Dancing With Demons (The Academy of Amazing Beasts Book 3)

by Melody Rose

  24

  Joan

  After Theo and I were finished exploring one another for hours on end, I descended into an easeful sleep within his arms. I didn’t busy my brain over any of the responsibilities I had or the troubles I couldn’t run away from the next day. Instead, his bed was our untainted sanctuary, permeated by our love but untouched by the chaos outside his bedroom doors. The last detail I remember before surrendering to my dreamworld was the warmth of his body and the scent of sandalwood mixed with sweat.

  Once I phased into my unconscious, it was hard to tell I was no longer in the realm of the awakened. When mages became more intuitive and learned to harness inner visions to shape the material world around them, the natural side effect was that their dreams became more vivid. Professor Dubuis, my Alchemy professor, explained that this was because the most potent magic disregarded the boundary between the real and the imaginary. Innovative thinking, in his eyes, depended upon being a constant dreamer.

  Of course, during the beginning of my slumber, none of that was on my mind. I took the whole scenario at face value, drinking in the dark environment without overthinking or bothering to question it. I must’ve been lured into a trance on account of a passionate night that sharpened my joy but not necessarily my alertness. Awareness was the second reagent for proper magic. If a witch just bowed down to her surrounding “reality” and didn’t meet it with her own will, she was bound to become impressionable. Or worse, hypnotized. One warlock was even rumored to have gone comatose when a psionic assassin infected his dreamworld with a hex fatal to his mana.

  For about the third time this semester, I found myself in the circle of eternal death yet again. Thankfully, my Familiar Hunting class only simulated it once during the quarterly exam, so I didn’t have to relive it constantly. I also credited my tranquility candles, laced with lavender oil, and my own trademark stubbornness for keeping any recurring nightmares at bay. Now, however, I was off my guard and didn’t prepare myself. I was back in the shadowy depths of the haunted forest, and in my impressionable state, I didn’t even question why I was here. I simply took ragged, deep breaths to try to calm myself down. I took slow, deliberate steps, scanning my environment. To ground myself, I ran my hand down the trees and focused on their damp bark. I still needed to rack my brain over why I was here when suddenly, anxiety hit me. I was so clammy with fear that ice-cold water seemed to run down my spine.

  When I tried to reason with myself that I was simply training Aurelius, I noticed he was nowhere to be found. I actually whimpered in distress and spun around. Still, no sign of him. My heart almost capsized in fright, and I didn’t have the courage to yell out for him. I’d never been in the circle of eternal death before. Was this the end for me? Had I been lured out here just so I could be disposed of? In my deep sense of dread, I regretfully admitted that wasn’t a terrible plan. It would probably be easily explained away once I was gone. There were already witnesses that I’ve tried my luck before, and now I’d pushed it too far.

  “Please,” I murmured, hoping it was just soft enough for my familiar to pick up on. “Please, just come back to me. I’m not ready yet. I can’t be here without you.”

  Just as I expected, Aurelius prowled out from the thick of the forest. Of course, he wouldn’t leave me stranded. I sprinted over to throw my arms around him, but he growled so violently that I jumped back. He stood his ground, glaring at me. I had never seen this expression directed toward me during the entire time we were bonded together. I was terrified, of course, but I figured that he was just worked up. I didn’t flee because I would never abandon him. Instead, I tried to very slowly approach, intent on soothing him.

  That backfired both miserably and morbidly. Aurelius set off like a bomb, his flames fully ignited and his anger amplified past the point of no return. He struck at me without mercy, jumping up and tearing at my skin with his claws. I couldn’t fathom that he had turned on me so quickly. The combination of my scorched skin and running blood was enough to knock me unconscious. Seriously, the pain was unreal.

  Unreal. That was just it. Memories flooded me of all the times Aurelius protected me and all the times I stroked him when he had a nervous flare-up. In the waking world, none of his elemental magic ever harmed me. I embraced this phantom creature, this mirror image of my familiar, even though this treacherous dream tried to convince me it was Aurelius. I searched my consciousness to recall where I was last, and I became aware that I was still soundly asleep in Theo’s room.

