Scholomance 3: The Devil's Academy

by Logan Jacobs

  “It does.” She nodded. “But be warned… our little conversation does not guarantee you will secure yourselves an entry.”

  “But you--” I tried to cut in, but she refused to let me finish.

  “Just because I wish to see your coven compete in the games, doesn’t mean that you will,” she explained. “That’s an endeavor you will have to achieve all on your own. So, I suggest you get a good night’s rest.”

  “Fine,” I replied with a long, drawn-out sigh. “As you wish, Headmistress.”

  “I have faith in you, Cole.” She smiled. “I know you have all been through more than any other students could imagine, but I’m counting on you… all of you.”

  “Understood, Headmistress,” I answered.

  We stood there for a moment, and she downed the last of her wine. Then she crossed over to her bookshelf, and I thought she was about to pour herself another serving, but instead, she pulled out a dusty, small black and brown leather book.

  “Here,” she said as she placed it into my hands. “Read this before you go to sleep. It will help you with the tryouts tomorrow morning.”

  “Thank you.” I nodded. “Well… if that’s all, Headmistress, I think I’d better get to it.”

  “Yes, yes,” she replied with a wave of her delicate hand. “I’ll see you tomorrow, bright-eyed and well-rested.”

  I forced myself to smile before I left her office. Thoughts raced through my mind as I headed down the corridor, and when I reached my staircase, I thought I heard footsteps behind me. When I turned around, I saw my coven, and they were all red-faced and blotchy. They were having a tough time standing upright, which I could only guess meant they had drunk their fair share of wine.

  “Cole, wait up!” Vesta slurred.

  “I’m not moving,” I responded.

  “Really?” she roared. “It looks like you’re moving.”

  “That’s because you’re druuuuuunk,” Akira snorted with laughter.

  “No, I’m not,” Faye mumbled.

  “She wasn’t even talking to you, Faye,” Morgana giggled.

  They all laughed and held on to each other to make sure they wouldn’t fall over. I wanted to laugh at them, but I was too concerned about my conversation with Theodora.

  “Too bad you’re all intoxicated out of your minds.” I shrugged. “I actually had something interesting to tell you… but I guess it will have to wait.”

  “Oh, noooo,” Faye cooed. “Tell us now, what is it?”

  “Will you actually remember what it is I’m telling you?” I asked, half-amused.

  “Of course, she will,” Morgana scoffed with watery eyes and rosy cheeks. “In fact, I can guarantee you we’ll all remember. Every single word.”

  “Okay, well,” I sighed. “Here it goes… tomorrow we will be trying out for the games.”

  There was a long silence as each woman slowly took in the news. Akira seemed amused and proud, while the rest looked petrified with their wide eyes and pursed lips.

  “You’re joking… right?” Morgana finally asked.

  “I’m afraid not.” I shrugged. “I just had a meeting with Theodora, and she told me we’ll officially be in the games… well, I mean, once we pass the tryouts, that is.”

  “Which we won’t,” Vesta wailed and clutched at her green hair.

  “I wish I had been sober for this information,” Morgana whined.

  “Stop your moaning and bitching,” Akira said as if she were out of breath. “I, for one, am pleased to the core… and I think it’s the best fucking news I’ve heard all day.”

  “Akira,” Morgana said softly. “Are you kidding? These kinds of games require years of training and preparations! We probably don’t even know half the hexes we need to pass--”

  “And so fucking what?” the black-eyed witch retorted. “Look, we passed a lethal exam, broke into a wizard’s mansion, and infiltrated the castle of a powerful duke and stopped him from destroying all of Scholomance! I think we can compete in some games.”

  “It’s not just a game, and you damn well know it,” Morgana growled.

  The bookworm’s giddiness had vanished entirely and was now replaced with pure anger and frustration, and the rest of the coven remained silent while Morgana and Akira argued.

  “I know it’s not just a game,” Akira barked back. “But my point is we can do it.”

