I can’t help but squirm a little in my seat, remembering Topher professed to being an expert telepath. Is he reading my mind right now?
Topher raises his eyes from his book, fixing me with that eerie, dark stare. “Was there something else you wanted to ask me, Jade?”
“Nope,” I say. “Nothing.”
I want to ask Elowen, not a guy I barely know. Granted, Topher has never been anything but kind and helpful, and I do trust him. He may be a demon, but he’s a good one. He helped us figure out where my dad was last year when he’d been kidnapped, risked himself to teach me dark magic, and helped take down the former Headmaster. Still, I don’t want to talk relationships with him. Ours is strictly professional.
Before things can get more awkward, a few students start filing into the room. I don’t recognize any of them, and not just because they’re all freshmen. I’ve managed to familiarize myself with a few underclassmen already, but I don’t recognize any of the Dark Arts students.
That is, until Bella’s boyfriend walks in.
He slides into the seat next to me, and I tense, touching Cleo to reassure myself. Everyone on campus knows who I am, and I’m sure Blonde Bella’s already painted a shitty picture of me to him. So, why did he sit right next to me?
If he thinks he’s going to throw me off or distract me, I can handle the asshole. Hell, I can handle any asshole. I’ve dealt with worse. Maybe that’s what Rocco was talking about when he said he had to give me shit as a freshman. My three sexy sorcerers definitely toughened me up.
Much to my surprise, Dirk turns my way and waves awkwardly. “Jade, right?”
I nod, bracing myself.
“Bella told me all about you.” Dirk rubs at a spot on his desk and shoots me an apologetic smile. “But I’ve heard way more from other folks about your exploits last year. If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather judge you on my own.”
I don’t know what to make of this guy, but I’m sure as shit not talking bad about his girlfriend. If she heard anything that happened that day in the office, I don’t need to get on her bad side any more than I already am.
“Yeah, I don’t know if Bella would like us getting friendly,” I say. “She’s a bit… Possessive.”
Dirk grins and slumps back in his chair, crossing his arms. He’s cute in an emo, skinny-boy way. He looks good in a uniform, I’ll give him that. His hair is neatly combed back, his cheeks fresh shaven, and his tie is meticulously tied and tucked into his vest. He wears a pair of red sneakers to jazz up his uniform, making him stand out even more than his boyish good looks. Okay, so I can see why Bella’s attracted to him, even if he’s not her usual type.
Not that I know her type that well. Dirk’s just not what I’d have expected for a guy Bella was into, since she’s been obsessed with Thorn. Granted, Thorn is no Rocco, but he’s lean and muscular—definitely built.
“She told me all about your powers,” Dirk says, still smiling.
I feel a groan building. Oh shit. If her boyfriend hits on me, she’s going to fucking murder me. I’m used to the intimate questions by now, but that doesn’t mean I like them.
“Cool,” I say. “Did she also tell you I have a boyfriend?”
“Oh,” he says, looking surprised. “Wait, you think I’m interested?”
I roll my eyes. “I sincerely hope you know better. In case you don’t know her very well, she’d probably hack off your balls with her axe if you cheated.”
Dirk’s knees squeeze together, and it’s all I can do not to burst out laughing. He swallows hard, his eyes widening. “I’m not coming onto you,” he whispers. “I just expected you to be more like…a walking ecstasy trip.”
“Ah,” I say, nodding. “You’re worried I’ll throw the class into a mass orgy.”
We both jump when Topher clears his throat. “If we’re all ready to begin,” he says, staring directly at Dirk and me. “Let’s get started. I’m Mr. Stephens, and I’ll be introducing you to dark magic in this class.”
“Sorry,” I mouth to him. He’s my friend, and I don’t want to disrespect him.
He offers a small smile before turning to the rest of the class and telling us to introduce ourselves. We go around the room, and as expected, there are a few whispers when it comes to my turn. They’ve obviously all heard of me, even if they haven’t seen me. Mr. Stephens cuts it short as he turns to pull up a projector screen. “Now that we’re acquainted, let’s begin with the basics of Dark Arts.”
