By the time the world stopped spinning, we crashed on a cold stone floor, and when the purple mist cleared, I glanced around the small, pitiful dungeon we found ourselves in. There were only a few cells plastered against the right side of the room, and thankfully, each one was empty. There were no windows along the gray, granite walls, and water dripped from the cement ceiling and caused a small, irritating echo to vibrate through the pathetic prison. It was basically empty, and the only thing to indicate someone was once in here were the stains of dark blood along the walls and a rotting pile of bones in the corner.
“Fuck,” Akira grunted as she stood up. “Will shadow porting ever get easier?”
“Does it matter?” Penelope sighed. “I think we’ve got bigger problems to worry about.”
“What’s that foul smell?” Vesta questioned as she scrunched up her face in disgust.
“Again, I think we have more crucial concerns.” Penelope rolled her brown eyes.
“Yeah, like why the hell did you drag us here?” Beatrix demanded as we all slowly stood up and then dusted ourselves off. “I was having a perfectly pleasant evening until Theodora randomly summoned us to you.”
“Oh, shut the hell up,” Akira grunted as she shot the honey-brown haired witch with a spiteful glare. “You heard the Headmistress, we need to collect the stolen books. Sorry if that ruined your quaint little evening, princess.”
“What books?” Ivy asked as she furiously brushed a blue strand out of her face.
“Ancient, forbidden books that include magic against the elder gods and their creations,” I explained. “Look, we really don’t have time to give you the full story. I just need you all to be quiet and follow my lead.”
“I can’t believe I agreed to this,” Nyx groaned as she looked around with dismay and disbelief. “This sucks pixie ass… I could be smoking in my room right now instead of dealing with more drama. What a draaaaag.”
“It’s not as if you had much of a choice,” Beatrix sighed dramatically. “When the headmistress asks you for something, you know deep down it’s not an actual choice. Especially when her precious Cole and his obedient coven are involved.”
“True,” Iris agreed before she swept a pink streak of hair out of her face. “If Cole and the coven are involved, then we must all drop whatever it is we’re doing and obey their every whim and command.”
“Good point.” Ivy nodded. “I’m honestly a little sick of it--”
“Hey, here’s an idea, how about you all stop bitching and get your shit together?” Akira suddenly snarled, and each witch shot her an appalled look. The black-haired witch then tossed her hands up into the air and sighed. “What? There’s no point in complaining… it’s just a fucking waste of time and energy, and your voices are seriously grating on my nerves, so can you shut up unless you have something important to say?”
“Uhhh, excuse me?” Nyx frowned. “Like, who the hell do you think you are--?”
“Stop,” I said in a firm voice. “Everyone be quiet… the last thing we should be doing is arguing in the dungeon of the fucking Mors Academy. We need to work together and focus, for fuck’s sake.”
My coven turned to look at me with obedient eyes and tightly pressed lips, and even the women who weren’t a part of my coven looked at me and meekly bowed their heads.
“Apologies, master,” Akira mumbled before she stared down at her feet.
“Yeah,” Penelope sighed. “I’m sorry, too, master.”
“It’s fine,” I answered after a moment, “but like I said, we just need to keep our heads together if we’re going to get out of here alive and with those books.”
“And the first thing we should do is get out of this dungeon and begin searching,” Nyx sighed as she lazily pushed back her long, deep sapphire blue hair. “Right?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I need a minute to gather my bearings… everyone be quiet. Not one peep.”
“Yes, master,” my coven answered while the others mumbled their mutual agreements.
“Okay,” I said before I closed my eyes. “Thank you.”
Then I took in a deep breath and tried to gather my thoughts. I knew I’d have to use my sense of premonition to figure out exactly where the books were located, but Theodora was right, this place was massive. I could feel it as I tried to focus on my surroundings. In my mind’s eye, I could sense countless corridors and possible pathways, and not one of them was showing me a clear path to the books. The more I concentrated, the cloudier everything became.
Fuck.
“I’m not sensing a damn thing,” I grumbled after a long moment. “We’re going to need a different strategy.”
“Well… do you think they’d be stupid enough to hide them in their own library?” Penelope asked after a minute of heavy silence. “It’s not completely out of the realm of possibilities.”
“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Nyx said with a lethargic shrug. “I say it’s worth a shot.”
“Me, too,” Beatrix added as she brushed back her honey-brown hair. “It's better than just standing here, waiting for the sun to come up.”
