Amon’s muscular torso. My shadow managed to pierce the monster’s skin with thick red nails, and Amon furiously tossed back his head in agony. Long, red gashes, at least several inches deep, were spread across his chest, and as soon as he was distracted by the sudden assault, I raised my wand even higher into the air and then narrowed my eyes at his bird-like head.
My opponent met my gaze and then bared his yellow teeth before he charged, but I didn’t move my feet as I waited for the last possible second to cast my spell. I knew there was a chance the spell might not work, but I still had to give it a shot.
Five… four… three… two…
“Volant!” I cried out with all my strength, and a bolt of light exploded out of my wand and slammed into the beast.
To my instant relief, Amon screeched, went flying backward, and then slammed down into the hard earth with a loud crash. He struggled to get back onto his feet, but I could already feel my energy draining as my double swirled into the air and awaited my next command.
“Kill him,” I ordered through gritted teeth. “Now.”
My shadow nodded deeply and flashed me a satisfied, callous smile before it charged at the beast and wrung its shadowy hands around Amon’s thick neck. My other half squeezed the creature until its yellow eyes were bulging out of its ugly falcon-like head, and suddenly, the sky darkened, and a cruel, sharp wind picked up. Then my hands began to tremble as if I were the one physically choking the life out of this demon from hell.
In a way, I almost was. After all, my double was a reflection of myself, and I could feel his satisfaction growing as the bones in Amon’s neck began to break. Finally, the bird-headed man stopped struggling, and his large body went utterly still. Its tremendous form slammed down into the sand, face first, and stained the ground with its ebony tainted blood. My shadow then hovered away from the dead creature and floated toward me with a look of pure satisfaction on his shadowy face.
“Thanks,” I breathed. “Forma reditus.”
The air fell silent as my shadow slowly seeped back into my wand, and once it returned to its domain, the sky faded back to normal, and the air grew calm and steady.
I stared at Amon’s limp body a few feet away from me and took in a long, deep breath of relief. My legs were weak like pudding, but I fought to remain steady and firmly planted on my feet. Then I looked up at my coven, and each witch had a small smile plastered on their faces. Theodora and Vanessa looked pleased as well, but they were doing a better job of not appearing smug or overly proud.
When I turned to look at the High Court women, each witch was staring at the blonde-haired Mara, as if waiting for her approval, and after what felt like an eternity, she finally stood up and slowly clapped.
“Wellllll doneee,” Mara drawled as her small claps echoed throughout the arena.
From afar, it was difficult to tell if she was genuinely content with this outcome or not, but then again, it didn’t really matter. I’d won, and now the bitch had to keep her word.
As I stared at her, she slowly grinned a mysterious and placid smile, and there was also a hint of coldness behind her vibrant green eyes.
“Now tell me,” I panted, “have I passed? May we talk about the future of Scholomance? Or do you want me to defeat one of your fucking dragons, next?”
The women of the court exchanged muddled looks with one another before Mara gently laughed. I could see the resentment behind her giddy facade, but she was still trying her best to appear unbothered. I had a feeling she’d been sure I would die against Amon, and a part of her probably felt embarrassed that things didn’t turn out how she’d expected.
“Yes, of course,” she said behind a tight smile.
The graceful head of the court then clapped her hands together, and purple smoke surrounded me once more. I could feel myself lightly moving through the air, and when the mist evaporated, we were all back inside the castle, but not within the courtroom. Instead, we were all seated at a grand table laden with a number of vast, exotic dishes, and vases of dark wine. The room smelled of herbs and spices mixed with juicy meats and tangy fruits, and it was a sharp contrast to the dirt and blood of the pits, so it took me a long moment to settle into this new but welcoming environment.
“Is this to your liking?” Mara asked me with a small smile.
“It’s certainly a hospitable change of scenery,” I replied as lightly as I could. “Thank you.”
“Well,” the pale-haired witch sighed as if she’d just been finishing a tedious errand instead of watching me fight to my death. “I must say… I’ve never seen such a shadow double before. He was incredibly powerful, which clearly is a reflection of your own abilities.”
