Chapter 13
Despite everything that had happened, and the warlocks’ threat that loomed above us, the students were well-behaved and patient as they waited for their next order. I needed to get the hall split into three groups, and only once that was sorted could I focus on preparing Scholomance for the attack.
“Once again, the Elder Lord has decided to rain his power upon innocent realms!” I shouted out to my audience. “But the issue is we don’t know whether the Elder Lord is being serious or not. As well as protecting the school, I also need to protect the other realms from possible death and destruction, so if you’d prefer to check out the state of the realms, I need you all to raise your hands.”
It took a second for the students to respond, but then a few shaky hands lifted into the air, including half of my coven. Just under a third of the students had put their hands up, but I needed a few more than that.
“I will need at least half the school to travel to other realms,” I continued. “So more of you need to offer your help.”
It took another few minutes to complete the task, but once we had the school separated, I let out a sigh of relief.
“Excellent.” I grinned. “I see the realms possibly affected are The Night Province and Gassotara. The Night Province is far larger than Gassotara, so more of you will be sent there. Again, I don’t know if there really is a war going on in those areas, so be prepared to fight. Do you understand?”
The sea of heads nodded in unison, but I knew some of the students weren’t as keen on entering the war zones. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot I could do about it. If these realms really were under attack, then they relied on me to save them, and I wouldn’t have been doing my job properly if I allowed them to suffer and burn without offering any assistance.
“Those who have chosen to head to the realms, I need you all to stand!” I demanded, and my voice echoed around the large banquet hall.
There was a mess of activity as half the audience stood from their seats, and although they were keen to go, I could see the uncertain looks that covered their faces.
From my group, Beatrix, Marina, Faye, Penelope, Morgana, Tally, Cleo, Samara, Circe, and Vesta chose to leave for the realms, and Professors Luna and Evanora decided to join them. I was pleased with the selection since I knew there was a solid variety in strengths, which the realms needed to have on their side.
I then spent the next thirty minutes splitting the students into two separate groups, one that would go to Gassotara, and the other would go to The Night Province. Each group had one professor, and I told my coven to split up equally among the two groups.
“My lord…?” Beatrix raised her hand.
“Yes?” I asked.
“Would you be okay with us taking our familiars?” Beatrix cocked her head to one side. “I feel it could come in handy if the familiars can get a better view of what’s going on?”
“Your familiars are yours to handle,” I said. “If you’d like them by your side, then by all means, you can take them. Otherwise, feel free to leave them here, and we’ll be sure to look after them.”
“Thank you, master.” Beatrix bowed her head and then called her familiar over with the click of her fingers.
A swarm of animals suddenly sprinted through the main doors as the rest of the groups summoned their own familiars. I noticed panthers, lizards, bald eagles… Every type of creature from far and wide ran through those doors.
Once the groups were settled, I raised my hands into the air and called the room to attention.
“I will shadow-port the groups to one realm each, but remember what I told you.” I gave my crowd a pointed look. “As soon as you’ve checked out the realm and saved them from destruction, you must return to Scholomance. The Elder Lord shall not win! Prove to me how strong you are, and prove to him how powerful Scholomance is!”
The entire hall erupted into cheers and the clapping of hands as my audience hyped themselves up for the battle.
“Professors,” I said as I looked at Luna and Evanora. “I am putting you both in charge, so I trust your judgement, and should you feel the need to remove the group from the realm, then that’s your call to make.”
“Of course, my lord,” they said together.
“We won’t back down,” Luna added with a smirk. “Gassotara will hail your name once we’re done with the Elder Lord.”
“As will The Night Province.” Evanora smiled.
“Good.” I nodded. “Now, go!”
Then I clicked my fingers together, and a purple mist formed around the two separate groups as they slowly disappeared from the hall. The room still looked fairly full with half the audience still in their seats, but I didn’t have the time to sit around and focus on the numbers.
I had to prepare my army for battle.
“The rest of you --”
My words were cut off by the opening of the main doors.
The sea of students automatically turned their heads to look at the entrance, but I grabbed my wand from my pocket as the doors were opened fully. Although I knew it wasn’t our current threat, I still didn’t know who it could have been.
I could have heard a pin drop as I waited for someone to enter.
