Chapter 10
“Winnie?” I asked.
The Vipera witch played with her hands anxiously, and then she twirled a strand of her black hair as her blue eyes darted around the room. She was the last person I would’ve imagined to see standing in the doorway, but it wasn’t a bad surprise.
“Good afternoon, my lord,” she said quietly.
“Isn’t this exciting?” Penelope asked as she brought the timid girl in for a hug.
“We couldn’t believe it when we saw her!” Morgana said as she stood on Winnie’s other side.
The rest of the coven crowded around us, and it was clear they were all just as excited that Winnie was here.
“What do you think, Cole?” Faye asked.
As I glanced at Winnie, I noticed the little witch was nibbling on her bottom lip, almost like she was trying not to cry, so I smiled to reassure her.
“Sorry, it’s just a shock,” I snickered. “It’s wonderful to see you, Winnie. But I feel like I need a bit more of an explanation.”
“Of course,” she replied. “I’m sorry, I should have come to you first.”
“Come,” I said as I left the room. “Why don’t you tell me everything in a more relaxed setting?”
I led Winnie from the doorway and over to the set of couches beside the fire. The rest of the coven understood I wanted to have this conversation in private, so they mentioned getting some lunch from the banquet hall, and Morgana wanted to visit the library. Some of their familiars left with them, but Alexander, Silvia, and Jezebel continued to sleep.
“Would you like some lunch?” I asked as I sat down on a couch.
“Um, yes, please,” Winnie murmured. “Thank you.”
“Cordelia, you know what to do,” I said to the ceiling.
Seconds later, a platter of food appeared beside the timid witch. Winnie glanced around the room in shock, and she clearly hadn’t expected for the food to arrive that quickly. But Winnie was quick to pick up the ham salad sandwich once she’d gotten over the initial shock.
The sandwich had been accompanied by an apple, some potato chips, and some sort of drink in a goblet. It all looked incredible, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a potato chip, but I still wasn’t hungry enough to fully enjoy the meal.
“Is that better?” I asked.
“It’s amazing, thank you, my lord,” she said before she looked up toward the ceiling. “And thank you, Cordelia.”
“You’re welcome, miss,” the ghostly voice replied.
I waited a few minutes while Winnie enjoyed her lunch, but the urge to hear her story was almost too much to bear.
“So, what brought you here?” I asked. “I’m pleased to have you, of course, but I had no idea you had plans of transferring.”
There was a chance Winnie didn’t want to transfer from Vipera, and perhaps she’d just come here for the day to speak to me, but I had a strong feeling Winnie was here for good.
“Um,” she said as she swallowed a mouthful of food. “Basically, after the last attack, when you made me see my potential, I didn’t feel the same in Vipera anymore.”
“How did the students act around you?” I asked. “And Headmistress Quinn?”
Quinn hadn’t been Winnie’s biggest fan the last time I spoke to her, and she’d been quite dismissive with the young student. It angered me at the time, and I wouldn’t hesitate to punish those who’d belittled Winnie.
“They were okay.” Winnie shrugged. “I mean, some of the students don’t like me, and nothing was going to change that, but I felt so comfortable and at home here.”
“Is it the same students who saw you as weak and unable?” I asked.
“I don’t really like to name and shame people,” she sighed. “But, yes, it was the same ones.”
I was grateful Winnie had told me the truth, but I put the topic of students to one side and would decide what to do with them later. I wouldn’t cause them any lasting damage, but I’d remind them of who I was, and who Winnie worked for now.
That was enough to sort out bullying within my army.
“And when did you decide about transferring?” I asked.
“Um, maybe a week ago?” Winnie said as she scrunched up her face in thought. “I don’t know, so much has happened that the days tend to roll into one.”
“I know what you mean,” I snickered. “And I’m assuming you had Quinn speak to Theodora about moving?”
“Yes, I went to see Quinn first, and she set up the meeting with Theodora,” the black-haired witch replied. “I thought they would have said something to you, so I’m sorry about that, my lord.”
