Scholomance 6: The Devil's Academy

by Logan Jacobs

  As the women entertained and bled, other Wiccas were busy dancing, feasting, or fucking throughout the outstretched, fiery hall. There were rows of men tethered to a back wall, and they were completely naked with thick, silver chains wrapped tightly around their necks, wrists, and ankles. I couldn’t help but stare at their raw, shiny, pink skin, blistering with boils and sores, and at their pus-filled, open wounds. Their red-rimmed eyes were filled with terror as the hellish women either used their exposed members for pleasure or cut them off with rusty blades or sharpened teeth.

  I tried to ignore their deep screams as I studied the walls all around me. They were painted with coagulated blood, and various body parts were used as decorations, including what looked like rows of human penises nailed to the partitions.

  Another shudder crept down my spine as I studied the elongated black table stretched out in front of me. It could have held a thousand people, and it was laden with various platters of unusual substances. As I scanned the glorious feast, I spotted hundreds of dishes of the strangest food I’d ever seen. There were children’s feet, unicorn horns, elvish ears, griffin wings, platters of mermaid or siren tails, bowls of black claws and eyeballs, and plates of assorted severed human limbs. I also couldn’t help but notice that men’s heads were used as bowls, and each rotting face was set into an expression of pure shock and absolute terror as maggots crawled in and out of their crevasses. Plates were made from dried human skin, and all the utensils seemed to be crafted out of human bones.

  I didn’t have to wonder where the human assortments came from because when I glanced past the women, I realized several of the naked men who were strung up by chains against the fiery wall at the back of the banquet hall were also missing their heads and other body parts.

  “What do we have here?” a woman with long, flowing blonde hair cooed as she drifted toward me.

  This woman wasn’t walking on the soil, in fact, all the women were hovering above the red earth as they slowly turned to study me. As the blonde Wicca neared me, I noticed her eyes were the brightest shade of orange I’d ever seen, and it reminded me of the flames that burned behind her.

  Beware of her, the woman’s voice echoed inside my head. She holds great authority down here… the others will listen to her. Sway her, and perhaps you can convince the rest.

  “Easier said than done,” I muttered under my breath.

  “How did you get past Death’s hands?” the beautiful but terrifying blonde sneered with her nose curled up into disgust.

  Her voluptuous breasts were protruding through a black leather pentagram harness, and her long legs were peeking through a sheer ebony skirt with two slits on the side. Her lips were also painted midnight black, and she was completely splattered in blood, and when I stared deeply into her eyes, I could see flecks of flames illuminating through her irises.

  “I froze one hand,” I hissed as I rubbed at my throbbing throat. “Right after I cut the other from its wrist.”

  “Lies!” the blonde vixen snapped as her eyes burned brighter orange. “It’s not possible unless you possess magic.”

  “Who are you?” one woman with copper-brown hair purred as she floated next to me and licked my face. “You’re not dead… at least, not yet.”

  I did my best not to shudder from her sudden touch, and despite the sweltering heat, she was freezing. The sensation of her deathly cold tongue against my skin sent a violent shiver coursing through my entire body, and goosebumps coated every inch of my skin.

  “He’s certainly not dead,” a Wicca with icy blue eyes hissed as she floated around me in a perfect circle. “You smell like fresh, sweet blood… how delicious. I say we nail him to the wall with the others, but I call first dibs on his cock. No doubt he’s well endowed… I can see it in his lively eyes and firm chest.”

  Careful, Cole, the woman from my dreams warned. They’re surrounding you… stand your ground and try to reason with them, but do not show them any sign of weakness as you do. Choose your next words very carefully.

  “I can see it, too,” another woman with short, pitch-black hair cackled before she floated toward me and placed an icy hand against my cheek. “He’s quite a handsome man… I could just eat those saccharine red lips of his… but wait… how did he come to us alive?”

  “Who cares!” another Wicca with bright crimson eyes giggled as she hovered toward me. “Let’s cut him up and squeeze the juices from his bones!”

