After my brief discussion with Vanessa, I soon found myself in front of Headmistress Theodora’s office, and once I took a deep, bracing breath, I knocked three hard times.
“Come in!” her resilient voice echoed from within.
I slowly opened the door, and Theodora was busy furiously scribbling away on a long piece of golden parchment at her desk. She had a pitcher of dark wine by her right side and a tall silver goblet on the other, and a small violin hung in the corner of the room and played a hauntingly beautiful tune on its own. The fireplace was lit, and it cast a warm and welcoming glow across the room.
If the warlocks had invaded this room during the attack, no one would have been able to tell. Everything appeared to be in pristine condition, and nothing seemed out of place. Theodora herself looked just as perfect as the room around her. Her dark hair was pulled up into a towering updo and decorated with bone pins and red jewels. She was wearing a deep burgundy gown, made of luminous velvet and black lace, and her porcelain, doll-like face was adorned with a touch of rouge while her lips were painted red.
“Ah, Cole,” the headmistress purred without looking up. “What can I do for you?”
“I just came back from hexes and curses with professor Vanessa,” I explained.
I paused and let my sentence hang in the air, but Theodora didn’t seem fazed by my stillness. In fact, she continued to keep writing as if I wasn’t even here.
“Oh?” she finally replied in a surprised tone. “What about it? Was it a successful lesson?”
“No,” I said bluntly, “in fact, it was a mess. There was nothing truly intense about it. It felt like any other lesson to be perfectly honest with you.”
The always poised headmistress slowly stopped writing and then lifted her head to look at me. Her face scrunched up in confusion, and her mouth was slightly parted open as if she were at a loss for words. Then she stared long and hard at me with her piercing blue eyes before leaning back in her chair and folding her hands on the desk. Her eyes continued to peer into mine, and it was impossible to sense what she was thinking. Finally, her mouth curled up into an unusual smile, and she shook her head.
“Well,” she tutted, “I’m sorry to hear about that… perhaps Vanessa is still getting used to teaching more advanced lessons. I’ll be sure to have a private word with my daughter as soon as possible, and thank you for bringing this to my attention. Now, if you don’t mind, Cole, I have plenty of work that needs to be done.”
“Well, no Vanessa’s not the problem--” I started, but then she cut in.
“Oh, before I forget to ask, tell me, does Miss Penelope need a bedroom in the suite?” the headmistress asked out of nowhere. “I can only imagine she would want her own room as well… now that she appears to be another member of your coven. She’s a bright witch, and I think you made a wise choice to include her.”
It took me a moment to collect my thoughts. Why was the headmistress suddenly deflecting from the conversation? Did she already know what I was about to ask her?
“Yes, another room would be most appreciated,” I cleared my throat, “but that’s not what I came down here to ask, and I think you know that. We need more advanced books… and you know which ones I’m referring to.”
“Yes,” she sighed after a long moment of heavy silence. “I know.”
Before I could say another word, Theodora pushed herself out of her seat and began to slowly strut around the room with her hands behind her back. Her face was set into a firm, stony expression, and her red lips were pursed tightly. She was a loud thinker, and I could sense her apprehension, fear, and confusion radiating off her body every time she neared me.
“Headmistress?” I finally asked in a hesitant voice. “Are you going to say it, or should I?”
“It doesn’t matter who says it,” she answered with a solemn nod, “because I’m afraid I’m going to have to refuse your request.”
“But Headmistress,” I argued, “we need the forbidden books! Today’s class was just a pathetic excuse for a lesson--”
“Cole,” she huffed before she slowly crossed her arms, “do you even know what kind of spells are in those books? All it could take is one careless student to bring the entire castle down into bits. No, it’s too dangerous. There’s a reason they’ve been forbidden for ages.”
“I understand the spells are powerful,” I answered, “but that’s why we desperately need them. Slightly advanced spells aren’t going to defeat the elder gods… we need the most powerful magic possible, and we need to be able to create elder god replicants to practice on--”
“Who told you about that?” she interjected until the realization quickly hit her. “Ah, of course… Vanessa. I’m surprised at her… she’s normally good at keeping things to herself.”
“Don’t blame her,” I said in a firm tone, which seemed to surprise the headmistress.