“I hope we haven’t interrupted your meeting?” A shrill, bird-like voice filled the hall, which automatically told me who had arrived.
“Headmistress Quinn, what a surprise,” I said as I stepped away from my spot on stage.
The tiny Vipera headmistress wandered into the banquet hall with a large crowd of witches behind her, and I noticed the anxious witch, Winnie, at the front of the crowd beside Quinn. I hadn’t summoned the headmistress, and I hadn’t asked for anyone’s help, so it confused me to see them in the school.
“My lord, I apologize for the sudden shock,” Theodora whispered as she walked up to me. “I sent out a call for their assistance while you were still in the trance.”
“That explains their arrival,” I snickered. “And you have no reason to be sorry. We may need the extra pairs of hands, so Vipera is more than welcome.”
“I hear you’ve got a threat coming your way,” Quinn said as she reached the front of the hall.
“We do.” I nodded. “Thank you for coming along.”
“Of course.” The headmistress smiled. “We have a lot to thank you for, so it’s the least we could do. Plus, I took in your advice about Miss Winnie, so I’m sure you’ll be interested to see what she’s learned recently.”
I glanced over at the young, anxious student and noticed the rosy hue that crossed her cheeks, but Winnie looked a lot more confident than when I’d saved her from the wardrobe, which was a positive sign.
“Absolutely, I am.” I grinned. “But for now it’s best to get yourselves settled. These warlocks could arrive at any moment, and we’ve already wasted enough time dealing with the Elder Lord, so we need to do whatever we can to keep the threat away for as long as possible.”
“We could create a barrier around the premises?” Vanessa suggested. “The warlocks would need to weaken the cage before they get access to the school, and that could give us the distraction needed in order to get a better look at things.”
“Yes, absolutely.” I nodded. “Quinn, can you assist with this? Gather some students together and use all your power to create the barrier.”
“Of course, my lord,” Headmistress Quinn said as she went to stand beside Vanessa, and the two of them worked on my command.
“The rest of you,” I said as I peered at my coven. “We need to keep an eye on the incoming threat, so I need you to take some of the students to the four turrets that surround the building. Have them hide in plain sight, so to speak.”
My coven nodded their heads before they rallied up a group of students and fled from the banquet hall. The turrets would be the perfect place for them to situate themselves, and ideally I would have wanted there to be more than four, but we needed to work with what we had at hand, and we may not have had the time to create some new turrets before the battle began.
Once those orders were obeyed, I then turned to see Theodora, Crimson, Olivia, and Lilith standing patiently as they awaited their commandments. I had a few options in mind for what they could have done, but I needed to be sure I picked the right one to put their talents to the ultimate test. Lilith was famously known for her use of the killing curse, and she was the only witch in history who could use the curse whenever she pleased, so I used that to my advantage.
“Theodora and Lilith, the two of you will work together,” I said. “Theodora, I want you to use your premonition skill to get an insight on the warlocks, then Lilith, I want you to use the killing curse as soon as you see them. I need you to get into a safe position where you can see the threat before they arrive, and target as many of them as possible.”
“I’ve been waiting to use that curse again,” Lilith replied with a bloodthirsty smile that looked both equally out of place and at home on her beautiful features.
“Well, now you have the opportunity.” I grinned.
The two of them then left the hall to get prepared, and I turned my head to Crimson and Olivia. Professor Crimson rubbed her hands together as she smiled at me excitedly, and I could see how eager she was to get started.
“I want you two to work together as well,” I began. “Crimson, how many prisoners do we have tied up?”
“Oooh, plenty, my lord.” The professor smirked.
“Excellent, then I want you to put them to good use,” I said. “I don’t care what you do with them, just make sure they can fight for us, and ideally I’d like the warlocks to aim for them first before any of us.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Crimson replied.
“I’m sure we can come up with something beautifully sinful,” Olivia said with an evil smile.
“I look forward to seeing it.” I nodded my head.
Then, once they’d left, I only had the few remaining students to place around the school, one of them being Winnie, who I had a special plan for. There was an even mixture of both Scholomance and Vipera students, and although I’d seen the Vipera witches in battle before, I was still keen to see if they’d learned anything since their most recent attack.
