by Logan Jacobs
“Bloodthirsty bitches,” Akira muttered. “Of course, they are.”
“Let’s go.” Vanessa snapped her fingers impatiently. “We haven’t got all morning.”
Exhausted, we all followed the dark-haired professor out of the door and down the hall, and none of us said a word as Vanessa’s heels clicked along the floor and bounced off the walls. I gritted my teeth before Vanessa pushed through the banquet hall doors, and we were met with a firelit banquet hall with roaring students.
As I turned to stare at the students and the headmasters, I met the Mors Headmaster’s stare, and I could have sworn his dark eyes were alight with bloodlust. I couldn’t say for sure, but I had a strong feeling he had something to do with this.
Even so, I was fucking ready to take on this next game.
Not only would I survive it, but I would beat those warlocks once and for all, even if it killed me.
Chapter 19
“Everyone, please settle down now,” Theodora’s elegant voice boomed out across the hall. “I know you’re all excited, but we must get this show on the road.”
Students from all schools were bouncing up and down with joy, and the only one who didn’t seem thrilled was the Mors headmaster. He only had two students left, and one of them had a missing arm. It wasn’t looking promising for them, and I couldn’t help but grin at their misfortune. By all rights, they should have left the game, but I knew their stubborn warlock nature wouldn’t allow it.
So, I couldn’t wait to thoroughly kick their asses once again.
Maybe I’d even get to kill them. The games were bloodthirsty, after all.
“Now,” Theodora continued, “this game will test the mental strength of each witch and warlock. We will pair each contestant with a legit animo, a creature that enters the mind of its host and drains them of all memories and their sense of self until one goes utterly mad.”
Instead of gasping or showing any sign that it shocked them, the students all wildly whistled and cheered. Akira was right, they were a group of bloodthirsty witches. I was reasonably certain even the Scholomance students wouldn’t mind seeing one of their own go completely mad by the end of this game.
“This game differs slightly from the others,” Theodora went on. “There is no teamwork required for this obstacle. The game will end once each team member has broken out of their trance. However, if someone has succumbed to madness, or says the safeword “defectum,” we will pull them out. The first team to be released from their legit aminos will be declared the winners.”
Theodora slowly turned around to face me, and she leaned in close to whisper into my ear.
“Cole, I know you’ve been following the rules all along, but I must remind you not to use your Blood Pact privileges during this game, no matter how tempting the circumstances may be,” she whispered.
I swallowed hard and nodded. Then I turned to look at my coven, and I could also sense their worry and fear. The other teams were projecting the same energy, and it was difficult to ignore the growing dread that surrounded all four teams. It weighed heavily on us, like a dark cloud just expanding with each passing moment.
“Now, without further ado.” Theodora grinned. “Let the game begin!”
The headmistress turned to look at the teams and flashed us one quick smile before she twirled her wand in the air. Once again, we were engulfed in a cloud of thick purple smoke. I could feel myself being tossed and turned through the ether, and my stomach dropped as the movements grew more erratic and almost violent.
Finally, it all came to an abrupt stop, and when I looked around, it surprised me to see we were in a small, black room. It was empty, except for a row of open coffins that were placed upright against the wall. The air was so icy that mist emerged from my lips with each exhale, my entire body was trembling, and I rubbed my hands together as my fingertips turned numb.
“Where are we?” Akira asked in a shaky voice.
“Nowhere good,” I replied.
This room felt grim, and an ominous and bloodthirsty presence hung in the air.
“Where are the other teams?” Vesta wondered as she looked around.
“I don’t know,” I muttered.
Suddenly, a violent wind pushed us back, and the coven screamed as we slammed into the coffins. Then heavy metal chains wrapped around our bodies, which kept us pressed against the cold wood, and I wriggled against the confinements, but I knew it was useless.
The game had already begun.
“I don’t like this,” Faye panted somewhere to my left.
“No shit,” Akira grunted on my right, and I could tell she was struggling against her chains.
“Akira,” I said, “don’t bother… there’s no point.”
“But how the hell are we supposed to retrieve our wands?” Morgana cried out in a panic.
“Holy hell,” Akira gasped. “She’s right.”
“It’s all about using your mind,” I growled. “I think we can do this without using our wands or hands.”
“But we’ve never done that before!” Vesta cried out.
“I think that’s the point of the game,” I responded. “They want to make this as difficult as possible.”
“Yeah, but no one ever mentioned this before,” Akira growled. “Luna probably knew this would happen… that crazy bitch!”
“Who cares about that?” Morgana shouted. “Let’s try and find a way out of here--”
Before she could utter another word, a group of white, cloaked figures floated down from the black ceiling and slowly descended upon us. The air grew colder, and it felt as if my blood had stopped flowing and turned to ice in my veins. I fought against the cold, though, and focused on the transparent creatures before us.
There was one in front of each Wicca, including myself, and they were translucent creatures with gaping holes for eyes and a skeletal nose. Their lips were thin, but when they opened their mouths, I could see rows of sharp teeth. They looked like ghosts, but there was something far more malevolent about them.
“On my count,” I said, “incant the spell.”