  “Don’t even think about it,” I growled as I stared into her deep red eyes and raised my wand. “I’ll rip your tongue right out of your mouth, bitch. Don’t think I won’t.”

  Easy, Cole, the dream woman reminded me.

  The women surrounding me burst into uncontrollable laughter and studied me with raised eyebrows and seductive smiles. I knew they were curious about me, which was the only reason I wasn’t dead just yet.

  “You know it’s not very often we have someone willingly wander into our domain,” a woman with long, deep emerald hair chuckled. “I must say… I’m a little bit curious. How did you get here alive? There’s no point in lying… because we’ll know and then kill you slowly if you try to fib your way out of this one.”

  “I was sent here,” I answered with my chin and wand raised. “From what I understood, I was the only one who could enter your realm unscathed.”

  “You were sent here?” another voice in the back chortled. “By whom?”

  “By--” I started, but then someone else interrupted me.

  “I have trouble believing someone would send you here and expect you to return,” a gorgeous brunette with vivid hazel eyes chuckled. “Whoever they are, they must not care much about you. From what I can see, you’re nothing but a worthless man, and whoever was the one who sent you here was the one with extraordinary power… which is why you’re still alive.”

  “I’m a Wicca,” I responded in a stern voice, “and I’m a student from Scholomance.”

  Again, wild laughter broke out, and I waited patiently for them to simmer down.

  “He’s a man,” one witch shrieked with laughter. “There’s no way he could be a student there. Maybe one of the warlock schools…”

  “But he did arrive here alive…” the blonde woman with bright eyes added as her pale eyebrows pinched together. “Even if someone else sent him here, he must possess magic… no mortal men can get into our realm of hell with their soul still intact… but you’re no warlock. I’ve seen many in my day, and I’m not sensing the male magic on you. Your power is… strange. Neither female nor male.”

  Keep engaging with them! the dream woman’s voice echoed. Now! They’re starting to show more interest in you.

  “How did those bastards get in here?” I asked as I pointed to the rows of men chained to the wall. “What did they do? I’m just curious.”

  “They were evil men who did unspeakable things in the living world,” the blonde woman with piercing orange eyes answered. “Now, we use them however we desire… and the more I look at you, the more I’d love to add you to the collection.”

  “Yes, ooooh, please,” another woman hooted. “We can fuck or feast on him… whichever we desire.”

  “How about both at the same time!” another voice rang through the air, and the women burst into laughter once more.

  “I wouldn’t do that,” I said. “Not unless you want to remain here for the rest of eternity.”

  “What would you know about eternity?” a redheaded beauty snapped with searing venom in her eyes.

  “More than you know,” I replied in a cold tone. “I know what you desire, and it’s not an eternity spent in here.”

  “Why are we still talking to this liar?” a Wicca with dark hair and black eyes demanded in an impatient tone. “I say we kill him now and eat his guts while they’re still warm.”

  “I agree,” another woman said as she licked her full red lips. “I call the eyes… they’re the prettiest shade of blue I’ve ever seen”

  “I want his tongue,”
another one giggled. “I want to play with it in my mouth and suck the juices from its buds.”

  “You’d be making a huge--” I tried to interject, but there were too many of them speaking at once.

  “Now, ladies,” the blonde Wicca said with her hands raised up into the air. “There’s plenty enough to go around… I say we hang him up with the others and then vote.”

  “Yes!” a redhead squealed with pure delight. “Let’s keep him as a souvenir! We can eat him little by little!”

  “But be sure to leave the penis!” someone screamed from the back of the crowd. “I hope you’re well endowed… it’s been a while since I’ve had a good fuck.”

  “Haven’t we already been over this?” the redhead demanded. “Let’s stop teasing and get to it. I’m fucking bored!”

  “Yeah!” another voice shrieked. “Enough foreplay… let’s tear this man apart. I don’t give a fuck where he comes from, or if he possesses magic.”