“I may be in charge, but Theodora is still the headmistress of this school,” I said. “Plus, I’ve not been here for a couple of days, so it makes sense that I wasn’t aware of your arrival.”
“So, you aren’t annoyed I made the move without informing you?” Winnie asked as she picked up a potato chip from the platter.
“No, absolutely not.” I smirked. “Winnie, like I said before, you’re incredibly powerful, and it’s an honor you picked this school. But how did your family take the news? You told me Vipera has been in your blood for generations.”
“I think they were shocked at first, because no one’s attended Scholomance before, but they supported my decisions.” The witch smiled. “As long as I get a good education, and I don’t waste my talents, then my family don’t mind.”
“Well, you’ll certainly get a good education,” I chuckled.
“Yes,” Winnie laughed. “I, um, didn’t tell them about you because I didn’t see them face to face, but I’ll tell them as soon as I can, my lord, I promise.”
I could see this witch had issues with her nerves, and she cowered into her body as if I was going to be angry with her confession.
“Don’t panic,” I said with a comforting hand on her shoulder. “There’s a chance they already know, seeing as I sent my group to every realm around us, but I trust you to tell them whenever you feel the time is right.”
Winnie’s family were extremely prestigious and powerful, and her grandparents were famous in Vipera, so I imagined they would be delighted to know Winnie now worked for me, and that I’d be the one to teach her everything she needed to know.
We spent the next fifteen minutes discussing what Winnie had been taught in Vipera and the classes she’d attended so I had an idea of which class to place her into. According to the little witch, she loved Shadow Magic and Blood Magic, but she enjoyed every class, and she just wanted to learn new things at every given opportunity.
Then, once I’d informed her of the professors who ran each class, I worked on her uniform. Winnie was currently dressed in her Vipera uniform, but that had to change. I asked her to stand up, and then with a flick of my wrist her outfit began to change. Winnie’s white shirt stayed the same, but her checkered skirt changed to black and white, and a pair of thigh-high black socks appeared on her delicious legs. Finally, a black cloak formed over her shoulders with the Scholomance logo on the top left pocket.
“How does that feel?” I asked.
“Amazing.” Winnie grinned, and then she began to twirl around in a circle. “The Vipera uniform really didn’t suit me.”
The cloak and skirt blew in the breeze and followed Winnie as she twirled, and the excited smile never left her face. It was always nice to have new arrivals in the school, but it felt even better when I noticed how eager the witches were to join us.
“But this one sure does,” I purred as my eyes focused on the part of her creamy legs just below her skirt but above her socks.
A stampede of footsteps was suddenly heard coming from outside the room, and Winnie and I turned around to see the coven returning with their meals in hand.
“Cole, you might need to do something about those Hell creatures,” Vesta snickered as she shoved a forkful of salad into her mouth.
“Why?” I asked. “What are they doing?”
I’d told them to stay out of trouble, and Dolroth had promised they weren’t going to cause any disruptions, but I guess that was easier said than done when it came to creatures from the Underworld.
“What are they not doing?” Circe said with a raised eyebrow. “Those elves may look cute, but it’s like they’re playing a game of leadership in the banquet hall.”
“Wait, Hell creatures?” Winnie asked. “Nyx mentioned something about demons roaming the school, but I didn’t think she was being serious.”
“Oh, I was serious, alright,” Nyx cackled. “Cole wanted to improve our army for whenever the Elder Lord returns, so he took a trip into Hell to collect some additional support.”
Winnie looked even more baffled the more Nyx talked, and it was quite funny to see the expression on her face as she dissected every word.
“You took a trip into Hell… just like that?” she asked. “Like it was a walk through the hallway?”
“Well, it wasn’t as easy as that,” I said. “But, yeah, I returned to the Underworld, collected the men I needed, and then brought them up here.”