I chewed thoughtfully on my bottom lip before I slowly nodded and then turned to the only wooden door in the dungeon.
“Well, what are we waiting for, then?” I asked as I flashed everyone my most confident smile. “Let’s find the library… now remember, the halls might be empty since its past dark, but still, keep your eyes open and stay alert and quiet at all times. Follow my lead, don’t question my decisions, and no arguing.”
“No problemo,” the blue-skinned Nyx answered.
“Of course, master,” Vesta purred.
“Alright.” I nodded once. “Let’s fucking do this… everyone keep your wands extended and aimed at the ready.”
Each witch did as she was told, and as soon as I pulled back the wooden door, a long, creaking sound followed, and it sent a nervous shiver up my spine. I paused for a moment, and when I felt it was safe to continue onward, we swept down the narrow, dimly lit hallway. It eventually led to a stairwell, and we hiked up that as quietly as possible, too. The stairs were made out of wood, and occasionally, they would creak when we took a step. Eventually, I pushed past another door, and when we stepped into the next set of hallways, these were all dark and cold. I could barely see where we were going now, so I extended my wand a little further in front of me.
“Illuminana,” I whispered.
The halls faintly lit up, and I immediately noticed the walls were completely bare. All their paintings were empty, and I assumed they hung live portraits, just as we had in Scholomance, but for some reason, they were all gone. All that remained down these corridors were wooden frames. Did they vanish once they realized they no longer had a headmaster? The memory of killing that smarmy son of a bitch brought a small, satisfied smile to my face, but then I shook my head and tried to focus on finding the library instead.
As we quietly walked down the halls, I couldn’t sense a library anywhere nearby, but I did, however, feel the presence of the books lingering somewhere. I couldn’t tell how close they were, but I knew they were definitely somewhere in this castle.
“Cole?” Nyx whispered. “Are we close to the library?”
“I’m not sure,” I responded truthfully. “I’m not sensing it.”
“Do you think the books are even in the castle?” Beatrix asked as she strolled by my side. “Theodora didn’t tell us if they were here… she just knew the Mors students stole them.”
“I know,” I answered, “but trust me, I can feel the presence of the books… we must be close.”
“How so?” the blue-skinned witch asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I can sense their despair and vengeance,” I explained. “These books harbor special energy, and it hangs in the air like candles in the classroom.”
“But are you super sure?” Nyx pressed. “I can’t sense anything at all.”
“That’s because you’re probably as high as a fucking unicorn,” Akira hissed. “If Cole says he can sense them, he can sense them. What did he say about questioning him?”
“Look, I’m not a part of your precious little coven,” the deep-blue skinned witch drawled, “so I don’t have to take orders from him. Also. I’m not high. I smoke clove, herb, and fruit tobacco most of the time.”
“I don’t really care what you smoke,” Faye said in a faint voice. “But you should just listen to Cole. He’s the reason all of us are still alive.”
“That’s a fair point,” Nyx said with a casual shrug. “Alright, Boss, what’s the plan?”
Before I could answer, a sudden noise from behind us made each witch gasp and then jump around with their wands aimed in that direction, but I chuckled to myself when I realized it was only a small, plump rat scurrying across the stone floor.
“Shit,” Penelope panted and clutched at her chest. “I think I just lost ten years of my life… you know, if I wasn’t immortal, of course.”
“Satan,” Nyx said as she rolled her purple-hued eyes. “What the hell are we going to do if we’re caught?”
“If we’re caught, we fight, duh.” Akira shrugged. “Right, master?”
“Right.” I nodded. “Let’s keep going. If we find a warlock, try to get them alive so we can interrogate them.”
So, we silently continued to move onward, but as we turned down another pale corridor, something sent a sudden shiver down my spine. I stared at a wooden door directly in front of us, immediately stopped in my tracks, and then raised a steady hand in the air as a gesture for everyone to stop.
“What is it?” Beatrix asked in a panic laced voice.
“Someone is behind that door,” I answered slowly. “Everyone, remain as still and as quiet as possible… I’m going to try and see who or what is behind it.”
Every witch obeyed my command as I took in a deep, steady breath and stared long and hard at the door, and then I permitted my mind to become as open as an archway as I pried into the doorway’s secrets.
Periculum.