  As the bloodthirsty women hovered even closer toward me, I knew if I didn’t start persuading them to join me in the living world, they would capture me for all eternity. I’d never see my coven or Scholomance again, and that wasn’t an option.

  Yet, these women were clearly not interested in my background or my reason for being here, so I knew I had to take another approach.

  As I stared at the fire in the corners of the banquet hall, I willed the flames to burst into balls of fire and scorch the men who hung along the walls. I forced all sense of fear and doubt out of my mind and summoned Satan’s wrath and darkness to consume my entire body and senses.

  Motus.

  In seconds, the flames exploded, and the sudden sound caused all the women to stop staring at me and whip around. They all gasped with shock as the fire began to devour the severed bodies, and the men’s screams rang through the air as all the music died at once.

  “Satan,” the blonde woman with bright orange eyes gasped as she turned back to face me. “So, you do possess magic… and quite powerful sorcery at that.”

  You’ve hooked them, Cole, the woman inside my head whispered. Now, tell them why you’re here and be quick about it!

  “That’s fucking right,” I said with my hands raised up into the air. “I don’t want to hurt you… and I came here with a proposition. I just need you to shut up and listen. Do you think you could do that for at least one minute?”

  “My, my, my,” the witch with emerald-green hair said as she clucked a purple tongue. “You have quite the pair on you… I’d like to see more of that.”

  “Yeah, you’ve already made that perfectly fucking clear,” I growled, “but I’m serious. I came here with a deal… one that you probably won’t ever receive again in your lifetime… or perhaps lifetime is the wrong word to use. Existence?”

  “And what could that possibly be?” the blonde witch snapped.

  “Are you actually going to listen to him, Lavender?” a black-haired Wicca snarled. “He’s a man… the only thing that sprouts from his full, delicious lips are filthy lies.”

  “But aren’t you wondering why I’m the only man who’s ever entered your pit of hell by choice?” I demanded with an arched eyebrow. “Don’t you think it’s a little fucking unusual? Or are you that fucking stupid? You even said so yourself, I possess magic, and you’ve already seen what I can do with your own eyes.”

  “So what if you came here by choice?” the ebony-haired witch snapped. “So what if you possess magic? We hate men, and I say we go with the original plan and tear him apart right now. Let’s just leave his head and penis for fucking.”

  As the women drew closer again, I narrowed my eyes at the stubborn, ebony-haired witch and pictured what her dead, lifeless heart would look like inside her body. Then, as clear as day, I saw a dusty, shriveled heart, still as stone within her ribcage. It didn’t beat or move, since she was long dead, but I knew if I could use my ancient premonition power to retrieve the lifeless organ, perhaps these women would finally listen to reason.

  So, without missing a beat, I cleared my mind of any fear and willed her heart to come to me.

  Modus antiquorum.

  When I uttered the incantation inside my mind, the dark-haired witch’s eyes widened, and she gasped before her withered heart burst out from her chest and landed within my grasp. Then the Wicca cried out in shock as I held onto her muscle and squeezed it until it exploded into a cloud of gray dust, and as the sooty particles sprinkled like ashy snowfall from my hands, the others all took a step back and stared at me with petrified eyes and parted lips.

  “Satan,” the blonde Wicca breathed. “How was that possible? He used ancient premonition…”

  “Don’t ask me,” the black-haired witch groaned as she stared down at the gory opening in between her full breasts. “I didn’t even know that thing was still in there… Satan, that fucking hurt!”

  “Like I said,” I growled as the witches stared unknowingly at one another. “I didn’t come here to fuck around.”

  “You said you come from Scholomance,” an older Wicca with long auburn hair said as she neared me. “Who is the headmistress now?”

  “Her name is Theodora,” I answered with unwavering pride, “and she personally sent me down here because we need your help. The elder gods are growing more powerful, and we need to build our school. We need you, and if you come back with me and fulfill a great deed… you will eventually be reunited with your Lord Satan in the heart of hell.”

