The Awakening Page 8

  “A necromancer,” I said, rolling the word around on my tongue. “That’s what it’s called. I never knew.”

  “Neither did I, but after it was mentioned in history today, I went to the library before dinner and did some digging. That’s why I was late getting to the dining hall… You should see the library, by the way. It’s incredible.”

  I had an obsession with books and libraries, so I made a mental note to check that out when I got a chance, but that was hardly the most important topic at the moment.

  “So, what? You read a few books that said witches with the necromancy affinity are all evil, and you’re convinced you’re gonna go all Darth Vader?”

  A half smile tugged up one side of Roo’s mouth. “It sounds stupid when you say it like that.”

  I took a seat beside her and slung my arm around her shoulders. She rested her head on me, showing an ounce of vulnerability I knew she’d only let me view.

  “That’s because it is stupid,” I said. “I don’t care what the books say, or your history professor, you’re not bad. In fact, you’re the best person I know. And maybe we should hold off on casting judgment on these newfound abilities of ours. We don’t know anything about anything, really. Remember what you said? We’ll only trust each other, right?”

  She nodded. “Right… but Rey?”

  “Mm?”

  Roo lifted her head from my shoulder and looked up at me, and for the first time in a very long time, I saw real fear in my little sister’s eyes. “What if it turns out to be true?” she asked. “What if I do go dark?”

  I kissed her forehead and held her gaze for a moment before answering. “Then I’ll be your light. I’ll guide you back.”

  “And if you can’t?”

  “Then we’ll figure out how to live in the darkness… Together.”

  “Together?”

  “Always and forever.”

  Roo nodded. “Always and forever,” she agreed.

  12

  “Goddess save me,” I mumbled.

  Roo smirked as she strode onto the training field alongside me. “It’s not that bad, Rey. It’s good for us, actually.”

  “Since when is severe physical torture good for anyone?”

  “Severe physical torture?” Roo laughed. “It’s called exercising.”

  “Same thing,” I grumbled.

  A few weeks had passed since we arrived at the Academy, and while I’d been hoping the physical training would get easier, my body felt more exhausted than I could ever remember it feeling.

  At least the day was shaping up to be a nice one. The sun was shining through thick, puffy clouds, and a light breeze took the temperature from hot to pleasant. The scent of fresh cut grass and pine hung in the air, the sound of the birds greeting us from their hidden homes in the trees.

  The training field was set behind the main building of the Academy, and also served as the arena for Goddess-knew-what sport these weirdos played. Sure enough, there was the captain of the weirdos waiting for me, looking like he’d just eaten Broody-O’s for breakfast.

  “Good luck,” Roo said before splitting off to meet her trainer on the other side of the field.

  I sighed and marched over to Erasmus. “What’s up, Spaz?” I said.

  His lips twisted, an expression that somehow managed to still be handsome when he wore it. “My name is Erasmus,” he said, without even a hint of amusement.

  “Right… So what kind of torment you got planned for today? Should I do mountain climbers until I pass out, or run until I vomit?”

  His head tilted, as if both of these suggestions were appealing. I scowled, and though not a bit of smile touched his lips, I saw a tiny spark of amusement behind his eyes. Okay, so maybe he did have a shred of a personality after all.

  “First, we run,” he said. “We always run. Every day, a minimum of two miles.”

  “We? As in, you’re going to run, too, and not just stand there barking for me to hurry up?”

  “I do not bark. I’m not a dog.”

  With that, he barked at me to ‘try to keep up’ and took off down the track. Grumbling, I forced my feet to follow.

  Keeping up with Erasmus Edair was impossible, and I got the feeling that he was not even close to running at his fastest capacity. Even so, the man ran like he was born to do so, muscles pumping, hardly losing breath. By the time the two miles was up, he’d lapped me three times.

  “I said to keep up,” he said when I finally came to a stop beside him.

  I had to heave in a few breaths before I could answer. “Yeah, well, I did the best I could.”

  “Your best is not good enough.”

  With this, the dam that had been holding back my emotions for the past few weeks quivered. “What the hell is your problem?” I snapped.

  His expressionless face remained so, but his sapphire eyes flashed with confusion. “I don’t have a problem. You have a problem. You’re horribly out of shape.”

  He said this so plainly that all I could do for a moment was stare at him, blinking, as though that might help me absorb the words. Either he was super socially inept, or he was just an asshole. I couldn’t decide which was preferable.

  “Well,” I sputtered, “we can’t all have the body of a Greek god.”

  As soon as the words slipped out, I wanted to face-palm myself, but somehow managed to resist.

  If Raz thought anything of the comment, he did not acknowledge it, for which I was grateful.

  “Come,” he said. “We will strength train, and then begin sparring.”

  “Sparring? Like, fighting?”

  “What did you think Defense Training was?”

  “After the past few weeks? Just a really intense gym class, I guess.”

  Raz scoffed, as though this was insulting. “I’m preparing you to be able to defend yourself against physical assault, princess. Not to get a beach body.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.”