  “Okay,” Morgana said as she stuck out her bottom lip. “What’s the first four ingredients required to make a sleeping curse?”

  “Ugh… ” Akira trailed off and scrunched up her face in thought. “Nutmeg, the eye of newt… um… root of… something.”

  “See!” Morgana wailed as she threw her hands up into the air. “We’re fucked in the ass.”

  “No, we’re not,” I reassured her. “Look, we all have our own set of skills here. Akira, you’re a beast when it comes to battling shit out, and Morgana, you can name over a hundred different hexes and spells from the top of your head.”

  “Three-hundred-and-ninety-eight, actually,” the bookish brunette muttered.

  “My point exactly, and you, Faye.” I grinned at the redhead. “You can control animals like no one else I’ve ever seen before. And Vesta, you’re the coolest under pressure. You know how to act fast and well, for that matter.”

  All the witches blushed a deeper shade of red and looked down at their feet, and I could feel the tension leaving the air as they all exchanged glances with one another.

  “Well, then,” Morgana finally said. “What time are the tryouts?”

  I broke into a smile and laughed.

  “Tomorrow morning,” I said, “so I suggest you all get some sleep now so you don’t end up with hangovers first thing in the morning.”

  “Good call,” Vesta remarked with a sigh.

  “I’ll see you all tomorrow,” I said before I turned around.

  We parted ways, and I headed upstairs to my room. When I stepped inside, Alexander was already deep asleep on the pillow and didn’t even stir when I shut the door. So, I quickly headed over to my desk and plopped Theodora's book open. My eyes began to devour the text, and I vowed to spend all night learning about the history of the games.

  And, more importantly, how to beat them.

  Our lives depended on it.

  Chapter 3

  I could feel the sunlight streaming across my face before I even opened my eyes. Last night, I’d actually managed to fall asleep without any morbid or ominous dreams. Tryouts were today, and I knew I should have been more nervous, but actually, I was excited about the tests. As I slowly sat up, I heard a little squeak and squeal, and when I turned my head to the side, Alexander was staring right at me with his chocolate brown eyes.

  “Hey, there,” I muttered, and my voice was still heavy with sleep. “How was your night? Any dreams you’d like to share?”

  Alexander was still the size of a small dog, and I wondered when he would hit his next evolutionary step. I knew I had to worry about it eventually, but with the tournament on my mind, I realized it would be challenging to find the time.

  However, something strange did happen. Instead of returning to sleep like he usually did, the bulky mouse started to jump on the pillow and pointed to his small wrist with a sense of urgency. He continued the process over and over again, and I broke into laughter.

  “What’s your deal?” I asked.

  He rolled his eyes and then pointed to the thin, stained-glass window.

  When I turned to look at what he was pointing at, I cursed under my breath and threw the covers off. The sun was higher up than usual, which meant I was going to be late for tryouts if I didn’t hurry out the door. I dressed as quickly as possible, and as I was struggling to put on my boots, my bedroom door suddenly swung open.

  “Satan!” I cried out in surprise, and I nearly fell over with one boot on. When I turned to look at the coven, they were all staring at me with blank expressions, except for Akira, who was smirking proudly, so I knew she was the one who de
cided to just barge in. “Have you ever heard of knocking, Akira?’”

  “Why bother?” she replied with a shrug. “It’s not like we haven’t seen you naked before.”

  “That’s not the point,” I sighed as I put on my other boot.

  “Well, the point is that we’re here to fetch you,” Morgana said. “We received a raven this morning. Tryouts will start in fifteen minutes and will begin just on the outskirts of the black forest.”

  “Yeah,” Akira added, “bookworm is right, so you’d better haul ass.”

  “There will be a ton of people trying out,” Vesta commented. “We don’t want to be the last ones there.”

  “Hundreds of volunteers and only a few will make the final cut,” Faye sighed.

  “We’ve got the best shot.” I winked, and as soon as I was fully dressed, I flashed them a confident grin. “Come on, let’s get out there and show them what we can do.”