“Things like that happen all the time around here,” Revna said as she placed one arm around Winnie’s shoulders. “You’ll soon get used to the Dark One’s antics.”
“But I should probably see what these damn creatures are up to,” I sighed. “How many of them did you see?”
“Er, about three,” Vesta replied. “But one was standing on a table, and they weren’t letting anyone through. They didn’t scare us, but some of the younger students ran away screaming.”
“I’ll be sure to put them in their places.” I smirked. “Keep an eye on the artifacts while I’m away.”
“Of course, my lord,” Vesta said as I stood from the couch.
“Can I come with you, master?” Akira asked. “I love watching you boss people around.”
“Sure.” I nodded. “Come on, then.”
The pregnant witch cheered as she jumped up from her seat, and then the two of us left the room and headed toward the banquet hall. I heard the screaming witches in the distance, but that was going to stop as soon as I got there.
“So, what do you think about Winnie joining the academy?” Akira asked.
“I think she’ll be a great addition,” I replied. “She didn’t get the respect she deserved in Vipera, and that’ll all change now.”
“I just think she’s very quiet,” Akira said as we reached the final staircase.
“She is quiet.” I nodded. “But that doesn’t mean she’s any less powerful. Surely you should know it’s not all about someone’s personality that defines their strength.”
“No, I know,” she snickered. “And I’m sure Winnie’s intelligence is going to shine above the others in her lessons, but it might take a minute for her to break out of that timid shell.”
“Maybe it will.” I shrugged. “But she’s just left a school full of bullies, so I won’t allow the same thing to happen here.”
I gave Akira a pointed look which told her I knew what she was like. Akira was the sort of witch who could be your best ally, but also your biggest threat.
“My lord, you know I wouldn’t do that,” she replied, but when I merely raised an eyebrow, she blushed a little. “Okay, sure, I may have acted that way when we were mere preschoolers, but I’ve grown up since then. Also, I have a child on the way, so I need to be the best role model for that baby.”
“Yes, you do.” I grinned.
“Do you think you’ll give Winnie a child, too?” Akira asked.
“Soon,” I said. “But for now, I’m going to focus on training her up for the war against the Elder Lord.”
“I’ll help.” Akira smiled. “In fact, I’m sure everyone would be happy to offer their time in training her.”
“Yes, I’ll probably ask you all to take turns schooling Winnie,” I said. “The more she can learn before the Elder Lord attacks, the stronger she’ll be.”
Our conversation then came to an end as a group of preschoolers ran through the hall screaming. They barely stopped to acknowledge me, which is when I knew they were far too scared to pay attention to anything around them. Then, as we neared the hall, I heard what sounded like angered snarls and evil giggles.
At least the creatures were still in the banquet hall, and I didn’t need to search the entire school to locate them.
I spotted Theodora as she stormed toward the hall with a stern look on her face.
“I’ve got this, Theodora,” I said.
“Oh, my lord,” she said with one hand on her chest. “I didn’t see you there.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll send them back to their accommodations,” I replied. “You can continue doing what you were doing.”
“Thank you, Dark One,” she said with a nod of her head. “I’d had enough of the constant screaming.”
“So have we,” Akira snickered. “They’ll soon be sorry they messed with Cole.”
Theodora turned to walk back in the way she came, and Akira and I carried on into the banquet hall. I picked up on the loud wall of noise first, and then I noticed the mess, just how Vesta had described it. Eldrin stood on the table, a gremlin stood between the table and the door, and a second elf ran around the table legs as he let out a shrill cry.
But I was surprised to see Eldrin in the center of the bunch. The seemingly happy elf had taken part in their rambunctious games, and I didn’t think he would have been the sort to do something like that.
The creatures stopped jumping around when they noticed us near the entrance, and the gremlin and the second elf stared at me with worried looks on their faces. The table was piled high with scraps of food and goblets of wine, and it looked as though their party was going to continue for some time if I didn’t put a stop to it.