“I don’t blame her, Cole,” Theodora answered with a soft laugh. “I’m just shocked she would share this information with you. In case you haven’t picked up on it, she’s never been your biggest fan.”
“Well, it surprised me, too, but she did.” I shrugged. “And I think we need those books now more than ever.”
Theodora glanced down at the floor and then began to slowly shake her head. The woman was one of the most respectable witches I’d ever come across, but Satan, she could be as stubborn as a bull.
“Some students are more advanced than others,” she explained as if I hadn’t understood her before. “What if the less advanced pupils die because they can’t even master a highly lethal defense spell?”
“Why don’t we just split the students into groups, then?” I suggested. “Students with greater grades can be placed in one domain, while the less advanced are placed in others. Like ranks in the military, we can organize ourselves into various categories.”
Theodora stopped pacing, and then she turned to look at me with a placid smile on her face. For a moment, I was hopeful because I could see a twinkle of interest in her pale blue eyes.
“That’s actually not a terrible idea,” she conceded after a long moment. “I like the way you think, Cole… I always have.”
“So, let’s do it,” I said, and I was unable to hide the eagerness in my voice. “Advanced spells aren’t going to cut it… we need to use magic specifically designed to destroy the elder gods… even if it is dangerous and forbidden.”
The headmistress sighed and rubbed her forehead like she was trying to massage away the problem, and then she took a seat by her fireplace and looked in the flames as if the answer laid there.
“I don’t know, Cole,” she murmured after a minute. “The risks are too great.”
“Please, Headmistress,” I implored. “This is our only choice… you have to have faith in your students. We can do this, and I’ll help in any way I can.”
Theodora’s eyes gazed into mine, and she slowly shook her head. At first, I thought she was going to reject me once again, but then she coyly smiled, and relief flooded through my body.
“Only you could make me even consider such an option,” she chuckled under her breath. “Alright… we can try it your way.”
I tried to contain my smile, but it was useless. I could feel myself grinning from ear to ear, and Theodora waved at me as if I were some kind of irritating fly.
“Stop being so smug,” she huffed, and she smiled as she turned away and focused on the flames again. “We have no idea what we’re really getting ourselves into.”
“No, but we’re about to find out,” I chuckled.
Theodora abruptly stood up from her chair, smoothed out her skirts, and then cleared her throat.
“Well, let’s get down to the library before I change my mind,” she said with a determined nod. “Come along.”
I grinned, nodded, and then followed her as she headed out the door and down into the hallway. As we made our way through the empty corridors, though, something started to gnaw at me, and I couldn’t shake the feeling off. It took me a moment to realize I was worried about the High Court. They’d granted Theodora permission to practice advanced, professor-level spells, but I never recalled them granting her permission to teach from the forbidden texts.
Was I about to get her into severe trouble?
“Headmistress?” I asked as we passed by the glaring portraits of former Scholomance witches. “I probably should have asked you this next question before…”
“Hmm?” she hummed without turning to look at me. “What is it?”
“Will you be punished for this?” I questioned. “I mean, will Mara or any of the women from the High Court reprimand you for my decision?”
“No,” Theodora answered after a long moment. “They were overly impressed by you during our visit, so I highly doubt it. Should they find out we’ve been using forbidden, ancient magic, I doubt they would blink an eye. Not when they have bigger things to worry about.”
“Alright.” I nodded.
If she was sure, which sounded like the case, then I would let it go.
We continued to walk down the corridors in comfortable silence, but by the time we reached the library doors with the gold chain, I could feel that something was wrong. It was a deep, sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, which I couldn’t push away, and the longer I stared at the door, the more my head began to ache and pound. It felt like tiny needles were pricking my entire scalp as I winced and took a small step back, and Theodora immediately noticed.
“You feel it, too?” she asked in a soft voice.
“What is it?” I groaned as my head continued to throb. “Satan, my head feels like it's going to burst.”
“Someone was in here,” she whispered and placed a hand on the door. “Someone with ill-intent.”
“Fuck,” I hissed before I pulled out my wand. “Do you think they’re still inside?”
“No,” she answered after a long moment. “They’re gone… but something still feels wrong. Come on, we’d better find out what. Wands up and eyes peeled.”