  We left the room and quickly headed down the stairs, past the corridors, and down to the black gates, and then we sprinted down the greenish-gray hills and to the meeting spot.

  As soon as we approached the rendezvous point, my jaw nearly hit the ground. Vesta had been right. There were at least five hundred Scholomance witches all gathered in clusters of groups. They all sounded like a hive of busy bees as they buzzed amongst each other, but when we arrived, I couldn’t help but notice that several witches stared long and hard at my coven and I as we made our way downhill.

  “People are staring,” Faye said under her breath as we carried onward.

  “And what else is fucking new?” Akira demanded. “Who gives a shit… they’re just worried about us because we have more potential than a hundred of them combined.”

  “Don’t you think that’s a bit of an overstatement?” Faye snorted.

  “No,” the black-eyed witch responded in defense. “In fact, I’m pretty sure we’re better than all of them.”

  “Well, how about we let the tryouts determine whether or not that’s true?” a familiar voice said from behind us.

  We all whipped around and Headmistress Theodora was standing there with a serene smile plastered across her beautiful face. Today, she sported a gown that was the brightest shade of red I’d ever seen her wear. It cut just across her shoulders and exposed her creamy white shoulders, and her hair was half up and half down in long, dark waves that cascaded down to her waist.

  “You look lovely, Headmistress,” Morgana said.

  “Thank you, Morgana,” she replied with her chin raised. “I do like to put in a little extra effort for these trials… even if I don’t watch them. We just haven’t had one in so long.”

  “When do we begin?” I asked.

  “Right now.” She grinned. Then she raised her hands up high, and her blue eyes flashed across all the students. “Silentium!”

  At once, everyone fell deadly quiet, and the only sounds we could hear were the ravens cawing high above us and the shrill wind as it blew through the trees. There was a presence among the students, though. I could feel their energy radiating off them, and it was a mixture of excitement, fear, and determination.

  “Firstly, I would like to thank you all for your bravery and spirit,” the headmistress began in a loud voice. “You will be representing Scholomance, and your willingness to try out demonstrates your character and determination. Now, let us formally begin! You will all be split into groups, and each professor will lead you to your series of tests. Whoever passes through each obstacle without fail will make it to the final round, where we will determine who the finalists are. Only eight of you will make the cut, and once this is over, some of you may never see the light of day again. You may, however, quit at any time, should you feel you’re too weak to see it through to the end. All you have to do is call out the word: ‘defectum,’ and one of the professors will send you back to the academy. Now, I hope you all understand the severity of what I am telling you. If you choose to back out now, this is your one and only chance.”

  I looked around me and saw heads nod in agreement. There was fear in some of their eyes, and I briefly wondered how many of them would die by the end of tryouts. How many of them were actually terrified and just trying to put on a brave show for the headmistress? How many of them were solely trying out because of their pride and hatred toward the warlocks and possibly the other witches?

  “Professors, you may come out now!” Theodora instructed.

  A line of professors appeared from the gates and headed steadily down to us. Vanessa was leading the group, and she flashed me a dark look before she lined up next to her mother. I stared at the other professors, and I noticed Luna, the gorgeous, pale blonde professor looked absolutely animated, as if it were Hallow’s Eve, while the fiery redheaded Crimson and the pink-haired Evanora looked mildly concerned. I could tell they didn’t want to spill Scholomance blood unless it was vital, but they didn’t really have a say in the matter.

  “Vanessa,” Theodora said as she turned to her daughter, “I will leave you to it, then. If you need anything, I shall be in my study.”

  “Yes, headmistress,” Vanessa replied as she bowed her head.

  Theodora then turned to look at the students one last time and smiled. “May the dark spirits be with you all.”

  Theodora flashed me a mysterious smile before she whipped her skirts around and headed slowly back to the castle with her arms folded behind her back as if she were just taking a leisurely morning stroll and not sending her own students off to their deaths.

