A Witch’s Beating Heart

by Kasey Mackenzie

  “In fact, that is one reason that the Primary races from the Eternal realm function the way they do. Take the Bright Fey, for instance. They are bound by their spoken word. If they make a promise, they must keep it. Otherwise, the magic that knits their very bones punishes them in pretty gruesome ways. They channel mostly elemental and healing magic.

  “Then there are the Shifters, who are tied in a very structured way to the phases of the moon. While they can shift into their animal forms whenever they choose, under a full moon they must shift, and they become much more bestial on such nights. They are ironically at their strongest physically speaking when at their weakest intellectually speaking.

  “And finally we have the Magi, or Mages, whose entire spellcasting system is predicated on knowing Greater Power words to access their abilities, although they then channel magic using lesser power words that are more similar to those that we witches utilize. In fact, our entire system of spellcasting is based on that used by Mages; although they consider ours much more rudimentary.”

  Chuckles echoed around the room, because the least snooty of Mages could dance circles around the most stuck-up of rich-witch politicians when it came to sheer arrogance.

  “That brings us then to the Infernal Races. Their realm is much more chaotic and less structured than the Eternal. Channeling this type of magic requires raw strength and force of will rather than intellect and words.

  “First of the Primary three are the Dark Elves, who are often called demons by mortals. They mirror the Bright Fey in many ways, but beware: You cannot trust the words of a Dark Elf the way you can a Fey. In fact, only when they are entrapped inside a spell circle forged from salt and magic will they be bound to speak truly. They channel elemental magic like their Eternal cousins, but it is a much darker, dangerous type of magic. They are also extremely skilled at casting glamours and other illusions, since they are not bound to speak and show the truth.

  “Next among the Infernal Races are the Vampires. Many of the mortal myths about them are true, while others are not. Sunlight will kill them if they are not magically warded against it. So will wooden stakes stabbed into their hearts, as well as decapitating them. They absolutely do require blood to survive. Feeding upon the blood of other magical races strengthens them much more so than the blood of mortals. They can actually take on the magical gifts of others for a brief time after consuming their blood. As for their own abilities, greater strength, nearly unlimited self-healing, and one or two unique magical talents for each of them. Those talents are always tied in some way to blood, shadows, or death.

  “Finally, we have the Necromancers, those who channel the magic of souls. They do this by the casting of runes rather than power words and spoken spells like their Magi counterparts. Necromancers can raise corpses into undead minions who are nothing like mortal legends of slow, shuffling, unintelligent zombies. The one thing real zombies have in common with those from mortal legends is an unending hunger that must be sated by consuming the flesh of the living. Fortunately for us, animal flesh will suffice. Only the darkest of Necromancers allow their minions to become addicted to human flesh. Those are known as Shadowmancers, and they become criminals among their own kind who are punished severely when caught.”

  Her lecture so enthralled me that I completely forgot to take actual notes. Damned good thing the laptop was recording everything.

  At this point, however, Professor Roseberry must have grown weary of her own voice. She divided us into groups of two (thankfully pairing me with my new friend) and tasked us with choosing one of the Eternal or Infernal Primary Races to research three facts she hadn’t mentioned in her lecture. We spent the rest of the class period looking those facts up in our textbooks with our partners, we each had to write separate short essays about those discoveries before our next class.

  And yeah, the bookworm in me was super excited by this first assignment. I couldn’t wait to learn more about the race Penny suggested we choose. The Magi.

  I tilted my head curiously at her suggestion. “I don’t mind either way because they all sound fascinating, but why Mages?”

  She pursed her lips, tapping a blood-red fingernail upon her desk. “Um, this is going to sound really immature but...there’s this guy.”

  My eyes widened as I thought back to the entire reason I’d joined Gloaming High’s Computer (Hacking) Club. “Stars above! You really are my mirror twin...And I can’t find that immature since I did the same damned thing last year. Different guy, I’m sure, since it sounds like yours is a Mage.”