“Place yourselves around the school, and do not hesitate to attack,” I informed the small crowd. “I need you to use everything you’ve learned in the past and aim it at our targets. If you feel the need to hide, then do so, but if you find yourselves in trouble, then use the ‘excandescunt’ spell to raise the alarm. Do you all know how to do that?”
Some of the students nodded their heads, but a few of them looked slightly unsure, and they peered down to their feet as a silent way of telling me they had no idea what I’d just said.
“Okay, everyone, raise your wands,” I said as I brought my own wand into the sky. “Repeat after me: ‘excandescunt.’”
“Excandescunt,” they all said in unison.
Without warning, a bright red light shot from the ends of our wands, flew straight into the sky, and exploded like a tiny firework. Then it let out a tiny shrill noise as the light slowly faded and fell back down to the ground.
“Good, very good,” I said proudly. “But only use that if you’re in dire need of someone’s help, got it?”
The crowd nodded, and then they safely placed their wands back into their cloaks.
“Winnie, I want you to stay with me,” I said to the raven-haired witch. “But the rest of you, find your places and protect the school.”
I noticed the look of pure confusion that crossed Winnie’s face as she watched the other students flee the hall. I knew how talented the little witch was, but I didn’t think she had any inkling, so the idea of staying behind must have baffled her greatly.
“Don’t worry, Winnie, I’ve got a special plan for you.” I smiled.
“M-Me?” she stuttered with one finger pointed to her chest. “But… but I’m nothing but a coward?”
“A coward?” I asked with raised eyebrows. “Is that what you’ve been told before?”
“I’ve lost count how many times I’ve been called that,” Winnie sighed as she dropped her eyes. “Headmistress Quinn has been teaching me a few things, but even then, I’ve overheard what she’s said about me.”
“Well, I say differently.” I smirked. “Come on, follow me.”
I led the black-haired witch from the hall and headed straight for one of the grand staircases. Winnie tried to keep up with my large steps, but I noticed how she ran up the stairs in order to stay beside me.
“Tell me a bit more about yourself, Winnie,” I said as we reached the second floor. “Were you destined to go to Vipera?”
“I… yes,” she said as she tucked her hands into her cloak. “My entire family have attended Vipera for many generations, so now it’s my turn to keep the tradition running.”
Something about Winnie’s mannerisms intrigued me. She always hid herself away and constantly wrapped her cloak tighter around her body, but I couldn’t work out why she was so harsh on herself. Perhaps she feared her parents’ judgements and felt the need to succeed because they had, but I saw so much potential in this young witch, so surely her parents saw the same thing.
As I pondered over the workings of Winnie, I brought her into an empty classroom that looked out over the front of the school. An ominous dark cloud had formed in the sky, and it appeared to be a sign for what was to come.
There definitely was a storm brewing, but in more ways than one.
“Before the warlocks arrive, I want to teach you something,” I said as I perched myself on the top of a desk. “This will show me whether my theories are correct, and whether you hold the talent I believe you do.”
“Teach me something?” Winnie repeated as she tilted her head. “I… I’m not a very fast learner, sir.”
“You belittle yourself once again.” I rolled my eyes playfully. “One thing you need to know is if you want to go far in Vipera, then you need to be strong-minded, and you need to believe in yourself more. You’ll only get brought down by other students if you give them more to play with. I was the only male witch in an entirely female school, but fuck them, I knew I was better than they were.”
“But… you’re the Dark Lord,” she said with wide eyes. “Of course, you’ll be better than everybody else around you.”
“But I didn’t know that.” I shrugged. “I wanted to show my worth, and have others see how powerful I was, so I didn’t stand for their bullshit. And I need you to do the same.”
“Okay,” Winnie said as confidently as possible. “I’ll do my best.”
“Excellent.” I grinned. “Now, take out your wand and aim it straight at that window.”
Winnie held her wand in a shaking hand, but she settled herself after a second, and I saw the determination etched across her face.
“Repeat after me: ‘quid confracta reparabit.’”
“Quid confracta reparabit,” Winnie copied.
A white light formed at the tip of her wand, but before it could grow any more, the light faded back into the wood.
“Do it again,” I said. “But this time I need you to put more strength in your voice.”
