17. Vex
17
VEX
I watch Matilda from across the crowded dining hall, unable to take my eyes off her. She’s sitting with the two Princes of Hell, and that intrigues me. How has such an innocent witch fallen in with the big bad already?
But I saw the flicker of interest in her gaze when I reminded her of our tutoring lesson. She’ll come.
Blackthorn joins me, and we both stare at her for a moment before I ask, “Why did you send her to Advanced Dark Magick? She is not suited to that class.”
“I have my reasons.”
“And they would be?”
“None of your business.”
“If I’m supposed to help teach her something she has zero affinity for, I think that makes it my business. It’s need to know, and I need to know.”
“Who says she has zero affinity for it?”
“Me.”
He chuckles. “The expert.”
“You brought me here from Thornfield University because of it. Gave me a get out of jail free card practically to stay here and teach after I’ve finished this year. I think I deserve to know who that witch really is.”
“Hmm,” he murmurs and moves forward, away from me to cross over to Matilda. They utter some words, and Matilda casts a quick glance at me. I can only imagine they are talking about why she is in my class. She clearly thinks it’s a mistake. Blackthorn is adamant it’s not.
She grimaces and nods as he tells her what she doesn’t want to hear, but all it does is make it even more of a dead cert that she will show up at six.
As Blackthorn walks away and Matilda stares at her half-eaten lunch, I smile as Luc, I believe his name is, looks over at me. He narrows his eyes. We will come across each other in class after lunch. He is in the Master Dark Magick lecture, which has exactly two students in it.
Him and his brother.
This is going to be epically fun. Even more so, as this is a brand new class. Probably because in the first term, we barely had students who qualified for the Advanced class, let alone Mastery. I can’t wait to see what these two fuckers have in them. I’m willing to bet they could level this entire academy to the ground if they chose to, and the wards weren’t in place. That is some crazy power. But I’m not exactly a slacker myself. This is going to be a clash of the Titans, and so I hope Professor Night is ready with the hose. I think he’s going to need it.
Finishing my lunch, I dump the tray and make my way to the Master Dark Magick lecture hall on the opposite side of the academy. I think Blackthorn wanted these students as far out of the way as possible.
My mind is still partially on Matilda. I’m looking forward to learning more about her, pushing her boundaries, both magickal and physical. But as I enter the room, I focus on the task at hand, which I know is going to be explosive.
Professor Night is behind his desk, looking as grim as ever. The two Princes of Hell are already here, slouched in their seats, exuding an air of boredom and superiority.
“Gentlemen,” I say, nodding to them as I take my place at the front of the room. “Welcome to Master Dark Magick. I’m Vex, your TA for this class.”
Luc raises an eyebrow as he gives me a thorough once-over. “Two teachers just for us? How quaint.”
“Oh, I think you’ll find I’m more than qualified.”
“I’ve no doubt,” Luc murmurs, eyes narrowed.
Professor Night clears his throat. “This is an interesting class, and I’m sure all three of you will actually learn something while you are here…” He glares at me.
Bingo. I did wonder.
“… The magick you will learn here is strictly forbidden in the rest of the academy and most of the supernatural world. You will practise it here in the classroom and nowhere else. If you are caught with even a whiff of these spells on you, you will be expelled faster than you can blink, and I believe that for you two…” He jabs at the princes, “… it would be bad news.”
They grimace at him but ignore each other.
Draven leans forward, his eyes glinting with interest. “What kind of magick are we talking about, exactly?”
Professor Night’s lips curl into a grim smile. “The kind that can rend souls, twist reality, and bring ruin to entire realms if wielded improperly. We’re delving into the deepest, darkest aspects of magick—things most practitioners don’t even know exist.”
“Sounds fun,” Luc drawls, but I can see the hunger in his eyes.
“It’s not meant to be fun,” I interject sharply. “This is serious, dangerous stuff. One wrong move, and you could destroy yourself or others.”
Draven’s gaze shifts to me for the first time, assessing me. “And you’ve worked with this kind of magick before?”
I meet his stare evenly. “More than you know.”
Professor Night clears his throat, drawing our attention. “Enough chit-chat. We will start with Death Curses, and I will remind you again, caught using this magick will have consequences. Vex?”