  She got a starry look in her eyes for a moment. “Mm hmm. A tall, dark, and very handsome Mage. He’s a senior here, and he doesn’t have the slightest clue I exist.”

  I tilted my head consideringly. “Are you completely sure of that? I thought the same thing about my guy, at least as far as romantic interest went, and yet...We ended up engaging in all sorts of PDA and sat together at last night’s BBQ.”

  Her lips twitched and she gave a little laugh. “Zane Anders, right?”

  That had me wincing slightly. “Uh, were we that obvious?”

  “No more than any other couple last night. He just happens to be my RA and someone said they saw him holding hands with a pretty teal-headed witch, so I put two and two together.”

  On the one hand, my inner insecurity definitely liked having a stranger refer to me as pretty, but on the other...attracting attention so easily was definitely going to make me all kinds of nervous. Then again, Penny had said it herself. Many other couples had been acting just the same the previous evening. So it’s not like we were attracting anything but the normal tendency for college students to gossip about who was getting together with who.

  Or so I hoped.

  The telltale Academy chimes signalled the end of class 30 minutes later. By that point, we’d uncovered all three facts about Mages we needed to write our essays and exchanged cell numbers so we could meet up outside class. And I was feeling grateful that not only had I managed to make a friend without Misty’s help, but the day had also taken a turn for the better.

  * * *

  Thanks to how large the campus was, we had a full 30 minutes between classes. I popped into the cafeteria to grab a breakfast sandwich to go and a much-needed serving of caffeine (Dr. Pepper was truly one of mortalkind’s greatest inventions) before taking a more leisurely walk to my next class.

  About halfway there, I caught sight of carbon copies with midnight blue hair and eyes leaning against a low stone wall. They chatted with two gorgeous girls wearing designer backpacks that cost more than my entire wardrobe. Something I only knew because I’d seen the bags in one of Misty’s magazines that I browsed when bored. One girl was draped all over Jackson, the older twin, her lavender hair flowing down her back in a long straight waterfall. The other leaned against the wall as close to Maxim as she could get, although he seemed a little more uncomfortable with the proximity than his brother seemed.

  Maxim’s eyes caught mine, and he flashed a quick smile. “Hey! You’re one of the new twins in Artemis House, right?”

  His brother glanced over with interest. The two girls looked over as well, and then they both turned their snobby noses up at me. Which was kind of funny, since we all had on the same damn uniforms. No idea how they could tell I came from poor witch trash, but apparently they were living money detectors.

  That had me stiffening my spine and flashing a megawatt smile that would have done Misty proud. “Hi! You’re Maxim, right?”

  I deliberately said his name out loud just to get a reaction out of the girl who seemed to be dying to hang all over him the way her friend was hanging all over Jackson. Her pale green eyes flashed with anger, confirming my instincts. The petty side of me enjoyed inspiring that flash.

  “Yep. I assume Steph warned you about Jackson and me. This is Jackson’s girlfriend Selina and her friend Brittany. They’re both sophomores.”

  Brittany’s eyes had no sooner cooled a little than they sparked with annoy
ance at being called the other girl’s friend. Oh man, she definitely had her sights set on Maxim. Who seemed not the least little bit interested.

  Selina seemed to notice both her friend’s anger toward me and annoyance toward him. “Oh, that’s the most adorable little backpack you have,” she drawled with that saccharine sweetness intended to convey that it was super-fake. “I had one just like it three years ago!”

  Why yes, you little witch, I got this backpack from a secondhand store. Maybe this one actually was yours three years ago!

  Something I would never say out loud. Instead I channeled my inner Misty again to give a confident smile and wave. “I take good care of what I love rather than discarding them like trash just to keep up with the latest boring trends. Quality like this just doesn’t fade.”

  Jackson laughed at the sour expression that passed his girlfriend’s face. He kissed her on the cheek to placate her and then glanced back in my direction. “You and Maxim would get along, then. He feels the same way about his Porsche. He’s had the same one since we got our licenses.”