“Hi, Cole!” Eldrin shouted out to me as he waved one hand above his head.
The elf was covered in various sauces, a slice of ham was perched on his shoulder, and he had mashed potatoes all over his face and hair. Eldrin looked as though he’d had a fantastic time, and so did the two other creatures around him.
“Um, that’s ‘master’ to you,” Akira sneered.
“Oops, sorry, my lord.” The elf bowed, and the slice of ham on his shoulder slid off with a wet plop.
“Eldrin, explain yourself,” I said, but a smirk tugged at the edges of my lips.
“I just wanted to show them what a real school looked like,” Eldrin giggled.
“So you thought scaring the students and making a mess of this hall was the right way to do it?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, apparently, food fights are a must at school, so it would have been wrong not to have one,” the elf said before he looked up and grinned. “Do you want to join in, master? We were about to bring out the jello!”
“Urgh, no,” Akira gagged and turned to me. “My lord, are you going to let them get away with this? They’ve terrified half the fucking school.”
“Please,” I snickered. “No one can even get hurt thanks to my power and the blood pact. Besides, Akira, these creatures came straight from the pits of hell. Did you really think they were going to act like the perfect guests?”
“But they promised you they weren’t going to do anything to disrupt the academy.” Akira raised an eyebrow.
“Ooh, come on, pretty lady.” Eldrin smirked. “Those students needed a decent dose of fear. Now, do you want to take my side in the food fight?”
The witch clenched her jaw and shot Eldrin a narrow-eyed look, but I just held back a laugh.
“First of all, don’t you dare fucking call me ‘pretty,’” Akira said. “I could squash you with one foot, so you don’t stand a chance. And secondly, I just washed my hair this morning, so, no, I don’t want to take your side in the fight.”
I could have watched the two of them argue back and forth all day, but the hall was a disgrace, and I had students waiting to get some food.
“Clean this up,” I said as I pointed toward the mess. “Eldrin, you’ve had your fun, but now it’s time we get the school working again.”
“Okay, master…” The elf slumped.
Akira held back her laughter as the elves scurried around the table and cleaned up every plate and goblet, and the goblin ate every piece of food he could find.
I could have cleaned it all up with a click of my fingers, but this was more fitting.
And more entertaining.
It took roughly half an hour for everything to be cleared away, and the moment the final goblet had vanished from sight, I ordered Eldrin and the others to stand in front of me.
Although I was amused by their fun and games, they’d still disobeyed my rules, and I couldn’t let that go unpunished.
“Now,” I said as I crossed my arms over my chest. “I specifically told you not to cause a disruption in this school, and I don’t appreciate you scaring the younger students the way you did.”
Eldrin giggled again, and he cupped his tiny hand over his mouth to hold back the laughter.
“You must admit, master, it was very funny,” the elf said. “I’m going to smell like potatoes for days!”
“It was fun,” I agreed. “However, did you still break the rules?”
“Yes…” Eldrin sighed.
“Then you need to be punished for what you’ve done.”
“What?” Eldrin squeaked, and he stared up at me with wide eyes. “Punished?”
“But…” the second elf spoke up. “But…”
“Yes?” I asked.
“But we didn’t really do anything wrong.” The elf shrugged.
The elf was right, they hadn’t done anything wrong, but they needed to know I meant business, and I also didn’t have the time to break up a food fight when I had the threat of the Elder Lord breathing down my back.
“Where’s Dolroth?” I asked.
“Um, he’s with the others,” Eldrin mumbled.
“And did you tell him where you were going?” Akira asked.
“N-No,” the second elf replied. “I mean, Eldrin told him he was taking us on a tour, and…”
“And?” I motioned for the elf to continue talking.
“And… he told us not to cause any trouble,” Eldrin sighed. “I guess we kinda broke his rules.”
“You didn’t break his rules,” Akira said in a sharp tone. “You broke the Dark Lord’s rules, and now you’re really going to pay for it.”