Instead of teaching us magic or spells, Mr. Stephens dives head-first into the background of the stuff, which everyone seems fully invested in, including me. I learned the tiniest bit about dark magic in the History of Magic class Professor Darius taught last year, but I don’t know much about its history. I now know lots about light magic, which I learned all of freshman year. Delving into the dark side makes me shiver with both anticipation and trepidation.
I’m not afraid of dark magic like Elowen. I had a whole year of being around four extremely powerful sorcerers who all wield dark magic, not to mention Topher was an amazing ally and friend by the end of freshman year. Still, I knew nothing of light magic when I came here last year. Starting dark magic is no different—I’m back to square one.
“It’s important for students to understand where their power comes from,” Mr. Stephens says. “Even before we begin working with elementary spells, you need to understand what you’re getting into. Most people think it has evil roots, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. You may have been disappointed or dismayed to learn that you have dark magic. Don’t be. Dark magic is as essential as light magic. In fact, the very roots of dark magic are its juxtaposition to light magic. Just as light necessitates the existence of dark for its very definition, so must life magic call upon death magic as a distinction from itself.”
I lean forward, eager to hear about the good side of dark magic, since that’s what I’ve been wanting to know for so long. How can I use the dark side to do good? Even if I managed to influence someone last year, and I was doing it to save my dad, I know that using magic to influence anyone’s free will is a major no-no here at the Academy. That’s not considered a ‘good’ use of magic.
“Dark magic isn’t evil any more than light magic is good,” Topher goes on. “Magic isn’t inherently one or another. It simply is, like any other natural force.”
“How is light magic not good?” I ask, blurting out before I can think to raise my hand.
Topher only smiles a bit. “Compare magic to the force that acts on an element,” he says. “Is air good? Of course. Can it be destructive? Just look at our world today. Windstorms, hurricanes, erosion… Is water good? No one would argue that we can live without it. But no one would say it can’t be harmful, either. Even fire. Of course we all know the damage wildfires can cause. But it’s also a source of renewal—control that emerges from chaos—in the natural world that existed long before mankind. It’s all part of the cycle, part of nature. This is magic. Cruel, beautiful, unconcerned with the individual.”
I bite my lip, noticing the other students looking way more interested now that someone is asking questions. Maybe they all have questions, but they’re afraid to ask. I don’t hold back. Curiosity is burning through me with a need to be fulfilled. “But air itself is good,” I say. “It’s wind that causes those things you mentioned. And it’s not water itself but forces acting upon it that can be dangerous. Hurricane winds cause the massive waves and flooding that destroyed this area. Water itself is neutral, not to mention necessary.”
“Exactly,” Mr. Stephens says, looking pleased. “Magic is like the force acting on any element. Neutral is an excellent way to put it. Magic is not conscious. It doesn’t know it’s destroying something any more than a fire knows it’s destroying lives and homes when it burns out of control.”
“I don’t know,” I say doubtfully. “My magic seems to know and care an awful lot.” I remember Darius saying to treat my weapon as if she’s alive. To treat my magic as if it is
.
“We have harnessed the power of magic, the same way we’ve harnessed fire. We can use it to serve our needs, to cook our food and keep us warm. Or we can use it for destruction. When we absorb it, we put it back into the world through our filter, with our intentions. It helps you because your own instinct for self-preservation has colored your magic and bound it to you. It does your bidding because you will it to.”
I nod slowly. “So, my magic is good as long as I’m using it for good,” I say. “But evil if I use it with evil intention?”
“Not entirely,” Mr. Stephens concedes. “Magic is more complicated than that. Say that lightning striking a tree in a drought causes a wildfire. Is the lightning evil? Is the wind that pushes the fire evil? Is the fire itself evil for burning? And yet, even when not harnessed by man, we see this event as a negative. Animals die, they lose their habitats. People lose their homes, maybe their pets, even their lives. The fire does not care. But it is not evil.”