  “Well, you do show exceptional power…” the blonde woman mused aloud after a pregnant pause, “and your offer sounds tempting, but if we are to follow you back into the world of the living, you must first prove yourself.”

  “I’m not surprised,” I sighed. “Fine… what else do I have to do to prove my worth to you crazy bitches?”

  The women all smiled coyly at me before the blonde witch snapped her fingers, and suddenly, a low, rumbling sound erupted from beneath my feet. I could feel the earth shifting from underneath me, and when I saw the soil splitting open, I jumped back while the women hovered in the air and laughed.

  “You’ll face one of the most ancient creatures known to the Wicca world.” The blonde beauty grinned. “He’s been alive for longer than any of us.”

  “And what is that?” I growled as I held tightly onto my wand.

  “Et messorem,” she answered with a dark twinkle in her flaming eyes. “Or otherwise known as Reaper. No being has ever been able to defeat him… not even Satan.”

  Chapter 20

  The women all cackled with bloodthirsty glee as they swarmed around me, and the mysterious opening grew wider.

  I took several cautious steps back, and I tucked my weapon into my waistband because I had a feeling that whatever this Reaper was, a bonded blade was not going to destroy it.

  The growling grew even more intense, and I steadied my feet and grasped my wand with all my force as a towering creature emerged from below. My eyes widened in shock, and my heart pounded against my chest as I gazed upon a dark, glorious, and terrifying magnificence.

  I stood my ground as I stared upon a great beastly creature, shrouded in fire, darkness, and ebony shadows. It had a pair of glowing, menacing red eyes, brighter than fire and deeper than blood. Its giant black body towered high above me, and enormous, wispy swords were attached to each of its shadowy skeletal fingers. It also possessed a pair of massive, black horns that were so long, they curled over like an evil ram. When the beast shrieked, I could see fire glowing within its throat, exactly like one of the dragons I’d ridden during the battle against the elders, and its piercing cry was so loud, blood began to drip from my ears and seep down my nose. It felt like my entire body was shattering with its unbearable cries, and if I didn’t do something soon, it would kill me with its voice alone.

  As I took another step back and looked up at the beast, I knew I had to shut it up somehow, so I prepared to use the ancient spell to stun all its senses and movement, at least for now.

  “Tard
esco!” I screamed as I aimed my wand at its fiery mouth.

  Several women gasped as the shadowy beast’s mouth clamped shut, and its shrill cries died at once. Its malevolent, fire-filled eyes seared with utter contempt and loathing as it glared down at me with bitter confusion and fury.

  Cole, look out! the woman inside my head screamed.

  In the blink of an eye, the beast’s power returned, and it swung one of its shadowy blades downward and tried to take off my head.

  I quickly rolled out of the way but kept a tight grip on my wand as I tumbled to the side.

  “Get him!” a woman shrieked in a murderous tone. “Kill the man, Reaper!”

  As I struggled to get back onto my feet, the murky creature tried to take another swing at me, but I quickly narrowed my eyes at the blades and gritted my teeth. I’d just used my strength to perform the ancient version of motus, and I knew I had to buy some time before I could use any more ancient magic, so I quickly pictured ripping the weapons from the beast’s claws and sending them fly across this fucking, fiery banquet hall.

  Motus.

  In seconds, the beast’s shadowy blades were torn away from its body and soared through the air. They flew right into the rows of men who were pinned against the walls, and each one penetrated their burned, bare chests.

  The Reaper let out an agonizing scream, and as much as I wanted to cover my ears and shield myself from its ear-splitting cries, I stood my ground and kept my eyes focused on its giant, ethereal body. I knew these ancient spells were taking a toll on the unwavering beast, but they were also weakening my own body, and I had to end the Reaper as quickly as possible before I had no strength left.

  And the only way to achieve that was through discovering its one true weakness. So, with as clear of a mind as I could muster, I opened my heart and soul and tried to peer into the evil entity to discover its one vulnerability.

  Apertum.