The little light glows brighter and brighter.
“Yes!” Kaia cheers.
Max slowly brings his hands up, cupping them under mine. The light is now the size of a gumball, and the white light is starting to turn purple.
“Aww how cute.” Celeste appears behind me, and her voice causes me to jump. The ball of light bursts into a million tiny pieces that float and dissipate into the air. “Was that your first spell?”
“Yeah, it was.” I turn to look at her and my hands lower into Max’s. Another electric shock zaps us both, probably from the energy I was just holding. “It was pretty fucking cool.”
Celeste presses her lips together in a thin smile. “I remember when that was all I could do. Like ten years ago. Exciting times.” Her pale eyes glimmer in the candlelight. She’s about to say something else when the door opens and slams shut as Professor Balbina walks in. She’s a striking woman with silver-streaked black hair and a willowy figure, and as she brushes past me the air hums with power, just like when I’m around the headmistress or Professor Dal.
Professor Balbina wastes no time in starting the class. “Your best line of defense is your scythe,” she states. “They are powered with magic and fueled by your own life energy. It is the reaper’s greatest weapon. However,” she pauses, her dark gaze sweeping the room, “there are times when you may become separated from your scythe. If that is the case, you use theprecutiospell. Please open your books to page three hundred and fifty-three.” Maxon flips to the page in his book and pushes it between us on the desk. “Now, you may be wondering why such a simple spell? This spell may be simple in execution, but it packs a powerful punch.”
“It’s just an energy spell,” Celeste says. She’s a few desks over and is drumming her long nails on the surface of the table, lips pursed. “First years can do energy spells.” She cocks an eyebrow and looks at me. “Easily. It’s basic reaper spell casting.”
“That is true,” Professor Balbina agrees. “However, this particular spell pulls a vast and great amount of energy directly from the caster. The hit is enough to stun even the most powerful of demons, but will leave you feeling quite depleted. This spell is meant to stun the demon so you can get away. There’s a dark truth none of us like to talk about. Sometimes the demons win.”
Silence falls over the classroom.
“Mastering this spell can mean the difference between coming home or being devoured. But know, after you perform this spell, it’s imperative you leave. You’ll be depleted, and a depleted reaper is no match for a demon.”
The room is still silent, and I turn to Max. “What happens to a reaper if they die?”
“Nothing,” he whispers back.
“Nothing happens?”
“Nothing is exactly what happens. You’re just gone. There’s no coming back when a reaper dies.”
I swallow hard, finding it difficult to concentrate on the rest of the lesson. I just died, was reborn as a reaper. This should be it, right? I shouldn’t have to worry about dying all over again.
I was never a religious person, but being able to see spirits led me to believe there was always some sort of afterlife. Turns out I was right about that. But knowing that if I mess this up, I disappear into nothingness…well, it scares the ever-loving shit out of me.
Guess this is good motivation to study hard, I think to myself as I turn my attention back to Professor Balbina’s lecture. If there’s no coming back from dying, and my destiny is to fight demons, then I’m going to need every bit of training I can get.
7
“We have an hour long study break and then lunch,” Max tells me as we leave Professor Balbina’s class room. “I’ve got some stuff to take care of, so I’ll see you in the mess hall.”
“Study break?” I ask as we enter the courtyard. “But I don’t have any homework yet. What do you want me to do?” And why wouldn’t he be using the study break time to tutor me?
“Figure it out,” he says, the bite of impatience back in his voice. “Go to the library and start reading the 101 textbooks. Or go exploring—there’s plenty you haven’t seen yet at the academy.”
“Explore?” My stomach squirms a little uncomfortably at the idea of wandering around alone. “I don’t know that locator spell yet and I’m a little afraid I might get lost. Or go missing, like that other student.”
“Oh.” He flinches, and I catch that guilty flash again. “I didn’t realize you were worried about that. Right, I’ll teach you.”
“Seriously?” I wait for him to huff and tell me to find someone else to bug, like a first-year student. But he doesn’t.
“Yeah. Come here.” We go over to a cast iron table in a grassy area in the courtyard. There are more students hanging out here than before, and many of them stare openly as we pass.
Max sets his books down and starts to undo the buttons on his cloak.
“Whoa.” I hold up my hands. “We’re getting intense now.”
He gives me an annoyed look. “Do you want to learn this or not?”
“Yes, but you should consider investing in a sense of humor, you know.”