“It’s bad, though,” Dirk pipes up. “It has negative consequences.”
“True,” Mr. Stephens says, strolling along the aisle beside us. Dirk turns to watch him continue while I try to wrap my head around the whole thing. “No one would argue otherwise. But some would see the benefits to the environment, not only the immediate harm. Just as some would see the balance and necessity of dark magic along with light.”
“So… We’re supposed to see that dark magic eventually might help someone, even if it hurts a lot of people right now?” I ask.
“Magic is magic,” Mr. Stephens says. “It simply is. Light and dark magic are two sides of the same coin, just as night and day are two ends of the spectrum. But are night and day two separate and distinct things? Or simply a human conception?”
The whole class sits there staring at him blankly. I mean, dude just asked whether night and day really exist. I thought I was taking Intro to Dark Magic, not philosophy.
“But, like, animals are nocturnal, too,” Dirk says. “Humans aren’t the only thing that labels night and day.”
“They exist,” Mr. Stephens says. “Good and evil exist inside mankind. But human perception makes them what they are. It defines how we view them.”
My head is spinning. I didn’t even finish high school. I’m not stupid, but when someone starts telling me evil is good if I just look at it differently, well, my worldview is a bit too entrenched to swallow that in one bite.
“You have dark magic,” Mr. Stephens says, knocking his knuckles against Dirk’s desk as he passes. He turns to address the whole class. “Don’t let what the world has taught you make you believe you’re evil. Don’t be fooled into thinking this is anything less than a precious gift. You will have opportunities most don’t even know exist. You will speak to the dead.”
“Really?” asks a girl in the back row.
Topher nods. “Death is not final any more than night ends the day and nothing comes next. Death is a passing into something else, a change so profound most cannot comprehend what comes after, so they call it the end. But it’s not the end. It’s only the next rotation, the next act. You will pull back the curtain. You will walk between worlds. You, my students, have a gift no light magic student will ever understand. Your homework tonight is to go home and think about what we’ve discussed in class. To begin to come to terms with it. We’ll discuss on Monday.”
Everyone rises to leave, looking as overwhelmed as I feel. Here I thought an intro class would be easy.
“Jade?” Topher’s eyes lock with mine before I even get a chance to stand up. “If you could stay to speak with me after class?”
“Sure.” I wait until everyone leaves before getting up and shuffling to Mr. Stephens’ desk. “What’s up?” I ask, trying not to dwell on those creepy eyes of his. I know it’s not his fault. His demon-inhabited host body is wearing out.
Shit. I hope he’s not in my head right now, seeing the harsh way I think about that particular situation. I hate not knowing if he’s reading my mind while also knowing that he’s capable of slipping into my head any time he wants.
“I want to make sure you’re alright,” he says, his expression giving nothing away.
“Okay,” I say slowly.
Topher sits down and folds his hands, propping his elbows on his desk and staring up at me. “Your circumstances are unique. I’ve never taught a student with both light and dark magic within them. I can imagine today was difficult to get through, and I want to make sure I’m meeting all your needs as well as the rest of the class.”
“Did you read that out of my mind?” I blurt out.
Mr. Stephens holds up a hand. “Believe it or not, that’s a curse more often than a blessing. I am very adept at blocking out the noise. I only look when I need to.”
“So, do you look during class?” I press.
“At sensitive moments, I might skim the surface of my students’ minds,” he admits. “Just to make sure there aren’t any who are completely taken aback, mentally or emotionally.”
“Um, so like the whole class was today?”
“Everyone is very new to this,” he says. “Until the Unleashing, none of these students knew they had magic at all, let alone dark magic. Some have trouble adjusting to that, just as your friend Elowen did. You’re fortunate to have had a whole year to get used to that knowledge.”
He called her my friend, Elowen. Suddenly I feel guilty for telling her to take their relationship seriously. What if he’s not serious about her?
“I don’t mean to be nosy about you and Elowen, but I hope everything’s going good there? I mean, if she’s happy, that’s all that really matters to me.”