In the next moment, I could see a tall, thin warlock in my mind, and he was pacing back and forth with his wand behind his back as if he was debating something highly crucial in his head. He seemed to be at odds with himself, and I studied the deep, concentrated frown on his pale and freckled face. He was mumbling under his breath, and then he ran a hand through his bright, blue hair as his dark, pitch-black eyes focused on the floor below him. He was in some kind of storage room for potions, pitchers, brews, and cauldrons, and Satan only knew what he was doing there so late at night, but I didn’t really give a shit.
He was our best chance to locate the books. All we needed to do was capture him and then demand to know where the books were.
When I finally pulled myself out of the trance, I inhaled sharply and then coolly regarded the others.
“It’s fine,” I said, “there’s only one warlock behind the door, and he seems to be distracted… not to mention, he seems to be in some nervous little fit.”
“Great, so, what’s our exact plan, then?” Morgana asked as she studied my face. “Burst in and take him by surprise?”
“Essentially,” I replied, “but two of you should stand out here and keep watch. Faye and Vesta, you two stay out here. The rest of you, follow me. We’re going to get him to tell us where the books are using secretum mentis. I’ll need you all to restrain him while I get the information. Got it?”
“Good plan, Cole,” Vesta purred as she tossed back her sage-green hair. “As always.”
I flashed her a discreet wink before I turned to look at every single witch around me. They all stared at me with wide eyes and parted lips, and I slowly nodded in their direction before I spoke.
“Stay close,” I commanded, “and remember, we don’t want to make too much noise.”
They all nodded in agreement before I turned around, faced the door again, and quickly pushed it open. Faye and Vesta remained on either side of the door, and I stepped inside the dark, dank storage room and edged closer to the oblivious warlock, but his back was still turned to me as he continued to mumble incoherently to himself.
I didn’t want to make any noise, so instead of aiming my wand and casting a spell on him, I grabbed the heaviest thing in plain sight. It was some kind of metal goblet, and as I tiptoed closer toward him, I raised it high in the air and then brought it down as hard as I could over his head.
He softly grunted as the metal goblet came into contact with his skull, and then he collapsed to the ground.
“Good job, Cole,” Akira whispered. “You clobbered that bitch.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, “now help me find something to tie him up with.”
As the witches looked around the cluttered room, I grabbed the unconscious warlock, heaved him up, and sat him roughly down onto a nearby chair. He slumped forward, and I shoved him back so he wouldn’t fall off.
“Hey, I found something!” Penelope gasped as she handed me two large pieces of coiled twine.
“Well done,” I said and snatched the twine from her grasp.
I tightly wrapped the twine around the unconscious warlock and then, when I was sure it was secure, I looked at the others and sighed.
“Morgana, do you know any revival spells?” I asked.
“I think I might know one, but I’m not sure if--” the bookworm began, but before she could finish, Akira took a step past everyone and slapped the warlock hard across the face.
“Wake up, you piece of shit!” she hissed.
“I suppose that is one way to do it,” Penelope snickered as the pale young man jolted awake and then stared at us with wide, black eyes. A red handprint was plastered across his cheeks, and he looked as if he were on the verge of terrified tears.
“That works, too,” I chuckled.
“I-It’s you,” the skinny warlock stuttered. “Y-You’re the o-one who killed Headmaster R-Ravana.”
“And I’ll kill you too if you try to scream,” I hissed and bared my teeth. “Now, we know you fuckers stole some books from our forbidden library. Tell me where they are now, and perhaps I can spare you some pain.”
The warlock licked his pale lips and stared at each one of us. Sweat dripped from his brow, and he was visibly shaking in his restraints, but then he slowly started to shake his head.
“N-No, I’m not saying anything,” he answered before he looked down at his shoes. “If I say anything, they’ll kill me. They’ll tear me into a thousand bloody ribbons.”
“Fine by me.” I shrugged. “I’m going to get the answer from you one way or another… I just thought maybe you’d spare yourself the pain and trouble. In case you haven’t picked up on it, I could do far worse to you, but it seems you’re too idiotic to understand that. No surprise there.”
I took a step closer toward him, and I could smell the pungent sweat radiating off his body and see the growing terror in his eyes.
“Wait, wait,” he pleaded, “I’ve changed my mind. I’ll tell you--”
“Too late,” I growled as I placed my hand on his slick, shiny forehead and closed my eyes. “Secretum mentis.”