Winnie took a deep breath and then repeated the spell once more. This time, the white light grew twice in size, and before Winnie could prepare for it, the light shot across the room and pierced the window straight in the center. The entire square of glass shattered into tiny pieces, but the white light remained around the window frame.
“Hold it there,” I urged. “Do not move your wand, and focus.”
Winnie’s tiny body trembled as she powered her wand, and the tip of her tongue slipped between her lips in an act of concentration. The entire room was silent, and all I could hear were the mumbled voices as students prepared themselves in other parts of the school.
“What can you feel?” I asked.
“Um… it’s strong, almost painful,” Winnie said without taking her eyes off the window. “But I can manage it.”
“Can you feel a headache forming?” I asked.
“Not really…” she answered. “It feels like a very dull pain at the back of my head, but I can barely notice it.”
A proud smile crossed my face. I knew Winnie was powerful, but this just proved it. A young student such as her should be forced to the ground from the power that radiated through their wand and body. Winnie should have been crying out in pain and begging me to stop, but she didn’t.
“Oh, it’s getting stronger now,” she said as the light around the window grew darker.
“That’s it, keep holding on,” I said. “The incantation is almost complete.”
The now gray light billowed out from the window, and as the light hit the floor, the fragments of shattered glass were slowly lifted in the air. They hovered in place for a split second, and then they returned to their original spot in the window. I watched as the gray light acted as glue to piece the glass together, and once the window had repaired itself completely, the light vanished like nothing had ever happened.
“Satan, what was that?” Winnie breathed as she stared at the recently-broken window.
“That is a spell preschoolers cannot perform,” I said with a proud smile. “It’s far too powerful for a young witch, especially since you need the mental ability to hold the spell in place while the object repairs itself.”
“Okay…” She frowned.
“It shows me you’re probably more powerful than the majority of students in Vipera.” I smirked. “I would have tested you on something harder, but that’ll need to wait until after the fight is over.”
I led Winnie from the room and headed for another set of stairs. The witch stayed silent the entire time, and I could imagine she needed the time to process what had just happened.
“We need to get into position,” I said as we arrived back on the first floor. “We’ll situate ourselves down here, and that way we’ll have the perfect view of the warlocks when they arrive.”
“You want me to stay with you?” Winnie asked as her mouth dropped open.
“I need to see what you’re made of.” I grinned.
Winnie and I arrived in another empty classroom with a view of the front of the school, and I took that spare moment to take a good look at what the other students were up to. Vanessa, Quinn, and their chosen group had created a watery-looking barrier around the premises, and the dome shimmered like silver. The dark clouds still loomed overhead, but I couldn’t sense the warlocks’ presences just yet, so I knew we still had the time to prepare.
A few winged familiars swooped through the air between the school and the barrier, and I noticed a man, who wore nothing but a loin cloth, plod back and forth in front of the dome. He staggered on his feet like he’d had too much to drink, but I instantly recognized him as one of the men previously held captive in our dungeons. The man exuded more energy than normal, so I assumed Crimson and Olivia had worked their magic to make him fit enough to fight.
Then another man staggered to get into position, and another man after that. I wasn’t sure of the number of prisoners, but they’d all been put to good use, that was for sure.
“What do you want me to do, my lord?” Winnie asked as she stared out the open window.
“Fight,” I snickered. “Do whatever you can to get our opponents on the ground. My mother is watching over, and she can use the killing curse without any negative repercussions, so even if you can’t kill them yourself, then there’s someone watching over.”
“My mother mentioned something about that…” Winnie mused. “About Lilith and her powers. I remember my mother saying she wished she had the same potential, but it wasn’t to be.”
Winnie’s brief mention of her parents gave me the perfect loophole to learn more about her family.
“Were your parents well-known in Vipera?” I asked as I paid close attention to the area of land behind the dome.
“Sort of.” She shrugged. “My grandparents were well-known, though, Lucinda and Arthur Astor.”
I recognized those names as soon as Winnie said them, and I rolled them around my mind for a moment as I tried to work out where I’d heard Lucinda’s name before.
Then it hit me.
Like a lightning bolt to the chest.
Lucinda and Arthur were famous throughout the Wicca world, and at one point they were almost as mighty as Lilith was, so it was no longer a surprise that Winnie held the amount of power she did.