“I’m sure she’d appreciate your concern,” Topher says. “But that’s not something I’m able to speak about with a student.”
“Right, shit, sorry,” I say. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
“You’re looking out for your friend,” he says with a small smile. “But you do know a relationship with a student would be forbidden now that I’ve been hired for a teaching position here. I’m sure you understand.”
“Right,” I say again. Last year, he was a grad student, like Ryker. Now he’s a teacher like Darius was last year, so he can’t be with Elowen any more than I could be with Darius.
Crap. I hope he’s not listening in on my thoughts. And now I can’t stop thinking them. Double crap. Like Thorn said, the more you try not to think of something, the more your brain focuses on that. I’d never forgive myself if I exposed him like this.
“Speaking of Elowen, I’m just going to go drop in and visit a few minutes,” I say, edging toward the door.
That’s it. Focus on Elowen. I wonder if she’s set up her room yet. Yep, that’s all I’m wondering about. Topher gives me a confused look, but I just wave and duck out the door, hurrying away as quickly as I can. Crap. I totally thought about me and Darius while a mind-reader was right there! I can only hope he didn’t pluck that plum from my head.
Chapter Eight
“Elowen, what’s wrong?” I ask, looking my friend up and down. She looks like hell, her hair unwashed and stringy, dark circles under her eyes. She steps back from the door to let me in.
“I’m going dark,” Elowen says, sinking onto the edge of her bed, her waifish figure looking downright emaciated. “I knew it would happen. I can’t fight it anymore, Jade.”
“Bullshit,” I say. “I’m taking dark magic classes now, too. You’re not going dark. I won’t let you.”
She sighs. “What’s the point? I don’t have any light magic friends anymore. Asher won’t talk to me, and Topher—Topher—” She breaks off, her eyes filling with tears.
“What is it?” I ask, sinking onto the bed beside her and rubbing her back. “If that bastard hurt you, I’ll cut his dick off.”
“No,” she says with a sniffle. “He said we can’t be together now that he’s a teacher. A real teacher. It’s against Academy rules, and he’s sworn to do no wrong here. He’s a demon, so he feels like he ha
s to toe the line at all times so that no one will question him.”
“Damn,” I say, regretting telling her to take their relationship more seriously. Obviously she was taking it seriously, and now she’s devastated. He told me their relationship was none of my business, but he didn’t tell me it had ended. Now I really hope he hasn’t picked up on anything going on between me and Darius. If he’s so hellbent on following the rules, he definitely won’t approve of the Headmaster breaking them.
“He’s right,” Elowen whispers. “I had no business with a guy like him, anyway. I don’t know why I thought I deserved that.”
“Because you do,” I say firmly. “You deserve the best, Elowen.”
“And now Asher will never forgive me, and I have nothing to show for it.”
“Have you talked to him?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “I’m too embarrassed. He was right, and I got dumped, and now he thinks I’d give up our friendship for a guy.”
“Well, can you blame him?” I ask. “Come on, Elowen. I can’t always be here to tell you to do the right thing. You know what that is. But you’re going to have to do it yourself.”
She nods. “I know. But for tonight, can we just pretend everything is okay? I could really use a break. Can you stay, and we’ll watch Kitty Chasers and eat junk food, like we used to do when I lived in your room?”
“Sure,” I say, smiling. Even if that ended badly, it’s nice to know that I helped her out for a while, that she thinks of that as a time she wants to replicate to find comfort.
“Thanks, Jade,” she says. “You’re a good friend.”
“Got popcorn?” I hop up and busy myself opening it and tossing it in the microwave while Elowen pulls up the show. It’s kinda strange that she considers our time living together as her happy place. I mean, it was okay, but when I need to wallow, it’s not my first pick of times to recreate.
“Guess I’m not the only one with a trash-TV guilty pleasure,” I joke, shaking the popcorn in the bag. “Is this what you grew up doing to drown out the world, too?”
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