  As I turned my attention to the headmistress’ daughter, I realized she was just as dressed up as her mother. On this dark, gray morning, Vanessa wore a long, vivid red gown that exposed the top curve of her breasts and slid down to her bellybutton. Her long, dark, straight hair was loose, and a bone pin necklace around her creamy neck dangled whenever she moved.

  “Now, you heard the headmistress,” Vanessa said, “we’ll need to split you up into groups. Everyone, please stay still and remain quiet. If you don’t, you might lose a limb or two.”

  I stood as still as stone as Vanessa pulled out her long wand and pointed it up at the sky.

  “Struo!” she shouted.

  A spark of orange light emerged from the tip of her wand and hit a silver cloud that hung directly above us, and a strong wind picked up and started to push students into different directions. I felt myself being pushed closer to Akira, Vesta, Faye, and Morgana, and we were all huddled into a group. Next to us, several other witches looked both puzzled and startled at the same time as they were shoved closer to each other.

  “You can all move now.” Vanessa grinned. “I was only joking when I said you could lose a limb.”

  “Yeah, right,” Akira growled under her breath. “She never fucking jokes.”

  When I glanced around, I noticed each professor was standing in front of a large group of students, and since Vanessa was still in front of us, I figured she was going to be our leader. I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. Of course, the professor who gave me the most shit was going to be in charge of our group.

  Fucking perfect.

  “Alright!” Vanessa roared. “Split off with your professors, and may the darkness guide you and yours… you’ll need it.”

  We waited until the rest of the students headed off with their respective professors, and those of us who were stuck with Vanessa remained in the same spot. I glanced discreetly at my coven and tried to figure out what they were thinking and how they were feeling. I could sense their apprehension, their fear, but also their excitement. So, I smiled to myself because I knew they would fight tooth and nail to win this, and so would I.

  Vanessa rubbed her hands together and glanced at her groups of students. “Let’s go, shall we?”

  We silently followed the professor down to the black forest, and no one dared to say a single word as we trailed along after her. I had no clue where we were going or what we were going to do, but I had a feeling it was going to be gritty, bloody, and mon
strous. We finally came to an open patch of dirt surrounded by dead, black trees. Ravens and crows were perched on the branches, and they stared down at us with their beady, black eyes as we struggled to all fit in this one space.

  “Split up into groups of four,” the professor commanded. “Now, hurry. I don’t care who you’re with.”

  Everyone, aside from my own coven, began to gather up into their groups. Akira looked amused as everyone struggled to find compatible partners, but Vanessa, on the other hand, was growing impatient. She finally let out a long, dramatic sigh and flicked her wand. Anyone who didn’t have a partner was pushed into a group, and soon, we were all organized into several distinct teams.

  “Finally,” she huffed. “Now, the first test will begin in a moment. As higher-level students, you should all be familiar with the poterant bat, so who can tell me what that is?”

  To my surprise, Faye’s hand managed to shoot up before Morgana’s, and the brunette almost looked offended when Vanessa pointed to the freckled redhead instead of her.

  “Yes, Faye?” she asked.

  “They are flesh-eating bats,” the redhead replied, “exceedingly rare and tremendously difficult to overcome, especially when they attack in a colony.”

  “Precisely,” Vanessa chuckled. “Which is why this is going to be so terrifying for you all.”

  Everyone’s faces fell as Vanessa directed her wand toward the sky. She began to mutter an incantation, and slowly, the steel gray sky began to form to black, but before darkness fell upon us, one of the clouds split into two as a group of giant bats began to flutter down from the sky. They were fat, with massive heads and beady red eyes, and when they opened their mouths to screech, they had massive yellow fangs dripping with thick drool. Witches started to scream, and most of them ran in different directions through the forest.

  “You can’t run or hide from them!” Vanessa called out, obviously pleased with herself. “They will smell you from miles away.”

  “Come on!” Morgana hissed as she pulled on my arm. “We have to find pennyroyal!”

  “Penny, what?” Akira shrieked with her hands held up over her head.