The elves gulped, and I smirked.
But before I announced their punishment, I commanded the group to take me to their accommodations.
I wanted the rest of the herd to see what would happen if they were to follow in Eldrin’s footsteps.
The elves led us from the building and around the side of the academy, and then I caught sight of the long, gray brick building that lined one side of the courtyard. The building had small windows located just underneath the slanted roof, and a single wooden door that looked far too small for Japner to walk through, but I was sure the giant would have found a way to get in somehow.
Eldrin walked up to the door, knocked one fist off the wood, and then walked inside. I heard the faint sound of Dolroth greeting Eldrin, but then he must have noticed the cheeky look on the elf’s face.
“What have you done, Eldrin?” Dolroth asked.
But I didn’t give the elf the chance to reply before I strode into the building.
“My lord,” Dolroth said as he stood from his seat. “How can we assist you?”
“Perhaps you should ask your fucking elf,” Akira sneered. “I was this close to getting food in my hair!”
The demon looked between myself and the elf with a frown on his face, but then that expression turned to anger, and he must have picked up on why I was there.
“What did you do?” Dolroth demanded as he turned on the elf. “I specifically ordered you not to cause any trouble!”
“I’m sorry, sir,” Eldrin squeaked. “We were only playing games.”
“They made a mess of our banquet hall, and they taunted my students,” I said. “I admit they could have done something a lot worse, so food in the hall is the biggest sin, but they need to know not to break my rules. I thought I’d made my warnings clear, but clearly these men have an issue with their hearing.”
“Yeah, and their brains,” Akira snorted.
The gremlin narrowed his eyes at Akira, but the witch fought back with an even harder stare.
“Dark One, I apologize for their behavior,” Dolroth said as he bowed his head. “I’ll make sure they don’t leave these walls until you require our assistance.”
“It’s okay,” I said with one hand up. “I’ve thought of the perfect punishment, but it comes with a warning.”
A part of me understood their desire to celebrate being in the mortal world. There were so many pleasures and sins to take part in.
But I was the Lord of Hell, and I would not stand for blatant disrespect of my orders.
“A warning?” Eldrin asked. “But… Cole, I thought we had fun back there?”
“The warning is you’ll need to be careful not to get stepped on.” I smirked. “I’ll reverse the charm once the battle begins, but until then, you should probably get comfortable in these new bodies.”
Then I clicked my fingers, and a gold mist surrounded Eldrin, the elf, and the gremlin. I saw the looks of confusion that covered their faces, but that expression quickly vanished as their bodies began to shrink. It only took about thirty seconds for the spell to take place, and as the mist cleared, I noticed the new creatures I had in my presence.
Three tiny beetles.
The black bugs scurried around on the dusty ground, and I crouched down and scooped them up in my hand. Their tiny faces and beady eyes faced me, and I wondered which one of them was Eldrin.
“Enjoy your new existences,” I snickered. “Perhaps you should stay away from Japner, or anyone else for that matter.”
The other creatures around me let out a loud laugh, and Akira had tears in her eyes from laughing so hard.
“Dark Lord, I picked these three because they are some of the most agile, cunning, and ruthless creatures I have,” Dolroth replied. “I apologize for what they have done, and I’ll be sure not to let that kind of thing happen again.”
“Good, and unless the rest of you want to become beetles, then you should probably learn from this,” I said as I placed the bugs back on the floor.
I left the building before anyone could reply, and Akira ran alongside me to keep up. The two of us laughed and smiled, and I almost felt like taking the bugs back with us, just to see how they handled their new lives.
“Fuck, Cole, that was incredible,” Akira giggled as we entered the school.
“They’ll soon learn not to disrespect me,” I chuckled.
“I think they already have,” the witch replied. “I could smell something foul, and I think it came from that fucking giant at the back of the room.”
“Possibly.” I shrugged.
Akira and I wandered through the school in silence as we returned to our room. We’d had our fun, but I had work to do.