“But we can’t even move,” Faye argued.
“It doesn’t fucking matter,” I shouted back. “I know you can do this… on my mark, recite the spell and with all your mental strength, defeat these ugly motherfuckers! That’s an order!”
Not one of my coven said another word, but I knew they took my words to heart. The ghost-like creatures edged closer toward us, and as they opened their mouths wider, I knew it was time.
“Now!” I shouted.
We all screamed “mentis imperium,” and at that moment, it seemed like my head was about to split in half. The more I focused, the more it felt like a dagger was being pressed against my temple, but I gritted my teeth and did my best to ignore the searing pain spreading throughout my entire body.
The creature smiled cruelly at me before it opened its mouth even wider. I fought back, and as much as I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut, I kept them focused on my enemy. It pushed against my will, and I could feel it was growing frustrated with me. It wanted to eat away at my soul, my mind, and my entire being.
But I refused to let that happen.
The creatures screeched so loudly I thought my ears would bleed, but I ground my jaw and fought against their dirty, petty tricks. I knew they wanted to terrify us and force us to let our guards down so they could penetrate our minds.
“Fight against it,” I said through gritted teeth. “Don’t let it overtake you.”
“We’re trying,” Akira growled.
I knew this was hard as fuck, but we had to fight against it. If we were all going to make it out of here alive, we needed to fight with every last ounce of strength we possessed.
As I battled with all my willpower, I could feel the creature’s own irritation bubbling to the surface, and I couldn’t help but smirk. These translucent bitches really thought we’d just open ourselves to them and let them feed on our minds.
Well, they had a
nother fucking thing coming.
I furrowed my eyebrows and focused on the terrifying, transparent creature in front of me, and its horrid, haggard face scrunched up in agony as I pushed against it. It tried to pry its mouth open to suck out my deepest thoughts, memories, and my entire being, but I refused to let that happen. My entire body shook as I pushed hard against the creature, and then suddenly, everything turned pitch black.
Now, I was in another dark, chilly room, and I was no longer bound to the coffin. I could freely walk around, and I wondered what kind of creature had a black, lifeless mind.
“Hello?” I called out. “Is anyone there?”
“So, you’ve seeped into my subconscious,” a deep, and sultry, but feminine voice growled. “Congratulations.”
“Who are you?” I demanded as I looked around. “Show yourself.”
“Well, I suppose it would be rude to stay hidden,” she replied. “This is my mind, after all.”
I saw someone dressed in all white slowly emerge from the shadows in front of me. The woman was no longer a hideous, genderless ghost, but a beautiful witch with cascading purple hair and an angelic face with sharp cheekbones. She also had doll-like blue eyes with the longest and darkest eyelashes I’d ever seen. She was breathtakingly beautiful, but I knew it was only a facade. She was nothing but an evil and conniving entity that guessed I had a love for fucking good looking women.
Lucky for me, I still had my wand, so I whipped it out and aimed it at the woman before me.
“And what do you plan to do with that?” she cooed.
“Whatever I have to do,” I answered.
The woman giggled and gave me the once over.
“This is nowhere finished,” she said in an ominous tone.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I growled.
“I can see this little test of yours will not end with me.” She smirked. “I’m nothing but a tool they’ve used to do their bidding, time and time again.”
“What do you mean?” I asked again with my wand still raised high. “Are you talking about Theodora?”
“Correct.” She nodded. “She gave you to me, but you’re the first person to push through my mind, and I must admit I’m impressed. There is something incredibly unique about you, and I feel you don’t even know half of your story.”
“What do you mean by that?” I questioned.
“I saw bits and pieces of your mind,” she explained. “I saw blank slates… and many questions. They did this to you, but the real question is: did you ask them to? Was this your plan all along? To start over? It would seem to me it’s incredibly risky, but perhaps that is the only thing you thought would work to defeat them. After all, aren’t we all just pawns in your game?”
I tried not to pay too much attention to what she was saying, because she could have been toying with me, possibly buying time for thinking up a plan.
“You realize I have to kill you, right?” I asked.
“It would be a pleasure.” She grinned. “I’m sure Theodora knew you would kill me. I’m tired, and I wish to be put to rest… but since this is a game, I’ll make it a little challenging for you.”
Her beautiful blue eyes suddenly turned into a deep, crimson red, and she charged toward me with her hands raised. She had long claws instead of fingernails, but just before she was about to reach for my throat, I took a quick breath and fired my shot.
“Mortuus cadunt!” I cried out without hesitation.
A red light emerged from the tip of my wand, and the killing curse hit the mysterious woman right in her chest. She stopped in her tracks, and her lips parted open as she looked down. Then she pressed a hand against her sternum, and I could see the shape of her heart beating hard between her breasts. Suddenly, she groaned in pain and hunched over, with a pale hand still pressed against her.
My body grew weak, and I knew a piece of my soul was being drained while she was slowly dying. The sound of her heartbeat increased, and it echoed in the black, empty room. I thought it strange that although her heartbeat was louder; it was also beating slower. She was still hunched over, and when she looked up at me, her eyes were back to blue. They were filled with tears, but she was also smiling.