I nodded in agreement as Theodora muttered an incantation under her breath and then took aim at the door chain. As soon as the golden clasp fell apart, she gently pushed the door open, and a cold breeze hit us both in the face.
“Keep an eye open,” she muttered.
“I’ve got two,” I whispered.
The headmistress chuckled softly as we took a step deeper inside the pitch-black library. Clouds of dust and mothballs hung in the air like flecks of slow as we ventured deeper, and it was nearly impossible to see.
“Illuminana,” Theodora hissed.
The tip of her wand immediately glowed, and it cast a small ray of light along the book spines that towered all around us. Together, we slowly gazed around the library, and I tried to sense where the forewarning was coming from. It was apparent someone had been in here, and they’d been looking for something because countless books were cluttering the floor, but why did it feel as if an invisible threat was still dangling in the air? Yes, the library was in a state of chaos, but it didn’t seem like any of the books were seriously damaged.
“Shit,” I murmured, “seems like someone was looking for something.”
“Indeed,” Theodora sighed as we stared at the scattered books. “Satan, the warlocks must have found a way to break through the barrier… bastards.”
Suddenly, my heart began to violently hammer in my chest, and the world started to slightly spin. I knew where the foreboding feeling was stemming from, and it took me a moment to find my voice again.
“Headmistress,” I said slowly, and it was like my tongue was made out of sandpaper. “Where exactly do you keep the books on elder magic?”
She stopped moving, and when I aimed my light at her, all color had drained from her beautiful face.
“Oh, unholy Satan,” she gasped as her pale blue eyes widened with terrible realization. “No, no, no!”
I’d never seen the headmistress appear so agitated before in my life, and it made my stomach do flips and turns as she whirled and sprinted through the dark, cluttered library. She frantically mumbled to herself as she twisted and turned through the shelves, and finally, when she reached a large empty bookcase, she cursed and banged her fist against the shelf.
“They’re gone!” she shouted. “I can’t believe it! How did I not think to even check before?”
“Fuck,” I hissed under my breath. I was at a loss for words because I had never seen her so distressed before. I knew I had to choose my next words carefully, so I took in a deep breath before I said what was on my mind. “Well… we don’t have another choice, do we? We have to get them back.”
Theodora whipped around to look into my eyes and then slowly began to shake her head.
“Cole, just how do you intend to do that?” she whispered in an unsteady voice.
“Shadow port me and my coven to Mors Academy,” I said with as much confidence as I could muster. “We’ll find the stolen books and return them.”
“You wouldn’t even know where to begin looking,” she argued. “The Mors Academy is just as expansive as Scholomance.”
“I’ll use my premonition skills to locate them,” I insisted. “You know my skills of foresight and intuition exceed any other student’s here. I know I can do this.”
“Cole,” she breathed and pursed her lips, “I just don’t know about this… I know I’ve sent you on countless missions before, some more dangerous than others, but I just have a terrible feeling about this.”
“Look, Headmistress… the warlocks must be weak right now,” I pushed. “They don’t even have a headmaster, and we have countless hostages. How much of a threat can they be? They won’t be expecting us to hit them back this quickly.”
“We have no idea what’s going on behind their walls,” Theodora sighed. “They could have elder gods roaming the halls for all we know.”
“Have you tried to peer into their school since this all happened?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. “Through premonition?”
“Yes,” she acknowledged, “but I haven’t been able to see a damn thing… which is a strange notion on its own. I’d rather be able to see the potential danger lurking within their domain than nothing at all. Silence can be deadlier than anything else.”
I sighed and then looked back at the empty shelf. I knew our only course of action was to steal back the books, whether Theodora agreed or not.
“You know what needs to be done,” I said after a moment.
“Yes,” she sighed, “I’m afraid so.”
“We should inform the others,” I replied quickly. “The sooner we leave, the quicker we can begin advanced classes and preparation.”
“Indeed.” She nodded. “Alright, let’s head back to your common room.”
I followed the concerned headmistress out the door and into the hallway, and as we passed through the corridors, my mind raced with concern. Theodora was right, we had no idea what the hell we could be facing, but we had to get those fucking books back, no matter what.
When we reached the common room door and stepped inside, all eyes turned to us. Morgana was reading by the fireplace, and Penelope and Akira seemed to be in a deep discussion while Faye played with the familiars and Vesta brushed her long, green hair.
