After Penelope left, I took a quick bath, dressed in my uniform, and then headed downstairs into the common room, where all the familiars and witches were waiting. Cordelia had laid out a large breakfast for us, and my stomach growled and rumbled at the intoxicating sight and smell. I spotted large, exquisite plates of tropical exotic fruits, fairy plum cakes, orange meringue treats, and pitchers of fresh pumpkin juice.
“Good morning, everyone,” I said as I jumped from the last step and landed on the wooden floor.
Penelope quickly shot me a flirtatious smile, and I discreetly winked in her direction before I settled down on the sofa, picked out a wild-berry muffin, and then took a small bite.
“So,” Morgana drawled when no one said another word. “Is anyone else wondering how strange today’s lesson is going to be? Vanessa is already a strict and bitter professor… I wonder how she’s going to handle teaching advanced and superior lessons to students who are way below the required level.”
“It’s only going to be weird if you keep overthinking it,” Akira snorted.
“That’s your opinion,” the bookish brunette huffed. “Your solution to everything is to just go along with it.”
“And?” The dark-eyed witch cocked her head. “Do you have a better suggestion?”
“No,” Morgana replied after a long moment.
I knew they were concerned about how our classes were going to be far more intense and advanced, but we really didn’t have any other choice. We were in the middle of a war, and the students of Scholomance needed to realize this.
The sooner we prepared, the better.
“Look,” I sighed, “I know things seem hectic right now, and I don’t blame you for being worried, but there is really no room for doubt. I need you all to be on the top of your game and focused as hell… can you manage that for me?”
“Yes, master,” they answered in unison, and the whole coven sat a little straighter in their seats.
“Good.” I grinned. “Well, we’d better get going.”
So, we bade our familiars a quick goodbye before we left the common room and then headed down the corridors. The other witches of Scholomance looked down at their feet as they walked through the hallways, but occasionally, whenever they made eye contact with us, they either smiled or quickly looked away, as if they weren’t worthy of looking in our direction.
It was such a drastic change from when I first arrived, and I sincerely welcomed it. At that time, most witches either spat in my direction or sneered as I passed them by. Now, I almost felt like royalty among them, and it was terrific to be worshiped and respected by an entire academy of beautiful women.
Still, a part of me also felt an immense pressure to lead everyone. Students and professors were partly counting on me to help prepare them for any attacks coming from the elder gods, and that was a lot of weight to put on one person, especially one who was still relatively new to this world. But, either way, I was ready to give my life for this school, and I refused to dwell any longer on the notion that I might fail. So, I silently vowed I would do my best to help the professors and my own coven in any way I could.
Finally, we reached Professor Vanessa’s classroom door, and the moment we stepped inside I realized the air already seemed thick with tension. This particular room, which was never used before, was plain and bare except for the multiple rows of elongated desks and sets of armoires placed along the walls, and when we ventured deeper inside the classroom, several students turned to look at us with small, nervous smiles or blank stares.
“This doesn’t feel weird at all,” Akira muttered under her breath. “Where should we even sit?”
There was one long table near Vanessa’s simple, cherry wood desk, and for a moment, I thought I was seeing things. A familiar witch with sapphire blue skin and small, red horns protruding from her forehead was quietly sitting down with a book in her hands, and she seemed to be completely enthralled and trapped in her own little world.
“Come on,” I said to my coven, and then I strode toward the blue-skinned witch.
As soon as we were all standing around her desk, she looked up at us with her deep, purple eyes, and then her lips curled up into a small, lazy smile.
“Hello, again, Cole,” she purred.
“Nyx?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. “No offense, but what the hell are you doing here?”
After the attack on Scholomance, I assumed all the witches of the Vipera Academy had returned to their own school. Or so I thought.
“I transferred here,” she replied before she slowly closed her book, and I couldn’t help but notice the title, Dragon’s Breath and Other Herbs to Calm the Mind and Soothe the Dark Soul. “It was not a conventional choice… most witches in my family attended the Vipera Academy, but after what happened during the tournament, I decided I basically owed my life to you. So, I thought: fuck it! You all seem pretty chill… considering the shitstorm we’ve currently found ourselves in. I dig the vibe.”
“Damn straight, you owe your lives to us, blueberry,” Akira mumbled under her breath, but then Vesta lightly nudged her in the ribs.
“Well,” I said after a moment, “that was a very noble decision… you do realize we’re going to be learning about far more advanced spells, curses, and potions, though, right?”
“Yes.” Nyx smiled slowly. “And I’ve always been up for a challenge.”