  “It’s alright, love, it’s alright,” I repeated with maternal warmth. “I could never be angry with you. Just settle down, mon ange.”

  Just then, Aurelius’, or his dream doppelgänger’s, eyes went dewy with shame. The hound’s flames disappeared, and he returned to the snowy fur of his younger years. I kissed his forehead, recognizing him for his mercy, and the two of us lowered ourselves to the ground. I let him curl up into my lap even though he was hefty and marveled at how much he’d grown.

  “That’s a good boy,” I murmured before the dream faded away and I was back in Theo’s arms.

  25

  Joan

  I sleepily blinked my eyes open, content with the fact that I’d harnessed the powers of lucid dreaming to steer me out of a night terror. I decided not to spoil the morning by running through the details again and instead stroked Theo’s blond locks until he awakened. He groaned just slightly but roused to greet me with blearily happy eyes.

  “Mmm, good morning, Joan,” he murmured.

  I couldn’t resist asking about his night, just to make sure he wasn’t tormented in his sleep either. That would’ve really got me going, and I would make whoever was nocturnally hunting us pay.

  “Have any interesting dreams?” I asked in an innocent, neutral tone.

  He looked into the distance and wrinkled his forehead in the cutest way, as though I had asked him a trick question.

  “No,” he began, “I don’t believe so. I rarely recall my dreams, if I, in fact, have any at all. To be quite honest, when I was a young mage, I was plagued by them so regularly that my mother began to reinforce my room with wards and protective talismans.” Resentment crossing over his features. “I also honed myself in the art of psionic defense over the years. One can’t be too sure as a Van Brandt, as my family was royalty in the past and lays claim to one of those most energetically charged regions in Lemuria.”

  His azure eyes gleamed with pensiveness. “I do wish that I was able to hold on to and fully experience my dreams. From what I’ve heard from my mother and other mages, the realm of fantasy that resides within us can be exquisite beyond words.” Theo ran his thumb on my bottom lip and smiled. “Then again, I have you, my precious dove.”

  I restrained myself from bursting to tears, both because I was so moved by his compliment, and I didn’t want him to worry about the nightmare I just endured. Somehow, I felt that rehashing it would just give it more power. It did occur to me that the force, entity, or mage that had hacked into my consciousness must’ve been pretty powerful. If Theo’s suite was reinforced with all manner of enchanted security, even intermediate demons shouldn’t have been able to get past. While my stomach tensed with dread, I chose to switch the subject to breakfast. Maybe that would water down my concern and lighten up the mood.

  “Hey, honey,” I began, “I know that I have an early morning class and don’t have the time to stay for much longer, but I would love to cook a nice breakfast for you before I head out. What do you think you’re craving?”

  For whatever reason, I wasn’t hungry at all and actually lost my appetite. That was a rarity for me, but maybe Theo’s mana entering my system was enough to make me feel revitalized. That was a decent theory, except I felt a bit empty inside. Maybe the nightmare had more of a traumatic effect on me than I initially thought. Since I was out of ideas, I left it to Theo to come up with the answer.

  “I don’t deserve you!” Theo declared and peppered my hands with kisses. “Hm, well, I woul
dn’t want to put you out too much, my dear. I’d love for you to remain alert for your spellwork today. How about you use a replication spell on those delightful waffles you made when we were in the cloudlands? Do you recall, when I made a disaster of a breakfast, and you sorted it all out? The memory just came to me, and what a lovely morning that was!”

  “Yes!” I exclaimed. It was years ago, but suddenly, that stolen moment in the skies came back to me. His first humble attempt to cook for me, the laughably soggy waffles, and the licking of whipped cream from each other’s lips. “That was the first time I’d ever ridden a dragon before! You really knew how to sweep a girl off her feet, even if your manners were a bit rusty in those days…”

  Theo chuckled, and my eyes watered yet again. Even if Lemuria came with a toxic dose of demonic brawls and night terrors, I would always hold on to the beauty it carried, such as my beloved hound and all the dragons I had the honor of meeting. I remember the wind whipping through my hair while I was mounted on Cour like it was yesterday, and I cherished the pride of the enchanted scale Zesy gifted me.