  Given the daggers that Brittany’s eyes were now shooting at Jackson, I realized he’d linked Maxim and me together on purpose. Apparently his petty side was also enjoying getting a reaction out of her. And sharing even that little thing in common with someone who I’d overheard making snide little comments about others had me feeling a little smaller inside.

  I forced another smile I didn’t really feel. Talking with fake people was exhausting. One advantage to having my royal birthright stolen was that I didn’t have to do that very often. “Well, I have to get to my next class. Hope to see you all again sometime!”

  Maxim and Jackson waved with what appeared to be sincere enthusiasm, but the girls barely moved their hands even once. Considering that I’d just lied through my teeth about hoping to see them again, that seemed fair enough.

  That next class turned out okay but neither its instructor nor subject matter could hold a candle to Professor Roseberry or Infernal Magic 101. There were unfortunately no mirror-twins like Penny waiting to make a new friend, either, but I muddled my way through just the same. It helped my nerves immensely that I’d already made it through the first class of the day. And making friends with Penny had boosted my confidence enough that I didn’t mind having no one to talk to during History of the Shadow Realms 101.

  Normally, history was one of my favorite classes, but Professor Twill was one of those men with a deep, monotone voice that was more suited to soothing students to sleep rather than sparking passion for his subject. That wasn’t just my snap judgment, either. He legit had several students nodding off throughout class. Not even ruggedly handsome features and electric blue eyes and hair that contrasted sharply against dark brown skin counteracted that voice.

  I forced myself to actively take notes in addition to recording his lecture. Keeping my fingers and mind engaged always helped me focus better, even when faced with a voice that could hypnotize hellhounds.

  That 90-minute class dragged by much more slowly than the first. By the time the bells chimed an end to naptime, one of those snoozing students actually had an embarrassing pile of drool on their desk. I know, because I heard her squeal and curse when she jerked awake only to discover that the ends of her pale pink hair were wet. My attention zipped back to packing up my laptop before our eyes could meet. I’d had a couple embarrassing moments of my own in high school and didn’t want to add to her obvious mortification.

  She must have noticed my gaze had briefly stopped on her predicament, however, because she held the door open for me as we filed out of the room. Everyone else had already fled Professor Twill’s sleepy-time voice. Her eyes rolled and she lowered her voice so said prof couldn’t hear us. “Was that a snoozefest or what?” Her voice was lightly accented, hinting that she probably came from one of the other Shadow Realms. Likely one that had been originally settled by witches whose mortal ancestors came from Britain.

  I let out a soft snicker. “I think if they piped his voice reading our textbook into everyone’s room at night, not a single soul would suffer from insomnia.”

  Her pink eyes brightened with amusement. “That’s totally true, but think of all the poor students doing last-minute cramming for tests the next morning. They’d never stay awake!”

  By that point, we’d stepped into the hall of the main Administrative building, where most of the social studies and history classes were held. We kept pace as we headed for the front entrance, at which point a guy with light purple hair and brown skin strolled up and swooped my pink-haired companion into a sizzling embrace that put my makeout session the day before to shame. After they finished smooching, the girl smiled apologetically.

  I dramatically fanned my cheeks as if feeling faint, and the pair burst out laughing. They clasped hands, and we walked out into late morning sunshine. The campus was even busier now, just a half-hour from noon, than it had been just 90 minutes earlier.

  “By the way, my name is Miranda and this is Adri. We’re both exchange students from Twilight’s Edge.”

  That was one of the other prominent Shadow Realms and confirmed my suspicion that she wasn’t originally from here. Funny how I felt much more drawn to these two who came from another realm entirely than to the smarmy Beverly Brothers or their witchy little girlfriends.

  I smiled and gave a little wave. “Welcome to the Gloaming then. I’m Crystal. You two headed to the cafeteria?”

  Miranda arched an eyebrow in her (presumably) boyfriend’s direction. I had to admit he was damned good-looking, even if nobody could equal Zane freaking Anders in my book. His brown skin and facial features marked his mortal ancestors as most likely hailing from in or around India. That made sense, given that Twilight’s Edge also counted a large population of Indian witches among its original founders.