“Winnie, do you realize you’re from an extremely prestigious Wicca family?” I asked.
“I mean… sort of,” she scoffed. “Professors mention my family in class, but then they look over at me, and I can just tell they’re unimpressed by me. So, I’ve always been made to feel like I’m the end of the line, or like their talents didn’t pass down to the next generation.”
“And now you can tell them differently.” I winked.
I was about to mention something else, but then a chilling sensation ran through my body before I could do anything. A sharp pain then formed in my chest, and it worked its way through my veins until it reached every inch of my skin.
I grasped onto the window frame as the pain grew even more intense, but I fought against the agony and focused on using my premonition skill.
The warlocks were approaching, and I could see the large crowd that formed on the horizon. Creatures of all shapes and sizes were spotted in the background, along with an army of other rebels and non-believers. I couldn’t make out which creatures the warlocks had brought with them, and only their size was visible, but I knew it wasn’t going to be long before they all appeared in front of me.
“It’s starting,” I said as the sensations subsided.
“What?” Winnie said with a scared look on her face. “Right now?”
“Right now.” I nodded. “Stay here and keep watch. I’ll warn the others.”
Before I left the room, I closed my eyes and mentally connected with Lilith.
The warlocks are approaching, I told her. I imagine they’ll be here in a matter of minutes, so I need you to inform as many people as possible.
Of course, my son, Lilith said. Theodora pictured the same thing you did, so she’ll send the message out to the school.
Barely a minute had passed before I heard Theodora’s voice echo around the building.
“The warlocks have arrived,” the headmistress announced. “Everyone must take their positions immediately. Work as a team and protect those around you. Scholomance will win today, but only if we all work together.”
I left the empty classroom and instantly heard the frightened cries of students as they ran to their assigned positions, but then I noticed Vanessa stood at the main entrance of the school.
“Vanessa,” I said to grab her attention. “What are you doing?”
The professor had her wand raised in the air, and a pearl-hued string of light lifted from her wand toward the great barrier she’d created.
“I’m going to hold this shield for as long as I can,” she said. “The warlocks will instantly try to take it down, but if I can work it from this angle, I can do my best to keep it upright.”
“Okay, but just be sure to pay close attention,” I replied. “I imagine these warlocks to be quick and nimble with their shots, and they’ll target you as soon as they get a break in the barrier.”
“I’m aware, master.” She bowed her head. “But if this is our only option, then I need to do whatever I can to keep the barrier alive.”
As I looked to my left, I saw Quinn was doing the same thing with her wand, but the students they’d enlisted to help were nowhere to be seen. They’d created the barrier, so now it was up to Vanessa and Quinn to keep it steady.
Hey, Cole, up ahead, Alexander said as he whooshed past me. I’ve got my beady eyes on the warlocks, but it looks like they’re making room for something.
“Making room for what?” I asked as I peered through the barrier. “Can you see what it is?”
I don’t know, the wolverine replied. They’ve just formed a large circle, but they haven’t done anything with it just yet.
“Okay, inform me if you can,” I said as I let out a deep sigh.
Those motherfuckers were up to something, and I just needed to know what their plans were. I tried to use my premonition to get a better understanding, but someone had created a block, and all I could see was the previous vision of the crowd headed in our direction.
Then, up ahead, I noticed the top of the warlocks’ heads. From the way they bobbed, I knew the warlocks were marching in an equal fashion, and the closer they got, the more of their bodies I managed to see. The men at the front all wore the same attire, which consisted of deep blue cloaks with ruby-red belts and a pair of black pants underneath. The hoods covered their heads and the majority of their faces, and each warlock held their hands together at their chests.
Fuck, master, Alexander said with panic in his voice. They’ve created some sort of catapult in that circle, and some men at the back are wheeling it toward us. The warlocks you can see at the front are mumbling something, but I can’t tell what they’re saying.
I squinted my eyes as I tried to focus on the warlocks’ mouths, but they were too far away for me to see properly. From their synchronized movements, and the way they held their hands, it made me think the warlocks were chanting an incantation of some sort, but without knowing what they were saying, I couldn’t prepare myself for whatever was going to happen.
But the battle was here, and it was time to shed some blood.