I nod at Professor Night and step forward, feeling the weight of the two princes’ gazes on me. “Death Curses are among the most potent and dangerous forms of dark magick,” I begin, my voice low and serious. “They don’t just kill—they can destroy the very essence of a being, erasing them from existence.”
Luc leans back in his chair, a smirk playing on his lips. “Sounds like my kind of party.”
“Sounds easy to me. A simple snap of my fingers and boom, you’re dead.” Draven states.
“The key to a Death Curse is intent. It’s not just about wanting someone dead—it’s about wanting them obliterated, wiped from reality itself. This level of malice and focus is what makes these curses so potent and so dangerous to cast. You may have dominion over the dead, but it’s snap and die. This is more prolonged, more thought out, more premeditated and more malevolent.” Draven’s eyes narrow, and he sits back. “Got your attention?”
“You do.”
“How is it dangerous to cast?” Luc asks, also now fully invested.
“The level of hatred and destructive intent can corrupt the caster,” I explain. “It’s like handling pure acid—one wrong move, and you’ll burn yourself beyond recognition.”
“So, how do we protect ourselves?” Draven asks, his interest clearly piqued.
“That’s what you’re here to learn. We’ll start with the basics of shielding your psyche from the backlash of Dark Magick. Then we’ll move on to channelling and focusing that destructive energy.”
Luc leans forward, a wicked glint in his eye. “And when do we get to the fun part? Actually casting these curses?”
“When I’m confident you won’t destroy yourselves, me or half the academy in the process. This isn’t a game. Now shut up and learn.”
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, feeling the dark energy swirling around me, hungry and eager. Carefully, I weave it into a protective barrier, visualising it as an impenetrable shell. “Watch closely,” I instruct, opening my eyes. “This shield doesn’t just protect you from external attacks. It also contains your own energy, preventing it from lashing out uncontrolled.”
I can see the fascination in their eyes as they observe the shimmering black barrier surrounding me.
“How do you know how to do this shit?” Luc asks, giving me a suspicious stare.
“Maybe I’ll tell you one day, maybe I won’t.”
He holds my gaze for a moment and accepts that’s all he’s getting from me. He nods swiftly, and I say, “Now, you try. Focus on creating a barrier that’s flexible but strong. Like obsidian glass—dark, reflective, but unbreakable.”
Draven closes his eyes first, frowning in concentration. A faint shimmer forms around him, dark and oily. Luc follows, his barrier manifesting as a swirling mist of deep crimson.
I watch them carefully, assessing their technique. “Good start,” I say. “But you need to make it denser and more solid. Imagine it hardening, becoming impenetrable.”
Draven’s shield darkens, taking on a glossy sheen like polished onyx. Luc’s solidifies into a deep blood-red barrier. I can feel the raw and potent power radiating from both of them.
“Now,” I continue, “I’m going to test your shields. Brace yourselves.”
Pausing for several seconds, without further warning, I hurl a bolt of pure dark energy at Draven. His shield flares, absorbing the impact with a dull thud. He grunts, eyes flying open in surprise.
“Not bad,” I nod approvingly. “But you felt that, didn’t you? Your shield needs to be stronger.”
Turning to Luc, I launch a similar attack. His barrier ripples but holds, the energy dissipating harmlessly. He smirks, clearly pleased with himself.
“Better,” I acknowledge. “But don’t get cocky. This is just the beginning.”
Professor Night steps forward. “Remember, gentlemen, the key is balance. Too rigid, and your shield will shatter. Too flexible, and it will collapse under pressure.”
I nod in agreement. “Now, let’s see how you handle multiple offensive magick attacks while maintaining your shields.”
Blasting at their shields, I increase the power behind my magick until I have to pull back or risk obliterating them. By the end, both of them are sweating from keeping their barriers intact, their faces etched with concentration.
“Fucking hell,” Luc mutters, giving me another appraising look, but this time with more respect.
“That was mad,” Draven agrees. “But interesting.”
“Enough for today,” Professor Night announces. “This is a weekly class, so by next week, I want those shields intact.”
As Luc and Draven gather their things, I can see the wheels turning in their minds. They’re intrigued, maybe even a little impressed. Good. They need to understand the gravity of what we’re dealing with here, and they need to learn that they aren’t at the top of the totem pole here. At least, they are, but they aren’t alone up there.