“We’d like to join you, then,” I said in a confident tone. “Would that be alright?”
“By all means,” she replied as she listlessly gestured to the empty seats. “Go right ahead.”
So, we all took seats around Nyx, but she continued to read her book as if nothing had changed. I settled into my seat, and as I unpacked my bag, I spotted Beatrix and the twins by the doorway. Beatrix’s long, golden-brown hair cascaded over her shoulders in perfect curls, and as she strutted aimlessly around the room, she furiously pushed her long fringe out of her large, brown eyes. The twins, with their short dark hair and pink and blue streaks looked bored as they all looked around the classroom. Finally, their eyes landed on our table, and we still had a few empty chairs to offer, so I gestured for them to come over.
The three witches all smiled with relief before they slowly approached us.
“Hi,” Beatrix said as soon as she reached us, “how’s it going?”
“I’m a little nervous,” Morgana confessed, and she began to wring her hands together.
“Me, too,” Iris replied as she sat down and then twirled her pink strand of hair between her fingers. “Part of me has no idea what to expect.”
“I don’t think any of us do,” I answered with a light shrug, “but I suppose that adds a little flavor of excitement, don’t you think?”
“That’s one way to look at it,” Ivy answered before looking at her twin for reassurance.
“I’m sure with enough dedication and practice, we can accomplish anything,” Vesta purred in her soft, musical voice.
“Yeah.” Faye slowly nodded. “It takes baby dragons at least seven years to learn how to fly and breathe a spark of fire, and they’re the most powerful creatures in all the worlds.”
“Good point,” Akira added and grinned. “C’mon, you guys, we’re going to kick ass.”
“Good morning, class,” Vanessa’s cold voice suddenly rang through the air. “I’d ask how you are all faring on this morning, but I don’t care, and we also don’t have time for useless pleasantries.”
“Someone is in a worse mood than usual,” Akira discreetly whispered into my ear.
“Yeah, no shit,” I mumbled back.
Vanessa practically bolted to the front of her desk, and today, she was wearing a simple, dark plum-colored gown with a low bustline and a gold chain around her long neck. Her dark, straight hair was pulled back into a bun, and her cheeks were smeared with rouge.
“Turn to page nine-hundred-and-forty-three,” the impatient professor barked.
Before anyone had a chance to point out that we didn’t have any textbooks, small clouds of smoke appeared before each student, and when they vanished, we were looking down at heavy, sapphire blue books with golden pages.
I stared down at my own textbook and willed it to turn to the correct page.
Motus.
The golden pages flickered under the dim candlelight of the classroom, and when it landed on the right page, there was a small red illustration of a witch hovering over a winged man. She was gouging out his eyes, and the writing on the page indicated she was torturing him after initiating some kind of paralyzing spell.
“So,” Vanessa continued. “Today, we will be attempting a highly advanced paralyzing spell, as you can see from the textbook.”
Everyone began to whisper amongst each other until the short-tempered professor clapped her hands together, and the class went deadly silent at once.
“As I was saying,” Vanessa intoned in a dangerously low voice, “we will try to master this spell. Although it is highly advanced and usually intended for extremely lethal enemies, it is not normally taught to students of your limited knowledge and range… in other words, do not be upset if you cannot master it on the first try.”
I could hear Morgana gulp as Vanessa stared across the classroom with her hands folded neatly before her, and it seemed like the ever-demanding professor was trying to assess whether or not we were even worthy of being in her classroom.
Finally, after a long, heavy silence, Vanessa raised her chin up in the air and sighed impatiently.
“This lesson will not work if you’re nervous as a herd of baby lambs,” she snapped. “I need you to gather your confidence and courage… otherwise, you’re simply wasting my time. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Professor,” the class answered in unison.
“Very good,” she said as she took in a sharp breath of air. “Now, we will begin the lesson with an unwilling host… there is no way in hell I’m allowing you to practice on each other. One simple mistake, and you could be obliterated into bits.”
“How comforting,” Akira muttered under her breath.
Vanessa looked at the students with a cold expression on her flawless and beautiful face before she snapped her fingers, and then a cloud of smoke erupted by the other side of her desk. As soon as the mist cleared, there was a warlock tied to a chair, and his lips were sewn shut. He had pale, purple hair and bright, fearful blue eyes that darted back and forth like a trapped bee.
“We decided to keep a handful of Mors warlocks for educational purposes,” Vanessa purred as the class stared at the squirming man.
He looked genuinely pathetic as his eyes wandered over to Vanessa, and his stifled cries grew louder when she turned her head to meet his wretched gaze. Then she tossed back her head and began to softly laugh.