“Thank you, master,” she whispered before she reached into her chest and pulled out her own heart.
“Master?” I stood there with my mouth hanging open as she looked at the bloody muscle in her hands. It was still beating, but ever so gently, and viscera dripped onto the floor between her clenched fingers. Then she sighed one last time, and her heart came to a complete stop. As soon as she crumpled to the floor, I could feel myself being sucked out of this strange, cold void, and I closed my eyes as the woman’s body, dead on a black floor, faded away.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the room with my coven, but as soon as I came to, I knew something was wrong. Someone was screaming, and panic flooded through me as I turned and saw Morgana, Faye, and Vesta were surrounding Akira’s coffin. She was the only one still chained up, and her black eyes were staring up at the ceiling while blood dripped out from her nostrils and ears. She was shaking against the coffin and banging her head against the wood.
“Akira!” I cried out.
The chains had already fallen off me, so I scrambled out of the coffin and rushed to her side. Her ghost-like demon was in front of her, with white eyes and an evil grin across its face. My blood boiled, and without thinking, I pulled out my wand and aimed it right at Akira’s torturer.
“Mortuus cadunt!” I yelled.
Another red light hit the creature, and the other witches all turned to me in shock, but I didn’t care. I felt myself growing weaker, and my breathing was becoming shallow, but I had to fight back against the faintness. My knees trembled as the demon slowly faded away, and it screamed out in fury before it completely disappeared from view.
Akira gradually stopped shaking, but she was as pale as death. Then her chains came undone, and she fell unconscious into my open arms, so I lifted her up and looked at the others.
“We did it,” I said without breaking eye-contact with the group, and then I looked up at the black ceiling and hoped Theodora could hear me. “Bring us back to Scholomance.”
“But, Cole, that’s not how-- ” Morgana started.
A cloud of purple smoke stopped the brunette’s protest, and I clung tightly to Akira as we spun through the air and landed back in the banquet hall. I landed on my feet, and my body was still weak, but I kept a tight hold on Akira. This time, when I looked around, there was no roaring applause, and everyone glanced at each other for some kind of answer. The silence around us was deafening, and I shook my head and snapped back into action. Then, with a limp Akira in my arms, I turned to the headmistress.
“She needs to go to the infirmary,” I said.
“Why, yes, of course,” Theodora replied in a soothing voice.
She swirled her wand, and another cloud of smoke surrounded Akira. The short-haired witch slowly disappeared from my hold, and I looked back up at the headmistress, unable to hide my concern.
“Will she--?” I asked, but she raised a hand up to cut me off.
“She will recover,” she muttered. “Now, turn around and face the students.”
I was still confused and worried, but still, I did as I was told.
“Congratulations!” Theodora cried out. “We have our winners! They were the first ones to return in one piece--”
“What?” a deep, male voice roared.
Everyone turned to look at the source, and the headmaster of the Mors Academy was red-faced as sweat trickled down his crooked nose. His dark, beady eyes burned into mine, and he stomped a boot and flung his arms into the air.
“Is this a joke?” he growled.
“Why, no,” Theodora gasped. “Why in hell’s sake would you think that?”
“He cheated!” the ugly headmaster bellowed.
The entire hall remained deadly quiet, and when I cast a discreet glance at the sea
of students, different expressions ranged throughout the room. Some witches looked amused, while others appeared deeply concerned.
“I don’t believe he cheated at all,” Theodora replied in a calm voice, and it sounded like she was trying to calm down an irrational child.
“And how in Satan’s name did you come to that quick conclusion?” he demanded. “Perhaps it has something to do with the fact he’s one of yours?”
“No, not at all,” Theodora answered in an unaffected tone. “If you were paying close attention, I believe I said teamwork wasn’t required, but I never said it wasn’t permitted. You came to that conclusion all on your own, I’m afraid.”
Before the headmaster could hurl another argument at Theodora, another cloud of smoke appeared, and Bram and Malcolm returned. They were grinning ear to ear until they spotted us, but then their faces fell, and a shadow of hatred spread across their features.
“Fuck,” Bram hissed, loud enough for us to hear.
“Don’t worry,” his headmaster growled. “This isn’t over. I demand a rematch.”
“That’s hardly appropriate--” Theodora started, but the bastard rudely cut her off before she could finish.
“I think it’s fair,” he snapped. “Perhaps a rematch between Cole, Bram, and Malcolm.”
“Two against one?” Theodora said and cocked an eyebrow. “Now, that’s hardly fair.”
The Mors headmaster threw back his head in fake laughter.
“Fair?” he spat. “You’ve had two teams representing your school, and one of them consisted of five students, simply because they are a coven.”
“You expressed no anger toward our decision to let them take part before,” Theodora replied evenly. “In fact, if I recall correctly, you were certain they… now how did you put it? Oh, yes, you were certain they didn’t stand a chance against your students.”
I balled up my fists by my side and glared at the Mors Headmaster. I was sick of these warlocks, and I knew exactly what I had to do.
“I’m in,” I growled.
“What?” Theodora whirled on me.
“I’ll compete against those two bastards,” I said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “I’m not afraid.”