  And so commenced the strength training—push-ups, burpees, sit-ups. A certified torture routine. By the time we finished that, I was mildly dizzy, drenched in sweat, and cursing the bright sun that I’d been admiring only an hour ago.

  When Raz was finally ready to begin sparring, I was ready to pass out.

  “You can’t be serious,” I said.

  “Are you afraid?” he asked.

  “Shouldn’t I be?”

  “I won’t hurt you.”

  I refrained from saying that he’d been hurting me for the past few weeks with his grueling training, and instead resigned to the fact that mornings at the Academy were just gonna suck for me.

  But, actually, the sparring part was not as bad as the rest. It turned out that Raz was as competent as he was harsh. He taught me how to throw a punch, how to twist my body and put my weight behind it, how to punch through my target, rather than just at it.

  “This,” Raz said, after blocking what seemed the hundredth of my punches, “you’re actually okay at.”

  I gasped. “Was that a compliment?”

  Raz didn’t smile, but I got the feeling he almost did.

  “See you tomorrow, princess,” he said.

  I watched as he walked away, gathering his bow and arrows from where he’d discarded them near the edge of the track and slinging them around his massive shoulders. Harsh or not, he was a beautiful man. His thick, dark hair was braided back down the center of his head, the sides of which were shaved close, and swayed as he moved. His clothes were the same all-black uniform I’d seen the other Cerb’s wearing.

  I’d asked Genie who the large males (and one female that I’d seen the night we’d arrived) were, and she’d told me they were called the Cerberus—Cerbs for short. They were mostly male witches whose affinity was strength, stamina, and speed, making them perfect for the job of protecting the Academy, alongside the magic that surrounded the place.

  The question that kept bothering me, though, was why such measures had to be taken to prot
ect the Academy. Surely the white-haired witch—Mother Eve—was not powerful enough to threaten an entire campus of trained and training witches.

  And, yet, I felt certain there was indeed a threat.

  I thought it was time I find out for sure.

  Before going to dinner later that evening, I found my way to Headmistress Talia’s office.

  I had to take several winding hallways and go up a spiral set of stairs to get there, but I figured if I wanted answers, the lady who ran the Academy was a good place to start.

  The sweet scent that I was starting to associate with magic filled the air, growing stronger the closer I got to the arched doorway that led into the headmistress’s office. My pulse quickened as I raised my hand to knock, but before I could do so, the large wooden door swung open.

  “Come in, Reini,” called the headmistress from inside.

  I glanced around as I entered, trying to take in the room, though there was too much to absorb in one sitting. The ceiling stretched thirty feet high, with wooden beams from which all manner of things were suspended. Some hung on strings, others floated in midair. Bookshelves lined every wall, filled with tomes in languages I couldn’t begin to guess at, along with things in jars that I didn’t dare look too closely at.

  “Hello, princess,” the headmistress said. “Come, have a seat.”

  I made my way over to a chair across from a large desk, but the headmistress waved me over to a seating area with an afghan and large, plush couches. She took a seat in the one across from me and smiled.

  “Would you like some tea?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “No, thank you.”

  A teapot hovered over a cup and saucer on a coffee table made of wood that had been cut to reveal the intricate whorls in the center of the thick branches. I watched in wonder as the tea poured itself, the pot steady, not spilling a drop as it filled the cup, and slowly lowered back down to the coffee table.

  “Simple magic,” Headmistress Talia said, retrieving the cup and saucer and leaning back on the couch. “You’ll be doing far more complicated spells soon enough, I’m sure.”

  I nodded, concentrating so as not to wring my hands together or shift in my seat.

  “What is it, Rey?” she asked.

  “Why do I feel like there’s so much going on here that my sister and I don’t know about?”

  “Because there is so much you don’t know. You grew up human, for all intents and purposes. I’d imagine everything about this place seems a mystery to you.”

  “Why is Mother Eve after us?”

  “Likely so that she could drain you of your magic.”

  I swallowed. “But she can’t reach us here?”

  “You and your sister are safe within the Academy walls.”

  “Why did our mother not tell us about this place? Why didn’t she want us here?”

  “Because the longer you stay here, and the more you learn about the magic and our world, the more powerful you will become… for better or worse.”

  For whatever reason, those last four words made the hair on the back of my neck rise. “For better or worse? What do you mean by that?”

  Headmistress Talia studied me over the rims of her glasses, taking a slow sip of her tea before answering. “Your sister’s main affinity is necromancy, is it not?”

  I stiffened.

  “It’s all right. I’m the only one who knows. Though if she continues to threaten people with ghosts from their pasts, as she did with Agnes Buttsworth the other day in the cafeteria, it might not remain a secret for long.”

  I didn’t question how she knew about the cafeteria incident with Agnes. This was her school, after all.

  “So you think that because Roo is a necromancer, that she’ll go dark?”

  She took another long sip of the steaming liquid, and it was an effort not to sigh in frustration.

  “The possibility is strong, Reini,” she said at last. “You should be aware of that.”

  “Possible, but not definite.”

  “Witches don’t choose their affinities, but they do get to choose what they do with them. You know Rooni better than I do, better than anyone living, I would wager, so what do you think?”