“Why on hell’s red soil are you looking at me like that, hmm?” she taunted. “Do you think your pitiful stares will inspire mercy? By Satan, you are truly mistaken.”
The warlock squeezed his eyes shut and then rocked back and forth in the chair as if by some miracle, he could undo his bonds, run off into the hallway, and escape.
What an idiot. His fate was clearly sealed.
“Now,” Vanessa purred as she began to circle the helpless warlock with her wand in her hand, “you must all pay very close attention to what I’m about to do… as I said before, one simple mistake and poof, you end up with a mess.”
“Yes, Professor Vanessa,” the class obediently replied in unison.
“Excellent,” she sighed.
The dark-haired professor stopped dead in front of the warlock, and then she rolled back her sleeves and raised her wand. She aimed it right between his eyes, and even from my table, I could see the sweat dripping from his forehead and down into his fear-laden eyes.
“Obstupefacio!” Vanessa shouted in a firm, loud voice.
A blast of lime green light hit the warlock in the center of his forehead, and once the light traveled through his body like a current of electricity, he immediately stopped squirming, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
Then he went completely limp, and if it weren’t for the small movements of his chest, I would have assumed he was dead.
“See?” Vanessa asked before she spun around to face the class. “There’s nothing to it… just be sure to concentrate.”
Before anyone could respond, Vanessa snapped her fingers, and more clouds of smoke puffed around the room. A giant purple cloud appeared at the right side of our desk, and when the mist cleared, there was a skinny warlock with dark brown hair and pale green eyes tied to a seat. He had the same look of panic across his face, his mouth was also sewn shut, and fat tears were rolling down his freckled, ashen face.
“Only one warlock per table?” I wondered aloud. “How will we all practice?”
“It’s not as if I have an endless supply of warlocks at my disposal, Cole,” Vanessa’s stern voice echoed from the front of the room, and she turned her head to glare at everyone before she continued. “You will all do well to try and take turns… Oh, and in order to reverse the spell, simply utter, ‘laxo,’ and they should return to their previous state of consciousness.”
I nodded in response and then turned to look at each witch at my table. “Who wants to go first?”
As soon as the question left my lips, each witch looked down at the table, and even the ever-ambitious Morgana refused to meet my gaze or utter a response.
“Really?” I asked with a forced chuckle. “Not one of you wants to give it a shot?”
“Hey, if it’s cool, I think you should go first,” Nyx suggested, and she raised a blue eyebrow.
“I think that’s an excellent idea,” Penelope added as she flicked back her tangerine-colored hair.
“Alright.” I shrugged. “I’ll give it a go.”
So, I pulled out my wand from the back of my waistband and then slowly aimed it at the struggling warlock. His eyes widened and focused on the tip of my wand, and I took in a long deep breath. Then I pictured his body going as limp as a dead fish, and after I steadied my aim, I recited the incantation.
“Obstupefacio!” I cried out.
The same green light hit the warlock right between his eyes, and his entire body convulsed just before his eyes rolled into the back of his head, which lolled to the side.
I grinned in satisfaction as the rest of my table lightly clapped.
“What the hell are you clapping for?” Vanessa snapped as she neared our table. “So, Cole managed to successfully paralyze him… what about the rest of you?”
“We were just about to give it a shot, Professor--” Morgana started, but then Vanessa raised a hand to stop her mid-sentence.
“You cannot constantly rely on Cole to defend and protect you,” she snarled. “Of anything, that’s a poor use of the immortal power you’ve gained by giving him your souls. Cole, please reverse the spell and then let the others have a go.”
“Yes, Professor,” I answered with a repressed sigh. Then I took aim at the wilted warlock and focused on his state of mind before I uttered the next spell. “Laxo.”
This time, a pale pink light hit the warlock in the chest, and suddenly, his head flung forward, and his entire body jolted as if I’d electrocuted him back into consciousness.
“Now,” Vanessa said as other students practiced behind her, “I’d like for Miss Faye to give it a go.”
“Right,” Faye gulped. “I mean… of course, Professor.”
The redhead took her time to roll up her sleeves before she inhaled sharply and focused on the warlock. Then she lifted her wand into the air and waited a moment for her hand to stop trembling, and as soon as she was ready, she uttered the spell.
“Obstupefacio!”
Again, the warlock went deadly limp as soon as the blast of green light hit him in the face, and the redhead sighed with relief when Vanessa nodded approvingly.
“Great, now… how about Iris?” Vanessa suggested.
