Thicker than Water (Fangs and Feuds #1)

Cold blood

COLD BLOOD

Amara

“On your marks and…go!”

Two lines of young witches turn to face each other and golden light illuminates the large classroom, curling in long tails to the high ceiling.

“Naomi, if you widen your stance, you’ll get more power,” I say, walking down the line. “Sam, the same for you, and try to relax your attention, remember how we practiced? June, excellent form, as always, but don’t forget…”

I stop in front of the girl, and the entire class pauses to watch us. I put a hand to my heart.

“Your most powerful tool is your connection with Hecate. All of our magic, our power, is bestowed upon us by her. It’s not just about moving in the right way, or even about being the most blessed. Magic comes from the heart, from your intention. If your intention is clear, your spells will succeed.”

The student nods, her grey eyes sharp with attention. “Of course, Professor Moonfall. I’ll try again.”

Her eyes turn to yellow as she recasts her spell. The student across from her puts his palms to the air, his face wrinkled in concentration to defend against her careful and practiced attack.

As I look around the wood-paneled classroom, I notice that most of the students are taking this exercise very seriously. They’ve been unusually engaged this class, listening attentively and incorporating my feedback with diligence.

I teach most of the dueling and offensive magic classes at the Hecate coven’s witch school, so students typically enjoy my classes. But today they seem particularly dedicated for some reason. Naomi widens her stance and sends her opponent flying onto the padded floor behind her.

“Great work, Naomi! And good landing, Priya, I saw that levitation charm. Even if you’re thrown off your feet, you can soften your landing to prevent injury. That’s an important reminder for everyone.”

But Priya doesn’t get up. She remains crouched down, her head bowed. Her shoulders tremble softly.

“Priya, are you all right?” I ask. But before I can hurry to her side, she stands back up again, wiping her cheek with the sleeve of her pink dress.

“I’m fine!” she says. But I can hear a note of trepidation in her voice as she sniffs and raises her hands in the air for a counter-attack.

I frown in concern. “If you need to take a break…”

“No! No, I can fight, I promise,” Priya says, yellow light pooling around her fingers.

“You don’t need to fight right now, Priya,” I say, moving between her and her opponent and raising a hand to stop her. “It’s only an exercise.”

“But it won’t be an exercise, one day,” Priya says, her eyes shining passionately. “One day, we’ll be fighting for real, won’t we, professor?”

“Yes, but…” I look around. All of the students are watching us eagerly, halos of magical residue fading around them as their spells disperse into the air.

“Professor,” says Naomi, fiddling nervously with a carved protection stone she wears strung around her neck. “Is it true that we’re going to go to war soon?”

I inhale sharply. “So that’s why you’re all being so attentive today. Who told you that we’re going to war?”

But I already know. It’s been less than a week since my conversation with Lavinia, but each day, she’s sent one of her personal guards to ask if I’ve changed my mind about going to spy on the vampires. Each time, I’ve turned them away with a firm rejection.

June responds, her hand shooting quickly into the air. “High Priestess Nox says that another conflict is imminent. She says that we have to ensure that we prepare ourselves for battle.”

“She did, did she?” I sigh.

The young witch nods. Her mouse familiar peeks his nose out of her shirt pocket. “She said it’s an opportunity to serve Hecate, a great honour. That we can finally put our magic to use, and prove our loyalty to our coven.”

I survey the girl, her proud face bright with determination. She must be barely twenty, too young to remember our last feud with the evil witches.

But I remember.

“Listen to me,” I tell her. “ All of you, listen to me.”

The students gather closer anxiously, hanging onto each word.

“I felt that way, once. That desire to prove myself, to put my skills to the test. I wanted to show everyone my loyalty to Hecate, my strength. I wanted to protect my coven and all the people that I loved. I thought that war was glamorous and exciting. And it was, at first. The little conflicts between the witch covens, the occasional clash with the shifters.”

The memories tug at me, pulling me away. But Merlin lands on my shoulder, grounding me with his calm presence. I breathe in deeply, bringing myself back to the moment, to the waiting faces around me. I have to be fully present for my students. They have to know the truth.

“But then came the War of the Final Fire. A decades-long conflict that drew in every magical coven and clan in the northern region. Nobody was spared. Witches, shifters, mermaids…and vampires.”

Naomi swallows, and raises a tentative hand. “Professor Moonfall, what’s it like to fight a vampire?”

A heavy hush falls over the gathered students. I know that we won’t be going back to our original lesson any time soon.

“You must never underestimate a vampire,” I tell them, solemnly. “They’re extremely fast and strong, even the young ones. When casting a binding spell on a vampire, you have to use all of your magic and focus. And be careful not to look them directly in the eye. They have their own type of enchantment, called a glamour, and they can quickly lull you into a semi-conscious state. If they do that, they could bite you easily.”

I recall what Lavinia said in her office. Although I do believe she’s overreacting by assuming they’re plotting against us, I agree with her on one point.

“And most of all, remember this: vampires don’t have the same moral code that witches do. They wouldn’t think twice about killing you.”

The students gaze at me with wide eyes. Although I don’t like to scare them this way, it’s important for them to know what they may be up against.

But I’m not ready for the next question.

Priya raises a quivering hand. “Have you ever seen a vampire kill someone, Professor Moonfall?”

An icy chill wraps itself around my heart.

“Yes,” I reply, my voice hushed but clear. “I’ve seen many witches killed in battle by vampires. But the most vicious death I witnessed…was when I watched the northern vampires kill my father.”

A collective gasp echoes throughout the large room.

“Marcus Moonfall?” says June with a frown. “But I thought…I thought he was the High Priest?”

“He was,” I answer. “My father, Marcus Moonfall, was the High Priest of the Hecate coven before Lavinia Nox. During the War of the Final Fire, he decided to surrender on behalf of the good witches. He had seen so much death and misery, and he resolved to do anything to stop it. But when he surrendered to the vampires, instead of honouring their agreement, they killed him, in cold blood.

“He was the most powerful witch on the continent, and the vampires tricked him.”

Priya wipes a tear from the corner of her eye. “Professor, will we have to fight the vampires?”

“I don’t know if I’m strong enough yet,” whispers Naomi anxiously, gripping June by the arm.

“I think I could take a vampire or two,” says June haughtily.

She tosses her long hair over her shoulder. It’s a familiar gesture. June’s mother used to have the same long blond hair, the same clear grey eyes. But June would never know that. Her mother died in the last war with the evil witches.

I’ve lost so many friends over the years. Seen so many young, eager witches struck down in battle.

I can’t bear to watch it again.

What if Lavinia is right? What if Tudor and the vampires are up to something? Maybe if we can get ahead of it, we can stop conflict from escalating in the first place.

I wasn’t able to stop my friend from being killed in the Wicked Wars, or my father dying in the War of the Final Fire. But if I could do something to stop this next conflict, I have to try.

“No, Priya,” I say, resolve pooling in my chest. “You’re not going to fight any vampires. We’re not going to war again.

“Not if I can do anything about it.”