The warlock began to violently tremble under my touch, and then his black eyes rolled into the back of his head. He was clearly trying to fight against me, but it was absolutely useless. Sweat continued to trickle down his forehead as his body convulsed, and tears spilled from the corners of his eyes. His face turned from ashen white to blood red, and he was whining like a tortured pup. Finally, his glassy black eyes met mine, and then he began to gently sob.
“Tell me where the damn books are,” I growled.
“They’re in our study hall,” he wailed, “the professors decided we should keep them, just for educational purposes.”
As my hand remained on his forehead, I knew this was the perfect opportunity to press him for more information.
“Your professors… are they running everything smoothly?” I asked. “Are they rebuilding with the help of the elder gods?”
“T-They’re planning to nominate a new headmaster…” he panted as if he’d just run a maze marathon. “The elder g-gods haven’t been within our broken walls… I think they are waiting for us to rebuild our student body… you ended up taking so many of us as hostages.”
His shoulders slumped, and then he began to sob like an old woman.
I rolled my eyes and pressed my hand more forcefully against his greasy forehead.
“Who do they have in mind for the new headmaster?” I demanded.
“O-One of the professors,” he stuttered. “H-He’s our Premonition professor.”
“What’s his name?” I pushed.
“Professor Nicholas,” he wailed. “Please let me go… I think my head is going to explode… I can’t take it anymore.”
“You’ll keep answering my questions,” I snarled. “I’ll interrogate you for as long as I see fit… and I can tell there’s something else you’re not telling me. Something highly important.”
“B-But,” he stammered. “It’s killing me.”
“Tell me,” I urged. “Right fucking now… what else are you keeping from me?”
“W-We’ve heard rumors of an elder king, by the name of Donovan… we intend to build an army to serve him.”
Fuck.
I wanted to ask him more about this king, but I could see the spell was literally killing him, so I had to be quick with my next question.
“Now, tell me where the study hall is,” I commanded.
“It’s on the upper floor,” he answered quickly, but blood was already dribbling out of his nostrils, “it’s down the hall and behind the very last door… it’s a grand archway, and you c-can’t miss it. Now please, I’m begging you, st--!”
Before I could utter another word, the warlock’s head began to violently tremble and then exploded into bits of bone, brain, and gore.
I flinched back as the others quietly gasped and covered their mouths in surprise. I groaned in irritation as I flicked away a piece of brain that landed right above my upper lip and then took a step back to look at the mess in front of me. The warlock’s headless body was slumped forward as thick, dark blood and viscous gore dripped from his open neck.
“What a fucking mess,” I grunted.
“I guess Headmistress Theodora failed to mention what would happen if we used the secretum mentis for too long,” Morgana mumbled with a shrug as she stepped away from the growing puddle of blood.
“No shit,” I grunted. “Come on, let’s get the hell out of here and find those books.”
“Agreed,” Nyx said as she raised her blue chin up into the air.
We abruptly left the room, and Faye and Vesta immediately shot us a pair of curious looks.
“Did it work?” the redhead asked as she raised a thin eyebrow.
“Yes,” I said, “we need to find the stairwell… and quickly.”
“Well done,” Vesta purred as she flicked back her long, gleaming green hair.
The others all nodded in agreement as we raced down the corridor, and as we ran, I tried to sense where the doorway to the stairwell was located. I sensed a strong pull leading me toward a right turn, just down the hall we were in, and as soon as I bolted through the corridor and came to a narrow white door, I knew the stairwell was right behind it. When I pulled it open, there was a long, narrow staircase leading upward, but before I stepped inside, I turned to look at the others and then smiled broadly at each beautiful and brave witch.
“We’re getting closer,” I breathed. “Come on.”
As we were about to step inside, there was an echo of voices coming from the corridor we were just in. Their tone sounded panicked and furious, and I had a feeling the body of the blue-haired warlock had been discovered.
“Fuck!” I heard a deep voice roar. “There are intruders in the castle… fucking find them before they kill any more of us!”
“Shit,” I muttered as the voices grew louder. Then I looked at the witches, and each one’s face had turned pale with fear. “Come on, we have to hurry the hell up.”
We all raced inside the stairwell, and as we sprinted upward, my heart pounded like a war drum in my ears.
The warlocks knew we were here, and now, we had only a short amount of time to retrieve the books and get back to Scholomance alive.