Faye performed the laxo spell on the warlock without being told, so the pink-streaked twin could have a shot. As soon as the warlock returned to painful reality, his eyes pleaded for the twin to stop, but of course, it didn’t faze her. Instead, she aimed her wand right between his eyes and then quickly recited the spell.
“Obstupefacioooo,” she chanted, and we all cringed at once.
She’d mispronounced the spell, and as a result, the warlock’s head began to violently vibrate.
Vanessa quickly took a step back, and then the warlock’s eyes popped out of his sockets and exploded everywhere. The witches all groaned in disgust as bits and pieces flew on the desk, but that wasn’t even the end of it.
Soon, the warlock’s entire body began to bubble with boils and pus-filled sores, and it was as if he were being boiled alive. He then exploded into pieces, and we all raised our hands to defend ourselves against the gory splatter. An ear landed right in front of me, and I quickly brushed it off the table as the others all looked down in disgust at their stained uniforms and then turned to glare at Iris.
“Sorry,” the twin muttered as she sheepishly dropped her eyes.
“Nice going,” Ivy groaned.
“Like you could have done any better,” Iris barked back at her sister.
“Enough,” Vanessa commanded before she snapped her fingers, and then the bloody chair disappeared. “You can try again tomorrow… today was more of an introductory lesson anyway.”
“But Professor,” Morgana protested, “not all of us had a chance to practice.”
“Yes, I’m well aware of that, Miss Morgana.” Vanessa scowled. “If circumstances were different, then perhaps you would have all had an opportunity.”
“But--” the bookworm insisted until Vanessa turned on her heels and returned to the front of the room.
“Class,” she snapped as she furiously raised her hands high into the air. “That’s enough for today… you’re all dismissed.”
Even though no one dared to utter a word of protest, I could feel the disappointment hanging in the air like a weighted blanket hovering over us. It was clear we could have had a longer lesson, but for some reason, Vanessa was just not in the mood to even try.
I turned my head to look at my table, and while Beatrix, Nyx, and the twins were already packed and heading toward the door, my coven lingered behind, as if they were waiting for my next order.
“You look like you’re considering something, Cole,” Vesta whispered in a sensual tone as she tossed back her long, sage green hair. “Care to share it with the rest of us?”
“Not just yet,” I said as I stared at the professor. She was busy cleaning up her desk and sending the warlocks back to Satan knows where, so she didn’t even seem to notice my eyes on her. “I think I need to speak to Vanessa alone… I’ll meet you all upstairs in a bit.”
“Alright,” Morgana replied with a frown. “Come back to us alive.”
“I will,” I chuckled.
My coven gathered their belongings before leaving the classroom, and when Vanessa realized it was just the two of us in her room, she shot daggers in my direction and placed her hands on her hips.
“Are you deaf?” she asked. “Why are you still here?”
“You said if circumstances were different, we’d all get a chance to practice,” I repeated slowly. “What did you mean by that?”
Vanessa’s eyes softened, and she thoughtfully chewed on her rosy bottom lip.
I didn’t think she would actually answer me, but apparently the surly professor was full of surprises today.
“Well,” she began after a long moment, “there are a series of books in the forbidden library…books that hold some of the most powerful spells against elder gods. They even have an entire volume on how to recreate an elder god entity and elder creatures called replicas. They are essentially like test dummies. They mimic the powers of the elder gods and their creations.”
“Cool,” I breathed, but then I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. “So, why not use them?”
“I don’t think Theodora could be persuaded,” she answered after a long moment. “She thinks these advanced spells will be enough, but I disagree, and I’ve tried to tell her, but she thinks it’s too dangerous to use the forbidden books. Those spells haven’t been used in centuries… and she doesn’t believe the professors are equipped to teach them since none of us have ever used them ourselves. We’ve only studied their history and power… but never have we actually recited or learned them.”
“So, it would be a substantial risk,” I said, “but in my opinion… one worth taking. We can’t pull any punches with these elder god assholes.”
To my surprise, Vanessa smiled and then looked down at the floor.
“It seems we are in agreement,” she murmured without meeting my eyes.
I grinned and then quickly stood up from my seat. The sound of my chair scraping across the marble floor startled Vanessa, and she furrowed her dark eyebrows at me.
“Where are you going with that look of determination on your face?” she questioned.
“To ask Theodora for permission to use the forbidden texts,” I said as I spun toward the door.
Then I rushed out of the classroom before she could stop me and found myself heading down to Theodora’s office. I had no idea how I was going to persuade her, but I knew I needed to try something.
Our lives were depending on it.