  I swept my hands in opposite directions, a picnic basket materializing after miniature clouds parted ways. I didn’t need to spend much time ruminating to pull off the replication spell. Our first real “date” together was so memorable that it all hit me like a tsunami of nostalgia. I then lowered it onto the bed, pulling out a ceramic platter piled high with buttermilk waffles. They were already lovingly topped, dressed with the perfect ratio of maple syrup, melted butter, sliced in the shape of hearts… corny, but an exact detail from that fateful morning… and fresh whipped cream. I even set him up with everyday civvie silverware instead of the gold-plated utensils he was accustomed to. I mean, I was really committed to the historical accuracy of that romantic brunch!

  Theo’s jaw dropped. “You never cease to amaze with your culinary witchery! Perhaps a craft you will adopt as your rite?”

  I bowed my head in appreciation, then hopped off the bed.

  “I’m really not sure. I still have a whole extra year to decide, and Lemuria has so much to offer,” I admitted while placing a hand on his shoulder. “Whatever I end up committing to, I know it will involve you by my side.”

  I then turned to leave, satisfied that I had left the morning better than I found it. The fact that it didn’t dissolve into a misery fest over broken hopes and night terrors was more than enough for me.

  “Wait!” Theo cried out. “You’re not at least going to take one of these?”

  I waved my hand at him. “Nah! I’m not really hungry. Plus, I can just whip myself up something later if I need to.”

  “Nonsense!” he responded and snapped his fingers, then tore off some waffles and placed them in a sleek bento box. “At least keep some for later. This is charmed to keep them at the same consistency and recharge if you need them to. You can’t run your mana and your body to its breaking point, especially when your Dragon Taming class overlaps with the lunch period.”

  I smiled as he performed an incantation to prepare me for the rest of my day. I was grateful to have a partner who kept tabs on my energy level, especially since I could be so headstrong that I could drive myself to the ground.

  “Habillez ma bien-aimée dans son uniforme et téléportez-la dans sa chambre,” he demanded. “Clothe my beloved in her uniform and teleport her to her quarters at once.”

  Just as his will intended, I was safely delivered to my bedroom with the gentle teleportation spell that only Theo seemed capable of. When I prepared to gather my tomes, scrolls, and potion bottles for my Familiar Hunting class, I stopped before I trampled over two unexpected visitors.

  “Irk! Yavo!” I chirped, genuinely overjoyed to see them.

  It had been so long, and the undertow of academy drama kept me from catching up with them. It then occurred to me that they didn’t look too pleased the last time they saw me in the hall. Were they going to chew me out for ignoring them after all this time? I certainly would’ve deserved it. I was ready to hear them out and agree with any of their gripes.

  “Mademoiselle!” Yavo, the perpetually polite troll, a short creature with light jade flesh and slicked back crimson hair, cried out. “We have been trying to speak to you as soon as we could, but unfortunately, you have been quite occupied over the course of this semester…”

  He fiddled with his thumbs and looked up at me with shame. “Please do not take offense at our sincere interest in how you’ve been progressing in Bouclier! We do so understand that you are creating your own path here, and might not need to rely on us as you did during your first year.”

  “It’s only, well…” Yavo’s eyes widened, and his voice grew softer. “After we had traced your steps as of late… mind, only to ensure you were safe and secure!... we noticed, ah, that there was something amiss… regarding the dragons that have been assigned in your care…”

  “What he means to say!” Irk interjected. The ornery goblin with dark emerald skin, ears pierced with multiple gold rings, and a piratesque bandana tied around his head, loved to speak his mind. He didn’t sugarcoat anything, even when a situation called for tact. “Is that you’ve been as set up as a mouse in a trap! A sphynx with an unsolvable riddle! There’s somethin’ real funny in the mix here!”

