The mention of the dean made my stomach clench. He’d already put his neck on the line by letting me teach here. Vampire students were watched carefully to avoid incidents. But a vampire professor? They were almost unheard of.
“Fine,” I said, the word coming out harsher than I intended. “But I’m not promising anything. And if this turns into some elaborate scheme to set me up with someone, I’m leaving.”
Lila’s eyes lit up with triumph, and I immediately regretted agreeing. “Oh, this is going to be so much fun. You have no ideahow long I’ve been waiting for you to say yes to something like this.”
“I’m already regretting this decision.”
“Good,” she said, practically bouncing on her toes. “That means you’re actually taking a risk for once. We leave Friday at eight. Wear something that was made after two thousand and ten.”
I looked down at my current outfit. It was dark slacks, a button-down shirt, and a tie that had probably gone out of style sometime in the late nineties. “What’s wrong with how I dress?”
“Everything,” Lila said without hesitation. “But don’t worry. I’ll help you pick something out. Something that shows off those arms you’ve been hiding under conservative professor clothes.”
Heat crept up my neck again. “My arms are fine where they are.”
“Your arms are magnificent, and you know it. Three centuries of swordwork doesn’t just disappear because you started carrying a briefcase.” She was already heading toward the door, but she paused to look back at me. “Trust me, Valen. This is exactly what you need. You need to get out there, fuck the daylights out of someone, and just take a goddamn chill pill.”
After she left, I stood alone in the empty classroom, wondering what the hell I’d just agreed to.
Chapter 2
Archer
“Welcome to Advanced Conjuration,” Professor Blackwood said from her desk. “As you can see, ours is a rather small group.”
I glanced around the room, taking in the other four students who made up our class. It seemed strange that we should meet in an actual classroom. We could’ve met on a pair of couches in a lounge somewhere and had just as much room.
“You five represent some of the most advanced magical students in the entirety of Widdershins Academy, so I’ll expect no small amount of effort on your part for this course.” She took a step forward, looking at each of us in turn. “The witches in this room also represent the leaders of tomorrow. So, while we are studying complicated magical equations, I would like you to keep in mind that you are not going to just become the leaders of your family or coven. You will also be the witches who will springboard the entire paranormal world forward. Some of you may even end up on the Elder Council.”
I tried not to let my eyes glaze over at the mention of the Elder Council. The idea of being trapped in endless political meetings with ancient witches who probably still used quills and parchment didn’t exactly sound appealing. But I kept myexpression neutral, just like I’d been taught, and nodded along with the others.
Professor Blackwood moved to the blackboard, her robes swishing behind her. “This semester, we’ll be focusing on advanced summoning techniques. Not just calling forth simple familiars or basic elemental sprites, but true conjuration. We’ll be bringing forth elemental beings with enough intelligence and power to assist in complex magical work.”
Now that caught my attention. I’d been struggling with my more advanced magic lately, and the thought of having actual help instead of just my own fumbling attempts was appealing.
“We’ll start with air elementals,” she continued, drawing symbols on the board that seemed to shimmer and move even though they were just chalk. “Then progress to water, earth, and finally fire. Fire elementals are notoriously difficult to control, which is why we save them for last. I’d prefer not to have to explain to the Dean why half the classroom burned down.”
A nervous chuckle rippled through our small group. I found myself leaning forward, genuinely interested despite my usual cynicism about advanced magical theory. So far, professors liked to claim their magic was far more advanced than everyone else's. But I had a feeling Blackwood actually meant it. She had quite the reputation after all.
“The conjurations we’ll be learning require not just power, but precision. One misplaced syllable, one incorrectly drawn sigil, and instead of a helpful air elemental, you might find yourself face-to-face with something considerably less...cooperative.”
She turned back to face us, her sharp eyes scanning our faces. “Any questions before we dive into the theoretical foundations?”
When no one raised a hand, she smiled. “Excellent. Then let’s begin with the basic principles of elemental consciousness...”
The next hour flew by as Professor Blackwood outlined the complex magical theory behind summoning sentient elemental beings. My hand cramped from taking notes, but I found myself genuinely engaged for the first time in my three years at Widdershins.
As class ended and we gathered our things, I heard Sarah Morrison whispering to her friend near the door.
“Thank God they finally separated the advanced classes for seniors,” she said, not bothering to keep her voice particularly low. “I was getting so tired of having to slow down for the... less magically inclined students.”
Her friend giggled. “You mean the monsters? I know, right? It’s so much better without having to worry about fae and werewolves disrupting everything with their chaotic energy. Sometimes I wonder how they even get into a place like this.”
“Sports,” Sarah shot back with a scoff. “That’s all they’re good for.”
I couldn’t help but shake my head. While I was happy to be in the more advanced classes at last, I knew they would be full of people like Sarah and her friend. People prejudiced against anyone who wasn’t a witch from a powerful family. People like my parents, who had recently forbidden me and my sister from speaking to any non-witch students while in college, thanks to some recent developments with the Voss family. Widdershins Academy had been a reprieve from their type for a while, but now that I was a senior, it looked like I was moving back into the same circles again.
I packed my books slowly, letting Sarah and her friend leave first. No point in having to walk behind them and listen to more of their enlightened commentary about the “lesser” supernatural beings. The irony wasn’t lost on me that these same witches would probably wet themselves if they ever faced a pissed-off werewolf or fae without their precious family protections.