  “She’s not a bad person.”

  A sad smile pulled up one side of Headmistress Talia’s thin mouth. “Most dark witches do not start out that way.” She blew air out through her nose. “Goddess, most people don’t start out that way. It just…” She shrugged. “Happens.”

  “And if Roo did go dark, what would happen then?”

  “I know many things, Reini Aldainaire, but that, I don’t know. Nothing good, I’m sure. With the amount of power she wields, nothing good. And the two of you together… Well, it’s not a future I care to think too much about.”

  I scoffed. “We’re just two girls. We’re not even adults yet.”

  “Young people are the ones who change the world, princess. They are the ones with the energy to do it. And you are not just two girls. You are heirs to the Records of Conjury, and with that power will come many hardships.”

  The look on my face must’ve asked the question for me.

  “The Records of Conjury is an ancient grimoire, but it’s more than that. It’s the key to the balancing of the magic. Most witches believe that there is no need for dark magic, that our world would be better off if all dark magic disappeared, and the witches who wield it along with it. But everything in the universe needs balance. Without balance, there is only chaos.”

  “I don’t understand. You’re saying we need witches like Mother Eve?”

  “No, not like Mother Eve. We need witches who are strong enough to wield the darkness without succumbing to it. The trouble is, one only comes along once every several hundred years, and the toll it takes on that individual is… ghastly, to put it mildly.”

  A picture was starting to form in my head, and with it, my indignity at the assumption. “You think Roo is that individual?” I asked. “You want to, what, sacrifice her for the sake of your stupid balance?”

  “Both you and Roo have choices to make, Reini. Choices that only you can make. But depending on what you choose, the entire world of magical will be affected. The only thing I can hope to do is teach you everything I can so that when the time comes, maybe you will choose wisely.”

  “That’s unnecessarily cryptic.”

  She sipped from her tea. “Do you know how your mother died?” she asked.

  The abrupt change in subject caught me off guard, and I bristled. “In a car accident.”

  The headmistress shook her head. “No. I’m afraid not.”

  13

  My stomach was in knots as I made my way to the dining hall, twenty minutes late for dinner.

  Normally, I’d be starving by this point, but all thoughts of food had left my mind along with the metaphorical bomb the headmistress had dropped on me.

  My mother had not been killed in an accident.

  She’d been killed by Mother Eve, the white-haired witch who’d also murdered my aunt Meera.

  She hadn’t just killed her, she’d drained her of her magic, which was one of the reasons Mother Eve was so powerful. Apparently, my mother had been a strong witch, with powerful magic flowing through her veins. She had not been Mother Eve’s first victim, nor her last, obviously.

  I decided I hated this Mother Eve. I hated her almost as much as I was starting to fear her.

  Now, I had the privilege of figuring out how to relay all of this information to Roo.

  As I entered the dining hall, with its emerald-flame torches, high ceilings, and perpetual aroma of various foods, dread swirled within me. What made it worse was that as I spotted Roo sitting with the others at our usual table, I noticed that she looked almost happy. She was talking with Genie and the other girls, and something Indi said made her laugh. I swallowed around a lump in my throat as Roo spotted me and waved for me to grab some food and hurry up.

  “I was getting ready to tear this place apart loo
king for you,” Roo joked as I sat down with my tray beside her.

  I forced a smile, but her words had everything the headmistress told me running through my head. Was it possible that Roo could go dark at some point? My little Roo, who I’d helped raise while simultaneously raising myself after the death of our mother?

  Roo was looking at me, so I fixed whatever expression was on my face and sat up a little straighter, shoving some food in my mouth as a distraction.

  “Sorry,” I said, around a mouthful. “I stopped to talk with someone and time got away from me.”

  “It’s cool,” Roo said. “I’m glad you’re making friends.”

  I nodded, eager to change the subject until we were alone, and I could relay everything. “So what were you guys talking about?”

  “Roo is thinking about trying out for the Sphera team,” Genie said.

  “What’s Sphera?”

  “Only the best sport in the world,” Candy answered.

  “Nice,” I said. “Roo is a natural athlete for sure.”

  Candy grinned. “That’s what I hear. I guess we’ll find out at tryouts tomorrow evening.”

  Silence fell for a moment as we all went back to our food.

  “How was the rest of your day?” Roo asked. “Blow up any brews or anything?”

  “Nope,” I said. “Spellcasting is fun. I think it might be my favorite class.”

  “It’s most people’s favorite,” Genie said. “Casting is the best part of being a witch.”

  “And tonight is the Hunt!” Candy said, big eyes somehow growing bigger. “You guys are gonna love it. Each grade is split up into pairs, and then we’re given a mystery to solve. We go searching throughout the Academy to find clues that will lead us to the answers, and whoever figures out the mystery first gets an extra ten percent added on to final exams, along with a trip to Grove Garden.”

  “Whoever gets on your teams will be lucky,” Indi said. “We can use our magic to solve the mystery, and the whole school is going on and on about our new and all-powerful princesses.”