And I knew exactly what I was going to do.
I heard my women talking to me as we entered the common room, but Akira filled them in on what had happened, and I headed straight for the hidden artifacts.
Then I took in the glorious sight of all five artifacts sitting together in a line. The Oblivion Inscriptions and the Urn of Annihilation sat in the middle, with the Tiara of Corruption, the Diabolic Headstone, and the Cylinder of Sight on either side. They all had mud, sand, and dirt trapped in the tiny cracks and crevices from their years of being hidden, but instead of cleaning them up, I was more interested in destroying them.
However, I couldn’t just smash them into smithereens and throw away the pieces because that could give someone the opportunity to bring them back to life. No, I had to destroy them in a way that meant the artifacts were gone for good, and no one could get their hands on them, no matter how strong and powerful they were.
“There has to be a way,” I mumbled as I stared intently at the ornaments.
“Can we help you, my lord?” Samara asked as she came to stand beside me.
“I’m just trying to work out what to do with these things,” I sighed.
“What are they?” Winnie asked. “I’ve been looking at them all day, but I still haven’t worked out what they are.”
“They’re not just a keepsake, that’s for sure.” Samara smirked.
But this only confused Winnie more, so Morgana took her aside and offered to inform the witch all about the Scroll of Malediction and the hidden artifacts.
“I suggest we create a giant fire and throw them in,” Nyx said with an evil look in her eyes.
“I bet the artifacts are fireproof,” Faye added. “It’s a good idea, but I don’t think it’ll work.”
“But we don’t know if they’re fireproof.” Marina shrugged. “Shouldn’t we at least test it out first?”
“No, because that’s how I got the Scroll of Malediction back,” I replied. “The creators probably thought that was gone for good, but I still managed to retrieve it.”
“But you’re the Dark Lord,” Beatrix spoke up.
“Yes, but there are others with power out there,” I said. “What we need to do is demolish them, then make sure they’re impossible to find.”
“What if we smash them into pieces, and then scatter them throughout every realm?” Astrid suggested. “In order to put them together, someone would have to search every inch of ground to collect the missing pieces?”
Astrid’s idea made sense, and it was the first one I properly gave some thought to, but I still wasn’t sure about it. There had to be a better way, and I was sure to work it out.
The rest of the coven discussed various theories, but I zoned out of their conversation in order to focus on my thoughts. But as I did that, I caught onto the tail-end of Morgana’s talk with Winnie, and the bookish brunette was telling the timid witch everything about the artifacts and what they’re used for.
And that was when the idea came to me.
The artifacts contained the ability to cause great destruction if they were used by the wrong person, but what if that wasn’t all they could do? They were powerful objects, so they clearly held more than just the ability to destroy the world, but would their powers lessen if I used them to increase my own?
“I’ve got it,” I said, which put an instant halt on the coven’s discussions. “I don’t just need to destroy the objects in order to remove their power.”
“What do you mean?” Beatrix asked. “I thought they only had one purpose?”
“They have their main purpose, but they include far more than that.” I grinned.
“So, what’s your plan?” Samara frowned.
“I’m going to use the artifacts to create an incantation that’ll essentially give us the advantage over the Elder Lord,” I explained. “The spell won’t wipe out entire realms, but it’ll be more than enough to wipe out his army.”
The women around me smiled, grinned, and nodded their heads as they realized what I was saying.
“But then what about the objects?” Circe asked. “What will you do with them after that?”
“Nothing.” I shrugged. “They’ll pass over their powers to me, so once the incantation is complete, it’ll be nothing but a fucking urn sitting before us.”
“Perhaps we could use it for the Elder Lord’s ashes,” Akira snickered.
“Yeah, and then place it in one of their holy temples for his fucking worshippers to cry over,” Revna cackled.
“We’ll definitely use the Urn for something,” I said. “But by the time I’m done with him, there won’t be a single ounce of the Elder Lord left for anyone to cry over.”