6. Vex
6
VEX
The cold January night air whips around me as I stand on top of the highest tower of MistHallow Academy, my eyes scanning the darkness beyond the gates. The new term is starting tonight, although the year is already in full swing. Something is coming. I can feel it in my bones, a restless energy that has been building for days.
There have been rumours. Lots of them about the new arrivals to see the year out. Blackthorn has been hard at work but has kept his mouth shut, not even giving us a hint of who or what is arriving. The professors are running around like chickens without heads, trying to guess, but I don’t really give a fuck who it is. I’m more interested in the what aspect. What power do they have? What do they plan to do with it once they are here?
“Vex.”
I turn on the tower roof to see Professor Night—the newly appointed dark magick professor who I TA for, the whole reason I am here at MistHallow in the first place—standing behind me. “Professor.”
“What brings you up here?”
“Just getting some fresh air,” I say, giving him a smile that could freeze a river of lava. He is powerful and a wild card. Dark magick has never been taught here at MistHallow before, and it’s one of two magickal academies that have it in their curriculum. Not many beings are powerful enough to wield it, but there are a few select students, Professor Night and me. I’m not merely a warlock with no moral compass but a nexus of power that I’m still learning about, and it is a well-kept secret. Dark magick runs through my veins, it’s in my blood. Most creatures only hold the ability to practice, but me… yeah, I’m the big bad you should fucking run a mile from.
Professor Night nods, his black eyes assessing me. “And keeping watch, I presume?”
I shrug. “Can’t hurt to be prepared.”
“Indeed,” he says, moving to stand beside me at the edge of the tower. “Any sign of our new arrivals yet?”
“Nothing so far,” I reply, scanning the horizon again. “But they’re close. I can feel it.”
“What do you feel, Vex?”
The question isn’t casual. He wants me to tap into it. To really feel. He is a mentor of sorts, but one that I won’t trust. I close my eyes and breathe out. “Pure evil.”
Professor Night hums in agreement. “Yes, I feel it too. There’s a change in the air tonight. Powerful forces are converging on MistHallow.”
I glance at him sideways. “You know who’s coming, don’t you?”
A ghost of a smile flits across his face. “I have my suspicions. But Blackthorn has been quite tight-lipped about the details.”
“Care to share with the class?” I ask, sarcasm dripping from every word.
He chuckles. “Now, where would the fun be in that? You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Coy,” I counter. “You’re not saying so you can claim triumph even if you’re wrong.”
He smiles, the same smile I gave him, full of ice and malice.
“You’re learning.”
“Well, whoever they are, I’m looking forward to it. They are clearly going to be in your class?”
“I believe so. That means you will have access to them as well.”
“And they will have access to me, don’t forget.”
“How could I? You are a powerful, if not slightly arrogant creature, Vex.”
I smirk at Professor Night’s assessment. “Arrogance is only a problem if you can’t back it up.”
His stare is a challenge. “And you believe you can?”
“I know I can,” I reply confidently. My power hums just beneath my skin, blue lightning that is eager to be unleashed. I’ve been holding back since I was offered the TA job, but I’m getting restless. These new arrivals might finally give me a chance to stretch my abilities.
Professor Night studies me for a long moment. “Be careful, Vex. There are forces at work here beyond even your comprehension.”
“Is that a threat?” I ask with a wicked grin.
He shakes his head. “A warning. Don’t underestimate what’s coming.”
Before I can reply, a surge of power ripples through the air. My gaze snaps downwards as Blackthorn sweeps out of the main building to greet the creatures who have arrived by an unconventional blast of fire, whose heat I can feel even from up here.
Night’s breath catches as he stares down at the petite red head whose feet are on fire, the dark-haired man in the black coat who exudes an air of sex that I fail to say doesn’t affect me and a guy about my age, who looks bored, arrogant and a fucking cock.
I grin. Oh, this is going to be interesting.
“Seems I was right,” Night murmurs and vanishes from the space next to me to appear next to Blackthorn, who is hastily trying to extinguish the fiery feet, with no success. The woman’s giggle at Blackthorn resonates with all the power of the Underworld, and I know without even needing to ask that I am looking at pure evil, and her son is about to join the ranks of students here at MistHallow.
He looks up as if he can feel my gaze on him, and he smirks as if sensing my scrutiny. I narrow my eyes, accepting the unspoken challenge.
The stakes just got raised, and this arsehole has just made it onto my list of creatures to watch out for.
Slowly, I smile and stick my middle finger up at him. He hides his laugh behind his hand and turns his back to me.
“You are a fun one, aren’t you?” I murmur. I feel a fizz in my veins as my power rises up at the silent gauntlet that has been thrown down. I crouch down and watch things unfold as a black Porsche roars up the path and pulls to a stop a few feet away from Blackthorn and the group.
“And who are you?” The evil in the air just magnified tenfold, and my eyes light up as the darkness in my soul reacts to this. The runes etched into my chest, forbidden runes of imperviousness to others’ magick, amongst other prohibited glyphs, flare under my black shirt, lighting up the night sky with a faint blue glow.
Whoever these arrivals are, they have awoken something inside me that has lain dormant for some time, even now. It is unfurling, waiting to be unleashed, ready to strike. That makes them important to me, but also I’m wary. I straighten up and drop off the rooftop, landing with a cat’s grace at the bottom of the tower, stepping into the shadows, not quite ready to become an active part of this gathering.