“I told you,” Theodora answered before I could say anything. “I wouldn't have brought him to you if I didn’t think his powers were extraordinary.”
“Indeed,” Mara responded, and her full lips formed a tight line. “Well, then, what do you propose we do, Cole? How can we prepare Scholomance against the elder gods? You must already have a plan.”
“Well, I--” I started until she impatiently shook her head.
“Come on, now,” she hissed impatiently. “What do you think should be done to prepare the academy from future attacks from elder gods or their followers? Do you have any suggestions? If so, I’d love to hear them.”
I knew she was trying to intimidate me, even after I defeated one of the most dangerous creatures known to the Wicca world, but I refused to give her the satisfaction.
I had to think fast.
“Well,” I said again as I glanced at Theodora for some kind of sign, but she gave none. Her eyes were steady and stern and completely fixated on me, and even my coven seemed to be holding their breaths as they waited for my answer. Before responding, though, I took in a deep breath and calmly looked into Mara's vivid eyes. “As you said, we need to find a way to prepare for further attacks… the Mors Academy cannot be the only school that turned to the elder gods. Imagine what kind of spells and lessons these traitorous schools must be practicing? They’re probably preparing for war as we speak. We need to be more rigorous with our lessons, and we can’t just go through this semester learning common spells that won’t protect us from an elder army.”
“True,” Mara conceded, and she gestured for me to continue. “Go on.”
All eyes were on me as I cleared my throat and then focused on every observant woman in the room.
“So, why not turn our classes into military-style lessons instead?” I suggested. “We need to prepare for an even greater attack… and it’s time to break out the highest levels of spells. I was able to defeat one elder goddess, but I couldn’t imagine trying to defeat more than one at a time. Whatever spells we need to defeat these sons-of-bitches, now is the time to use them.”
“I see,” the blonde witch replied, and her green eyes studied me intently. “Very well… Theodora, do you agree with Cole? Should we be teaching students more advanced spells?”
“I do.” Theodora nodded. “I think we should be teaching each student more combat spells and train them with more of a focus on a violent future.”
Mara pursed her lips in thought and then leaned back into her chair before she continued in a firm voice. “Well, then it’s settled. Theodora, you will begin a new lesson plan as soon as you return to Scholomance, as will the other academies under our purview… but before you head back, please enjoy the feast.”
Everyone at the table bowed their heads and then began to dig into their food, and for the rest of the dinner, we ate silently, but I didn’t mind. The food was absolutely divine, and each bite melted into my mouth. There were massive silver platters of roasted swans, large golden plates of various spiced meats, including newt and veal, dozens of pitchers of multi-colored wines, vivid greens, exotic fruits and vegetables, and rows of towering cakes and other desserts.
As my stomach grew fuller, I wondered how the rest of the school was going to react to this new and intense change to the curriculum. Some witches were more gifted than others, and I knew it would take a long time before we were truly organized and ready to prepare for war.
As I thoughtfully ate the last bite of my marvelous meal, the plates suddenly vanished, and then Mara stood up from her chair and looked at each of us.
“Now, I would just like to say a few more words before we send you back to the academy,” Mara began, and her emerald gaze locked onto me. “As you might have imagined… this was a highly unusual situation. I’ve never discussed the matters of war with a student before, much less a man. However, Cole has proven his worth and determination to protect Scholomance, and I swear I’ll do whatever is in our power to seek out other traitors and eliminate them.”
“Thank you, Madame Mara.” I nodded. “We won’t let you down.”
“Let’s hope not,” she sighed before she turned to look at Theodora. “Please be sure to send me a letter every week. I want to be kept in the loop.”
“Of course.” Theodora smiled. “Well, we should probably be off, then… we have a burning ceremony to attend to.”
“How exciting.” Mara grinned before she looked at each of us one more time. “Have a safe journey back… oh, and despite the morbid circumstances, it was… interesting meeting you all.”
Before anyone could utter a thank you or goodbye, purple smoke encased us all, and we were whisked away once more.
As my body twisted and turned, I knew this next semester was going to be our most difficult one yet, and I silently prayed to Satan we would be ready.