  Yavo did his best to maintain a more cheerful tone. “You see, Lady Joan, we have been visiting Bouclier’s dragons to inquire as to how they were faring,” he explained. “We realize it’s a challenging course, you see, and we wouldn’t have been surprised if nothing came of it. If the dragons were still deep in slumber, we would have looked into a withdrawal for you…”

  He then laced his fingers together and hung his head, forcing Yavo to take over. The opinionated goblin was really on edge, even shaking his fist as he made his point.

  “Poisoned!” he screamed out. “They’ve been poisoned! Each and every one of them! Their drinking well was contaminated, and if we hadn’t looked into the matter, the situation would’ve been grisly. We had to report it directly to Abelard. Don’t you worry, though! We know you have nothing to do with it!”

  Yavo rushed in to agree. “Precisely, Joan!” he stressed, tears rolling down his face. “All the dragons vouched for you and sang your praises, so to speak, conveying how caring you have been. You’ve taken care of their every need, not that this is surprising. You shan’t need to worry about their distrust.”

  “But this is definitely foul play, no if’s, and’s, or but’s! We’re going to get to the bottom of this. Just watch your back, and we’ll do our part to see what’s going on here!” Irk growled, waking Aurelius to stir from his bed. My familiar immediately sensed the negativity in the conversation and whimpered. He then followed suit, snarling and rounding his back.

  I sighed and threw my head back. This was just great. I should have known that my tryst with Theo couldn’t magically banish all my problems. I just had no idea I’d wake up to even more. Poisoning dragons wasn’t some type of minor transgression, so I just hoped the rumors wouldn’t catch fire. Especially since I had a tournament to prepare for and mage-athletes to feed.

  26

  Joan

  The next few weeks were pretty tense, though thankfully this whole mess with the contaminated water source was kept under wraps. I don’t know who I had to thank for this because without discretion, I’d be a social pariah. I’d worked so hard in the last few years to earn credibility, and that would go down the drain if students thought I was harming the most hallowed creatures in Bouclier.

  Maybe Abelard thought I deserved a second chance, or maybe he was performing a thorough investigation before warning the whole academy about me. I hoped that it wasn’t just that he couldn’t be bothered to leave his tomes. Then, I’d be in serious trouble. Serafina would most likely be next in line to review the case, and that possibility quite frankly terrified me. Yavo and Irk had said that the directly informed the headmaster, so hopefully, that meant he’d feel personally responsible to resolve this matter.


  While the gossip didn’t spread like wildfire, I was still “suspended” from my Dragon Taming until further notice. I guess that meant I was a suspect, even if there wasn’t any reliable proof that I had any involvement. As much as I resented being blocked off from the dragons, I understood the precaution. I supported the idea of keeping them all safe and not taking any chances. Still, I marveled at how I was just as quickly enrolled in the class as I was dropped from it. This semester never ceased to amaze, apparently.

  Today, I had to find some way to put my worries aside. It wouldn’t be an easy act, but it’d be a necessary one on account of the Arcane Combat and Contest team’s needs. After a string of long evenings preparing specialized meals for all the mage-athletes, it was finally time for the qualifying tournament for the realm-wide finals. Each and every day, I wondered if someone would ring the alarm bells, essentially stopping me from ever feeding another Lemurian again. The phobia didn’t really seem irrational if someone was painting me as a dragon abuser. At this point, though, that chance seemed slim, so I focused all my will on the team.

  I wound my way down to the path leading to the mountain arena, the environment that the whole team expected. I smiled and enjoyed at least that small relief. I knew that everyone had been testing their arcane archery until their eyes and fingers ached, and I was glad that it paid off. Theo also made a special appearance with me the evening before, outlining every possible strategy. Now that Bouclier had become quietly hostile, we had to cover all our bases. Basically, we couldn’t expect a fair match this season.

  When I arrived at the entrance to the competition field, I noticed that amphitheater seating surrounded the rocky terrain where the team would compete. Most of the faculty came out to support and was given a premier aisle, with Serafina right in the middle. She sat very primly, crossing her legs and folding one hand atop the other on her lap. It seemed as though she were mostly here for appearances, her porcelain doll face completely placid. Abelard, predictably, was a no-show.