  “I could fancy a spot of tea and a bite to eat, love. My next class isn’t for a couple hours.” Adri’s voice was nearly as deep as Professor Twill’s, but it was way too expressive and sexy to bore one to sleep.

  She smiled and nodded at me. “Yeah, why not. I swear, ever since my Eternal hit a growth spurt, I just can’t eat enough. It’s like I’m having a sympathetic puberty or something.”

  “Ewww,” I wrinkled my nose in sympathy. “Like your real one wasn’t bad enough!”

  “Exactly!” she chirped. “Thank goodness I got a full-ride scholarship because damn. I’d have to get a job just to keep my bottomless belly filled up if I couldn’t pop into the cafeteria whenever I need to feed the beast. And I don’t mean my familiar!”

  We laughed as we continued the short walk along the ever-changing pathway to the cafeteria. Miranda and Adri started chatting about their respective classes, although her tale was fairly short considering she’d dozed off in class. Adri had just enjoyed his own Infernal Magic 101 class with Professor Roseberry—which Miranda would have that afternoon—so we were able to give her a clue what to expect. Although she was having hers with a different instructor. Thankfully for her desire to not sleep through that class, not with Professor Twill.

  Halfway to the cafeteria, Misty and Cayenne caught up with us. We’d made it a few feet from the cafeteria when my new friend Penny showed up by herself. I introduced her to everyone, and then we agreed to meet at one of the numerous outdoor picnic tables after grabbing our food and drinks.

  Ten minutes later, our group had grown large enough that we spread out along two picnic tables. I was surrounded by Penny on one side and Miranda on the other, with Misty and Cayenne across the table. Most of our familiars had put in brief appearances and then poofed a couple dozen feet away to doze in the warm sunshine, spread out in an uneven line along the grass. Those who had a class starting at 1:00 ate more quickly, chatted for a few minutes, and then dashed off while the rest of us were still socializing. Miranda and Adri were among that group, as were Misty and Cayenne. Turned out my twin and Delvon’s cousin had the same Infernal Magic 101 class as Miranda.

  On
the plus side, this left an empty space to my right for Zane to plop down into, which he did just as the 1:00 chimes rang across the campus. His eyes met mine as he planted a quick kiss on my cheek, something that had me smiling happily. I loved these little signs of affection; especially since he didn’t hesitate to give them in public. Something about that made me feel so special.

  “Hey everyone,” he greeted, setting his food in front of him and digging in.

  His eyes roamed around our group, which had shrunk to Steph, Trey, Del, a few of their friends I only knew by name, and Penny on my left. Zane did a double-take when he saw Penny, and she bit her lip and stared down at her already empty plate. That had me blinking and wondering whether she had been one of the residents giving him premature gray hairs the previous day, but neither showed any other reaction, so I shrugged it off.

  Our group shrank even further a half-hour later, with just another half-hour until the 2:00 classes started. Penny jumped to her feet when Trey and Delvon mentioned leaving for a class not too far from her next one, so she bid a friendly goodbye and strode off with them. I must admit that I did not mind being left alone with Zane.

  “Looks like you’re making lots of new friends,” he said in a cheerful tone.

  “Yeah! Although you missed some of them. I had History of the Shadow Realms with a witch named Miranda. She and her boyfriend Adri are exchange students from Twilight’s Edge.”

  “I have a friend from Twilight’s Edge who’s also an exchange student. He’s a junior, though. More friends with my brother, really. Don’t think I know Miranda or Adri, though.” He took another bite of his pasta dish and then tilted his head casually. “So, I see you’ve met Penny.”

  “Yeah, she’s great! We were partnered up in Infernal Magic 101. She seems really nice.”

  Something in his voice seemed a little off when he replied. “Yeah, I bet.”

  I frowned and bit my lip. “I—that seems a little strange to say.”