“Good evening, ladies,” Theodora greeted as she strolled inside.
“Headmistress!” Morgana gasped as she slammed her book shut and then stood up.
The rest of my coven also stopped what they were doing and immediately gave Theodora their full attention.
“How are you all doing?” Theodora flashed the women a small, wan smile. “Faring well, I hope.”
“It’s been a rather peaceful evening--” Vesta began until the headmistress interrupted her.
“Well, that’s all about to change, I’m afraid.”
“Err, with all due respect, Headmistress,” Akira responded after a moment, “why is that?”
“It would seem our most valuable books have been stolen from the forbidden library,” Theodora explained in a calm and steady voice.
Morgana gasped the loudest and then covered her mouth with her hand.
“Oh, Satan,” the brunette said in a shaky voice. “How did the Mors students break into the library? I mean… I’m assuming it was them, correct?”
“Per usual, you are correct, Miss Morgana.” Theodora nodded. “I do not know how they broke through the barrier, but that’s not my primary concern at the moment. Retrieving the books is.”
“And you want us to do it?” Penelope questioned in a faint voice.
“Yes,” Theodora confirmed. “It was Cole’s idea to use the books for practice, and now that they’ve gone, we’ll need our finest students to retrieve them. Are you up to the task?”
“We’d do whatever our master commands of us,” Faye said as she stepped away from the familiars.
“Well, then,” Theodora replied with a small smile, and she was clearly pleased by the redhead’s response. “You’d better prepare yourselves. I know you’ve been through countless adventures before, and I’ve pushed you to the limit, but we have no idea what is going on behind Mors’ walls. There could be elder gods roaming their hallways for all we know. So, I want you all to work closely together and watch out for each other.”
“Of course, we will, Headmistress,” I said before any of the others could respond. “We’re always looking out for each other, aren’t we?”
“Always,” my coven answered in unison.
I stared at the five remarkable women and then thought about the Mors Academy. Theodora was correct, we had no idea what we would be facing, and I realized we could use reinforcements, so I slowly turned to look at the headmistress and met her pale blue eyes.
“Whatever it is you want to ask me, Cole,” she began with a small smile, “just ask.”
“May we bring others with us?” I asked. “I think it would be wiser to take a larger party.”
“I agree,” Theodora answered after a long moment. “Who did you have in mind?”
I thought of Beatrix and the twins, and for some reason, the blue-skinned Nyx also popped into mind. From what I could tell, the former Vipera witch was calm, cool, and collected, and she would be the perfect addition to our mission.
“Nyx, Ivy, Iris, and Beatrix,” I said after a long moment.
“I’ll summon them right away.” Theodora nodded. “Once I do, I’m going to shadow port you into the Mors dungeons. It’s the only place I can think of that will be secluded, especially since nightfall is nearing.”
“Right,” I answered with a tiny nod.
“Now, just a moment.” The headmistress smirked before she snapped her fingers, and a cloud of smoke erupted in the middle of the room.
In the next moment, Nyx, Beatrix, and the twins were standing in the room, and each one turned to look at each other in pure confusion.
“Whoa… am I hallucinating?” Nyx was the first to ask. “One minute I was in my room chilling, and the next…? What are we doing here?”
“Cole has asked you to join him on a very important mission,” Theodora calmly responded. “You will need to venture within the walls of the Mors academy and retrieve a collection of highly important books which were stolen from us.”
“Excuse me, Headmistress?” Beatrix asked with eyes as wide as dinner plates. “I’m not sure--?”
“It’s a direct command from yours truly,” Theodora cut in sharply. “No questions or arguments, please, it will only waste time. Understood?”
“Yes, Headmistress,” the women responded in an obedient, but slightly embarrassed, tone.
“Excellent,” Theodora answered with her chin raised. “Now, you must all be quick and be careful. I expect to see you back here soon.”
I nodded in agreement before Theodora took a small step back and then looked at each of us before she snapped her fingers again. A deep purple cloud swarmed around the room, and then we found ourselves tumbling and turning through the air. My stomach was doing summersaults, but the feeling didn’t stem from the shadow porting. There were knots in my stomach because I was nervous and hesitant, but still, I vowed I’d do whatever I needed to in order to find those books and return safely to Scholomance.